The War of the Worlds

Such a long time waiting for this show....

Al got the LP in the late 70's

He introduced me to the CD set in the late 80's

Somehow we had never managed to see the live show -

until Megs announced that her favourite Carrie Hope Fletcher 

was in the "final tour" and that we HAD to get tickets

Many months later at the Manchester Phones4U Arena .....

 

 .... the show was magnificent - worth the months/years/decades of waiting!

 

 

 

 

Baking

Baking for the Christmas Fair at FMC is well underway!

Dracula: The Musical

The auditions were back in July

She's been rehersing since September

And this week she's spent most of her waking hours in the college theatre -

It was show week for Dracula: The Musical

{it seems that one year you have a small child in a cute Nativity play, 

and the next you have a young lady in a salacious musical with vamire brides and writhing!}

It was a very impressive production - all the students hard work paying off -

and Megan had  the time of her life!

 

Saturday in Salford

Megan needed to see the tour of Othello by Frantic Assembly

{the rest of her A Level class are seeing it next week whilst Megs is busy with Dracula}

so we made a family afternoon of it.

A walk around Media City to see the Blue Peter Garden

 

then we left Megs with a friend at the theatre whilst we looked around the 

Imperial War Museum North

Ben was in a particularly Autistic mood - but he enjoyed the Horrible Histories presentation - and there wasn't TOO MUCH lying on the museum floor!

 

 

One last time.....

.... for 2014.

Day trip to Wales to close up the caravan for the winter -

and yet another beautiful day

{worth noting that it was miserable and grey at home all day - no blue sky there!}

Love's Labour's Lost and Won

Weekend trip to Stratford for Al, Megs and I 

{Ben stayed with Gma and Gpa}

We saw the paired productions of Love's Labour's Lost and Love's Labour's Won

{new title for Much Ado About Nothing}

An inspired concept - the plays were placed around the First World War - 

the set was an amazing recreation of Charlecote House.

The plays were exquisite - full of music and light -

- veyr very funny in their staging, and both with very beautiful and poignant moments

{yes - I was sobbing at the end of Lost}

I've seen both plays before several times - 

Love's Labour's with Ralph Fiennes and Simon Russell Beale back in the 90's

 and in 2008  David Tennant made a brilliant Berowne 

Much Ado has been a favourite since I fell {further} in love with Emma Thompson reciting

 'Sigh no more...' in the Brannagh movie

and of course we saw David Tennant and Catherine Tate as Beatrice and Benedict in 2011

and honestly, while Tennant's verse was more accomplished, and the Brannagh film is so life affirming, and Ralph Fiennes was oh so very beautiful - 

these current productions are, I think, my favourites.

They have so much heart and I've never before

 cared so much about the {thwarted and successful} lovers.

Days with doubled up performances can be hard going -

but not this time.

 We stopped over at the Waterside Premier Inn,

which was as nice as ever.

The Sunday morning was bright - 

so we left Megs in bed while was had breakfast and a peaceful walk by the river. 

A lovely stop off on the way home to see Gill, Russell and Joyce -

so good to see Gill again.

Remember another 5th of November....

Another Bonfire Night - another walk down to the river 

{along with most of the rest of the town}

for the annual fireworks.

I LOVE EVERYTHING about this night - 

the walk down into West Bank

the sparklers

the fantastic fireworks over the water

and walking back to car, part of the huge, happy and peaceful crowd.

Looking back over the last seven years of fireworks

{though we've been following the same tradition for far longer}

it's so good to see the same images over and over again!

2013  2012  2011 2010  2009  2008  2007

One last walk for half term

A very windy climb to the top of Deganwy castle -

but it's always worth the view!