Photos of the year - week 11

Monday 19th April

still not sure whether to post this.  But it did entertain me when I received it.  Quite agreed with the sentiments, though surprised there was a need to send it.

Tuesday 20th April

First duckling of the year!

Wednesday 21st April

Walking to get a lift in the morning.  I love looking out over the river at this time of day and year - feels so fresh.

Thursday 22nd April

One of my most enjoyable teaching days, and all I have to show for it is this typical traffic jam shot when nearly home.

Friday 23rd April

Oh dear - third forget of the year!  and still not a quarter of the way there.  Definitely noticing that its now happening when I spend time with a certain someone.

Saturday 24th April

The victorious team before we danced.

Sunday 25th April

 A green woodpecker!  How cool is that.  I do have some more blurry photos of two woodpeckers together before I got this close and scared one away!

Theatre - Riverdance

I have tagged this as musicals though in my mind it clearly isn't but it still excited me enough to write about it and seems the best home for it.

Yesterday I bought a ticket for the evening performance at the New Theatre - final show of the week of apparently the farewell tour - not entirely sure what that meant but it meant I paid £38 for the cheapest ticket, up in the balcony.

I think I first remember hearing about/seeing Riverdance when I was about 10, think it might have been on a Royal Variety performance or something like that.  It impressed me at the time, especially the bit when they are all in a line and do Mexican wave type thing along.  My family mainly loathed the idea of it - mum totally agreeing with Chandler's line: 'his legs flail about as if independent of his body'.  I had really vivid thoughts about Las Vegas last night, almost feeling as it I was there.  It was on at New York New York when we went and my mind seems to have a big association with it!

It was fantastic - so pleased I saw it.  Loved the large group numbers where they were dancing simultaneously and in and out of each other.  It was funny seeing it on the same day as i had danced at Slough as I was comparing my abilities with theirs - quite a contrast!

I was uber perplexed by the noise of the shoes - it seemed way too much and too drum like - I would like to know more about the microphones and the speakers.  Think they must have turned it on and off at somepoints.  It was great though - loved the noise.  Also intrigued by the musicians.  I'd noticed before it started that the pit was closed and thought it would be  shame there was no live music but there was four of them on stage.  An awesome percussionist - played so many different pieces in quick succession.  A female fiddler who did some great numbers wandering round the stage.  And two men who played, i'm guessing, a selection of celtic wind instruments.  But I'm pretty sure there must have been a backing track as well as I feel there were string instruments at parts.

It wasn't just Irish dancing.  There was an 'international' flavour as well.  Definitely decided I don't like flamenco.  She did 2 fairly solo numbers which didn't really do anything for me.  There were 2 men who did tap dancing I think to a more jazz style of music - they were low and loose as opposed to 'tall and straight'.  They provided quite a comedic element and I liked their 'competing with 3 Irish dancers.  Then there were some Russian dancers whom I thought were fab too.  Not particularly loving the singing numbers though could appreciate they were good.  Definitely legs flailing about was my cup of tea.

Lots of points I was leaning forward into my seat as really enjoying and captivated by it.  Great eve.

Let me know if you have seen anything like it and what you thought...

Slough Arts Festival

Totally stereotyping but doesn't that sound a contradiction in terms...!  (What on earth does that mean while we are at it??  In terms of what?)

Took part in a Scottish Country Dancing competition this morning with the university group. We took part in it 2 years ago and I was very excited by the whole thing and especially as we won it!  Given there was only one other team in our category...  but still!  We got a large trophy and a little medal each.  Had actually forgotten about the medals until today; no idea where mine is.  The competition didn't take place last year so we were still reigning champions.

I really only went to one practice for it last Wednesday and there seemed lots of moments where I might be able to forget the dance - eek!  I was first lady which I considered to be a great honour!  It was a good team of people doing it that I get on with so that was nice.  I drove myself there and got lost a couple of times around Slough but made it there in enough time to get a white dress on, sash on and we all had time for a run through of each dance - James Senior (of St Andrews?) and Woo'd and married and a' (or some such funny name - that was the set dance which was certainly a trickster - circle into to a promenade into a pousette into a petronella to the left!)

