So much to write about! After my last post, we headed swiftly into Easter and my birthday.  A huge thank you for everyone who sent gifts, flowers, cards and greetings - very much appreciated.  On the day itself, we had tickets to see Derren Brown in the Millennium Centre.  He was utterly amazing - very talented and funny and quite jaw dropping in what he does.  I loved his set too - had a fabulous steampunk look to it.  

Andrew had the week following Easter off work and we really enjoyed it.  It was great for him to be home and he painted the bathroom - the ensuite to our room.  We were fairly limited in the colour palette we could choose since we had decided to keep the tiles in there and we wanted something that would work with the colour of the main bedroom (a soft lavender).  Eventually we ended up with a lovely pale grey, with a white ceiling and woodwork.  It looks great - very crisp and fresh.  We also put in a new floor covering - a white design with a silver mosaic, again very simple and working well with the overall colour scheme.  

Then on the Thursday, we headed off to London for a quick weekend away.  The dogs went into kennels (always a wrench but we know they are very well looked after there) and we caught the train.  We stayed at the Premier Travelinn right in Southwark, just across the road from Vinopolis. We love this part of London.  While we were up in London we caught up with Warwick and had a special birthday dinner with him - a joint celebration.  It was lovely to see him.  We also had a special and very romantic dinner in Vinopolis itself - I had my 40th birthday party there and whenever we are in London we always try to eat there - it has so many special memories for us.  In the cocktail bar beforehand, Andrew had a cucumber Martini and I had my favourite, a peach Bellini.  Andrew let me try his Martini and I was bowled over by it - so cool and refreshing.  Definitely one to make over the summer.  

We also went on the DLR over to Stratford to have a look at the Olympics site which was very impressive, and came back via Canary Wharf, one of my favourite places.  On the Saturday morning, we had a lovely wander round Borough Market before getting a lunchtime train back to Cardiff.  We were able to drop off our luggage and have a quick coffee before heading out in the car to collect the hounds.  It was blissful to be reunited with them.  

Below I've attached some pictures.  

 

What a wonderful weekend.  Friday night was my last night in work before the Easter break - great to have a couple of weeks off.  On Saturday I had a really busy day.  In the morning, I went over to Busy Bees for a quilting course called "Flying South" with Marianne.  I knew I was going to have leave a little bit early so was organised and did all my fabric cutting out and organising before the course - fortunately Marianne had given us very clear instructions.  Originally, my thought had been to use some wonderful New Zealand fabrics that my aunt gave me last year (who lives in NZ, with my uncle).  But on reflection, I didn't think it was quite right for showcasing them and decided to go scrappy and use stash fabrics - no new purchases at all.  I'll post some pics separately of the fabrics and the blocks taking shape.  

The course was wonderful and flew by and soon it was time to take my leave.  Then back home and just time to say a quick Hello to Rita and Roger who had come over to look after the woofs while Andrew and I went to see Parsifal in hte Millennium Centre, performed in a concert setting by the Mariinsky.  It started at 4 and finished just after 10.  As usual, the performance was of a very high standard, though I was disappointed to see lots of empty seats.  We had booked a meal package with our tickets, and this was the usual very smooth, well organised operation.  As with much Wagner, I don't find the concert staging to be a problem - the music and singing is good enough to stand up by itself, and actually you're not distracted by odd or peculiar costumes, lighting or staging.  When we emerged, physically tired but greatly uplifted, I felt as though we had been away from home for much longer.  

Then it was back home for a much needed coffee.  On Sunday it was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, far too nice for our original plan to see an exhibition at the National Museum of Wales about Scott's departure in the Terra Nova from Cardiff on his last voyage.  We looked for some alternatives, and came up with a garden in Monmouthshire called Dewstow.  This was a garden with underground grottoes and caves that had been developed by an eccentric owner then after the War, had been filled in and neglected before being rediscovered and restored.  It's a beautiful spot with views out over the Severn estuary.  We loved the garden and were enchanted by the tunnels and grottoes, many with a wonderful selection of ferns and climbers.  As we wandered around, there were many Easter bunnies hiding among shrubs, trees and vegetation.  Rita and Roger loved it too and it was a gorgeous afternoon completed with a cup of tea and slice of cake in the cafe afterwards, accompanied by a little robin, who was hopping about taking crumbs from the tabletops.  I took lots of lovely pictures - a few are shown below.  

Rita and Roger stayed over on Sunday night,  and we enjoyed a special glass of bubbly as an early celebration of my birthday (next Sunday for those needing a reminder!) and on Monday Andrew left for a client very early.  So all three of us walked the dogs over at Tredegar House and then they left from there.    I returned home to spend a quiet day catching up on domestic chores.