Home Décor

It was a splendid week on Corrie Street. The Jubilee festivities were just grand, with the bunting and flags and pictures of Queen Elizabeth. The Street party was wonderful, as were the costumes of 60 years of pop singers.

I’m glad Steve told us he was dressed as John Lennon. My guess was Elton John or John Denver. Eva and Sunita – I guess if you’ve got it, flaunt it! And they did, I say, they did.

Dennis and Rita’s wedding lead-up was great. Exciting. Was she going to get to the church on time or at all? But she did and the bad guys were caught and Kirsty and Tina reached an understanding if not friendship. The wedding itself was lovely. I got a tear in my eye when they said their vows.

Tyrone’s living room

It was a week of great scenes in storylines and visuals. But the showstopper for me was this shot of Tyrone’s living room. How could anyone spend time in that room and keep their sanity!

It was bad enough when Vera and Jack put that nightmarish dark wallpaper up. The only good thing I could see about Kirsty moving in was that she would likely replace it. But no, they’ve added “elements” to it. I wished they would pan the camera around slowly so I could see it all, but I was afraid it would burn my retinas if they had.

As a Mini person, I did love the Jubilee commemorative flag with a shiny Mini in the middle of it. I want one. But I don’t understand why it’s there. 2012 is Mini’s 55^th anniversary. Maybe it’s just part of what all British or British-connected companies did this year in issuing Jubilee editions or commemorative stuff. I really want one. I just wouldn’t put it on an already overloaded living room wall.

History of Street Tacky

The history of tacky décor is a long and honourable one on Corrie Street. It reached its finest moment with Hilda Ogden’s wallpaper “muriel” and the plaster ducks.

The Duckworths climbed new heights of exterior tackiness with the stone cladding, followed by “The Old Rectory” name plaque. Then, presumably wanting to immerse themselves fully in the experience of hideousness, inside and out, they put up the wallpaper.

Vera would be proud of what Tyrone and Kirsty have done. And I guess I can take solace in the thought that, as long as that wallpaper stays up, a bit of Vera and Jack will always be with us.

In real life sad news, actor Geoffrey Hughes passed away last Friday at the age of 68. He played Eddie Yeats, the Ogden’s lodger and source for the ‘muriel,’ on Coronation Street in the 1970s and ’80s. He later played Onslow, Hyacinth’s brother-in-law and bane of her existence, on Keeping Up Appearances. His sense of home décor in that show was just as horrifying – especially to Hyacinth!