Driving back from Hitchin, having just seen my oldest friend, I found myself musing on life after death - in the sense of what survives us after we die. I've known my friend since we were both 14 years old. That's 35 years ago now. We don't get together very often (hence I received my belated birthday gift from her today - just 3 months late), but the friendship is important to both of us and we keep the link going.
My friend is coping with cancer at the moment. We don't talk about the shadow of death. She's very strong, very positive, and - despite the cancer coming back a year ago - this time metastasized (it was orginally breast cancer), the last year of treatment seems to have it on the retreat at last.... for now.
To be honest, based on the pessamistic appraisal of her chances from a couple of mutual friends who are doctors, I had thought her survival for even a year was unlikely. But here she is! Every so often a phrase slips out that reveals that she knows her time may be quite limited. And in this her 49th year she has been doing plenty of special 'bucket list' things - while at the same keeping life as normal as possible for her 12 year old son. She goes to work, she does all the normal stuff. For now. But will she get another 5 years? 10 years? Another 20? A full life-span?
As for me, I'm currently happy to be alive. That may sound trite, but it's surprisingly novel for me. My recurrent depressions are always marked by finding it hugely onerous to have to go on living. But I'm not depressed at the moment - I like not being depressed! I am, however, being rather careless with the gift of my life. I had an abnormal smear a few years ago and had to have laser ablation. Got the all-clear thereafter, but am still supposed to have a smear every six months. For the second year, I have ignored the recall letter - putting it off till it's more like 12 months since the last smear. Is this sensible? Of course not!
And in the car, I was thinking about how we live on - in people's memories and the like. I no longer believe in a spiritual survival after death - so as far as I'm concerned when you die you die and that's the end. But the effect we have on the world can live on after we have gone. The most obvious way, for me, is through my sons - and possibly (in due course) their children and their children's children. There's the biological survival of the DNA - but there's also the shaping of their formative years and what they take into their adulthood and future parenting (if any). And so on.
There are other marks we leave on the planet - good and bad. For example that blithe carbon footprint and all those disposable nappies in landfillI on the down-side (how will the next generation - and the one after that - cope in the world *we've* taken for granted and left spoilt? Will there come a time when it would seem kinder not to bring a child into such a world, I wonder?).
I once did the thought experiment of writing my own imaginary epitaph, choosing what I would like to have achieved, what I would like to be remembered for (we were encouraged to dream rather than restrict ourselves to what was strictly likely in a prosaic sense). My epitaph was mostly about family stuff (eg 'a greatly loved great-grandmother', that kind of thing) rather than (say) inventing some new amazing gizmo. Perhaps I also included a bit of credit for my role in scouting - I like to think some of the Beavers over the years might retain some memories of the things they enjoyed doing, and that had an impact on them, thanks to that Beaver Leader of theirs - what was her name? Keema??
I love the quip I read once - no one ever looks back and says ' Oh I just wish I had spent longer in the office.' Apart from the vocational saints and geniuses, work is not 'life' - it is not where our fond and meaningful memories are to be found (although now that I'm in an educational job, rather than an administrative one, I do feel more connected: the effect of what I do now to help these young children, especially the ones with special needs, seems so very very important.) I don't remember the name of my Brownie leader, or (even younger) my Bunnie Leader, but I do have a few tiny memories of doing things in those groups. I remember my P2 teacher a little bit (mostly the negative aspects - cos she was very scarey!), but I don't remember my P1 teacher at all. One primary school teacher in particular (P3? P4?) had a HUGE and very positive effect on me - Mrs Cook. She was a wonderfully enabling and permissive (yet strict) teacher, and I blossomed in ways I might not otherwise have done thanks to her.
Books and the like are all very well (the other kind of children you can leave behind you and which carry part of you into the future (until all the copies in the world are lost...or just unread), but they're not the same as living in someone's memory (unless, perhaps, you are Shakespeare; although now some say the man called Shakespeare wasn't the true author of the plays - 'the play's the thing' not really any man behind them - he hardly matters in the end.)
Not sure why it should matter, but the thought of being forgotten seems sad. Of course most of us do eventually get forgotten - the history books only record a very very tiny minority of all the humans who have ever lived. I can still remember both of my grandmothers. Even my eldest son (possibly the youngest too) has tiny bits of memory of them, having visited them many times when very young (great granny who can't hear and great granny who can't speak). But eventually I will die and eventually my sons will die - and in the end there will be no-one alive with any first hand experience or memory of my grandmothers. The chain only stretches that far. The hands linking one-generation-to-the-next-and-the-next is fragile and short. A limited daisy chain, pretty but soon broken.
Saturday, 28 April 2012
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Another gulp by the culture vultures: David Hockney conspicuously consumed
Bob and I went to see the David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy today - Easter Sunday, 8th April 2012 (we had a timed ticket for 6.30pm). Despite the crowds, there was much to enjoy. Room after room glowing with views of the lush green (or mellow hazy purples, oranges and browns) of the yorkshire countryside. Wall after wall stuffed full of images. The impact was one of accumulation rather than individual focus.
Bob consumes exhibitions ridiculously quickly. He called me selfish for not being willing to bolt my own visual banquet, since he then had to hang around long enough to get very VERY tetchy about the wait. But I simply could not digest the feast any quicker!
Having gone through all (but one) of the rooms, I tracked back to the start and walked through again one more time, more quickly this time, just trying to fix in my memory the lasting traces of each room's effect (affect?) on me, and the highlights that 'spoke' to me (singing off the walls) here and there.
The very first circular room had four paintings of the same scene with three trees, portraying the four seasons. Winter in this room was an out and out highlight for me - I bought the mug with this image on it (one way to consume art: I like getting to see it frequently in this form).
The second room was of early landscapes - some of them all time wonders, such as the grand canyon and the Mulholland Drive ones. And another couple of highlights for me were to be found in the third room, the first yorkshire landscapes - with wonderful stripey plough-lines in the fields, the patchwork of fields and the swooping, curving road (this latter one now adorning my fridge as a fridge magnet). (A different example from this room is shown below)
A less successful section was the wall of watercolour sketches in the next room. Hockney's watercolours just look crass; he does not use the delicacy of the medium but rather just ends up with faded muddy approximations of his oils. The wall of smallish landscape oils seemed to me an example of when more is somehow less - the huge number of images almost devaluing each one as an individual painting. At right angles, on the wall opposite the watercolours, was a much larger vibrant yellow oil painting which stood out as a particular favourite.
