In The Republic Of Happiness by Martin Crimp, Royal Court Theatre, 22 December 2012

Janie and I can do weird.

Janie and I can do Martin Crimp.

Janie and I can do Martin Crimp weird…

…but this one was just the wrong side of weird for us. Think impenetrable.

Super cast and beautifully produced, but what the blithering heck was it about?

Here is a link to the Royal Court Resource for this play/production.

Below is the trailer for the piece:

On the whole the critics didn’t get it either – here is a link to a search term that finds the reviews.

I have a copy of the play if anyone wants to seek enlightenment from reading that, let me know. I challenge you.

Tucked into my copy of the play is a short script for something else – I think it is a sample from one of Simon David’s pieces – quite impenetrable without context – clearly it was that sort of night.

The Cinnamon Club, Preceded By Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant Garde, Tate Britain, 14 December 2012

This Z/Yen seasonal event was great fun and especially memorable.

Before dinner, we went to the Tate Britain to look at the Pre-Raphaelites exhibition that was all the rage that autumn.

Arthur Hughes, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Naturally this was a good excuse to encourage people to dress up for dinner…

…as if the Z/Yen crowd in those days needed much excuse to dress up.

The Cinnamon Club, in the old Westminster Library, was an excellent venue. We had the whole of the upstairs mezzanine for our dinner.

I wrote a song that year specifically for the event. Rather a good one, though I say so myself, despite (or perhaps because of) the Christmas cracker joke in the first verse.

GOOD KEEN Z/YEN TRAINEES

( Sung to the tune of “Good King Wenceslas” )

ALL: Good keen Z/Yen trainees abound

Late work, no-one leavin’

Pizza boxes strewn around

Deep pan, crisp and even

ALL: On expenses came that fare

Though the bosses cruel

Through the vents came just cold air

Saving winter fuel.

 ALL: “Please, please Michael up the heat,

This ought to concern ya

We can’t work with such cold feet

Or with hypothermia”

MICHAEL: “I am wearing just shirt-sleeves

Positively shvitzing!”

ALL: Thus was Michael’s firm decree

Not all that convincing.

IAN: “We need flesh and we need wine

We can’t get warm hither”

ALL: Thus did Ian else opine

Spoken with a shiver.

ALL: So the Z/Yen team set its sights

On this cozy venue

Dressed up as Pre-Raphaelites

Gorging through the menu.

There is a big stack of pictures from that year’s revelries, which you can see through this link and/or the picture link below.

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Straight by DC Moore, Bush Theatre, 8 December 2012

This was our first visit to the new Bush (i.e. the old library site rather than above the pub)…

…we were so excited…

…until we watched the first half of the play, which we both thought was infantile tripe.

We didn’t stick around for the second half.

Here is a link to the Bush resource for this play/production.

It got reasonably good reviews, so perhaps Janie and i just weren’t in the mood for “razor sharp” infantile tripe that night.

Here is a link to a search term that finds the reviews.

We persevered with the new Bush, thank goodness – we are huge fans of the Bush…but (just in case you weren’t sure) we were not fans of this show.

Old Money by Sarah Wooley, Hampstead Theatre, 7 December 2012

A quintessentially Hampstead Theatre piece…

…and in many ways that was the problem with it.

Here is a link to the Hampstead resource for this play/production. 

Well acted, directed and produced – of course. But a rather predictable, tame piece. Maureen Lipman and Tracy-Ann Oberman for sure could handle something more challenging – probably all the cast could have done – we certainly would have preferred more challenge.

Here is a link to a search term for the reviews – mostly luke-warm but one or two very good reviews.

Egypt, Audley Travel, 22 November to 2 December 2012, placeholder and links

It wasn’t our habit to take a short break this close to Christmas, so we must have been feeling a real need to get away from it all that autumn. We chose Egypt for that time of year, arranging a few days of cultural tourism in Cairo and then a week of R&R in Sahl Hasheesh, near Hurghada. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, politics rarely intervene in our holidays, but the day we flew out to Egypt, this happened. OK, the BBC was a bit melodramatic about it, but even the Grauniad reported it thus.

As our diplomatic guide explained it to us on arrival; “our president has said one or two things that have not gone down too well with some sections of our society. There might be some protests about this over the next few days.”

Occupancy was already down at the Mena House, where they took so kindly to our perseverance that we were upgraded to the Gustav V Adolf Suite on arrival.

Anyway, we enjoyed the benefits of the pyramids of Giza and the Egyptian Museum with very few other tourists to interrupt our enjoyment, which made us feel big.

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Occupancy in Sahi Hasheesh was, if anything, worse (from the resort’s point of view), although at least the atmosphere was less nervous.

I have typed up the stories from this trip in the form of four or five short picture pieces – this one (click here or below) might be a good place to start:

A Short Visit To Egypt, Day One, Pyramids & Stuff, 23 November 2012

You can find the photographs (only about 40 of them) on Flickr here or below:

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Or if you prefer a little slideshow with soundtrack, the same pictures are on YouTube here or below:

Audley travel provide about 80 pages of itinerary and helpful notes – surely a record for any holiday, least of all a short break like this one:

Harris-Itinerary Egypt late 2012 Audley Travel

Audley provided same in a jolly nice ring binder.  My hand-written notes, barely decipherable and therefore perfectly safe in the public domain, are here:

Egypt 22 November to 2 December 2012 Notes

We had a great time in Egypt. It is such as shame that the tourist economy turned so sour, so rapidly for the locals.  We truly felt for them.

