Day Out: Broadstairs and Surrounds

Here in the UK, we just had a Bank Holiday weekend - our last, in fact, between now and Christmas! Sad news, especially given I'm back at school next week as well. Summer feels like it's well and truly ending, sadly. The forecast for this long weekend, however, was glorious - 24 and sunny, 24 and sunny, and for Monday 27 and sunny!!! So we decided a day out was in order. To the beach!

We chose Broadstairs as our train destination as a base, hoping to get sandy beaches. We even brought our swimmers (although we didn't end up wearing them after all). It was about a 90 minute train from St Pancras to Broadstairs, and then a 5 minute walk to the beach. And it was PACKED!!! So many people, with their wind barriers and children everywhere and people swimming and hunting for rock crabs in the pools. No waves though, the beaches are obviously too sheltered in this country for actual waves. It was so busy, we decided to walk further along to our (hopefully) final destination, Botany Bay. Yes, Botany Bay.

Each beach was busy, but the further we got from Broadstairs the better it was. Botany Bay was much more tolerable (although about an hour walk), so it was there we found a sunny spot away from too many people, spread out our towels, and had a rest. I finished listening to the first Harry Potter book, while El Husbando read and we soaked up the sun. And yes, I did get sunburnt, but it's not bad... After some sun, we decided we were hungry, but the places near Botany Bay were quite expensive so back to Broadstairs we went.

In Broadstairs we googled, and found the best fish and chip shop in town. And it was great! My fish was beautifully cooked, El Husbando had perfect scampi, and the chips were great too. Much cheaper than the gastropubs, and we got a shady bench with a view to look at while we ate. By this point, we'd been there since 10:30 and it was after 3, so we decided to call it a day and head home.

A lovely day out, and I'm glad we were able to make the most of the last sunny Bank Holiday until the depths of winter!!!

Cultural Experiences: Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

On Friday, I was lucky enough to be invited by a friend to go on a tour of Shakespeare's Globe theatre. It was so great - he had been gifted a 2-person voucher from an Aussie teaching friend, which was due to expire, and he invited me, which was super lovely. So thanks to them both!

I had walked past the Globe, looked at the shows which were on, but I hadn't actually been inside yet. It's very cool. That being said, I should start by saying it's not the first Globe. It's actually the third... The first burned down (a cannon fire noise, made by firing a blank out of an actual cannon, sent out sparks which set the roof on fire), and the second was closed by the government (boo government!), so this is the third Globe. It was designed by the American actor and director Sam Wanamaker (father of actress Zoe Wanamaker, who played Madame Hooch in Harry Potter and the mother in the sitcom My Family) based on the original Globe design. It was finally completed 4 years after he died in 1997, which was very sad for Sam to not survive to see his vision.

The tour was very interesting too. I had thought it would be quite short, but it was about an hour all up which was a good length. We stopped outside the theatre first, to talk about the origin of the theatre and what London was like in the 1600s (not south of the river, for starters) and where the original site was (part of Southwark Bridge now goes over about half of the original site). Second stop was the pit where the 'penny stinkers' stood, where we talked about how gross it would be then! Drinking beer, not washing, using the floor as the bathroom, being all squished in... Ew. Apparently the theatre, which now holds about 700 people for each performance, held about 1500 in the same space back in Shakespeare's time!

Stop 3 of the tour was in the more expensive seats (cost 2 pennies instead of 1 to stand on the floor), where we got a better look at the stage and talked about other aspects of staging, like making sound effects! Then it was back outside to talk about shows in the winter. Turns out the Globe only runs shows in the Globe theatre between April and October due to weather and light (it doesn't have a roof, you see). The rest of the year they have smaller plays in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse next door, which seats only 200 people and has a stage lit by candlelight. Sounds very cool.

One highlight of the tour was actually not a part of it, either. There were actors on the stage practising their fight choreography, which was very cool to watch. I do want to get to a show before the close of the season - apparently it's not that hard to get 5 pound standing tickets to some shows! I just need to find the time...

