Wednesday, 3 August 2011

Out of This World

In an attempt to get out and about more in my time off, I decided to visit the Out of This World exhibition at the British Library and headed down there on Monday morning in searing heat.

After grabbing breakfast at the cafe outside, I headed in to the free exhibition. I wasn't very sure what to expect, but in front of me were a variety of works from centuries ago up until the present date, highlighting stories of people from other planets, travel to other planets, time travel and a whole lot more besides.

There were detailed excerpts and you could actually see the original books and illustrations of what these authors and illustrators thought might have been possible, alongside the more recent comic book superheroes, through to Doctor Who's TARDIS. (I don't think The Doctor is ever in the TARDIS, I've seen it quite a few times now!)

I think I read through most of the exhibition and it took just over an hour. Given that it was at the British Library, it shouldn't really have surprised me that the focus was primarily written material, but it hadn't occured to me that I'd be able to see the original books and manuscripts, which was lovely. It made a change for me as I am used to Science Fiction via the TV shows or films, so to see some of the inspiration behind these gave me a different perspective.

Out of This World is open at the British Library until 25th September 2011.

Tuesday, 19 July 2011

Chatsworth Estate

On my last day in Yorkshire we decided to take a little day trip into Derbyshire to visit the Chatsworth estate. Again, we were really lucky with the weather, sunshine instead of the predicted rain!

A few minutes from the house is the Garden Centre with its colourful array of plants, lovely big gift shop and of course the family favourite, the cafe. We stopped here for our morning break, well, it was close enough to lunch that I managed one of the most amazing pork and stuffing pies with a bit of salad. A wander round the gift shop and then we got back in the car and drove towards the house.

Disappointingly, the view of the house as you drive up was obscured by scaffolding, so the photo I wanted to take I couldn't. Chatsworth will always be one of my favourite places to go and visit, as you drive up to the house you cross a bridge, and it was a painting of that bridge that my Grandad painted that has hung in my parents' house for many years.

Although I've visited the grounds many times, I don't remember visiting the inside of the house since I was little, and I couldn't remember what was inside. I twisted my parents arms to get the ticket for both and in we went. And I'm so glad that we did. I can't even count the number of times that my jaw dropped as we went round. Everything was so decorative, I couldn't stop snapping with the camera. Ceilings were painted in amazing ways, there was so much beautiful wood carving on the staircases and walls, and the whole design of the place was just spectacular.

I was also impressed with the current Duke and Duchess of Devonshire's willingness to incorporate new art amongst all the existing. There were a number of modern pieces throughout the house, and although they stood out a little, the willingness to encourage and commission new artists was something that I thought was really wonderful.

After the house, we went for the compulsory walk around the stunning gardens. So much work has gone into these, and there are many different points in the walk where you get a really impressive viewpoint of the house, or the fountains, the planted gardens or there's even a maze.

A really fantastic day out, well worth a visit if you get a chance, and on the way out, we always call at the farm shop to stock up on tasty food.












Monday, 18 July 2011

Great Yorkshire Show

Last week I was happy enough to plod on off up to Yorkshire to see my family, and whilst I was there, we were looking for a day out. Happily, my visit coincided with the Great Yorkshire Show, which was a 3 day midweek event about much more than cows, pigs and sheep. Here, people can also show off their vegetables, cheese and birds in the hope of winning first, second or third prize.

The showground near Harrogate offers far more than that though. I thought at first it was quite an expensive day out at £22 for a regular adult ticket, but there was a huge amount to do, and we were there for the full day, and it didn't feel like we had seen everything. Apart from the showground where the animals are shown (we saw some absolutely huge cattle), there are also falconry displays, a display by the Red Devils, sheep shearing displays, you can learn more about the schools and colleges in Yorkshire and what they have to offer. There are also a wide variety of stalls selling everything from food and drink to clothes and crafts.

We watched some of the wood displays, lumberjacks attempting to pop balloons, and competing to strip branches from logs while the mechanical equivalent tried to get through 4 logs in the same amount of time. The great British Pole Climbing championship was incredible, with amateurs and pros climbing 80ft in under 20 seconds!

We also saw a fashion show which had work by some local colleges and university students and the latest fashions from the store Hobbs. I was really impressed with the quality of the designs from the students, there were more than a few things I'd have loved to get my hands on.

Even if you're not interested in seeing the livestock, I'd recommend this as a great family day out, with so much to see and do. Even though they were expecting 130,000 people through the gates over the three days, and it was very busy, it never felt claustrophobic or as though you were being pushed around. And the service in the restaurants was impeccable, the tables were cleared quickly so that it was never a long wait to find a table. Add to that the attitude of all the staff and exhibitors and it just once again shows why I'm so proud to be from Yorkshire. It's the best.