A Short Visit To Egypt, Days Four To Nine, Sahi Hasheesh (Near Hurghada), 26 November To 1 December 2012

The context, summary and links for this short break are contained in the placeholder – click here or below:

Have some Hossam Ramzy as mood music while you read this:

26 November 2012

Rose to play tennis – Daisy seemed much happier in daylight but Ged won 6-4 despite winning fewer points.

I recall fiddling around with a DAB radio (or was it the internet radio by then) to catch the end of the India v England test match that day. I think we could only get Test Match Sofa, which Janie rather liked, despite the persistent Wankhede puns.

Scrub up and breakfast. Daisy goes Egyptian, Ged tries a rather disappointing oatmeal porridge.

Go for scuba lesson at 12.00 in swimming pool which was fun. Meet Danielle (only other classmate) who turns out to be half of the mystery 1600 tennis duo.

Return to villa, share a light snack of chicken wings lunch , Then Daisy goes off to yoga class while Ged reads and sleeps.

Daisy returns for R&R and then down for dinner, which is a Thai feast after duck salad starter. Daisy announces Ged’s expertise on such matters. Strangely the shrimp soup comes without the customary coconut cream finish. When Ged comments on this the waiter explains that Ged is listed as coconut allergic – Daisy hoisted with own petard [from yesterday].

After many unnecessary apologies and offers a repeat dose, we convince the staff that we were at fault. The meal is excellent, including green curry properly finished with coconut cream!!

27 November 2012

Rose to play tennis in the morning – 5-5 a tight match and deservedly so.

Showered and took breakfast – Daisy chose scrambled egg and beef bacon, Ged tried waffles with maple syrup which were good when bacon was added to the mix.

Ged sat around pool for a while when workmen were in doing bath/shower, then spent the rest of the morning/lunch slot in the villa.

Went off at 1530 to cookery exhibition where we learnt how to do chicken kebabs and fish Tikka – nice tasters and met Livre who turned out to be the “missing special occasion” lady from last night. Belgian and round mild Tikka masala extremely hot.

Returned for R&R, scrubbed up, then down for dinner. Ged had prawn and scallop dish. Daisy went for steak frites. While choosing desert, Livre sent over some of her delicious chocolate birthday cakes so that was desert.

Comedic serving of a glass of port to go with it for Ged!

Watched end of dire Freddie Flintoff VCR.

28 November 2012

Rose early read a little before excellent game of tennis which Ged won 6-4 from 2-4 15-40 down.

Then shower and breakfast. Daisy got caught up in a pomegranate juice incident which might have turned very nasty but ended up with Ged getting pomegranate juice. Ged tried Egyptian breakfast today, Daisy poached eggs.

Went to aromatherapy massage class at 1130, where Livre literally upset her husband onto the stone floor and Ged was used as the model or guinea pig – pick your term.

Retired to villa after the lesson for sun, reading, swimming, snack of cashews and beer, R&R etc.

Watched a cheesy movie, One Day, purported to be better than that.

In between chunks of the movie had dinner. Ged had a duck dish and Daisy had osso bucco – deserts of ice cream and creme caramel respectively.

Very enjoyable day.

29 November 2012

Rose early again, read before tennis at eight, Ged won 6-3. Good game again.

Showered and then breakfast – pomegranate juice, muesli and cooked meats and cheese for Ged, poached eggs for Daisy – a grumpy Mahmood tried to get all aspects of the order wrong.

Spent day in pool villa enjoying reading and sun.

Pilates class at 1530 felt like quite hard work – big balls small balls think core… More to Ged’s taste than yoga.

Back to base for some R&R and prepared to go out to dinner.

Dinner in Indian (Zafran) restaurant. We share a lamb chop starter, followed by prawns in southern Indian style and slow cooked lamb ghost with coffee and pistachio ice cream to follow – all very nice.

Daisy fell asleep even before opening credits rolled through It’s Complicated.

30 November 2012

Rose early, played tennis – coach came out today to show off his painted lines and put us through our paces. Ged won 6-2 (7-4) today.

Breakfast – Daisy is settled on poached eggs, Ged tried ordering waffles with maple syrup and bacon today to the shoked look of Farouk but on Ged’s recommendation we think the team are now into that combo.

We made a special order of shawarma for lunch. Enjoy the terrace and pool, then went down to main pool restaurant and tried a shawarma (shared one chicken and one beef) with a beer. Then strolled jetty and beach before returning to villa for a while.

Then went to spa for Balinese massage (Ged) and facial with head and neck massage (Daisy) preceded by a steam.

Back to villa, neither of us very hungry but we watched It’s Complicated with a bottle of wine and then ordered a pasta Bolognese to share. R&R after movie and grab both fell asleep promptly.

1 December 2012

Rose early to play tennis for the last time here. Coach and other hopefuls turned up briefly but couldn’t diverted from a purpose and honourable 5-5 tie resulted.

Breakfast along similar lines to previous days the buffet has been abolished the last two days and some elements of order presumed!

Rumours of water being cut off will quickly quashed so we were able to retreat to a pool villa the whole day reading, swimming and relaxing.

Early evening started watching The Help then, just before dinner, Fathy and the evening service crew through insisted on making up a room while we waited on the Terrace for the romantic last night set up. More amused/irritated than impressed.

We got ready for dinner had a duck confit dish (Daisy) and lamb shank (Ged) preceded by Tandoori prawns and concluded with a Egyptian pastries (Daisy) and espresso ice cream (Ged).

Then watched end of the film.

On 1 December I also took the headline picture, which I submitted to King Cricket as a cricket book in an unusual place – this piece published in newar-record time, a mere 18 days later:

Just in case anything ever happens to the King Cricket website, you can read the words of it through this scrape (while looking at the picture in my headline).