Janie and Phillie’s Birthday Bash 2010, Sandall Close, 26 June 2010

Janie and I don’t remember much about this one. My diary simply reads:

Phil & Tony, Hil & Chris?

I certainly racked up a super play list of mostly dance music for the occasion, not least a fair chunk of Barry White:

Here’s the playlist – click here.

I’m pretty sure it was a family only affair that year and not all that many people. Phillie really wasn’t at all well by then. I’m pretty sure Pauline didn’t come that year and I don’t think all the youngsters came, although I think Charlie and Chris were there.

Th gathering was on the Saturday evening, but Janie and I took the Monday off; possibly just to enjoy a bit of the summer; I don’t think we did anything in particular.

 

Beyond The Horizon by Eugene O’Neill, Cottesloe Theatre. 19 June 2010

This production of an early Eugene O’Neil was twinned with a production of an early Tennessee Williams, Spring Storm, which we went to see a few weeks later, click here.

Janie and I are partial to a bit of Eugene O’Neill; almost as partial as we are to Tennessee Williams. While this early play is not one of O’Neill’s great plays, like the Williams, it shows all the signs of an emerging great playwright and was a thoroughly enjoyable evening at the theatre.

A very strong cast and production from a regional source; the Royal & Derngate Northampton, did great service to both productions.

The critics loved both; this search term – click here – will find you the reviews and stuff; mostly for both but some for this play specifically.

As on the prvious visit to the Cottesloe, we probably got some food from Shanghai Knightsbridge, “May’s”, afterwards. Either that or shawarmas.

Middlesex v Australians, Lord’s, 19 June 2010

Looks cold…IS cold!

One of my favourite King Cricket “match reports” this – it is the story of a freezing cold day at Lord’s in mid June with Daisy (Janie) watching Middlesex play a match to help warm up the Australians.

Here is a link to the King Cricket match report.

Just in case anything ever happens to King Cricket, here is a link to the scraped version.

Here is a link to the scorecard and all those geeky details on Cricinfo.

I don’t think we stayed until the end – we went to the National Theatre that evening and I’m pretty sure we went back to the flat first.

Lulu by Frank Wedekind, Gate Theatre, 18 June 2010

This was a really powerful production of a fascinating but shocking play about a femme-fatale; but is she the abuser or the abused party? Janie and I were both affected by this piece and spent ages debating the play’s points afterwards.

Superb production in our little local gem The Gate. What luxury it is to be able to pop round the corner and see a cast and production of this quality.

Here is a link to The Gate’s resource on this play/production.

Here is a search term that finds you other resources and reviews.

Here is the YouTube trailer for the production:

I think we picked up some Turkish food from Manzara (late lamented by the time of writing in 2017) afterwards and stayed at the flat.

Middlesex v Surrey T20 At Lord’s With Z/Yen Team, 17 June 2010

I almost missed out on reporting this one – in my diary with question-marks and the like, but it seems we organised a mini-outing for the very keen to this match.

Looks as though Jez did most of the organising:

I’m just dropping you all a quick line with the arrangements for tomorrow night. Firstly, I may be slightly late as I have to go and get my wedding registered in North London, but as long as they run on time (famous last words), I should be at the gates with plenty of time to spare. As a precaution, I have given all of your tickets to Simon S…

I chimed in with some of the more vital logistical details:

I suspect it might be quite busy on the Tavern Stand side again tonight, so I suggest that all those who arrive in decent time come straight in and help me to hold sufficient good seats…I’ll probably aim for a little closer to Father Time in the Lower Tavern Stand, Jez, for the “Turkey Corner” effect.  It’s the least we can do for brother Ben.

“Brother Ben” is Jez’s younger brother who, perhaps for contrarian reasons, supports Surrey almost as fervently as Jez supports Middlesex. Other guests that night were the two Kiwi Simons (Strez and McMullen), Ben Morris, Heinrich Groenewald and Louwrens Verwey.

The scorecard – click here – suggests that this was not one of Middlesex’s better matches nor one of the better matches from a neutral spectator’s point of view.

I’ll guess that Simon McMullen’s (first left in the picture) favourite memory of visiting Lord’s was the previous year – click here or picture below.

2009 at Lord’s. Simon M, Me, Linda, Jez, Garry Sobers and Nick

Middlesex CCC Mid Season Forum, Lord’s, 14 June 2010

I don’t remember much about this forum. I wasn’t even 100% sure I was there, even though the date is in my diary.

