Blog

Doors to manual

Saturday, July 19, 2008

We've had a great day at Farnborough International Air Show and this
year there was a group of us in attendance.

I write this as we're travelling back bit it's been very good. The weather has held off and we got to see the displays we wanted. Richard even got to see the Vulcan bomber take flight. Something dear to his heart as he donated to get it restored.

As I write Dan is kipping in the back of the car and I am obviously testing my iPhone en route.

More photos (and the odd video) are available here - I am especially proud of my shots of the A380 and the fantastic display from the Red Arrows.

Lawrence and Gwyneth are still there, enjoying the flying displays.

I think it's safe to say we all had a great day.

Labels: Friends, Richard, Travel, UK

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Back to the land of the living

Saturday, July 12, 2008

I cannot believe it's been so long since I have put a decent blog entry online. Things really have been very manic and now I feel like I can take a breather (although I am not sleeping properly (yet)).

This week saw the hosting of the Marketing Excellence Awards at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. I project managed the roll out of the web project which featured a number of mini TV shows which educated people about the awards. On the night I had a crew in place interviewing key members of the company before the ceremony, the dinner and then the winners. It was a very hectic and long night (nee day) but it was worth it.

I worked pretty much straight through Thursday and was at the studio early yesterday morning to monitor final edits before getting back to the office to have the film and communications out by 8 am.

Needless to say I am very happy that the whole event has been a huge success. People are happy with a number of things but for me it was especially great to hear nominees mention the TV shows and comment positively around all the work we have completed.

The photo was taken during the dinner and gives an impression of the interior of the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice (the second highest court in the UK), the set up and the atmosphere ;0)

There is a photo of me which I took around 2.30am when I returned to my hotel for a brief sleep. I took it with my Nokia as my parents wanted to see me in my tuxedo... ~~I may upload it later ;0)~~

Update - OK as you can obvioulsy see I have now uploaded the hideous photo :( God I HATE this photo!

So that's a huge amount of work, time, blood, sweat and (nearly) tears but I am very very happy with where we are with the whole project.

Yesterday was also a big day as my iPhone 3G arrived at the house at 7 am. Richard took delivery for me. Sadly I cannot connect to O2 at present due to demand and the high volume of subscribers but at least I have it and I am very impressed. I am also in the process of updating my Touch with the 2.0 software as I think it is excellent. I am very impressed with Mobile Me too.

On a more site related note I have decided to discontinue Release. It's been fun and a nice experiment following the closure of my Trunk Casts but my past couple of weeks has made me realize that I have other things to concentrate my time on (the death of my Lacie external hard drive loosing all my files, 6 years worth of photos and videos this week doesn't help either). It was fun and thanks to everyone for there support but this officially is the end of my days as a pod caster.

Labels: Apple, Digital Media, iPhone 3G, iTunes, London, News, Release, Richard, Trunk Cast, Work

4 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

I love Paris...

Thursday, July 03, 2008

...maybe in the winter, maybe in the fall but not so much when it chucks it down with rain!

That said we had a lovely day and as ever our lunch (Richards birthday lunch) at Cafe du Commerce was fantastic ;0)

More photo's after the jump!

Labels: Paris, Richard

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Happy Bearday!

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Happy Birthday to my baby

(He's the one on the right!)

We're off to Paris for the day ;0) Au revoir!

Labels: Birthday, Richard

2 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Craziness

Monday, June 30, 2008

Last week was crazy - every day something happened - something major and something to put the spanner in the 'ol works.

This weekend was also very eventful (not to mention me suffering from a horrendous bout of hay fever).

Did I blog or pod cast about it - no. I was too busy surviving!

Hopefully this week will sort itself out. At least during his birthday on Wednesday, Richard and I get to escape to Paris for the day ;0)

I could ramble on and one but I choose not to - I do however have to ask what is up with the sick bastards in the world these days?

I'll sign out for now with a photo I took whilst waiting for my train this evening. I love London when it's sunny...

Labels: London, My World, News, Richard, UK, Weather, Work

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Fun Filled Saturday

Sunday, June 15, 2008

We attended the Wycombe Aero Expo yesterday which is an aviation trade and public show where you can go check out the latest kit, buy you next plane and all the bits you want to kit it out.

