New Year London wanders

Following a quieter week at home, this week was still busy but spent in fewer places for a change.

The first half of my week was spent with Martin and Joaquin again for New Year's. It was lovely to enjoy a few Spanish traditions as well the normal British New Year (I think that also meant drinking twice as much). Having said that the Spanish way isn't that different, good fun though but I think that might have been the company more than anything.

Come Wednesday though I left and headed out of central London to spend the rest of the week with Tony Virgo (remember lunch a few weeks ago?). It was great to explore a new area and with someone who knows it so well and the people there. Thursday night we went for a fantastic evening out at a local theatre. The show was 'Guys and Dolls', but the whole evening was such an experience. A pre-meal drink was followed with a wonderful buffet/table service meal all part of the theatre package before the show. The venue itself was an old water mill which had beautifully been adapted and converted into a small theatre (only 200 seats but not cramped by any means). The show was brilliant as well, so full of energy as you'd expect and as we sat in the front row, we really were part of it. With dessert and a drink in the interval it was a relaxed evening out from start to finish.

Sadly, come Friday, after a very nice pub lunch, I had to head back to Cardiff feeling very relaxed and also having done a spot of gardening (which I was expecting but enjoyed).

Having left London I headed back on Saturday (maybe I should have planned that a little better dear reader) to meet up with Mum for another theatre trip. I think for both of us it was a new theatre, the Playhouse on the Embankment to see ‘Caroline or Change’. As ever we stage doored beforehand) been too long it seems since the last one) and met the star of the show who was ever so nice. Having met people early we had time for our usual trip to the Portrait Gallery for tea and cake (we must have eaten an entire cake each over the last few months, not that it’s a bad thing). In all honesty I hadn’t a clue what the show was about (before going in I should add), but it had had rave reviews and looked interesting. It was a great show, almost entirely singing (not that that is a bad thing) but very powerful about a single mother’s struggle in the south of the USA in the 60s and very well done indeed. As ever following our theatre trip we had a lovely meal in a new Italian restaurant, very nice, before heading back.

I had hoped to see Frank on Sunday, but with neither of us feeling very well it wasn’t to be and the day was spent taking it easy before starting back to work for the new year.