Well, I'm Back, Post #35
Dec. 21st, 2019 08:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
usedtobeljsWelp, I had not planned to go silent for the last month, but it's been hell at work and then my big trip, so....
I'm back!
My birthday, which was a big one, was v.v. quiet. Had a lovely lunch with Freixenet and went to my killer exercise class, with work bits inbetween. Had a dinner with best bud A and her husband the week before (because they were on their way to a Central America holiday), and am promised dinner with best bud S at some point in early January. So there we are.
Did make it to London and back. (I just missed the horrors of train delays and washed-out motorways, so it was all good.) You might know that I'd planned an overnight trip to Paris as well, but, er, the Paris transportation strikes and the cancellation of our Eurostar meant it was just London. That was all I needed.
Theatre: A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic, with Paterson Joseph a great Scrooge and inventive, interactive staging by Matthew Warchus and great singing and energy from the company, pity about the muddled script by Jack Thorne; The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the National, SO FREAKING GOOD, magic and sadness and scares and healing, with Samuel Blenkin excellent as the Boy and Justin Salinger handsome and effective as Boy Grown Up/Dad, and Pippa Nixon as a first-rate creepy Ursula Monkton (one major plot point changed from the book, but it really worked); Cyrano with James McAvoy, directed in stripped-down moderne stylee by Jamie Lloyd as is his wont, GREAT first half, slow second half where the directorial conceit and script did not work nearly as well. McAvoy is as excellent as one would expect, and also hot as hell.
Exhibitions: first time to the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury (tiny, evocative); a powerful, magical, transformative Tim Walker exhibition at the V&A, which I will be thinking about for a long, long time; the small but choice exhibition at the Museum of London for the 40th (!!!) anniversary of the Clash's London Calling.
Visits with Paratti and L, as well as my brother and brother-in-law.
Eating out: Ivy, Tower Bridge, for my birthday dinner; Champagne and cheese at Champagne et Fromage near Covent Garden; dinner at Joe Allen which I enjoyed tremendously. Oh, and tea at the Ritz, where the Good Omens references came thick and fast.
Shopping: exhibition T-shirts, loads of books (including Zawe Ashton's latest play), stationery, Fortnum's (OF COURSE), and a gorgeous Stina Goya silk shirt from the Shop at Bluebird.
Master Danger was moderately pleased to see me return.
So -- will try to post one more time before the decade ends, but until then, happy holidays.
I'm back!
My birthday, which was a big one, was v.v. quiet. Had a lovely lunch with Freixenet and went to my killer exercise class, with work bits inbetween. Had a dinner with best bud A and her husband the week before (because they were on their way to a Central America holiday), and am promised dinner with best bud S at some point in early January. So there we are.
Did make it to London and back. (I just missed the horrors of train delays and washed-out motorways, so it was all good.) You might know that I'd planned an overnight trip to Paris as well, but, er, the Paris transportation strikes and the cancellation of our Eurostar meant it was just London. That was all I needed.
Theatre: A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic, with Paterson Joseph a great Scrooge and inventive, interactive staging by Matthew Warchus and great singing and energy from the company, pity about the muddled script by Jack Thorne; The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the National, SO FREAKING GOOD, magic and sadness and scares and healing, with Samuel Blenkin excellent as the Boy and Justin Salinger handsome and effective as Boy Grown Up/Dad, and Pippa Nixon as a first-rate creepy Ursula Monkton (one major plot point changed from the book, but it really worked); Cyrano with James McAvoy, directed in stripped-down moderne stylee by Jamie Lloyd as is his wont, GREAT first half, slow second half where the directorial conceit and script did not work nearly as well. McAvoy is as excellent as one would expect, and also hot as hell.
Exhibitions: first time to the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury (tiny, evocative); a powerful, magical, transformative Tim Walker exhibition at the V&A, which I will be thinking about for a long, long time; the small but choice exhibition at the Museum of London for the 40th (!!!) anniversary of the Clash's London Calling.
Visits with Paratti and L, as well as my brother and brother-in-law.
Eating out: Ivy, Tower Bridge, for my birthday dinner; Champagne and cheese at Champagne et Fromage near Covent Garden; dinner at Joe Allen which I enjoyed tremendously. Oh, and tea at the Ritz, where the Good Omens references came thick and fast.
Shopping: exhibition T-shirts, loads of books (including Zawe Ashton's latest play), stationery, Fortnum's (OF COURSE), and a gorgeous Stina Goya silk shirt from the Shop at Bluebird.
Master Danger was moderately pleased to see me return.
So -- will try to post one more time before the decade ends, but until then, happy holidays.
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Date: 2019-12-21 01:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-21 10:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-21 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-21 10:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-21 07:28 pm (UTC)I didn’t know there was a theatrical version of Ocean at the End of the Lane...B just gave me the newly illustrated edition of the book for my birthday this week, so belated birthday wishes to you too, my dear!
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Date: 2019-12-21 10:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-21 11:00 pm (UTC)Happy holidays to you too :)
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Date: 2019-12-21 11:30 pm (UTC)Hope Narnia was awesome!
Hugs hugs!
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Date: 2019-12-22 12:55 pm (UTC)The inundation has continued since then though it is actually dry at the moment!
Many hugs back :)
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Date: 2019-12-22 03:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-22 11:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-25 03:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-25 06:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-30 04:25 pm (UTC)Lastly,
Happy Belated Birthday to
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Date: 2019-12-31 11:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-01 03:01 am (UTC)