Corkscrew in the sky

An enjoyable day today. Early this evening we went for a pre-theatre meal at the Mezzanine restaurant at the National Theatre in London. During refurbishment, the restaurant is temporarily relocated to the deck area on the roof of the building, offering splending views downriver towards the Oxo Tower, the Cheesegrater (122 Leadenhall Street), St Paul's Cathedral, etc. They dimmed the lights as the daylight faded to make the most of the views. The menu was interesting, the food very good and beautifully presented and the service was good as well. An excellent start to the evening.

We then made our way to the Lyttleton Theatre to watch a performance of "A Taste of Honey", set in late 1950s Salford. A good production of a play which, at its first performance in 1958, must have caused quite a shock because of its subject matter - and the fact that it was written by a 19 year old woman. Very enjoyable.

As an added bonus, the exhibition area outside the auditorium is currently showing a collection of portraits by Cornel Lucas of personalities from the cinema from the 1950s. A wonderful exhibition of beautiful silver gelatin prints, most of them originals by the photographer. His style of photography, with carefully controlled light, often features a very narrow depth of field - with the eyes of the subject pin sharp but the rest often fading into a blur. This is no doubt partially a product of the use of a massive plate camera producing 12 x 10 inch negatives. Entry to this exhibition is free (not constrained to theatre-goers).

My blip today was taken earlier in the day, showing a piece of sculpture in Watford, attempting to pierce the clear blue sky.