Cultural Experience: Horniman Museum and Gardens

Earlier in the week, I decided to head with a friend to a museum which was out of the city, which was a little more off the beaten track (I found it in an article about 'quirky' museums). Basically, that means it's not the Tate/National Gallery/British Museum/Natural History Museum, etc. And it was totally worth it!

The Horniman Museum was founded in 1901 by Frederick John Horniman, whose family owned a large tea business. This meant he could be a collector and he opened this museum, specialising in anthropology, natural history and musical instruments. It is almost entirely free to visit, with only 2 paid exhibits (the aquarium and the butterfly house).

We started with the large downstairs room, which was all about the animal family, how animals are related and the different animal families. It featured a lot of taxidermy animals as examples of different animal families, but even featured specimens in jars and this which demonstrated different brain sizes in animals (rat vs. pigeon vs. cat vs. monkey), and vascular systems and other creepy but cool stuff! I found it fascinating, to be able to see different complexities of animal and how complex internals organs were. It was very cool.

After that we found the room I'd heard about, which was a room of musical instruments. There were hundreds and hundreds of different examples of instruments!!! Everything from flutes to trumpets, string instruments, even harps and examples of keyboard instruments. It was so so fascinating to see all the different instruments from around the world, and how they are related despite sometimes coming from different continents. They even had a 17th century violin which was beautifully engraved! You could sit at a desk, and select an instrument by it's display number to hear what it sounded like as well... Such a great rom for anyone into music.

Then we had lunch (reasonably priced museum cafe, yay!), before going for a stroll through the extensive gardens. There is a lot of grass area for picnicking, playing and hanging out, but also paths around different areas, concrete for riding bikes around, and a few planted gardens. I loved the pumpkin patch, with many different pumpkins (some were really big!), and the medicinal plant garden which was very educational!

All in all, would highly recommend, especially with children. Only thing to point out, it's not super central (it's south, near Forest Hill station)... And if you ride your bike there like I did, there is an awful lot of hill. You might die. I was certainly very sore afterwards!

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #52 (Behind the Score: 'From the New World')

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 23rd August (Wednesday), 7:30pm
Seats: Rausing Circle, Row 1, Seats 24/25

Program: Symphony No. 9, 'From the New World' (Dvořák))

Performers: Hallé Orchestra, Toby Jones (actor), Henry Goodman (actor), Tamzin Griffin (actor), Rodney Earl Clarke (bass-baritone)

Notes: This concert was a very interesting one. It's part of the Behind the Score series, which meant that the entire first half was a story, framing excerpts from the symphony and other selected works.

They told the story of Dvořák's travels to New York and his life there, as well as his influences composing the symphony, and the reactions it got. It certainly was a great insight into the life of a very famous composer!

The second half was simply the symphony, but it was lovely, having had the first half beforehand. I recognised more melodies and their influences from being explained in the second half than I would have otherwise, definitely made it a more enjoyable experience. Really great way to experience a symphony, especially when you're not 100% familiar with it.

Prom #11 for us (#5, ticketed)... Only a few left for us before the Last Night!

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #43 (Saint-Saens Organ 'Organ' Symphony)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 17th August (Thursday), 6:30pm
Seats: Rausing Circle, Row 3, Seats 123/124

Program: El Amor Brujo (Falla), Symphony Espagnole (Lalo), Symphony No 3 in C Minor 'Organ' (Saint-Saens)

Performers: Stephanie d'Oustrac (mezzo-soprano), Joshua Bell (violin), Cameron Carpenter (organ), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Notes: Well, we got tickets to this concert because of the final piece, but I will talk about the others first. We got to this one quite late (with only 10 minutes to spare), but because we had seats it didn't matter so much.

The first piece was okay. The orchestra was quite excellent, but I felt like the piece was let down by the mezzo-soprano. She couldn't be heard often, and only sang in a couple of sections anyway. It was fine, but nothing special.

