It's a sunny, though cool day at the farmette. Definitely fall, with the maple leaves starting to turn red, gold and bronze.
We had a real adventure last week travelling down to Niagara-On-The-Lake to see The Raven's Curse - our first live theatre performance since the pandemic started in spring 2020. What a treat! Rob bought the tickets as part of my birthday present. I'm finding that experiences, not more 'stuff' are what I enjoy the most. And boy did this one deliver.
Rob chose the Thursday matinee, because fur balls need to be fed, and it's a three hour drive there and another three back. The length of the car ride also meant that, by the time we arrived in NOTL, a pee break was definitely overdue - for me at least.
Soooo, the first opportunity to take a bathroom break was at this roadside diner call Good Eats. Not the most spectacular scenery - a tangle of concrete roads including the QEW.
While the bladder was full, the stomach was empty, so we decided to lunch here, too. Yes, there are many more chi-chi restaurants attached to the hundreds of wineries along the way, but this was just grand. A family-owned diner with a side of groceries for good measure.
Rob had an all-day breakfast and I had a BLT - that was LOADED with pea meal. YUM.
From the outside the Shaw Festival Theatre is pretty unspectacular. Once inside, though, it did not disappoint. It's a lovely, wood-panelled facility that has 869 seats...about a quarter of which were filled, partly because of time of day and partly because of rules around social distancing.
The play was magical. The actors were amazing. The sets were stupendous. I just love sitting in the dark, being told a ripping story and getting caught up in the drama. Basically, it was a Sherlock Holmes mystery that introduces a long-lost cousin Fiona, a
Chinese woman who was adopted into the family as a child when her parents died. I won't go into the details, but there's death, intrigue, a treasure hunt and many twists and turns and revelations of fascinating family ties.
At intermission, we went out onto the balcony for some fresh air, and wandered around the grounds. They actually have a secret garden with a lovely seating area and a wee water fall.
One of the most remarkable aspects of live theatre - for me at least - are the sets. The stage was, by turns, a craggy cliff on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, a men's club, Holmes' home at 221b Baker Street, Raven Hall - the family estate, and a seaside cottage ruin. Of course, it was set in the 1890s, so the costumes were sumptuous. Our friend Jane - who was a costume designer in the theatre for decades - would have loved them.
The photo below was taken at curtain call...nice eh?
All in all, it was a great day. The weather couldn't have been better. Even though it was a long, tiring drive there and back, Rob and I agreed that it was totally worth it. Here's hoping all the friends and family can get out to live events, as well. It really restores your soul. Until next week.