Been quite busy lately and having fun as always! I think I mentioned School Disco in my last entry and what fun that was!! Darrel, Shani, Megs and I got all dressed up in “school” gear (and managed some rather strange looks on the way to the station J). Met up with some of our friends at Hammersmith and then proceeded to Po Na Na along with 2000-odd other people. It was just sooo huge – and everyone in black and white and pigtails on the dance floor makes it pretty hard to find friends when you’ve lost them. In fact, I think we had a list of about 42 people going, and I can honestly say that I only saw about 15 of them. Oh, well, great fun was had by all!!!
A couple of days after that Monique was back in London before going home, and it’s really sad not having her in London anymore – I’m really missing her, even though I didn’t even see that much of her toward the end because she was doing masses of travelling! There’s no-one quite like Mon, who’s always up for anything, no matter what its’ shape or form. Her energy and enthusiasm are sorely missed.
I also managed to have dinner with Liezel and Zelda when Zellie was out from SA. It was so good to see her and she’s really looking gorgeous!
Spent the Jubilee w/e in London, which was great with all the celebrations going on, and Darrel and I went through to Green Park for the Party at the Palace – the atmosphere was something else, so real and almost tangible that it completely took my breath away! Nins was also back in London for two days before jet-setting off on her travel adventures, and she managed to pull quite a crowd (as only Nina Beale can) at Waxy O’Connor’s in Piccadilly for a bit of a reunion. Spanky’s in London now too, so been seeing him around a lot. It’s so weird living in a place where there are so many people that are coming and going all the time. One person arrives and another leaves, and unfortunately this time it was Dot leaving to go back home, and it’s already strange not putting her on the group organisational e-mails as we all know what a socialite Dot is!! And it’s sad not seeing her.
I also got to go and see “Up for Grabs” which is showing on the West End starring Madonna. I was a bit dubious at first, because the reviews have been less than encouraging, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I mean, she certainly wasn’t the BEST actress that I’ve ever seen, and nor can one expect her to be, really. I’ve certainly seen much, MUCH worse on the West End, and it’s a bit difficult at first to get past the fact that she’s MADONNA, you know? But I really felt that by the second half her character was completely believable and I found myself totally absorbed in the story. And that’s saying something, isn’t it? I went with Ang and her boyfriend, Ashley, and neither of them enjoyed it much, so I guess the jury may still be out, but I really thought that the show, and Madonna, were very good! The set was also cool, and they used lighting and compartments to create a great effect of being able to see developments for all the characters, and not just the focal ones. So I think it scored an overall thumbs up!
I’ve also been out to Oxford to see Bruce, and I had a really good time. Bruce was a great host, as always, and showed me about town, got some pretty cool pics of the gargoyles, and I generally found the city thoroughly enchanting. We had a lovely late lunch at a great pub right on the river, which was a treat, and it was generally just good catching up.
Oh, my gosh, I went to see Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall and it was spectacular. The Royal Albert is a round theatre, and although they generally have a stage at the one end, for the ballet they used the entire floor, so it was performed on a circular stage, surrounded by the audience – can you imagine what that means i.t.o. choreography!?! I can’t even begin to describe it. I counted and the swans at one point, and they totalled 60 on stage, and the dancing was just beautiful. I’ve always loved Swan Lake, and so to see it this way and on that scale was really something special.
Since then, Shelley’s been in London before heading off on her European Contiki, and it was lovely to see her, and meet her friend Mia. We all had yummy cocktails at the Long Island Iced Tea bar and then went to see Blood Brothers, which was really excellent. I have to say that I’m sick of the run-of-the-mill type musicals that are on in the West End and it was really quite cool to see a show with a strong social message and a heavy body count – despite being a musical. The acting was excellent and the voices really good. I also did a couple of touristy things with them and even cooked them dinner (a nice curry, seeing as we’re in England now!) one night, with a little desperate help from Darrel…
Hmm. Let’s see… Had a really good girls night last week with Sue, Nic, Meg and me. We had pizzas and movies in Andrew and Dave’s flat, which is absolutely gorgeous and really appreciated being able to use it. Just a different kind of normality for a change.
So, that’s about it. Been very busy planning again… there’s a SA Food and Wine event on Saturday, and Sons of Trout, Henry Ate etc are playing, as well as having lots of yummy food! Mmmmm! Also going to the Oasis concert on Sunday and then Paris next weekend and after that Spain for five days, which I’m soooo excited about!! J
[So anyway, that’s the latest update, and hope to hear your news soon. I’ve been very pleased to be receiving regular updates from Anne Archer and Rich Foaden, so nice to hear from you guys! Also the ever faithful Babe, who never fails to make me laugh out load at my desk (and make people suspicious that I’m not really working!). And surprisingly and through very random attempts have been able to get back in contact with Hopey Dopey and Taryn Cohn, so it’s been great hearing from them again]
Everything’s going very well with Darrel, I’m loving doing things with him and spending time with him – he’s really an angel and very precious.
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