As you know Richard is a a bit of a plane buff so as you can imagine he was in heaven.

I was pleasantly surprised. There were hundreds of cars at the show and indeed there was plenty to see. Unlike the Paris Air Show or Farnborough the exhibitions included planes that Joe Public (ok rich Joe Public), could buy and fly. Including planes, helicopters, gliders, hang gliders etc. This made for an interesting mix of exhibits on the ground and in the air.

After the show we popped into High Wycombe to take a look at the redevelopment of the town centre. Sadly the ten minutes wasted trying to negotiate the new car park just about summed up the new layout of the town - it is so hap hazard, Richard and I ended up going around in circles.

That said we stopped for a hearty lunch, browsed the odd shop before heading home later in the day.

A lovely day, nice weather, no pressure and just enjoying what was locally available.

Today? Well the wethare is gorgeous and I think we may spend another sunny Sunday in the garden ;0)

Labels: Richard, UK

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Stress levels to the max

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Oh no it's that annual event, the one day of the year that Richard, Brandy and I all dread. The annual check up at the v-e-t-s.

It's such a performance - we've only just got the box out of the cellar and Brandy is already freaking out. To get to this stage takes a lot of effort - if I recall last year she managed to pee on Richard as he put her in the box!

This year it's my turn and I am not looking forward to hearing her howl as we go to the vets. If she gets Beardy she'll bite him and unlike the performance at home she will be in a rush to get back into the box once at the vets!

We'll also get the silent treatment too which I hate, especially as Brandy is such a social cat.

Oh well here we go, wish us well!

Labels: Cats, Richard

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

ZZZZZzzzzz

Sunday, March 16, 2008

I have been desperately trying to catch up on sleep - not helped by Brandy waking us both up at the crack of dawn yesterday. At least I have managed a respectable lay in until 9 ish today - I was woke up by my baby, Miss Brandy and a bacon sandwich (no that's not a euphemism) ;)

Yesterday was very quiet though. We had the promised quiet day - in fact we watched a couple of movies. Elizabeth, The Golden Age (which was very good if not factually incorrect), and The Simpsons Movie (which was much funnier than I expected. We also played a couple of our regular DVDs in an attempt to see how our new Blu Ray player handled the picture with our new HD TV. I can honestly say we were both pleasantly surprised.

Of course with technology there is always something else isn't there and apart from me still mulling over getting an iPhone and a new Mac Book Pro, we are now wondering if it's possible to stream our ripped DVD movies from our server to the TV with an Apple TV? For now though we can use the Wii the stream movies for us (It's not elegant but it works).

I hope you have all had a listen to Trunk Cast 127 as it details my trip to Athens. I am not going to write anymore about it in the blog as so much happened it's easier to listen to the Trunk Cast.

I am also loving the new Beta version of Firefox, I never liked the old version on my Mac but the new version is incredibly quick and lot of the extensions are very useful. My only gripe with it is the lack of a keyboard shortcut for the home page...

Labels: Cats, Digital Media, Music, Richard, Travel, Trunk Cast, TV, UK, Wii

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Blustry Day

Saturday, March 01, 2008

It's been a very blustery couple of days - we lost the bin last night (thankfully it was only as far as the end of the garden). I don't quite understand the weather at the moment, one minute it's really dry and mild the next it's freezing cold or raining heavily. It's very unseasonal for February (especially it's now March!).

I published Trunk Cast 125 this morning and it's a particularly long show - I decided to include a full run down of my thoughts of the new Janet album Discipline. Be sure to have a listen as I have included the odd sneaky sound bite too.

We're having a quiet weekend following our trip home last weekend. I am off to Greece Monday after next so I had the time to pop into town to look for a few bits to take with me - not sure I achieved anything though having only come back with some socks and a shirt! I must be getting too picky. That or the latest fashions are just hideous. You either look like an Emo, a goth or some middle aged sad surfing type - where are all the nice clothes?