The next room (5), was Tunnels. On first encounter I liked several of these, but on my repeat 'walk-through' they didn't stand out (although I did like the effect of so many images of the same scene with each looking so different; in this case the cumulative effect was enhancing and effective).
Room 6 was Woldgate Woods - Six massive canvases focussing on the same scene. One or two I liked better than the others, but again no particularly strong highlight, but rather an enjoyment of them in juxtapostion.
Room 7 - Hawthorn blossom - had one singing highlight, with a delightful picture that made me literally smile with pleasure when I first turned to look at it. But in the same room there were also some heavy, lumpy pictures which (for me) didn't really capture the delicacy and frothiness of abundant white blossom (whereas, oddly, the charcoal studies did). Some of the pictures were, however, appealing for other reasons - reminding me of alien landscapes with vivid exaggerated colours and weird bulky white shapes, like aliens
Trees and Totems (No 8) was my absolute favourite of all the rooms. And I loved, loved LOVED the biggest of the works, with the fauvist intensity of the colours (purple and rich yellow ochre) and the simplified graphic style of the shapes, and the sinewy lines. These are studio works, based on many charcoal studies. The imaginative freedom reduces the sense of 3D space in the final works (compared with those painted fast in situ) BUT the flatter decorative surface and intensity of colour really zing! This was the only postcard I purchased (a consumer again) It is currently attached (by magnetic clip) to the fridge. Nom nom nom.
In the Arrival of Spring room (No 9) the much vaunted ipad art was effective but overblown - they did not really translate well to the vastly enlarged print size. On the other hand, viewed from the distance of half-way across the room, they did 'work'. I did, however, love the huge 32 canvas work on the remaining wall - stylised and decorative, (reminding me a little of Gauguin - or perhaps I mean Matisse, I'm not sure which!) - and this was another work which translates very well to the form of mug decoration for my continued enjoyment
And then in the final room (No 13) (or two rooms, due to a major central partition) - there were recent works. First a set of several HUGE ipad prints of Yosemite Valley - which, despite him questioning the overblown size for the unsubtle nature of these ipad images, held up as overall favourites in the exhibition for Bob. I remain torn. Part of me just thinks 'ego' when I see the images enlarged to such a ridiculous size when originally created at the size of an ipad. But at the same time, they do have an impact and the simplicity of line and shape 'works' - as long as you don't go up and peer at them. You have to stand back and then the scale can have the right impact. Round the dividing wall and the very final space featured a few more of the studio pictures with vivid colours and almost abstracted shapes, with oddly floating disembodied glowing green leaves in the very forefront of the picture's surface. Another pleasing graphic design for endless reproduction.
The colour pallette of both these final works - and those in the Trees and Totems room - were cleverly turned into beautiful (abstract) silk scarves in the Hockney shop. But I resisted the temptation, beautiful as they were.
I further exasperated Bob by spending another sizeable chunk of time in the shop - selecting the two mugs, the fridge magnet and the postcard mentioned above, in addition to the full (expensive!) exhibition catalogue.
By the time I joined him outside he was nigh on apoplectic, which meant that the journey home was rather unpleasant. He kept calling me selfish, because I (as always) got what I wanted and didn't compromise (ie by spending much longer than he wanted to spend looking around the exhibition) - but the sacrifice he was insisting I should have made would have been too much for me to bear: ie to leave the exhibition prematurely - when Bob was sated but I wasn't. Like leaving a play at the interval, or having one's gourmet meal whipped away after the first few mouthfuls, just because another diner had eaten as much as they wanted.
I don't know what the answer will be for future exhibitions - can we ever manage to go to exhibitions together without falling out over the difference in the amount of time we each want to spend there? Can I speed up a bit without feeling miserable about it? Perhaps Bob should just be free to go on home and leave me to it. (I'm sure the time of day didn't help on this occasion - even early evening is not a Bob-friendly time slot. I've now got huge concerns about the theatre tomorrow evening. Forcing Bob to come with me may prove to be a terrible mistake - he's almost decided already not to like it cos he feels press-ganged into going.)
(I don't recall us falling out so badly over the other exhibition we went to recently: the Yayoi Kasama one. Did I go faster than I would have wanted to, left to my own devices? Did I compromise?? I can't really remember. But certainly Bob didn't get sooooo cross - I don't recall him getting cross at all - and he enjoyed the shop bit almost as much as I did on that occasion (we spent even more money on exhibition-related items that day!)
Our journey home was dreadful - misjudgement after misjudgement made for a horrible combination of tube, replacement rail bus, ordinary bus, longish walk, and then (finally) car. But we managed to achieve an equilibrium, with mugs of tea, so that if not altogether fond we were at least no longer furious by the time Bob turned in (at a surprising late - for him - 10pm)
So, there you have it - art and marital issues. Chomp, chomp chomp.
(Post script: Bob really enjoyed the play - 'The Recruiting Officer' the following night, as did I. Very relieved, I must say!)
Bob consumes exhibitions ridiculously quickly. He called me selfish for not being willing to bolt my own visual banquet, since he then had to hang around long enough to get very VERY tetchy about the wait. But I simply could not digest the feast any quicker!
Having gone through all (but one) of the rooms, I tracked back to the start and walked through again one more time, more quickly this time, just trying to fix in my memory the lasting traces of each room's effect (affect?) on me, and the highlights that 'spoke' to me (singing off the walls) here and there.
The very first circular room had four paintings of the same scene with three trees, portraying the four seasons. Winter in this room was an out and out highlight for me - I bought the mug with this image on it (one way to consume art: I like getting to see it frequently in this form).
