West Side Story at Sadlers Wells

Posted on 19/09/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

Wow what a performance. Love love loved this evening’s performance of West Side Story at Sadlers Wells. Such energy, colour and spirit.

It’s been many years since I’ve seen West Side Story and I was excited to see what this production had made of it. The choreography was fabulous. The band brilliant. The dancers sooo in time and in tune with each other as well as the beat. The story zipped along at a pace with the dance telling the story as well as the words.

The stage setting was simple but effective. The lighting enhanced the stage and story further.

I thoroughly recommend this production. I believe it’s being taken on a national tour after the run in London draws to a close. Go…

Michael Billington’s review in the Guardian
Charles Spencer’s review in the Telegraph
Paul Taylor’s review in the Independent

Wedding favours

Posted on 14/09/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

I was blessed today to be invited to the wedding reception of friends, Martyn and Vicki.

Weddings always have personal meaning to those attending however today I truly felt this was something very special. Not only could you feel the genuine love for the couple but you also knew that the couple were unrelenting in their giving to the guests and charities they are supporters of.

Firstly the colour scheme was a bold purple and white. Why? To honour Vicki’s father and thank the Lymphoma Association. Each guest to the wedding ceremony was given a Lymphoma Association ribbon with a message “Four years ago to this very day a very brave man started his fight against Lymphoma cancer. And he won. Please wear this pin with pride, and in the knowledge that it means that we have helped someone else fight the fight. So they can win too. Just like Vicki’s dad Bryan.” Not a dry eye when Bryan was there to give Vicki away on her special day. At the reception venue there were also collection tins for the Lymphoma Association.

What a beautiful tribute to Vicki’s father and the charity that supported him and his family through some difficult times.

At the evening reception I had to chuckle when I arrived to find that some guests were already sporting tashes! The bride had said to me last year that she’d love tashes at her wedding… my bag was packed! The bride and groom had dressed each table with a selection of romantic, thoughtful items together with some fun sparklers, glasses, tashes etc. The evening was wonderful. The music choices fabulous… it’s rare I go to a wedding where there are more guests on the dancefloor than off it! We were even joined by a traffic cone and a turtle.

A few photos of the evening:

In addition, Vicki and Martyn were clear that they didn’t want wedding gifts but would prefer donations be made to the Lymphoma Association or other charities they support, Ellenor Lions Hospices and Bradbourne Riding for Disabled.

How incredibly generous for a bride and groom to share their precious day with family and friends but also others who will benefit from the donations and awareness. What a great idea and one that could be incorporated into so many events.

I was truly touched by the thought behind all the choices and the incredible detail that had been put into making the wedding day and reception so special for the happy couple but also each and every guest.

Wishing Vicki and Martyn a lifetime of love and happiness together.

Bunkfest 2013 – Wallingford

Posted on 01/09/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

Finally, I made it to Bunkfest. Well at least the Sunday part of the festival anyway.

Extraordinary community festival. Lots going on. Probably too many Morris Dancers for my taste but hey, I found the beer tent and the main stage! Crafting tents for small people, dancing (not just Morris-style), local choirs, plenty of stalls, food outlets, many bands (lots local) and an inordinate amount of tie-dye!

But the best part was the sun was shining and the festival was just a great excuse to catch up with some ex-colleagues and friends in the area.

My Proms 2013

Posted on 31/08/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

I’m truly dreadful. I live a bus ride and short walk away from the Albert Hall. I have no reason not to, every year, attend more of the Proms season. Yet, in reality it creeps up and escapes before I’ve had time to devour the programme.

This year in February, at a party in Winchester, a friend promised that he’d let me know when he and his wife reviewed he programme and considered which concert(s) to attend. In May and true to his word, I received an email inviting me to join a party of Promenaders.

We started at the Cadogan Hall with a concert of Chamber Music and Saturday Matinees.

Britten – Simple Symphony (17 mins)
Tippett – Little Music for Strings (11 mins)
Britten – Elegy for strings (8 mins)  World Premiere
Britten – Lachrymae (15 mins)
Walton – Sonata for Strings (27 mins)

The pieces were played by the extraordinary musicians of Camerata Nordica. Incredible, energetic performance from them all but with particular admiration to the violin/director Terje Tønnesen. We also all commented how the energy was perhaps enhanced as the musicians remained on their feet for the whole performance. Wonderful.

I also think a special mention should be made for Cadogan Hall. I must have walked around with my eyes closed for 20+ years as I’d never noticed this stunning building nestling behind Sloane Square. Truly impressive and worth a visit .

