Matthew Bourne, pick & mix and Paradiso

Clinique freebies, pick & mix, ballet, Paradiso & designer handbags (although Katy's is much more impressive than mine)...

I've been a little bit lazy lately, especially on the blogging front. I've been spending the last couple of days enjoying having time off and catching up on my reading. Last night I went to see Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker with the lovely Katy armed with huge bags of pick & mix (well mine was huge.. Katy wasn't so greedy..).

After seeing Bourne's Dorian Gray back in 2008, I was really looking forward to his reimagining of The Nutcracker, especially after reading rave reviews in the local press,(Journal, Chronicle & Sunderland Echo). And I was definitely not disappointed. Offering a fresh take on the classic tale, the story is moved away from a middle class parlour into a dreary orphanage, from which Clara and her young friends escape to the fantastical Sweetieland. Think Katy Perry's California Girls video meets Tim Burton. In a word: brilliant.

After the ballet we went for food at my new favourite, Paradiso. For those in Newcastle, it's tucked in a little alleyway next to Popolo just off Pilgrim Street and is definitely worth a visit (the lamb in particular is AMAZING). I've now convinced myself that I want to learn Italian after chatting to Palmiro, one of the owners, who told me and Katy about the free classes they run there on a Wednesday night. Free!! I'm so gutted that I work on Wednesday evenings.. although it's probably for the best because I imagine learning French and Italian at the same time would be quite difficult.