The second room was of early landscapes - some of them all time wonders, such as the grand canyon and the Mulholland Drive ones. And another couple of highlights for me were to be found in the third room, the first yorkshire landscapes - with wonderful stripey plough-lines in the fields, the patchwork of fields and the swooping, curving road (this latter one now adorning my fridge as a fridge magnet). (A different example from this room is shown below)
A less successful section was the wall of watercolour sketches in the next room. Hockney's watercolours just look crass; he does not use the delicacy of the medium but rather just ends up with faded muddy approximations of his oils. The wall of smallish landscape oils seemed to me an example of when more is somehow less - the huge number of images almost devaluing each one as an individual painting. At right angles, on the wall opposite the watercolours, was a much larger vibrant yellow oil painting which stood out as a particular favourite.
The next room (5), was Tunnels. On first encounter I liked several of these, but on my repeat 'walk-through' they didn't stand out (although I did like the effect of so many images of the same scene with each looking so different; in this case the cumulative effect was enhancing and effective).
Room 6 was Woldgate Woods - Six massive canvases focussing on the same scene. One or two I liked better than the others, but again no particularly strong highlight, but rather an enjoyment of them in juxtapostion.
Room 7 - Hawthorn blossom - had one singing highlight, with a delightful picture that made me literally smile with pleasure when I first turned to look at it. But in the same room there were also some heavy, lumpy pictures which (for me) didn't really capture the delicacy and frothiness of abundant white blossom (whereas, oddly, the charcoal studies did). Some of the pictures were, however, appealing for other reasons - reminding me of alien landscapes with vivid exaggerated colours and weird bulky white shapes, like aliens
Trees and Totems (No 8) was my absolute favourite of all the rooms. And I loved, loved LOVED the biggest of the works, with the fauvist intensity of the colours (purple and rich yellow ochre) and the simplified graphic style of the shapes, and the sinewy lines. These are studio works, based on many charcoal studies. The imaginative freedom reduces the sense of 3D space in the final works (compared with those painted fast in situ) BUT the flatter decorative surface and intensity of colour really zing! This was the only postcard I purchased (a consumer again) It is currently attached (by magnetic clip) to the fridge. Nom nom nom.
In the Arrival of Spring room (No 9) the much vaunted ipad art was effective but overblown - they did not really translate well to the vastly enlarged print size. On the other hand, viewed from the distance of half-way across the room, they did 'work'. I did, however, love the huge 32 canvas work on the remaining wall - stylised and decorative, (reminding me a little of Gauguin - or perhaps I mean Matisse, I'm not sure which!) - and this was another work which translates very well to the form of mug decoration for my continued enjoyment
Next was the Sermon on the Mount room (No 10). The final and largest work in here left me rather cold - the orange mountain/rock just looked silly I thought. The less exaggerated, more naturalistic version of the picuture was ok, but again it struck me as a bit ho hum. The only work that piqued my interest was the (almost humorous) study with the mountain now a cosmic pyramid shooting out rays of energy (or something like that!). I suppose part of the trouble with the Sermon on the Mount project may have something to do with the interest in the landscape being to the detriment of the original spiritual focus of the Claude Lorrain painting which Hockney was reworking here.
The moving (but not moving in the emotional sense!) multiple images in the video room (No 11) didn't convince - more headache and eye-ache than anything else.
But beyond that room was another which I almost missed out (and I later helped another couple who were in danger of omitting it in error), a tiny dark cave-like space, cocooning the secret heart of the exhibition, in the shape of sketch-books and actual ipads (Room 12). This was very much one of the highlights for me - and I only wish I could have spent longer looking at every single image in the slideshow for each sketchbook (the sketchbooks themselves being in the glass cases, open at one double-spread page each, but with an electronic slideshow on a screen above).
The colour pallette of both these final works - and those in the Trees and Totems room - were cleverly turned into beautiful (abstract) silk scarves in the Hockney shop. But I resisted the temptation, beautiful as they were.
I further exasperated Bob by spending another sizeable chunk of time in the shop - selecting the two mugs, the fridge magnet and the postcard mentioned above, in addition to the full (expensive!) exhibition catalogue.
By the time I joined him outside he was nigh on apoplectic, which meant that the journey home was rather unpleasant. He kept calling me selfish, because I (as always) got what I wanted and didn't compromise (ie by spending much longer than he wanted to spend looking around the exhibition) - but the sacrifice he was insisting I should have made would have been too much for me to bear: ie to leave the exhibition prematurely - when Bob was sated but I wasn't. Like leaving a play at the interval, or having one's gourmet meal whipped away after the first few mouthfuls, just because another diner had eaten as much as they wanted.
I don't know what the answer will be for future exhibitions - can we ever manage to go to exhibitions together without falling out over the difference in the amount of time we each want to spend there? Can I speed up a bit without feeling miserable about it? Perhaps Bob should just be free to go on home and leave me to it. (I'm sure the time of day didn't help on this occasion - even early evening is not a Bob-friendly time slot. I've now got huge concerns about the theatre tomorrow evening. Forcing Bob to come with me may prove to be a terrible mistake - he's almost decided already not to like it cos he feels press-ganged into going.)
(I don't recall us falling out so badly over the other exhibition we went to recently: the Yayoi Kasama one. Did I go faster than I would have wanted to, left to my own devices? Did I compromise?? I can't really remember. But certainly Bob didn't get sooooo cross - I don't recall him getting cross at all - and he enjoyed the shop bit almost as much as I did on that occasion (we spent even more money on exhibition-related items that day!)
Our journey home was dreadful - misjudgement after misjudgement made for a horrible combination of tube, replacement rail bus, ordinary bus, longish walk, and then (finally) car. But we managed to achieve an equilibrium, with mugs of tea, so that if not altogether fond we were at least no longer furious by the time Bob turned in (at a surprising late - for him - 10pm)
So, there you have it - art and marital issues. Chomp, chomp chomp.
(Post script: Bob really enjoyed the play - 'The Recruiting Officer' the following night, as did I. Very relieved, I must say!)
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Christy Moore
Before I went to the concert at the Royal Festival Hall this evening (on my own) I was a tad worried that I wouldn't enjoy it and would regret having bought the ticket. I need not have worried. The live experience was electrifying! A smattering of songs I knew and many I didn't (I only have two Christy Moore CDs, the old classic Ride On and his most recent one, Folk Tale.) It was hearing the Morecombe Bay song on Radio 4 a month or so ago that prompted me to buy a ticket to see him live. He did indeed play that particular song, and also (as the last one before the encores) the classic Ride On.
