Haunting Julia

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Managed to catch Haunting Julia at The Mercury in Colchester. An Alan Ayckbourne ghost story, it’s not necessarily what the playwright is best known for. Although there are a few laughs, they are mainly incidental and the tension builds subtly over some crisp dialogue and ruminations on the pressure of early fame and competitive but well meaning parents. Duncan Preston, Joe McFadden and, especially, Richard …

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Lille for Three

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A Eurostar to Lille in one hour twenty and into the Crowne Plaza a few minutes later for a three day stay. All fairly painless and the hotel location turned out to be a master stroke. Right next to the Euro station and ten minutes walk into the old town..

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Yes Prime Minister

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Yes Prime Minister at the Trafalgar Studios last week. Still funny after 20 odd years and now nicely updated to reflect the trials and tribulations of coalition government. By turns satirical and farcical, Robert Daws does a nice line in both as the hapless Jim Hacker. Desperate as his political ambitions hang by a thread, his not too infrequent cries of “I must do something” …

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English Heritage – the ‘First Three’

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In Colchester to book some theatre tickets so took the opportunity to visit our first three English Heritage sites since joining (other than Dover Castle, which we tagged on to the last holiday). Went to St. Botolph’s Priory and St. John’s Abbey Gate in Colchester and the Mistley Towers in, unsurprisingly, Mistley. Unfortunately, these are all free – gutted. Planning project to put one photo …

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Burghley House

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Afternoon visit to Burghley House on the way back from Sheffield last weekend. After a recent visit to Holkham Hall  in Norfolk managed to get in on a ‘two for one’ (the Yorkshire stereotype rears its head again). Whatever your views on the historical wealth of the privileged few, it was still fascinating to see the interior of a still lived in house. Furniture and …

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Viking Expedition

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Stretching credulity a little with the title as we actually toured in more than a degree of comfort, but tenuously justifiable as we visited a number of places that the Vikings had at some time traded with, invaded, pillaged, or simply popped round to for a cup of tea……..

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Maverick Festival 2012

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Good Saturday at the Maverick at Easton Farm Park. Just the one day again (like last year), next time should really try all three days. A few quirks this time (the odd power problem early on had the knock-on effect of yours truly queuing 50 minutes for coffees, which is no fun, and quite a few of the ales were sold out by early evening.

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The Sunshine Boys

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Down to London last week to see the matinee performance of the well reviewed staging of The Sunshine Boys at the Savoy Theatre. Couldn’t help but recall the wonderful George Burns and Walter Matthau film adaptation of the Neil Simon play so intrigued to find out how well it stood up to the tests of time and taste. (Across the board excellent reviews had of course given me more than a gentle hint).

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League One Play Off Final

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I believe there was a play off final at Wembley last Saturday. I was in York so please don’t tell me the score……I’m sure if the unthinkable happened McCabe will now be telling us all that we will be making significant strides next season and challenging for automatic promotion, whilst simulataneously letting our best players leave and cutting the rug from under Danny Wilson’s feet. But, …

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