I've been away for far too long to play catch-up. The Downton Abbey flower show at Kew Gardens was hilariously bonkers; that's the Dowager and Mrs Crawley taking tea (rather disappointing that one - but you should have seen Thomas the Footman imprisoned in vines and poisonous skullduggery). The Royal Ballet adaptation of Like Water for Chocolate was entrancing, even from from my cheap(ish) ticket up in the gods, especially as I hadn't been to the Royal Opera House since my lavish-spending days pre-retirement (sob). HMS Pinafore at the Coliseum seemed like a jolly festive idea but was far too carry-on and pantomime for me, and starred the ghastly Mel whatshername from Bakeoff; yes, my fault I didn't read the blurb properly, but at least there were some good tunes. And if that seems a lot of going-out, well I have been away for three months.

But at least I have one up-to-date recommendation because The Tale of Silyan only opened a few days ago. (We saw it at the ICA which, despite its swanky address on the Mall, is possibly the shabbiest venue in London once you get inside.)It is a Macedonian documentary - I know, that doesn't scream 'rush to buy a ticket' - about a struggling farmer, whose family has been forced to emigrate, who adopts a stork with a broken wing. The cinema was packed with that lovely feeling that the whole audience was riveted by the true story. The bonus was a Q&A session afterwards with the young filmmakers. It only seems to be on at a handful of cinemas but if you can catch it, it's well worth it.