For the past few days I have been suffering with a pained back toof which I suspect is a root problem as the pain has spread along my jaw. It is strange to be so encumbered - as much as I wish the pain away it has become such a part of me that I look upon it as a close companion now.

Anyways the three of us - me, Owen and my toof, went to see Boy George's end-of-tour gig at the Shaw. This is the third time we have seen him at this venue and it certainly seems to bring out the best in him as again he was in great form even if his voice was a bit strained from the tour. He mixed up his setlist so we had 'big' songs like VICTIMS quite early on which left room for a great acoustic section which showcased UNFINISHED BUSINESS, IF I COULD FLY and the terrific addition of GENERATIONS OF LOVE. The audience were a bit rooted in their seats which was a bit odd but George was great, chatting away sharing thoughts about songs and life.

His band were again on the money thanks to his regular companions Kevan Frost on bass and John Themis on guitar. There were also excellent contributions from backing singers Lizzie Dean and 'fierce' Mary Pearce. Mary also did a special soul-church version of THREE BLIND MICE and said she would love to sing it for an "X Factor" audition just to hear Cheryl Cole say "That's difficult to sing but you did it really well". Mary's riposte would be "It ain't difficult to sing... if you can sing". Amen gurl. It's been great to see George three times this year, each time a winner.

On Sunday Owen and I went to a 3pm matinee of the Donmar production of Chekhov's IVANOV at the Wyndham Theatre which stars Kenneth Branagh and ergo, is sold out. Before going in Owen suggested I take one of the tablets he had been prescribed after his back operation to see me through the show with no pain. I should have remembered we hadn't eaten before.

About halfway through the first act I started to feel a strange pain in my back and chest, like I was sitting badly in the seat. I shifted a bit but that didn't help. I then started to have difficulty breathing. Then the cold-sweat started. Then I felt faint and vaguely sick. Yes, constant reader, I left in the interval. We made it to St. Martin's Lane where after a sandwhich, two pots of tea and a slice of strawberry cheesecake I started to feel better.

What ultimately pissed me off about my 'turn' was I was enjoying the production.

Bugger.