I'm getting old. Where has the youthful weekly updater of yesterday gone? She who used to have her Bowie CD's on max volume while writing the updates, swigging strange beers and eating bits of whatever was left in the fridge? Here I am today, sitting listening to Ed (Stewpot) Stewart on radio 2 wobbling my shoulders in tune to something by Elvis, drinking a nice cuppa tea and wearing slippers. I feel the need to rebel against this comfy middle age-ness that's creeping up on me and robbing me of my youthful enthusiasm! I need to go out, get drunk, fall over, snog a copper, anything, everything, but settle down to my mid-thirties. I need to start rebelling now! right this minute! And I'll start by kicking off me slippers. Ahhhh, that's better. And now, on with this week's Coronation Street update.
The big storyline this week has been the Sally / Kevin "who gets custody of the girls" routine. Both of them go to court and grimace at each other as they fight for the right to force feed beans on toast to their daughters for the rest of their lives. When the case looks like it's going in Kevin's favour, Sally pulls a face (and vice versa, it's all very schoolyard-ish). Why the two of them can't just accept joint responsibility for these two little people they gave life to, I just don't know. But anyway, Sally wins the court case when the judge er.. judges her to be able to offer a more stable home for her daughters. Kevin isn't best pleased and snarls at Sally in the court room before losing it completely and disappearing off into the sunset in his little van after yelling at Sally about the girls "just tell them I love them". He's been gone a couple of days and Alison hasn't heard from him either. She bitches at Sally that if Kevin doesn't return, "it'll be on your conscience for the rest of your life and I'll never left you forget it." A lot of people are having a go at her at the moment over this storyline, but this updater's loyalty has always been and still is, with Sally. As a single mum, she could bring those girls up, giving them strength and determination they would never have received from the immature Kevin. Anyway, just my tuppence worth.
Roy's new cafe is open for business at last after the flooding disaster last week. Hayley sorts out the insurance and gets Roy a hot-dog stand on loan until the cafe is open. (Hang on while I wobble my shoulders a bit, Neil Diamond is playing on radio 2! Well, have you ever tried to dance while you're typing?!)
Money is still too tight to mention in the Battersby household. Janice can't believe it when Les tells her he's been paid - but not in cash, in toilet rolls! "It's payment in lieu!" Les tells her, but she fails to see the funny side of it. Les thanks Mike for loaning Janice the cash, but when Mike denies he ever gave Janice any money, Les confronts Janice who has to tell him the money came from Leanne, but Nick mustn't find out, of course.
Rita returns from her break in Cartmel, visiting Mavis. Rita and Nita the lady shopkeepers are still battling on when Rita finds out about the price war that's been going on while she's been away. She's livid when she finds out that Sharon has been spreading rumours about food poisoning and Nita selling goods that have gone past their sell-by date. She goes across the road to speak to Nita but gets short shrift. However, she tells Sharon she wants rid of the video rentals in her shop and isn't too keen on the war that's raging between the two shops. Nita's dad wants to know how his daughter is doing in the corner shop and she looks a little worried when he says he's going to inspect the books to see how much profit she's making (for him?).
Natalie tells Jack she wants rid of his pigeons out of the Rovers' back yard. He tries to get Eunice to take them in the B&B but she's not having it and Fred Elliott offers him 50p/lb for them "but you have to neck 'em and pluck 'em first" he says. Finally, Jack gets Tyrone to take the pigeons to Curly's back yard and he gives Tyrone some tips about looking after the birds "they're all different and they're all beautiful", he says. Tyrone seems keen enough to look after the pigeons for Jack but Jacqui isn't best pleased when she finds out "they're dirty and they cack everywhere!".
While Sharon is planning her wedding at the weekend to Ian, he's busy wining and dining Natalie and she's admitting strong feelings for him, so soon after Des' death too. Rita offers to pay for Sharon's hen party in the Rovers and asks Natalie to put on a few sandwiches, then goes on to offer support for Natalie, telling her the future can only get better for her. I only hope it's Rita who finds out first about rat-face Ian, a few well chosen words from her could make a grown man weep, and this one is going to end up weeping big-time when Rita, Sharon and Natalie get their hands on his scrawny neck.
Gary's arranged a christening for the twins and asks Jack and Vera to be godparents. Jack assumes it's a joke, who would ask the Duckies to be godparents for their children? - and there's quite a touching scene when Gary tells Jack and Vera how much he appreciates them both and how they were first on the list of people to ask to the christening. Jim also gets asked and accepts Gary's offer, telling him he'll be there on his own two legs, so he will, without the walking stick. (Shoulder wobbling time again, Radio 2 has done it again, this time it's the Beach Boys!).
