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Sock Monkey has been very busy buying theatre tickets.

After my huge disappointment about completely missing the fact that the B52's were in London and by the time I noticed it had sold out, Sock Monkey went on a bit of a ticket buying binge yesterday.

So here's what I'll be seeing:

P & I already had tickets for Miss Behave's Variety Nighty at the Roundhouse. I am v excited about this. For a start she looks completely barmy and also does sword swallowing (in a recent interview she said that when she started she accidently shoved the sword in all wrong and had internal bleeding). She really swallows swords! There a variety of guests performing with her, such as Lucifire (who I missed at Latitude last year) and Kali Hula Girl
I love things like this so I can hardly wait.

I had already booked tickets to see Matthew Bourne's new production, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' at Sadler's Wells. Have seen his version of The Nutcracker, the all male Swan Lake and The Car Man which were all great so I have high expectations of this.

Then yesterday I was most excited to discover that Robert Lepage has a new show on at the Barbican. Robert Lepage is a bloody genious. I first saw his play 'Tectonic Plates' at the Tramway in Glasgow in 1990 and had never seen anything like it in my life. Then I saw 'Polygraph' and finally 'The Seven Streams of the River Ota' . He made 'Polygraph' into a film but I enjoyed the stage show much more as it just seemed a whole lot more clever.

His new show is called 'Lipsynch' and according to the Barbican website:

"This latest ensemble work... is an epic panorama linking nine lives spanning seven decades, and spinning stories that are surprising, funny and moving.

"As we are taken on a nine-hour journey, we stop off between war-torn Vienna, pre-revolutionary Nicaragua and present day London, encountering people who have lost the power of speech and people for whom speech is the only lifeline.

"A dubbing studio to the world of vocal forensics, Lipsynch follows a cluster of interwoven destinies, where each voice is searching for its own identity."

"As we are taken on a nine-hour journey" - yep it is 9 earth hours long (including 4 intervals and a meal break). We'll need to wear flight stockings to ward off DVT and take a packed lunch.

Then, I bought some tickets to see Camera Obscura again. They are playing in September and they were so good when we saw them last week that I can't wait for this either.


Now Sock Monkey is not entirely certain that I'll be able to get to this show but for goodness sake Martha Reeves and the Vandellas are playing at the Jazz Cafe in a couple of weeks! Followed by a Northern Soul Club Night. I mean - Good Lord you can't miss this. Unfortunately P will be Edinburgh Festivalling, Sam shall be spending the day clay pigeon shooting (as you do - not sure she should be allowed near any firearms...) and I can't think of anyone else who would be remotely interested in coming so I'll just need to perambulate up to North London and dance like a twat on me own.

Before I start my proper job I have 2 weeks off so am going up to Scotland to visit my sister & brother-in-law. They live on a smallholding and have horses, a pony an alsation and mud. Much mud. When I went last year it took approximately 5 minutes from stepping out of my sister's car to being splattered with mud. Then she made me dig potatoes. I sawed logs as well but was absolutely crap at it. Don't have the farmer's wife biceps.

This year I have insisted that we go to Surgeon's Hall Museum in Edinburgh. We didn't have time last year and I neeeeed to see the medical specimens. Sock Monkey has been to The Royal College of Surgeons Medical Museum in London a couple of times and loved it but was extremely disappointed to find on my last visit that the Siamese Twins in a jar had been removed!

I have also instructed my sister to plan lots of activities and to please make me a madeira cake. Last year was great fun so I'm looking forward to spending 5 days in the countryside again with my big sis.

Have in the last few weeks been to my first Hen Night (hideous evidence here), been to a wedding party (congratulations Lisa & Dave), been to see Jonny Woo at the Soho Theatre, met Andrew last Sunday and had a very nice afternoon thank you (spent the time mainly mocking people), it is Lynn's birthday party next weekend. Fancy dress. The theme is dress as something beginning with 'L'. There is luncheon of Dim Sum planned with The Girls (before Mable has her baby and won't be able to go out again for about 20 years)

So all in all it looks like a busy and great fun Summer for Sock Monkey. Probably a rather expensive one too!

Then we have to decide on a destination for New Year. P fancies Madrid, I am erring towards Barcelona...