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Showing posts from October, 2015

Poetic Christmas Greetings Tom!

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So when it was Tom Burke's birthday, his fans got together to make a birthday book and posted messages in it. Don't think I've written about that on here, so this is the poem I wrote and illustrated for his birthday.   The idea was so successful that we're now doing a Christmas one, and the deadline for it was set at 30th October. I can't even begin to think of Christmas until after Bonfire Night, but never mind, I have done my best, and because I'm not one to do anything by halves, I have glammed the poem up by putting the poem on a scroll, with a faint picture of Tom dressed up as Santa Clause in the background. Sadly I left everything until close to the last minute, so there was no time to illustrate it by my own fair hand, but on a positive note I have learnt how to use Photoshop...sort of!!!

Feed Me! Seymour!!

Went to watch Little Shop of Horrors at Clwyd Theatr Cymru tonight. I remember watching the film back in the 1980's where Rick Moranis played the meek and mild botanist/florist assistant and Steve Martin put me off dentist's for life!! I have never watched the stage version, and to be honest I wasn't sure whether a theatre that doesn't have the same budget as London or the major cities would be able to pull it off. I wasn't worried about the ability of the actors, I was worried whether Audrey II, the bloodthirsty plant, would be a showstopper or not! The play revolves around a florists shop on skid row, and is a story based on unrequited love, a mad and abusive dentist, and an ever growing carnivorous talking plant! It is a very easy storyline to follow, so it's best just to sit back, relax, and enjoy some belting show tunes! Seymour, played by Daniel Boys (who has been in the West End production of Spamalot, and currently sings the theme tune to the Austr

Hamlet

Went to watch Hamlet last night. It was a NTlive screening of Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet, and this is the first time that I have been to one of these type of screenings. I have watched Hamlet a few times, and I have always enjoyed the performances, but sometimes they have been a bit over acted. A bit like, this is the most important role I am going to play, and therefore I shall overdo everything. Everything will be shouted, movements will be over exaggerated. I didn't know what to expect, people had be raving about it, but I like to judge things for myself! Apart from a few sound issues, I really enjoyed the NTlive experience. I had booked a "posh" seat at the cinema (extra leg room really!) and a shiver of excitement went down my spine as the performance started. Now I am not a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch in the traditional sense of the word. I have watched him in Sherlock, which I enjoyed (although I wasn't as captivated by the last series I must admit),

Time to go home...

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So I'm sitting at the airport in Prague waiting for my plane home. I love the flights out here. I get the earliest possible out on a Friday, and the last one home on a Thursday, which means I get 7 days of ambling, and only pay for 6 nights accommodation! It was another rainy day today, so bag dumped with the porter at the flat, I decided to have once last amble around the town. I ended up near the Jewish Synagogue, and there was a couple of exhibitions so I went for a look. I think because I have been round so many places now, it made reading up about the history of the Jews in Prague more interesting. I understood which areas people were talking about, some I thought "I've been there". I think if I'd gone around that exhibition last year it would just have been a jumble of words to me, informative, but not as interesting as I found it with the accumulated knowledge I have gleaned over time. As I left I saw a sign... ÄŒajovna, so I went and tried another teaho

Upto the Castle

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So last night I had finished my drawing of Aramis, nearly finished Tom, started Tom as Athos, nearly finished Tom as Lt Race, started a colour version of Tom, and scribble something in pencil that might resemble Tom and his horse from the show. Very pleased with myself that I seem to have got somewhere. During the week I have also "artified" my scrabble boards so I feeling somewhat smug. I also only have one play left to read in my Tom play challenge, and that is in a Shakespeare compendium at home! Speaking of which, starting the book Pronouncing Shakespeare, all about an experiment to perform Romeo & Juliet at The Globe theatre in Original Pronunciation instead of RP (and yes, Tom was playing Romeo!)  Aramis  Tom Burke See I said I get more done here than at home. I'm ignoring the fact I still haven't done any writing, but Rome wasn't built in a day and all that! Well it is raining today, and I mean raining. This is new to

Settling into the city!

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Today is not a spectacularly beautiful day! It's dry but a bit grey, so the perfect day for finding a tea shop and sitting and reading. When I was in Barcelona, I had been told to go to a teahouse called Tea Mountain in the Karlin district. So in the summer I had skirted Karlin, today I would go into this mainly residential area. I had been warned the teahouse was more formal than what I was used to, but that the tea was from many of the farmers that were bought in Barcelona and so it should be good. It was a lovely, it not long walk, from my apartment, but it gave me a chance to see some other areas of Prague, and revisit an Indian restaurant I had been to last September! The teahouse was beautiful, but empty. I said hello, that the place had been recommended to me, and instead of handing me a menu, I was asked what type of tea I liked. I then got into a conversation, and was promptly handed a canister of tea to sniff. Then another, an another! After about 15 teas, and discuss

Going to Pinon

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Meeting up with my friend this afternoon. We have heard that the set that one of the episodes of Musketeers was shot at is a short metro ride away. So we are going to see it! The episode that I call Athos' episode was shot at a former tourist attraction. Apparently it was a medieval village with blacksmith, and old traditional crafts. Sadly it appeared to have closed down and was only used by film crews now. But first, as it is such a beautiful day I am going to the park for a wander, a beer and a bit of drawing. I fancied a beer in the park yesterday, but it was so busy with the runners I decided against it. I love sitting in Letna Park with a beer. Not only is it a bout 70p for a pint, but it's in a plastic cup, so you can take it round the park with you. So I headed off to Bakeshop first for a sandwich and cake, then made my way to the park for a quiet morning. Today I shall finish Aramis, and start a drawing of Tom Burke. There is a lovely photo of him taken when he was d

Sunday, time for church

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So I don't go to church normally. I am probably the worst (5 times over) Godmother ever! I go for weddings/funerals/christenings. So, here in Prague, my friend who sings in a choir has invited me to church. I checked out where it was, and it's a residential area I haven't been to. So it was an opportunity to see somewhere new, and to experience a Czech church service. It's not like I have lots to do today! So off I went. It was a lovely morning, sun shining, and I made my way through Letna Park, which seems to be setting up for some sort of race. The church was magnificent, and I positioned myself in a pew towards the back of the church, not the very back, but I thought enough for me to be able to slip out if it gets too stressful for me. Please bear in mind I don't speak Czech, and I don't know the normal etiquette , so I was pretty much like a fish out of water! The service was fine, I stood up when everyone else did, sat down when everyone else did, and t

Muskeeters all around

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It's dark, it's 4am and I'm making the now familiar trip to Manchester airport. To think how much I used to hate flying and the amount of drugs I needed in my system to get from a to b. I can't say I enjoy flying, to me it is just a means to an end, but I am proud that not only am I functioning enough to get on a plane, I'm doing it on my own. No moral support anywhere, just me and an overwhelming desire to get to my destination! Got the bus/metro from the airport and got off at Staromestska and made the short walk to my apartment. My apartment! I normally stay in hotels, so this is going to be interesting! It's gone 11:00 and check in is not until 2, but I've been told I can drop my bag off which is fantastic news. Bag dumped (I travel lightly) the first call has to be to my favourite tea shop, Dobra ÄŒajovna. I've been up for 7 hours now, I need a really strong cuppa, and that's what I picked,  a pot of Zhu Ye Pu Er Cha, don't think it's