just another morning here

Another fabulous production week ends today; I’ve just come home from dropping the girls’ food round for the after-show party. We actually went to see them in Cinderella on Wednesday (first night) and I helped with the Front of House team today – the girls have been rushed off their feet all week. Abbie had her first ‘principal’ role as the back end of Dobbin the panto horse, as well as being in the chorus for a few songs, while Anna was in the chorus with a couple of extra songs to perform in – singing and playing her cello too.

The whole show was very well done as usual, but the stars of the show for me were two of Abbie’s friends who played Cinderella’s mice, Bubble and Squeak. They were simply brilliant throughout and sang their song (Anything you can do I can do better) stunningly! It was fab that the producer/musical director wrote in the cello song; another of Anna’s friends in the chorus did some proper pointe ballet as part of that piece too – so everyone’s talents were involved even if they didn’t have a main part. Oh and the little ones were just gorgeous – there were a lot of them and they looked so, so sweet on a number of occasions!

Josiah, as usual, was serious throughout and said at the end ‘well, all pantomimes are just the same, aren’t they?’!!

Can’t say I’m sorry it’s over, though, as the girls can do with their time back. We’ve said that Anna has to have a year off next year for exams but I can see me dithering about that when the time comes because they do enjoy it so much and get so much out of it. Anyway. Tomorrow is a catch-up-with-homework day as a result of a very very busy week.

We got home to find upheaval at home as Steve had decided to make some, erm, home improvements. The less said the better, as I was unprepared for this and I find the upheaval of his changes rather unsettling, to say the least.

Photos to follow …

Well, it’s not the second pantomime week ever, but it is the second one that we’ve been involved in! The girls have done really well this week, although I’ve hardly seen them, as generally Steve has collected them from school and packed them off to panto before I’ve even been home! So I’ve been waiting up until 11pm to chat to them – and by then we’re all exhausted.

However, as predicted, it’s exactly like pregnancy and childbirth – during December when rehearsals hotted up, we were tearing our hair out bemoaning the time they were taking up, how awful it was, and telling both girls that they didn’t have time for this another year – yet now we are in the performance week suddenly it all seems worthwhile! Both of them are talking about Next Year’s Panto already and I haven’t the heart to stop them as they have such fun, and the panto crowd are a fabulous bunch of people, too, so all in all it’s a winner (who needs to do school work anyway?!!).

I couldn’t help with Front of House during the week but I did help this afternoon for the matinee, and this evening we went to watch the final performance of Aladdin, along with Grandma, Grandpa and Aunty Esther Abbie did very well in the chorus- especially the Panda bits! Anna was playing in the band all the way through, so fairly invisible but also fairly indispensible! Josiah (bless him) did not smile or boo or hiss or anything the whole way through, even though I assure you that all around him we were entering into the spirit of things – so I can safely say that the Cathedral Choir is definitely the right place for him! He only ‘sort of’ enjoyed it …

Of course we are biased, and by now we do know a fair few of the cast, band, and production team, which makes it all the more fun to watch, but I thought it was great – well done Pinhoe Pantomime Society on another successful show

The first weekend of the school holidays is almost over, only five more to go! We’ve been busy as usual though with different things going on …

On Friday night we went to Exmouth, along with some other families, for an end of term BBQ. Well, we didn’t BBQ as that would have meant being organised; we had chips on the seafront instead. Everyone else was far more civilised than us, of course. Miss White even joined us for some of the time, which was lovely- possibly the last time we see her! The kids had a ball, and it was very chilled for us grownups as well

Yesterday Steve took all his employees on a jolly down to Haynes Race Track, so muggins here covered at the garage. It was very quiet although I did see one genuine customer – but a quiet day suited me as I had some time to think about planning for next year – not that I actually managed to get any work done, but still. The children spent a pleasant day with Grandma We were meant to go to Exmouth again with different friends but I made an executive decision that I was too tired so called an early night all round.

Today the girls went off to panto for the day, while Steve, Josiah and I went into town, then out to Wiscombe as spectators for a couple of hours – a novelty for Steve! Since he blew his gearbox up yesterday he had little choice

Anyway, back to the girls – over the past few weeks they’ve been involved with a mini-production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by the ‘Juniors’ of the Pinhoe Panto Society. Well, we thought it was a mini-production but actually it was pretty major! Considering how little time they’d had to rehearse it was an amazing show, with all the kids involved, some great singing and dancing too – and they all had such fun doing it, which was obvious in their enjoyment of the performance.

Afterwards all the panto families went and sat in the park and chatted while the kids played, lovely

We’ve just got home from seeing the Y6 productions at Abbie’s school.

There are two Y6 classes this year, and one of them did a mashup of the Old Testament while the other one did a quick skip through the New Testament. The first production included excerpts from Joseph (and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat), David and Goliath (The Giant Slayer), and Jonah (Jonah Man Jazz) – the second performance was The Gospel Show.

Abbie played Joseph – and then a Philistine, and then a drunken Ninevite – not sure which part she enjoyed the most! Joe and Anna ended up being involved too – Anna supported the Y6 keyboard player in one of the jazzy pieces that he couldn’t quite play, so Joe helped with props. It was a great evening, really loved seeing Abbie and all her friends enjoying themselves