One thing that won't go out of fashion is the Apple Mac and since the announced upgrade to the Mac Book range this week I am tempted to upgrade my iBook as soon as I can (although not for a Mac Book Air as it's simply impractical as my only machine). Of course my enthusiasm will be fired up if Liz and Colin turn up this weekend - they called for some Apple related advice this morning as they are purchasing a Mac Book - I don't think I will be able to resist if I see a new one in the flesh!

I took a number of shots this week but didn't get a chance to upload them until now - this I have done and they are included in the Capture collection on Flickr (displayed below):

It's been a very busy week really. In fact there have been a number of things that I didn't even think to blog about which I could have - most notably was the horrendous situation at Blackfriars Station on Thursday evening. Passengers were not allowed down the external part of the platform as someone had jumped off the railway bridge onto one of the old bridge columns and was planning to jump - when I was there there was a team of police negotiators trying to stop him from jumping. The poor guy was still there when Richard came home and sadly I don't know the outcome.

Richard also set up a new HP Media Server and a Squeezebox - now all our music is in one place, is playable for any iTunes computer, brows-able on the web and playable from any of our internet radios/stereos etc ;0) Don't you just love technology when it works? (Just don't mention Tiscali gggrrr!)

Labels: Cats, Devon, Friends, Gallery, Janet, London, Music, Photography, Plymouth, Richard, Shopping, Trunk Cast, UK

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Dad's 60th

Sunday, February 24, 2008

We just arrived back from a lovely weekend at home.

It was nice to see mum in good form following her spell in hospital this week. She's not fully recovered and requires another operation but at least part one of two is out of the way.

My Dad celebrated his 60th birthday and last night we went out for a lovely (and filling), meal. Dad invited Richard's mum and her husband. We had a really nice time - in fact (with all things like this) - it went far too quickly.

This trip was an opportunity to see how the kittens are growing up, they are certainly acquiring their own characters and are quite a handful - they keep my parents entertained though ;)

Hopefully next time we go home it will be for a longer stay. I am sure it'll be soon though as dad wants to book his Clay Pigeon Shooting experience which Richard and I gave him for his birthday.

I took a fair mix of photos while home- have a browse through them here.

Labels: Cats, Devon, Photography, Plymouth, Richard, UK

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

An English, Swedish and Italian Weekend

Sunday, February 17, 2008

We have had a fairly low key weekend - considering what we have been up to since the beginning of February I think this is just as well.

Saturday was spent lounging about at home just taking time to relax and unwind - we have both been very busy at work and were at melting point. Yesterday was a great way to recharge our batteries.

Today was more about getting my mind off events at home and just having a nice day together, doing simple things.

To start off we headed up the M1 to ~~Ikea~~ iQueer where we made a few small purchases - not the most stress free way to spend a Sunday but a bit of retail therapy (no matter where), is always good.

Afterwards we took a drive to the local Fiat dealership where we test drove on the the fab new Fiat 500's. For all of you who don't know the Fiat 500 is a design icon and a wonderful little town car, Fiat have taken the success of the Smart car and the re birth of the Mini to update the 500. As you can see from the photo, it's a small car but it is certainly very well built and very nippy. We took out the diesel version and all we can say is that James Mays' review is totally inaccurate - it was a joy to drive.

In an age of gas guzzlers and 4x4's is great to see you can still get a great individual drive out of a small motor.

Of course next weekend will be fairly hectic as we're heading home to help my dad celebrate his 60th birthday. Hopefully mum will be out of hospital and on her way to recovery by then.

Right I am off to watch the TV while Richard swears at the Swedish flat pack! (If only it was all as easy as this...)

Labels: Plymouth, Richard

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

For My Baby

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Find out more in Trunk Cast 121

Labels: Anniversary, Richard, Trunk Cast

2 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Non Day

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Today has been a non day and not just because of the torrential rain.

I managed to pull my neck during work yesterday and have been in agony. My baby was kind enough to get me some heat wraps though - this has made the pain slightly more bearable.

I feel guilty for feeling so ill but with the weather as bad as it is, it's not like we would have done anything today anyway.

I have managed to record a Trunk Cast and this episode is a continuation of the last one - it feels nice to be able to follow up on items! Why not have a listen?