Duriing the concert, I tried to keep a note of the set list, although the oddities of predictive text scrambled some of the titles beyond any recognition.
Here's the list as far as I have it recorded# (I think I missed a few)
In addition to the ones mentioned below, I've got one other whole song recorded (audio only) which I don't know the title of; and a snippet of video which I also don't know.
How long
Sacco and Vanzetti
Missing You - RECORDED
Barrowland
Farmer Michael Hayes
Veronica
Holy Ground
Casey you're the devil
The City of Chicago (on the Ride On CD)
My Little Honda 50 (not a song I'd liked previously, but it was great live!)
Little Musgrave
((?? Predictive text put 'Ots one', so no idea what this one was!)
Sunshine (a solo by Declan)
North and South of the River (written with Bono and the Edge; there are versions by Christy with the U2 guys providing backing vocals and there's also a version by U2)
Gortatagort
Viva la Quinte Brigade (on the Ride On CD)
Butterfly (So Much Wine) - have now discovered this song is a cover, original is by The Handsome Family, but Christy sings it about/dedicates it to George Best.
Don't forget your shovel
Ordinary Man - SNIPPET OF VIDEO
Delirium Tremens (mentioned in the Telegraph Review)
Matty (=Dark Familiar one) - have this one RECORDED in full (audio)
Sweet Thames (apparently he always does this when performing on the Southbank)
McIlhatton (on the Ride On CD)
Joxer (= funny football song, referencing Jack Charleton)
Ride On (have this one on the Ride On CD ofcourse)
Burning Time
(Cliffs of Dooneen?) - RECORDED
Lisdoonvarna - RECORDED (and it's on Ride On CD)
Links to articles about Christy Moore
His song-writing (in the Telegraph):
http://soc.li/W1jgpug
A review of the Concert I saw (in the Telegraph)
http://soc.li/EAp6LWN
Another review (in the Guardian)
http://gu.com/p/36y65
Just been listening to 3 very different versions of 'North and South of the River' - on Youtube. It was one of my favourites during the concert - a beautiful song about the relationship between the north and south of Ireland. It was co-written by Christy Moore, Bono and The Edge. Both U2 and Christy Moore have performed and recorded it. The only live version by U2 differs greatly from their recorded version (I don't much like the latter). And there's an early version with main vocal by Christy plus backing vocals by Bono and The Edge (hard to get hold of, but I've ordered a CD from Amazon that I *think* has it on it.
Duriing the concert, I tried to keep a note of the set list, although the oddities of predictive text scrambled some of the titles beyond any recognition.
Here's the list as far as I have it recorded# (I think I missed a few)
In addition to the ones mentioned below, I've got one other whole song recorded (audio only) which I don't know the title of; and a snippet of video which I also don't know.
How long
Sacco and Vanzetti
Missing You - RECORDED
Barrowland
Farmer Michael Hayes
Veronica
Holy Ground
Casey you're the devil
The City of Chicago (on the Ride On CD)
My Little Honda 50 (not a song I'd liked previously, but it was great live!)
Little Musgrave
((?? Predictive text put 'Ots one', so no idea what this one was!)
Sunshine (a solo by Declan)
North and South of the River (written with Bono and the Edge; there are versions by Christy with the U2 guys providing backing vocals and there's also a version by U2)
Gortatagort
Viva la Quinte Brigade (on the Ride On CD)
Butterfly (So Much Wine) - have now discovered this song is a cover, original is by The Handsome Family, but Christy sings it about/dedicates it to George Best.
Don't forget your shovel
Ordinary Man - SNIPPET OF VIDEO
Delirium Tremens (mentioned in the Telegraph Review)
Matty (=Dark Familiar one) - have this one RECORDED in full (audio)
Sweet Thames (apparently he always does this when performing on the Southbank)
McIlhatton (on the Ride On CD)
Joxer (= funny football song, referencing Jack Charleton)
Ride On (have this one on the Ride On CD ofcourse)
Burning Time
(Cliffs of Dooneen?) - RECORDED
Lisdoonvarna - RECORDED (and it's on Ride On CD)
Links to articles about Christy Moore
His song-writing (in the Telegraph):
http://soc.li/W1jgpug
A review of the Concert I saw (in the Telegraph)
http://soc.li/EAp6LWN
Another review (in the Guardian)
http://gu.com/p/36y65
Just been listening to 3 very different versions of 'North and South of the River' - on Youtube. It was one of my favourites during the concert - a beautiful song about the relationship between the north and south of Ireland. It was co-written by Christy Moore, Bono and The Edge. Both U2 and Christy Moore have performed and recorded it. The only live version by U2 differs greatly from their recorded version (I don't much like the latter). And there's an early version with main vocal by Christy plus backing vocals by Bono and The Edge (hard to get hold of, but I've ordered a CD from Amazon that I *think* has it on it.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Week-end trip to Malvern
Bob and I went away for a couple of nights. We set off late morning on Friday, heading for Droitwich (where?); I had booked a place called Middleton Grange near the village of Salwaupe just outside Droitwich, planning to use this as a base to explore both Worcester and the Malverns.
We tried to go to a National Trust place in the area, but discovered it was shut that day. We then had a look at Droitwich itself, never having been there. It wasn't really worth the effort. One rather fine tudor building, the Raven Hotel, was sadly all closed up and impenetrable. Instead we found a little bistro for a quick bite (rather a late lunch; we didn't finish eating till about 3.30pm!) I had a panini - tuna, onion and melted cheese; Bob had spicy soup and a sandwich. I must confess I also had an icecream sundae (yum!)
