Four more years in the White House…..reaction

Whatever his failings, perceived or otherwise, can’t help feeling that electing Obama for a second term makes the world a slightly saner place. It remains to be seen whether or not the worryingly deranged extreme right take control of the Republican Party as a result of another defeat. Speaking of deranged, here is Melanie Phillips’ startling reaction to Obama’s re-election. It is sobering to remind …

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Importance of Being Earnest – Mercury, Colchester

Good, solid production of the Oscar Wilde ‘classic’. Played as naturalistically as the period will allow, the dialogue was delivered crisply and clearly; and given that the script is everything in this play, both cleverly delivered monologues and wordy interplay needed to be spot on. All the performances were well executed, and Diane Fletcher’s Lady Bracknell was particularly good. How to deliver the ‘Handbag’ line? Cleverly avoided …

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More Heritage

On a roll with this heritage stuff. Watch it die down as the cooler weather hits and the fair weather photographer goes into hibernation. I also suspect it will be at least another year before any photographs find their way on to the site. Sounds pessimistic but I know this man’s track record!

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Tour Of Britain – 2012

There’s something a little surreal about a major sporting event passing by your front door in a housing development set back away from the major roads. Nonetheless, the Ipswich to Norwich leg of the Tour of Britain, Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish et al, did precisely that at around 10.20 on Sunday 9th September. Managed to get a few photos in the three seconds or so …

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Haunting Julia

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

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

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’

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

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

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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