Sunday 18 January 2009

Blue Hat

This hat is a cause for great celebration - it means that M has passed Level 6 in swimming and has now progressed to the blue hat class. I swear that to my final day I will know the colour order of hats for the swimming classes at Kingsway {white, yellow,orange, green, blue if you are interested :) }.

We'll have to sing that again then won't we.....

The Beaver and Cub trip to the Brindley to see Snow White...

....with lplenty of "He's behind you!"s and "Naughty, naughty"s, a sing-a-long and lots of sweets....


....B was on the front row of the balcony and I though he was about to bounce over the rail with excitement when the wicked queen was offering Snow White the poisoned apple!
Just another great night at the panto!

Tuesday 13 January 2009

Danny Champion of the World

New Year - New Theatre....and a trip to the Bolton Octagon to see a great adaptation of the Roald Dahl story - Danny Champion of the World....
.... it was perfect - everything that a children's/family production needs - including chicken and pheasent puppets (if you saw Love's Labour's at Stratford last year then I have found the next role for 'Owl Flying Man!)...
...and a really mean baddie - I had to stop B making a run for the stage at one point he was so cross with Mr Hazel.....

....and of course lots of audience participation. Just magic.


So a big thank you to Gpa who got the tickets for us :)



Because B was very happy to get a rabbit mask....


...and M can never get enough of the theatre!



Nutcracker

The last Christmasy Event - The Nutcracker at the Phil - watching a fantastic film of the New York City Ballet whilst the orchestra played the score live. Fab choreography all round {appart from the very dubious turn by Macaulay Culkin} - just lovely.




And not forgetting a big thank you to S for getting us the tickets :)

Saturday 3 January 2009

"Seargent, arrest most of those vicars at once"

According to Alfred Hickling - this line gets an award for the Most ludicrously enjoyable line of 2008.

All I know is that on New Years Eve the delivery of this line caused me to fall into hysterics for the umpteenth time whilst watching See How They Run at the Royal Exchange.
2 vicars, an actor (serving in the forces) dressed as a vicar, a Nazi POW on the run (and dressed as a vicar), a bishop, an inebriated parishioner, the vicar's wife and a somewhat demented maid.... what more could you ask for?


A farce performed in the round - much leaping over sofa's to hide - and actors pelting out of a door to run round the outside of the theatre pod and back in on the other side.

A perfect end to to a year of theatre highlights. An so on to 2009. Next week we are at the Octagon to see Danny Champion of the World. Anthony Sher's Tempest at the RSC Courtyard is already booked for February. As is Mary Poppins at the Palace Manchester and M's birthday trip to see a schools production of the Comedy of Errors at the Courtyard in July. Sometimes I think that I should just turn this into a theatre blog - but then where would I put the cute pictures of M and B?

Spot the Puffle!

B and his new yellow puffle!

If you don't know what a Puffle is - then you aren't spending enough time playing on Club Penguin!

On the Big Red Party Bus....


... for lots of fun at S and C's 6th Birthday Party!


Since Christmas....

... we have been out and about - making the most of the dry {though very,very cold} weather.There was an icy day at Martin Mere...
...where we saw lot's of 'Double Ducks' sliding around...

.... and a fantastic sunset at Anthony Gormley's Another Place installation on Crosby Beach...



...and a freezing afternoon at Marbury Country Park climbing trees...



...though perhaps we shouldn't show Gma just how high B can climb!