We weren't competing against one team this year - we weren't competing against any others!  So it all seemed a little bizarre but we still danced and still felt a little nervous but they were good nerves.  Almost burst into laughter when 3rd couple forgot to cross over on the second chord but at least it had me smiling for the dance!  Other than that we did admirably in my opinion.  My only concern was slack footwork (realise now I never once thought about pointing my toes which is my personal green for growth!) with maybe rather slapdash crossing and also moving the set in the room.  The judge was a scottish lady who was nice and smiley.

After we'd danced we watched the two teams in the veteran's category and then the 3 teams in the just for fun category - including the oxford children's class who just made me completely smile and I thought were fab!

Then it was results time and we were given some lovely comments - smiley and looking at each other and never once being spotted looking at the floor - if only Sam could have been there to hear that :-)  Even though I really knew it was coming I was still delighted to go up and collect our trophy and individual medals.  Proud times indeed!

Can't wait to tell my kids about it at school!

Photos of the year - week 10

Monday 12th April

Aboard the RedFunnel ferry to head to the Isle of Wight for the week (see Isle of Wight blog for a plethora of IoW photos)

Tuesday 13th April

Afternoon tea in the blue room at the thatched tea house - I had a strawberry indulgence.

Wednesday 14th April

Mum by the Bembridge lighthouse.  When I took it I said it might be photo of the day and then I had to explain what that meant!

Thursday 15th April

All aboard for the trip to the needles.

Friday 16th April

Grammy and I as passengers on the chain ferry as we get ready to head off the island.

Saturday 17th April

On a walk along the river on a sunny sunny afternoon.  Check out the sky - clear blue.  That's because a volcano that erupted in Iceland on Thursday caused the country to be a no-fly zone ever since - no aeroplane trails in sight!!  Me oh my!  I do love dramatic times.  'Poor' Link was supposed to be returning from New York today but is still there. Flights may be resuming tomorrow.

Sunday 18th April

Worst meal ever - can you guess what it's supposed to be?  To start with it used gone off milk and a  questionable egg.  Then I just totally failed to cook it in the frying pan and turn it over in any way.  I actually had enough batter to have three attempts and they were all hopeless.  On the last one I even managed to turn the ignition on the hob off so I was just filling the room with gas!!!!  Oh dear.  I still ate all I'd cooked though!

Shanghai GP - just gets better and better!

First lap - jump start from Alonso.  'Not had one of those in a while', was my thought  looking as Alonso leapt past the Red Bulls from 3rd on the grid and then Martin said he had seen it.  So it's a stop and go for him.  Then we had a crash at the back which resulted in the safety car and it was spitting/more with rain so most leapt into pits to put on intermediates.

Lap 4+ - Rosberg and Button didn't pit and stayed on slicks.  Hamilton had a late call for pits and only just made it in to the pit lane.  For a lap the inters looked like they had the best grip but as the deluge didn't appear, the inters gave up and so all those that had pitted had to pit again back to slicks.  Hamilton and Vettel seemed to be released from their stops at exactly the same time and were going down the pit lane side by side.  Surely a controversy that will run.

Lap 11 - So, it's Rosberg ... easier to screen shot!

Lap 13 - Sutil has dropped down the order - Hamilton overtaking him and Vettel in one hairpin.  Hami now on a purple charge to get to Schumacher.

Lap 17 - after 'nose to nose' racing for 3 laps, Hamilton got him in slightly unconventional means at the hairpin.

Lap 19 - Button gets past Rosberg for the lead seemingly from nowhere.  Oh, Rosberg has slipped off and it appears to be raining again and the dive for the pits commences!

Lap 20 - finally Ham and Vettel pit - and net lose a place to Weber for the lap delay.  Martin: 'it's clearly raining slightly harder than before, but it's not looking wet'.

Lap 22 - safety car out - why's that?

Lap 23 - replays show Alonso overtaking Massa on the pitlane entry - cheeky cheeky!  Seems like the safety car is out to allow Alguesuari's nose to be picked up.  Can it really be his as he seemed to lose it in the pit lane...