Note as an update to the previous blog entry, I have managed to work how how to have multiple icons on one web site for use on Home Screen Widgets in iPhone and iPod Touch. Bookmark either Trunk Guy.com or the Trunk Cast page to see what I mean ;0)

Labels: Apple, Richard, Trunk Cast, Weather

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Happy Christmas

Saturday, December 22, 2007

It finally feels like Christmas.

Thanks to a very generous gift from our boss, the whole team (50 of us) were taken to the Royal Albert Hall to see the Christmas Concert. I cannot think of a better way to get in the Christmas spirit.

Fantastic seats, great view and a wonderful start to my Chirstmas break

As you will see from this photo we had excellent seats - right at the stage, next to the choir and the orchestra.

It's been far too long since I joined in on a proper old fashioned Christmas sing song and the majority of the show included audience participation.

I am not sure if Milly and I look like we were ready to sing but as you can see we certainly look happy.

The set included lots of traditional favourites as well as contemporary classics.

I cannot think of a better way to spend my last working afternoon of the year than in such wonderful surroundings with such good company.

So my presents are purchased, wrapped and under the tree. The kitchen is stocked for the big day and there is enough coal in the cellar to heat the living room for a year (well maybe not that much).

~~Tonight is the final of Strictly Come Dancing and I am rooting for Matt all the way - if that awful woman wins I am not watching it any more!~~

Sadly Aleysha Dixon won Strictly Come Dancing, I have no faith in the British public now. It looks like the cult of celebrity has won out. Matt Di Angelo was by far the best dancer, giving the most effort and technically the best routines. Bad luck Matt - we voted for you in this house!

Be sure to check out Trunk Cast 116 as it is a run down of the year and there is a special Christmas message from me to you all.

We're spending Christmas together before heading home on Boxing day for the mad run around Plymouth to see everyone. Hopefully this year we'll managed to see more friends!

All that remains is for Richard and I to wish you all a Happy Christmas and wonderful New Year. See you all in 2008!

Labels: Christmas, Devon, London, Plymouth, Richard, UK

2 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Happy Anniversary Baby xxXxx

Sunday, October 21, 2007

I cannot believe we are celebrating our first anniversary since our Civial Partnership ceremony already.

Happy Anniversary Baby - I love you so much xxXxx

Labels: Anniversary, Big Event, Richard

2 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Another week lost

Saturday, October 20, 2007

As you will recall from the mail I posted last weekend, I had been very ill following an adverse reaction to a jab I received a week or so before. Well I went back to work on Monday and unfortunately I came home again within about two hours.

You know you lay at home feeling like crap then you get to a point and you think you are better or you fool yourself into thinking you are fine and then when you try to ramp up to doing everyday things, it hits you; you're not.

Well this happened to me - by the time I had even walked to the railway station I was shaking, when I got in the office I was shivering and shaking and sweating like crazy. I was cold, wrapped up like it was mid winter and yet i was really clammy and wet. I admitted defeat and came home.

I spent the remainder of the day in bed before going to see my doctor who confirmed that my glands were still up (and ulcerated), I still had a temperature and I should continue to rest. Another course of antibiotics and lots of sleep were what was prescribed and that's what I have taken this week.

I didn't notice any difference at the beginning of the week but gradually things have got better.

I am not sure if it has been the tablets or the illness but I have been very lethargic this week. I have spent most of my time asleep, sleeping in until really late (which I don't do) and then napping through the day.

I don't feel like I have been very productive but then again that's the point of being signed off - I have taken plenty of rest, headed my doc's advice and feel much better for it.

It's just as well I am feeling better as this weekend is the first anniversary of Richard and my Civil Partnership. Yes it really has been a year since the Big Event. I really cannot believe where that year has gone. Still I have been thinking about it mid comatose this week and there are lots of wonderful memories from the day to look back on, as well as a wonderful first year as hubby and hubby.

Well that's it for me for now - sitting in front of the computer any longer will just make me dizzy!

Labels: Big Event, Richard

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Big Surprises

Friday, June 29, 2007

For those of you who haven't yet listened to Trunk Cast 95, you may have missed our big news.

Monday 2nd July is Richard's 40th birthday and I wanted to do something special to mark the occasion. Richard has long since mentioned that he would like to go to Madrid as it's a part of Spain that he has never visited but would love to.

