It's beginning to look a lot like...
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas March 2020. Just like March 2020 as the country locked itself down when it wasn't getting clear direction from the government we hummed and hawed and ... went to the ballet. We had tickets for Matthew Bourne's The Nutcracker which were bought in February 2020 for December 2020 and instead of just refunding them or issuing a credit note Sadler's Wells just moved the whole production to this year and issued new tickets.
We were more than happy about this but the advent of the delightful Omicron variant did make us think hard about going. We were greatly reassured when we got an email from Sadler's Wells informing us that both masks, worn at all times, and vaccine passports were mandatory. As it is a newish theatre it is also well-ventilated so we decided that if we are going to get Covid we might as well get it doing something fun and went. I'm very glad we did because we had a wonderful time and it was fantastic to be back seeing a live show again. Most people were masked on trains and buses, everyone was behaving very sensibly in the restaurant we ate in, vaccine passports were checked on the way in to the theatre and we wore our masks all the time.
The last thing we went to see back in March 2020 was Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes and some of the same dancers were in this production too. As usual with Matthew Bourne he had tweaked The Nutcracker story with the opening scenes set in a children's orphanage, so the giving of gifts, which were later taken away again, felt more meaningful. As in the traditional Nutcracker a lot of the most memorable material is in the second half when Clara is in Sweetieland. The slightly stereotypical national dances have been transformed into dances by sweets and were absolutely delightful. There was one scene which made half the audience gasp and it was full of colour, wit and fabulous dancing.
There is a trailer here.
It was a terrific evening and a great cure for pandemic induced gloom.
In other news our lovely Albanian gardeners have finished doing our garden. We are delighted with it and their hard work but at the moment we can't walk on it, though the local cats can and have left muddy paw prints all over our new patio, but tomorrow we should hopefully be able to get out there and try and resuscitate some of the plants in pots. Then the hard work of planning what to plant starts.
Back to the meme.
12. Have you ever done a craft project you saw on Pinterest?
I am the very definition of cack-handed. Wrapping Christmas presents involves a long-drawn out battle between me and the sellotape as it tries to stick itself to me rather than the wrapping paper so it's safe to say that any craft project I might see on Pinterest, if I went there, would be well beyond me.
13. What colour were your bedroom walls painted when you were a teenager?
Light blue.
14. What is your favorite pastime for each of the four seasons?
I enjoy walking in any season.
15. Were you voted for a superlative in high school?
I had no clue what this meant until kazzy_cee looked it up and it's not something that happened in British schools when I attended one.
16. A reality show idea that you would most definitely watch on television?
I'm not that keen on reality shows apart from ones like Who Do You Think You Are or Bake Off so I really can't think of one
17. Which parent was more strict when you were growing up?
My parents were both teachers so they could both be strict when necessary. In the days before smacking was banned I did get smacked but not that often.
18. Do you ever get gut-feelings about things? Do you follow them?
Not particularly.
The rest of the December questions are behind the cut.
19. There’s an app for everything. What apps consume the most of your time?
20. Have you ever had a bedroom with a specific theme?
21. Do you have memories from preschool?
22. Is there anything about technology that scares you?
23. What’s a word/phrase that’s commonly heard in your region, but not anywhere else?
24. Do you bite on straws, lollipop handles, or ice cream sticks?
25. Do your parents still live in the same house they raised you in?
26. What’s your favorite flavor of soda, pop or whatever else you call it?
27. What time do you usually have dinner?
28. Do you keep the cabinets in your kitchen and bathroom organized?
29. What do you wish you’d spent more time doing five years ago?
30. How often do you light candles?31. What are you looking forward to in the next year?
We were more than happy about this but the advent of the delightful Omicron variant did make us think hard about going. We were greatly reassured when we got an email from Sadler's Wells informing us that both masks, worn at all times, and vaccine passports were mandatory. As it is a newish theatre it is also well-ventilated so we decided that if we are going to get Covid we might as well get it doing something fun and went. I'm very glad we did because we had a wonderful time and it was fantastic to be back seeing a live show again. Most people were masked on trains and buses, everyone was behaving very sensibly in the restaurant we ate in, vaccine passports were checked on the way in to the theatre and we wore our masks all the time.
The last thing we went to see back in March 2020 was Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes and some of the same dancers were in this production too. As usual with Matthew Bourne he had tweaked The Nutcracker story with the opening scenes set in a children's orphanage, so the giving of gifts, which were later taken away again, felt more meaningful. As in the traditional Nutcracker a lot of the most memorable material is in the second half when Clara is in Sweetieland. The slightly stereotypical national dances have been transformed into dances by sweets and were absolutely delightful. There was one scene which made half the audience gasp and it was full of colour, wit and fabulous dancing.
There is a trailer here.
It was a terrific evening and a great cure for pandemic induced gloom.
In other news our lovely Albanian gardeners have finished doing our garden. We are delighted with it and their hard work but at the moment we can't walk on it, though the local cats can and have left muddy paw prints all over our new patio, but tomorrow we should hopefully be able to get out there and try and resuscitate some of the plants in pots. Then the hard work of planning what to plant starts.
Back to the meme.
12. Have you ever done a craft project you saw on Pinterest?
I am the very definition of cack-handed. Wrapping Christmas presents involves a long-drawn out battle between me and the sellotape as it tries to stick itself to me rather than the wrapping paper so it's safe to say that any craft project I might see on Pinterest, if I went there, would be well beyond me.
13. What colour were your bedroom walls painted when you were a teenager?
Light blue.
14. What is your favorite pastime for each of the four seasons?
I enjoy walking in any season.
15. Were you voted for a superlative in high school?
I had no clue what this meant until kazzy_cee looked it up and it's not something that happened in British schools when I attended one.
16. A reality show idea that you would most definitely watch on television?
I'm not that keen on reality shows apart from ones like Who Do You Think You Are or Bake Off so I really can't think of one
17. Which parent was more strict when you were growing up?
My parents were both teachers so they could both be strict when necessary. In the days before smacking was banned I did get smacked but not that often.
18. Do you ever get gut-feelings about things? Do you follow them?
Not particularly.
The rest of the December questions are behind the cut.
19. There’s an app for everything. What apps consume the most of your time?
20. Have you ever had a bedroom with a specific theme?
21. Do you have memories from preschool?
22. Is there anything about technology that scares you?
23. What’s a word/phrase that’s commonly heard in your region, but not anywhere else?
24. Do you bite on straws, lollipop handles, or ice cream sticks?
25. Do your parents still live in the same house they raised you in?
26. What’s your favorite flavor of soda, pop or whatever else you call it?
27. What time do you usually have dinner?
28. Do you keep the cabinets in your kitchen and bathroom organized?
29. What do you wish you’d spent more time doing five years ago?
30. How often do you light candles?31. What are you looking forward to in the next year?