Then Joshua Bell came out! I didn't realise that he was in this concert until I read the program again... JOSHUA BELL! I've never heard him perform before, but he is a super famous violinist... And he was incredible! So amazing, emotive, flawless playing. He was so good and he got so much applause he even did an encore - the Meditation from Thais! So so SO great.

Then after interval (and dinner) it was time for the thing we were waiting for. Having played the symphony in the last few years, I remembered it very well. It was so fantastic - really well put together, and the organ was very well balanced. El Husbando was a bit disappointed that the organ wasn't more impressive, but I thought it totally went with the rest of the orchestra. It was so so so great, and it was a lovely flashback to hear something I enjoyed playing so much back in the day.

Prom #10 for us (#4, ticketed)... 10 Proms! Woo!!! And this morning, we lined up and got tickets to the LAST NIGHT!!! 

Cultural Experience: Kensington Palace

Today, I had a ticket, purchased months in advance before the summer even began! Tickets to Kensington Palace (which currently features an exhibition of Princess Diana's dresses) meant that they were being sold months in advance and very popular. So back in June, I booked my ticket for today!

In the end, I ended up having a friend to come with me - Joel has a Historic Palaces pass and hadn't been yet, so offered to come with me! So nice to have a friend to come with for a change. We met just after opening time, and by the time I arrived, the queue had disappeared!

We first visited the Queen's State Apartments. These were pretty cool - apartments created for Mary II. They told the story of the Stuart dynasty (which is rather tragic, she had many many pregnancies and only one child, who then died age eleven) and showed the apartments in which she used to spend her time. They have the Queen's bedroom set up, but it was the room next door that she actually died in!

Diana: Her Fashion Story, was next, and the thing I was looking forward to the most! It was a smallish exhibition, telling a story of Diana's life through various different outfits. The thing that blew me away (other than the beautiful dresses, of course), was the amount of thought that went into all her dresses. Especially for state events and while she was Princess, so much thought went into every outfit. One dress was embellished with sequins in the shape of birds, the national emblem of Saudi Arabia, for a state visit there. It was also long sleeved and high necked to cater for their sensitivities. Another gorgeous dress was designed specifically in NOT blue and red, because the country of that particular state visit had just lost a football match to another country with a blue and red sports kit. So thoughtful.

Other outfits were designed based on movies which Diana liked (she was very much into movies), or tailored to specific occasions. She was very influential (magazines featuring her on the cover sold 40% more than other issues), and was able to use that influence to change peoples ideas of fashion, promote British designers, and still look fabulous. Most of my pictures are from that exhibition.

Next we went upstairs to the final two exhibits - Victoria Revealed and Enlightened Princesses. Victoria Revealed was really interesting: it turns out her story was much more tumultuous than many people gave credit for. For example, I didn't know that she was actually really happy, loving and devoted to her family until Albert died. After that, she was basically lost. Such a sad story. She also had a very protected lifestyle and upbringing, with a very regimented education from the age of 3! Not the right education system, not at all.

Enlightened Princess was about Caroline, Augusta and Charlotte and how they influenced and shaped the royal court. They were big into education, inoculated their children against smallpox, cultivated relationships with other countries, and generally were really influential and cool. We later learned that the Serpentine (the large pond in the middle of Hyde Park) was actually built for Caroline!

The King's State Apartments was the last part, and the grandest. I laughed at the painted statues on the wall, but it turns out that George II was just super cheap and didn't want to actually buy statues! It turns out he painter he hired wasn't that great either, because he was cheap... There are some serious funny anatomical mistakes on ceilings! It was filled with more fancy drapery, grander furniture, and actually had painted ceilings (the only exhibition which did). I suppose he gets the best, as the King.

I certainly feel like I learnt a lot, it was very cool!

