The night I wasn't at The Oscars...

Today, March 1st, is St David's Day. If you are Welsh, this makes it a special day. If you are English, like me, it's an excuse to post a photo of the first daffodil to bloom in our garden! I took this at 8am this morning...beautiful thing! It's actually a miniature tete-a-tete...

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony took place on Sunday night...or in the early hours of Monday morning here. For as long as I can remember, I've stayed up all night to watch the Oscars live. Esther & I used to watch it together...now we are 10 hours apart, we use our weekly chat to dissect each outfit and award, as it's broadcast in Australia in it's entirety on Monday night...

I used to be able to watch it at home as it was traditionally broadcast on the BBC. These were the best years. Wrapped in a duvet, in my pyjamas, fortified with tea and the odd chocolate bar I would bathe in the glamour of Hollywood.
Then Sky TV bought the rights. For those of you that don't know, this is a satellite subscription company. We don't have satellite tv. So it became much more difficult. For the past few years, I've driven to my parent's farm at 11pm, said goodnight to them and set myself up in their study (where the little tv is) to watch before letting myself out at 5am and driving home. The dogs are always so bewildered as they look up at me through the night from their cosy beds!
This year, it just felt like too much trouble to go over there...I was tired anyway and  knew I had such a busy baking day to come that driving home the 15 miles at 5am was a horrible thought! So I arranged to watch at our good friend David's house. His garden backs onto ours (we wave!) Paul has spare keys to his house at the office (we keep lots of our friends spare keys there as they're always locking themselves out!) so it was decided that I'd use these to let myself in at 1am. David went to bed, leaving the TV all set on the right channel (with the sound turned down) so I wouldn't need to fiddle with the remote. He also left an electric heater on for me as the central heating would be off, so I wouldn't be cold (nice friend!)
Paul kissed me goodnight at 10.30, shaking his head & chuckling as he always does...he hates award shows & thinks I'm quite deranged to spend the night watching one. I was tired and debated whether to take a short nap....but I decided that I'd feel worse having slept for 2 hours and woken up than if I stayed awake to begin with. So I forced through the fatigue until 1am. Then I got ready. Brushed my teeth, put on an extra cosy sweater and woolly socks. Gathered a favourite plaid blanket to wrap in, plus an apple & a chocolate bar for snacks. Said goodnight to Alice, picked up house keys & David's keys and let myself quietly out of the front door.
The night was so dark and quiet...nothing seemed to stir as I crept around the church square and into the next street. I walked up the steps to David's front door...it looked so warm and inviting in there! Through the open blinds I could see the reflection of the TV flickering, the side lamps pooling their golden light, the heater warming the air. This was it! My favourite night of the year...would King Colin lift the statuette? What would Nicole, Halle & Cate be wearing...how was Natalie's bump looking? All these thoughts and more coursed through my brain as I put the key in the lock of the door. Only to find that....IT WAS THE WRONG KEY!!! I tried 4 times, as I couldn't quite believe it. But there was no mistake. There was no way I could wake Dave at 1.15am. So, after pushing an explanatory note through the letterbox, I did the only thing I could and went home to bed!
The last thing I saw, from my bathroom window at 1.30, were the flickering, tantalising images of the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony across the silent gardens, playing to no one in David's front room. We don't even have a telescope!
And I woke, tired from losing 4 hours sleep, yesterday morning to the news that Colin Firth had indeed won the Oscar. And me not there to see it!
Next year, I've decided to be IN the USA to watch, live and at a decent time!!

I'll leave you with another image of Spring that I took in the churchyard this morning....crocuses, like jewels in the grass. They cheered me up no end! Happy Tuesday xoxo


Comments

  1. Oh No! Your post had me on a knife edge... Are you sure you shouldn't be writing a novel. Thankyou for your comments re twizzling! Seems like quite a lot of people are!

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  2. Oh dear Rachel, you poor thing! That is such a shame. You absolutely neeed to be in the US next year to make up for this years disappointment.
    Perhaps you could watch some of the highlights on YouTube and I wonder if Dave has Sky Anytime, because if he does it is likely that the show will be stored in the anytime facility and you can watch it?!
    I managed to Sky + the show and I shall watch it tonight as I didn't have the stamina to stay up!
    Fingers crossed you will get to see the show
    Morwenna
    xoxo

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  3. Ooh forgot to say daff and crocus are beautiful! Happy St David's Day from someone who is not Welsh, but has a part Welsh name and married into a part Welsh family!
    Morwenna
    xoxo

