And We're Open!

Last night was opening night and I was spoilt rotten with cards and flowers! I had a beautiful and enormous bunch of lilies delivered from The Big One, a stunning bouquet from Barbarella, 'Hai Yah' (yes L - that's your blogname!) and Alfredo and then a gorgeous bouquet of a dozen roses, red, white and pink from HawkandFallow!

The show seemed to go well - everyone seemed happy with it and so at 10:20pm once the show came down, we got out of our Victorian finery as quick-smart as we could and headed to The Castle, a Victorian pub down the road with a late license. The theatre had arranged delivery of more pizza then I've ever seen and of course the drinks flowed.

I was in bed by 2am, perfick!

"Drama is life with the dull bits cut out."

- Alfred Hitchcock

A-Mazing Robyn

When I saw her live last year I was struck by how incredible a dancer she was....now you can see too! This is her first song of her new album. 

Exciting times!

"and it won't make sense right now but you're still her friend"

Night Walking

c/o wetbehindtheears

It is 11:40pm and I have just got in. Tonight we had our first dress rehearsal and also our first audience, of sorts. As the piece is a promenade style the director chose to open our dress rehearsals to friends and family of the cast. It was immensely helpful and very interesting.

On the way home. in my rush to get back to my digs, I inadvertently jumped on the wrong bus. Tired as I was it took me about 20 minutes to realise I had no idea where I was. In fact initially I thought that I had simply missed my stop, so got off. Only then did I realise that in the dark I recognised nothing. Thank goodness for iPhones as I could use the Gmap and see where I had ended up...turned out I was about a mile from where I needed to be.

I quickly worked out a route and set off in the right direction. Despite it being night, me being on my own and having no clue of the area, I really enjoyed it.  I am not a stupid girl and know to keep to residential areas, cross the road if someone is coming towards me etc. It was a beautifully mild evening and I was in comfy shoes and despite being alert, very happy.

When I was younger I used to walk at night a lot. I would sneak out of the house and walk around my area in the early hours. I have always been a night owl and loved the quiet, the calm and the peace of being on my own, walking in the streetlit dark.

On a few occasions, when I was staying at friend's houses I would sneak out there too and would walk around their villages. I'm sure this would strike fear into my friend's mothers if they had known but I genuinely longed for the peaceful solitude at the end of the day.

I had forgotten my walks until this evening when I felt a familiar drop of my shoulders. I was able to process the noise and clatter of the day and I was entirely on my own, blanketed by the dark.

Tonight, as I turned into the final road and was minutes walk from my digs I thought how much I had missed my night walks and how, although I am a very different person now, I still respond so strongly to that time, on my own, working through the day I just had.

I might just have to get the wrong bus again...

"I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day."  

~Vincent Van Gogh

For the Brand New

Our lovely friends R & K are expecting a baby, the bump has been called Herbert while he is a bump but when the baby behind that bump emerges he shall have a name which is secret to all but them.

While awaiting Herbert's arrival I planned and started a baby blanket for him. It has taken me nearly a month but it is nearly nearly finished. Just as he is nearly nearly here.

Now I am crocheting round the edge and then it will be finished and ready for the brand new baby and his brand new name.

P.S Talking of little brand new people:  Happy 1st Birthday Leo!!!

"Every child begins the world again...."

~Henry David Thoreau

Long Way from Home

The older I get the harder I find working away from home. I keep getting short pangs of homesickness despite everyone being lovely.

The more I am getting my bearings both in the city and in the play the better I feel though! I am totally aware I am very lucky to do a job where I get to set up camp somewhere for a couple of months, get to travel and see life in many different places.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

- Mark Twain

Manchester Part 2

The other weekend when The Big One was here we explored parts of Manchester's Northern Quarter - my favourite part of the city so far. Full of trendy shops, lovely teashops with several choices of Green Tea (my prime day-time tipple), and warehouses full of vintage clothing all at student friendly prices. What's not to like?

We also came across an old Fishmarket which has been turned into a two storey Arts and Craft centre. The resident artists have little studios which double as shops to sell their beauties. Lots of jewellery, art and textile work, well worth a meander.

The play I am doing is just outside this area so I will be able to take better pictures next week once the tech is over! Running it today for the first time - fingers crossed!!

“The life so short, the craft so long to learn.”

-Hippocrates