Wednesday, 6 July 2011

Time Off update 1

Ok, the photos didn't come out so well. But the result of the wardrobe clearout was 2 big bags of clothes that have been taken to the local Oxfam. The wardrobe itself still looks just as full of clothes, I'm not entirely sure how that is possible. But I definitely don't need to buy anything new, except maybe a smart black suit that actually fits, for when I need to start going to interviews etc.

I also discovered a really amazing black velvet evening dress that looks so good with my new red hair. And a couple of party dresses that I'd forgotten about. Heaps of things, there just isn't enough time to wear them all, but I'm glad that I can at least see them. What it did confirm when trying a few things on was that for the first year ever, the weight I put on at Xmas didn't come off again. I know that it wasn't much, but still, it's a bit of a shock and made me feel like I'm getting old now. Must sort out some kind of exercise so my tummy doesn't keep expanding, since I'm most definitely not giving up food.

I've also been doing well on the tiger stitching, it's really coming along now, I'm hoping to have it finished in the next couple of weeks. And I'm halfway through the Penny Vincenzi book that I'm reading. Plus I have my trip home to see the family and friends all booked in for next week. Hurrah, I can't wait to see everyone.

Monday, 4 July 2011

The big wardrobe tidy

It's Monday morning. What better time than after a long, restful weekend to tackle my wardrobe clearout. It's not exactly a big wardrobe, it's the one that came with the flat. All the shelves along the top are full of boxes. One of the 3 compartments contains folding chairs, wrapping paper and... more boxes. I'm not touching or clearing any of the boxes since they aren't mine.

But clothes wise, I'm determined to be ruthless. No, really, I am!
And later on, I will post up some before and after pictures so you can see just how hard I've been working all day.

Saturday, 2 July 2011

Unemployment

So, the time finally came, my extension at work came to an end, I had my last wages and my redundancy payment, and that's the end of that. Almost 11 years after I started and this will be the first time I've not been working since I left Uni.

Well, I'm the kind of girl who needs a plan. So my plan is this. I plan to have some time off. And I need to fill this time with things that need to be done, and with fun things, and with blogging a heck of a lot more often. But I know that I will need to go back to work because at some point boredom will set in and then it'll be either watching Jeremy Kyle and at that point Rob would probably kick me out of the house, or else I will have to start looking for work again.

When I found out I was being made redundant, I convinced myself that I wanted to do something completely different. I applied unsuccessfully for a few things. But, I've realised that actually, I'm pretty good at what I do. I can design a good database, I can use some standards and guidelines, and actually I've learnt a lot on the job over the past 8 years that I've been doing this role. A look on the internet suggested that there is still a demand for the type of work that I do, and that I was pretty badly underpaid where I was (that's what happens when you stick with a company out of loyalty... they tell you every year that things are tight and so there's not enough money for much of a pay rise).

So my actual plan is this - that I'll take up to 3 months off (but we'll see how this bit goes) - At this point I think that should be more than enough to do everything I NEED to do and then a whole bunch of things that I want to do.

The stuff that needs to happen is as follows:

Sort out my wardrobe - seriously, I have more clothes than the average shop and just because it still fits doesn't mean it shouldn't have gone into the bin/a charity shop a long time ago.

Read some of the books that I've had lying around that need to be read and handed back/taken to charity shops. Again, with the aim of tidying the flat... it feels like it's bursting at the seams at the moment.

Cook. Lots of cooking. I've got so many recipe books. I want to try new things. I've started making soups from Delia's Soup book and they've been really delicious. There's a heap of things in Jamie Oliver's 60 minute meals I want to try.

Catch up with the people I've neglected for the last 10 years. Yes, see more of my family, and my friends back home. When it's not a rushed weekend, I should be able to see them and their kids. I don't want the kids to get to 18 and I've only seen them grow up via facebook. That's pathetic (though still better than nothing).

The name change. Yes, I've still got to get everything changed into my married name. I've been putting this off because it seems like a neverending list.

Explore London. I know, I walk round London a lot. But there are loads of things that I've never done, like all the free museums. I feel like I'm missing out. I have the time now, so it's a great opportunity.

Finally, the stitching. The tiger needs to be finished. I've had enough of stitching in brown. I'd like a bit of pink or blue. So I want to finish the tiger and get another 3 designs started and finished by the end of the year. I also have a bunch of my Grandma's UFOs that I'd love to complete since she is no longer with us and I feel like they need to be done.

So, that all sounds quite ambitious for the next 3 months, but I'm excited about the time off and the summer and I'm very much looking forward to doing all this and then finding a really great job at the end of it all.

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Plain White T's, 100 Club

Whoa, what a gig.

But let's start at the beginning. I had never been to the 100 Club. Hubby had been called out to the States and so he couldn't make it (he was pretty gutted) and all of my friends apparently were away/already had plans. So I took a deep breath and went to my first gig all by myself. Thankfully, within a few minutes of arriving at the venue, I met Nikky, Laura, Kirstie and Claire.



