Find your spirit

Apologies for my blip absence, but today has been non-stop. 

We get our early train from Colwyn Bay to London - disappointed to find there are no refreshments on board due to ‘staffing shortages) and I really need some caffeine having been up since 5.30.  Still, I switch off from the hustle and bustle of the carriage and indulge in the downloaded episode of Pride and Prejudice - what a fabulous adaptation this still is. 

We catch a bus to our Marble Arch hotel, leave our luggage and try to revive with a long-overdue coffee before foolishly deciding to walk to Drury Lane - foolish because of distance and just how busy the area is. Then, as we reach High Holborn, I manage to perform one of my spectacular falls, landing face down on the pavement. I’m amazed that both my phone and camera have survived, and the only casualties are my pride and - unfortunately my catheter bag…..

Concerned passers-by gather; I assure them I’m OK and just need a few moments to gather myself before I’m helped up. Shaken by my fall, I’m a bit wobbly. My balance isn’t perfect at the best of times, and I seem to have developed a slight ‘floppy foot’ after my spinal surgery. Still, we continue to the matinee performance of ‘My Neighbour Totoro’. 

It’s probably foolish to try to fit in two performances - in recent years we’ve worked on the principle of resting in the afternoon when we’re in London, but I’m so much better than I was I think we can manage it. I’ve been undecided about this show, beautifully produced as a stage version of  Miyazaki's animated film by the famous Studio Ghibli. It’s utterly charming with brilliant work from the team of puppeteers, but I’d say we enjoy it rather than feeling it’s mesmerising.  

Then there’s the rush to get back to our hotel, check in, change and get out again for our pre-theatre meal in Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. We opt for a taxi, and arrive just in time to meet Simon and Lloyd. As always, covered dining is a lovely experience, and the performance of ‘Noughts and Crosses’ is excellent - the first time we’ve seen a play here rather than a musical. There’s something quite magical about sitting in the park amphitheater in evening sunlight as the sun goes down behind the stage. 

Getting back from the park is always a bit of a mission, but thanks to Simon’s London knowledge, we manage to get a bus almost to the door of our hotel.  Exhausted, we force ourselves to unpack before collapsing into bed just after midnight. Definitely a day where I’ve tried to pack in too much! 

My main is the billboard outside the Gillian Lynne Theatre, with extras of the curtain call for Noughts and Crosses and a ‘Wee Toast’ tour vehicle making its very noisy way along Oxford Street!