It’s now – somehow – already the early hours of
January 3rd and I’m sitting here, beside my Christmas tree,
customary mug of tea to hand, trying to summarise 2013 as is my usual wont in January. It has had highs and lows, swings and
roundabouts, ups and downs. On the whole,
though, rather good...BEST BOOK READ: Er... best move on swiftly here – sadly, nothing to declare except tons of stuff for my course!
BEST SONG: ‘The Snow’ by Edward Elgar – Christmas choir choice. Gorgeous to sing and lovely to listen to.
BEST THEATRE MOMENT: Difficult choice – but it would probably have to be NT’s Othello with Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear. Ties with seeing Mikhail Baryshnikov and Willem Dafoe in Manchester and the experience of Macbeth at the Globe.
BEST BALLET MOMENT(S): Unpredictably, Sleeping Beauty in Birmingham with Momoko and Joe. As near to perfection as makes no difference.
BEST TV MOMENT: All ‘Whovian’ I’m afraid: David Bradley in ‘Adventures in Time and Space’ – heartbreakingly good. David Tennant and Matt Smith in the Dr Who 50th anniversary special. (Worst TV moment would have to be the Christmas episode though...DIRE!)
BEST SILLY MOMENT(S): Eating pie and mash and gravy out of a cardboard box on Napoleon day; going to school dressed as a French revolutionary for Europe Day – and winning a bottle of wine for my efforts!
MOST EMOTIONAL MOMENT: Watching the RSC’s 1984/5 Hamlet on video at the Shakespeare Birthplace Library - just as wonderful as I remembered it.
BEST PURCHASE(S): My William Shakespeare glove puppet; my subscription to the Stage Archive; my lovely green corduroy jacket; my posh black ‘choir’ frock.
BEST CAKE: My sister in law’s Christmas cake; those French pastries in ‘Paul’ in Covent Garden.
BEST NIGHT'S SLEEP: still Jury's Inn, Birmingham!!!
BEST PLACE(S) VISITED: Oxford; Stratford; all the stops on the Road Trip to Scotland (except maybe Crieff...); the new Birmingham Library.
BEST CONCERT(S): Travis at the Sage – after all this time; Scottish Jazz Orchestra at the Gala – the wonderful Tommy Smith.
BEST DECISION: My choice of dissertation topic; going to see Napoleon.
BEST DISCOVERIES: !!!BUSTER KEATON!!!; The Slug and Lettuce breakfasts; Ginger Grouse alcoholic ginger beer; Scapple.
BEST MOMENT(S): Feeling I finally belonged in the new place; everything about Napoleon from the first notes to the standing ovation at the end; bumping into Ray Fearon on the South Bank after Othello; meeting Baryshinikov; auditioning the cast for OLIVER! and starting the A level drama group.
Happy New Year!