With Audrey off in Canada, Maxine is finding it difficult to work in the salon alone and keep up with the workload. Jacqui overhears Maudey-babes (her words, not mine) telling Leanne in the Rovers that Maxine needs an assistant, so she rushes there quick-sharp only to end up in a slanging match with Maxine when she refuses to take her on as her assistant. Using her remaining brain cell, Maxine writes out a wanted ad. and asks Nick to place it on the noticeboard at college where hairdressing students can view it.
And that's just about that for this week. Radio 2 is now playing "Steps" but even I refuse to wobble my shoulders for that lot.
Glenda ;-)
Don't forget to visit Spider's Web! http://members.aol.com/GlendaYo/spidersweb.html
It's been a week and a half on the Street this week. There's been tears, there's been laughter, three christenings and one wedding, well, almost. But, before I jump straight in and tell you what's been going on in the Street this week, I just thought I'd mention, cos it seems worth a mention, that as I write, it's not raining. I'm only telling you this because it's been pouring down non-stop and this is the first time it's not been raining for 10 days. I'm fed up with the rain, having to take the dog out three times a day in it and the dog is fed up with it 'cos she keeps getting soaking wet and ends up stinking like wet wool. I do have a raincoat for her, but the image of a shaggy Old English Sheepdog walking around with its Barbour wax jacket on is just a little too ridiculous, until after-dark of course. Anyway, here is this week's Coronation Street update.
Important stuff first - here we go. As Rita and Sharon natter to Ian in the Kabin about the forthcoming wedding, in comes Betty who recognises Ian as the bloke that Natalie's been seeing. Anyway, Betty later tells Rita who collars Natalie in the back room, swears at her "by 'eck ladeh, I've met some bitches in my time, but you take the bloody biscuit" (or words to that effect) and demands to know what's going on - and all the while Sharon is having her hen party a few feet away in the Rovers bar! Natalie tells Rita the truth, that she didn't know Ian was Sharon's fiance and that she's been lied to aswell as Sharon, but Rita doesn't believe her. Rita's in a dither, does she tell Sharon the truth about the bloke she's marrying? or not? Natalie demands to know where Ian lives, and Rita tells her, so off she goes to confront him (there's lots of confronting going on in this week's update if you haven't noticed already), and he tells her he doesn't want to marry Sharon, that he loves Natalie and wants to continue seeing her. Natalie listens to him grovel a bit and then tells him she wants nothing to do with him, and leaves. Ian goes to see Rita afterwards, telling her a pack of lies about how Natalie seduced him and he couldn't say no to her overbearing demands. Rita, not being a fan of Natalie's anyway, tends to believe Ian's story. On the morning of the wedding, Natalie goes to see Rita who tells her she doesn't believe anything she says, that she believes Ian wasn't at fault here, but Natalie proves to Rita what a rat Ian actually is when she phones him as he's getting ready for the wedding. He tells Natalie how much he loves her and wants her, and as he's whispering all this down the phone, Natalie passes the phone to Rita so she can hear for herself what a prat Ian is.
Anyway (I told you it was a week and a half, it's all been happening) Rita calls to see Sharon at Sally's house and tries to tell her the truth about Ian, but she just can't bear to see Sharon hurt, so doesn't tell her. Sharon gets herself frocked up in the traditional net curtain look and Rita arrives back at the house to collect Sharon to take her to the church in the car. When Rita sees Sharon in her wedding dress, she knows she can't let her foster daughter go through with it, and tells Sharon everything she knows. Sharon denies it all and then starts blaming herself (no, Sharon, no!) but demands that Rita forget everything she told her and declares that the wedding will go ahead as planned. So, off they all go to the church with a tight-lipped Rita walking Sharon up the aisle. When the vicar asks Ian to say his vows and he gets to the bit about forsaking all others, Sharon belts Ian around the head, screaming "liar, liar, bum's on fire" (she didn't actually say "bum's on fire" but I wish she had). She runs out and into the graveyard where she sits sobbing until Sally runs out to console her. Then she gets angry. Back to the Rovers in a taxi, and Sharon, still in her wedding frock, barges into the Rovers, with Sally in tow, demanding to see Natalie. "Why did you have to pick my bloke, why?" she asks Natalie, blaming her for ruining her life. "I think I've done you a favour" replies Natalie. There's a wonderful scene when Sally leads Sharon from the Rovers back to her house and they walk across the street with Sharon still in her wedding dress, with the snow falling around them. It was such a powerful scene, I wizzed it back on the video and watched it again. The next day, Rita comforts Sharon after a sleepless night and offers her (well padded) shoulder for Sharon to cry on. Ian calls to see Sharon at Rita's and tells her he didn't want to get married, that he just got caught up in everything, in Sharon's plans for a house and family, and couldn't get out of it. "So, you've ruined my life because you were too spineless to say no?" Indeed. In the Rovers, Sally lays into Natalie and tells her what she thinks of her, stealing yet another woman's bloke. She tells Natalie she's going to move out of the house and isn't going to pay another penny in rent.
