COLD DARK ROOM

[EllieMay]

Nice job. I like the lights in lines like that. Looks pretty. What happened to the squirrel?

Thanks! I’ve always wanted to hang them straight like that but it looks like a drunk person did the tree this year, I just let the kids make all the calls and did the jobs that I didn’t think were safe for them. They will add popcorn n paper chains as we go. BeeBops is probably hanging out in daughters room. She doesn’t keep in the cage much when she’s home. And I have learned from past experience not to let the squirrels play once the lights are up. naturally, all ornaments are shatterproof in this house .

 

[Cheryl Hills]

Happy Sunday all you silly CDR'ers. And Cheryl: it's good to see you in here.

Thanks!

 

[Momof4]

Happy Sunday!
Just watched a movie and had my coffee and it’s time to get started with the day.

Friday was our 22nd anniversary but we didn’t really celebrate. We came home from camping and riding our desert toys so we were tired. We ordered Uber Eats for dinner and watched a movie.

 

[JoesMum]

Good evening all

Today’s “Heaven to Hell” tour was backstage at The Globe theatre in London.

This theatre is a reconstruction of the theatre originally played in by William Shakespeare over 500 years ago. It has an oak frame, thatched roof and wattle and daub walls.

You start at the top (heaven) and end up under the stage (hell)

Given the theatre is open to the weather - no roof over most of it - hell was a little chillier than reputed

From the outside:


It’s the other side of the River Thames from St Paul’s Cathedral


We were guided by the Head of Stage, the man responsible for the management of the non-acting side of productions. He has been there from the start, around 20 years, and knows everything!

Up in the rafters is the den of the backstage crew



And the topmost shuttered window to the stage where performers can also be harnessed up and “flown” through a trapdoor down to the stage; it’s a long drop!

Looking through the trapdoor

and through the window

 

[JoesMum]

Then we went down the stairs to the Musicians Gallery level. Originally the gallery above the stage would have had two boxes for local Lords. They weren’t interested in seeing the play, only in being seen, so they sat right above the stage in private boxes

Looking along the gallery


And out into the theatre. Only the wealthy got seats. Everyone else stood in the middle and people can stand to watch performances in this reconstruction


The opposite end of the flying hole from heaven

 

[JoesMum]

Then down more stairs to the stage.

From front of stage looking back with the musicians gallery above


Through those doors... and the doors at the back have a very modern lift for shifting scenery and props!


The stairway to hell. This was very cramped and photos weren’t possible down there. We came back onto the stage through the trap doors as performers would


And the actors view of the audience seating and standing area


View across backstage

 

[JoesMum]

And finally into the basement props and costume stores.

There are two costume stores. The one we saw is the Elizabethan costumes made in the same way, and from the same materials, that they would have been in Shakespeare’s time. The only concession is rubber added to shoe soles to stop actors slipping if the stage is wet.

We were allowed to handle the clothes and they were so heavy! There’s a lot to be said for modern clothes




And here our, and your, tour ends. I hope you enjoyed it.

We headed off for a traditional pub roast Sunday lunch. The choice was beef


or pork


I’m not sure I’ll be eating anything else today

 

[Yvonne G]

Please explain what everything on the beef plate is. I recognize the meat, naturally, but the other food items aren't something normally seen here. I'm very interested in that puff thing. I think that's something I would love to eat.

 

[JoesMum]

Please explain what everything on the beef plate is. I recognize the meat, naturally, but the other food items aren't something normally seen here. I'm very interested in that puff thing. I think that's something I would love to eat.

From the left:
Yorkshire Pudding (a batter 'pudding' cooked in the oven), Roast Potato with a bit of roast onion in front), Beef with some carrot peaking out behind and some cabbage

In front of the meat, a marrow bone split in half and roasted... not traditionally in a Sunday roast but very yunmmy and the white stuff is horseradish sauce which is a traditional accompaniment to roast beef. And then the whole lot is covered in gravy


You can see the veggies more clearly with the pork. The sauce on the pork plate is apple sauce at the top. I love marrow bone. I wished I'd ordered the beef

 

[Yvonne G]

So the Yorkshire pudding is the puffy thing? I'll have to look up a recipe for that and give it a try.