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #38 (All-Night Vigil)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 13th August (Sunday), 9:45pm
Seats: Promming (Arena)

Program: All Night Vigil (Vespers) (Rachmaninov)

Performers: Latvian Radio Choir

Notes: I didn't even know that Rachmaninov wrote a Vespers, but I read that it is considered one of the greatest Russian Orthodox works. Obviously I don't speak Russian, but the sound of it just washed over me.

The choir, though. Woah. They were basically one person, they were so well together. It was amazing to listen to a choir which sang together so well! And the spot in the arena was fantastic because I could see everything so clearly. You do have to stand up and very still the whole time though, so it is more tiring than the gallery - so I was a bit glad that that was only a short concert (just over an hour with no interval).

Way excessive coughing though between movements. So dumb.

Prom #9 for us (#6 Promming)... That was a late night, but totally worth it. The second half of the program has lots of Russian music, which I am excited for.

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #37 (Rachmaninov)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 13th August (Sunday), 6:00pm
Seats: Rausing Circle, Row 1, Seats 158/159

Program: Piano Concerto No 3 in D Minor (Rachmaninov), Symphony No 2 in E Minor (Rachmaninov)

Performers: Alexander Gavrylyuk (piano), Latvian Radio Choir, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Notes: I was so excited for our night of Rachmaninov! The Latvian Radio Choir was a lovely surprise - they actually 'introduced' each piece in a way by singing an Orthodox Russian hymn. They even moved through the Hall while they did to create a great atmosphere and lead into each piece.

The piano concerto, while not the one I had played in the past, was fantastic. The soloist was a little... much at times (he pulled weird faces, and there wasn't much in the way of dynamic range), but musically it was incredible. It's really complex!

The symphony, on the other hand, floored me. The orchestra was incredible, and I actually had it stored in the recesses of my memory from having played it in the past (although I couldn't quite place when). The themes were familiar though, and it was expressive and passionate. One of my favourite performances from all the Proms so far. Much well deserved cheering for that one!

Things I've learned about the Proms so far:
1. When Promming, people WILL try to edge you out of your spot if you don't protect it.
2. Between movements, half the hall WILL cough loudly, even though they don't need to.
3. All performances will get lots and lots of applause, even if it wasn't the best performance ever.

Prom #8 for us (#3 ticketed)... Has it really been so many? Goodness. And we still have more to go! What a summer.

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #35 (Oklahoma!)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 11th August (Friday), 7:30pm
Seats: Promming (Gallery)

Program: Oklahoma! (semi-staged)

Performers: Belinda Lang (Aunt Eller), Nathaniel Hackmann (Curly), Scarlett Strallen (Laurey), Robert Fairchild (Will Parker), David Seadon-Young (Jud Fry), Lizzy Connolly (Ado Annie), Marcus Brigstocke (Ali Hakim), John Wilson Orchestra

Notes: I think this was one of the concerts which I was most looking forward to in the whole program. I have never seen Oklahoma! before, but I know how important it is in the scope of musical theatre and its development. Oklahoma! was pivotal and marked a change in the use of songs to actually tell stories and develop characters rather than just songs for songs sake.

I was actually surprised to realise how many of the songs I knew, even from things like TV shows. It made the show feel very comfortable and familiar. The staging was only semi-staged, which in this case meant there was still all the dancing and things, but a very minimal set (only hay bales, a bed, smaller movable things like that).

All the actors were fantastic, accents and all. Only downside was that some of their accents were so thick occasionally it was hard to understand them! Their singing was excellent and the dancing - wow. Such great dancing! It made me want to dance too, although that would have looked weird up in the gallery...

The orchestra was also amazing - it's not often you get to see a musical with a full orchestra with string instruments, a harp, and also a banjo! It was fantastic music, and they played the Overture and Entre'acte as well. They even included the 15 minute dream ballet!

Prom #7 for us (#5 promming)... A day off today (Saturday), and then we are double-Promming on Sunday - one pre-bought seat for the early evening performance, and Promming for the late night concert!