I also realised that whilst I wasn't particularly early, I was first in the queue. Amazing. And a couple of the guys came out for a chat (or perhaps to just go out to McDonalds), but they did stop for a couple of photos.

The club is teeny (capacity is about 350), with a long thin stage couple of feet off the floor, and no barrier, so we had an excellent spot.

Onto the music. Support was provided by Jack Savoretti and his band. From the first strum of his guitar and words he sang, the audience were clearly up for a big night as they pumped out song after song full of energy. The sound is pretty hard to describe, it's got tinges of country music, funk, soul and his voice I can only describe as beautiful and just a little bit edgy. And without the ego that you get from some people with beautiful voices, just lots of fun and smiles. I think he and the band picked up a whole roomful of new fans, it's one of the few times I've seen an audience nearly as nuts for the support as for the main act. Please do go and check it out, there's plenty of live videos up on his facebook page


So then, the Plain White T's. A lot of people had been patiently waiting for this gig, and it really was worth the wait in every sense of the word. I don't think I can actually find fault. The setlist was a fabulous mashup of a load of songs from the new album plus favourites from the previous ones.

The thing I love about the band is that over all of their albums, there's not a single song I dislike. There's one that freaks me out, because it's utterly bonkers (Cirque dans la Rue), but the rest I love to the point that they are my albums of choice whenever I'm travelling or chilling out. To be honest, they could have sung anything and I think I would have been happy (the cover of Runaway on Daytrotter is one of my favourite covers ever, I love sixties music and they pull off this sound perfectly). Their own songs make me feel warm hearted and lovey. And I think that during some of the banter, the guys hit on what makes them different from a lot of other bands - they are a pretty romantic bunch! It's damn brave and big of them to put pieces of themselves out there like they do. And fair enough, that's not everyone's cup of tea, but to me, if you listen carefully to the lyrics, if you hear some of the stories behind why they were written and then you REALLY listen to them, then there seems to be a connection to experiences which any of us might have gone through or felt (the hubby always laughs when he hears Natural Disaster and points at me, no idea why).



So let's talk about the live show. Firstly, the songs were better than you hear on the albums because of all that added extra liveness and excitement. They can really SING - no auto-tuning here baby. The harmonies are stop you in your tracks beautiful, it's louder, sweatier, closer, and with a good deal of extra oomph. I have no idea how De'Mar didn't fall off his stool, he was going for it with the drums so much (I'm awestruck). Lots of concentration, lots of smiles (and a couple of teary-eyed emotional moments from the guys during particular songs, which were quite sweet to see). The finishing touch was a collection of very beautiful guitars and spiffy outfits to tie into the Wonders of the Younger album artwork. It felt a bit like being in a dark entertainment tent at a fairground or a circus. They described the latest album as a way to try and get back to the fun way things used to be when you were younger, before you have all the grown up stuff to worry about. It's a beautiful thought, right?



They kicked off with the lead track from Wonders of the Younger, 'Irrational Anthem' which just explodes after a few seconds in to a massive tune. I was also really happy to hear Tom sing one of my favourites on the album 'Broken Record', it just makes me giggle, it's got a bit of a retro feel to it which I love and it's impossible not to groove to it. We also got to hear 'Sunlight' from Big Bad World album. It's one of my favourites although I always seem to end up with a trembly chin and tears running down my face. (I'm pretty sure nobody saw that tho). It was fab to hear the lead being taken in a few of the songs by Tim, and 'Rhythm of Love' from the new Wonders of the Younger album was full of the light and mellow sound of his voice. Of course the set wouldn't have been complete without Hey There Delilah, which is probably the song that introduced most people in the UK to the Plain White T's. The full setlist is below.



I think everyone is hoping that next time they won't leave it so long, and with the bosses there to see how things went, and the reaction from the crowd (who seemed to know most of the new songs - always a good sign), I'm certain they will be back soon.

I honestly can't knock anything but like a miniature 0.1 off here (I think it could have started 30 mins earlier so people didn't have to leave to go get coaches/trains before the end). I love their music, the live show was perfect, and they were sweet and chatty, and also more hilarious than I ever realised, so for me - 9.9/10. Intimate gigs are fun; it's fab to be in a place with other people who are there because they are so into the band and the music. And what with all that beautiful magic and imagination in the air, I think I might just have fallen a little bit in love with them all.

Plain White T's played:
Irrational Anthem
Boomerang
Our Time Now
Big Bad World
Welcome to Mystery
Rhythm of Love
Revenge
Take Me Away
Write You A Song
Broken Record
Our Song
Sunlight
1,2,3,4
Cirque dans la Rue
Last Breath
Hey There Delilah
Hate
Wonders of the Younger

Photos courtesy of Nicky Barrett and Kirstie Keir.