Well, that's been the main storyline this week. Other events were the christening of the Mallett twins. Jack and Vera are at the church as godparents but Vera notices in the service notes that godparents should themselves have been baptised, and Jack hasn't been. The vicar says he can baptise Jack straight away and Vera and Ken stand in as godparents to him, quite a funny scene with some good oneliners from Les Battersby. Gary's brother stays the night and is due to make a speech in the church, but realises too late that he's forgotten his notes and that he's going to have to wing it. He takes the podium, and in a really funny scene, some members of the congregation wonder where they've heard this speech before... "I believe" he says "that children are our future. Treat them well, and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside... " and so on.
Elswhere on the Street this week, Rita and Nita the lady shopkeepers call a truce. Nita stops selling papers and Rita stops selling bread and videos. Leanne buys herself a pregnancy testing kit but spends all her time with the kit in her hand, unopened, looking anxious. Jack asks Mike if he has any room to look after his pigeons. "I run a sweat shop, not a pet shop" he says, so Jack gives his pigeons to Charlie West to look after, and he misses them dearly.
Steve McDonald asks Vikram to go over his accounts for him, and Vikram tells Steve he needs to cut back on his expenses, find somewhere cheaper to live and get rid of his car. Oh, and stop ignoring letters from the Inland Revenue if he wants to keep the business going. Vikram suggests that Steve should fire a couple of people to keep his expenses down, and one of the people Steve decides to fire is father with two mouths to feed, Gary Mallett.
Kevin still hasn't returned since running away after his hissy fit last week. Alison rings the police and so does Sally, peeved to find out that Alison has already reported her ex-husband missing. Sally goes to No.13 only to find Alison there rootling around Kevin's drawers looking for clues to his whereabouts.
And guess who returned this week... good old Curly. He's been backpacking around Kuala Lumpur, looking for Raquel by the sounds of things and all he wants to do now is get back to his house, put his feet up and make himself at home again. No such luck. When Jacqui and Tyrone realise he's back, they throw his clothes out onto the street and Jacqui throws a bucket of water on Curly out of the upstairs bedroom window. Curly spends the night on Emily's sofa and next day goes into Firman's, hoping to get his old job back. However, Alma is as surprised to see Curly as he is surprised to find out she's now doing his old job. He's even more confused when Alma tells him that Jacqui and Tyrone aren't squatting in his house, they have a legal right to be there because she's installed them as tenants and they have their own rent book. What to do, what to do? I reckon Emily will be on the case in no time to crack this mystery, with the help of her sidekick, the lovely Spider.
And that's it for this week!
Glenda ;-)
For some reason, I haven't made as many notes as usual this week. It might have something to do with the fact that the Street has been a bit dead after last week's shenanigans and malarkey over Sharon and Ian's wedding. However, we've got a face from the past who resurfaced this week and a couple of corking storylines which kicked off. So without any further ado, here's this week's Coronation Street update.
Not knowing quite what to do with herself, Sharon tells Rita she's going to leave the Street and move away. Rita, desperate for Sharon to stay, comes up with a cunning plan. She calls Alec Gilroy in Southampton and asks him if he's willing to rent his flat to Sharon, which of course he's happy to do. (I'm pleased Sharon is going to stick around a bit longer, she's a smashing character, I like her a lot. Where Annie Walker could say a million words with a raised eyebrow, Sharon does it all with a gurn).
Life in the Rovers is far from happy with Natalie and Lorraine at each other's throats. Lorraine calls the Rovers "a dump" and Natalie sacks her. "You can't sack me" she says "I'm the best barmaid you've got." And with a look to Betty, she says "At least I've got all me own teeth!" Betty: "Ooooh!" Natalie confides in Betty that she feels everyone is against her - well, she's hardly ingratiated herself with the (female) neighbours has she? Anyway, the Rovers needs a new barmaid and Judy needs a new job now that Gary has been made redundant, so she's back working behind the bar while Gary coos over the twins with Jim and the pair of them discuss them mitten things you put on babies hands to stop them scratching themselves. (My youngest brother had these when he was a baby, I used to steal them off him, they made tremendous hats for Cindy). Anyway, I don't think leaking breasts have ever been referred to before on national television, never mind Coronation Street, but there was Judy in the Rovers earlier this week discussing the very topic with both Betty, and Jim.
