The Nutcracker, Royal Opera House

We very nearly didn’t make it to the New Year’s Eve performance of the Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House. Tired and discouraged by the gloomy wet weather we were tempted to stay in with a cup of tea in front of the fire. Reminding myself (and my friend) of the uplifting music and sumptuousness of the Royal Opera House productions, we jumped in the car and sped towards Covent Garden, before we could change our minds again.

Uninterested by the mad New Year's Eve nightlife in London, a trip to see the Royal Ballet seemed a perfectly civilised and special alternative. We followed the crowds of best dressed kids up into our cheap seats, and I gleefully got out my beautiful vintage opera glasses I was given for Christmas.

The ballet was beautiful as ever, stunning dancing, costumes and set, and with an orchestra of tremendous force and quality. The interpretation of the story however did confuse me slightly, and I prefer the English National’s Ballet’s more romantic and traditional take on this classic work.

The story begins and ends in the toymaker's workshop, instead of in Clara’s bedroom, strangely making the narrative less enchanting, leaving the audience bewildered about the logistics of the tale, is it a dream or not? We never meet Clara as a child, instead lead ballerina Leanne Cope dances as the young girl throughout, also taking part in the second half show performances which is very odd. Perhaps I have been misled as I grew up with the English National Ballet version, however I think even for a Nutcracker first timer this story choice would be incongruous.

Moving down surreptitiously to a superior box for the second half (I spotted it during Act 1) we had a magnificent view of the production, and it truly sparkles. Leanne Cope is so smiley, it is impossible not to enjoy her performance as Clara and Paul Kay shows great strength and character dancing as her partner, the Nutcracker. Several of the cast were away for our performance but the substitutes were certainly not second rate, Marianela Nunez is a very precise and elegant Sugar Plum Fairy and Yuhui Choe is poised and lovely as the pretty in pink Rose Fairy.

It was quite simply beautiful, the perfect afternoon out, and the perfect way to end 2011.

Continues until 18 January, book here.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 82

Christmas is all about memorable scents and delicious smells, aside from the Christmas dinner turkey, scented candles are a must around the cold winter season, and add to the decorations and sparkle during the festive season. I love the Diptyque candles, their scents are delicate, natural and lasting. I have one in my room, a pretty Tuberose scent, pale yellow in colour, it is a beguiling strong and sensual flowery scent, and always calms me when I light it in the evenings.

The Diptyque company was started in Paris in 1961 when three friends were united by a passion for creativity and design. They opened a shop at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain selling items from their travels and beautifully eccentric fabric designs. To match their fabrics the Diptyque trio begin offering coloured candles with added perfumed wax. The customers fell in love with the inimitable stylish fragrances leading to the introduction of the first Diptyque scented candle in 1963. Ever since they have been luring visitors in with their unique special scents and pretty packaging.

This December Diptyque have launched a lovely range of holiday fragrances especially for the festive season. The Epinette (spruced tree) and Perdigone (spiced plum) scents will bring a luxurious smell to any home while glowing in their red and green pretty glass containers.

The Epinette echoes the aromatic freshness of pine needles and the resinuous notes of pine cones while the Perdigone is a concentrate of warm and fruity notes around a spiced plum that deliciously perfumes the house, comforting in the depths of winter.

The mini candles of Epinette and Perdigone cost £25 each and promise to last 30 hours, they are the perfect stress free Christmas gift.

Buy on the Diptyque website here.

Win a Vegetarian Christmas Feast for your Family from Linda McCartney

My favourite thing about Christmas lunch is the succulent turkey, the crispy little pigs in blankets and the pork and sage stuffing, it is a meat feast. It can be tricky catering for vegetarians at Christmas and making it equally special for them, so Linda McCartney has designed a range of delicious products to satisfy the veggie eaters during this festive season.

I have got a feast of Linda McCartney products to give away, so you can win everything you need for a Veggie Christmas dinner for you and your family.

WIN WIN WIN!