At breakfast on Wednesday I presented Richard with a selection of guidebooks for Madrid as we are spending this weekend in the Spanish capital. :0D

I decided to let Richard know about his birthday treat early so that he had plenty of time to prepare - judging by his reaction and his plans for our holiday I think this was the correct decision.

So we have literally just gotten over our trip to Paris and here we are on our way to Spain ;0)

Thanks to EnergyMuscles over at Flickr for the pic

Thanks to EnergyMuscles over at Flickr for the pic

The added bonus for us is that it is Madrid Pride this weekend and we both looking forward to seeing how the Spaniards celebrate.

I have no doubt it'll be a hundred times happier, more colourful and fun than London Pride which also takes place this weekend (be under no illusion that this is a good thing to attend if visiting London. London Pride is awful, depressing and expensive).

On a more somber note I had a feeling when Gordon Brown was sworn in as the new Prime Minister on Wednesday that there may be some unrest. I don't know why I felt this but it seems to be a global pattern these days. Sure enough this morning the BBC announced breaking news that a "potentially viable explosive device" had been found in the heart of London.

Loosely translated a suspect vehicle was found in the theatre district which contained a bomb in transit or potentially for use in that location.

This morning central London has been cordoned off and once again we have memories of July 7th.

I just hope and pray that this is a one off and that we don't have to go back to watching our every move (believe me commuting in the capital can make you paranoid enough as it is).

OK I am not going to dwell on this I have a holiday to enjoy and other things to worry about (listen to my pod cast to find out more)...

Here comes the sun...

Hasta Luego

Labels: holiday, London, Politics, Richard, UK

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Tres Bien!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Our trip to Paris was Tres Bien.

Richard and I had a wonderfully relaxing, enlightening and romantic weekend in Paris.

Of course there was also the odd large aircraft to view!

You can browse the photo's at a more leisurely pace here!

We had a lovely time in Paris. Richard and I ended up going on our own but that was fine as we did everything at our own leisure.

We didn't give ourselves long to settle into the hotel before we got out and about. We visited a number of our favorite haunts and the location of the hotel was excellent.

Le Borgeut was as big and interesting as ever. Of course this being Paris there was more than one Airbus A380 on display. This again got the most attention from the visiting public. It was nice to see the show was much better organised than last time, and thankfully nowhere near as hot! That said we both caught the sun while watching the air displays.

For once I didn't come back with new clothes, mainly as we only took rucksacks so there was no room!

I do love Paris and once again cannot wait to go back.

You can also hear all about the trip by downloading Trunk Cast 95.

Labels: holiday, Richard, Trunk Cast, Weather

3 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Out on the lash!

Thursday, May 03, 2007

It's certainly been a busy week. At least for once it's not all been taken up with work though!

To start with their was the Tony Bennett Concert on Monday. Last night I attended a leaving party for Gordon. A colleague of mine who is leaving my company after working there for 13 years. He's jacking everything in to travel around the world and I really admire his guts.

He's a nice chap and he has an oddball sense of humour which I am going to miss amongst our team.

There was a nice group of us in attendance last night and we started the evening by making the most of the warm weather by enjoying the local beer garden on the Thames. We made out way along the South Bank to Wagamama where we had a fun evening scoffing and joking around.

I could have done without getting back so late though.

With all these late nights and early morning this week I will need a holiday. Oh hang on a minute, we're away next week! ;¬D

Note for those of you waiting for this weeks Trunk Cast, I am afraid there may be a further wait as I am too busy enjoying myself!

Anyway I mus come offline and vote - someone has to get Phony Bliar out of power!

Labels: London, Politics, Richard, Trunk Cast, Work

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

The Good Life

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Ah the good life, listening to an old geezer crone!

Seriously though, Richard and I were privileged to see the legend that is Tony Bennett at the Royal Albert Hall last night.

Boy what a concert!

I am amazed that a man of 80 has so much stamina. He was on stage for a 90 minutes set with no breaks and he covered a great deal of songs from his repertoire.

