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I Miss The Mountains: Fly More Than You Fall @Swkplay

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Losing a parent when you’re still figuring out who you are and your place in the world seems like a bummer of a topic for a musical. But somehow, Fly More Than You Fall tackles grief and loss with a light touch, catchy music and enthusiastic performances. While it may not offer great insight into the exploration of grief, it gives pause for thought and a few laughs on the way. After all, death doesn’t take a holiday, and nobody gets out of here alive. We just hope it doesn’t happen too soon. It’s currently playing at Southwark Playhouse Elephant .  We first meet Malia as she prepares for summer writers' school. She aspires to be a writer and has a story in development. Encouraged by her mother to keep going, she is looking forward to the summer. But the summer school is cut short when her mother is diagnosed with stage four cancer. Back home so her mother can spend her last days with her family, Malia has to grow up quickly and find her voice while watching her mother slip away.  T
Professional Conversation overheard in the office at lunchtime

F: I have been trying to contact Robert for the past hour and his mobile is engaged...
Officer (just walking in to the office): I have just spoken to him...
F: Ah how can you do that?
Officer: I have an emergency override phone...
F: Oooooh!

At several key points during the day the mobile phone network disappeared. As part of the plans for dealing with civil emergencies emergency and government services get priority on the mobile phone network to ensure that their calls get through. It also meant that at 7pm tonight I got a whole stream of texts that had been sent during the course of the day...

Aftermath.

This afternoon I had (in no particular order) a chocolate éclair, a packet of pretzels, two bananas, a thai chicken curry, half a tin of liquorice allsorts, a herbal tea, a coffee and a berocca. My colleague F had the same plus a trifle. Another colleague commented at one stage during the afternoon that at times of crisis her comfort food is pizza. For me, I take allsorts...

As the day has come to a close, it has been a tragedy but it also has been a day marked by quiet resolve. Emergency Plans swung into action, emergency services were on the scene of the major incidents within minutes and there was a determination to get on with it. My flatmate was at Liverpool St and helped take people to hospital. Construction workers near where I live offered to give blood at UCL Hospital.While there were no tube trains tonight, people left work throughout the afternoon in an orderly manner, and busses were back up by 4pm.

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