Maes Dollau - the Vardre

Working back through our week at Maes Dollau - our last day was the Bank Holiday Monday - and B was desperate to climb 'The Mountain'. Actually The Vardre is a smallish hill that overlooks both Maes Dollau caravan park and the estuary at Deganwy but the views from the top are just stunning.

Can you spot the bridge, the castle and Conwy?

Even Auntie J made it up to the top....

.... and when we got there, there was lots of time for cuddles!

Floaty Fairy

So - we're back from Wales - pictures and stories coming up soon :)

Today M and B were meant to be going to the Brindley to do the Floaty Fairy and Gross Goblin workshop, M did thi slast year and made a lovely little wire fairy. This year she really wanted to make a string fairy :) But Halton Borough Council decided that today was the day to start some new road works on the Bridge. Oh goodness- we spent an hour in the traffic jam, before finding a place where we could do a U turn onto the opposite carriage way - and we weren't even on the bridge approach! The tutor was stuck in the same jam - so we hoped to be able to do the class in the afternoon - but the jams were no better by lunchtime. So in the end we went to the market for fabric - and made this lovely purpe and blue floaty fairy!

Mamma Mia

Not meant to be here - meant to be at the caravan :( - but A's work held us up from going so I took M to see Mamma Mia - and it was just brilliant!

SuperLambBanana Hunting

Surprisingly enough Wednesday was gloriously sunny - so we took our last chance to go SuperLambBanana hunting in Liverpool.

I loved the original SLB - it spent a couple of years on Spike Island in West Bank (an episode that seems to have been airbrushed from the official Capital of Culture history) - and I used to take M to see it when she was little. So with only a day we decided to see how many we could photograph in a day - and the answer was 43!

We could have done more - but M and B were ready to collapse! Here are just a few of the cuties :)

Little Artists

M and B went to a collage class at the Brindley yesterday - and look what they made. M's is just excellent - she has a real flair for art - and B worked so hard at his cutting and sticking - I was so prooud of them both.

We are so lucky to have such a good art's centre on the doorstep - this summer M has had a week of dance classes there and last week did an illustrating class. After our trip to Wales both M and B will be doing the Floaty Fairies and Gross Goblin's course. M did this last year and it was great.

Hamlet

Sometimes I do get the feeling that this is turning into a theatre review blog :)

We had a weekend trip to Stratford - to see the long awaited David Tennant Hamlet at the RSC. We stayed at the Melita Hotal - a very nice B&B just the other side of the river - so it was only a 10 minute walk to the theatre.

The RST and Swan are both currently closed for redevelopment work (the main house is in pieces - there is a totally new theatre being built in it's place) - so they performance was at the Courtyard theatre, a semi temporary theatre built next to The Other Place (which is servicing as box office/bar/shop!)

And so - to the play. An excellent production - just what I expect from the RSC. I loved the staging - the mirrors and reflections - especially the torches boucing off the floor in the battlement scene. Patrick Stewart is just born to play kings - perfection - so centred. Oliver Ford Davies' Polonious was excellent - took every ounce of humour the role can provide. David Tennant - what can I say? Unlike many I'm NOT in love with him - but he was mesmerising. I felt the manicness was too much in the early scenes an he was at his weakest here - but once he had met the ghost then it all fell into place for me. He has the most amazing vocal tricks - and on the odd occassion some of these were a bit too familiar for me from repeated exposure in DW - but in general excellent. I'm not a fan of OTT mad Ophelia's generally - but the mad skipping did make sense here as a mirror to DT's madness. I would agree with the 4 star reviews I have since read - I wanted a bit more emotional heart to it - but overall very happy - would love to see it again, will have to put up with Love's Labour's Lost in October instead!

Wedding Anniversary - Plan B

The plan was - I would get the train to Maccelsfield and meet A. We would drive into Manchester, have a bite to eat and then see The Dark Knight on the IMAX at the Printworks.

But then - there were several sets of road works on the A6 and it took FOREVER to get there
And then, I sent A the wrong way, which was made worse by ending up on the Mancunian Way at rush hour - and with Old Trafford having a special evening to show off their trophies (BOO) - we were at qa standstill
Having finally got to Deansgate we discovered it was shut!!! More road works.
PArking at Great Northern and walking down to the Printworkswe got there and discovered the film was sold out...

BUT - instead we got last minute tickets for Hay Fever at the Royal Exchange - and had time to eat at Cafe Rouge. The play was wonderful and witty - and I nearly died over the breakfast scene when they are arguing over street names - art mirrors life...

JACKIE: Do you suppose they know they’re mad? SANDY: No; people never do ...

The wonderfully OTT Belinda Lang.
Ben Keaton is such a favourite at the Royal Exchange

Watch this!

Today was meant to be a day of SuperLambBanana hunting in Liverpool - but a combinbation of rain and rubbish buses meant that we gave up and had a couple of hours playing at Underwater Street instead.

So, getting back early I found this to share...

Acrobatic Swan Lake

Well, this was NOT your usual Swan Lake.

It was bizarre - and wonderful - and exciting - and colourful - and just amazing!

A combination of the of the Tchaikovsky music (though sadly prerecorded) - classical ballet choreography and chinese acrobatics! There was juggling, unicycles, swans on roller skates, a contortionist, poles, tightropes..... and day glo pink costumes!

And the swan who could piruette en pointe on the prince's shoulder, outstretched hand, and finally head. I've never seen anything like it - and of course M just loved it!