So I did it, I went to Stratford Upon Avon, and its all real and amazing and so brilliant! I guess I should start from the beginning. Thursday Lunch we attended Knitting club as usual, it had been decided many moons ago that rather than spend the whole day in Stratford we should do the responsible thing and do a morning of workee first (its coming up to year end & there is lots of it about). So after lunch we jumped into the car & headed off. Our first Shakespeare moment came on the way to Stratford when we decided to stop off at Anne Hathaways house. Its all been kept pretty much as it would have been in Shakespeares day and furnished accordingly. There was a very efficient guide who tried to bombard us with interesting facts but we escaped pretty quickly from her (when I visit places like that I just want to get lost in the romance of them rather than feel like I’m back at school).
We then headed off to Stratford proper, I’m ashamed to say that although I did Shakespeare at university, I’d never been before. I was pretty impressed, great big chunks of original tudor georgousness round every corner (upon stumbling on Shakespeares birth place I nearly cried), the shops were very swish (although we mostly hit the charity shops, which were also very good). For dinner we went to a real tudor pub and had Thai (like you do). Stratford on its own would have been pretty special but the best was yet to come. Julie, thanks to her fabulousness and quick-witedness, had managed to get us tickets to Loves Labour’s lost starring the beautiful, beautiful David Tennant. I remeber reading the play at uni and being quite confused by it as its only half a comedy & I wasn’t sure what to make of the ending. The RSC company really brought the comedy out of it (DT totally stole the show as Berowne, imagine if you will Shakespeare recited with a scotiish pur underneath, ohh yes). We came out of the theatre into the cool night feeling very lucky to have seen a wonderful production and I confess I am a bit in Love with Stratford now.
I thought your making squash soup was interesting. My husband’s family makes pumpkin soup and has put squash in it for body. Is your soup sweet? I would love to compare recipes. I also put egg dumplings in my soup. I make them as small as possible.