And then you eat it as an accompaniment to roast beef?

 

[Yvonne G]

Oh man. . . those pictures make me very hungry.

 

[JoesMum]

So the Yorkshire pudding is the puffy thing? I'll have to look up a recipe for that and give it a try.

Half a pint of milk, 1 egg, 4oz plain flour beaten together until a smooth and creamy batter. (I use my liquidiser, but you can do it by hand or with a blender)

Oil a baking tin or dish. Put the dish in the oven as you heat it to 430F

Pour the batter into the dish and put straight into the oven.

It's cooked when it's golden brown all over. 40 minutes probably for this volume. It depends on your oven

You need lots of gravy to pur over it for maximum yumminess.

Traditionally it would have been cooked in the dripping from the meat which makes it very tasty and was served to fill people up so they didn't want so much of the expensive meat

 

[Yvonne G]

Thank you. Next time I buy a beef roast
I'll give it a try.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Happ Sunday All

Poured down a cold rain all day yesterday - so it was a good carving day. Today, however, the sun was up on time clearing blue skys = out on the water.

Very calm morning, spotted two Red-Tailed hawks, and a few Blue Herons, one Cormorant, and a few flocks of migrstory Canada geese.

Here’s one from this morning’s paddle - the Autumnsl colors are still playing nicely!

 

[JoesMum]

Happ Sunday All

Poured down a cold rain all day yesterday - so it was a good carving day. Today, however, the sun was up on time clearing blue skys = out on the water.

Very calm morning, spotted two Red-Tailed hawks, and a few Blue Herons, one Cormorant, and a few flocks of migrstory Canada geese.

Here’s one from this morning’s paddle - the Autumnsl colors are still playing nicely!


View attachment 258130

So calm. Much sunnier than it was here today too! The River Thames didn't look half so pretty

 

[Yvonne G]

Happ Sunday All

Poured down a cold rain all day yesterday - so it was a good carving day. Today, however, the sun was up on time clearing blue skys = out on the water.

Very calm morning, spotted two Red-Tailed hawks, and a few Blue Herons, one Cormorant, and a few flocks of migrstory Canada geese.

Here’s one from this morning’s paddle - the Autumnsl colors are still playing nicely!


View attachment 258130

We had a spot of drizzle overnight, wetting the earth, so today it's foggy. One nice thing about the fog is how quiet it is outside. I live on a busy street, and sometimes the car noise level is so bad you can't hear to talk to someone standing right next to you. But on foggy days everything is muffled. Your pictures are beautiful, and pix like today's make me want to go kayaking (I'm afraid of water).

 

[Maro2Bear]

Here’s one of a Blue Heron just lifting off.

 

[JoesMum]

Here’s one of a Blue Heron just lifting off.

View attachment 258138

It looks very similar to our Grey Heron. I just googled, but the Great Blue Heron and the Grey Heron are differnt species and the Blue Heron is much bigger. Lovely bird

 

[Moozillion]

Then down more stairs to the stage.

From front of stage looking back with the musicians gallery above
View attachment 258118

Through those doors... and the doors at the back have a very modern lift for shifting scenery and props!
View attachment 258119

The stairway to hell. This was very cramped and photos weren’t possible down there. We came back onto the stage through the trap doors as performers would
View attachment 258120

And the actors view of the audience seating and standing area
View attachment 258121

View across backstage
View attachment 258122

WOW!!!! All your photos are amazing!!!

 

[Lyn W]

Happy Sunday!
Just watched a movie and had my coffee and it’s time to get started with the day.

Friday was our 22nd anniversary but we didn’t really celebrate. We came home from camping and riding our desert toys so we were tired. We ordered Uber Eats for dinner and watched a movie.

Congratulations for your anniversary!