I had a lovely time last night. I went with some friends to Covent Garden to see the Royal Ballet production of The Tales of Beatrix Potter in a double bill with Les Patineurs.
Les Patineurs is one of those ballet-without-a-story but is just a series of dances linked by one factor - in this case - they were meant to be on an ice rink. I have known the music for years and seen pictures of this ballet in my books I had as a child when I harboured dreams of being the next Margot Fonteyn (as I shot up to 5' 9" with size 8 feet these hopes were soon dashed, but I still know the five basic foot positions and can do them, just..) so it was good to finally see it in the flesh as it were. Very slight and amusing, a divertissement really but delightful.
House was full and lots of little girls there with ribbons in their hair and looking all excited, lots of oohs and aahs as the curtain went up and we started off with the mouse waltz which is one of my favourites. Then 
followed the Tale of Pigling Bland, Peter Rabbit, Jeremy Fisher, Squirrel Nutkin, the Two Bad Mice and my favourite of all, Jemima Puddleduck who in her foolishness is nearly seduced by a wicked fox who is keen to put her in a pot with onions and stuffing.
I have such an affection for this piece as my two daughters used to love this 
when they were small. It was the very first item we taped from the TV when we brought home our brand new up to date superduper latest invention, the VCR, and they could not get over the fact that they could watch their favourite ballet over and over again. And they did. The video was played so often that the tape got worn and snapped so we then replaced it with a commercial video version which went the same way eventually. So last night's performance brought back happy memories.
As it finished fairly early, I and my friends had time for a drink and chat aftewards and as I had also decided to stay up in town for the night, no rushing for the station and the late train, the Vomit Comet and then getting home at midnight only to have to get up and come back again. Treated myself to a nice cosy room in a nearby hotel, with tea making facilities and ginger biscuits to hand, then up in the morning, strolled down for breakfast and then checked out and caught a short bus ride to work. This is the life!
Glad to be back home though and I am now just off to seek my bed. Nothing like sleeping back under your own duvet and snuggling down.....
