Revels Haddon Hall, and Irish in America

Two more photo collages, one set in Haddon Hall in England, and one in Ireland. Both, I believe were set in the 1930's, but the plot for Haddon Hall involves a family buying the Hall and moving in, only to find that when Christmas arrives, the cabinets open, and long-departed inhabitants come out to celebrate.

This is Haddon Hall:

And these are scenes from the Irish show:

I'm posting these collages in aid of our 20th Anniversary Jubilee, and being very brief, because I haven't thought of these posts as "real", but I have to say, each one reminds me what a wonderful Christmas/Solstice show Portland Revels puts on every year, and how much fun and light they bring to my winter world, whether I'm in the cast or on the stage, as I have been for twelve of the nineteen shows. Revels is not just a part of my life, it's a part of my soul.

Celestial Fools, and a Party in Italy

Picture a drab, brown village in the middle of nowhere. Now picture three fantastically garbed medieval clowns arriving, and the party that ensues, along with magic, wonder, song, comedy, and dance. That was 2001 for the Portland Christmas Revels.

I'm skipping 2002 for now, as I don't have that collage done. I'll be back!

In the meantime, the solstice celebrations have moved, in 2003, to Italy:

Portland Christmas Revels shows for 1998-2000

Portland Revels has done two shows of a Celtic nature. The first, in 1998, was broader in focus, encompassing traditions from Scotland, England, and Wales. (Don't quote me there--it's been nearly twenty years, and I'm going by memory.) These are very large images; click on them to see what isn't fitting on the page.

After that came the first French Medieval show, in 1999.

Then, in 2000, a Victorian Show.

Portland Christmas Revels Northlands show, 1997

1997 was the year of our first Northlands show, and featured the national choreographer of Norway, a champion pole dancer (it's a folk form, not what you're thinking! Quite an amazing dance, though.), and a quartet of folk singer-musicians from Karelia, in Russia. I loved this show, and enjoyed talking to the choreographer about my name, which is very popular in Norway.

The first full show Portland Revels put on was in 1996, "The King and the Fool". (For those of my readers who still check in from time to time, 2014 marks our 20th year. These collages are part of the celebration.)

The first Portland Christmas Revels show was produced in 1995. This is a photo collage of shots from that show, which I've heard described as a "sampler". To see the collage in its entirety, just click on it. You can also press F11 on your keyboard to go completely full screen; pressing F11 again will bring back your headers and footers, and whatever other doodads you're accustomed to. Want to see it even larger? Click on the photo again, which will enlarge it to full size. 

A Lovely Valentine's Bottle Swap

Has it really been a year since I last posted? Google tells me so, and I won't argue. And this post is almost a week later than I'd intended, but I've been waging computer battles of epic hair-tearing proportions. (Shhhh. Everything seems to be working reasonably well this evening. Don't even whisper that to the computer jinxing gods!)

Last Thursday was Valentine's Day, and in honor of that I participated in a bottle swap! My sister-I've-never-met-in-person, darling Miz Mollye, over at Fruit of the Spirit was our hostess for it. Have you ever tried one? You take an empty 2 liter bottle, cut a trap door in the side, stuff it full of goodies, and then mail it. (I loved the look on the postal worker's face when I placed the one I was sending on the scale!)

I am here to show off the lovely wonderfulness I received from my swap partner, Terry Lee. (Her blog is here: AllThingsTerryLee .) Are you ready? Here's what the outside of the bottle looked like:

See how she surrounded all the little gifties with pink paper shreds? So pretty! And a close-up of the heart-shaped picture:

I opened my bottle with a girlfriend who'd come for a visit. We could hardly believe our eyes as we pulled one item after another from the bottle. How on earth did she get all this in there?! And almost all of it was gift-wrapped, so there was the delight of anticipation, and opening each one.

Whoo-hoo! Lookit all the CHOCOLATE! I have nibbled, and nibbled, and nibbled, and when I'm not nibbling, I'm hoarding. I swear, sometimes thinking about that chocolate waiting for me is as good as actually eating it. (Well....maybe not quite, lol.)

And so many prezzies! Socks, a bracelet (haven't taken it off since), a little note pad for my purse, a darling hanging heart, decorated box, my initial on a hat/coat hook....

"AC sweet as can be" (My initials are AC. How darling is that? Not to mention flattering!)

The sweet card and envelope, and a delightful stamped and decorated cloth tag:

And last but not least, this metal hanger. I love it, and I'm looking for just exactly the right place to put it.

All I have to say is my swap partner spoiled me absolutely rotten. I have smiled, and smiled, and smiled. Thank you, Terry Lee!