You're going where now?

The Watermill Theatre..

On Saturday...

Gill insisted we get tickets (and were lucky to get them) to see Spend, Spend, Spend, (click here and watch the 3 minute you tube, the end bit is the best) the musical hit based on the true story of a woman in 1960s England who won the lottery. I wasn't expecting much, as , to me, most modern musicals are sad imitations of the great ones of the Lerner and Lowe and Rogers and Hart, Hammerstein era.

WOW was I surprised!

I'm fully prepared to say this rated right up there in the top ten musical/theatrical experiences of my life. Can you imagine a cast of, say 14 people or so, all engaged in serious acting, singing, dancing of the highest calibre and ON TOP OF THAT everyone is playing a musical instrument? THEY ARE THE BAND as well! Click here for the Guardian synopsis and review. Just amazing, and in a tiny theatre no bigger than my old garage. The Watermill Theatre is famous for the high quality of its performances, a local stage, but it felt very Shakespearean to me, that sense of presence and audience engagement, intensity you don't get when the stage is over there somewhere. This was right in our laps, and it was superb. I would venture to stay, stunning. I was speechless, wishing my kids could have witnessed this level of theatrical prowess. It was a treat! Raised my expectations to a new height; I know, I know, just what you wanted to hear, right? I loved it, tears in my eyes at least four times. What has become of that old cynic? Pure genius, that.

Stunning Saturday to mellow Sunday...

Brahma Kumaris center

Spent Sunday wandering, chilling, smelling things, and having nice tea at the Brahma Kumaris spiritual retreat center where we heard a talk on journaling. It's a special place to G, an old country estate that has gone through several permutations over the centuries, now, with an apparently considerable amount of money behind it from the likes of Sting and others, is a free retreat, one of many worldwide. You must book well in advance. G says it's like a 4 star hotel. You are free to make a donation of course to cover your weekend stay, but basically it's an organization devoted to giving people of any means a place to chill and get in touch with whatever needs touching. Celibately, of course (one of their rules...) I enjoyed the grounds and believe I swung on the bigggest swing in the world. Had to be 40 feet of rope twixt the seat and the mongo branch from which it hung. So high a swing when I gave Gilli a push I could run under the seat and out the front! The interior of the place was amazing, very Versailles, and the flower gardens lavish and well-, but not too fussily, tended. A nice end to the week.

And now.... a little change in plans. It would appear, thanks to help from Ben, Sophy, Lois and others, that I am headed to Seville, Spain, not Florence, for my TEFL course, and mighty quickly at that. I leave in a couple of days, and will be finished with my course, which starts Monday, by the time I am due to meet you-know-who for a sojourn through Italy. SO! Just goes to show, you never know.

Seville! Flamenco! Tapas! (I'll finally find out what that really is) Oranges! The Alhambra! (see photo at top)

life is good.