i am so pooped.

faced with the choice of continuing re-decoration of the bedroom, and going to aberystwyth to see a play, i elected to do both, and managed to pull it off successfully.

i was materially helped by the BBC having deferred the timeslot for BtVS “Once More With Feeling” by one week inorder to show World Snooker or somesuch, which left me free for a spot of late-night cleanup, masking-tape removal, painting-out any bleeding, and any loose ends.

Bed at 1am, up at 6am, into Reading Oracle, spent an hour and #190 in John Lewis on some very nice curtain rails and fixings, two more hours doing christmas shopping, and then drove straight to Aberystwyth. Worked out that I’ve been there more times in the last year than I have in the previous decade.

Checked in at [www.harrysaberystwyth.com] and had dinner, and then to Aberystwyth Arts Centre to see an old friend (Jim Finnis) in the lead role as Mr Toad in The Wind In The Willows – a classic of British children’s fiction which would probably be publically burned by the religious right in the USA, given its undertones of paganism and homoeroticism, the latter at least on-par with Sherlock Holmes.

The show was brill – superior am-dram – with enough bite to appeal to adults as well as the kids in the audience. The characterisations of Mole and Toad were both especially well done, and I am sure that I’ve clocked the older chap playing Badger, before, but I can’t place him.

Having a pack of Scouse Otters – the lead of whom was played by Catrin, Jim’s SO – was a modern twist, as was the music.

It was a great evening. Post-performance bad puns abounded: “You were a complete, utter Toad!”, “I was Toad away – it came off without a hitch!”, “It’s not easy being green!”, … and so forth. Jim really was on top form, good to see, and the cast seemed like a great bunch, evidently having worked their socks off.

I met up with Carl, Anna, and a “borrowed” small hyperactive sprog at the performance; hadn’t seen them for an awfully long time, so we went for drinks at a local Wine Bar afterwards. Bizzarely we ran into another fellow employee (Clive) who lives locally and remote-works/commutes. The bar (Rummers) was packed-out, and we had two or three pints, chatting about work, friends, bikes and the like.

Bed, 2am. Up 8am. Shower, scrub, dry, breakfast, coffee, load car, and snooze in the driver’s seat, listening to Broadcasting House with Eddie Mair on Radio 4.

Met up once more with Carl and Anna for an extended breakfast – two hours of chitchat, more bikes, friends, and an extended discussion about learning to be glider pilots, plus a trip to the local Deli to see an old and particularly hairy acquaintance and pick up some cheese.

Bid them all farewell at about 1pm and drove home. Had a catnap and then started with the main bedroom reassembly. It’s not yet fit for sleeping – still need to hang curtain rods and fabric, paint and remount radiators – but I’ve put some of the rest of the stuff back, and am quietly satisfied.

Then: Pepper and Rocquette Omelette, a nice Plzner, and bed at 1am. All in all, a jolly good time, and nice to see people again, in a relaxed setting, sans-angst.

So – how was yours?