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  4. Hello dear Rachel,

    What a beautiful sight you woke up to this morning! How wonderful to awaken and find the first daffodil blooming in your garden!!
    I'm so sorry you didn't get to watch the Oscars :( I agree with Helen, I felt like I was reading a suspense novel, till I finally got to the end. Found myself reading faster and faster till I finally found out what happened. You poor thing :( Hopefully, you got to see some clips on TV the next day?? Has Esther told you all about it? Colin Firth was the cutest! Adorable!! How nice if you go to US to watch it next year. Great idea! You are sure not to miss it then. Have a wonderful Spring day sweetie! xxoo

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  5. Oh Rachel, I felt like I was there with you and your pain was my pain. I'm so disappointed that you didn't get to see the Oscars after all your efforts. You did write beautifully about it, though, and had my heart pounding the whole time! And thank you for overcoming your disappointment to show us all a beautiful peek at spring. xoxo

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  6. I now realize how spoiled us Californians are, and do appreciate it more now! One of the highlights was the acceptance speech of the screenwriter for The King's Speech, himself a stutterer. One of those rare eloquent/humorous deliveries, and heartfelt. Then there were the earrings worn by Mrs. Robert Downey Jr., designed by Angleina Jolie.
    Gorgeous! Hope you can see it, on You Tube maybe?
    xx
    julie

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  7. I just do not know what to say, dear Rachel. I am so sorry....how terribly frustrating to see the TV flickering and not be inside to see the show! Oh, I hope you can come to CA next year to see it!!! Oh, but your glimpse of spring lifts my heart! It will be a month before those daffodils poke their noses up at the little cabin in the woods. Breathe in every moment of your spring! Love and hugs, Sherry xx

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  8. Dear Rachel,
    Daffodils to greet you this morning, still with the dew on the leaves-beautiful! Crocus certainly do brighten the day.
    So sorry you couldn't get the key to work, how very dissappointed you must have been. Just thinking about you looking through telescope (if you had one) gives me a chuckle, SORRY!
    Think coming to U.S. next year is brillant idea. Hope Esther was able to fill you in on the highlights but know it's not the same.
    Wish I had some way to tape it for you and send you a copy.
    You Tube is a great idea for some hightlights like Colin recieving his statue. He is such a gentleman in everyway.

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  9. Oh my goodness-maybe you need to write a book of your life-truly, I was with you--gathering up the plaid blanket (I ADORE plaid), getting the apple, etc. and wandering over there....I can't believe you didn't try other keys, however!! You must have been very very tired. The awards did not get very good reviews in the US- most said it was a bit boring/stale. I saw bits of it as I ironed in front of the television, but I did see Colin--made it all worth it as he truly was a magnificent actor in that movie!! He was humble and reminded me of old Hollywood- when men were men...handsome, dapper, and charming....he is all of that! I do hope you get to see highlights!! I'm afraid my March 1 garden looks the same as my January garden---but I'll do a posting of it later in the month to see if anything at all pops up!!

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  10. Aww, that's a shame :( But I did enjoy reading the story nevertheless!
    And If you're ever in NY next year, stop by my place... door's always open! :p

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  11. oh no!!! Poor You! What a drama! But how lovely is your neighbour?
    I miss the Oscar coverage. I used to watch some of it. I remember when Kate Winslet was up for best actress for Titanic, I really wanted to watch it but had to get up for work the next day. So I went to bed and told myself 'wake up for Kate, wake up for Kate', somehow - total miracle - I woke up, switched on the telly, just in time for the nominations and of course, she didn't win, but at least I got to see the part I most wanted to see.

    So I feel your pain. Rotten stupid Sky. We don't have satellite either.

    Lovely daffs, ah, the glorious signs of spring :o) x

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  12. As I said Ray, if you had to miss one Oscars, glad it was this lacklustre outing. Apart from that actual recipients of course! Love love love

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  13. Oh, Rachel! What a disappointment for you! I tired rather early this year, although in past years have remained awake and alert for the entire show.

    We have daffodils in bloom as well. On this first day of March it would seem that spring is just around the corner.:) Heavy rain and flooding in our hometown yesterday, though, with a couple of rotations that didn't touch the ground, thankfully.

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  14. I am sure you can watch the high points on You Tube. That story sounds so much like something that would happen to me! I was all set to watch the ladies figure skating final of the Olympics after I got out of work and what happened? My bank got robbed that afternoon, late in the workday and we all had to stay and give police reports because
    we were witnesses.

    Anyway, if it's any consolation, I heard from a number of people that it was one of the worst Oscar shows ever.

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