What was truly amazing was when he got the sound guys to switch off all the mics and sang a rendition of Fly Me to the Moon only with the aid of a guitar on backing. This 80 year old filled the Royal Albert Hall with sound, his vocals were clear, crisp and bang on the mark. I have never witnessed anyone sing so well with such volume and make it all seem so effortless.

I can see why so many people raved about the Brat Pack when they were in the hey day.

Tony Bennett truly is a musical legend and I feel very honoured to have witnessed this real gent and to have me in his company for one evening.

(Read Richard's account of the concert here).

Labels: 365, London, Music, Richard, UK

3 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

How Tartly That Gentleman Looks!

Friday, April 27, 2007

Well it's been a week of contrasts. A week of travelling and emotions.

Thankfully Friday seemed to bring things back to normality - but with a cultural interlude at lunch...

I spotted a flyer advertising Shakespeare in a lunch break at the Bridewell Theatre so I went along today with two guys from the office. It was really nice to sit down, take some time out and to enjoy some real culture - especially in the middle of a busy working day.

Bridewell is a very small theatre in the City of London but is only 5 minutes from the office. The Lunchbox Theatre productions feature a number of Shakespearean productions and a 45 minute rendition of works is perfect.

The cast were very good and incredibly fluid. It's been a long time since I have been to see a Shakesperean production. I think it's been even longer since I have read any Shakespeare.

I am sure Patrick and I will go again - especially as Twelfth Night is coming up in a couple of weeks.

I often wonder about what other people do and the way their lives pan out - a bit like Sliding Doors. Richard and I had very different days - even hours today. In the time it took me to watch the production, Richard jetted off to Holland for a music festival.

This leaves me at home alone this weekend but I have plans for Sunday. Tomorrow I think I will chill out - maybe get some new plants for the garden and make the most of the forecasted nice weather.

Labels: London, Richard, UK, Weather, Work

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Oh we do like to be...

Saturday, April 14, 2007

...beside the seaside!

Lisa and her large portion of (ice) cream

Lisa invited us down to her neck of the woods today and it meant spending one of the warmest days of the year on the coast.

Needless to say we had a lovely day.

We met a couple of Lisa's friends; Barry and Jamie who were also very nice.

It was a bit of a drive but worth the time spent circumnavigating the M25 to be near the sea with a cool breeze and great company. We had a nice al fresco lunch followed by lots of ice cream on the beach (see photo eh Lisa!).

I hope this weather spell continues as I think we'll make the most of the garden tomorrow.

I hope we all manage to get together again soon.

Labels: 365, Friends, Richard, UK, Weather

2 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

C.S.D.*

Friday, April 13, 2007

We went to see Pam Ann at our local Den of Inequity last night. Much to my surprise we had a really great evening.

Pam Ann was an act booked at a launch party for a web site I worked on several years ago and back then I didn't think she was very funny.

last night's performance however has changed my perception of her. She was very funny, very filthy and didn't hold any hostages.

This was particularly present when she decided to rip into all the local parochial queens who seemed to crawl out from the nearest rocks to attend. You know the type - the sharks fin hair cut, wearing flip flop and Calvin's hosted up around their necks!

Still it was a fun evening and I think it is safe to say Dan, Matt, Richard and I all awoke this morning feeling very tired as we had been crying through so much laughter :)

* C@!t Standing by the Door

Labels: Friends, Richard

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Chilled Easter - no yolk!

Monday, April 09, 2007

Photo of a collared dove taken by Richard

It's been a lovely holiday weekend here in the UK. The weather has been perfect all weekend.

Apart from our excursion to Chartwell House on Saturday, Richard and I have spent the weekend at the house. Today especially was spent in the garden.

It must be getting closer to summer as the garden furniture made it's way out of the cellar.

Still at least our appearance in the garden didn't stop the appearance of our feather friends.

This Easter has not featured a single Easter Egg for us (although my baby did buy me a lovely chocolate bunny). And do we miss the excess of chocolate? Not one bit. I will never understand why people gorge themselves so much on chocolate eggs at this time of year, it's not as it they all fast before hand is it?

Labels: Richard, UK, Weather

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Contrasts

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Today has been a day of contrasts - I would however, like to focus on the good bits first.

