Aw, thanks! We finished all the leftovers on Monday and it was sad.

It's true, she can cook up a storm. Also: Best. Popcorn. Evah. Ommmmm nom nom nom.

Last night TheDonF made me roast pheasant with pan-fried potatoes, carmelized whole scallions, and carrots. And gravy. I ate it all up!

Thank you, stomach, for making my birthday nice!

Glad you're feeling better! The panto was fun....although dinner would have been messed up. The Overground was delayed and I only had time for a sandwich. It turns out there is also a gastropub two doors down. Next time!

Yeah, I was sorry to miss the panto, what with it being such a very English thing to do! Raincheck.

I've always wanted to go to one of those things. They seem so exotic and hard to understand.

They are strange, Miko. The Principle Boy is played by a girl, the Dame is played by a man, they're often based on stories of horrible cruelty (Hansel & Gretel, Cinderella, etc.) but, certainly since I was a child, the Pantomime has become diluted, with (washed-up) Stars Of TV And Film playing leading roles and having the show written around their act, catchphrase or gimmick.

I remember years ago I went with a crowd from the office to see Cinderella at the London Palladium, where Buttons was played by Keith Harris (and Orville). It was an abomination.

Far better are the small local amateur theatre productions, which are far closer to traditional Panto.

The first panto I ever saw was Cinderella, with Freddie Garrity (of Freddie and the Dreamers) playing Buttons, and John Inman as one of the Ugly Sisters. I would've been about seven years old.

I thought panto was some kind of food or restaurant.

Here's a little taster of the Panto, with the villain being hissed and booed by the audience. And here's a great Dame.

Also, in my earlier post, I meant Principal Boy, not 'Principle'. Gah.

This was Mother Goose-- which came off more like the Shrek movies and Ozma's birthday in The Road to Oz. Principal boys were XY according to the program.

I wasn't expecting another August: Osage County when I bought the tickets. Had I known about any neighborhood productions, I would have gone there.