Lovely, lovely weekend in Stratford.

We arrived at 11.30 on Saturday and the hotel let us check in early. We had lunch in their lovely restaurant and then I had a sleep while Paul had a walk along the riverside. We then met up with some friends that we hadn't seen for 25 years - wow! It was so lovely to see them and catch up.

Wonderful meal in the Rooftop restaurant at the RSC overlooking the river. Paul had booked the same seats as we had last year tucked away in the corner with wonderful views.

We saw As you like it and it was every bit as good as the reviews it has been getting. The round seating is great and our seats at the side make you feel as if you are actually in the play yourself. I loved every minute of it and once it was over I just wished I could see it all again. It was set with a modern day setting and used a festival theme. There was very clever use of a pit for many parts of the play. Pippa Nixon is so wonderful as Rosalind and Alex Waldermann brilliant as Orlando.

As with many of Shakespeare's comedies there are some wonderfully poignant lines that speak right to the heart and take you from laughter to tears in a second.  The play ends with an exuberant wedding  party complete with rain and a wonderful speech by Rosalind. 

As you can tell I loved it!

It was a very late night for me and we had planned to stay in Stratford for a Sunday Lunch but I woke on Sunday exhausted. So we decided to head home before lunch. However the trains are only every 2 hours so we managed a quick visit to the Butterfly farm which is next to the hotel. They have so many different species of butterflies. So many beautiful colours - I wish I could paint!

The last few days I have been recovering! Today I have a 6 monthly appointment with the rheumatologist. I am going to discuss the tiredness with him - not expecting any answers but you never know!

The photos of As you like it are from the Internet.