Anyone else notice the fabulous foyer of Soho Theatre Walthamstow, site of a recent @frankmatchamsoc.bsky.social guided tour, featured on the first episode of this year's Strictly Come Dancing where contestants met their professional dancing partners and sashayed down those glamorous stairs?

Thanks to @musichallsociety.bsky.social for a fab morning yesterday @lambetharchives.bsky.social. We saw wonderful items from the music hall archive. Thanks so much. #MusicHall

I spent a decorous, though fascinating, couple of hours looking at items from the #BritishMusicHallSociety open day @lambetharchives.bsky.social on Brixton Hill. The sheet music is sooo fragile and requires careful handling. Thanks to #BMHS for sharing with us.

Mosaic greeting in the foyer of the #LondonColiseum designed by #FrankMatcham on a Roman theme, opened in 1904 as an upmarket Theatre of Varieties. #MosaicMonday

Weird questionnaire from my local health authority. I didn’t open it for ages, reluctant to answer questions about my weight or my level of exercise. There was just one question- did I smoke? No, I don’t, and that was the end of the questionnaire.

This is the year I finally remembered to put a support around my peony bush before it grew too big and the blooms flopped over face down into the mud. #peony #gardens #flowers

Good morning. We are open. 📖☕️

Enjoyed visiting the London Coliseum with @frankmatchamsoc.bsky.social. yesterday. It has a Roman theme from ‘Hail’ in the foyer, lavish use of gold & marble, a fabulous winged beast newel post (with Edwardian moustache) through to a victory figure and leaping lions in the auditorium. #Matcham #ENO

Sourcing plants for my garden, I look for thrift - the interweb offers me charity shops. I try my local garden centre and search for sea pink - they offer me sea salt scented candles, pink flamingo dog toys, and nibbly cat treats. I'll have to go full Armeria maritima, won't I?

"More tea, vicar?" Vesta Tilley is dressed as a curate, offering tea on a tray following the theme of food and drink for #MusicHallVarietyDay #MHVD2025

"The lips of time leech to the fountain head" on International Dylan Thomas Day. His poetry has been with me all my long life. #InternationalDylanThomasDay

Just one week to go until #MusicHallVarietyDay #MHVD2025 (NOTE - there is no 'AND' or '&' in the hashtag)...theme #FoodandDrink. You can find us this year on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook and Friends of the British Music Hall Society Facebook Group. Join in!

I saw the chiropractor today for ongoing treatment. She noticed a small bruise on my back. “I think that is one of mine” she said and I swear there was a note of satisfaction in her voice.

Fab 3 days with @frankmatchamsoc.bsky.social visiting theatres - Royal Hall Harrogate, Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Grand Theatre & Opera House. Finale was old time music hall Leeds City Varieties with @realbasilbrush.bsky.social. Boom boom. Thanks for great theatre tours. @musichallsoc.bsky.social

James Boswell ( 1906–1971 ) 'Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex' ❤️ #Britishart #artofthesay #Sussex

I'm trying out a new Roasted Onion Dip recipe from the internet. I like to read the comments underneath. Most people who've tried it think it's great. But there's one dissenting voice: "Not a huge hit... had a strong onion flavour".

Fun fact: if you're buying from a creator on etsy, you can reduce their etsy selling fees from 6.5% to 2.5% by ordering via 'shopname.etsy.com' instead of 'etsy.com/shopname' or searching from the main site. It costs you the same but the creator makes more

For the third time this month I’ve heard someone haggling over the price in a charity shop. Don’t bother “cost-of-living” me. The item in question was a glass model of a polar bear. Disgusting behaviour.

'Gallery of the Old Bedford' (c.1895) by Walter Sickert (Walker Art Gallery)

Misty, magical, frosty day at #BletchleyPark.

We made a few wee collages like this for a review of 2024. They're on Insta if you're interested. The year we made our Off Broadway debut, had a successful EdFringe run, sold out some lovely regional venues and started work on a new piece, made possible by the people in this pic. #HappyNewYear!

Another day, another pantomime performer. This time, Daisy Dormer as Maid Marion in Babes in the Wood. @youngalison.bsky.social #pantomime #panto #theatre

Is Partytown Brighton rethinking its image?

At the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Conference, if you run over your time, you are literally forced to exit, pursued by a bear. The bear can and will take your paper from you to shut you up.

I’m in a coffee shop that asks for your name so you can collect your drink at the end of the counter. I give a shortened version of my name for convenience. “Oh that is so, so beautiful!” gushes the barista and I don’t have the heart to say it’s a name I never use.

Small independent shops fighting back. I’m shopping local this Christmas.

There’s always the one who monopolises the best poolside lounger. #Paphos

“I am your daughter” - cue closing credits. Am I watching #WolfHall or #Eastenders?

I've read at least five books by each of these ten authors. Jane Austen Agatha Christie Colette Bernardine Evaristo Ian Fleming Guy de Maupassant Irène Némirovsky Amélie Nothomb Annie Proulx Evelyn Waugh And I couldn't resist listing them in alphabetical order.

So far the novel I’m reading covers tuberculosis, blood, phlegm, illegal abortions, and a pissing competition and I’m only on page 36. I’m not enjoying it so I’m putting it down and it’s going back to the charity shop.

View from Jane Austen’s favourite reading spot at the Great House at #Chawton. Had a great day out Sunday driving there cross country along windy roads under autumnal trees then zooming home on the main road.

A pleasant surprise to find Miss Piggy - star of stage, screen AND music hall in the wonderful ‘Fragile Beauty’ exhibition at the V&A. Portrait by no less than Norman Parkinson

As a child, Quentin Bell was fascinated by the 'levitating lady' in Maskelyne and Cook's magic show. He sculpted this figure. #magic #Charleston #theatre.

Sitting in St Pancras International listening to a thumpy piano player who’s segued from Rule Britannia, through God Save The King to a joyous boogie-woogie.

I enjoyed Grayson Perry’s subversive wit at #Charleston in #Lewes. Great exhibition space.

The bus pulls up at the hospital stop. Driver announces “Bus is early, guys, three minutes” and walks into the hospital. Passengers discuss whether he is going to the toilet. Three minutes pass. He comes out, climbs into his cabin. The passengers fall silent and off we go.

Changing my password on a loyalty card site, I come up with a few combinations over 10 characters long with a capital letter, symbol and number and the site responds “too weak”. In frustration, I try fewer characters, all lowercase but in WELSH - the site replies “good, strong”.