Darjeeling infused Sipsmith Martini Rosso topped with Rathfinny English sparkling wine. Part of our Queen's Jubilee Afternoon Tea at the Swan after the theatre.
Breakfast outside with Foxykins to kick off 30 Days Wild. There followed a bit of a mild panic as we wanted to get the battery out of the beeping kitchen smoke detector and of course these things are always less simple than they should be and we were running out of time to leave for our Shakespeare's Globe tour. Dave managed it in the end.
Got out for our busy day of treats. As part of Dave's birthday presents I'd got him a tour of the Globe and tickets to Much Ado About Nothing. Our route from London Bridge took us past the wondrous delights of Borough Market. 'Do we have time for an oyster?' asked Dave. We didn't but we still rushed in and snaffled down 3 each and an extra one for Dave.
Tour was very interesting talking about the history of the original Globe and the creation of the current incarnation. The actors were in evidence on the stage going through their warm-ups, rather pretentiously we thought. Quick sandwich lunch in the slow theatre foyer café before going back into the theatre ready with our seat cushions to make the hard wooden benches a bit more comfortable.
The production as is usual was superb. Some interesting approaches: setting the play in the Italy of 1945 just before Mussolini's defeat; Leonato and Antonio played as the sisters Leonata and Antonia, the former particularly excellent; and a fine all-female quintet of accordion players adding to the Italian vibe including Hannah James. The rain that had been forecast yesterday had disappeared and we had pleasant sunny intervals - lovely for watching outdoor theatre.
The Jubilee Afternoon Tea after in the Swan - the usual: dainty sandwiches, scones and Queen-themed mini cakes including a shortbread corgi. I spurned the vegetarian version as they were far too worthy and went with plain salmon and cream cheese sarnies - who wants cauliflower in their sandwich for goodness sake?
Walked back the long way to Waterloo as it was such a lovely sunny evening - the riverside positively buzzing as people started their long jubilee weekend.
Far too many good things but one to note: following your dream. That we had such a lovely afternoon was down to one man's dream - the American Sam Wanamaker whose vision was to create a faithful (even using the same building materials) reconstruction of the original Globe despite lots of people thinking it was a bonkers idea. How very lucky we are. In so many ways.
What a fabulous day. Dave should have birthday’s more often 😉 I enjoyed your narrative very much and I would’ve ducked in for oysters too! Great pic encapsulates the celebration aspect perfectly.
Ian