CATCHING UP!!!

I didn't realise I'd left it so long since my last post. Life has been so chaotic lately. Trying to strain my memory and remember what happened at the end of last year.

October
My OH and I got fed up with the most depressingly wet summer on record and took a cheap flight to Spain. As it was the end of the season we decided on a fairly large resort - Salou - on the Costa Blanca. Well it is somewhere in that vicinity. Geography has never been my forte. Flight went well and we picked up a car at the airport and drove to Salou. The drive was fine but the problem was that we'd not been to Salou in years and what had once been a tiny place had expanded into this massive sprawling resort. Consequently we had to drive round for hours and hours to find our hotel. In fact I got to the point of thinking that we'd be spending the night in the car. Frantic note to myself at this point - buy a TomTom asap.

Eventually we found the hotel and got settled in. It wasn't expensive but the rooms were fine, the food good and the sun was shining when we woke up next morning. One thing about Spain however I don't like is the beds - has anyone else notice it is like sleeping on a slab of rock? As I have a bad back this makes life difficult for me and I walk around for about half an hour after I wake up looking rather like Quasimodo (minus the hump) as I'm not able to straighten up properly.

I planned 7 days of relaxing by the pool, reading all the books I've been wanted to read and listening to my MP3 but as OH pointed out we had hired a car so we had to use it. Consequently I had to indulge him and visit a number of places. First stop a monastery high up in the mountains whose name escapes me but it has been turned into a tourist attraction. The name probably got erased from my mind while I was staring down in terror at the steep drop as we traversed winding mountain roads. You'd never guess I have a fear of heights! Then on to Sitges, which was lovely but it started raining and we had to take refuge in a beautiful restaurant and consume copious quantities of delicious chocolate cake.

The day before we left we decided to go to the huge theme park at Salou - Porta Ventura- which is owned by Universal Studios. Having been to a number of such parks in the States owned by Disney and Universal I was really looking forward to it. Problem is the Spanish don't run anything that efficiently and instead of superb organisation we were greet by a chaotic milling crow of excited Spaniards and tourists trying to get into the park. Once inside we did expect at least a few of the signs to be in English - no such luck. Why have signs in English over when 50% of the visitors are British tourists - that is just way too easy.

Okay so my Spanish is good enough to order meals and drinks, perhaps ever ask directions but my vocabulary doesn't include words associated with theme parks such as 'this ride isn't suitable for those of a nervous disposition.' 'Inside this innocent looking exterior is a scary ride in total darkness where anyone with neck or back problems is going to end up crippled for life!! Granted the Spanish aren't overly, if at all concerned with political correctness but I did feel I was taking my life in my hands every time we walked onto a ride. The Polynesian show however was a welcome relaxation, allowing me to gird my loins and ready myself for the next unexpected ride. End result I returned home unharmed but vowing never to visit a Spanish Theme park again!!!
Deanna


November

My only trip this month was a visit to London to the special Children In Need performance of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

As the Really Useful Group and the BBC production of the TV show Any Dream Will Do was focusing on fundraising for Children in Need, the star of Joseph Lee Mead was opening the Children in Need appeal and then dashing back to the Adelphi on the Strand for the evening performance. As the early evening traffic is heavy in London he he was doing the journey on a taxi bike - something I'd not heard of before. We were just walking down Maiden Lane towards the theater when we saw a motorbike drawing up a the stage door and off it climbed Lee, looking very cheerful and rather dishy. After asking us if we were coming to the show he dashed into the theatre.


As usual the show was brilliant and the cast seemed even more enthusiastic than usual. Lee got a standing ovation after he sang Close Every Door and there were more standing ovations at the end of the performance. After a short speech from the leading man about the appeal, and the appearance of the winning school choir from Any Dream Will Do, the cast threw themselves just as enthusiastically into the Meggamix as they tossed Pudsey bears into the audience. All in all a good night in the company of wonderful friends.

I'm a fan of Lee of course and can thoroughly recommends this show to everyone it is brilliant, and he is the best Joseph ever by far so, so much better than Donny Osmond or Jason Donovan.

If you haven't seen it book now while you have the chance.

Deanna