Tom, the new hairdresser in the salon has a not-so-secret admirer in the shape of Toyah, who goes into the salon on any excuse just to see Tom-me-laddo. Tyrone gets to hear about Toyah's crush on Tom, and storms into the salon to confront Tom and tells him to leave Toyah alone. When Toyah finds out what's going on, she's not best pleased.
Sally and the girls have moved back into No13, and Kevin rings Alison at work to tell her he's in Germany with Bill. Not much else going on with that storyline (a welcome change, too).
Leanne takes the pregnancy test and passes with flying colours. Nick suggests abortion as an option but Leanne is totally against it. They tell Toyah she's going to be an aunty but Nick is against telling anyone else just yet. While Leanne gets used to the idea of having the baby "It's the best thing that could happen to us", Nick is much less sure.
Curly and the lovely Spider figure out a way to get Curly his house back from the clutches of Cruella de Dobbs. Curly takes legal advice, to no avail, so they both creep into the house and steal the TV while Tyrone sleeps away on the sofa. Curly gets his old job back at Freshco after sorting out things over the Anne Malone thing, and Alma is demoted back to working on the shop floor, much to Mike's delight. "We can get back to normal now, having me dinner ready for me on the table" he says. Mike gets a visit from a new, female rep selling fabrics. They go for a quick lunch in the Rovers and it's obvious to Mike that the rep, Julia, is new to the sales game and tells her she's got a lot to learn. She suggests they have lunch again sometime when she'll be ready with the sales patter, and he agrees. Telling Alma about the rep, he describes Julia as "gorgeous but gullible", and the camera pans to Nat, walking into the Rovers after an argument with Sharon who had said more or less the same words outside to describe Nat herself.
It's Mothering Sunday and Judy gets a card from the twins (via Gary, of course), Janice gets her tea made for her by Toyah and Leanne but it's Deirdre who gets the biggest surprise when Tracyluv turns up from London. She's walked out on her husband saying the marriage is over and can she stay with her mum for a while. Deirdre's eyes roll to the heavens. Anyway, Ken and Deirdre try to get Tracy to tell them what's gone wrong with Robert and she gives them her side of events before going shopping with Robert's credit card. Then, Robert himself turns up in a rage looking for Tracy. Ken calms him down and over a drink in the house, Robert tells him that Tracy has had an affair with another bloke and ran out and left him. Ken hasn' t yet told him where Tracy is hiding out.
Steve asks Nita out for a drink in the Rovers but she's got him pretty well sussed. "You know, under the surface, I get the feeling there's not a lot going on" she says. Nita asks Maxine for her opinion of Steve and nothing she hears convinces Nita there's more to Steve than she first thought anyway.
And that's just about that for this week.
Glenda ;-)
Don't forget to visit Spider's Web - http://members.aol.com/GlendaYo/spidersweb.html
I've just had the kind of morning I don't often have! My visa card dragged me, kicking and screaming, into town and there wasn't much I could do except give in to its demands and spend, spend, spend. Well, I needed it, let's face it. Since becoming a student, I seem to live in jeans, t-shirts and boots all covered up by my old fleece jacket that has the beginnings of a starling's nest in the right hand pocket, and something gooey with a strange odour, in the other. So, I did what was desperately needed; bought some new clothes and had a hair cut. Just wanted to share that with you. Now then, on with this week's Coronation Street update.
Curly still hasn't managed to get Jackie Dobbs out of his house. After the lovely Spider helped Curly last week to steal back the TV from Curly's house, his conscience gets the better of him and he helps Tyrone recover the telly from Aunty Em's house. Curly isn't best pleased, as you can well imagine. Jackie asks Les to change the door locks for her, and she offers to make dinner for him as a thankyou (he tells Janice he's off for a curry with the lads as he nips next door). Anyway, while Les is there, Jackie lifts Les's wallet and takes 20 quid. Just at they're getting cosy on the sofa, Tyrone arrives home, much to Les' dismay. As he's leaving, Jackie pays him for the locks with the 20 quid she's taken from his wallet. He soon finds out that Jackie had told Tyrone to come back at a certain time while Les was there, so she didn't have to put up with him for longer than was necessary. Then, when he pops into the Rovers for a pint, takes out his wallet and realises what's happened, he offers to help Curly get Jackie out of the house and gives Curly the spare set of keys. However, to get into his house, Curly has to wait until both Jackie and Tyrone are out, but the lovely Spider has a plan. Toyah distracts Tyrone while Jackie is preparing to go out (a great scene!), and before Jackie sets off to go out, Curly is in the front and Spider is in the back lane, each with walkie-talkies. Spider's plan backfires though when Jackie overhears Curly's voice coming out of Spider's walkie-talkie, she knows what they're up to and locks herself in the house.