We went straight to the Guesthouse after that, greeted by the very friendly owners. We had a cup of tea in our room, then went for a short walk in the immediate area, mainly for the dog's sake. We couldn't follow the public footpath across the field because an odd bloke was sitting on the style (with his black dog beside him) We went down a farm road instead, but had to double back, then contemplated walking along the other road to the village, but decided there was too much fast farm traffic! We then tried the other direction, and then a muddy track across a field, but decided to turn back in the end, cos it wasn't particularly interesting - and we then discovered we were taking a vast amount of the field's mud with us (my boots had doubled in weight!) Back at the car, prior to going anywhere for a meal, it took quite a while to remove all the mud (Bob had picked up a stick specially for the job)
Since it was still fairly early (and we had eaten such a late lunch), we decided to drive a bit further to find somewhere to eat. We drove into Worcester and discovered a whole line of Indian restaurants. We picked the one we liked the look of, left the dog in the car, and tried to order a *small* amount of curry! Both of us tried unusual sounding dishes (I think it was a Bangladeshi restaurant) and I liked mine rather more than Bob liked his. But the main highlight of the experience was the wonderful subtitling on the Bollywood music video on the big TV screen: 'she stole my heart under various pretexts' Now that's a song lyric to boggle the mind!
We headed back to our B&B for a nice relaxing evening of TV (Bob fell asleep very early indeed - but he really was - and still is - very poorly with the same nasty cold I had last week!) I was secretly pleased to get to watch American Idol, although I did also get to grips with the instructions of both of my new board games (no chance of getting Bob to play either of them, not with his head so full of soggy cotton-wool) I also had a quick look at my new book - the Companion volume to the Hugo film.
Saturday looked like it might be a good day. We had booked breakfast for 8.30am and that felt just right - not too early but not too late either. I had a much bigger cooked breakfast than Bob (which seemed a bit odd) Off we went, with plans to climb some hills. First, however, we stopped off in the centre of Malvern itself and found a wonderful second-hand bookshop for some lengthy browsing (dog back in the car ofcourse). A spot of tea (or rather hot chocolate) and cake in the Blue Bird Tearooms (lemon drizzle for me, some apple/sultana teacake for Bob). A quick visit to the Tourist Info centre supplied us with a couple of handy leaflets with car parks marked for access to the hills. And then lastly we popped into the Priory Church and were rather taken with the MODERN stained glass window. Also spotted the medieval tiles on the wall round the back of the altar. We didn't have the camera with us, unfortunately. Just bought a thimble, but not the guide book. Wish I could remember more about what we saw.Must ask Bob tomorrow.
We headed back in the car (our two hours had just expired!) Headed down the road to pick a car park and realised the weather had disintegrated into dodgey and potentially rainy. Nonetheless, for the sake of the dog, we decided a quick brum was necessary. We parked near the British Camp and headed up the path, intending initially just to go as far as it took before Cadi 'relieved' herself. But - despite the light rain - I couldn't help but want to head on up and up and up! (I had an umbrella and my full length furry coat) The grey clouds got lower, the wind got stronger and - by the time we had nearly reached the top - the rain had turned into hail!!!!! My umbrella blew inside out time after time (but it was still better to have it than not!)
On the way back down, I could see the back of Bob's legs - totally TOTALLY soaking wet, from thighs to ankles. So there was nothing for it but to head across the road to the Hotel./Bar/Restaurant - lunch simply to allow us to sit in the warm to dry off! We left the soaking wet Cadi in the car (wrapped in a towel so she didn't get chilly) Bob enjoyed his lamb shank, but I wasn't really hungry enough to enjoy my cod and chips! Cups of tea (ofcourse!) but Bob also had room for a pudding! He had a creme brulee thing that looked very nice. We picked up our boots again from the porch and headed back to the car - the sun now streaming from a bright blue sky!!!!! But we had lost our umph so couldn't face another hill-walk. Instead (barring one brief stop for some photos - just to prove how lovely the scenery now looked in the sunshine!) we headed for Worcester, to visit the Cathedral there. We found a relatively convenient car park, and had a chance to get a closer look at the remaining tower of St Andrew's on our way. Left the dog in the car again (still soaking wet, but not cold) The Cathedral was wonderful - so much to take in. Lots of quirky details. I particularly loved the Crypt, and the circular Chapter House (with the old bells along the shelf just outside it)
We decided we didn't really need an evening meal and instead stopped off at a convenience store to pick up some emergency rations to take back to our room. As Bob said this morning, it was a bit like having a midnight feast! We both indulged in the dubious pleasure of Pot Noodle! Unfortunately Bob decided to share his with is trousers! His only pair of trousers on the week-end trip (yes, he wore them again today with visible splats)
Bob again fell asleep very early, and I watched some undemanding telly until ready to sleep as well. But (like the previous night) I had to take Cadi out for her late-night widdle before I could go to bed. Unfortunately Cadi then woke me up wimpering to be let out at 7am. Grrrr. I took her out, but she wasn't really desperate after all - faker! There was a light dusting of snow or hail stones on the grass and the car. But the day looked set fair. Another small breakfast for Bob and a BIG one for me! A quick shower after breakfast (Bob had had his beforehand) and we checked out just before 10am, paying in cash.
We had decided to wend our way home by a different more scenic route, but first went south and decided to stop off for a quick walk somewhere on the Malvern Hills - a sunny walk to make up for the previous day's very wet one! I remembered seeing something in the tourist info leaflet about a hidden lake, and we managed to find the car park nearest to it. The easy access trail was flat and took us to the quarry with the lake in it. We walked right down to the edge of the lake and Cadi - crazy dog that she is went right in (the water looked freezing, with areas of ice in parts!)
We decided to carry on - the trail started to climb and to bend back on itself as we climbed up and up - eventually skirting along the very top of the Quarry itself. It was fantastic when we found a way onto the top of the ridge, and were then able to see the view on both sides. We could also see right along the ridge, with the British Camp in the distance. The sun was dazzling. It was still cold, but we warmed up through walking. The dappled shade in the woods on the steep hillside looked particularly beautiful.
I was surprised to discover how long we had been up the hill! It was already after 12 by the time we got back to the car! We headed for the British Camp car park in search of toilets and decided to go over to the little outdoor snack hut to get a hot drink (or, in Bob's case, some soup) before we headed on. We sat in the car to drink these (I had a rather thick and sickening hot chocolate, along with a large banana - a good combination; although I did feel a bit sick later as a result) Bob had a huge bread roll with his tomato soup, and a rock cake as well! That was all the lunch we needed really. I set the Sat Nav to take us the 'shortest' way, rather than the fastest, and we headed south. The route included an alarmingly narrow B road, and a bit of a problem when the Sat Nav wanted us to go along a road marked 'Private Road' which we then had to work around. BUT - despite Bob's grumbles - the main advantage was that we ended up going through Tewksbury - a town we had never visited before. It was absolutely beautiful! Full of stunning half-timbered tudor buildings. The route later also took us through Cheltenham, which wasn't so impressive - apart, that is, from Cheltenham College, which looked absolutely beautiful!