Richard and I took a drive down to Chartwell House today, a place we had only fleetingly visited in the past. The house is owned by the National Trust and is of great significance to the British Nation as it is the former home of Sir Winston Churchill.

We made sure we arrived early as the last time we visited it was too late in the day and there were no tickets left for the house. Well today we arrive din time to acquire tickets to the house and we spent a good portion of the morning taking in all the wonderful historical artifacts and treasures.

I do recall that Churchill's wife Clemmy didn't actually like the house, but Churchill insisted he bought it for the views of Kent - The Garden of England. As you can see from the photo's I took today, you cannot dispute his opinion of this.

This really is a lovely part of England, a romantic England. An England I enjoy and an England I fear is starting to disappear.

For those of you not aware, Churchill amongst other things was an avid painter and his studio (and indeed his home), is full of vibrant landscapes and scenes from around the globe. I can only hope I will amass such a collection of my work by the time I am in my 90's!

Of course even Churchills paintings are eclipsed by the splendid Monet which hangs in the Drawing Room!

This neatly leads me to my contrast. After living in Hertfordshire for 7 years I have never been to Blue Water - posthumously titled "Europes Biggest Shopping Mall". Well as we were that far down the M25 we decided to take a look. I wish we hadn't!

I (like every other queen on the planet), like to shop - or browse. But I was just disgusted by the sheer size of the place. The people there were slouching around likes zombies, all decked out like rejects from ITV reality TV program. Full of flicked razor cut hair styles and collars worn erect (and that's just the women!).

I hated it and I think it's safe to say we'll never be back.

I did wonder how an arcade of shops which contain all the labels and boutiques actually be enticing? Surely if labels and brands are sold in such enormous quantity to so many people (of various ages and backgrounds), doesn't it mean they all end up looking the same and wearing the same clothes? Whatever happened to individuality? I know this much volume of goods feeds consumers needs for choice but I fear Blue Water just feeds their greed instead. Sorry if your a fan of such places but to be honest - you can keep them!

Interested in visiting Chartwell House? Then pop over to my Google Map to find out where it is (and where else we have been over the Easter holiday)

Labels: National Trust, Photography, Richard, UK

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Culture and Booze

Sunday, February 18, 2007

We had a great day yesterday in London and ironically most of it was spent in the same area in which Richard and I work!

As mentioned in this weeks Trunk Cast, Richard and I had booked tickets to see the Gilbert and George Exhibition at the Tate Modern.

This really is a major exhibition and a huge body of work (both in volume and stature). As mentioned previously we have seen a number of collections in the past but nothing on this scale.

Gilbert and George : England

I was amazed and delighted by the charcoal sculptures at the very beginning of this retrospective and very interested to see how Gilbert and Georges styles and stories progress through the years.

They have been very prolific too as there was only one noticeable gap since 1972. They have managed a large body of work every year.

Of course people criticise them and make comments and jokes about such works as Piss, Spunk, Tears and Shit, but you really have to see these works in their respective collections as the context and the story of each set comes through.

Gilbert and George : Fuck

We saw the Dirty Words and Pictures exhibition a couple years ago at the Serpentine Gallery. It was a good collection and a wonderful exhibit but seeing it at the TM with the two pieces that weren't part of the Serpentine exhibition actually ties the commentary together.

In fact one of my favourite works was Alcoholic. I found it very dramatic and very moving. I also enjoyed Headache which seemed like a major departure for them as it consists of bright purples and crimson.

Of course I cannot find examples of either of these works on line - do you have copies?

Richard kindly bought me a few goodies from the exhibition; the Rubik Cube (which I will not use but have to have) - let's face it their art is perfect for such a medium. See photo above... Richard also bought me the catalogue and a signed exhibition poster which will be framed and hung as soon as I get it home (as we were spending more time in town I dropped that latter items off at my desk for safety and convenience!).

I was very moved by the new body of work such as Bombings and Terror which were inspired by the July 7th Bombings here in London. These works were very direct and very moody. Not like the penultimate collection which featured works such as Hooligan and Ginko pictures which includes Was Jesus a Heterosexual?.