But Barmy Kev’s MTWD report confirms that I was there – click here.

Same report scraped to here.

That report contains everything you need to know…

…and far more besides.

Middlesex v Essex T20 At Lord’s With John White & Family, 13 June 2010

I remembered that we had done the Lord’s T20 thing with John and family a couple of times, but it wasn’t until I found diary/e-mail references to this Sunday afternoon gig that I realised that there were several years between visits.

I had written up the 2007 visit under assumed names for MTWD – see this Ogblog piece for the text of that masterpiece.

I recall that, in many ways, the 2010 outing was more successful. None of the Friday afternoon/evening stress – this was a Sunday afternoon outing in good weather.

I think the girls had genuinely enjoyed the Lord’s visit in 2007 so had been really looking forward to this afternoon visit and they weren’t disappointed.

John was possibly a little disappointed by the result – another “close but no cigar” match for Essex. Here is a link to the scorecard.

I seem to recall the weather smiling on us that first half of June, which made the unseasonable cold snap the following weekend all the more surprising…but that’s another Ogblog story all together – click here for that.

Ingredient X by Nick Grosso, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 12 June 2010

I’d had the bath surgeon re-enamelling my bath at the flat the previous day – without drama and very successfully – perhaps he uses ingredient X?

Anyway, this Royal Court play/production had a superb cast. including Lesley Sharpe and Indira Varma.

Very pacey play – almost to the point of being all over the place. Some very funny lines. Despite its flaws, I think we rather enjoyed it, although I seem to recall enjoying the first half more than the second half of the play. The bants started to grate after a while.

Here is the Royal Court Information on the play.

It is about addictions of all kinds, from drink & drugs to television.

Here’s a link to the reviews and stuff – it wasn’t very well received, this one.

Mat Watson’s Wedding, 5 June 2010

Janie and I don’t much do weddings, but we’re very fond of Mat and wanted to be there on his big day. After all, he’d turn up and keep wicket for Z/Yen and/or The Children’s Society whenever we asked. Good batsman too.

I knew Mat from Lambton Place (now known as BodyWorksWest), where he worked; I had known him for a good few years before the wedding. Mostly cricket was the thing we had in common, but we’d chat about all sorts. He was a talented musician and wrote poetry too.

The young woman he was marrying, Catherine, seemed absolutely delightful, as did her Canadian family. She was an expert in 18th century fine art (professionally) and seemed steeped in the 18th century generally.

So I suppose no surprise, as they had settled in Battersea, that they married in the beautiful Georgian church of St Mary’s. Here’s a charming vid about the church:

The weather smiled on us that day, as it had smiled on the cricket I attended on both preceding days.

Janie and I fondly remember sitting chatting outside the church after the wedding with several people; mostly friends and staff from Lambtons; Laurence, Tina and John especially come to mind.

We’re not 100% sure which Battersea hostelry was blessed with our company for the wedding breakfast and dance. I think perhaps The Woodman.

Anyway it was a very enjoyable evening, with a chance to meet the bride’s family properly and indeed Mat’s, plus some more time with other friends.

We very much enjoyed the day.

Come, Been and Gone, aka I Like My Job, Michael Clark Company, Barbican, 4 June 2010

Dance is not really my thing. Watching dance isn’t really Janie’s thing.

But Anthea and Mitchell were keen to go to this and were raving about it being original and different.

I’m sure it was.

I liked the music in the second half; all Bowie, Eno, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, The Bruce Gilbert and Wire music in the first half left me a bit cold.

The dancing is of course incredibly skillful, it just doesn’t do anything for me.

I could see why Anthea and Mitchell, as fashion show photographers, would relate to the piece; it felt (to me) like watching one long fashion show parade.

We ran into my former colleague Angela Greenfield at the Barbican, sitting directly behind us – how weird is that? We’d sometimes bump into her at the theatre and it seems that she, like me and Janie, was there with friends who had dragged her to something she wouldn’t normally see. I think she enjoyed it as we did.

This search term – click here – should find you all you want to know about the piece.

Here’s a snippet of what it looked like:

We went on to the Hix Oyster and Chop House in Farringdon for a late but much needed meal, which was very good and gave us all a chance to chat and catch up properly.

Here is Jay Rayner’s review of the restaurant – we found both the food and the service very good when we went.