Royalty on "The Parade"

The Queen
Originally uploaded by knoopie.

After an afternoon BBQ with family friends yesterday, I went to dinner at the movies with Josh and Andrea on The Parade at Norwood, a suburb just outside of the City.

Andrea has just moved to Norwood, and I've always been a big fan of the suburb, even way before Josh used to live there (though he has since moved away). The Parade is a long road in the centre of Norwood that is chock-full of grocers, restaurants, boutiques, and hairdressing salons. There is also a wonderful strip mall there that contains a movie theater and several of the best eating places in Adelaide.

We went to one such place last night for dinner - Madam Wu's. I hadn't been there in a while, obviously, but the meals there are always cheap, fast, and delicious. While Josh was a little disappointed with his meal (did I hear the word 'tastless'?), Reg and I were richly rewarded. My pad thai was particularly yummy, if not a little too filling for me after the BBQ and beer efforts of the earlier afternoon.

We then went over to the cinema to see the 7.10pm session of "The Queen". Did you know that cinema tickets in Adelaide cost $15.30 now? Outrageous. But we paid and went in, and I really enjoyed it. It was weird though, to watch a movie drawing its plot from a time in history that I clearly remember. I was glued to the TV when Diana died, and I remember the outpouring of national grief that took over the streets of London. I recall the overwhelming criticism of the Royal Family and how long it took the Queen to emerge from Balmoral and come down to London. So I found it particularly interesting to view this story from the Queen's point of view (or at least the Director's interpretation of her point of view). I found myself having more sympathy for her, and I really enjoyed the casting of Tony Blair too, cause I hadn't paid any attention to his role in the situation at the time it was actually happening.

After the film we went back to Reg's place for a couple of glasses of wine and a chat; a lovely way to end another busy day at home.