Opera with kids, & spiritual kitties

Last evening, with a slight break in the massive rains, went to opera in the open air.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the result of an 8-day kids opera workshop and was staged in front of The Forum building in the city centre. To the right of the photo is the front of St. Peter Mancroft and to the left is City Hall, and The Forum (not pictured) is a glass-front building to the stage's face.

It was an okay production, but would have benefitted from some sound equipment :) Bless poor Mr. Tumnus, who whispered his little song (to L). He was much more effective when he played his little flute and the piano took over -- but he was precious anyway. Also, it was pretty funny how the trees just kind of gazed around all over the place, and turned to the sides to look for their parents :)

Sadly, the rain is supposed to be back tonight, which is slightly disappointing, as Carmen is tonight. I think I shall go earlier and knit so as to get a better spot on the steps and in front of the glass front, which amplifies the sound a bit. Not sure how long my dedication will last, though, if it is chucking it down...

Here is a lovely picture of the tower of St. Peter Mancroft taken last evening with the setting sun on its face. There is another good shot, which was unable to be coordinated last night due to crowd -- sunset tower reflected in glass front of Forum building which it faces, at many different angles all at once. The foundations of the church are Norman, but the major part of the church dates from the 1400s, when more money started to come into Norwich. I have not yet been inside (people who know me well should try not to become weak in shock at this point), but I think I will go to church there tomorrow a.m. Tried to go one time but got times mixed up and so was late. So I went for a coffee instead :)

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On another note, there was an interesting story on BBC1 yesterday morning, and then the same story was highlighted on the Brown University website if you scroll over the 'Academic Life' tab (I was doing work... looking for international officers) -- original story from New England Journal of Medicine (**Weeping Warning for readers of article). The newsreader (who is a pompous pomaded prat) said this item justified his dislike of cats, but I think it is fascinating and sweet:

Oscar is a cat who lives in a nursing home in Maine maybe, and he has become so accurate at predicting peoples' deaths, that when he curls up in a resident's bed, staff phone the families. Sally thinks that you would just freak out if the cat came and got in your bed, but I think that you would be happy that the kitty was there as you are probably pretty miserable and ready to get out of the nursing home. Also, he is in the advanced dementia unit, so I don't think a moggy is going to upset them too much at this point. Personally, I would like to have a kitty next to me for comfort if I were about to die. CATS ARE NOT EVIL!!!!!

And, nooooow... there was just a story on BBC1 news this morning about the vast over-population numbers of kittens without homes. There are people who are fostering kitties for the National Cat Centre until they can find homes.... hmmmm!!!!! (they showed a picture of a kitty nursing a tiny bottle just now. mew!)

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This morning's blog has been written in part sitting outside at the little cafe table which E brought from Cardiff a last weekend. The pavement in front of my door is 5 paving slabs wide between house and churchyard, or about 3 sidewalk widths, so there is plenty of room. Not that there are a whole lot of pedestrians down my alley, esp. early on a Saturday morning. So far, it is a gorgeous day -- I feel the blueness of my skin getting toasty -- and it is really nice to sit out here with tea and blog. It has not escaped my notice that I am still not caught up with blog, but shall make effort this weekend, as have had several things occupy me this week:
* talking to various lovely fambly members
* finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before anybody ruined the ending for me
* going to knitting (which was very large this week!)
* kids' opera
* losing to E at online Scrabble yet again
* and this afternoon, going to Wroxham Barns on shopping outing with Sally and Sumiko