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #33 (Sibelius, Greig, Schumann and Hindemith)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 10th August (Thursday), 7:30pm
Seats: Promming (Gallery)

Program: Peer Gynt - excerpts (Greig), Luonnatar (Sibelius), Karelia Suite (Sibelius), Cello Concerto in A Minor (Schumann), Symphony 'Mathis de Maler' (Hindemith)

Performers: Lise Davidsen (soprano), Alban Gerhardt (cello), BBC Philharmonic

Notes: Much better weather today, so cycled. Was a little disappointed, in that the program we looked at online had the first half in completely a different order, which meant we were looking forward to Peer Gynt just before interval. However, they started with it, but that's okay - it was fantastic! I love the feeling of a piece which I'm familiar with. Obviously I've played it before, but I can't actually remember where or when...

The 2 Sibelius pieces were pretty cool - I preferred the Karelia Suite as it didn't have any singing. I don't mind the singing, but I do like to understand what is being sung. The Karelia Suite also sounded weirdly familiar, but I don't think I've played it before...

The Cello Concerto was ace! The soloist was awesome without being over the top silly in his playing (although he did have a few issues with his spike not sticking to the podium thingy) and the Concerto was very nice. Quite lyrical but not too modern. The Hindemith on the other hand was pretty meh. It wasn't very exciting, and honestly, we were both just absorbing it from our spots on the floor rather than watching the orchestra. But it was nice enough. Some people did leave before the Hindemith though!

Prom #6 for us (#4 promming)... And I've already got my ticket for tonight (OKLAHOMA!!!), although el Husbando missed out and is going to have to queue for his ticket. Oh dear.

Theatre Trip:BBC Proms #32 (Britten, Elias, Purcell and Elgar)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 9th August (Wednesday), 7:00pm
Seats: Promming (Gallery)

Program: Ballad of Heroes (Britten), Cello Concerto (Elias), Jehova, quam multi sunt hostes mei (Purcell, arr. Elgar), Enigma Variations (Elgar)

Performers: Leonard Elschenbroich (cello - substitute), Toby Spence (tenor), Henry Waddington (bass - substitute), BBC National Chorus of Wales, BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Notes: Today's weather was awful... So lining up in the pouring rain, even for 10 minutes, was unpleasant. That meant that I went straight upstairs when I arrived and met Husbando inside in the spot I picked. Lots of time for dinner before the concert though, thankfully.

The Britten was very cool - the only thing that was disappointing about it was that I couldn't tell what the words were. I could only tell that it was in English! The cello concerto was a BBC commission, and a world premiere... So it was very modern. To be honest, I have trouble with modern music - I just can't get into it. Not logical, lyrical enough for me, I guess.

After interval was the Purcell, which was okay. Then, the main reason we were there - the Enigma Variations! I love this piece, but hadn't heard all the variations before! They were so fantastic, and I especially loved watching the lead violinist. She got really, really into it, which was fantastic to watch. What a great performance.

Prom #5 for us (#3 promming)... And we've got plans to go to #33 and #35 (and #34 if I can manage it too!). Lots of promming this week!

Theatre Trip: Matilda

MATILDA

Cambridge Theatre
Date: 1st August (Tuesday), 7:00pm
Seats: Upper Circle, G1/2
(with Jess N!)

Cast Changes: Biancha Szynal (Miss Honey), Maria Graciano (Mrs Phelps), Collette Coleman (Cook)

Children: Emma Moore (Matilda), Max Brophy (Bruce), Kacy O'Sullivan (Amanda), Aiyana Goodfellow (Lavender), Tori Louise Ryan (Alice), Charlotte Fallart (Hortensia), Hari Coles (Eric), Michael Hawkins (Nigel), Sebastian Harry (Tommy)

Notes:  So brilliantly clever. This is my 3rd time seeing Matilda (I saw it twice in Sydney), and it's still just as brilliant, if not more, than I remembered. The show is so so clever. I love the lyrics by Tim Minchin so much.

