First Daffodil

 

The first daffodil bloomed today, it would have been the third but the first two blooms were killed by  frost and can be seen lying on the ground.

In eight years the earliest has been 1 Feb (2020) and the latest 21 Feb (2025)

Alice in Blunderland

To Criccieth on Friday 2 January for The Starlight Players Pantomime  Cinderella in Blunderland. 

We stayed in Min y Traeth, a modern detached house in a close, but it was lacking champagne glasses, anywhere to hang towels in the en-suite bathroom, and a cutlery basket in the dishwasher. And it was cold, the wooden window fittings had warped.

Krisie was Front of House Manager and Dan was Stage Manager.

We saw Cinderella in Blunderland on Saturday night, after dinner at the Prince of Wales. It's a blast, so fast, with none of the standard tired pantomime tropes and with a huge energetic cast.

picture courtesy Dan

Written and devised by the team, it's a totally bonkers mashup of Cinderella and the denizens of Alice's Wonderland with Aladdin's lamp and Genie, Goldilock's Seven Dwarves, the Wicked Witch of the North and was that Tom Baker's Dr Who?

I loved it; it was the best Panto the Starlighters have delivered. So new, lovely costumes and a confident cast. The jive-talking high-fiving White Rabbit (Paula Carr) with his lighted shoes and bow tie dominated the stage, Awen Pritchard played a feisty Cinderella who wouldn't accept any sexist crap from anyone, her bearded Ugly Sisters (Paul Dunn & Dave Roberts) had jaw dropping dresses and I particularly enjoyed the King and Queen of Hearts, (Bryony Green & Swyn Williams), he with his jaunty curled moustache and roving eye and her with a haughty gaze and a penchant for chopping off heads. And then there's the Dormouse (Shon Williams) whose thunderous snores probably were heard in Porthmadog.

How will the Starlighters top this in 2027? I suspect they have a cunning plan.

picture courtesy Krisie

Sunday we had a roast with Dan & Krisie after they had cleared the Memorial Hall of stage props after the final show that afternoon.

picture courtesy Krisie

Monday we were joined by Caroline, Stuart and Elliott. Dylan's was closed that week for renovation so Dan & Krisie brought a takeaway from Sima Tandoori in Porthmadog.

Then home on Tuesday 27 Jan to a Deliverood Nando's