Convenient delight

[azalaisdep]

The Resident Geek, the Small Persons and I were over in Great Malvern yesterday for the wedding of an ex-colleague of the RG's. As often happens with these affairs, not all guests were invited to all parts of the do - there were a number of "second-tier" guests, including us, who were invited not to the ceremony itself (which was limited in numbers

Comments

[curiouswombat]

What a brilliant place! Both in use of the building and in being so entrancing for small children.

[azalaisdep]

I was very amused to note that there's a modern public toilet almost directly opposite - I don't know why the Victorian one was decommissioned!

The couple who run it were absolute card-carrying English eccentrics - gentle, grey-haired, Guardian-reading (it was on a seat!), with at least in his case a definite element of the mysterious and magical. I could easily imagine him being a wizard on the quiet - and he certainly knew how to cast a spell over little ones!

[curiouswombat]

Hmm - Radagast? Or do you think he had a blue robe hidden away somewhere?

[azalaisdep]

Could well have been a Blue Wizard. We know he wasn't Mithrandir; because as we arrived at the reception, the Resident Geek spotted his ex-boss, a late-middle-aged academic who sports an impressively long and bushy grey beard. He towed the boys in that direction and as they approached, First Small Person was heard to exclaim, "Oh wow! It's Gandalf!"

:-)

(Fortunately, the ex-boss was more than happy with the Gandalf comparison, since he said it made a change from small children assuming he is Father Christmas...)

[kortirion]

I didn't know about this, and will probably never visit, but I adore the concept and heartily applaud the proprietors.

The couple who run it were absolute card-carrying English eccentrics...

Magnificent! Makes you proud to be British, don'tcha know! ~_^

[azalaisdep]

I did find myself thinking "Where else in the world..."

Though to be fair, much of Central Europe - Czechoslovakia say - has probably a stronger tradition of story-telling through puppetry. But yes, only the English could put it in a retired loo.

[engarian]

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

- Erulisse (one L)

[azalaisdep]

It was. I nearly couldn't persuade the Small People away from their icecreams in time - in the end, one of the RG's colleagues in the teashop with us said to them "I think you really need to take your Mum to this puppet theatre. She obviously really wants to go!"

(And of course, they adored it. I knew they would.)

[kaffy_r]

The theater is exquisite, and I don't believe your small ones could have had a better time for the afternoon if they'd gone many other places. Thanks for the links, and thanks to the wonderful people like Mr. Neale who create and maintain little jewel-like spaces like this for the world.

[azalaisdep]

thanks to the wonderful people like Mr. Neale who create and maintain little jewel-like spaces like this for the world.

The man's a magician. I hope he gets at least as much delight and satisfaction out of it as his small audiences (in all senses!) do - I suspect he does...

[mrowe]

That sounds absolutely brilliant:)

[azalaisdep]

It was amazing :-)