All the children were fantastic. The Matilda (Emma Moore) was definitely the best Matilda I've seen, musically, and in her line delivery as well. She was so excellent! The other children were great as well. There was only one small glitch - one of the kids left a hat on stage when they left, and it stayed on stage for about 20 minutes until a proper scene change allowed one of the other kids to go and grab it.

Our understudy adults were great. I especially loved Miss Honey (Biancha Szynal), with great youthful exuberance and non-dancing dancing (being thrown around by Rudolpho so twirling without looking like she knew how to dance). Vocally she was also pretty great.

I think the highlight though, was Craig Els who played the Trunchbull. He was so fantastic, just the right blend of completely scary and totally insane. I really think this show is even more enjoyable if you are a teacher, than just any adult! His dancing was also great, and vocals couldn't be faulted.

We managed to score 5 pound seats for this show! The day seats for Matilda are in the Upper Circle, and are only a fiver for those under 25... However, we were lined up before 10am, and they didn't ask or check our ages at all (despite Jess and I both being 27!), just offered us the cheap seats! Can't turn that down!!! We did have a slight obstruction in the safety rail in front of us, but it wasn't that bad, and really, for a fiver, how can you complain?! I'll be getting those tickets for as long as I can pass for under 25!!!

Cultural Experiences: British Museum

The British Museum

Date: 1st August 2017
(with Jess N!)

With theatre tickets under our belts for the evening (we saw Matilda that same night), but the day to kill, and on foot in the city, I pulled out my 'Summer in London' spreadsheet, and looked at the museums. Was there one in central London that we could walk to? Turns out, yes!

The British Museum is super central - we had walked to Tottenham Court Road, and it was only a few blocks east. At first, we were confused by the entry line and talk of tickets, but when we got in, it made more sense. The line was just security, and tickets were only for 1 specific exhibition (and it was completely sold out). It was a busy day, with families and holiday groups and many others around, especially around the busier exhibits like the Rosetta Stone.

We did most of the museum today, starting on Level -1 with Africa. Then we grabbed some lunch from a cafe, and headed for the main levels! We skipped much of the Asia section (we both agreed that we are the most familiar with that part of the world, and would prefer to focus on other parts of the world), so on the Ground floor, we did the Ancient Greece and Rome section, Ancient Egypt and some of the Middle East section. Then we were able to so a full loop of Level 3, through more Middle East, Europe, more Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece and Rome.

Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome were my favourites - I love seeing the details in sculpture and imagining what it must have been like back in those days. One of my favourite pieces was a clay pot with ancient writing on it - but the translation of the writing literally meant 'This belongs to ...' and their name! So weird to see that, but we put our names on things all the time, so I guess it makes sense.

I also loved the Parthenon sculptures and reconstruction sections, that's where all the good photos I took came from.

I would definitely come back another day to finish the Museum (on this day, we spent over 4 hours there!), and also bring some money for the excellent looking gift shop! Maybe in the lead up to Christmas for my family... If they're good.

Theatre Trip: Les Miserables

LES MISERABLES

Queen's Theatre
Date: 6th March (Monday), 7:30pm
Seats: Dress Circle, L17/18/19
(with Katie from Australia!)

Cast Changes: Javert (Adam Pearce), Cosette (Samantha Thomas), Bamatabois (Will Jennings)

Notes: Understudy Javert was really great! Got more intense as it went on, was really cool to watch him unravel. Very emotional death, well staged. Cosette was lovely, as was Marius, however not super strong vocally. Eponine great acting and vocally good, but On My Own was emotionally lacking, especially compared to the movie version (Samantha Barks).

Death at the barricades - Eponine was underwhelming, Gavroche was really emotional and well acted. Explosion was almost comical, watching them all die in slow motion, but the set turning to show Enroljas hanging was very cool (we couldn't even see a harness or anything!).

Jean Valjean. Totally amazing. Simon Gleeson from the Aussie tour, and he was incredible!!! Perfect vocally, very emotional, really amazing. Regular Javert is an Aussie too, so want to go back to see how they play together on stage.

