The OVFM Autumn Show
“It’s a Calamity…Jane!” Mike Turner grumbles as I enter the hall.
“What’s the prob Mike? And by the way don’t call me Jane.” I answer calmly, being used to his outbursts.
![This is Mine, all mine.](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a004-274x300.jpg)
“Surely you can see what’s wrong!” He continues.
“Oh no there’s not some kind of biscuit shortage is there?” I reply anxiously, my heart gripped by sudden panic “And by the way don’t call me Shirley.”
![Mmmm biscuits aplenty](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a032-1024x743.jpg)
“No, no, no, nothing like that. It’s the raffle, look.” He insists, roughly pushing Roger aside and stomping across the room.
I stride after him to the table arranged artfully with raffle prizes and study it intently. Mike jumps up and down beside me barely unable to contain his frustration. At first I cant see what’s unsettling him but then I look again and spot it…the Doris Day cd!! Of course! Now we’ll all familiar with Mike T’s predilection for this singer and actress, an appreciation that borders on obsession and makes this normally level headed man prone to irrational behaviour.
![The Love that knows no name](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a016-1024x682.jpg)
Mike was in a fix, he HAD to win the cd. Out came the wallet and he slammed a wad of notes down infront of Freddy and Brenda.
![Don't Tell Sue](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a036-1024x682.jpg)
“30,000 tickets please and make it snappy.” He demands
“Just wait a dog gone minute buster!” Brenda exclaims examining the notes suspiciously “Monopoly money isn’t legal tender in this town!”
![Don't Make Me Laugh!](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a020-1024x682.jpg)
Dejected but desperate Mike fumbles through his pockets and scrapes together some coppers and a five pound note.
“Five strips please and keep the change.” He asks with dignity before strutting off with his head held high to practice his acceptance speech.
![Cosmic Ordering](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a047-1024x682.jpg)
Brenda, Freddy and I exchange a glance and shrug meaningfully. What if Mike doesn’t win? We all know the dreadful consequences that would result from that awful scenario!
![Pete thinks the unthinkable](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a042-1024x682.jpg)
![Just give me a minute I'm sure I've got 'When I'm Cleaning Windows'](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a066-1024x682.jpg)
!["...and that's George Formby's Little Stick of Rock"](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a0531-1024x595.jpg)
![What A Crowd!](https://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a083.jpg)
Much Later.
After an action packed first half of films great and small, followed by an action packed tea interval of biscuits great and small we all file back into the hall to ready ourselves for the action packed second half.
![Tag Team Tea](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a102-1024x601.jpg)
![Sue and Tilly Tuck in](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a1151-1024x624.jpg)
But first comes THE RAFFLE (cue the dramatic music, or failing that something funny by George Formby).
![Get A Room](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a061-699x1024.jpg)
![Humour him Jo](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a0761-1024x682.jpg)
As Mike climbs the rostrum to deliver his raffle address a kind of hush falls over the audience. Someone bursts into song, a homage to the Carpenters, but is quickly set upon and silenced by the catering committee armed with stale French sticks.
![An Enigmatic Smile?](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a124-1024x682.jpg)
“Unaccustomed as I am…” Mike begins. But realising that the catering committee are calling for reinforcements he skips straight to the draw. One by one he reads the ticket numbers out, and one by one he fails to win, and one by one the raffle prizes are claimed until all that’s left is one lonely little prize…!
![Who Is the Winner?](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/a127-1024x682.jpg)
Well to cut a long story short, Mike didn’t in fact win the wonderful Doris Day CD. The winning ticket actually belonged to someone else. Mike was very decent about it all, and the winner went home feeling delighted with his prize and in subsequent years was so inspired by Doris Day’s wonderful voice and her wonderful heart warming songs he founded a charitable foundation that brings health and happiness to disenchanted financial service workers all over the world. So all’s well that ends well.
And the second half of the Autumn Show was as good and maybe even better than the first half and everybody went home entertained, uplifted and just a little bit poorer, I mean better people.
So the moral of the story is?
A Doris a Day makes Mike work, rest and play. Film is fun. Don’t stand in front of a blank white screen when Mr Thought Bubble Man is around, and if you see several ladies approaching brandishing French sticks RUN!
![Out the back!](http://www.ovfm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/b019-1024x682.jpg)
Disclaimer.
For reasons of propriety and as a result of a thinly veiled threat to introduce a ‘Doris Day Tribute’ category into the annual film competition I feel it prudent to make the following retraction.
Any suggestions of insanity, polygamy, gluttony and unlawful behaviour is entirely unfounded and any similarity between the characters in this article and real people is entirely accidental.
Phew!
Haha! Good stuff again Simon! 🙂
Ta Lee, great to see your Ma and Pa at the show, I hope they enjoyed themselves.
Thanks Simon. You just made me burst out laughing with such ferocity, I’m going to have to clean my dinner off my screen!
It may interest you to learn Chris that a circular glass window strategically positioned between you and your screen and spinning at high speed will solve all your splatter problems…plus by training the cats you also have an eco power solution!
Brilliant Simon. Now I feel as though I was there after all. Thank you!
Hi Annabelle, I only wish that you and Reg could have been there in person. We missed you terribly!
What a brilliant article Simon. Well done.
Thanks Brenda, oh Queen of the Raffle ticket box!
1st class stuff Simon, you should write for a living,
anything but an agony Aunt!
Aunty Simon says “Feelings of irrational rage, uncontrollable anger and undisguised loathing are perfectly normal…so just take a deep breath and say to yourself ‘everyday in every way I’m learning to live without chocolate biscuits'”
Simon–Even though I did not win the coveted raffle prize as Doris, Clint Eastwood and I would say, “you made my DAY.
Do You Feel Lucky Mike? Well Do You?
Out of respect for my betters I resist the urge to call you Punk!
Anyway how is your counting?