We then chatted and walked to Beauchamp Place where a reservation for an early supper had been made at Maroush. We chose to all have the set menu of hot mezze dishes together with Lebanese wines. Hummus, aubergine dip, spicy sausages, tabbouleh, vine leaves and lamb parcels, were eaten first. All very fresh and delicious. Then followed some grilled meats and the most succulent lamb and rice. Seriously the lamb was just falling off the bone.. sooo good! Followed by a plate of fresh exotic fruits and a few pieces of sticky baklava. Just the perfect meal to keep us going for our evening ahead.

A brisk 15 minute walk to the Albert Hall to carry on with our day of Promenading.

The evening’s programme, Prom 65, was a programme very much of two parts. The first being made up of pieces from War films. Through a number of the pieces I remembered rainy afternoons as a child watching these films with my Dad.

Addinsell – Warsaw Concerto (from ‘Dangerous Moonlight’) (10 mins)
Alwyn – The True Glory – March (3 mins)
Bennett – Lady Caroline Lamb – suite (17 mins)
Lucas – Ice Cold in Alex – March (3 mins)
Walton – Battle of Britain – excerpts (11 mins)

The second part of the programme was ‘The Sound of Outer Space” with music from space and science-fiction titles, including ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, ‘Alien’, ‘Independence Day’, ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Superman’

The whole day was truly fabulous. So very grateful for friends that do the organising for me!

“Three Tits on Tour” in Verona

Posted on 11/08/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

I’ve just returned from an incredible weekend in Verona, Italy. Those of you who know me well, know my love of Opera, travel and architecture. So Verona offers the perfect combination.

Add to that great company, a lot of laughs, good food and friendships then you’ve just about summed up our weekend.

For many many years I’ve had Opera in Verona on my ‘to do list’. Mum and I talked about going. I’ve discussed going with friends. But somehow it’s always seemed out of reach as I’d been told how expensive it was and how accommodation was almost impossible to get during the Opera season. Why I ever listened to anyone, I’m not now sure… but at the beginning of 2013 I booked my flights and then sent an email to a few girlfriends to invite them to join me. Two wonderful friends, Ismena and Kelly, booked flights and emailed me back to say they were ‘in’. I think now that my years of delay in going to Verona were so that I could make the trip with Issy and Kelly.

The three of us have been friends for such a short period of time in our lives. However the reason we met was because of cancer and with that bond there is an intensity of a shared experience and friendship that means months and year counts don’t really matter.

I remember seeing How to Look Good Naked, the Gok Wan show, a few days before my second surgery was due. (How to Look Good Naked Part I and Part II) As you will know from this website my surgeon had suggested I prepare for the possibility that I may need a mastectomy. Kelly’s experience on the show, coupled with my reading Lisa Lynch’s book The C Word and Janice Day’s book Getting it off my chest were all part of my preparation and journey.

Little could I have imagined then that I would soon meet all three of these incredible ladies.

Sadly Lisa passed away earlier this year. Too soon. Too young. I miss her funny and poignant twitter posts in my timeline but I can still hear her mischevious laugh!

Issy and I, despite having a mutual friend met via Shine Cancer Support and subsequently discovered that we live a few minutes apart. What I also didn’t know was that on Issy’s ‘List for Living’ she wanted to see an Opera in Verona.

The three of us met up on Thursday afternoon at Gatwick and headed for the plane. Kelly confessed to being an opera virgin… and both Issy and I felt that by the end of the weekend Kelly would be converted!

A quick flight with BA however was marred a little by lack of organisation and wheelchair assistance particularly at Verona airport. We eventually arrived at our accommodation and were warmly welcomed. Quick to settle in to our fabulous Arena B&B we then set out in search of a light dinner, a glass of bubbles and an early night! What a fabulous find Arena B&B is. Literally 5 minutes wander to the Arena and the main square. Truly couldn’t be better placed. Affordable, friendly, clean AND best placed. Perfect. During our stay they were incredibly accommodating as Issy was exhausted after recent hospital visits and needed to rest on Friday during the day. They were also kind enough to get extra pillows and allow us to keep the room on our final day in case Issy needed a rest before flying home. Really exceptional and considerate service.

After breakfast on the balcony together on Friday morning, Kelly & I headed out to explore Verona. We walked and wandered down alleyways, across squares, through arches and over bridges. An exquisite historic city full of beautiful architecture and secret spots to explore. We might have stopped for a little gelati in the afternoon and perhaps a little lunch with bubbles!

After a short rest at the B&B, scrub up and beautify, the 3 of us headed out for a bite to eat before the main event for the day – Rigoletto in the Arena.

For this evening’s performance we had booked cheaper seats on the stone steps higher up the Arena. Still perfect for the ambiance and view of the stage but we were very grateful to our B&B for lending us cushions to sit on! What a performance! Perhaps not the best opera for Kelly’s first as it’s a little darker and deeper than others but certainly an introduction in an incredible setting. Late in the night the breeze got up and the odd exchange of glances took place between us as we envisaged the weather coming in and us getting soaked high up in the Arena. Little did we imagine that during the interval part of the set would be blown over! The interval was therefore longer whilst the stage hands set about fixing it. The oddest thing happened… well perhaps for an Opera venue. A Mexican wave was started… and the orchestra joined in! Hilarious.

