@ENO does #Eurovision. And it was epic!

After the first semi final at Eurovision we saw the @ENO perform Eurovision songs.

The company's orchestra and singers performed at the official Eurovision fan village with guest vocalists including Russell Watson, 1990s pop star Sonia and Ukraine's 2004 Eurovision winner Ruslana. And it was blooming epic.

Eurovision First Semi Final…. It was epic! #eurovision

Ok. So Wayne & I are in Liverpool. At the first semi final of Eurovision. And it is fab!  Lots of Euro bangers. Outrageous costumes. An incredible atmosphere. Impressive set changes (in less than a minute). 

But best of all…. we laughed and laughed and laughed.

Fabulous Weekend Away in Valencia…

 

Big Climb up to Big Ben @ Elizabeth Tower "a childhood dream come true"

Yesterday afternoon Stuart and I did something we’ve both wanted to do since we were kids. A childhood dream come true. We climbed up Big Ben.

 

The chance came up by chance. We were subscribed to the Visit Parliament newsletter and happened to spot the link. Apparently, there were over a million applicants!

 

So lucky us, yesterday we found ourselves climbing up the full 334 steps to the top of the Elizabeth Tower and standing in ear-banging distance of Big Ben, as it bonged two o'clock. 

 

Ok, let's get some naming right. 'Big Ben' gets used to refer to the tower, and the clock, and the bell. It's actually none of these.  It's just the nickname for the biggest bell (there are five).

 

- The tower is (now) officially called the Elizabeth Tower. It used to be just called The Palace of Westminster Clock Tower. It never was called St Stephen's Tower BTW. A myth.

- The clock is officially called the "Great Clock of Westminster". 

- The big bell is officially the "Great Bell" (its original name was 'Royal Victoria')

 

Anyway, enough of pedantises, following its recent restoration, we were on a preview tour. For just £10, we had this rare opportunity to see inside the Tower while the UK Parliament put the finishing touches on the exhibition elements ahead of the official reopening this summer.

 

As we made our climb, counting the 334 steps up the spiral stairwell as we did, our guide revealed details of the most extensive and complex conservation project in Big Ben’s 160 years

 

First, we stopped and saw the inner workings of the clock mechanism - and what a piece of machinery it is. Cogs, levers, cables, shafts, all whirling and ticking away. We even saw the famous old penny coin collection that gets added or taken off the pendulum to adjust the period of the swing. As the quarter hour approached the whole mechanism sprung into life and levers and cables strained and jolted ringing the bells up above.

 

Our next stop was the windy belfry itself where the world-famous Great Bell hangs along with his four sisters. Although Big Ben was as loud as you’d expect (ear-plugs were provided), it’s the quarter bells that made us jump in fright the most. The heavy tolling of Big Ben was deeper and not quite as scary. A powerful and moving moment as we stood there that brought tears to my eyes.

 

After the belfry we descended a bit to walk behind the four mighty clock dials, each spanning 7m in diameter. Quite an experience. 

 

A little-known fact.  The roman numeral for ten X isn’t used in the clock face. They use a highly stylised E.  So, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are actually IE, E, EI and EII.

 

Elated with our tour we descended to ground level to look around the Westminster Hall, have a cuppa in the Jubilee Cafe, and pick up some tat from the gift shop.  Oh, and spot a few Lords and Ladies in full regalia rehearsing their Coronation choreography.

 

An amazing day. Watch out for tickets in the summer. It was fab. Tiring, but fab. 

Bonnie and Clyde The Musical @ Garrick Theatre...

Yesterday afternoon I went to see Bonnie and Clyde The Musical at the Garrick Theatre in London's glitzy West End.

 

My luck was in, or so I thought - when I arrived a member of theatre staff said, "congratulations! You just got upgraded!" My £15 seat was now a top price one. Oh, cool.

 

Perhaps my seat move should have been a clue to this particular crime (of a ) muscial though. The reason for the move - or so I soon deduced - was that whole sections of the theatre were closed due to poor ticket sales. Oh. Ah. Right.

 

Cut to the chase - and chases there were aplenty in the two hours running time - the musical is fine. Just fine. Talented cast and orchestra. Talented folk behind the writing (Book / Ivan Menchell, Music / Frank Wildhorn, Lyrics / Don Black, Director / Nick Winston). It's just the whole thing felt woefully under-powered. No chemistry between the leads. The shots were wide of the mark.

 

Indeed presenting the story of outlaws Bonnie Parker (Frances Mayli McCann) and Clyde Barrow (Jordan Luke Gage) with no death scene is a bold move. Maybe the idea of ending their story in a shootout would be a bit 'too sad'. Maybe. But this production is in no way moving enough to have earned that – it's like making a show about the Titanic with no iceberg. Jaws without a shark. 

 

The musical felt weirdly oblivious to the reasons why Parker and Barrow are still famous a century on from their 1930s killing spree. But if this rose-tinted musical romance was all we had to remember them by, I’m sure their memory would soon expire from sheer boredom.

 

That said, Clyde's Bible thumping sister-in-law Blanche (Jodie Steele) had some fun lines and Dom Hartley-Harris's preacher sang up a storm.

 

It's closing soon. So, walk slowly for a ticket. There's loads available.

@Arsenal 3 - 1 @Chelsea…

Last night Arsenal delivered an emphatic warning that we are still serious title contenders. We simply outclassed an abysmal Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium to return to the top of the Premier League.

We had a lively meet up at the Victoria Tavern first - great to see so many faces old and new - but any doubts about the team’s chances during our pre-game pub chatter were soon dispelled on the pitch. 

Our mighty Gunners had gone four league games without a win and were heavily beaten last time out at City. So the stadium erupted as Arsenal responded by producing a magnificent first-half display, racing into a 3-0 lead inside 34 minutes courtesy of two crisp strikes by captain Martin Odegaard and a scrambled finish by Gabriel Jesus. 

Chelsea, who fell to a sixth straight loss under interim manager Frank Lampard, were thankful to goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga that the scoreline was not even more embarrassing than that and even pulled one consolation goal back through Noni Madueke.

Arsenal, however, were never in serious danger and are now two points clear of City. 

Ok we might have played two games more than our title rivals but the race is still very much on.

Let’s see if West Ham can do us any favours tonight. 

#COYG 

Los Tres Amigos…

Looking good boys. 

AJ, Elliot, and me. 

Photo by the gorgeous @_niamhmangan 

@arsenal @adidas @BlackstockPub