Short routes are very VERY much slower, so it took a lot longer to make our way back. We had to stop two more times, however.Once was a fairly urgent stop because I became SO sleepy I knew I was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel. We just pulled in to a parking area and I grabbed one of my micro-naps: my seat reclines really well so I quickly nodded off for 20 minutes. Unfortunately Bob couldn't work out how to recline his seat.
We also stopped off for a cup of tea/coffee in Burford. I had a cream tea, but swapped the tea for coffee. Bob had a toasted tea cake with his tea. We popped into a trendy clothes shop - interesting rain coats and hats but far too expensive.
The rest of the journey went pretty quickly and we were back just after 4.30pm. A bit later than I'd hoped but not too bad. This blog is rough and ready - just didn't want to forget the bare bones of the trip.Things get jumbled so easily. I can always come back and edit it, to add details etc.
Last night I felt pretty negative about the trip as a whole, but this morning really changed things for me and balanced the whole thing out somehow. For both Bob and I, the sunny walk this morning was the highlight of the whole week-end. Other favourite bits were the WET walk (funnily enough!) and either the second hand book shop or (for me, as an equal third to that) the Indian meal on Friday evening. Bob's illness was definitely a factor, but he pushed on and just kept taking doses of tablets every 4 hours. It did, however, prevent him from enjoying Worcester Cathedral as much as he might otherwise have done.
We tried to go to a National Trust place in the area, but discovered it was shut that day. We then had a look at Droitwich itself, never having been there. It wasn't really worth the effort. One rather fine tudor building, the Raven Hotel, was sadly all closed up and impenetrable. Instead we found a little bistro for a quick bite (rather a late lunch; we didn't finish eating till about 3.30pm!) I had a panini - tuna, onion and melted cheese; Bob had spicy soup and a sandwich. I must confess I also had an icecream sundae (yum!)
We went straight to the Guesthouse after that, greeted by the very friendly owners. We had a cup of tea in our room, then went for a short walk in the immediate area, mainly for the dog's sake. We couldn't follow the public footpath across the field because an odd bloke was sitting on the style (with his black dog beside him) We went down a farm road instead, but had to double back, then contemplated walking along the other road to the village, but decided there was too much fast farm traffic! We then tried the other direction, and then a muddy track across a field, but decided to turn back in the end, cos it wasn't particularly interesting - and we then discovered we were taking a vast amount of the field's mud with us (my boots had doubled in weight!) Back at the car, prior to going anywhere for a meal, it took quite a while to remove all the mud (Bob had picked up a stick specially for the job)
Since it was still fairly early (and we had eaten such a late lunch), we decided to drive a bit further to find somewhere to eat. We drove into Worcester and discovered a whole line of Indian restaurants. We picked the one we liked the look of, left the dog in the car, and tried to order a *small* amount of curry! Both of us tried unusual sounding dishes (I think it was a Bangladeshi restaurant) and I liked mine rather more than Bob liked his. But the main highlight of the experience was the wonderful subtitling on the Bollywood music video on the big TV screen: 'she stole my heart under various pretexts' Now that's a song lyric to boggle the mind!
We headed back to our B&B for a nice relaxing evening of TV (Bob fell asleep very early indeed - but he really was - and still is - very poorly with the same nasty cold I had last week!) I was secretly pleased to get to watch American Idol, although I did also get to grips with the instructions of both of my new board games (no chance of getting Bob to play either of them, not with his head so full of soggy cotton-wool) I also had a quick look at my new book - the Companion volume to the Hugo film.
Saturday looked like it might be a good day. We had booked breakfast for 8.30am and that felt just right - not too early but not too late either. I had a much bigger cooked breakfast than Bob (which seemed a bit odd) Off we went, with plans to climb some hills. First, however, we stopped off in the centre of Malvern itself and found a wonderful second-hand bookshop for some lengthy browsing (dog back in the car ofcourse). A spot of tea (or rather hot chocolate) and cake in the Blue Bird Tearooms (lemon drizzle for me, some apple/sultana teacake for Bob). A quick visit to the Tourist Info centre supplied us with a couple of handy leaflets with car parks marked for access to the hills. And then lastly we popped into the Priory Church and were rather taken with the MODERN stained glass window. Also spotted the medieval tiles on the wall round the back of the altar. We didn't have the camera with us, unfortunately. Just bought a thimble, but not the guide book. Wish I could remember more about what we saw.Must ask Bob tomorrow.
We headed back in the car (our two hours had just expired!) Headed down the road to pick a car park and realised the weather had disintegrated into dodgey and potentially rainy. Nonetheless, for the sake of the dog, we decided a quick brum was necessary. We parked near the British Camp and headed up the path, intending initially just to go as far as it took before Cadi 'relieved' herself. But - despite the light rain - I couldn't help but want to head on up and up and up! (I had an umbrella and my full length furry coat) The grey clouds got lower, the wind got stronger and - by the time we had nearly reached the top - the rain had turned into hail!!!!! My umbrella blew inside out time after time (but it was still better to have it than not!)