We woke up to another sunny and glorious day in Verona. Breakfast on the balcony amongst the vines. Then the three of us set out in search of the little City Sightseeing bus. A great way to see the sites, with tourguide in our ears and, if we’d chosen a hop-off/on option too. Our blue route was perfect… and we’d also worked out that if we alighted by Juliet’s balcony we could stop at a restaurant, Antico Caffe Dante, that our B&B had recommended for a long lunch. I in turn cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. Truly exceptional food of the highest calibre. The restaurant is set in Piazza dei Signori, romantically known as the ‘Drawing Room of Verona’, which is slightly away from the hustle and bustle of the main squares.

After lunch, Issy headed off back to the B&B. Kelly & I headed up the Torre dei Lamberti, a tall medieval bell tower. Stunning views of the City and beyond from the top… however we truly did jump when the bell rang!!

A short rest and scrub up before a quick snack and then the biggest performance of our trip. Aida.

Not just any performance nor any date. We are not only attending opera in Verona during the Festival dei Centenario (100 years of opera in the Arena) BUT it is also Verdi’s 100th birthday year. Tonight’s performance is even more special as they are recreating the Aida performance given 100 years ago!

The entire Arena was packed. More seats have been created farther around the Arena and near the stage. The excitement as we took our seats (posh ones lower down the Arena!). Candles were lit by those attending the performance to recreate the atmosphere 100 years ago when there was no electricity and the public would light a candle to illuminate the Arena and stage. Now it is used to signify our presence at the event unique to the world.

Beautiful spellbinding performance that captured and drew us all in. The costumes, stage and music were an incredible tribute to Verdi’s opera. Amazing.

Fair to say that Kelly is now an opera convert too!

Sunday was spent with another long lunch, a little sightseeing, gelati, prosecco and laughter before our flight home. Fabulous.

Oh, one more thing… Late one night this weekend we realised that because of cancer related surgeries there were only three breasts between us… hence ‘3 tits on tour’!

Next overseas adventure for 3 tits on tour – La Traviata in La Scala – http://www.abitofaboob.com/where-are-you-alfredo/

Birthday celebrations

Posted on 04/08/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

My younger brother and his family have headed South to meet up with the family and celebrate some birthdays. Dad is a slightly larger number than my youngest niece! However sometimes they enjoy the same silliness!

The sun shone too so we were able to be outside on the terrace for lunch. We managed a few games of giant Jenga, croquet and hide and seek. Great fun and it’s always so special to watch the cousins play together – I took this when they were all lying on the ground giggling… love them!

I also love it when I hear Dad chatting away to each of them. He comes alive when they’re around.

The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable

Posted on 02/08/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

A week ago I answered my phone to a very excited Godmother. She had read Charles Spencer’s review in the Telegraph of a new ‘show’ called The Drowned Man. One of the reasons she stated she was excited was that Charles Spencer rarely rates a play with five stars or is so exuberant in his praise. After attempting to tell me about the show – ‘it’s immersive theatre’, ‘story in a Hollywood studio’, ‘you wander through the story’, ‘there’s murder and intrigue’ etc etc, I thought better of trying to understand it and said we should go.

We did. Yesterday evening.

My review however will read somewhat differently to that of Mr Spencer. We arrived punctually at 5pm and were handed a white plastic ghost mask which we were told to wear throughout our ‘experience’. As the weather was warm and close, soon I would feel sweat dripping down the inside of my mask – nice!

I led the way into the venue (the old GPO building at Paddington). With every step forward the light got dimmer and the black walls more imposing. The music grew louder – although perhaps we should call it noise. Within seconds I felt my Godmother reach for my hand. It was more than a little unnerving not being able to see and to choose to walk forward into the darkness, unsure of what was next.

After being herded into a lift and then deposited on another floor, we spend the next 3 hours wandering round semi-lit floors. There were Western bars, old caravans, cars, wig and prosthetic rooms, a bath with a naked man in it, deserts, fountains, dressing rooms and so much more. Some of the sets were filled with suitable smells ie antiseptic in the medical room, oil around the car, stale cigarettes in bars etc. Certainly the set design team must be given huge credit for their work.

