Winter wonderland, jasmine flower tea, whiskers on kittens and brown-paper packages in the post

Yesterday was snow-y day in London. I woke up early with PJ to check it out. It was beautiful. The palest blue light reflected off the snow gave everything such an ethereal glow. There was silence and stillness while the snow kept falling in gentle swirls…

Which we ruined seconds later by madly running into the garden with Cooper and starting a game of catch-the-snowball. : )

Driving to work was a nightmare. It was my first experience driving in those conditions. The phrase my dive instructor uses to describe how the rate you should ascend from a deep dive came to mind… as slow as you can slow.

Snow covered sidewalks do not mix with heels. That’s for sure! I walked back home for lunch, thinking, I’d better walk, save myself the stress of trying to parallel park on icy streets. Big mistake. What normally takes me 5 minutes, took me 15. Couldn’t even look up to admire all the scenery because had my eyes solidly focused on the ground.

Fortunately, streets were clear on the way into Hammersmith. Picked PJ up in record time. Got a parking ticket for not having enough change. Note to self: always bring change. Walked around Carnaby street/Soho looking for somewhere to eat before the show. PJ kept mumbling something about going to McDo. I ignored him. Which I’m glad I did, because we ended up eating at PingPong and having some dimsum. Was nothing spectacular, but it was hot food, fast service and we had plenty of yummy dipping sauces. The best bit? Jasmine flower tea, which unfolded as it steeped.

Initial disappointment at not seeing Connie Fisher (plus a few others), but this was soon forgotten when she started singing the opening scene. She looked a bit too young, but performed fantastically well. The show was a bit long in the first part, I started feeling woozy through the second act, the theatre was very warm! Some new songs, didn’t work for me. But the final scene was very very clever. I’m no expert, but overall, I thought it was beautifully sung and well acted by all. Especially loved the kids, who could steal the show! Looking forward to Evita in April!

Got home earlier than expected, and we were met at the door by some brown-paper packages (not tied up in string though a la “Favourite Things”) and Cooper. Life is good. I am very thankful.