A Wedding, a play, a room finished, a ballet, another play and Bean update

As you can see from the title it's been a busy month since we met our boy Bean... yes mum I know they sometimes get the sex wrong but I'm just going to go with the boy thing for now ok? It's been a busy month since that scan; so busy and fulfilling and exciting. So here we go with a catch up of all that the Harris-Richards family have been up to!


The scan was on the 23 May and the following saturday was the last of 3 spring-summer weddings; Dawn and Ash's big day. It was a truly wonderful day with a pretty english church, brass band procession, cricket green and aussie bbq - the bride is from England and the groom from Australia... It was also a wonderful chance to catch up with a great many old uni friends; Pete and Vicky who'd recently got married themselves, Kate and John, Michelle and Nick, and Steve, gorgeous Steve, who kept pointing at my belly and saying "You're pregnant... I mean... pregnant!!!" and many friends besides.

The happy couple Dawn and Ash

The gang, new and old

We then had a week's grace in which to finish off the spare room - Emily see the finished picture - we love it! The cat, Pads, has certainly settled in and now finally we have a proper computer desk to update the blog from - the first time in months it's all been plugged in and working properly.

Our beautiful guest room

The next week the Billesley Players moved into the Old Rep theatre on the 6th June to prepare for the biggest event of the group's calendar: the summer play. Because I was pregnant and a bit useless they told me (in the nices possible way) not to move my costumes in til the 7th and having not been able to attend set building I had no idea what it would all look like or how finished it'd be. I walked onto the stage to find, gasp, a fully finished set. It was beautiful!

My name in lights! (sort of)

Doug putting finishing touches 

Pat, backstage

Sam strike a pose!

Jo - or Mickey the cop

Leon - got you!

Spanish Leon

1st night - all the cast

Parents and Auntie Shelagh are excited about the poster too!

The girls onstage

1st night celebrating with the folks

The team in various states of hun-overedness
breaking down the set on Sunday morning...

The play got 4 stars! The review can be found online by clicking here but here is a major part:

Florence – or Flo – is the hygienic, fussy fanatic, though no one seeing her pick up those littering crisps on the first night, not on the same day that they had been dropped because the curtain had also dropped in the meantime, would have had cause to suspect this, had the unscripted tidying been seen in isolation.

But this account by Sheila Parkes is a delight of disciplined orderliness – spiced at one point by her extraordinary attempt to unblock Flo’s ears and only straining her throat for her trouble.

INNOCENT IMPISHNESS

Gemma Harris, as Olive, is a joy of innocent impishness beneath a wondrously curly wig which at times she did not seem to trust to remain in place. Not that this was allowed to get in the way of a lovely performance as the woman required against her will to keep her hormones in check in the absence of any male company.  

She has a way of puffing her cheeks as part of a wild, wide-eyed grin that is irresistibly infectious.

This is a splendid pairing and it thrives on its responsibilities as the centrepiece of the plot – but it does have amusing support all round, particularly from Leon Salter and Edward Fellows in their version of two amiable Spaniards who are inadvertently at war with the English language.

Then there are Claire Davies (Silvie), Patricia Hands (Renée), Samantha Broome (Vera, the blonde who has been known to spend 20 minutes talking to a security guard before discovering he was a statue) and Jo Wall (Mickey, the New York cop who appears to spend her off-duty life in uniform as she joins the others in an eternal board game). All make a pleasing contribution, with Claire Davies having a particularly joyful exit line.

This is a happy production by a talented group. It is a shame that its two-day run is over before the world at large realises it has started, but those patrons alert to its circumscribing are very well rewarded, To 11.06.11.

Here is my chance to say two things. I think it's the proudest I've ever felt about a single achievement in my entire life. And I'd like to also give my most profound thanks to all our friends who gave up their time to come along, in some cases travelling half way across the country. You are truly appreciated. Finally to the family generally and in particular to Alex, because without him I'd never have been able to do it. I was so big and pregnant and tired for the last 8 weeks that I was increasingly then utterly useless around the house and Alex really looked after me and the cat, kept the housework going, cooked, cleaned... everything so I could get my cat naps in. Alex - you're the best husband ever and I love you lots.

Ok so enough about the play. Afterwards there was a bit of a vacuum, mentally, with my life having been so consumed by it for so long that I didn't know what to do with myself. But I didn't have long to wallow. One week after our goddaughter Emma came to see me in the play with her mum and Alex she came with me and my mum to see the ballet Copellia. We had a great afternoon; Emma enjoyed the ballet a lot and got to see the theatre pit and was totally engaged and a dream of well-behavedness. Bless her. The ballet was super and engaging and fun and Emma wants to go back. This was her birthday treat from me and Al and it also involved a sleepover at ours, a film (Kung Foo Panda - funny) and her favourite meal cooked by uncle Alex; Shepherds-Cottage pie followed by Simpsons Monopoly. We had a lovely time then spent the next day with our respective dads for fathers day. And so another weekend flew by!

Dr Coppellius and the doll

Outside the theatre

I have begun maternity yoga; it's very relaxing and make you feel less like a rolly poly cause we're all in the same boat. That was on the Monday and the weekend afterward, the 25th June, me and Danielle went to London to watch Much Ado About Nothing starring the beautiful David Tennant (or my Scottish Rat according to Al) and funny funny Catherine Tate. It was Shakespeare as I'd never seen it before...

It was absolutely brilliant. I mean truly. Not just David, who was exceptionally funny and clever but Catherine too. Everyone must get a ticket and go. I mean it. The whole concept was brilliant, setting it on 1980's Gibraltar. It included a golf buggy, cross dressing and some hilarious wire work and was brilliant from the get go. The only slight mis-hit was the bad buy character, Don John, who in the end is just a short man with a chip on his shoulder and not nearly threatning enough.

Me in London

Danielle in front of the theatre

Not only did we stay in a great little hotel, the Megaro is right next to Kings Cross, very nicely done out and with a decent bar/restaurant of its own, but we also managed to fit in lunch on the Sunday with my friends Sam and Sarah in a fabulously sunny and hot Covent Garden. I had Gazpacho... mmmm.

Which finally brings us up to date. Phew! I'm going to be a hermit for at least a fortnight.

As for Bean, he's kicking away and getting stronger too. We're both well and happy (obviously I'm speaking for him at the moment but I imagine he is..!) The next job is putting finishing touches to what will be his nursery. I'm 26 weeks now and following the best book ever, called The Rough Guide to Pregnancy & Birth, lent to me by Laura and it's properly sensible stuff - very grounding. We have exciting things to look forward to, among them a blood test, more midwife sessions, a Parenting Class and a breast feeding workshop! But all that's weeks away. Meanwhile I have compiled a list of what I think we're going to have to buy that we haven't already got or are borrowing. If anyone has any advice on brands or anything useful to say on the below list I'd be most grateful:

• Moses Basket and stand
• Cot
• Baby monitor
• Travel cot
• Changing mat
• Night light
• Baby bath
• Electric breast pump
• Nappy bucket

Gosh, think that's it. Well that's me done... I'll try not to leave it so long til the next post... speak to you all soon!