Nutcrackerless....

I was on facebook the other day

and it suddenly hit me looking at a lot of my friends posts,

that this year i am not doing Nutcracker.

They are all in the midst of the annually 

Tchaikovsky-Christmas-Fest

and this year,

for the first time in about 10years

i am Nutcracker free.

And how does that make me feel...

well....

it makes me feel just dandy actually.

it took me until nearly the end of the month to even notice!

and if i look back to this time last year the emotional 

pain i was going through

and the physical

  pain i was going through 

i just dont miss that at all.

I miss being in the theatre a bit with friends,

but i dont miss the politcs or pain.

In fact as i mentioned before

all i really miss is the physicality of it,

not the lifestyle at all.

last few nights i had real trouble sleeping,

i ended up watching this documentary

about the English National Ballet.

Its FANTASTIC!

it gives such a real insight into studio life.

thats the first part 

you can find the other two on youtube as well.

A slightly late Christmas Dinner....

As it turned out after my last Nutcracker performance (29th Dec) i had a few days free.

So i hopped on a plane and went to the UKto see the New Year in....

I spent a couple of days with Captain Tim and his family in Bournemouth

and then we headed to London to visit my sisters

(and introduce them to Tim....

nearly 3 years and they still hadn't met him yet!)

I persuaded my Big Sister to cook me a Christmas dinner because i'd missed out on one.

And i'm personally of the opinion that Christmas is not over until you have sat down and enjoyed a Christmas dinner....oh and by the way I LOVE CHRISTMAS CRACKERS!

My sister, the ultimate chef,

Oh here is Joel with the Monk Mug that I picked up at

a crazy ass Antiques shop that we found on the drive over to London.....

(also bought was an owl tea pot for my sister the owl collector)

A visit was also made to Del-Boy....

my lovely little tortoise who is not so little any more....i

n fact he is practically a dinosaur, i couldnt believe how big he has gotten!

I was only in the Uk for 5 days but i cant tell you what wonders it did for re-charging my batteries...and even though i was a little bit late at getting into the Christmas Spirit, get into it i did with maximum enthusiasm....

In fact Tim got a little bit anxious taking me out in

public at my squeals of glee at all Christmas decorations....

i guess i was winding up as everyone else was winding down!

This is how i spent my Christmas day....

Merry Future Christmas...

I just officially became an organ donor.

i added my name to the uk's online NHS organ donation list.

Organ donation is not something that i had ever really thought about until recently

It is not something that i think sounds particularly pleasant,

being dissected after death

(especially from a girl who cant even give blood for my ridiculous needle phobia)

but when you think about it the Undertakers do 

all that embalming stuff afterwards too,

 which aint much better.

But i got thinking about it recently after speaking to a man i know.

His daughter was waiting for her second lung transplant.

She was suffering from cystic fibrosis.

Her first transplant had given her 5 happy years, 

but now she was in need again.

And he told me of the joy that the first transplant had given their family

and how they so much wanted to share that joy with the donor's family.

Wanted to let them know that their kindness during the time of their loss

brought so much happiness to their family and saved others from feeling a similar loss.

He also spoke of the dilemma they felt now.

Wanting their daughter to get better,

 but not wanting another family to have to suffer so that she could.

How they were praying to God to help them come to terms with what was meant to be.

And she died, a couple of weeks ago.

I guess this time it was her turn to go.

And this short conversation that i had with him took place 

in a kitchen rather off-handly whilst peeling potatoes for a lunch we were making.

But i felt there and then that when i die i want to be able to give someone else

that new lease of life and joy.

Today i saw a link on facebook,

and i followed it through,

and am now official organ donor.

anyone in the uk can register here.

http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ukt/how_to_become_a_donor/registration/consent.jsp

Merry Future Christmas.... 

Christmas Music...

Oh dear, 

my blog has been a bit mopey and depressive as of late, whilst everyone else's are full of holiday cheer.

So i thought i'd share some of my favourite Christmas songs from this year....

i love listening to them, even though it's not Christmassy outside, 

when i walk along listening to them on my ipod, 

i can imagine myself a million miles away.

Muppets, Where Ever You Find Love -

This one sums up for me the feeling of what the Spirit of Christmas is.

Its about the moments of joy that you find.

Michael Buble- Santa Clause is coming to town - 

So i dont actually have this one on my ipod, 

but i do LOVE how Gene-Kelly-esque this video is!

Fantasia -

Again, not on my ipod, but this is the music i'm listening to 

everyday for the past two months...Nutcracker....

but as a little girl i could watch the Fantasia movie on repeat....

that Walt Disney, what a guy....

Kari Jobe - Bethlehem

I just discovered her album this Christmas, 

i think she has an angelic voice that suits Christmas Carols to a T - 

Robert Downey Jr - River

The Ally McBeal Christmas Album has been one of my faves for such a long time now. And i love R-D Jr singing this song....he is so delightsome....plus this song rings up my feelings right about now

Christmas Blues.....

