It’s not often we stay over at mum’s but this weekend we did just that. It’s not often we go to the ballet either; yesterday’s evening at the Theatre Royal in Norwich was the second time in six months – we hadn’t even watched one before May’s night in London at the Royal Opera House. But, to get us in the mood for Christmas (in early November), mum and Bart invited us to a performance of one of their favourites, The Nutcracker, performed by Northern Ballet.
Basically the story of a little girl whose Nutcracker doll comes to life (and conveniently turns into a Prince), the tale tells of their adventures in icy, wintry lands where snowflakes and Sugar Plum Fairies dance and toys come to life. Performed to Tchaikovsky’s specially-written score, you know more musical pieces from it than you think you do, and as the Northern Ballet Sinfonia were under the stage in Norwich, you forgot you were actually hearing the music played live.
Northern Ballet’s performance of the traditional Christmas ballet was a blaze of colour, and the Theatre Royal lent itself well to such a showing. The costumes were lavish, the backdrops and set pieces charming, and the production well-paced. But, we’ve come to realise that the second half of any ballet is really just to let the prima ballerina have her (more than one) chance in the spotlight, pirouetting time after time, exiting and then entering the stage again and again, adding nothing to the story at all. Still enjoyable, though.
This morning, we headed over to Bart’s apartment on the Benacre Estate for an egg and muffin breakfast. We provided the eggs, while mum and Bart gave us company and post-eating, we all went for a walk through the leafy lanes and sheep-filled fields that make up the 6700-acre Suffolk estate. The 18th century-style rebuilt Benacre Hall stands as the imposing centrepiece of the estate, while surrounding stables and ex-groom houses lend themselves as perfect, getaway-from-it-all apartments in lavish and quiet grounds.
A traditional mixed farming estate situated on the Suffolk Heritage Coast between Lowestoft and Southwold, the majority of the Bencare Estate lies within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and has just over 3 miles of eastern coastline. It’s a haven for wildlife, and during our brief visit, we not only saw endless sheep and pheasants, but also a herd of jumping Fallow Deer, along with a solitary Muntjac. You wouldn’t believe that you can see that much wildlife literally a stone’s throw from the main A12 Lowestoft to London trunk road, but for part-time townies like us, it helped make the weekend.