Elsewhere on the Street, Gail and Audrey arrive home from Canada - to hear Nick and Leanne's news. Gail is less than thrilled, as you can imagine, to hear her beloved Nick is going to become a father, something that will bring him even closer to Leanne, closer than he is to his own mother. After she calms down, she goes to see Nick, alone, to express her concerns about the responsibility involved in bringing up baby. "You'll be my age before you're free", she tells him. Gail also has to deal with the news that Martin is once more unemployed...
... while Audrey has to get over the shock of Maxine using her initiative at the salon. She meets Tom but isn't at all impressed, telling Maxine "I do the hiring around here, and the firing!". Maxine points out that bookings are up since Tom started working in the salon so Audrey says he can stay until the end of the week as she isn't able to work herself, due to council commitments.
Ken and Deirdre continue to stick their oars in over Tracyluv and husband Robert. Ken cooks dinner at his place and brings Tracyluv and Robert together to talk, in an attempt to save their marriage. The whole thing ends up with everyone arguing, Robert storming out, and Tracy telling her parents that with the track records they both have in affairs with other people, they're both hypocrites, trying to dictate what their daughter should or shouldn't do.
Emily baby-sits for Gary and Judy when they go out for dinner together. Gary is on edge, he can't relax in the restaurant so he rings home to check on the twins, only to get alarmed when he hears the lovely Spider answer the phone, not Emily. So, Gary and Judy speed home only to find Emily there after all. She'd gone to answer a phone call from the vicar or someone of that ilk and while she was away, Spider stayed in the house incase the twins woke up, and that's when Gary had called. Emily isn't best pleased to think that Gary doesn't trust her baby-sitting the twins and has to have a stiff drink in the Rovers with Curly and the lovely Spider to recover from her outburst.
Sales rep Julia takes Mike out for lunch again and comes onto him. "Oi, I am an 'appily married man, I am" he tells her (or words to that effect) and storms out of the restaurant. Later, we see Julia in her hotel bedroom on the phone to a person or persons unknown, where she hisses "It didn't work this time, but I'll get him sooner or later" (or words to that effect).
Sharon is still feeling sorry for herself. Well, it's her birthday coming up soon and she starts remembering what Ian had planned for her and what not. Sally takes her to the Rovers but all Sharon does is moan on about how she's almost 33, more broke than she's ever been in her life and hasn't got a fella. Rita takes Sharon for a drink in the Rovers for her birthday. She talks to Sharon about how her own life has changed in so many different ways lately - Mavis and Alec have gone and Alf has died. She thinks it's time she slowed down and started to enjoy life instead of trying to run a business - and then she gives Sharon a most incredible birthday present. "As from now Sharon, the Kabin is all yours."
For the next 3 weeks I'll make every effort to get the weekly updates out on time, however, there may be some delay.
Glenda ;-)
Hello folks
This weekly update will be brief. I'm posting from the heart of Manchester city centre from a cyber cafe while trying to use a computer with the most sticky keys I've seen in my life so if there are typos, I apologise becayse I'm in telent and unable to go back and change any errors. The next 2 updates are going to be this way too, so bear with me!
And sorry, but to add to that, I've only seen of this week's 4 episodes
Sharon and Rita have a falling out after Sharont ells Sally abut teh Kabin and Sally tells Sharon that Rita once gave her 5 thousand pounds. Sharon tells Rita she will have the shop after all. Jackie Dobbs leaves (hurr-bloody-argh!) and Curly gets his house back but Tyrone promises he'll be back. Yes! Tracy tells Ken and Deirdre they're made for each other. Ashley tells Leanne and Nick he wants them to move out when the baby comes but changes his mind. Martin gets an interview at teh hospital after Audrrey pulls strings as a councillor. He isn't best pleased when Gail tells him but he's still happy to be in #paid work again. Audrey sacks Maxine at the salon and keeps Tom,who resigns in sympathy over Maxine. The two of them decide to open another slaon in the flat above Audreys salon. Uh-oh. Roy gets a lesson on the ineternet from Curly when he decides to look for an alternative church who will recognise the blessing between him and Hayley. Gary and Judy have money problems with her working at teh Rovers and him out of work. What to do? Nick throws a few tantrums this week and his face goes all red and blotchy.
And thats it... sorry!!!
Glenda