I think I am a Gilbert and George purist and although I like the most recent works, the work generated around 2003 just seemed to be too digital and moved their focus away from their art (this was the first time Gilbert and George used digital photography techniques instead of their more traditional methods).

I have never seen the Tate Modern so busy either - I think the Carsten Hooler Unilever Exhibition may have something to do with it though as there were a lot of families milling about queueing to go down the Test Site slides!

Once we left the TM Richard and I made out way to St Paul's where we had a lovely late afternoon lunch. It was a nice meal and provided us with a chilled departure following the exhibition.

From here we made our way to the National Portrait Gallery where I finally got to see the Pet Shop Boys Portraits Exhibition. It was exactly what I expected it to be but interesting nonetheless. Of course it helped that when we arrived the video was playing Bruce Webers excellent video to Being Boring.

After the NPG we made our way into Soho where we met up with Lee and some friends. We had a drink or two in the Duke of Wellington before heading over to Bar Code for the spoils of Happy Hour. Thankfully Richard and I decided to quit while we were ahead (and still vertical) before heading up to Regents Street to do a bit of shopping.

All in all a very packed day and a great day at that.

If you get the opportunity to see the Gilbert and George Exhibition I highly recommend it; even if you do not consider yourself a fan.

The exhibition has prompted me to create a new wallpaper...

Labels: Art, London, Richard, Trunk Cast, Wallpaper

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

GaG!

Friday, February 16, 2007

Richard and I have tickets to see this retrospective exhibition tomorrow.

We are really looking forward to it. Watch this space for a review...

Labels: Art, Richard

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Reactions

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Getting suitcases out always causes a reaction with the cats. Unfortunately Jerry gets really sad and insular as this video will prove.

Brandy on the other hand doesn't twig as quickly but she will be causing Richard grief later when she realises I am not coming home tonight!

Of course I will miss them and I will miss my baby the most.

I am already counting down the minutes to my flight home on Friday ;)

Labels: Cats, Richard

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Cold and frosty?

Saturday, January 27, 2007

No it's no actually; it's chilly but it's nothing like the frost and snow we have had this week. Anyway I digress...

I am making the most of my weekend at home as the forthcoming week will see me away from our abode for a week. Sadly not all of it will be on holiday or with my baby.

I am in Amsterdam from Tuesday as I have a conference to attend for work, I wouldn't mind but it's my birthday on Thursday and I'd rather spend it at home!

I'm back next Friday and then Richard and I are off to Berlin for a long weekend. I can't wait but I have to be honest I have not focused any (or rather little) attention on what I want to do when I get there. Mainly because work and the Amsterdam trip have taken up all my time, energy and focus.

In fact I had to purchase a digital camera for the conference today and bought an Olympus Miju. I have long since trusted these cameras and cannot fault their quality or functionality.

I captured this video with it this morning just to see how clear it was and I am very impressed.

All this of course means that I won't be around to blog or cast for a while. Of course listeners to my Trunk cast will know this already as I mentioned it in show 75.

I would blog from my European destinations but as I am not clear how much 3 would charge I don't think I'll bother. I am sure I can catch up on events when I return.

If I could it would give me the opportunity to use the fab new Geo Tag facility on Flickr ;)

Do you have a web cam? If so, pop over to the Trunk Cast page, follow the right hand menu about half way down and you'll see a photo box. This is a great little utility weher you can share your photo's/mug shots with me! Why not check it out and capture that moment!

Labels: Cats, holiday, Richard, Trunk Cast

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

1824 days... ILMB xxXxx

Friday, January 26, 2007

Labels: Anniversary, Richard

3 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail

Bloody winter

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Ok so I am writing this on the train. The weather is terrible and it's having an affect on public transport.

Christmas is also having an affect on people. I have seen a number of shifty characters around. A cabby was chasing a guy down fleet street and the trains are full of loud drunks. It must be Christmas!

At least after tomorrow it'll be me, my baby and the cats and then we can switch off and ignore the rest of humanity! That just about sums up my Christmas spirit!

I am looking forward to it honest.

Look out for two special Trunk Casts ;)

Labels: Cats, Christmas, Richard, Weather, Winter

0 comments

Why not have your say? or leave me a voice mail