The Life and Times of Lady Warrington: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Hmm! The good is I guess getting the chance to travel and meeting new people; the bad is without a doubt the hours; and the ugly? Well I guess that could be classed as a crew night out! Yes, this is the good, the bad, and the ugly of my job, and I got to experience all three of these aspects recently.

My job took me back to film in Spain once again. This time I found myself filming down in Almeria in the South near the Tabernas desert, which is the only real desert in Europe (I love a geek fact)! One packed, uncomfortable flight on Easy Jet later, we landed at Alicante airport, for a long 4 hour drive down to Almeria. Luckily I was greeted by some familiar faces, as half the Spanish crew had worked on Benidorm with me last year. After the grey skies of Cardiff, the beautiful blue sky of Spain seemed like heaven and quickly lay down on a whole back seat of a car, after outwitting most of the crew and making a dash for the empty vehicle. I lay there happily with the sun shining on my face and I felt I could of stayed there forever.
Unfortunately I couldn't stay there forever, as there was work to be done and lots of it (This wasn't a holiday you know)! We were filming on a western set just outside Almeria, where such films as The Good, the Bad, and the ugly; Fistful of Dollars; and that Depeche Mode video, Your own Personal Jesus (love that song) had been filmed. I got a bit excited about this as I'm a film geek. I kept walking a long the street or stepping into a building, thinking that Clint Eastwood had been here, and even better Clint when he was at his hottest! I didn't find any trace of Clint. Instead I had to make do with some camels (we called them Lady Bella Donna and Humphrey) , mules and horses. Actually I was very happy being surrounded by horses as I love them and use to ride every weekend for 10 years. In truth I'd probably not swap them for Clint, even when he was at his hottest!

It being our first night there and with all the work we had to do the next morning, we decided to have a quiet night. 6 hours; a couple of glasses of vino; Gin & Tonics; fairy light sunglasses; assaulting a bulls head; finding a bar with a lot of ham hanging from the ceiling ( We originally named it the Ham Bar!); a few smashed glasses later I decided to be sensible and call it a night. Kat was much more hard core than me as I don't think she really had any sleep?

I had drafted in my friend Rob to come and help as we had so many extras. I'd met him originally through his boyfriend but then he asked me to assist him on a Chase and Status promo and we got on like a house on fire. We have the same kind of temperament; don't really take life to seriously; and know how to have a laugh, and he came over to Spain and did exactly that. Me, him and Kat for some reason started talking to each other in some southern yank drawl and as Rob always sat outside on his break constantly but calmy, puffing on a cigarette we started to fondly call him, Bobby 2 Smokes. I think he liked it, and it has stuck.

This was one hell of a job so I needed more help than just Bobby 2 Smokes! So I drafted in my old house from London, Mariel who is Spanish and now resides in Barcelona. The first time I ever met Mariel, was in cafe as my other friend Deb's was sorting out a bag full of unpaid Parking tickets for her. Mariel did not really see why she had to pay them. She would also leave the front door open; walk round naked; and bring people back for a party at midnight, which usually included the strumming of a guitar till the early hours, even though you had to be up for work at some God dam awful hour. As frustrating as it could be sometimes, I always admired Mariel's free Latin spirit and wished I had more of it in me. I hadn't seen Mariel in nearly 2 years, not liked she had changed. She came in whipped the extras into shape; tried to teach the English crew English and shouted at them when they got it wrong; told Howard he looked like a lobster boss after he burnt his face; and cornered our director into a conversation (our directors strong point wasn't social skills!) while waving a cigarette around, about where he was from; did he like Spain and did he know that the Spanish were real stoners! Me and Bobby 2 spaces couldn't stop laughing in the back ground. Everyone loves Mariel. You can't not love her. She is infectious with her warmth, fun, and care free ways. I'd forgotten how much I liked being around her.

I enjoyed every morning getting the cast dressed and then stealing an apple from catering and feeding and patting the horses. I liked seeing tourists go by on horse driven carriage, taking photos; I liked watching the cowboys perform stunts; and I loved looking at the sunrise and set everyday over the beautiful mountains. In truth I got quite happily lost in my own little fantasy western world for a while and when it was over, I felt a sadness come over me. I can't tell you much of what happened there as its more than my life is worth (so sorry that this is a dull post) but I can tell it was an enjoyable, fun experience and I have happy memories of my Western adventure.

I now have to satisfy my needs by watching western films (I watched the Good, the Bad and the Ugly as soon as I got back!) and I also find myself reading a western novel: The sister Brothers by Patrick de Witt. Apart from having a cool front cover, it's an amazing book. Please read it.