Glyndebourne
We’re just back from Glyndebourne
where we are in the second year of a new tradition of going to Glyndebourne for our Other Anniversary the end of July. This year we saw Carmen
http://www.glyndebourne.com/operas/carmen/
and it’s one a.m. and I’m wrecked and I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.
PS: Hellhounds ate about three-quarters of their supper for the dog minder, which is very good going for hellhounds. They were also here alone for ten hours–minus about an hour’s minder break, including a walk up to Third House and some assisted rioting–and while they greeted me with decent enthusiasm they are well into their standard late evening hairy bolster imitation and evidence no sign of trauma whatsoever. What if this were PROGRESS?? I would really like to see Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea at the ENO* this autumn.
PPS: Happy Birthday to Blackbear, and I hope you had as much fun as we did.
* English National Opera.
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Oh yay hellhounds! And yay opera! I can’t wait to hear about it.
It was very cool. The last scene was really thrilling, even though you knew how it ended. Don Jose was *scary.*
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Oh, good. *looks encouragingly at the hellhounds*
Perhaps we can work up to enough time for an antipodean visit by 2010.
Yes, and I’ll be so famous by then that SOMEBODY can foot the bill for business class.
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Buisness class–pooh! You will be so famous you can have first-class–with the complimentary champagne. :)
Okay. I’m there. :)
Well, of course!
I shall start searching for SOMEBODY immediately.
Good luck! :) I’d love to see Oz again!
*looks at own hairy bolsters who have usurped bed and armchair and are snoring symphonically – think 1812 *
sounds like great progress – Yay for hellhounds!
and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Blackbear88 – hope it was good :)
Yay for Carmen!
And YAY!!! for Hellhounds! GOOD BOYS! A good first go at practising for the forthcoming “Book Tour to Far Places” ! ;) hehe
I wish. Sigh.
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There there ….. maybe you actually need to go away for a week. Maybe they only do this for *you* because they need *you* as an *audience* ?! Maybe they lie awake in their crates late at night *plotting* about ways to get you worked up. eg. “Oh but she will be *expecting* us to go off our food – can’t *disappoint her*.” !!
Shame on you Hellhounds! Shame!! ::stern look::
See. You should have eaten the chocolate truffle. Then you could have said “At least I got to eat the blasted truffle. After the stress of today I *deserve* a blasted truffle.” ;)
“Other Anniversary”
???Other anniversary???
I’m just curious. If it is private, ignore this question. :)
Well, thank you very much! I did have fun–though looks like it would have been a tough competition with your evening in that department. :) Might even post a picture or two myself.
Good for the dogs! Baby steps forward…
And backward, I’m afraid. :(
Photos! YESSS!
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And backward, I’m afraid. :(
Well…. Suck. :(
Photos! YESSS!
As per usual, I hate how I look in the photos, but got a few decent ones of us at the bowling alley. The one shot of me bowling is jack-awful though, I started laughing at exactly the wrong moment.. :) I’ll throw the group photo up on the blog, and the others up on Flickr for your amusement. Though I’m still deep in the throes of uploading pictures of your fair isle at the moment… Maybe I’ll get that done in a burst of activity this eve. :)
Only you would see an overweight Superman crossing the road while you were on holiday in a foreign country . . . :)
Cool! Another bowler. I thought I was the only one left! I’m REALLY bad though :).
TWO overweight supermans! That was definitely one of those “Am I really seeing this?” moments. Usually my imagination is not quite so vivid…or lurid…
Yes, and you think about this, and you wonder, is this a good thing or a bad thing? :)
Yes, and you think about this, and you wonder, is this a good thing or a bad thing? :)
Oh, I don’t wonder… :) If the price of a vivid imagination is occasionally hallucinating something like that, I think I’m much safer being blandly pedestrian.
But I did get Arundel photos up on Flickr, and the London ones may follow tonight. Might help get that craptastic “Merchant of Venice” I just watched out of my brain…. it could have used a random overweight Superman or two.
Good going hellhounds, sounds like they were able to Cope at least for one day. Hairy bolsters, yes–”Oh it’s you. Welcome back. I’m asleep.”
****The last scene was really thrilling, even though you knew how it ended.****
Sometimes the last act of Carmen comes off as kind of anticlimactic, you must have had a good stage director. I followed the Carmen link and from the pictures, it looks like no one was trying for unseemly novelty in setting or costumes, which can be a major problem. Your Don Jose sang the prince in Rusalka here in May–he was quite good.
****SOMEBODY can foot the bill for business class.****
Hold out for that! They have seats that go flat in business class–the only way to go if you’re going to be on a plane for that long.
Yes, I agree about Carmen . . . but I’m going to write about it TOMORROW. :)
When we flew out there while Peter’s youngest was stationed there we did go business class because I didn’t think I’d *survive* cattle car class. Although the ME was still pretty bad then. Even so–it was something like 36 hours altogether. No way.
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Given enough time and money, it would probably be pleasant to go to the Antipodes by boat. I doubt that I’ll ever find out, given that I have dogs at home (and vet bills to go with them), but I know for sure that I couldn’t take 30-plus hours on a plane.
You can in business class. Not in cattle car class. But yes . . . I’m never going anywhere again. Sigh.
Way to go! So glad you enjoyed it and the hellhounds didn’t break down (collapse? or whatever) – that your pleasure was unaffected by their state on your return. The frock looks fine, although I am sure, depressingly, that there were smarter frocks there. I find this happens with amazing frequency when I go to posh-ish events. But I comfort myself by thinking of the amazing amounts of time and money those women must have spent to turn themselves out like that. Neither of which I have, nor am I sure I would spend them like that if I did. Yes, I know some women who spend minimum time and money and look glorious, but they are gifted by the gods with elegance and/or beauty, and envy is an ugly emotion, so I try not to go there.
I’m off on vacation tomorrow and might disappear off the radar for a while, but will be thinking of you and hope the weather remains good in August, if a tiny bit cooler.
Yes, there’s definitely the *too* well turned out look–and you get that a lot at Glyndebourne. You really need serious self confidence to pull off the flawless make up with the flawless hair and the flawless gown. Otherwise you look like you need to get a life.
Have fun. :)
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*****I would really like to see Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea at the ENO this autumn.*****
Oooh! Oooh! Go! For me too! And write a report over which I can drool!
Judith
Ah. Hmm. Well, okay . . . :)
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Hallo – a little late, but Happy Other Anniversary!