a night at the opera

last evening we were at gran teatro fenice for the concerto di capodanno... naturally hippolyta joined in most of the arias but, fortunately, there were no complaints and she is hopeful that it might have served as an audition for future concerts – only time will tell...

christmas day doings

hippolyta and i enjoy christmas lunch in piazza san marco, venice.

this is the life!

seasonal sentiments

here we are on the balcony of our venetian apartment, ready to say.....

happy christmas!

a seasonal surprise...

when we  got to roger and sheila's the other day i was delighted to find hippolyta waiting for me...

...with her luxury luggage packed and ready to go...

so... there we are! next stop: venice!

on the cards...

...well card, singular, actually. a happy summer memory from 2013 to please a certain lady hippo...

sign of the times

brian was signing 1500 copies of his new hobbit book yesterday, so i went along and was ready to hop in if he got cramp in his his paws...

boo!

trick-or-treating... *

 

*from the buttons archive

b(unny) b(broadcasting) c(orporation)

i popped into the bbc yesterday to help brian finish off the recording of his forthcoming radio serial based on the once and future king.

here i am at the control panel making sure that everything is set up ok...

...having a final check of the script...

...and giving a few notes to the darling actors...

a fine four-fendered friend

brian's making a radio programme about chitty chitty bang bang and we popped down to brooklands motor race course and took a spin in the lovely old bentley...

when brian was sitting in the car, i couldn't help thinking it was a case of a meeting of two vintages...

no comment

by the way, i'm now on facebook

by royal appointment

oh, buttons, oh, buttons,

where have you been?

i went up to london

to visit the queen...

there's nothing quite like...

...the first aperol spritzer of the day...

 
...a nice canal-side spot to have a sit...

...a decent seat at the theatre...

...a candlelight dinner for three...

...and a little comfort at bedtime...

a room with a view

enjoying my balcony in venice...

another helping paw...

still busy helping with brian's birthday presents...

(excellent choice, sharon!)

a helping paw...

just giving brian a little help with one of his birthday presents...

don't worry, roger & sheila, i'll let brian have the empty box for his disney collection!

who's zoo

brian's a fellow of the zsl (zoological society of london) and, on tuesday, he took david and i to the fellows' day where I had one or two interesting experiences...

...like looking at the famous penguin pool that is so historic that the penguins have all moved to a posh new home just round the corner...

...visiting the only elephants now at the zoo...

...helping brian eat his eton mess...

...and, after lunch, getting up close and personal with a tiger...

...and having this decidedly curious encounter...

...where was hippolyta when i could have done with her?

rabbit fodder

time to tuck into hippolyta's easter present! let's hope brian and david keep their paws off...

a cracking time

on a cold, wet, windy easter sunday, hippolyta and i cosyed up in front the fire after lunch and pulled a festive easter cracker...

it was, as always, a happy reunion, if tinged with a touch of sadness in knowing that, this year, we won't be making our usual summer oddyssey to greece...

*sigh*

photo: david weeks

easter holiday movie...

the wicker rabbit!!

easter greetings!

could it possibly be...?

reliving his life on the limpopo?

for ????

 

p.s. (later)

so near and yet so far...

*sigh*

rabbit rhapsody & hippo harmony

a pleasant memory from a couple of weeks ago when, during our post-christmas visit to ascot, david, tickled the ivories and serenaded hippolyta and myself with romantic love songs that captured the mood of our long-awaited (though sadly brief) reunion...

Photo: Roger Shrigley

late christmas

on sunday we had a late christmas celebration with roger, sheila and, of course, hippolyta, who I was disturbed to discover had (like many a diva before her) found her self an admirer in the military.

however, there didn't seem much going on under the busby, so i don't think it's going tot be a relationship of lasting significance.

we had a jolly time and buttons hippo's stories were unexpectedly (and pleasantly) brief...

the ethnic-looking bowl is, i think he said, a native artifact from the upper limpopo.

after a glass or two of prosecco, i'm afraid h and i got a bit rowdy and i chased her up the christmas tree where, obviously, she outshone the star!

bye-bye venice

last day in venice and it is raining! boo!!

b and d are trying to pack so i thought i'd put up a nice picture of a day when it wasn't raining...

...and one of me last evening at teatro goldoni...

it could be a possible venue for buttons hippo's stand-up comedy routine. he could call it 'carry on (and on and on and on) up the limpopo' – only in italian, of course!

new year's nosh

good job i was on hand (or paw) to help as they would never have got through this lot without my assistance...

happy new year!