As much as i'm trying to dream about a White Christmas,

or even a Holly Jolly Christmas,

I just don't seem to be able to.

People complain about the commercialism of Christmas,

but what i wouldn't give at the moment to walk into a superarket and hear Christmas Carols play.

How much would i like to see some twinkling Christmas lights,

to go to a Christmas Concert.....

to see a Christmas tree....

to have time to go to a Christmas Party.

To have a present to open on Christmas Day.

Maybe these things are commercial,

but i can tell you living in a country where they dont exist,

that Christmas Spirit is just so much harder to come by.

Plus i just found out that i have two performances on Christmas Day.

I've always worked Christmas Eve before, Nutcrackering of course,

but Christmas day i always managed to eat some turkey ad squeeze in a Christmas movie before...

not this year....

Blue.

Del-Boys Castle

I'll admit when i moved to Egypt i didnt cry

at leaving behind my family or friends,

but i did shed a tear or two over leaving

behind my pet tortoise, Del-Boy.

But we've been having regular skype chats

where she gives me looks down the web cam a bit like this-

and then walks over the keyboard leaving me messages a bit like this-

asdlfkjaoweipjfasdklfape

(which translated from tortoise means i miss you mummy)

But now Del-Boy has been on the move and travelled all the way back to the Uk.

I was a little bit mad at Captain Tim for taking

her without making the correct preparations

(ie. a new tortoise house for her to live in)

but on Christmas day i received a wonderful

surprise that he had spent his whole day building Del-Boy a Castle.

isn't it the cutest little thing!

it has little sunflowers painted on it as they are Del-Boys (and my) favourite flower.

There is also a Christmas tree so that Del-Boy can celebrate Christmas,

and a Lemon Tree, so she can sing a song to it.

Backstage at the Ballet...

Another year,

another Nutcracker.....

But boy am i glad to stage dancing to see the New Year in,

seeing as things were looking pretty bleak 6 months ago.

And look at all the fun i'm having....

The Cave Church....

So after travelling through Garbage City

we made it to the Cave Church,

which as its name would describe is a church that is in the cave of a mountain.

It was so impressive,

with biblical carvings all over the side of the mountain,

and can hold up to 15,000 people.

We were invited to look into this room which was filled

with wheel chairs and crutches.

Apparently on Thursday nights they hold miracle

healing sessions and exorcisms of devils,

the wheelchairs and crutches are left behind by

those who dont need them any more.

Thats definitely something i'm going to have to go back to see!

A Different Kind Of Christmas....

This Christmas was a little bit different.

Mainly because it was 25degrees Celsius and spent in a place where Western Christmas traditions barely exist.

I went with a couple of friends to visit the Cave Church,

but to get there you have to take a taxi through Garbage City.

Here is the Wikipedia explanation for Garbage City...

Manshiyat naser (also known as Garbage City) is a slum settlement on the outskirts of the city of Cairo whose economy revolves around the collection and recycling of the city's garbage. Although the area has streets, shops, and apartments like any other area of the city, it lacks infrastructure and often has no running water, sewage, or electricity.

The city's garbage is brought to Manshiyat Naser by the Zabbaleen, or garbage collectors, who then sort through the garbage to attempt to retrieve any potentially useful or recyclable items. As a passerby walks or drives down the road he will see large rooms stacked with garbage with men, women or children crouching and sorting the garbage into unsellable or sellable. Families typically specialize in a particular type of garbage they sort and sell - one room of children sorting out plastic bottles, while the next of women separating cans from the rest. Anything that can be reused or recycled is saved by one of the numerous families in Manshiyat naser. Various recycled paper and glass products are made and sold from the city, while metal is sold by the kilo to be melted down and reused. Carts pulled by horse or donkey are often stacked 2.5 to 3m (8 to 10 feet) high with the recyclable goods.

The economic system in garbage City is classified as the informal sector. Most families typically have worked in the same area and type of specialization in the garbage piles and continue to make enough money to support themselves.

(all these bags are full of trash waiting to be sorted)

It was a very humbling experience.

To see how these people lived,

where they lived.

Children with no shoes sitting next to their mothers helping sort out the trash

And a young boy dancing down the street barefoot smiling

whilst blowing through his homemade paper horn.

It made me exceedingly grateful or all the things that i have.

There was a recent movie made called Garbage Dreams

which is a documentary on some teenage boys living in this area.

I haven't seen it yet

but i've heard it excellent

and want to watch it so i can learn more.

Basic Addition....

Secret Santa

+

Tiny Christmas Tree

+

party games

+

Friends

+

Santa Hats

Random Street Camels

+

Rehearsal

+

Performance

+

Ukulele Christmas Carols

+

Church

+

Bacon

=

My Christmas Eve