Lockdown day #63

I got up late again - seems to be a recurring theme.  Sometimes I wonder why I bother getting up at all. 

I watched two films today - both are on a theme of someone trying to find themselves - both had elements of loveliness, and elements of utter despair.

Firstly - "The Fruit Machine", and secondly - "Aleksandr's Price" ... both worth watching.

I watched a Socially Distanced performance of the march "The Red Shield" performed by the New York Staff Band.

I also downloaded a book from the Super Prestige Series which is being made available for those of us in lockdown.  The book is about Rossendale Transport and was released for their centenary in 2007.

This week I had hoped to go the theatre to see Arthur Miller's "All My Sons".  I saw "A View from the Bridge" at Farnworth Little Theatre a while ago.  I wonder if the artistic director there took the same English Literature A-level course that I did!  Of course the play was cancelled due to the need to keep a distance from each other - and that little theatre relies on every seat being sold to break even.  I do hope these small theatres rise from the ashes when we are able to get out and about again.

Our government is claiming that there will be 30 million vaccines available by the autumn - I do hope so, but I wonder where I will be the priority for one of these?

Christmas 2017 part 3 - 6-10 December 2017

So continuing my blog of my Christmas celebrations in 2017 - on 6 December I went to a concert in Sale.  On the way to the concert I had a meal at the Greek restaurant near to Sale Metrolink station - Sokrates Taverna - and ordered keftedes (Greek meat balls) as a starter and moussaka as the main course - £12 for two courses was a very reasonable price.  The starter came quickly, and the moussaka took a long time to come.  The reason was that everything is cooked from fresh, none of the food is pre-prepared.  Unfortunately I had to eat the moussaka very quickly, but it was really delicious.

The reason I was in Sale was that I went to the Sale Gilbert & Sullivan Society Christmas Concert.  It was not what I expected, and there was not enough Gilbert & Sullivan for my taste, but it was, nonetheless, an enjoyable evening.

The next day, 7th December, I caught some of the Manchester Civil Service Choir performing Christmas Carols at the People's History Museum (and I sang a few carols to myself as I was listening to them sing) and viewed the extent of the Cîroc around the Christmas Tree event at New Bailey (which was not very inspiring).

In the evening I met up with a friend and we sent to the Houghton Weavers Christmas Concert, in Prestwich, which was fun!

On Friday 8th December I went to Liverpool.  Liverpool Philharmonic Hall sent me an email close to my birthday offering me a free concert, and one of the options was A Russian Christmas on the afternoon of the 8th.  It was very good, and a very pleasant way to spend a Friday afternoon.

In the evening I watched another Christmas film on YouTube, this time it was "A Royal Christmas" - with the compulsory happy ending.

On Saturday 9th December we had snow!  I had planned to visit the Christmas Tree Festival at Oldham Parish Church and thought should I, or shouldn't I?  In the end I did go, and was pleased that I had ventured out.  It was, as always, a lovely event to do, and is now a firm fixture in my Christmas calendar.   In the evening I went to Didsbury to hear the Manchester Bach Choir sing Bush's Christmas Cantata.  That was pleasant, but it was a bitterly cold night and perhaps I might have wiser to stay at home.

On the 10th December I didn't do anything particularly festive, but did go to my choir practice which is always good fun.