A little update on life in England. It is becoming more difficult to find occasions to update my blog, the British lifestyle is becoming more and more "normal". Which I suppose is a good sign (though my family may disagree). I am settling in to "real life" in Bristol, the 9-5 work week and free weekends without forced reading.
One thing, however, that does remind me that I'm in England is good ol' Willy Shakespeare.
PAB and I have a "give and take" system which works quite well with our respective interests - I accompany him to such grand amusements as the A380 landing in Filton, and the Royal International Air Tattoo, and he is dragged along to see the Bard in every way his work can be seen. Last year we saw Twelfth Night performed as a German cabaret in a pub called the Bierkeller (that normally specialises in Heavy Rock as opposed to verse). What's amazing is the quality of Shakespearean actors in the UK; even those who perform in pubs would knock the pants off American actors.
PAB and I also had the good fortune (or at least I did, lol) to visit Shakespeare's birthplace with two friends (both aeronautic engineers, not sure how they got suckered in...) Stratford-Upon-Avon is a darling town (pictures above!), even the McDonalds is in a building predating the 18th century :) We saw "As You Like It" by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The setting and props were extravagant (they even skinned a real rabbit onstage, still unsure of how that pertains to the play, but certainly got the attention of the few unfortunate children in the audience) and the acting the best I have seen. Shakespeare is not something I enjoy reading, but to hear it is another story. I have tried writing sonnets in iambic pentameter and have struggled to get through that, I can hardly imagine setting out an entire play in the bloody thing (see "bloody", told you I was becoming English!)
Yesterday for Halloween we joined the 50+ set in attending "A Winter's Tale" at Berkeley castle. The play was in the great hall, lit by fireworks and chandeliers, portraits of the Berkeley family looming down on you with their large collars (similar to the cones dogs wear) and double chins. It was really quite a surreal experience, especially since the seats were practically in the middle of the stage, so close that the actors had to step around PAB and my rather long legs. Halloween was a perfect setting as well, the castle comes with it's own spooky legend of the assassination of Edward the II in the dungeons.
It is really quite incredible to think that Berkeley castle is still inhabited (by, you guessed it, the Berkeley family). The idea of modern day aristocrats living off their inheritance, and now tourism, seems like it belongs more in Jane Austen than in 21st century South Gloucestershire. Even more bizarre is that these Berkeleys, as descendants of "royal" blood, have a seat in the House of Lords, a chamber of Parliament composed entirely of Dukes and Barons who have the final say on laws passed through the House of Commons (yes, like commoners). It baffles the mind that this kind of aristocracy still exists in any form, one would have thought that the Jacobin head cutting across the channel would have scared the English bourgeois enough to hand over their political power and retire quietly to their country estates.
PAB and I do partake of the less refined British amusements (ie pubs) but that's not always something to write home about ;)
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