YOU can win a vegetarian feast from Linda McCartney right here! Here’s what you get if you win:

§ 2 x Vegetarian Roast

§ 2 x Cranberry & Camembert Burgers

§ 2 x Rosemary & Red Onion Sausages

§ 2 x Mini Snack Vegetarian Sausages

§ Selection of seasonal vegetables

§ Bottle of sherry

§ A game for the kids

§ A carrot for Rudolph

To enter:

1. For your first chance to win the prize please comment on this post telling me what is your favourite vegetarian Christmas dinner and be a follower of Thoroughly Modern Milly with Google Friend Connect

2. For a second chance to win please tweet this post Win Linda McCartney Christmas vegetarian feast with @millykr http://www.thoroughlymodernmilly5.blogspot.com/ #win #prize and comment HERE telling me you have done so along with your twitter username

3. For a third chance to win please follow me @millykr on twitter and comment HERE to tell me you have done so.

GIVEAWAY RULES

This giveaway is open to all readers with a UK mailing address. The winner will be chosen using an online randomiser and announced in a subsequent post.

I am running this competition on behalf of Linda McCartney who will be sending the prize out to the lucky winner. Their decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

There is one main way to enter and several ways to get bonus entries. You must leave a separate comment for each bonus entry otherwise they will not be counted.

Closing date: 8pm Tuesday 13th December 2011

http://www.lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk/

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

I’d never heard about the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park before, but now I work so close by it’s difficult to miss. The colourful Christmas fair takes up a massive area of the park, with an ice rink, flashing fairground rides, food and drink tents, gift stalls and even a Zippo’s Circus. I must admit that I was deceived into thinking that its gigantic Ferris wheel was in fact the London Eye.

Desperate for some winter ice-skating I tried to book tickets for Somerset House’s idyllic rink, unfortunately they were fully booked, and so Winter Wonderland seemed like the next best option. Hyde Park has never been busier, the hoards of tourists all eager to be part of the action. It costs nothing to enter, but anything bought inside costs a small fortune.

I was hoping the whole place would be more romantic, like the real German markets. We walked round, stopped and listened to the German singing reindeer, and smelled the various pungent pretzel, churros and hot chocolate stands, and walked past many tempting Mulled wine stands. Unfortunately the snow had rather dampened the mood, and walking through muddy sludge made me too cold to concentrate properly. We eventually reached the ice rink, which was much further than I had expected. I pathetically decided I was actually too cold to skate and so we just watched for a while instead.

There are hundreds of stalls, each begging for your custom. I was almost persuaded by a few of the jewellery stands before realising their goods were a bit tacky. The poor stall holders looked fed up and bored, and they must be freezing outside all day in these conditions. After a while I began to feel a little disillusioned by all the lights and noises and decided it was time to go home. Winter Wonderland is a great idea, and must be fun for kids, but it made me realise how much better markets work in summer when it is light enough and warm enough to actually enjoy the occasion.

Godolphin Carol Service

A few nights ago I returned to my old secondary school to see my little sister’s carol concert. Being so busy, I missed her previous showcases and was pleased to be going back for this annual traditional service. Godolphin has quite recently acquired the neighbouring church and can now hold all its concerts in the fully equipped, wonderfully restored space.

I look forward to this carol service every year as the one real chance I have to belt out the classic carols. Annoyingly I seem to get ill just as the concert approaches each year, making the descants frustratingly challenging to sing. This year I opted for some harmonious alto parts instead, to complement the dulcet tones of the school choir. My parents standing nearby were wholly unimpressed.

The evening comprises readings, choir performances, carols sung by ‘all’ and a few inspiring words from Religious Studies teacher Dr.Wolfe, who I remember fondly from my schooldays. Familiar carols such as ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ and ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ rocked the church and it was encouraging to look around and see so many people singing along. My favourite songs were ‘Veni, veni Emmanuel’ and ‘On this day earth shall ring’ with which the choir processed and recessed with just candles to light their way through the darkness; it was beautiful.

I left the church with lifted spirits, feeling the excitement of Christmas.