Set design and usage was really really interesting, especially for when showing people moving/travelling around. Very small stage, but extremely well utilised.

 

Cultural Experience: Book Event with Carrie Hope Fletcher!

(Post written 18/7- thought I had posted it, but apparently not!)

(I have since read the book, and it's great! I gave my second copy away to a friend, to spread the love.)

Last Friday, I got to meet my favourite Youtuber, the ridiculously talented Carrie Hope Fletcher. She is a Youtuber, author, and my favourite, a star of musical theatre, having played Eponine in Les Mis, Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Beth in War of the Worlds, and currently playing Wednesday Addams in the Addams Family musical.

She released her newest book, All That She Can See, on Thursday. I received my first copy on Wednesday (thanks, Waterstones!) as I had preordered a copy, and had enough time to read it on my commute before the event on Friday!

I arrived around 6:45, and the queue outside the church (it was at the St James church in Piccadilly, just a few doors down from the Waterstones) was wrapping almost halfway around the church still! Doors had opened at 6pm, clearly I should have gotten there earlier. By the time I got into the church, it was almost time to start, and I had a seat about 3/4 of the way back. I did have a clear view though.

Carrie was introduced, the chair asked her some questions (some really interesting ones, and some which I kind of already knew from reading the book), and after a few questions from the audience, it was signing time! This took FOREVER. They lined up a row at a time, which meant that it was 9:30 before I even got into the line! Once in the line though, it moved fairly quickly, and before I knew it, I was in front of Carrie!

Carrie was so lovely and grateful. I (finally) managed to give her her gift, which I had intended to give to her at Addams family stage door, except she didn't come out at that time. But now she has it! I told her that it looks strange, but it goes with her tea, and that she would understand when she opened it. I hope she likes it. She also signed my second book (tickets to the event came with a copy of the book), and thanked me for buying it twice. We even got a great photo!

It was a fabulous night, and I'm so glad to have had the chance to meet her.

Tasty Treats: Borough Markets

(Written on 13/4, somehow forgotten to post!)

(Since this was written, I have returned for more tasty cheese, nommy brownies, and definitely more fish finger buttys!!! It's even only 10 minutes by bicycle... So bad, but so good!)

Yesterday, completely on a whim, I decided I needed to break up my working day by going out to lunch... But where to? Well, after a quick Google, I realised that Borough Market is not only open 6 days a week (every day but Sunday), but is only a 30 minute walk from our building! Decision made.

 

Last time we went to Borough Market, we bought lunch (amazing pies), fancy oil, bread and lots of delicious cheese! This time around, I didn't want to spend quite so much money, so I started with lunch. I braved the long (but very fast moving) queue at fish!kitchen. Best fish finger butty ever! Proper fish fingers (none of this processed stuff), loads of tartare sauce, and fresh sourdough. So yummy.

 

I also picked up some truffle honey as a present for Husbando, and a brownie from one of the bakery stalls. The quality of the food there is top notch, and there's a great selection.

 

I was very tempted by these, but managed to resist. Then I headed for a short walk to London's most useful boat...

 

 

So handy.

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #22 (Monteverdi's Vespers)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 31st July (Monday), 7:30pm
Seats: Promming (Gallery)

Program: Vespers of 1610 (Monteverdi)

Performers: Guiseppina Bridelli (soprano), Eva Zaicik (mezzo-soprano), Emiliano Gonzalez-Toro (tenor), Magnus Staveland (tenor), Virgile Ancely (bass), Renaud Bres (bass), Geoffroy Buffiere (bass), Ensemble Pygmalion

Notes: This Prom had a single piece, the Vespers of 1610. It goes for 100 minutes with no interval. I don't know much about music from this era, so for me it was less about music that I recognised, and I actually spent much of the time with my back to the stage, sitting on the floor, letting the music wash over me. It was gorgeous, soothing, pleasant music. I really enjoyed the experience.

Prom #4 for us (#2 promming)...