On the way back down, I could see the back of Bob's legs - totally TOTALLY soaking wet, from thighs to ankles. So there was nothing for it but to head across the road to the Hotel./Bar/Restaurant - lunch simply to allow us to sit in the warm to dry off! We left the soaking wet Cadi in the car (wrapped in a towel so she didn't get chilly) Bob enjoyed his lamb shank, but I wasn't really hungry enough to enjoy my cod and chips! Cups of tea (ofcourse!) but Bob also had room for a pudding! He had a creme brulee thing that looked very nice. We picked up our boots again from the porch and headed back to the car - the sun now streaming from a bright blue sky!!!!! But we had lost our umph so couldn't face another hill-walk. Instead (barring one brief stop for some photos - just to prove how lovely the scenery now looked in the sunshine!) we headed for Worcester, to visit the Cathedral there. We found a relatively convenient car park, and had a chance to get a closer look at the remaining tower of St Andrew's on our way. Left the dog in the car again (still soaking wet, but not cold) The Cathedral was wonderful - so much to take in. Lots of quirky details. I particularly loved the Crypt, and the circular Chapter House (with the old bells along the shelf just outside it)
We decided we didn't really need an evening meal and instead stopped off at a convenience store to pick up some emergency rations to take back to our room. As Bob said this morning, it was a bit like having a midnight feast! We both indulged in the dubious pleasure of Pot Noodle! Unfortunately Bob decided to share his with is trousers! His only pair of trousers on the week-end trip (yes, he wore them again today with visible splats)
Bob again fell asleep very early, and I watched some undemanding telly until ready to sleep as well. But (like the previous night) I had to take Cadi out for her late-night widdle before I could go to bed. Unfortunately Cadi then woke me up wimpering to be let out at 7am. Grrrr. I took her out, but she wasn't really desperate after all - faker! There was a light dusting of snow or hail stones on the grass and the car. But the day looked set fair. Another small breakfast for Bob and a BIG one for me! A quick shower after breakfast (Bob had had his beforehand) and we checked out just before 10am, paying in cash.
We had decided to wend our way home by a different more scenic route, but first went south and decided to stop off for a quick walk somewhere on the Malvern Hills - a sunny walk to make up for the previous day's very wet one! I remembered seeing something in the tourist info leaflet about a hidden lake, and we managed to find the car park nearest to it. The easy access trail was flat and took us to the quarry with the lake in it. We walked right down to the edge of the lake and Cadi - crazy dog that she is went right in (the water looked freezing, with areas of ice in parts!)
We decided to carry on - the trail started to climb and to bend back on itself as we climbed up and up - eventually skirting along the very top of the Quarry itself. It was fantastic when we found a way onto the top of the ridge, and were then able to see the view on both sides. We could also see right along the ridge, with the British Camp in the distance. The sun was dazzling. It was still cold, but we warmed up through walking. The dappled shade in the woods on the steep hillside looked particularly beautiful.
I was surprised to discover how long we had been up the hill! It was already after 12 by the time we got back to the car! We headed for the British Camp car park in search of toilets and decided to go over to the little outdoor snack hut to get a hot drink (or, in Bob's case, some soup) before we headed on. We sat in the car to drink these (I had a rather thick and sickening hot chocolate, along with a large banana - a good combination; although I did feel a bit sick later as a result) Bob had a huge bread roll with his tomato soup, and a rock cake as well! That was all the lunch we needed really. I set the Sat Nav to take us the 'shortest' way, rather than the fastest, and we headed south. The route included an alarmingly narrow B road, and a bit of a problem when the Sat Nav wanted us to go along a road marked 'Private Road' which we then had to work around. BUT - despite Bob's grumbles - the main advantage was that we ended up going through Tewksbury - a town we had never visited before. It was absolutely beautiful! Full of stunning half-timbered tudor buildings. The route later also took us through Cheltenham, which wasn't so impressive - apart, that is, from Cheltenham College, which looked absolutely beautiful!
Short routes are very VERY much slower, so it took a lot longer to make our way back. We had to stop two more times, however.Once was a fairly urgent stop because I became SO sleepy I knew I was in danger of falling asleep at the wheel. We just pulled in to a parking area and I grabbed one of my micro-naps: my seat reclines really well so I quickly nodded off for 20 minutes. Unfortunately Bob couldn't work out how to recline his seat.
We also stopped off for a cup of tea/coffee in Burford. I had a cream tea, but swapped the tea for coffee. Bob had a toasted tea cake with his tea. We popped into a trendy clothes shop - interesting rain coats and hats but far too expensive.
The rest of the journey went pretty quickly and we were back just after 4.30pm. A bit later than I'd hoped but not too bad. This blog is rough and ready - just didn't want to forget the bare bones of the trip.Things get jumbled so easily. I can always come back and edit it, to add details etc.
Last night I felt pretty negative about the trip as a whole, but this morning really changed things for me and balanced the whole thing out somehow. For both Bob and I, the sunny walk this morning was the highlight of the whole week-end. Other favourite bits were the WET walk (funnily enough!) and either the second hand book shop or (for me, as an equal third to that) the Indian meal on Friday evening. Bob's illness was definitely a factor, but he pushed on and just kept taking doses of tablets every 4 hours. It did, however, prevent him from enjoying Worcester Cathedral as much as he might otherwise have done.
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Hugo - my 3D epiphany
I can't remember when I last cried SO much during a film! I saw Hugo (in 3D) for the first time earlier today and totally fell in love with it. I had to stay for the whole of the end credits because my eyes were still leaking so much (quite glad I went on my own to be free to indulge the catharsis!) I am so glad I got to see this film in 3D: I'm not usually a fan of this fad, but Hugo is 3D at its very best.
Now busily researching the extraordinary early history of cinema, referenced so wonderfully in the film, as well as the rather interesting children's novel upon which the film was based. There may well be purchases ahead!
This film now ranks very VERY high among my all time favourite films. Others include Le Balon Rouge, The Princess Bride and Night of the Hunter. None of those others made me cry - only Up did that (although I wouldn't, in other respects, rank Up as highly as the others I've listed).
Now busily researching the extraordinary early history of cinema, referenced so wonderfully in the film, as well as the rather interesting children's novel upon which the film was based. There may well be purchases ahead!
This film now ranks very VERY high among my all time favourite films. Others include Le Balon Rouge, The Princess Bride and Night of the Hunter. None of those others made me cry - only Up did that (although I wouldn't, in other respects, rank Up as highly as the others I've listed).
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Camping in the rain!
