Bradford festival and a visit to the Alhambra

For my birthday last year, my friend Chris bought us tickets to see Warhorse at the Alhambra theatre in Bradford. We arranged to meet outside what was ChinoThai when I used to live there, on the assumption that we could sit outside one of the eateries in Centenary Square for a spot of lunch and watch the world wander by.

Oh no indeed - neither of us knew that the Bradford festival was on! It was a pleasantly warm - bright but overcast - day and Centenary Square was packed. One corner of the pool was filled with blue and pink plastic ducks and there were "ducknappers" lurking with the type of fishing nets you can buy at the seaside on the end of a pole. Small children were running in and out of the fountains while their families sat watching and there were food and craft stalls all around. It was truly heartwarming to see the city centre abuzz with such vibrancy.

After we'd had a drink and a bit of a wander round, we headed to the theatre. I wasn't 100% mad keen on seeing the show, and I'm still not feeling great, but it was a gift so I thought I'd make the effort!

A bit like Schindler's List, it's not an enjoyable experience as such, but a really powerful, gripping performance that garnered a standing ovation at the end. The mechanics of the horses are so intricate, and intriguing, that a short way into it you stop seeing the people manipulating the frames, and they actually become horses.

Such a lovely day in the company of a wonderful friend, polished off with pizza and a delish Campari and orange :-)

x

ps this is Pif & Paf's submercycle - cool huh? We saw Pif (or was if Paf?) taking two young kids on a tour and he got up a fair bit of speed after a slow start I'll tell you!