Follow the trials and tribulations of the legend that is Stray FM's Alex Cann! If you missed the show, then catch up here with some of the highlights...including the Wednesday Weigh Off!
Abigail's Party at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford (image from Bradford Theatres)
I love to love you baby...Donna Summer is warbling away on the record player. The olives are prepared, even though none of the guests really like them. Welcome to 1970s suburbia, and a classic piece of theatre from Mike Leigh, written in 1977...the year I was born!
Abigail is partying at one of the neighbouring houses, so the 'grown-ups' get together for nibbles and copious amounts of alcohol! Things gradually go downhill as the gin, bacardi etc flow...and there are some fantastic characters in this play.
My absolute highlight was Hannah Waterman, who was wonderful as Beverley, who is bored of her workaholic husband and tries it on with the new neighbour Tony during a sensuous dance to a Demis Roussos record!
As a lover of people-watching, I really enjoy this play, and the shift in power between the characters as events develop. There were no smartphones, social networks, or iPads when this story took place...just cordless telephones, vinyl and faux leather. It's no less enjoyable for it though. Catch if you can.
PICTURED : Bourgeois & Maurice on stage at Harrogate Theatre, strutting their stuff in sequins!
So tonight was a trip to Harrogate Theatre with Sophie to see Bourgeois & Maurice. Their latest show is entitled 'Sugartits', and I knew very little about what the evening had in store, aside for the fact they were a 'cabaret' act! This was certainly worlds apart from the cheesy cabaret you used to see at Spanish hotels, with a bloke on keyboard and a warbling woman massacring the latest chart hits. This was, in a word, ACE! The show covered everything from horse burgers and North Korea to a tailored song about Harrogate (well, more adapted!) and we left the theatre covered in little bits of paper, thanks to a large leaf blower (it's a long story).
Original, entertaining, and some witty songs, with even a couple of nods to this week's news about the Iron Lady. If you have friends in Yorkshire, tell them there are dates at Leeds City Varieties on 1st June and Bradford's Alhambra Studio on 29th June! Just make sure they are not friends who dislike a few naughty words. And perhaps it's not a show for fans of Rupert Murdoch. But for everyone else, I heartily recommend. Must go and brush off the remaining bits of paper from my orange hoodie, and perhaps invest in something more glittery for my next visit to see this duo!
If you fancy a night out with a difference, I would definitely recommend Food & Flicks at Rudding Park! As a big fan of both the main constituent parts of this evening (eating and watching a film), I was greatly looking forward to spending Monday night with my wife in the Clocktower Restaurant, followed by a trip down the corridor to Rudding Park's private 14-seat cinema! To make you hungry, here is a picture of my main course; something I have never tried before...a Barnsley Chop! It came with skinny fries too, which I'm guessing are so-named because they will make me skinny the more of them I eat. Yum.
My starter (a warm chicken salad with poached egg & black pudding) was divine, and the vanilla creme brulee pudding was both superfluous and delicious in equal measure. Sophie enjoyed a beetroot starter, followed by the giant portion of fish n' chips prepared by Rudding's top team. The service was amazing, and the film (Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rear Window) was brilliant too! To find out more about Food & Flicks, including details of forthcoming attractions on a Monday and Wednesday evening, just go to http://www.ruddingpark.co.uk/food-drink/packages/food-flicks/
I have also watched my all-time favourite film, It's A Wonderful Life, in this setting, and I recommend highly for a festive treat!
So it was my 35th birthday...halfway to 40, and quite a landmark day. I decided to jazz it up a bit and get married! This photo was taken in the early evening sunshine at the Black Swan, Burn Bridge, where we enjoyed a fabulous day thanks to Mark & his team. I must also thank DevilAngel Cafe in Harrogate for the Full English, which inspired my speech. I woke up on my wedding day and realised I had better write one...and the poached egg definitely provided me with some inspiration as I hastily scribed some notes!
(picture taken by Bill Croke Photography - www.billcrokephotography.com
It was a day I will always remember, and everyone who told me it would fly by was absolutely right! As I write this, I've been married for twelve days, and it's good so far. I have managed not to lose my wedding ring yet, and I even sung a Phil Collins song on my wedding day. If you don't believe me, do a Youtube search! Blog again soon. ABC x
Hey! So I haven't written a Blog in some time...and since my last one, I have become a happily married man! It was mine and Sophie's birthday on 2nd August, so seemed like the perfect day to tie the knot (picture to follow on my next blog!). We headed off on our Honeymoon Part 1 a couple of days later...to Essex! This got a few looks from my friends and family, but I did explain we weren't just spending a week in a tanning salon. We actually stayed in a lovely old cottage on Osea Island. The road leading to it was THE Roman road featured heavily on the movie Woman In Black, and here is a picture of me attempting to cycle across it at high tide!
Yes, that's right...the whole road is underwater for 16 hours a day! There was one slightly alarming moment when I had miscalculated the low tide times, and we were midway across the Causeway in our posh hire car...when I realised the road ahead was still underwater! Osea was a fab place though; definitely a Honeymoon with a difference. The only downside was the huge spiders...which of course the new wife was ordered to deal with! Wedding day picture to follow in my next blog post. Thanks for reading...and listening to my show, Monday to Friday 9AM till 1PM. ABC x