Jeez! So much for the BBC weather forecast! Supposed to be just a light shower at about 4pm today. There was indeed a shower earlier, at about 6pm - and it wasn't tooo heavy, although I wouldn't have called it light as such (we hung around at the Farmhouse Tea House for a while after we'd finished eating simply to dodge the heaviest bit.... and then just got a bit wet on the walk back to the campsite. But THIS?? No mention in the forecast of torrential rain at 10pm! The new tent is certainly being put to the test - and to be honest I'm a tad nervous. We're in the inner sleeping tent, Bob has settled down for the night, and so has the dog, it would appear - but I'd planned on trudging over to the loo block in a bit - leaving it till as late as possible in hope of not being woken up needing to go in the early hours of the morning. I just hope the rain eases off soon - no way am I venturing out in this downpour!
I woke up before 5am this morning - it was feeling cold that woke me - I'd made the rookie mistake of only wearing a t shirt and a jumper - should've worned my hoodie as well! Tonight I will be wearing all 3 necessary layers.
Rain is easing off a bit now. I'm listening to some Edinburgh Comedy previews, on my laptop, streaming via BBC iplayer website. Earlier we both listened to a Mitchell and Webb episode, but I've put the headphones on now (seriously couldn't hear the speakers at all when the rain was hammering down just then!) Bob is asleep now, which is another good reason for the headphones.
Here's hoping for a water-tight night!
I woke up before 5am this morning - it was feeling cold that woke me - I'd made the rookie mistake of only wearing a t shirt and a jumper - should've worned my hoodie as well! Tonight I will be wearing all 3 necessary layers.
Rain is easing off a bit now. I'm listening to some Edinburgh Comedy previews, on my laptop, streaming via BBC iplayer website. Earlier we both listened to a Mitchell and Webb episode, but I've put the headphones on now (seriously couldn't hear the speakers at all when the rain was hammering down just then!) Bob is asleep now, which is another good reason for the headphones.
Here's hoping for a water-tight night!
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Camping
I'm sitting here in a reasonably comfortable folding camp-chair, typing by the light of an electric camp-lantern. I can hear Radio 4 on the little radio Bob is listening to in the sleeping tent as he drifts off to sleep (it's only 10.15pm, but camping makes early bedtimes more inevitable). I can also hear the wind in the trees outside the tent - a very pleasant and soothing sound. I am sitting here in my anorak, as well as the usual layers under it - cos tents don't have heating. But it's no hardship - I've totally relaxed, what with the Crabbies alcoholic ginger beer I've just finished. Mind you, that means I'll soon have to trek across the campsite to the toilet blocks: certainly the main disadvantage of a tent sans en suite.
The dog is cosy on my airbed and my sleeping bag (I will turf her off shortly when I take her out for a last widdle before settling down for the night.)
It rained quite heavily earlier - thankfully not while we were putting the new tent up (that went remarkably smoothly without a blazing row!) No leaks, and a pleasant, if rather loud, drumming sound. Less pleasant was the noise of the nearby raucous group of campers - glad they've quietened down now!
Camping is wonderfully relaxing and companionable, more so even than our preceding week in a cottage (which was also lovely and relaxing). A week in a tent really is the 'get away from it all' option - with no Telly and (hence) evenings spent so differently from usual as we play cards or scrabble (Rummy this evening - which I won, due to one big 'catch')
On the other hand, the reason I am able to sit here and type this is that (unlike the cottage last week) I have been able to pay to have wireless internet. Not very old school, but even Bob didn't begrudge me it, with the advantage of googling bird identifications and weather forecasts and other bits of useful info.
Our main (joint) journal of the holiday is - as usual - hand-written in an exercise book. This is just an extra - the 'late night special'.
I am, however, trying to restrict my use of Facebook and Twitter (and I haven't been on AF at all) - part of the holiday ethos and keeping it more as 'our' holiday, just me and Bob. Hence I haven't updated my status or tweeted at all while I've been away (yet).
Last week I only had my phone to contact the internet (and I have a feeling my bill next month may be a bit of a corker, due to the amount of data downloading without wireless!!); this week I have good wireless connection via my laptop. I wonder if I can maintain my self-discipline or if I will secumb to the temptation and start going mad on Facebook and Twitter. Bob has even asked me to upload a particular photo of a bird, which (if it's what we think it is) is quite an unusual spot at this time of year! It looks like a Water Pipit, but such birds are only supposed to be in the UK in the winter. Have posted the photo on a bird-watcher website, so we'll see if anyone can help.
Right, time to sign off and trek over to the loo block. Goodbye from tent-world. xx
The dog is cosy on my airbed and my sleeping bag (I will turf her off shortly when I take her out for a last widdle before settling down for the night.)
It rained quite heavily earlier - thankfully not while we were putting the new tent up (that went remarkably smoothly without a blazing row!) No leaks, and a pleasant, if rather loud, drumming sound. Less pleasant was the noise of the nearby raucous group of campers - glad they've quietened down now!
Camping is wonderfully relaxing and companionable, more so even than our preceding week in a cottage (which was also lovely and relaxing). A week in a tent really is the 'get away from it all' option - with no Telly and (hence) evenings spent so differently from usual as we play cards or scrabble (Rummy this evening - which I won, due to one big 'catch')
On the other hand, the reason I am able to sit here and type this is that (unlike the cottage last week) I have been able to pay to have wireless internet. Not very old school, but even Bob didn't begrudge me it, with the advantage of googling bird identifications and weather forecasts and other bits of useful info.
Our main (joint) journal of the holiday is - as usual - hand-written in an exercise book. This is just an extra - the 'late night special'.
I am, however, trying to restrict my use of Facebook and Twitter (and I haven't been on AF at all) - part of the holiday ethos and keeping it more as 'our' holiday, just me and Bob. Hence I haven't updated my status or tweeted at all while I've been away (yet).
Last week I only had my phone to contact the internet (and I have a feeling my bill next month may be a bit of a corker, due to the amount of data downloading without wireless!!); this week I have good wireless connection via my laptop. I wonder if I can maintain my self-discipline or if I will secumb to the temptation and start going mad on Facebook and Twitter. Bob has even asked me to upload a particular photo of a bird, which (if it's what we think it is) is quite an unusual spot at this time of year! It looks like a Water Pipit, but such birds are only supposed to be in the UK in the winter. Have posted the photo on a bird-watcher website, so we'll see if anyone can help.
Right, time to sign off and trek over to the loo block. Goodbye from tent-world. xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
