Coming back to life

NightNurse is my friend!  Yesterday was a real low, but there's nothing like 12 good hours of sleep to set one to rights.

I had posted my intention to see "Anna Karenina" this afternoon, so I headed to the city centre.  I left my flat around 3, but the movie didn't start until 4:30.  I decided to wander around the city.  The city centre is such an interesting place.  It practically vibrates between 9-4:30 and then it slides into a strange kind of quiet.  I guess I haven't been there on a Saturday during the day, so I was surprised by the level of activity.    There were a number of street performers and people walking around with advertising placards.

This guy was singing a capella.

Unfortunately, I didn't capture this image of the flamethrower/juggler until after he'd doused his flames.

I had so much time to kill I decided to double back a bit and check out some museums I've been meaning to visit.  I went to the Greyfriars, but there was an entrance fee and I didn't have the time to make it worthwhile.  The docent did invite me to go through the garden, so I took a few shots to orient me the next time I get a chance to visit.

While I was snapping photos, I noticed a table tent advertising a performance of "The Canterbury Tales" to take place at the Greyfriars' House this evening.  I went back to the docent to ask about tickets and she said I could pay for it with her and she would just write down my first name.  There was no "ticket" per se, just that list.  I fumbled a bit, but then decided to just go with it.    This place is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, so I have to return another time to get a better appreciation for what the house has to offer.

I still had more than an hour before I had to be at the movie theater, so I stopped in at the Tudor house.  This is another site I need to revisit, but I took a quick run-through just to get a feel for the place.

This place is open only on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11-4.   There's a theme to many of the "old house" museums I've been to here in Worcester and in Wales.  These houses have been home to people throughout the centuries, serving many, many different purposes.

This place was an amalgam of different bits and pieces from around England, not just Worcester.

This placard notice said that the water pump handle had been removed in 1854 because a London doctor had surmised that cholera was a water-borne disease, due to the fact that a number of his patients who had died from the disease had taken drinks from a pump near his practice.

This museum celebrated Worcester-based products the world has come to know and love.

This house was a Cadbury's Coffee House and there might have been a confectioner's and bakery in the same place.

The house also featured a number of "Tudor" fun-facts:

• "The original freelancers were mercenary soldiers who fought with a lance and would fight for anyone that would pay them.  Today it can mean anyone who works for different people or companies."

• "Houses had thatched roofs with thick straw piled high, with no wood underneath.  It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice and bugs) lived in the roof.  When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip off the roof...hence the saying it's raining cats and dogs."

• "Most children were given a silver spoon by their godparents when they were christened.  If you came from a rich family it was assumed you already had one.  It was a sign of wealth that therefore that you had been born with a silver spoon in your mouth."

There's a lot more to the house, but I'll leave it with these two charming exhibits:

The sign reads "I'm just naughty."

The docents were in a hurry to close up the house, so I rushed through the rest of the house.  As I was walking down the stairs, I startled one of the men who was doing a final check.  I assumed him I wasn't a ghost, in spite of some of the placards in the house.

This notice identifies ghosts from the Civil War, as well as monks and nuns who continue to "haunt" the area.  There's a "ghost walk" here in town that I want to take around Halloween.  By the time they were closing up, it was time to head up to the Odeon to see the movie.  I had to leave by way of the tea house, but will try to get there on an upcoming Wednesday or Saturday to taste their wares.

Six students from the programme indicated an interest in seeing "Anna Karenina", so I waited for them after picking up my ticket.  The cashier asked if I wanted a "Premiere" or "Standard" seat.  When I asked what the difference was, he said "more leg room and more comfortable seating"--I chose standard.  We sat through a full half-hour of flat out ads--not just trailers.

I really liked the film--I thought it was beautifully designed and shot.  My daughter wants to see it, so I won't give away any spoilers.  The film was just a little more than two hours, which means I didn't have much time before "The Canterbury Tales", so I bought a foot-long hotdog at the theater.  It proved to be just right for the walk back to Greyfriar's House.

It was a quirky set-up.  There were about 40 seats set up for the audience in the Great Hall of the House.

The performance started a little after 7:30--the different clocks in the house seemed to be at different times
 because the chimes went off at different times.  The actor also adapted three tales ("The Miller's Tale"; "The Franklin's Tale; and "The Pardoner's Tale") for the script.  The performance was a little more than an hour-long and was quite charming.  The actor wore an authentic looking costume which the program noted indicated had been designed and sewn by the actor's wife.  The performance seemed to be a quasi-reader's theatre, as the actor did seem to use the text.  It was also a modernized version of the Tales, which made it very accessible.

Apparently, this is part of a series by this performer called "Tales Out of Time".  It wasn't clear whether or not these performances will all take place at Greyfriar's, but his current repertory includes "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."  Future projects include  Arthurian Tales from "Morte d'Arthur", "The Escape of Charles II," and "The Odyssey."

It was fun to "happen" upon this bit of community theater, but I find myself wondering how people learn about these things.  This is not the first time I've come upon the principle that I should "book" before I partake...of dinner and now, of a performance.  I wish someone would give me a copy of the rules.