Stratford Victorian Christmas Market, Sabai Sabai and El Greco

I had a nice long sleep as seems to be the norm at weekends these days. After a nice cuppa we wrapped up warm and headed out into Stratford to see the Victorian Christmas Market.

There were so many lovely stalls and things going on. Everything just felt really Christmassy which made me feel like a big kid :) There was entertainment too...

We had a hungry so decided to pop into Sabai Sabai for lunch. Oh my goodness, the food there is so good and their lunchtime deal was amazing! I didn't bother with a main as the combo starter was great value.

After the noms we went on a further mooch and picked up some Christmas presents for people plus a couple of other bits.

As the afternoon progressed the lights started to come on which things look lovely.

After the shoppings we headed back to mums for a bit of a chill out and more tea. In the evening we headed out to El Greco for a meal. The town looks lovely at night at the moment.

Our Greek meal was delicious and we had a lovely time.

I decided to spare you all being subjected to more food pictures so instead I have a special treat for you. You won't find me doing this very often but tonight as a very special event I reveal to you the disco lavatory:

After some delicious hot fruit infusions we then took a slow stroll back to mums. Not being done for the night we cracked out the champagne and watched Strictly Come Dancing (well, mum did anyway).

The countdown continues to The Last Jedi! Only 5 days to go now.

Here's another fabulous TV spot.....

Off to Stratford-upon-Avon, snow, early Christmas & Rogue One

It was off to Stratford-upon-Avon to see mum this afternoon. We decided to go by train this time to make things a bit easier. When we arrived there was snow, and we were delighted.

It was a bit chilly by the time we got to mum's so cups of tea were had to take the edge off :) Much chat and hilarity then followed. A gorgeous vegetarian casserole for dinner and we also decided to have Christmas early, just because LOL

We are now a mere SIX days away from The Last Jedi!

The quite excellent Rogue One was the viewing choice for tonight as we move through the movies :)

Here's a The Last Jedi teaser trailer to help pass the time......

New glasses and Revenge Of The Sith

Before heading to the office today I went and picked up my new glasses. They are taking some getting used to as the field of vision is completely different due to them having larger lenses than my previous ones.

The Last Jedi countdown plan continued tonight with Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. This is one of my top Star Wars films.

For a bit of fun here is Kelly Marie Tran putting Star Wars characters into their appropriate Hogwarts houses!

Improved throat and Attack Of The Clones

Well I am pleased to day that my throat has improved a lot today so taking an additional day of working from home was a good plan. Sadly I will have to go back into the office tomorrow though LOL Today The Last Jedi countdown continued.....

Tonight it was time for Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. The is probably my least favourite of the films but it is still a good one. There is lots to love, Jango Fett, Zam Wessel, Kamino, Coruscant, Count Dooku, Palpatine's ego stroking and Anakin's tantrums, Bail Organa and more Jar Jar LOL.

The media coverage for The Last Jedi is ramping up as you would expect with some great red carpet photos being released.

The Star Wars Show caught up with the cast of The Last Jedi, check it out here:

Working from home and The Last Jedi countdown beings

It was another day of working from home today in the company of Broncho Stop products as my throat and voice were a mess when I woke up. I managed to get loads done and thankfully having no voice meant that I got to postpone a couple of meetings too, so that was a small result LOL.

The Star Wars countdown has officially begun and so we started watching the movies in the run up to The Last Jedi. Not most people's cup of tea but tonight we started with Episode I: The Phantom Menace

The excitement is real!

I now not only have to work my way through all the movies ready for our midnight screening of The Last Jedi but I also have four novels to try and read between now and then too! It's a mission but it can be done!

....and crash

After such an amazing weekend my health finally decided to decline and crash out on me as I woke up with a really bad throat.

I dragged myself into the office as I had an important one to one with my boss but I bailed out at lunchtime as by then I could hardly speak. I didn't actually feel ill but my throat made talking almost impossible so I spent the afternoon working from home.

It was back on the Broncho Stop again but this time they helped a bit but didn't get me through like they had on Friday.

We did a bit of a TV catch up in the evening but I bailed out early in the hope that a good rest would help my throat....

A Toxic goodbye as superfans assemble and get #inTOXICated one last time

Today was the final two shows of The Toxic Avenger The Musical. Sam, Zoe and I were booked in to see both the matinee and final evening performance.

We were NOT disappointed! The matinee performance had us returning to the front row again for some close up action. Props were on standby and we had a great show. It was nice to see the backstage crew adding a little Xmas pizazz to things.

It was a quick changeover between shows so we grabbed a bite to eat and then we started distributing additional props to the superfans that were around us to make sure that things went out with a bang! It was an amazing final show. The cast were on fire, the crowd were on fire and you could feel the love throughout the theatre.

After the show the superfans gathered for photos, autographs and to thank the cast and crew for all the enjoyment they had brought us.

It's been an incredible ride and we've all had so much fun. Sam walked away the record holder with 14 visits, Mr Ian Day had 12, I had 10 and Zoe had a very respectable 5 by the end. So much joy was brought to us by an amazingly talented cast.

A BIG THANK YOU to the cast Ben Irish, Natalie Hope, Emma Salvo, Oscar Conlon-Morrey, Ché Francis, Peter Bindloss and Sophia Lewis.... and Mark Anderson.

A BIG THANK YOU to director Benji Sperring and Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment and to Alex Beetschen and all the musicians plus every member of the crew without whom this would not have been possible!

A BIG THANK YOU to David Bryan and Joe DiPetro for writing the play and music and lyrics

A BIG THANK YOU to Uncle Lloyd Kaufman and Troma for creating The Toxic Avenger in the first place!

Dolmen Grove Yule Ball

Today Toni, Keith, Helen and I head off to Weymouth for the Dolmen Grove Yule Ball. First stop was Pinkie's house where were staying to drop stuff off.

We then all popped out for a meal at The Ship Inn where good food and good conversation ensued.

After the food we headed back to Pinkie's to get ready for the Yule Ball. It was a great night. Things kicked off with the wonderful Esme Knight with a great acoustic set:

Next up was Seren with a smooth set.

The evening rounded out nicely with a great set from The Dolmen which ended with Crow Dancers performing two numbers. I was too busy enjoying things to take any photos but someone did manage to get one of me when I was up with Crow Dancers.

After the music it was time to have a drink and chill.

What a brilliant night it was. So nice to catch up with people once again enjoy top notch entertainment. Roll on 2018!

Keeping the lurgs at bay

I was feeling a little under the weather today with my throat not behaving itself. It was sponsored by the wonderful Broncho Stop and thankfully this managed to keep things at bay. This was a major relief as I had a busy weekend ahead that I didn't want ruined by illness.