Alnmouth

To stave off last week's post-show blues, I went to Alnwick with the mother.  We bought lots of fine things from charitable shops, and then went to the seaside at sunset.

 

Here I am all snuggly in my parka.

 

 

Dozy and reluctant to leave the comfort of my own pyjamas, I asked Mum what on earth I should wear.

 

"Start with sensible walking shoes, and work upwards from there", she replied.

 

 

Don't be ridiculous.

 

 

In the end I hoyed clothes at myself at random and was rather pleased with the result.

 

 

This photo's a bit unfortunate, but it shows what I liked about this look - the tiered skirt, thick tights and ankle boots made me feel like a naughty Victorian ruinning around in her bustle!

 

 

Also a bit like Peter Pan...

 

Mum proceeded to take some photographs withouit me in them, which I thought was a sorry waste, but other people seem to like Views, so here you go.

 

 

 

 



It's leading business, pet.

Hello from Theatreland!

Treading the boards this week, and it's Friday, which means we've just passed the halfway point of The Grand Duke.  It's all going more or less well, with only minor disasters so far, although the less that's said about my attempts to be a soprano, the better...  Strangely, this year the show-week hysteria, which usually possesses me for at least a fortnight before the show, only kicked in after the curtains closed on the second performance.  I was really quite worried and almost considered retiring from the stage, but today I woke up with the show-week jitters and am quite looking forward to showing off tonight.  Not quite at the point where, last year, one of my colleagues threatened to lock me in the stationery cupboard if I kept up my hourly "I'm going on-stage in X hours" updates, but a little excited nonetheless.

Anyway, sometime last week I happened across a post I made this time last year; a day-by-day run-down of a week similar to this one in last February.  I'm sharing it here again as a memento.  It was my favourite blahg post of 2012, and the week itself was probably my highlight of the year.  Every day I did exciting things with wonderful people and my often-sulky face was never without a "Smile for the camera, you say? Oh, go on then!" grin.

February 2012

Flouncing around

 

Do you know that when I was a little girl I was a proud tomboy?

 

 

Between the ages of 9 and 13 I did not once wear a dress.

 

I climbed trees and refused to brush my hair and dreamed of being a Gladiator when I grew up.

 

To this day I can't bear to wear pink.

 

 

Today, this post is brought to you by my all-consuming love for the feminine frills of my flouncy petticoat.

 

Funny, innit?

 

(As a post-script, I present a toilet's-eye-view of my beautiful petticoat hanging up to dry over the bath.  SO MANY LAYERS!)

 

 

 

January

 

I have high hopes for 2013.  This new year is going to be a panacea.  It's going to bring us a huge gulp of fresh, sweet air.  Giggling on the bridge at half-past eleven on the 31st, I expected to feel the change physically.  I was confident that our shoulders would lift, our heads would spin and our feet would dance the moment the clock struck twelve.

Of course, that wasn't the way it happened.  For one thing, there was no clock striking at all - people began a countdown on the Quayside, more people began a slightly unsynchronised countdown further up the Quayside, and as we on the bridge, bewildered, joined in at around '6', two off-kilter sets of fireworks exploded from different riverside locations.  But it was brilliant.

With a sense of February Dread looming (I've always found it a completely dismal month, haven't you?), I had begun to find myself losing faith in 2013 already (I found myself typing "I had high hopes" at the beginning of this post!)...  But!  Thinking about it, that rather lovely New Year's Eve really seems like much longer than a month ago.  A hundred tiny adventures ago. This January I may have measured out my life with coffee spoons, but in the past thirty-one days I have:

 

* Swum in the sea * Cooked home-made meals * Begun to learn BSL * Cried * Sung * Played netball * Drunk cocktails * Argued * Laughed * Read three good books and two excellent short stories * Hired a locksmith * Had a trip to the cinema * Flirted * Rehearsed * Discovered a new favourite cafe * Walked in fresh midnight snow * Regretted * Been to a party * Been to a restaurant * Fallen off my bike * Kissed * Visited a capital city * Had a hangover * Enjoyed the lighter days! * Hated and loved my job * Been to a fair * Had my hair done * Whinged * Explored a graveyard * Bought shoes with sequins on  * Lost at Scrabble *
* Made resolutions *

Not too dusty.  Come on then, February, let's have you.