The social life of the average mole
I’ve been rather bad about updating LJ lately and the only excuse I can offer is that I’ve been rather caught up in the intoxication of being able to go out and do things again.
Christmas seems a long time ago now. Since we got back we’ve developed something of a social life, a thing which was impossible last year because of my steadily worsening condition. In the last six weeks or so we’ve been out for aperitifs, invited two sets of people back for aperitifs, gone to the St Vincent Tournante and visited the theatre for the first time in four years.
The occasion was a double bill of short farces by Feydeau. It was great fun, and I'm surprised by how much I actually understood!
Neither piece had much of a plot. In the first a husband was trying to escape from his wife in order to meet his mistress. His wife, on the other hand, had found out about the mistress and engineered a meeting beween the three of them which led to the usual attempt at a far fetched explanation followed by a hasty retreat. The wife and her friend then sallied out to complete her revenge by finding her a rich young lover. In the second two young men about town had arranged dinner at the same restaurant with two ladies of fashion who turned out to be nothing of the sort. I lost it a bit with the second one (probably because of the two glasses of excellent wine I'd imbibed during the interval).
The acting was of a high standard, with one or two really excellent performances. The director had coped well with the limitations caused by the fact that the space was a general performance venue not a theatre and a quarter of the stage was permanently inhabited by a large grand piano. The only thing that rather put me off was an introductory speech read by one of the cast which told us what we should be thinking about what we were about to see and the clapping whenever a new member of cast walked on stage. The atmosphere was brilliant and it bought back memories to see members of the cast hitting the bar after the performance eagerly discussing the night's doings with family and friends. The same company are performing a selection of the fables of La Fontaine in April at Chateau Sully and we'll certainly try and go if we can.
On the health side things continue to improve. I can now walk a fair distance without it hurting or tiring myself out and we’ve started going swimming once a week which has also helped.
We’ve even had guests this month, too - a young Australian couple and two guys from Luxembourg who were competing in a wine tasting competition. The latter brought two bottles of a very good Aligote and one of Bourgogne rouge to the dinner table with them and gave us an impromptu lesson in tasting. A very good time was had by all.
Hope you are all getting on with your various projects and life is treating you well.
MM