Adventures of a 15-month-old

[ailbhe]

Swimming, walked from the pool to the playground, saw a "goggie" (today's new word!) and said "thank you" to a boy every single time we stole his ball.

Evening: Romeo and Juliet in the ruins of Reading Abbey. She was so well-behaved, during the first half, that people came up to us in the interval to say "Your baby is enthralled! She's fascinated! She's terribly good!"

Disaster struck during the second half. "Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day. It was the nightingale, and not the lark, that pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear" sunk us though. They had sound effects. Linnea sat bolt upright on my lap, where a moment before she had been breastfeeding quietly, and said "Birdie!"

I covered her mouth with my hand. People giggled. She wiggled free and said "Birdie!" again. She tried to see around me to find out where they were.

I got Rob to remove her while everyone was watching the balcony, before " It is the lark that sings so out of tune, straining harsh discords, and unpleasing sharps," because we wouldn't have lasted another lot of birdies without serious problems - and she was fine for a while, but she soon started to cry. It wasn't very loud in the general scheme of things, and most people didn't notice, but I could hear her, where Rob was walking her down by the canal, and I couldn't see a way to get out of the seats without walking straight past Juliet's big barny with her father over not marrying Paris. Eventually they took the action away from the corner of the stage closest to me and I snuck out.

I sat outside the gate with her then, and she fell asleep on my lap. I was pretty happy - the best bit is all before Mercutio dies anyway, and I'd seen that. Mercutio was great. Romeo was um, ok I suppose. Juliet had seen Claire Daines do it and wanted to be just like that, which was irritating. She was a pretty good Claire Daines, but it wasn't much of a Juliet. That kind of adolescent gawkiness has to come naturally, I think, to look sweet.

We've just finished packing for CCDE. We leave the house at about 9 tomorrow, or half past. In theory we should arrive at Elmswell at about noon ish ish ish. We're trying very hard to minimise our luggage... We shall see.

Have fun, boys and girls.

Comments

[lovingboth]

Jo Anna sat, entranced, through the entire Ring cycle just after her first birthday.

Admittedly it was the Les Grooms 90 minute version, but the only time she started wriggling and beginning to get upset was when they moved so far down 'the Rhine' (a gap down the middle of the room) that she couldn't see the action!

[ai731.livejournal.com]

I'm going to see 'Midsummer Night's Dream' tonight with Emma in Westmount Park. Not quite as atmospheric as the Abbey Ruins, but it should be quite good anyway.

[misspotsitt.livejournal.com]

One of my friends linked to this entry. I'm ASMing at the Abbey Ruins for ORmeo and Juliet (which thankfully finishes tonight so I get some sleep!).