This is a top race, but computer has started buffering!!!!!  perhaps time to head downstairs...
comp said it lost internet connection so after 2 refreshes i grabbed dressing gown, phone and laptop and i'm in the living room now!

Lap 25 - eek, Button backed them up too much for the restart - all sorts of chaos!  Can definitely see the wet now.  Plumes of spray.  Mark Weber has said that Hamilton pushed him off in the restart.  Seriously not a good one for Hamilton.  It's the story of his season really - great racing (he just passed Schuey again) but full of controversy!

Lap 28 - "They all seem out of control and completely unruly today"  As always, Martin Brundle sums it up so well!!  This record could just be a transcript of his commentary!  Martin's view is that Button has broken the rules.

Lap 30/56 - we haven't had a boring lap yet and I have just modified the post title!  btw, internet is back now but am relatively happy down here!

Lap 31 - bizarre, the safety car line is before the last corner so they are able to overtake then... perhaps Hamilton is ok for that little bit!

Lap 38 - after several laps on the tail of Rosberg, Hamilton pits for new inters.  Ooh, the strategy is just so good and interesting!

Lap 39 - It's a McLaren 1-2 at the moment with both of them having pitted :-) 

Lap 42 - ok, so it's slightly subdued racing now but I am entertaining myself by colour coding the post!  What colour for Hamilton?  That was the colour I chose initially but am coming to on again to change as too hard to read.  How about Hamilton?

Lap 52 - Button takes a little excursion across the grass reducing his lead over Hamilton from 9 seconds to 5.  It's going to be a tentative last 4 laps as everyone's tires are gone!

That's it!  A great race but I wonder if they'll be repercussions from the incidents afterwards.

Another note - due to the volcano ash cloud (probs should get it's own post, if not, see photos of the week - though don't get excited - don't actually have a photo of the cloud!) the teams don't know when they will be leaving China.  And Bernie was joking about not making it to Spain in 3 weeks time and having the rest of the season in China!  Eddie Jordan didn't make it out to China before the no fly zone so he was adding his 2cents from a London studio.

Isle of Wight

Holiday time returning to the Isle with family.

For the second week of the Easter holidays I accompanied Mum and grandparents to the Isle of Wight, where I had spent my first teaching placement last year.   It was lovely to see it in brighter weather and we were fortunate with some gorgeous weather.  I enjoyed showing the family some of the places I had discovered or become familiar with and exploring new places with them.  I also got to meet up with some people from the school I had been at.

Here's a photo record of what we got up to:

First day on the island at our bungalow.  We enjoyed fish and chips on the East Cowes water front watching for P&Os Azura taking it's first journey.

Tuesday morning at Osbourne House - 'holiday home' of Queen Victoria.  Really enjoyed it.

First forget-me-nots in the bed.  Exciting lunch outside - my whoopie pie in foreground.

'

'Best cream teas on the Island' - what a lovely tea house.

A drive along the south coast - I found it really beautiful.  We found it hilarious that the car park was crumbling off the cliff.  Especially that it was this disabled space that was half there.  We were joking about what it would have been like had it fallen while there was a car parked on it and Grandma astounded me by saying - better it a disabled person that went than a fully able person!!!

Made it round to Yarmouth for the evening and went on the pier and I was fairly captivated by the sunset.

Wednesday - arrival of more family!  Highlight for Grandpa meeting the ferry from Portsmouth.  I found it highly exciting that as the ramp came down and we could see the cars, some people in one car starting waving to us and it was them!

Visit to the south coast: Sandown and Shanklin including a return to our favourite tea rooms!

Evening venture to Bembridge.  AS impressed us all with her knowledge.  Did you know that the propellers rotate around the windmill?  Doesn't it make sense when you think about it - so they can catch the wind.  Let me know in the comments.

Thursday morning we explored the holiday site.  Uber excited to finally get a close up sight of a red squirrel.  Though I feel this may have been a slightly anaemic one!

Lunch (from gourmet deli) in Yarmouth before heading on the boat tour of the Needles.

Last evening meal back at the bungalow - takeaway pizza before the first election debate.

Happy times :-)