Not a Musical

I rarely rewatch films and hardly ever re-read books, even my favourites, so it is a huge endorsement that I wanted to see the current play at the Soho Theatre twice in the space of ten days. And truth be told, I could happily go and see it again.

The show is "Midsummer (a play with songs)", and I saw it for free as part of the theatre awards judging thing I do. I took a friend along to it, fearing the songs would put off the OH, who strictly does not do musicals, but it was so good that I thought he would enjoy and I wanted to see it again - I was even willing to pay to see it again.

It is a Scottish play (not the Scottish play) and I have admitted that I am definitely a Scotophile, plus it is about turning 35 (just a few weeks off for me) and the music includes a quick blast of the Jesus and Mary Chain, so I was always going to enjoy it. But equally the older people in the audience, who probably didn't own a Jesus and Mary Chain record between them, still seemed to love it too. And the songs were all really good too, sounding similar to Belle & Sebastian in places, definitely not like the songs you normally hear in musicals, but then this isn't a musical, it is a play with songs and that difference is important.

So if you are in London in the next two weeks, go to see this show. I thoroughly recommend it (although I'm beginning to think it may have been a mistake to recommend it to a couple of recently married friends who met in the internet as the play contains the line "Its an internet thing. I'll give it a year" which they may be offended by).

Not over the age of 30? - Ice Skating

I was never a brilliant skater, but I liked it and held a romantic notion about gliding along arm in arm with a loved one. Sadly since the OH is firmly of the "can't skate/won't skate" mind, I had to make do with going with female friends. Over-enthusiastic about the idea, we ended up booking two outings, one a freebie in Canary Wharf, another at Somerset House.

The first trip did not get off to the best of starts. My balance was noticeably absent for the first ten minutes and as I lurched (not glided) from railing to railing, I wondered how I would survive a whole hour of it, let alone another evening of it. Thankfully, I did improve - not to any great standard, but enough to go around unaided at my own leisurely pace. And so long as I wasn't in danger of being skated into by the show-offs (one in particular was fast without actually being in control and took down a group of children in one fall), I did enjoy it.

But what I wasn't prepared for was how tiring it is. I remember the balance issues, my lack of pace and wariness of other teenage skaters, but I don't remember it being so exhausting. I had to stop every ten minutes for a breather. Proof once again that all the swimming I do doesn't seem to translate into any other type of fitness.

Inauspicious Start to 2010

New Year’s Day, i woke up feeling dodgy. Not on account of the Cava consumed the night before, which was adequately absorbed by the copious nibbles. I was coming down with a cold. So once we got back from our jaunt to Exeter, I spent the next couple of days confined to the house.

Sniffles had cleared up sufficiently to go into work on Monday, determined to be a dynamic go-getter in 2010. I spent the morning reading emails, listening to colleagues grumble and trying to get warm. Then around lunchtime the electricity went off. It didn’t come back on, so we were sent home.

Today, I arrive at the office to find it is still in darkness. The rest of the building has their power back, but for some reason (unpaid bills?) not our office.

On the positive side, it is easing me back into the working routine, but foiling my plans to be dynamic.

Wear a Coat!

After the Tyne Bridge, the second sight heralding my arrival in the North East is usually an inappropriately dressed female, shivering on the platform with corn beef legs. And in days gone by on nights out in Newcastle I was used to being the only person the Quayside with a coat.

So I almost expect it when I'm up north and unlike the OH, I wasn't shocked when I saw a group of men on Boxing Day evening wearing just t-shirts. But this aversion to coats seems to have spread. During the day, when the ice was still thick on the ground, I saw teenagers wearing just vests! Vests! Temperatures were sub-zero.

And in London, I saw a pair of girls without coats when there was snow on the ground and one of them was wearing denim hotpants! Admittedly she was wearing tights (in the North, the legs would have been bare too), but who decides in snowy weather that hotpants are the ideal wardrobe decision?

Are coats out of fashion and nobody told me? Are they hopelessly unhip amongst the young? I remember reading years ago that Victoria Beckham never wears a coat because she thought they made her look bulky, but then she is ill/crazy/unlikely to be getting the bus anywhere. Surely this aversion can't have spread?

I don't understand it. I love coats. I have loads of them and could happily buy a few more if I didn't already have loads.

Overheard Conversations Part 9

On the train to Exeter, a woman is talking loudly on her mobile phone to a friend who has just enduring a trying Christmas break with her family. The subject turns to the friend's sister which sparks this statement from our woman.

"Does she have a boyfriend?
(presumably the other person says no)
"I thought she would find it easy to find a boyfriend. She likes Top Gear"

I didn't realise affairs of the heart were so easy!