Glyndebourne Opera

Last night Xena cried a bit and then went to sleep, but woke at 2.30 am, so Gavin took her outside for a wee and then she slept again till about 6.30am. Poor Gavin slept downstairs on a mattress near her again. It’s difficult knowing when to be soft and comforting with her and when to be firm and letting her cry for a bit. I suppose we will muddle through it and hopefully she soon gets used to sleeping by herself. She is a bit spoilt as when she gets tired she likes to crawl onto my lap and fall asleep, making the cutest little grunts and sighs. She does however, also take herself off independently to her bed in the kitchen to sleep, so she is not that dependent on me. 

This morning we walked up the road to watch the Ride London cycle race. Xena came with being carried in a backpack! (see extra) Yesterday I mentioned how so many local residents are fed up with all the road closures due to this race - as it’s 100 miles long and has 3 different races there are cyclists coming through most of the day, so the roads are closed from 7am to 7pm. I enjoy watching the race so I don’t really mind the roads being closed, it’s only one day in the year and in the pro race you get to watch world class cyclists for free. I have added an extra of some of the cyclists.

Our puppy sitter arrived in good time to look after Xena and we left to drive to Glyndebourne Opera at about 1pm. For those who don’t know, Glyndbourne Opera is a famous opera festival situated in East Sussex started in 1934 by John Christie. He famously fell in love with a soprano who he married and they started the festival. The original Manor House with the organ room is quite magnificent (see extra of organ room), as are the extensive gardens with a lake. Today it is quite developed with the concert hall being added 25 years ago. One can eat in restaurants there, but the best is to picnic in the beautiful grounds. Our booking included a table and chairs, all beautifully set up with a linen tablecloth and a delicious picnic with champagne. Everyone gets dressed up in formal wear out of respect to the artists (it’s almost a requirement) and it makes a delightful scene to see people picnicking in the gardens is such style. This is an image of people picnicking on the lawns at interval. The performance was magical - cleverly set in a 1900’s Viennese hotel with the ‘temple’ being the kitchen. It was witty, well staged with excellent sets and props and one of the most entertaining operas we have ever seen. 

Thomas arrived home tonight from his holiday in Croatia, so he relieved the puppy sitter of her duties and got to spend time with Xena for the first time.