Short vignettes played out over the four floors of sets or studios. The background noises were so loud we were unable to hear any of the spoken word from the actors and we wondered if there was a story to the ‘show’ at all? We saw a murder, we saw rows and fights, we saw a birthday party and jealous rages, we saw line dancing and love, we heard laughter and screaming and we saw nudity and sexuality. We felt at times voyeuristic and at other times like it was purely for the hype. We followed noise or light. We followed actors between sets. We also saw other spectators read scripts, notes, letters, posters, ‘clues’ throughout the four floors and disappointingly we saw spectators pocket items from the sets or examine contents of prop purses a little too closely!

It was interesting. I’m pleased to have done it. It was quirky and perhaps it will become, as Charles Spencer says, a ‘cult hit’ but I’m not really sure why it should.

I wouldn’t go again nor would I recommend it to others. I felt the ticket price, at £47.50, was too much and the information too little about what to expect.

Colour in my life

Posted on 22/07/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

Until this week I’d not really connected anxiety and colour in my life. However, whilst I painted the final coat of colour to a garden shed I finally realised what I’ve been doing. As many of you know I’ve had bright red hair at different times. Often at times of anxiety such as the passing of a dear friend, Mum being ill and then at her passing. Since then my health has reflected in colourful hair or colour in my garden!

I figured you’ve got a number of my pictures with red hair in the header of this website. So here’s a few of the garden… the yellow shed having been painted whilst waiting for these latest results! Hey, I clearly need colour in my life during moments of anxiety…

PS Sheds were made by my brother’s company Bulldog Sheds & Fencing

PPS Paints were mixed and purchased from Crown Decorator Centre using Crown aluminium primer, Crown undercoat and Macpherson gloss (coloured accordingly).

My niece is competing

Posted on 13/07/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

Today was a terrifically proud moment for this Auntie. My niece, Tori, was competing in the Riding for the Disabled Association’s National Championships. An early start for us all (I stayed over) as we had to leave home by 6.30am to get the pony (King) into the trailer and to Hartpury in good time for Tori’s first competition entry at 9am. Tori’s cousin, Danielle, had kindly offered to help with the final preparations and also to ‘warm up King’ with a little riding before Tori took the reigns (literally!).

It was wonderful to see Tori competing at this level and not only taking part but doing really well. She’s been told so many times in her life of the things she ‘can’t’ do, it’s wonderful to see something that not only can she do but she can excel at.

During the Olympics Tori, my brother and I went along to the equestrian element of the Modern Pentathlon which Tori loved watching… so much so I spent hours on the internet securing tickets for Tori and her Mum to go to the Paralympics Dressage a few weeks later. I met up with Tori afterward who was so excited about what she had seen. Enthused that people with “problems and disabilities” could be so brilliant. She said surely if they can do it, then so can I. And so she can!

Here’s a few photos of the day (click on thumbnails to enlarge):

Doesn’t she look magnificent?

4th place in her class for Best Turned Out Pony & Rider and 6th place in her class for dressage. What a superstar!

I put a little video together for Tori of video and still pictures of the day.. if you’re interested…

I am so very proud of Tori and her ability to control a horse, to remember the course and just simply to be so utterly fabulous.

Wimbledon Fever

Posted on 07/07/2013 by AnnaGoAnna

I’d been talking about trying to get down to Wimbledon this season to see some tennis. Silly really that I don’t go down every day as it’s so near to me – but it’s been 8 years since I last went along, queuing late afternoon and getting into see some fabulous games late into the summer evening. However I was spurred into action by my friend Ismena Clout who posted on her blog a ‘list for living‘ and number 34 on the list was attending Wimbledon.

I have recently started playing tennis again at a local club (although not for a while since my fall in Australia and my somewhat ‘oddly shaped’ knee and as part of joining up for the coaching I was encouraged to become a member of the LTA British Tennis. What a bonus because they sent me an email to say that although I wasn’t eligible (as such a newbie) to enter the first Wimbledon ballot, I would be eligible for the second ballot. At 10am on 7th June I was therefore ready to go… How surprised was I to see that there were actually tickets available AND for the final day of Wimbledon!

Little did we know but Andy Murray would also be appearing on the last day having got through to the men’s final.

What a fabulous day. We started off with a little light refreshment (errr bubbles) and strawberries & cream. Most of our day was spent in Court No 1 (where we had tickets) and watched the final of the boys juniors (both boys will be adults next year so looking forward to seeing them get through to the Men’s Final next year); Invitation Senior Gents Doubles (with Pat Cash who I last saw at Wimbledon in 1985!); Invitation Ladies Doubles and then Invitation Gents Doubles.

BUT we did leave Court No 1 and headed out to see if we could get a spot on Murrays Mound during the epic Men’s Final… boy was that placed absolutely packed. So we headed off to Court 2 where they were showing it on big screens. The atmosphere was A-mazing… even more so when we saw Andy Murray WIN! The first British man to win for 77 years. Thank heavens – the nation were behind him… as long as he won!

A few pics for you: