The new year is just around the corner dear readers! That of course means making resolutions you probably won't keep, staying up till well past midnight and having a good time with your friends. Or at least that's what we always tend to do.
I want to make a change to new year. I want to actually keep a resolution, something I've never done before...mainly due to the fact that I've never bothered to ever make a resolution in the first place. But, it starts here. My new year's resolution is to make sure I train up in order to run 10k non-stop. Even saying 10k makes me want to shudder with dread. I'm used to doing 5k's, and seeing as I'm not a club runner and I don't train endlessly, my normal run takes around 25 minutes. It's not bad I guess. At least I can run...that's the main thing.
However, I'm going to need to train especially hard this year because the 10k I'm gearing up for is no ordinary run. It's the Run Balmoral 10k. It's up a hill. Yep. I am indeed planning to go running up a hill most likely enduring weather that's not entirely pleasant. Why? That's a question I've been asking myself a lot recently and you know, I really don't have a decent answer for you. At least I'm going to be raising a bit of money out of the run for charity. Hopefully that will be a goal that I can keep in sight and use to inspire me to run that little bit harder and reach the finish line without suffering some sort of exercise induced collapse. Last year when I took part in the 5k, I managed to raise just over £100 for Cancer Research UK. I want to beat that amount this year.
So, here's to training hard, setting yourself goals, and raising money for good causes. Here's to 2014. Let's hope it's a fantastic year for everyone.
Monday 30 December 2013
Tuesday 10 December 2013
Christmas Food From Around The World
Have you ever wondered what Christmas must be like in other countries? Or at the very least, wondered what people usually eat for Christmas dinner across the other side of the world? Well...you probably haven't, but now that I've mentioned it, you must be a little curious. And your curiosity is about to be satisfied. Sit back and get a load of this...
In Argentina the traditional Christmas spread is made up of Vitel Tone - veal smothered in a creamy mayonnaise sauce flavoured with tinned tuna - or in other words this:
Vitel Tone is made by poaching a cut of veal with onions, carrots, celery and parsley (among a few other ingredients) and coating the meat with a tuna mayonnaise sauce made with anchovies and vinegar. Not something seafood haters should ever try. The meat and the sauce are then layered together and set in the fridge to stew for up to five days to allow the flavours to develop.
A few other key Argentinian Christmas treats are Turron or Nougat, Pan Dulce (panattone), Asado (meaning barbeque) meats such as beef, chicken, calf, lamb or suckling pig, Budin (fruitcake), Matambre (a cut of beef), Lengua (beef tongue), sandwiches de miga, salads and pionono (dough cooked with walnuts or fruits and chantilly cream). 
The Swedes go all out in their Christmas extravaganza - especially in the sausage department. That's actually not as dodgy as it sounds...what I mean is that they have three kinds of sausage on the dinner table: Prinskorv - small hot dog sausages, Flaskkorv - large pork sausages, and Isterband - smoked fresh pork sausage. If that isn't enough meat for you, they also bring out the Kottbullar (Swedish meatballs), Revbensspjall (spare ribs) and Julskinka (Christmas ham). To balance out all this meat, the Swedes lay out the Christmas fish with dishes like Lutfisk - boiled white fish served in a white gravy, Inlagdsill - pickled herring, Janssons frestelse - scalloped potato casserole with anchovies, and Gravad Lax - raw spiced salmon, proving very popular. Again, not a great place to spend Christmas if you don't like fish...or if you're vegetarian for that matter.
The last country I thought I should add to my Christmas dinner list is Jamaica. I did this mainly because their main dish is curried goat: something which I think puts the traditional turkey to shame...although they do also consume slightly less flamboyant meats like chicken and ham which I think (like the goat) they eat with rice and peas. Their Christmas desert, which is similar to our Christmas cake, is served with a special drink. This drink is called sorrel and countains rum and is usually heavily flavoured with ginger and other spices.
In my opinion, Christmas dinner sounds best in Jamaica. Admittedly, this is mainly because I can't stand the taste of fish unless it is in finger form, but also because I really do like the sound of curried goat!
Brother & Bones
I realise I said I would be doing a few things on the blog which I happen to not have actually done. It's really not the best work ethic I've got going on with the Guide, but I'm afraid to say that this year school work takes priority. And when I say work, I mean work. I should probably be doing school stuff right now in fact, but I figured that a little blog post might help chill me out a bit.
So, as promised, here is the long awaited Brother & Bones interview. The reason it's taken me so long to get this up on the blog is mainly due to the fact that the phone line was so bad while I was interviewing the lead singer (Rich Thomas) that half of my questions now don't have answers. I tried getting in contact with the band again via email, but I've had no luck. I'm going to put this down to them being busy on tour...
I was pretty nervous about interviewing Rich at the start, though I really needn't have been. What I should have been worrying about was how long it would actually take to get the interview done and dusted. It took three attempts before I managed to get all my questions answered. Why? Well, the first time I phoned, the tour manager had been left in the dark about the whole interview arrangement so I was asked to call back later. When I did call back, the phone line was so bad I ended up rescheduling in the hope that the signal would be better once the band had reached Dundee (where they were to be performing that evening). Unfortunately, as I later realised, it wasn't actually the signal that was mucking up the sound quality of the phone. All the crackling and cutting out was down to the fact that my house phone is a bit of a diva when it comes to loudspeaker.
That said, I did have a lot of fun doing the whole interview and I got some pretty good stuff out of it. So, without further ado, here it is:
When I saw your gig in Manchester, you were playing in quite a small venue, but you’ve played for large festivals too. Do you find you have to change the way you perform for festivals as opposed to smaller venues?
“Yes. On small stages in small venues, in terms of space,
you don’t have the same kind of freedom as you would at a big festival. Just by
definition it’s different. We have to find a way for our music to come across
as best it can. In a small venue you can’t have the guys playing on their drums
as loud as they possibly can, but on a big festival stage, you have that
freedom and you can get away with it. In a small venue you’ve got to allow room
– in terms of volume – for other stuff to come through. As long as we don’t
have to compromise on delivering our songs the way they should be played,
that’s fine. Obviously every band has to be able to play smaller venues and we
love both for different reasons.”
Do you find yourself
missing family and friends when you’re on tour?
“Yeah, I suppose it’s a bit of a double edged sword in that
way. We have people we’re missing back home like girlfriends and family but the
fact that the band is pretty much a family makes up for that. That sounded
cheesy, but it makes sense. You’re going to be working away from home a lot of
the time, like most musicians do, so you need that. We do get to be at home,
but we go on the road as well, and that’s just the way it is. It’s the
lifestyle we chose and we chose it for a reason – because we love music. It’s
not for everyone and people’s ideas of being on the road are probably slightly
different to the reality. It’s hard work. We do a lot of driving and lugging
gear around and eating a lot of shit food. We’re quite used to staying up until
2 in the morning and then getting up and 10. That’s our lifestyle. A lot of
people couldn’t handle that and having to perform every night.”
How did you guys
meet?
(couldn’t make out much of this)
“I met Rob ages ago in Cornwall. We’ve just played music
together forever really. We all met through the London music scene and we
started jamming and it just worked out.”
What influences your
music?
(same with this one)
“That’s quite a broad question really, but in general, from
my point of view, it’s kind of hard not to be influenced by everything and
every day. That sounds pretty cheesy as well. I grew up listening to a lot of
older music – my mum used to listen to Motown stuff. I’m used to my family sitting
down together and playing guitars, so that’s my background. We all love a bit of modern music as well,
but it’s a collective thing.”
Are you working on
any new material? Sunday 24 November 2013
As You Can See
As you can see, I have been messing around with the blog's appearance. I'm not entirely sure if I actually like it, so don't be surprised if it all gets changed again within the next few days. I just want to make it look more attractive and I think experimentation is the best way to go about it. If you've been following the blog from the beginning, you'll know that right now, it looks completely different to how it all started out. The whole blog used to be a shocking pink. I know!
I sort of wanted to make it look more mature, though I'm not sure pastel colours are the way to go...still, it looks a whole load better than it did when we first started out with this thing. I was thinking about changing it to dynamic views or something like that, but you don't really get the chance to personalise your blog a huge amount when you do that. If anyone has a few tips or ideas they want to share - please contact me via my email which is at the side of the blog.
Also, I wanted to give you all a heads up to what's going to be appearing on the blog shortly. I'll be posting an interview with Brother & Bones which I did today over the phone. I ended up having to call them about three times to complete the interview and on top of that, the line kept breaking up either because the connection was really awful or because my phone really just can't cope with being put on loudspeaker.
So, that's something you all have to keep an eye out for. I will also be posting on lacebirds again soon - possibly this weekend. The shots will be hugely different to what I normally do - I'm going to be using one of my friends as a model (not for fashion photography though) and the theme for the photos is a tad dark, but hey, change is always a good thing.
I sort of wanted to make it look more mature, though I'm not sure pastel colours are the way to go...still, it looks a whole load better than it did when we first started out with this thing. I was thinking about changing it to dynamic views or something like that, but you don't really get the chance to personalise your blog a huge amount when you do that. If anyone has a few tips or ideas they want to share - please contact me via my email which is at the side of the blog.
Also, I wanted to give you all a heads up to what's going to be appearing on the blog shortly. I'll be posting an interview with Brother & Bones which I did today over the phone. I ended up having to call them about three times to complete the interview and on top of that, the line kept breaking up either because the connection was really awful or because my phone really just can't cope with being put on loudspeaker.
So, that's something you all have to keep an eye out for. I will also be posting on lacebirds again soon - possibly this weekend. The shots will be hugely different to what I normally do - I'm going to be using one of my friends as a model (not for fashion photography though) and the theme for the photos is a tad dark, but hey, change is always a good thing.
Friday 25 October 2013
Posts from BOOKMARK - And Now Raise Your Glasses
And Now Raise Your Glasses
This is going to be my last post on the BOOKMARK blog and so it seemed fitting to include the event which concluded BOOKMARK 2013 – Charles Maclean’s whisky tasting session – or at least the session preceding it seeing as I didn’t take part in any whisky tasting because I’m slightly too young for that.
Anyway, I sat down at the beginning of the session, thinking I could melt away into the background. I was wrong. I received a shout out (and so did the tech team), thanking me for being BOOMARK’s official blogger. This meant the entire audience turned and stared at me. Nonetheless, it was great to hear how much my work has been appreciated, and it’s also been nice reading the comments left on the posts, but there was someone else who I thought ought to have been mentioned. Without the editing skills of Hilda Reilly, my posts would, no doubt, be full of spelling and punctuation mistakes that I failed to pick up in the heat of writing. So thank you, Hilda.
Throughout the rest of Charles’s session I picked up a huge amount of information on whisky (which I’m sure will be put to use in later life). The audience seemed hugely enthusiastic, judging by their response to Mr Maclean’s easy manner on stage and the amount of participation in the session which was unscripted and relied on questions asked by audience members. And, despite the lack of scripting, Charles managed to speak without faltering once. Hats off to him, I say. Unfortunately he happens to be the only person whose session I listened in on and didn’t get the chance to interview! We did share a few quick words, but he had to take charge of the whisky tasting session which started at 4.30pm, so I interviewed a few BOOKMARK volunteers instead.
I met Jan and Heather outside the Hub and decided to pounce on them for their opinion of BOOKMARK (which I also used in an article for the Blairie).
“For a first year it’s been a great experience,” said Jan.
“It’s been great for those who have been helping too. It’s been enjoyable,” was Heather’s verdict.
And you know, I couldn’t agree more. Helping out with the blog for BOOKMARK has been so much fun and has given me the opportunity to meet many well-known writers and, more importantly, has enabled me to take part in something that I know will benefit the community enormously. But what kick-started the whole concept of BOOKMARK in the first place?
I put the question to Christine Findlay.
“I belong to two reading groups in Blairgowrie and am an avid book festival goer,” she told me. “It struck me that Blairgowrie, a town working hard to regenerate its economy and its identity, might benefit from a new project such as a book festival. I had been to several other small book festival towns (Melrose, Wigton, Ullapool etc.) and seen the benefits which had come directly from hosting a successful book festival. So it was a combination of my own love of reading, a lifelong desire to encourage that love of reading in others (I had a long career as an English teacher) and a belief that bringing a book festival to Blairgowrie, Rattray and The Glens could contribute to the area’s regeneration programme which collectively motivated me.”
Thanks to Christine’s determination and the hard work of the BOOKMARK team, audiences were able to enjoy a brilliant first festival – long may that continue.
I have to say, though, there was one thing that did disappoint me about BOOKMARK – I didn’t get the opportunity to interview all of the authors taking part! Nor was I able to listen in on all of the sessions, like Karen Campbell’s or Joan Lennon’s. But never mind, there’s always a next time.
Anyway, I sat down at the beginning of the session, thinking I could melt away into the background. I was wrong. I received a shout out (and so did the tech team), thanking me for being BOOMARK’s official blogger. This meant the entire audience turned and stared at me. Nonetheless, it was great to hear how much my work has been appreciated, and it’s also been nice reading the comments left on the posts, but there was someone else who I thought ought to have been mentioned. Without the editing skills of Hilda Reilly, my posts would, no doubt, be full of spelling and punctuation mistakes that I failed to pick up in the heat of writing. So thank you, Hilda.
Throughout the rest of Charles’s session I picked up a huge amount of information on whisky (which I’m sure will be put to use in later life). The audience seemed hugely enthusiastic, judging by their response to Mr Maclean’s easy manner on stage and the amount of participation in the session which was unscripted and relied on questions asked by audience members. And, despite the lack of scripting, Charles managed to speak without faltering once. Hats off to him, I say. Unfortunately he happens to be the only person whose session I listened in on and didn’t get the chance to interview! We did share a few quick words, but he had to take charge of the whisky tasting session which started at 4.30pm, so I interviewed a few BOOKMARK volunteers instead.
I met Jan and Heather outside the Hub and decided to pounce on them for their opinion of BOOKMARK (which I also used in an article for the Blairie).
“For a first year it’s been a great experience,” said Jan.
“It’s been great for those who have been helping too. It’s been enjoyable,” was Heather’s verdict.
And you know, I couldn’t agree more. Helping out with the blog for BOOKMARK has been so much fun and has given me the opportunity to meet many well-known writers and, more importantly, has enabled me to take part in something that I know will benefit the community enormously. But what kick-started the whole concept of BOOKMARK in the first place?
I put the question to Christine Findlay.
“I belong to two reading groups in Blairgowrie and am an avid book festival goer,” she told me. “It struck me that Blairgowrie, a town working hard to regenerate its economy and its identity, might benefit from a new project such as a book festival. I had been to several other small book festival towns (Melrose, Wigton, Ullapool etc.) and seen the benefits which had come directly from hosting a successful book festival. So it was a combination of my own love of reading, a lifelong desire to encourage that love of reading in others (I had a long career as an English teacher) and a belief that bringing a book festival to Blairgowrie, Rattray and The Glens could contribute to the area’s regeneration programme which collectively motivated me.”
Thanks to Christine’s determination and the hard work of the BOOKMARK team, audiences were able to enjoy a brilliant first festival – long may that continue.
I have to say, though, there was one thing that did disappoint me about BOOKMARK – I didn’t get the opportunity to interview all of the authors taking part! Nor was I able to listen in on all of the sessions, like Karen Campbell’s or Joan Lennon’s. But never mind, there’s always a next time.
Posts from BOOKMARK - Getting to the Truth of the Matter with James Robertson
Getting to the Truth of the Matter with James Robertson
Before I begin on the main subject of this post, I just want to say – you have no idea what a relief it is to be writing this after doing a Grade 5 piano theory paper. The paper was only a practice (thank goodness) but it was genuinely enough to make my head spin.
So, on with the show…
This, in the context of Saturday 19th, meant that after a quick lunch, I was off to sit in on James Robertson’s session which began at two. If anyone is interested, lunch consisted of a bowl of mushroom soup and a few sandwiches while I sat at a table with James Robertson, Fiona Armstrong and Mairi Hedderwick, among other people. If nothing else, the whole experience was a bit surreal and if that wasn’t enough, I ended up chatting to Fiona Armstrong in the ladies!
By the time I took my seat for James Robertson’s session, I was in a bit of a daze. I snapped out of it soon enough though and focussed on what was being said on stage. Fiona Armstrong (who was chairing the session) and James Robertson were discussing his latest novel ‘The Professor of Truth’ which is loosely based on the events surrounding the Lockerbie bombing told through the eyes of Dr Alan Tealing. ‘The Professor of Truth’ was described by Fiona as being ‘quite remarkable’ and ‘a wonderful and beautifully written, human story’ by Liz Lochhead, but it didn’t come without its fair share of controversy. This is a) because any book dealing with such a raw subject is going to be met with both applause and opposition and b) because James’s novel comes in on the slant which suggests Megrahi was not the guilty party. Although James has tried to ‘remove’ his storyline slightly from the events on which it was based, it is, for many who believe in Megrahi’s guilt, a hard-hitting novel. During the session, James stated that he thought that Megrahi’s innocence was a much more plausible notion than the idea that Megrahi did do it.
I can’t claim to know much about the Lockerbie bombing apart from the fact that it was a terrible tragedy in which many people lost their lives in the aftermath of which one man was tried and convicted. Maybe because of that I found myself drawn to James’s ideas about what might have actually happened, though he never once claimed to know the true version of events, instead saying: “What I’m trying to do is not say ‘look, this is the real story’ because it is a novel, but to say ‘maybe we should all step back a bit and try and look at how these narratives get constructed and why, sometimes, they go askew’, and I think the real Lockerbie saga has gone very badly askew.”
Throughout the session, James remained calm in explaining the version of events presented in ‘The Professor of Truth’ (the second half of which is pure fiction) even when Fiona took a turn at playing devil’s advocate. James never once tried to force his opinions down the audience’s throats and was careful and considerate in all that he said on the matter. In fact, the audience was so absorbed in all of this you could have heard a pin drop. However, when the discussion was thrown open to the audience, a few people became quite vocal , asking James’s opinion on Lockerbie and in particular what he believed Kenny Macaskill’s motivations for ‘one of the most extraordinary political actions of the time’ might be.
When I caught up with James after his book signing in the hub (you may be sensing a theme here) I commented on this and asked whether he found this often happened when introducing ‘The Professor of Truth’.
“Yes, it’s kind of inevitable in a way because it’s based on quite a contentious subject, so I’m not surprised really. It’s interesting because you don’t really know what questions you’re going to get asked, so sometimes you get quite a difficult question like the one that was asked today and when you don’t know the answer you have to say ‘I don’t know’. But I’m used to that. I expect there to be tricky questions.”
I nodded in agreement at this. You couldn’t really anticipate anything else after basing a novel, however loosely, on events like Lockerbie. I wondered if any of James’s other works had ever generated the same kind of response as ‘The Professor of Truth’.
“Not in the same kind of way, no, because they haven’t been dealing with anything quite as controversial as the Lockerbie bombing. You know, people will ask you quite challenging questions but usually they don’t have that edge to them that sometimes the questions around this book have.”
So why tackle something that is still so raw?
“Well, really because I think if you’re a serious writer and there’s a subject that you feel needs to be addressed, then you’ve got to have the courage to do it. Even though I knew it was going to be quite controversial I thought I just want to get among it and write about it.”
And I think this is true. You’ve got to have guts to do something like James Robertson has – thick skin too, and of course, a certain amount of self-belief. You need all of this in order to harness the ability to take the inevitable negative comments on the chin. Thankfully though, these ‘negative comments’ are balanced out by the overwhelming praise for this well written book. Hannah McGill of the Scotsman described ‘The Professor of Truth’ as ‘very good…powered by action and mystery’. Others like John Burnside of the Guardian described it as an ‘impressive study of grief’. And finding all these positive reviews is making me want to read it!
After the great response James received from his BOOKMARK audience (this member having thoroughly enjoyed the session) I wondered what he thought of BOOKMARK compared to other book festivals he had been to.
“Well, given that this is the first one, I think it’s doing remarkably well. It’s right in a very central venue, there are lots of people coming and going, the audience seemed to be really enjoying themselves and so, I think, have the writers who have come. I think it compares really well and I like the fact that it’s very intimate and friendly.”
This, I had noticed, was something many of the writers had been saying and I agree with them. The audiences at all of the sessions laughed when jokes were cracked, ‘awed’ when Andrew Greig read out his poem describing his unerring love for his wife, and fell into enraptured silence when listening to James and Fiona discuss ‘The Professor of Truth’. This is the kind of festival where an author knows his or her work will be received with genuine interest, where they can get a telling response. The authors might be one of the things that keep people coming back to BOOKMARK, but the audience and hospitality of this book festival is what will attract the authors.
Now that I’ve finished this post, it’s back to worrying how my piano teacher will react when he sees my attempt at that Grade 5 theory paper…
So, on with the show…
This, in the context of Saturday 19th, meant that after a quick lunch, I was off to sit in on James Robertson’s session which began at two. If anyone is interested, lunch consisted of a bowl of mushroom soup and a few sandwiches while I sat at a table with James Robertson, Fiona Armstrong and Mairi Hedderwick, among other people. If nothing else, the whole experience was a bit surreal and if that wasn’t enough, I ended up chatting to Fiona Armstrong in the ladies!
By the time I took my seat for James Robertson’s session, I was in a bit of a daze. I snapped out of it soon enough though and focussed on what was being said on stage. Fiona Armstrong (who was chairing the session) and James Robertson were discussing his latest novel ‘The Professor of Truth’ which is loosely based on the events surrounding the Lockerbie bombing told through the eyes of Dr Alan Tealing. ‘The Professor of Truth’ was described by Fiona as being ‘quite remarkable’ and ‘a wonderful and beautifully written, human story’ by Liz Lochhead, but it didn’t come without its fair share of controversy. This is a) because any book dealing with such a raw subject is going to be met with both applause and opposition and b) because James’s novel comes in on the slant which suggests Megrahi was not the guilty party. Although James has tried to ‘remove’ his storyline slightly from the events on which it was based, it is, for many who believe in Megrahi’s guilt, a hard-hitting novel. During the session, James stated that he thought that Megrahi’s innocence was a much more plausible notion than the idea that Megrahi did do it.
I can’t claim to know much about the Lockerbie bombing apart from the fact that it was a terrible tragedy in which many people lost their lives in the aftermath of which one man was tried and convicted. Maybe because of that I found myself drawn to James’s ideas about what might have actually happened, though he never once claimed to know the true version of events, instead saying: “What I’m trying to do is not say ‘look, this is the real story’ because it is a novel, but to say ‘maybe we should all step back a bit and try and look at how these narratives get constructed and why, sometimes, they go askew’, and I think the real Lockerbie saga has gone very badly askew.”
Throughout the session, James remained calm in explaining the version of events presented in ‘The Professor of Truth’ (the second half of which is pure fiction) even when Fiona took a turn at playing devil’s advocate. James never once tried to force his opinions down the audience’s throats and was careful and considerate in all that he said on the matter. In fact, the audience was so absorbed in all of this you could have heard a pin drop. However, when the discussion was thrown open to the audience, a few people became quite vocal , asking James’s opinion on Lockerbie and in particular what he believed Kenny Macaskill’s motivations for ‘one of the most extraordinary political actions of the time’ might be.
When I caught up with James after his book signing in the hub (you may be sensing a theme here) I commented on this and asked whether he found this often happened when introducing ‘The Professor of Truth’.
“Yes, it’s kind of inevitable in a way because it’s based on quite a contentious subject, so I’m not surprised really. It’s interesting because you don’t really know what questions you’re going to get asked, so sometimes you get quite a difficult question like the one that was asked today and when you don’t know the answer you have to say ‘I don’t know’. But I’m used to that. I expect there to be tricky questions.”
I nodded in agreement at this. You couldn’t really anticipate anything else after basing a novel, however loosely, on events like Lockerbie. I wondered if any of James’s other works had ever generated the same kind of response as ‘The Professor of Truth’.
“Not in the same kind of way, no, because they haven’t been dealing with anything quite as controversial as the Lockerbie bombing. You know, people will ask you quite challenging questions but usually they don’t have that edge to them that sometimes the questions around this book have.”
So why tackle something that is still so raw?
“Well, really because I think if you’re a serious writer and there’s a subject that you feel needs to be addressed, then you’ve got to have the courage to do it. Even though I knew it was going to be quite controversial I thought I just want to get among it and write about it.”
And I think this is true. You’ve got to have guts to do something like James Robertson has – thick skin too, and of course, a certain amount of self-belief. You need all of this in order to harness the ability to take the inevitable negative comments on the chin. Thankfully though, these ‘negative comments’ are balanced out by the overwhelming praise for this well written book. Hannah McGill of the Scotsman described ‘The Professor of Truth’ as ‘very good…powered by action and mystery’. Others like John Burnside of the Guardian described it as an ‘impressive study of grief’. And finding all these positive reviews is making me want to read it!
After the great response James received from his BOOKMARK audience (this member having thoroughly enjoyed the session) I wondered what he thought of BOOKMARK compared to other book festivals he had been to.
“Well, given that this is the first one, I think it’s doing remarkably well. It’s right in a very central venue, there are lots of people coming and going, the audience seemed to be really enjoying themselves and so, I think, have the writers who have come. I think it compares really well and I like the fact that it’s very intimate and friendly.”
This, I had noticed, was something many of the writers had been saying and I agree with them. The audiences at all of the sessions laughed when jokes were cracked, ‘awed’ when Andrew Greig read out his poem describing his unerring love for his wife, and fell into enraptured silence when listening to James and Fiona discuss ‘The Professor of Truth’. This is the kind of festival where an author knows his or her work will be received with genuine interest, where they can get a telling response. The authors might be one of the things that keep people coming back to BOOKMARK, but the audience and hospitality of this book festival is what will attract the authors.
Now that I’ve finished this post, it’s back to worrying how my piano teacher will react when he sees my attempt at that Grade 5 theory paper…
Posts from BOOKMARK - Having Fun with Mairi Hedderwick
Having Fun with Mairi Hedderwick
After my interview with Andrew Greig I made my way up to the Conference Room where Mairi Hedderwick’s ‘The Making of Katie Morag’ session was about to begin as part of the mini-BOOKMARK festival for children.
I met my neighbour who was peering curiously through the doors as volunteers organised chairs and made a few last minute adjustments. She told me that she had managed to book the last two tickets available for ‘The Making of Katie Morag’ for her daughters, but confessed she hoped the volunteers would let her listen in on the session. Why? Well, like me and so many others, she loved Katie Morag.
Katie Morag was one of my favourite fictional characters as a child, and is still among my top ten even now. I think the feisty little red-head appeals to so many younger readers because she is their reflection (though probably not in appearance). She shares the same highs and lows, gets into the same kind of mischief and learns the same lessons from her experiences as any child would. This is also the reason so many adults enjoy Katie Morag’s adventures – she has the innate ability to bring people back to their childhoods.
After chatting away for a good few minutes, my neighbour and I found a space at the back of the Conference Room, though unfortunately we had to stand as there were no chairs left.
What really amazed me more than anything during ‘The Making of Katie Morag’ was Mairi Hedderwick’s ability to hold the attention of a room full of children – not an easy thing to do by anyone’s standards. She later told me ‘eye contact is one of the tricks’. Of course, it didn’t just come down to a few glances here and there. The reason the children were so engrossed in what Mairi was saying was because of the way that she had created an interactive session. She allowed the children to have their say, to share their opinions and thoughts.
I also couldn’t help noticing the smiles on the faces of the children’s parents! I think (and I’m on shaky ground here considering I have no experience in bringing up children) that when a parent sees their child happy and smiling, involved in what is going on around them, it creates a certain sense of joy. So, in that way, Mairi’s session benefitted not only the children taking part, but the adults as well.
And as I leaned back against the wall thinking this, I found myself wishing that I too had an armchair as comfortable as Mairi’s to sit in. Armchair? Ah, yes, I’d better explain. The conference room had been cleverly laid out to mimic a grandmother’s lounge, right down to comfortable reading chair and old-fashioned lamp, with cushions on the floor for the children to sit on.
Mairi explained to me the reasons for this after she’d signed her latest Katie Morag book (Katie Morag and the Dancing Class) for her young fans. “It’s a much more relaxed atmosphere for them. I always want the children to sit on the floor. Sometimes you go to venues and it’s all formal chairs and the children are expected to sit there and be lectured at. I try to get the children involved with questions and answers, so to have them round in a semi-circle, sitting on the floor is the right atmosphere.”
So what did she think of BOOKMARK?
“I think it’s wonderful and it’s always exciting when you’re part of the first book festival because it’s such an excitement and it’s been wonderfully organised. It’s been so good to come to it.”
Then she said something surprising…
“I am so well known for the Katie Morag stories and that is wonderful because I know teachers get a terrific response. They use the books a lot in schools, but I actually do adult books and these are not noticed so much and I always find that a little bit sad. Of course, I’m delighted to work with the children but a lot of my colleagues are adult writers and there is a sort of separation between a children’s author and an author who writes for adults.”
In a way, I can understand how Mairi feels. She has lived with Katie Morag for almost 30 years now, and though she has written around five travel guides (for adults) they have not had nearly as much success or publicity as her tales from the Isle of Struay. And I got the sense she wasn’t being pessimistic; she was just telling the truth. Mairi is evidently pleased with the success of Katie Morag, but she acknowledges that success is a double-edged sword. In her case, it has almost trapped her within children’s literature. But there is always hope, and there are many authors who take on both adults’ and children’s literature, like James Robertson, creator of the Gruffalo and author of ‘The Professor of Truth’.
When I asked Mairi if she would be interested in doing a session on her other works (such as ‘An Eye on the Hebrides’ which was being sold at the BOOKMARK hub) she replied:
“Yes, of course. I want to do more of that.”
I hope that she will.
I met my neighbour who was peering curiously through the doors as volunteers organised chairs and made a few last minute adjustments. She told me that she had managed to book the last two tickets available for ‘The Making of Katie Morag’ for her daughters, but confessed she hoped the volunteers would let her listen in on the session. Why? Well, like me and so many others, she loved Katie Morag.
Katie Morag was one of my favourite fictional characters as a child, and is still among my top ten even now. I think the feisty little red-head appeals to so many younger readers because she is their reflection (though probably not in appearance). She shares the same highs and lows, gets into the same kind of mischief and learns the same lessons from her experiences as any child would. This is also the reason so many adults enjoy Katie Morag’s adventures – she has the innate ability to bring people back to their childhoods.
After chatting away for a good few minutes, my neighbour and I found a space at the back of the Conference Room, though unfortunately we had to stand as there were no chairs left.
What really amazed me more than anything during ‘The Making of Katie Morag’ was Mairi Hedderwick’s ability to hold the attention of a room full of children – not an easy thing to do by anyone’s standards. She later told me ‘eye contact is one of the tricks’. Of course, it didn’t just come down to a few glances here and there. The reason the children were so engrossed in what Mairi was saying was because of the way that she had created an interactive session. She allowed the children to have their say, to share their opinions and thoughts.
I also couldn’t help noticing the smiles on the faces of the children’s parents! I think (and I’m on shaky ground here considering I have no experience in bringing up children) that when a parent sees their child happy and smiling, involved in what is going on around them, it creates a certain sense of joy. So, in that way, Mairi’s session benefitted not only the children taking part, but the adults as well.
And as I leaned back against the wall thinking this, I found myself wishing that I too had an armchair as comfortable as Mairi’s to sit in. Armchair? Ah, yes, I’d better explain. The conference room had been cleverly laid out to mimic a grandmother’s lounge, right down to comfortable reading chair and old-fashioned lamp, with cushions on the floor for the children to sit on.
Mairi explained to me the reasons for this after she’d signed her latest Katie Morag book (Katie Morag and the Dancing Class) for her young fans. “It’s a much more relaxed atmosphere for them. I always want the children to sit on the floor. Sometimes you go to venues and it’s all formal chairs and the children are expected to sit there and be lectured at. I try to get the children involved with questions and answers, so to have them round in a semi-circle, sitting on the floor is the right atmosphere.”
So what did she think of BOOKMARK?
“I think it’s wonderful and it’s always exciting when you’re part of the first book festival because it’s such an excitement and it’s been wonderfully organised. It’s been so good to come to it.”
Then she said something surprising…
“I am so well known for the Katie Morag stories and that is wonderful because I know teachers get a terrific response. They use the books a lot in schools, but I actually do adult books and these are not noticed so much and I always find that a little bit sad. Of course, I’m delighted to work with the children but a lot of my colleagues are adult writers and there is a sort of separation between a children’s author and an author who writes for adults.”
In a way, I can understand how Mairi feels. She has lived with Katie Morag for almost 30 years now, and though she has written around five travel guides (for adults) they have not had nearly as much success or publicity as her tales from the Isle of Struay. And I got the sense she wasn’t being pessimistic; she was just telling the truth. Mairi is evidently pleased with the success of Katie Morag, but she acknowledges that success is a double-edged sword. In her case, it has almost trapped her within children’s literature. But there is always hope, and there are many authors who take on both adults’ and children’s literature, like James Robertson, creator of the Gruffalo and author of ‘The Professor of Truth’.
When I asked Mairi if she would be interested in doing a session on her other works (such as ‘An Eye on the Hebrides’ which was being sold at the BOOKMARK hub) she replied:
“Yes, of course. I want to do more of that.”
I hope that she will.
Posts from BOOKMARK - In Conversation with Andrew Greig
In Conversation with Andrew Greig
I caught up with Andrew Greig, after his session chaired by Liz Lochhead, in the BOOKMARK hub. I stood in the queue behind a swathe of people holding copies of his latest novel, Fair Helen, waiting patiently for the author himself to sign them. During the session Andrew had read to the audience two excerpts from the novel, a bleak re-mastering of the border ballad Fair Helen of Kirkconoll Lea, told from the point of view of Harry Langton, a novel which had been flying off the bookshop stand in the hub.
Songs also featured in Andrew Greig’s session. Yes, you did read that correctly, no, your eyes are not deceiving you. There was indeed singing at a book festival. Andrew Greig accompanied himself on guitar and banjo (not at the same time) over two songs – one he had written himself and the other the border ballad of ill-fated fair Helen of Kirkconnel Lea. He also read a selection of poems from his ‘micro odyssey’ Found at Sea. And, of course, he had a bit of a haver with Liz Lochhead.
As I waited behind my parents to reach the front of the queue, I realised that Andrew was taking time to speak to his fans. As he signed their books, they proudly told him why they could relate to his poetry about sailing and climbing. It was because they did those things themselves, either that or they knew someone who did. The fact that people were so taken by his work because of how relatable it was became my first question.
“I’m always surprised that people follow me through poetry and fiction and non-fiction,” he confessed, “but I can only think it is that in the end I write about things that are common to all of us: being alive, living in transience where everything you know is going to be lost and taken from you, where people die and get older, how we try to create meaning in our lives, how sometimes we lose it, how sometimes we get it back again. And nearly all my books are adventures of a sort. People relate to (even if it’s just an armchair reader) the adventure of going and climbing a mountain or going on a quest – lots of my books are quests – which is a universal human thing. So, you travel somewhere in an adventure to achieve something but above all to give meaning and drama to your life. Falling in love, that’s a quest, that’s an adventure. So yeah, I think that people do relate to it because of that. I’m very aware more and more that I’m writing about universal, what I like to call, existential stuff – what it is to be an individual human being relating to other people in search of meaning and enjoyment, confronted by loss all the time.”
It was quite a profound answer, and I made a point of telling him so as he sipped his coffee. Though I was slightly taken aback by the depth of his words, it was to be expected really. It was foretold in his poetry, his song and even excerpts from his novel. Through his work, Andrew creates something so human it could almost be an entity in itself. Then something Andrew had said earlier drifted to the front of my mind. He had commented during the session that he had ‘very few ideas’. I asked whether he found a lot of his work took inspiration from what is already written, like the border ballad of fair Helen of Kirkconnel Lea.
“I find it really helps when I’ve got what I call a template, some kind of story line of characters given that I’m going to work variations on, like my book The Return of John Macnab, lifted directly from a John Buchan book called John Macnab, so at least when I started writing it I knew I had three characters and they had to do three poaching wagers. That much was given, and after that I could do what I wanted, and that helped. Quite a lot of my books start off from songs, or sometimes poems of my own. I wrote a book When They Lay Bare which was a mixture of a classic border ballad called The Twa Corbies and a poem I wrote about a friend of mine who was a PHD student and lived alone in a cabin in the woods, and those two things put together somehow gave me that. So, you’re right, I very seldom invent out of nothing and I tend to write from places I know quite well like Orkney, like the Himalayas, like the Scottish mountains and small towns. I write a lot about small towns. I’m a small town boy – Anstruther, St Ninians, Queensferry, Stromness – and I like writing about places that have not really appeared in many books before. That’s why I like coming to places like here because this is my size of town and I can totally relate to the people living here. It’s something to do with living in a society where so many people are known to you and you are known to so many people, and you either love that or hate that or sometimes both.” He picked up a shortbread and biting into it.
I glanced at the plate piled high with those sugary biscuits, debating whether or not to nab one for myself. I decided against it, coming to the conclusion that if I tried interviewing Andrew whilst eating biscuits…well, there was plenty of scope for a disaster. Instead I dragged my gaze away from the temptation and thought about what Andrew had just said. So, really, he did have ideas, he just needed something to spark them. In some ways, writing like that is much harder than writing off the top of your head because your stories have to fit seamlessly into the original script, whether it be a ballad or a historical document. You have to make your version individual, your own, whilst acknowledging what inspired you in the first place. It is something that takes skill, time and patience. As with every story, you can’t expect your words to simply jump from your mind to the page. This means going through draft after draft, aiming to leave yourself with a piece of work that is as good as it can possibly be.
When I asked Andrew what he thought of BOOKMARK he waxed enthusiastic.
“It’s great! I’m genuinely very pleased, chuffed, to be in on the first one. Liz Lochhead kicked it off last night, a great choice actually. She’s always unfailingly good, I mean she’s the Scottish Makar. We were talking about it last night and we said it’s kind of great being in on the ground floor on the first day of it,” he told me. "People like Liz and myself are asked to do a lot of things and we get quite choosy. And as I say, I’ve got a particular predilection for places that are not cities, that are small, interesting. They’ve got an emotional history for me. The first job I ever I ever did when I left home was in Perth, well, on the river outside of Perth, near Stanley. I used to come up here on my days off on my Vespa 90 and explore up to Glen Clova and Glen Isla. So I always see a field of ghosts of my 17-year-old self when I come up here. So that’s the kind of reason why I said yes. I thought – Blairgowrie? Oh yeah. I know it, like it, it’s my kind of place, I’ll do it. Whereas sometimes you go into bigger places where the audiences are much more sparse, less involved and less enthusiastic. It’s a great audience here, in numbers, in interest. It’s been brilliant. You know when people are into it. The thing about so called ‘out of the way’ places is people come partly because it’s a social occasion. They come to see each other as much as anything else. So if I do Ullapool, Lochinver or Cromarty, it’s a social occasion. People are excited to see each other as well as coming to see you and I like that, whereas if you do a reading in London, you get twenty people and they don’t know each other and they have no intention of knowing each other. So they come along and then they have somewhere else to rush off to and then they go. That’s not what I call a festival, whereas this is a festival.”
The fact Blairgowrie is a town, home to quite a tight-knit community, is something that seemed to appeal to most of the authors I spoke with. The very thing that most teenagers (myself included) complain about – the fact Blairgowrie is too small, the fact it isn’t a city – is actually what draws a lot of people here. When you live in a place like Blair you have a chance to be somebody who is greeted in the street by strangers, and as Andrew said, you are known to people and people are known to you. You don’t have to hurry about your business, stuck in your own little world. You can share experiences like BOOKMARK with your neighbours, your friends, and that is what makes this festival so enjoyable. It’s a community thing, and more importantly a community that is willing to welcome people in.
I thanked Andrew Greig for his time before he hurried away to sit in on Karen Campbell’s session (I think) and mulled over all he had told me. I gave the biscuits one last regretful look and I was off, ready to listen to Mairi Hedderwick entertain a group of children with Katie Morag’s latest tale…
Songs also featured in Andrew Greig’s session. Yes, you did read that correctly, no, your eyes are not deceiving you. There was indeed singing at a book festival. Andrew Greig accompanied himself on guitar and banjo (not at the same time) over two songs – one he had written himself and the other the border ballad of ill-fated fair Helen of Kirkconnel Lea. He also read a selection of poems from his ‘micro odyssey’ Found at Sea. And, of course, he had a bit of a haver with Liz Lochhead.
As I waited behind my parents to reach the front of the queue, I realised that Andrew was taking time to speak to his fans. As he signed their books, they proudly told him why they could relate to his poetry about sailing and climbing. It was because they did those things themselves, either that or they knew someone who did. The fact that people were so taken by his work because of how relatable it was became my first question.
“I’m always surprised that people follow me through poetry and fiction and non-fiction,” he confessed, “but I can only think it is that in the end I write about things that are common to all of us: being alive, living in transience where everything you know is going to be lost and taken from you, where people die and get older, how we try to create meaning in our lives, how sometimes we lose it, how sometimes we get it back again. And nearly all my books are adventures of a sort. People relate to (even if it’s just an armchair reader) the adventure of going and climbing a mountain or going on a quest – lots of my books are quests – which is a universal human thing. So, you travel somewhere in an adventure to achieve something but above all to give meaning and drama to your life. Falling in love, that’s a quest, that’s an adventure. So yeah, I think that people do relate to it because of that. I’m very aware more and more that I’m writing about universal, what I like to call, existential stuff – what it is to be an individual human being relating to other people in search of meaning and enjoyment, confronted by loss all the time.”
It was quite a profound answer, and I made a point of telling him so as he sipped his coffee. Though I was slightly taken aback by the depth of his words, it was to be expected really. It was foretold in his poetry, his song and even excerpts from his novel. Through his work, Andrew creates something so human it could almost be an entity in itself. Then something Andrew had said earlier drifted to the front of my mind. He had commented during the session that he had ‘very few ideas’. I asked whether he found a lot of his work took inspiration from what is already written, like the border ballad of fair Helen of Kirkconnel Lea.
“I find it really helps when I’ve got what I call a template, some kind of story line of characters given that I’m going to work variations on, like my book The Return of John Macnab, lifted directly from a John Buchan book called John Macnab, so at least when I started writing it I knew I had three characters and they had to do three poaching wagers. That much was given, and after that I could do what I wanted, and that helped. Quite a lot of my books start off from songs, or sometimes poems of my own. I wrote a book When They Lay Bare which was a mixture of a classic border ballad called The Twa Corbies and a poem I wrote about a friend of mine who was a PHD student and lived alone in a cabin in the woods, and those two things put together somehow gave me that. So, you’re right, I very seldom invent out of nothing and I tend to write from places I know quite well like Orkney, like the Himalayas, like the Scottish mountains and small towns. I write a lot about small towns. I’m a small town boy – Anstruther, St Ninians, Queensferry, Stromness – and I like writing about places that have not really appeared in many books before. That’s why I like coming to places like here because this is my size of town and I can totally relate to the people living here. It’s something to do with living in a society where so many people are known to you and you are known to so many people, and you either love that or hate that or sometimes both.” He picked up a shortbread and biting into it.
I glanced at the plate piled high with those sugary biscuits, debating whether or not to nab one for myself. I decided against it, coming to the conclusion that if I tried interviewing Andrew whilst eating biscuits…well, there was plenty of scope for a disaster. Instead I dragged my gaze away from the temptation and thought about what Andrew had just said. So, really, he did have ideas, he just needed something to spark them. In some ways, writing like that is much harder than writing off the top of your head because your stories have to fit seamlessly into the original script, whether it be a ballad or a historical document. You have to make your version individual, your own, whilst acknowledging what inspired you in the first place. It is something that takes skill, time and patience. As with every story, you can’t expect your words to simply jump from your mind to the page. This means going through draft after draft, aiming to leave yourself with a piece of work that is as good as it can possibly be.
When I asked Andrew what he thought of BOOKMARK he waxed enthusiastic.
“It’s great! I’m genuinely very pleased, chuffed, to be in on the first one. Liz Lochhead kicked it off last night, a great choice actually. She’s always unfailingly good, I mean she’s the Scottish Makar. We were talking about it last night and we said it’s kind of great being in on the ground floor on the first day of it,” he told me. "People like Liz and myself are asked to do a lot of things and we get quite choosy. And as I say, I’ve got a particular predilection for places that are not cities, that are small, interesting. They’ve got an emotional history for me. The first job I ever I ever did when I left home was in Perth, well, on the river outside of Perth, near Stanley. I used to come up here on my days off on my Vespa 90 and explore up to Glen Clova and Glen Isla. So I always see a field of ghosts of my 17-year-old self when I come up here. So that’s the kind of reason why I said yes. I thought – Blairgowrie? Oh yeah. I know it, like it, it’s my kind of place, I’ll do it. Whereas sometimes you go into bigger places where the audiences are much more sparse, less involved and less enthusiastic. It’s a great audience here, in numbers, in interest. It’s been brilliant. You know when people are into it. The thing about so called ‘out of the way’ places is people come partly because it’s a social occasion. They come to see each other as much as anything else. So if I do Ullapool, Lochinver or Cromarty, it’s a social occasion. People are excited to see each other as well as coming to see you and I like that, whereas if you do a reading in London, you get twenty people and they don’t know each other and they have no intention of knowing each other. So they come along and then they have somewhere else to rush off to and then they go. That’s not what I call a festival, whereas this is a festival.”
The fact Blairgowrie is a town, home to quite a tight-knit community, is something that seemed to appeal to most of the authors I spoke with. The very thing that most teenagers (myself included) complain about – the fact Blairgowrie is too small, the fact it isn’t a city – is actually what draws a lot of people here. When you live in a place like Blair you have a chance to be somebody who is greeted in the street by strangers, and as Andrew said, you are known to people and people are known to you. You don’t have to hurry about your business, stuck in your own little world. You can share experiences like BOOKMARK with your neighbours, your friends, and that is what makes this festival so enjoyable. It’s a community thing, and more importantly a community that is willing to welcome people in.
I thanked Andrew Greig for his time before he hurried away to sit in on Karen Campbell’s session (I think) and mulled over all he had told me. I gave the biscuits one last regretful look and I was off, ready to listen to Mairi Hedderwick entertain a group of children with Katie Morag’s latest tale…
Posts from BOOKMARK - What an Evening!
What an evening!
After the noise, chaos and excitement of the Dundee Olympia swimming pool, I was ready for a relaxing evening listening to Liz Lochhead read out a selection of her critically acclaimed poetry. The evening wasn’t exactly as relaxing as I had initially hoped it would be, but it was certainly exciting.
The moment I arrived at the Royal Hotel I almost managed to get myself lost. I failed to read the signs directing me to the right room and nearly headed up a flight of stairs following the sign marked ‘miniBOOKMARK’. Thank goodness I stopped to pause and think for a moment and, more importantly, ask someone where exactly it was I should be going. I was soon set on the right path, leaving me to marvel at the fact I had nearly got myself lost between the entrance and the foyer!
As I headed towards the doors hiding the room in which Liz Lochhead was to direct her ‘meet the author’ session, I was greeted by Meg Luckins, a member of the BOOKMARK team in charge of all things money, and handed a press pass. I have to say I did get slightly over-excited about the pass and exclaimed something like: “This is so cool!”
I just couldn’t help myself – I suddenly felt ‘official’ and decided that all I needed to go with my new ‘press pass look’ was a massive quick-fire camera in one hand and a reporter’s microphone in the other. My substitutes for those two items were my bridge camera and a temperamental Dictaphone.
Feeling ridiculously important, I was then shown through the doors and found myself face to face with a few members of the tech team. This isn’t as scary as it sounds when most of them are in your year at school. To be honest, it was a bit of a relief as, although I was still feeling very ‘official’, I didn’t really have a clue where to start.
The tech team members I met were Daniel Duncan (a.k.a. Head Honcho and founder of JAM productions), Murray Baxter, Connie Ewans and Liam Bow. I decided that the best way to begin my interviews would be starting with the tech team, or Daniel at least. I asked him how he found out about BOOKMARK.
“Christine Findlay phoned me up and we had a meeting to see whether I was able to do the sound and lighting and then we sat down at the bar and had coffee and chatted a bit more,” he told me cheerfully. “We’ve been with BOOKMARK since the beginning. Christine first emailed me around January about technical coordination and wondered if we could do it. We started out in June with a sound set up that we already had and we’ve got to this point tonight where we have a lot more lighting which was funded by RBS.”
I was then invited to the tech team’s lair – or rather the bar turned sound booth/control centre. It was kind of like what I would imagine a refuge for the gadget obsessed might like, complete with microphones and headsets here and computer screens and amps there. I got the impression I would have to jump ship eventually as the team prepared for the evening ahead, so I decided to go and find a seat.
It wasn’t long until Liz Lochhead took to the stage, after being introduced by Christine Findlay who described her as an ‘entertainer’ at one point. She couldn’t have put it better – I found myself gripped throughout the whole session.
To tell you the truth, the whole experience was rather eye opening. Though I’m sad to admit I have very limited knowledge of Liz’s work (which will soon change, I promise!) I think that as a reader I had created a special sort of status for writers. They are there to be revered and admired and are untouchable and remote. This is obviously the only way they could be, right?
I’m more than happy to say that Liz proved me wrong. On stage she was chatty, down to earth and approachable – not the aloof ice queen the Liz Lochhead of my imagination was. She made the audience laugh, her poetry was enthralling and I could have listened to it for the rest of the night.
I don’t like to describe myself as being shy, but I certainly couldn’t do what Liz did that evening, what all the authors did today. They got up on that stage and they were at home and comfortable. But, more importantly, they made the audience feel the same way. You realise when the author, writer, poet has brought their talk to a conclusion, that you are slightly dazed. Waiting for more. That’s how I felt anyway, as well as slightly put out that Liz had to finish up.
This is what will keep bringing people back to BOOKMARK. It’s a way of escaping into that other world – one of creativity and imagination that I think we as humans need. If we lived life just taking in what was right in front of us, never daring to dream up stories, poems, plays, songs, life wouldn’t be worth living. Every one of us has that ability to imagine, even if we aren’t authors, poets or playwrights. It’s what keeps us sane.
After Liz Lochhead’s ‘meet the author’ session, there came the reception where drinks and canapés were readily available to the guests. This was when I decided to make a beeline for Liz who was sitting at a table signing books. As I waited to speak to her, the Lady Provost gave a small speech where she confessed to us that she was ‘really envious of the opportunity’ to take part in the rest of the book festival as she couldn’t be there. She went on to describe BOOKMARK as a ‘fabulous event’.
Now we come to another part of the post where I tell you why the evening wasn’t as relaxing as it could have been …
At this point, realising Liz was going to be busy finding a copy of one of her poems for a man who had been really quite taken with it, I decided to leave my Dictaphone and camera on the table beside her and sidle away to grab a glass of juice. Not my wisest move.
I returned to find my Dictaphone had vanished and immediately went into panic mode. I was positive that someone had made off with it and was planning to flog one of the best birthday presents I have ever been given (despite it refusing to turn off earlier that evening) on EBay. Thankfully, it hadn’t actually been stolen. Liz had given it to Christine after mistaking it for somebody’s misplaced mobile.
After retrieving my Dictaphone I sat down, or rather kneeled down, next to Liz Lochhead and began the interview. I say it was an interview, but it seemed more like a chat you might have with a friend over coffee (albeit in a very busy café). This completely stamped on my already wounded preconceptions of what a writer must be like.
As we talked, Liz took time to sign copies of her novels for guests at the session. In between signings I asked Liz what she thought of BOOKMARK.
“It’s terrific. It’s lovely to be in at the launch of something like this and they’re clearly the kind of people who will keep it going. And what an audience!” she told me.
I then asked whether Liz would come along if she was invited back to BOOKMARK.
“Of course I would come along! There are so many great writers in Scotland so they wouldn’t invite me back really quickly, but I hope so. I hope in another four or five years they would invite me back, but it’s very delightful to be in at the start of something. It’s a huge honour. It’s actually only just dawned on me what a big deal it is for me to be here as the first person to read on the very first night of BOOKMARK.”
I couldn’t help pausing when I heard that. It had occurred to me that it was important for BOOKMARK to have writers such as Liz, Scotland’s Makar, attending the festival. I had just never thought it would be equally as important to the writers themselves. This brought me back to a thought I’d had at the beginning of the evening. BOOKMARK is a really important event and now it was apparent that it wasn’t just Blairgowrie that realised this.
I decided to see if I could get Liz to tell me what made her start writing poetry. The answer I received wasn’t what I expected.
“I just decided to do it.”
“It just happened?” I said, trying to keep the look of surprise off my face. I’d expected Liz to have some sort of secret she could share with me that might improve my own poetry and stories.
“It didn’t just happen. You pick up your biro and get to it. I think it’s reading that makes you want to write. If you don’t read, you can’t write. It’s reading stuff you love that makes you want to write yourself.”
This really struck a chord with me because, the fact is, it’s true. Reading is what can provide you with ideas and tips and is ultimately the way inspiration is found. It’s what got me into writing and I’m positive it’s what kick-starts careers like Liz Lochhead’s, Andrew Greig’s, Mairi Hedderwick’s, Karen Campbell’s and James Robertson’s.
The reception seemed too short. As with Liz’s reading session, I wanted more time to hear what she had to say. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, time flies and soon I found myself walking home (in the rain without an umbrella).
I realise I haven’t managed to fit in all the details of what happened on Friday evening into this post, but I want to leave you with this at least:
As I talked to Liz between book signings and other conversations (in which she declared to those she was talking to that I was writing the blog and would be doing a post about the evening) I told her that her session had been host to a sell-out audience.
Liz: “Thank you very much! Don’t tell any of the others that.”
Me: “I won’t.”
Liz: “…Why don’t you put it in the blog that I said ‘don’t tell any of the rest’?”
The moment I arrived at the Royal Hotel I almost managed to get myself lost. I failed to read the signs directing me to the right room and nearly headed up a flight of stairs following the sign marked ‘miniBOOKMARK’. Thank goodness I stopped to pause and think for a moment and, more importantly, ask someone where exactly it was I should be going. I was soon set on the right path, leaving me to marvel at the fact I had nearly got myself lost between the entrance and the foyer!
As I headed towards the doors hiding the room in which Liz Lochhead was to direct her ‘meet the author’ session, I was greeted by Meg Luckins, a member of the BOOKMARK team in charge of all things money, and handed a press pass. I have to say I did get slightly over-excited about the pass and exclaimed something like: “This is so cool!”
I just couldn’t help myself – I suddenly felt ‘official’ and decided that all I needed to go with my new ‘press pass look’ was a massive quick-fire camera in one hand and a reporter’s microphone in the other. My substitutes for those two items were my bridge camera and a temperamental Dictaphone.
Feeling ridiculously important, I was then shown through the doors and found myself face to face with a few members of the tech team. This isn’t as scary as it sounds when most of them are in your year at school. To be honest, it was a bit of a relief as, although I was still feeling very ‘official’, I didn’t really have a clue where to start.
The tech team members I met were Daniel Duncan (a.k.a. Head Honcho and founder of JAM productions), Murray Baxter, Connie Ewans and Liam Bow. I decided that the best way to begin my interviews would be starting with the tech team, or Daniel at least. I asked him how he found out about BOOKMARK.
“Christine Findlay phoned me up and we had a meeting to see whether I was able to do the sound and lighting and then we sat down at the bar and had coffee and chatted a bit more,” he told me cheerfully. “We’ve been with BOOKMARK since the beginning. Christine first emailed me around January about technical coordination and wondered if we could do it. We started out in June with a sound set up that we already had and we’ve got to this point tonight where we have a lot more lighting which was funded by RBS.”
I was then invited to the tech team’s lair – or rather the bar turned sound booth/control centre. It was kind of like what I would imagine a refuge for the gadget obsessed might like, complete with microphones and headsets here and computer screens and amps there. I got the impression I would have to jump ship eventually as the team prepared for the evening ahead, so I decided to go and find a seat.
It wasn’t long until Liz Lochhead took to the stage, after being introduced by Christine Findlay who described her as an ‘entertainer’ at one point. She couldn’t have put it better – I found myself gripped throughout the whole session.
To tell you the truth, the whole experience was rather eye opening. Though I’m sad to admit I have very limited knowledge of Liz’s work (which will soon change, I promise!) I think that as a reader I had created a special sort of status for writers. They are there to be revered and admired and are untouchable and remote. This is obviously the only way they could be, right?
I’m more than happy to say that Liz proved me wrong. On stage she was chatty, down to earth and approachable – not the aloof ice queen the Liz Lochhead of my imagination was. She made the audience laugh, her poetry was enthralling and I could have listened to it for the rest of the night.
I don’t like to describe myself as being shy, but I certainly couldn’t do what Liz did that evening, what all the authors did today. They got up on that stage and they were at home and comfortable. But, more importantly, they made the audience feel the same way. You realise when the author, writer, poet has brought their talk to a conclusion, that you are slightly dazed. Waiting for more. That’s how I felt anyway, as well as slightly put out that Liz had to finish up.
This is what will keep bringing people back to BOOKMARK. It’s a way of escaping into that other world – one of creativity and imagination that I think we as humans need. If we lived life just taking in what was right in front of us, never daring to dream up stories, poems, plays, songs, life wouldn’t be worth living. Every one of us has that ability to imagine, even if we aren’t authors, poets or playwrights. It’s what keeps us sane.
After Liz Lochhead’s ‘meet the author’ session, there came the reception where drinks and canapés were readily available to the guests. This was when I decided to make a beeline for Liz who was sitting at a table signing books. As I waited to speak to her, the Lady Provost gave a small speech where she confessed to us that she was ‘really envious of the opportunity’ to take part in the rest of the book festival as she couldn’t be there. She went on to describe BOOKMARK as a ‘fabulous event’.
Now we come to another part of the post where I tell you why the evening wasn’t as relaxing as it could have been …
At this point, realising Liz was going to be busy finding a copy of one of her poems for a man who had been really quite taken with it, I decided to leave my Dictaphone and camera on the table beside her and sidle away to grab a glass of juice. Not my wisest move.
I returned to find my Dictaphone had vanished and immediately went into panic mode. I was positive that someone had made off with it and was planning to flog one of the best birthday presents I have ever been given (despite it refusing to turn off earlier that evening) on EBay. Thankfully, it hadn’t actually been stolen. Liz had given it to Christine after mistaking it for somebody’s misplaced mobile.
After retrieving my Dictaphone I sat down, or rather kneeled down, next to Liz Lochhead and began the interview. I say it was an interview, but it seemed more like a chat you might have with a friend over coffee (albeit in a very busy café). This completely stamped on my already wounded preconceptions of what a writer must be like.
As we talked, Liz took time to sign copies of her novels for guests at the session. In between signings I asked Liz what she thought of BOOKMARK.
“It’s terrific. It’s lovely to be in at the launch of something like this and they’re clearly the kind of people who will keep it going. And what an audience!” she told me.
I then asked whether Liz would come along if she was invited back to BOOKMARK.
“Of course I would come along! There are so many great writers in Scotland so they wouldn’t invite me back really quickly, but I hope so. I hope in another four or five years they would invite me back, but it’s very delightful to be in at the start of something. It’s a huge honour. It’s actually only just dawned on me what a big deal it is for me to be here as the first person to read on the very first night of BOOKMARK.”
I couldn’t help pausing when I heard that. It had occurred to me that it was important for BOOKMARK to have writers such as Liz, Scotland’s Makar, attending the festival. I had just never thought it would be equally as important to the writers themselves. This brought me back to a thought I’d had at the beginning of the evening. BOOKMARK is a really important event and now it was apparent that it wasn’t just Blairgowrie that realised this.
I decided to see if I could get Liz to tell me what made her start writing poetry. The answer I received wasn’t what I expected.
“I just decided to do it.”
“It just happened?” I said, trying to keep the look of surprise off my face. I’d expected Liz to have some sort of secret she could share with me that might improve my own poetry and stories.
“It didn’t just happen. You pick up your biro and get to it. I think it’s reading that makes you want to write. If you don’t read, you can’t write. It’s reading stuff you love that makes you want to write yourself.”
This really struck a chord with me because, the fact is, it’s true. Reading is what can provide you with ideas and tips and is ultimately the way inspiration is found. It’s what got me into writing and I’m positive it’s what kick-starts careers like Liz Lochhead’s, Andrew Greig’s, Mairi Hedderwick’s, Karen Campbell’s and James Robertson’s.
The reception seemed too short. As with Liz’s reading session, I wanted more time to hear what she had to say. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, time flies and soon I found myself walking home (in the rain without an umbrella).
I realise I haven’t managed to fit in all the details of what happened on Friday evening into this post, but I want to leave you with this at least:
As I talked to Liz between book signings and other conversations (in which she declared to those she was talking to that I was writing the blog and would be doing a post about the evening) I told her that her session had been host to a sell-out audience.
Liz: “Thank you very much! Don’t tell any of the others that.”
Me: “I won’t.”
Liz: “…Why don’t you put it in the blog that I said ‘don’t tell any of the rest’?”
Posts from BOOKMARK - Loving Blair's New-Look Library
Loving Blair’s New-Look Library
Nipping down to the Blairgowrie Library during my double free period on a Friday morning felt almost like a criminal act. I say almost because trotting off to a library hardly seems like an exceptionally rebellious thing to do. Rebellious would be taking a bus to Dundee and spending the day shopping instead of even bothering to show up at school. I would like to take this opportunity to clear my name here – I have never done the latter.
Though visiting the library mightn’t have been a hugely dare-devil act, it could have proved somewhat dangerous. Why? Well, considering I was recovering from some sort of mystery illness and had nearly fainted the previous day whilst taking a walk (my first in two days) which barely saw me a mile away from my front door, I was a liability to myself.
Luckily I arrived at the library without mishap and was ready to quiz Simon McGowan on all things BOOKMARK. What struck me when I walked through the door was how good the library looked. I had been in once before after the recent renovation but was too focussed on researching the Blairgowrie Advertiser archives to notice much else than what was right in front of me. I suppose I really should visit the library more often but I’m slightly afraid of the reaction I’ll receive when I tell them I’ve lost my library card for what must be about the fifth time.
After a quick glance here and there, taking in the library’s new spacious and user-friendly appearance I made my way over to Simon and excused my borderline man-like voice (a remnant from the mystery illness) and then began my questions.
I started by asking whether books by the authors featuring in the BOOKMARK Festival had become more popular since advertising of the events began.
“We’ve put up displays of the books, so we’ve been promoting them actively and people have been taking a big interest. We don’t know actual numbers but people have definitely been taking an interest in the stands.”
This was, if anything, a good start. And the mentioned stands certainly are hard to miss as they have been strategically placed to greet customers as they walk into the library. They caught my eye anyway, that’s for sure. Not content with just a few author-related stands, the library staff have also been busy distributing the festival programme, putting up posters and chatting about BOOKMARK to customers.
I was curious to find out what age range of people visited the library looking for BOOKMARK-related things (like books by featured authors or information on events). My previous chat with Louise Gow told me that the majority of interest probably came from older people.
“It does tend to be the older readers,” Simon said. “There are one or two things for children; we’ve had people talking about the Gruffalo walk – it’s fully booked apparently. We don’t actually sell tickets here, if we had been selling them we would have probably got more engagement. But we have had children, or rather children’s parents, express an interest though.”
“Would you be interested in selling tickets next year?” I popped the obvious question.
“I think we would prefer to do it the way it’s being done this year. You can’t have tickets being sold here, there and everywhere. It’s harder to keep track of that way. It’s better that it’s just the bookshop and online.”
I then asked whether more people had come into the library since BOOKMARK’s advertisement.
“I can’t say that I’ve noticed that they have but it might increase interest in the long run.”
Like Louise Gow, however, Simon is hopeful that BOOKMARK will have a lasting effect on the library.
“We’re hoping to have a presence at the festival to distribute some of our leaflets with opening times and contact details and maybe even sign up a few new customers.”
I asked one final question – whether Simon thought it would be a good idea if the library played host to a few events for next year’s BOOKMARK festival.
Simon agreed. “We have one here, a children’s event on the Saturday morning,” he said, “but we would be willing to host more events.”
And with that I excused myself and hurried off (along with my hacking cough) back to school, nervously checking my watch as I went. I’m sure you’ll all be pleased to hear I made it to class on time without fainting or causing myself serious harm.
Though visiting the library mightn’t have been a hugely dare-devil act, it could have proved somewhat dangerous. Why? Well, considering I was recovering from some sort of mystery illness and had nearly fainted the previous day whilst taking a walk (my first in two days) which barely saw me a mile away from my front door, I was a liability to myself.
Luckily I arrived at the library without mishap and was ready to quiz Simon McGowan on all things BOOKMARK. What struck me when I walked through the door was how good the library looked. I had been in once before after the recent renovation but was too focussed on researching the Blairgowrie Advertiser archives to notice much else than what was right in front of me. I suppose I really should visit the library more often but I’m slightly afraid of the reaction I’ll receive when I tell them I’ve lost my library card for what must be about the fifth time.
After a quick glance here and there, taking in the library’s new spacious and user-friendly appearance I made my way over to Simon and excused my borderline man-like voice (a remnant from the mystery illness) and then began my questions.
I started by asking whether books by the authors featuring in the BOOKMARK Festival had become more popular since advertising of the events began.
“We’ve put up displays of the books, so we’ve been promoting them actively and people have been taking a big interest. We don’t know actual numbers but people have definitely been taking an interest in the stands.”
This was, if anything, a good start. And the mentioned stands certainly are hard to miss as they have been strategically placed to greet customers as they walk into the library. They caught my eye anyway, that’s for sure. Not content with just a few author-related stands, the library staff have also been busy distributing the festival programme, putting up posters and chatting about BOOKMARK to customers.
I was curious to find out what age range of people visited the library looking for BOOKMARK-related things (like books by featured authors or information on events). My previous chat with Louise Gow told me that the majority of interest probably came from older people.
“It does tend to be the older readers,” Simon said. “There are one or two things for children; we’ve had people talking about the Gruffalo walk – it’s fully booked apparently. We don’t actually sell tickets here, if we had been selling them we would have probably got more engagement. But we have had children, or rather children’s parents, express an interest though.”
“Would you be interested in selling tickets next year?” I popped the obvious question.
“I think we would prefer to do it the way it’s being done this year. You can’t have tickets being sold here, there and everywhere. It’s harder to keep track of that way. It’s better that it’s just the bookshop and online.”
I then asked whether more people had come into the library since BOOKMARK’s advertisement.
“I can’t say that I’ve noticed that they have but it might increase interest in the long run.”
Like Louise Gow, however, Simon is hopeful that BOOKMARK will have a lasting effect on the library.
“We’re hoping to have a presence at the festival to distribute some of our leaflets with opening times and contact details and maybe even sign up a few new customers.”
I asked one final question – whether Simon thought it would be a good idea if the library played host to a few events for next year’s BOOKMARK festival.
Simon agreed. “We have one here, a children’s event on the Saturday morning,” he said, “but we would be willing to host more events.”
And with that I excused myself and hurried off (along with my hacking cough) back to school, nervously checking my watch as I went. I’m sure you’ll all be pleased to hear I made it to class on time without fainting or causing myself serious harm.
Posts from BOOKMARK
Hi guys! As promised, here is one of the posts I did for BOOKMARK. I'll be putting up a few more which will include interviews with authors such as James Robertson, author of 'The Professor of Truth', Andrew Greig, author of 'Fair Helen', Liz Lochhead, the Scottish Makar and Mairi Hedderwick.
Enjoy!
The Importance of Bookshops
I can clearly remember summers spent as a child in Scotland; a foreign world for somebody who has spent their childhood overseas. During the days I spent in Blairgowrie with my family we would often wander up and down the High Street, peering into the shop windows. One shop I would always look forward to visiting was the bookshop, owned by Louise Gow, which occupies a small corner of the High Street next to the Royal Bank of Scotland. It didn’t matter if my parents hadn’t brought enough money with them to buy me a book; I just wanted to see what was there.
As you can probably tell, books are my passion which is what made Louise’s shop so important to me. Although I know people who share the same love of books as me, it seems that nowadays instead of picking up a book and delving into the imagination of an author, people would much rather switch on the telly or games console. I’m not trying to preach the notion that the written word is somehow endangered by modern day technology because the idea is, if not ridiculous, at least wrong. I’m saying that often we look at a book on the shelf and disregard it.
Because of my love for stories I hold the hope that BOOKMARK will bring people back to those forgotten books and encourage them to pick them up. Louise Gow shares similar ideals.
What I didn’t really think about before I went to talk to Louise about BOOKMARK was the fact that books are quite hard to sell. To an avid reader, this thought seems laughable. In the world of my imagination, books fly off the shelves and people can’t get enough of them. This is (sadly) just a fairy tale idea of my version of a perfect world. Meanwhile, back in reality, Louise has had to diversify the range of items for sale on her shelves in order to keep her bookshop going.
You shouldn’t be surprised to find jewellery, hand-decorated wine glasses and skilfully crafted hats and gift-boxes jumping out at you from amongst the books. In fact, these items, which would have seemed out of place in a bookshop only five years ago, now seem to be making up the bulk of sales.
I asked Louise whether she though BOOKMARK would increase book sales in her shop.
“I hope the festival will increase sales of books but it’s a difficult one because bookshops aren’t selling anything like as many as they used to.”
This comment quickly brought me out of my fantasy world where books sell like hotcakes and everyone loves reading them. I then asked Louise whether she believed BOOKMARK would introduce more people to reading.
“I hope so,” she told me. “The events for children will certainly get the younger generation interested in reading.”
This was slightly more upbeat and I couldn’t help smiling at the idea of a child discovering the alternate world of a story, home to heroes and baddies, pirates, fairies, dragons and spies – the list could go on an on. Once that imaginary place is found, it’s hard to leave. That’s why, even as a teenager, books still appeal to me, and will continue to do so throughout my adult life.
After this brief respite from the doom of Britain’s bookshops I asked another pressing question relating to an issue which I know has been growing in regards to the actual physical book. Were ebooks responsible for the decrease in sales in Louise’s shop?
“EBooks, second-hand bookshops, charity shops, Amazon – that’s what’s done it. I’ve discovered that when a hardback book comes out, an ebook is brought out at the same time and then the paperback doesn’t come out for maybe six months to a year and then I’m finding that instead of re-printing a book they won’t do it because it’s cheaper just to have an ebook. That’s the knock-on effect unfortunately.”
So maybe my initial impression of people’s reading habits was a little off. There are many of us who love to read, a surprising amount in fact – we manage to fit it in alongside the TV, and even to integrate it into our technology. This desire to read and the current economic climate means we are not prepared to pay retail prices that haven’t been slashed in half and half again. This is what is forcing bookshops to close. It’s not a case of not wanting to read, it’s a case of feeding our habit on a budget.
BOOKMARK does indeed look set to encourage our desire to read and discover that child-like world of imagination, but whether it will send us off in the direction of the local bookshop or towards Amazon and cheaper alternatives is debatable.
As you can probably tell, books are my passion which is what made Louise’s shop so important to me. Although I know people who share the same love of books as me, it seems that nowadays instead of picking up a book and delving into the imagination of an author, people would much rather switch on the telly or games console. I’m not trying to preach the notion that the written word is somehow endangered by modern day technology because the idea is, if not ridiculous, at least wrong. I’m saying that often we look at a book on the shelf and disregard it.
Because of my love for stories I hold the hope that BOOKMARK will bring people back to those forgotten books and encourage them to pick them up. Louise Gow shares similar ideals.
What I didn’t really think about before I went to talk to Louise about BOOKMARK was the fact that books are quite hard to sell. To an avid reader, this thought seems laughable. In the world of my imagination, books fly off the shelves and people can’t get enough of them. This is (sadly) just a fairy tale idea of my version of a perfect world. Meanwhile, back in reality, Louise has had to diversify the range of items for sale on her shelves in order to keep her bookshop going.
You shouldn’t be surprised to find jewellery, hand-decorated wine glasses and skilfully crafted hats and gift-boxes jumping out at you from amongst the books. In fact, these items, which would have seemed out of place in a bookshop only five years ago, now seem to be making up the bulk of sales.
I asked Louise whether she though BOOKMARK would increase book sales in her shop.
“I hope the festival will increase sales of books but it’s a difficult one because bookshops aren’t selling anything like as many as they used to.”
This comment quickly brought me out of my fantasy world where books sell like hotcakes and everyone loves reading them. I then asked Louise whether she believed BOOKMARK would introduce more people to reading.
“I hope so,” she told me. “The events for children will certainly get the younger generation interested in reading.”
This was slightly more upbeat and I couldn’t help smiling at the idea of a child discovering the alternate world of a story, home to heroes and baddies, pirates, fairies, dragons and spies – the list could go on an on. Once that imaginary place is found, it’s hard to leave. That’s why, even as a teenager, books still appeal to me, and will continue to do so throughout my adult life.
After this brief respite from the doom of Britain’s bookshops I asked another pressing question relating to an issue which I know has been growing in regards to the actual physical book. Were ebooks responsible for the decrease in sales in Louise’s shop?
“EBooks, second-hand bookshops, charity shops, Amazon – that’s what’s done it. I’ve discovered that when a hardback book comes out, an ebook is brought out at the same time and then the paperback doesn’t come out for maybe six months to a year and then I’m finding that instead of re-printing a book they won’t do it because it’s cheaper just to have an ebook. That’s the knock-on effect unfortunately.”
So maybe my initial impression of people’s reading habits was a little off. There are many of us who love to read, a surprising amount in fact – we manage to fit it in alongside the TV, and even to integrate it into our technology. This desire to read and the current economic climate means we are not prepared to pay retail prices that haven’t been slashed in half and half again. This is what is forcing bookshops to close. It’s not a case of not wanting to read, it’s a case of feeding our habit on a budget.
BOOKMARK does indeed look set to encourage our desire to read and discover that child-like world of imagination, but whether it will send us off in the direction of the local bookshop or towards Amazon and cheaper alternatives is debatable.
Loud and Quiet
On my recent trip to Manchester where I saw Brother & Bones (see related post) perform at a venue whose name I cannot remember (which seriously annoys me - I swear I have a sieve instead of a brain) I found something rather special. No, it was not the t-shirt I picked up in the Urban Outfitter's sale or the jumper I bought in a vintage shop on one particularly rainy day. It was something completely unrelated to clothing...
It was a music magazine, handed to me by a tattooed fifty-something-year-old man at the bus station while my friends and I waited for our megabus to arrive. The journey back home took about seven hours - not exactly swift by any means.
Just as we were queuing to have our tickets checked, the man appeared out of nowhere clutching a handful of what I assumed were newspapers. He introduced himself as 'not a crack-head' or a 'crazy homeless guy' but someone who handed out music magazines to people waiting to catch buses so that their journeys were made slightly more bearable. The magazine was produced in order to help homeless people pay for a sheltered place to sleep at night, and all it required was a small donation of money.
The calm, friendly manner in which the man introduced himself and told us about the magazines he was carrying immediately had me scrabbling in my pocket for whatever spare change I had left. I think I handed him 30 or 40p (I honestly which I'd had more to give him) and in return he gave me a magazine.
The magazine was volume 3, issue 53 of Loud and Quiet, 'the alternative music tabloid' which, I'm happy to report, was surprisingly good. I enjoyed what I could manage to read on the megabus journey (without making myself too motion sick) and later finished the rest of the articles at home. I particularly enjoyed the piece on Conan Moccasin's new album, Caramel. The way Loud and Quiet's articles and reviews were written; intelligently whilst avoiding the pitfall many magazines get themselves into - pretentiousness, had me wishing the magazine could continue forever. I know that sounds like a slight exaggeration, but if you've read Loud and Quiet, you'll know where I'm coming from.
Besides making me hungry for more, Loud and Quiet threw a tonne of musicians in my direction, many of whom, I have never heard of before. Some might consider this a reason not to read such a magazine, but I saw it as a challenge, one that I wanted to accept. This challenge asked me to look into music that I am completely unfamiliar with and broaden my knowledge of the music world.
This leaves me with just one last thing to say...
Thank you tattooed, fifty-something-year-old, homeless man. Thank you very much!
It was a music magazine, handed to me by a tattooed fifty-something-year-old man at the bus station while my friends and I waited for our megabus to arrive. The journey back home took about seven hours - not exactly swift by any means.
Just as we were queuing to have our tickets checked, the man appeared out of nowhere clutching a handful of what I assumed were newspapers. He introduced himself as 'not a crack-head' or a 'crazy homeless guy' but someone who handed out music magazines to people waiting to catch buses so that their journeys were made slightly more bearable. The magazine was produced in order to help homeless people pay for a sheltered place to sleep at night, and all it required was a small donation of money.
The calm, friendly manner in which the man introduced himself and told us about the magazines he was carrying immediately had me scrabbling in my pocket for whatever spare change I had left. I think I handed him 30 or 40p (I honestly which I'd had more to give him) and in return he gave me a magazine.
The magazine was volume 3, issue 53 of Loud and Quiet, 'the alternative music tabloid' which, I'm happy to report, was surprisingly good. I enjoyed what I could manage to read on the megabus journey (without making myself too motion sick) and later finished the rest of the articles at home. I particularly enjoyed the piece on Conan Moccasin's new album, Caramel. The way Loud and Quiet's articles and reviews were written; intelligently whilst avoiding the pitfall many magazines get themselves into - pretentiousness, had me wishing the magazine could continue forever. I know that sounds like a slight exaggeration, but if you've read Loud and Quiet, you'll know where I'm coming from.
Besides making me hungry for more, Loud and Quiet threw a tonne of musicians in my direction, many of whom, I have never heard of before. Some might consider this a reason not to read such a magazine, but I saw it as a challenge, one that I wanted to accept. This challenge asked me to look into music that I am completely unfamiliar with and broaden my knowledge of the music world.
This leaves me with just one last thing to say...
Thank you tattooed, fifty-something-year-old, homeless man. Thank you very much!
Bros Do a Vlog...Of Sorts
I'm doing the broskis a favour by posting this. So, if you guys have any questions for them about free running, their videos etc, click on the video and leave a comment below. Also, I have a few posts that I will be putting up shortly - I've kind of been side-tracked from Miss B's by another blog - I know, how could I? Well, I was actually blogging for Blairgowrie's first ever book festival - BOOKMARK. I'll see if I can put up a few posts from the book festival blog here so you can check out what I've been doing.
Thanks guys! :)
Wednesday 16 October 2013
Brother and Bones
The one thing I don't understand about Brother and Bones is how they can be so good and yet not be hugely well-known! One thing is true though, their fans are definitely a dedicated bunch.
I'm happy to say that I fall into this category, just behind two of my friends. And how exactly can we judge that we are in the 'dedicated fan category'? Well, by travelling for five hours down to Manchester to see a Brother and Bones gig that took place on Monday (13th) night of course!
We arrived in Manchester on Friday evening and spent Saturday and Sunday shopping and sightseeing...and watching seemingly endless episodes of Friends. By the time Monday evening rolled round, we were thoroughly rested from our everyday lives and ready for a bit of music.
The venue was only a ten minute walk away from where we were staying - and can only be described as quirky; featuring Good Dolly/Bad Dolly wall paper in the ladies as well as a disappointing lack of hand soap. I'm going to take the opportunity now to point out something I probably should have put in at the start of this post - the tickets for the gig were cheaper than the fare for the Megabus which took us back to bonnie Scotland, totalling at only 8 each!
The support act for the evening was a man (whose name escapes me unfortunately) in a farmer's jacket and a trilby, producing a melancholy acoustic sound which began to sound a bit 'samey' after a while. Though, that's not to say I didn't appreciate the lyricism of some of his songs - one line (I wish I could call memorable, but I can't recall exactly what it was) went something like "I wish the b***h had died". I think there was a "f**k in there somewhere. At the time it made me laugh so I'm pretty gutted I can't remember it correctly.
Then, what everyone had been waiting for happened: Brother and Bones took to the stage in all their three-guitarists-one-percussionist-plus-a-drummer glory.
I had been told a few times beforehand that the band were a lot better live than they were on CD, so I was ready to have my mind hole blown because (in my opinion) Brother and Bones sound next to awesome on CD. And I'm glad to say they didn't disappoint, plus my mind hole was indeed blown.
Brother and Bones opened with the five tracks from their new EP To Be Alive which, although in keeping with their sound, clearly are progressive pieces. The most notable being the track after which the EP was named. Here's the YouTube video so you guys can check it for yourselves.
The rest of the gig comprised of older songs, all equally, stunningly performed, led by Richard Thomas's soulful vocals.
I have to say though that the band member who really stole the show for me was the percussionist Robin Howell-Sprent (what a name!), who rocked his socks off and looked as though he was having almost as much fun as the audience!
The audience was fairly small (around thirty maybe?), but what we lacked in numbers we made up for in sheer enthusiasm for the brilliant music being played on stage. Every song was loudly applauded and every beat bobbed along to. I think it's fair to say that Brother and Bones are great performers but their audience are damn good supporters!
This was made even more apparent by the encore the band received and the way my friends and I had to fight our way through the crowd to the table selling band merchandise. That was where I bought Brother and Bones's new EP for a fiver and got it signed by all five members of the band!!! I don't know if it's hard to tell, but this made me very happy.
Then came the cherry on top of the cake. We managed to get our photo taken with Brother and Bones. This made me even happier.
I suppose that's another upside (for fans at least) when a musical act like a band isn't hugely well known (despite being mind-hole-blowingly amazing); they can connect with their audience. For example, Yiannis Sachinis (drummer for Brother and Bones) is following my friend on Instagram, and after the gig, the band stayed for drinks with the audience. You won't get that at a Sabbath concert, that's for sure.
I'm happy to say that I fall into this category, just behind two of my friends. And how exactly can we judge that we are in the 'dedicated fan category'? Well, by travelling for five hours down to Manchester to see a Brother and Bones gig that took place on Monday (13th) night of course!
We arrived in Manchester on Friday evening and spent Saturday and Sunday shopping and sightseeing...and watching seemingly endless episodes of Friends. By the time Monday evening rolled round, we were thoroughly rested from our everyday lives and ready for a bit of music.
The venue was only a ten minute walk away from where we were staying - and can only be described as quirky; featuring Good Dolly/Bad Dolly wall paper in the ladies as well as a disappointing lack of hand soap. I'm going to take the opportunity now to point out something I probably should have put in at the start of this post - the tickets for the gig were cheaper than the fare for the Megabus which took us back to bonnie Scotland, totalling at only 8 each!
The support act for the evening was a man (whose name escapes me unfortunately) in a farmer's jacket and a trilby, producing a melancholy acoustic sound which began to sound a bit 'samey' after a while. Though, that's not to say I didn't appreciate the lyricism of some of his songs - one line (I wish I could call memorable, but I can't recall exactly what it was) went something like "I wish the b***h had died". I think there was a "f**k in there somewhere. At the time it made me laugh so I'm pretty gutted I can't remember it correctly.
 |
| The man with the hat... |
Then, what everyone had been waiting for happened: Brother and Bones took to the stage in all their three-guitarists-one-percussionist-plus-a-drummer glory.
 |
| The band in full swing |
I had been told a few times beforehand that the band were a lot better live than they were on CD, so I was ready to have my mind hole blown because (in my opinion) Brother and Bones sound next to awesome on CD. And I'm glad to say they didn't disappoint, plus my mind hole was indeed blown.
Brother and Bones opened with the five tracks from their new EP To Be Alive which, although in keeping with their sound, clearly are progressive pieces. The most notable being the track after which the EP was named. Here's the YouTube video so you guys can check it for yourselves.
The rest of the gig comprised of older songs, all equally, stunningly performed, led by Richard Thomas's soulful vocals.
I have to say though that the band member who really stole the show for me was the percussionist Robin Howell-Sprent (what a name!), who rocked his socks off and looked as though he was having almost as much fun as the audience!
The audience was fairly small (around thirty maybe?), but what we lacked in numbers we made up for in sheer enthusiasm for the brilliant music being played on stage. Every song was loudly applauded and every beat bobbed along to. I think it's fair to say that Brother and Bones are great performers but their audience are damn good supporters!
This was made even more apparent by the encore the band received and the way my friends and I had to fight our way through the crowd to the table selling band merchandise. That was where I bought Brother and Bones's new EP for a fiver and got it signed by all five members of the band!!! I don't know if it's hard to tell, but this made me very happy. Then came the cherry on top of the cake. We managed to get our photo taken with Brother and Bones. This made me even happier.
I suppose that's another upside (for fans at least) when a musical act like a band isn't hugely well known (despite being mind-hole-blowingly amazing); they can connect with their audience. For example, Yiannis Sachinis (drummer for Brother and Bones) is following my friend on Instagram, and after the gig, the band stayed for drinks with the audience. You won't get that at a Sabbath concert, that's for sure.
Monday 30 September 2013
Women and Judo
I was just researching the history of Judo for my article on the Judo Club I go to when I realised that only one woman has ever achieved 10th Dan status - which, for those of you who don't know, is the highest grade that you can achieve. The woman who was awarded the grade was Keiko Fukuda.
I like to think that, although it is a little bit of an insult that fifteen men have been awarded the grade and only one woman, that this shows Keiko Fukuda was truly exceptional. I have been told a few times (by a man) that women make better judo players because they analyse their opponent more and don't just go in for random techniques. On top of this, as in most male dominated competitive sports, women are normally twice as good as men because they have to not only work hard to achieve a high level of excellence, they also have to prove they're better than the boys. This is why I believe Keiko Fukuda was and is so special in the Judo sphere.
I'd also like to take the opportunity to tell a whole load of teenage males out there who take part in Judo classes to grow up. Yeah, I said it. Although all the guys my age whom I go to Judo with are fine about fighting girls, most during randori sessions (practise fighting) will avoid going against girls entirely. This is what puts many women off. I have a friend who made it to brown belt before deciding to quit because absolutely non of the boys at her club would fight her. This was made even worse by the fact that she was the only girl there.
Women like Keiko Fukuda really fly a flag for females in all areas of sport because they are a living testimony to the fact that we are just as good as the guys. I'm not 'hating' on every male sportsman out there because there are many who are perfectly fine with women competing in the same sports as them, I'm just telling a bunch of sulky, hormonal teenage boys to really think about what they're doing next time they refuse to fight against their opponent simply because she's a girl. So you might get beaten. That's nothing to do with the fact that you aren't 'manly' enough. It's to do with the fact that your opponent is the better player. Learn from them. Don't throw a strop.
.....................
Sources used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiko_Fukuda
Image taken from:
http://thesop.org/story/20110815/holy-fists-of-thunder-keiko-fukuda-98-awarded-10thdegree-black-belt.html
 |
| The woman herself! Keiko Fukuda |
I like to think that, although it is a little bit of an insult that fifteen men have been awarded the grade and only one woman, that this shows Keiko Fukuda was truly exceptional. I have been told a few times (by a man) that women make better judo players because they analyse their opponent more and don't just go in for random techniques. On top of this, as in most male dominated competitive sports, women are normally twice as good as men because they have to not only work hard to achieve a high level of excellence, they also have to prove they're better than the boys. This is why I believe Keiko Fukuda was and is so special in the Judo sphere.
I'd also like to take the opportunity to tell a whole load of teenage males out there who take part in Judo classes to grow up. Yeah, I said it. Although all the guys my age whom I go to Judo with are fine about fighting girls, most during randori sessions (practise fighting) will avoid going against girls entirely. This is what puts many women off. I have a friend who made it to brown belt before deciding to quit because absolutely non of the boys at her club would fight her. This was made even worse by the fact that she was the only girl there.
Women like Keiko Fukuda really fly a flag for females in all areas of sport because they are a living testimony to the fact that we are just as good as the guys. I'm not 'hating' on every male sportsman out there because there are many who are perfectly fine with women competing in the same sports as them, I'm just telling a bunch of sulky, hormonal teenage boys to really think about what they're doing next time they refuse to fight against their opponent simply because she's a girl. So you might get beaten. That's nothing to do with the fact that you aren't 'manly' enough. It's to do with the fact that your opponent is the better player. Learn from them. Don't throw a strop.
.....................
Sources used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiko_Fukuda
Image taken from:
http://thesop.org/story/20110815/holy-fists-of-thunder-keiko-fukuda-98-awarded-10thdegree-black-belt.html
Wednesday 11 September 2013
Bibi's Bakery
Today I went on a trip to St Andrews Uni (see more on previous post) and at lunchtime my friends and I all headed out in to St Andrews town. Out of a few of our stops - including New Look, H&M, Jack Wills and a little café where I bought the most amazing chicken and mozzarella Panini - we went in to Bibi's Bakery.
The reason I am writing this post is because that little bakery blew my mind hole. You should have seen the cupcakes! You should have smelled the delicious wave of brownie scented air that greeted us as we walked in! Bibi's Bakery is a cake lover's paradise. I kid you not.
I bought a chocolate orange cupcake, which, considering the range that was on offer, was a pretty difficult choice to make. There were banoffee cupcakes, mint chocolate cupcakes, blackberry and elderflower cupcakes, Victoria sponge cupcakes...the list goes on. Not only that, but there was a selection of macaroons and brownies on offer. I'm not sure how I managed to drag myself away with just one morsel. Though, judging by the way I felt slightly sugar sick after eating my chocolate orange cupcake (topped with a Terry's chocolate orange segment!), I don' t think I could have eaten much more.
Even though I did feel a bit sick after eating it, the cupcake was delicious. The icing was thick and creamy and the actual cake itself was spongy and full of chocolaty goodness! They even put the cupcake in a little carrycase!!!
If you are ever in St Andrews you have to go to Bibi's! Or if you are ever anywhere else that has a Bibi's, you have to go in!
The reason I am writing this post is because that little bakery blew my mind hole. You should have seen the cupcakes! You should have smelled the delicious wave of brownie scented air that greeted us as we walked in! Bibi's Bakery is a cake lover's paradise. I kid you not.
I bought a chocolate orange cupcake, which, considering the range that was on offer, was a pretty difficult choice to make. There were banoffee cupcakes, mint chocolate cupcakes, blackberry and elderflower cupcakes, Victoria sponge cupcakes...the list goes on. Not only that, but there was a selection of macaroons and brownies on offer. I'm not sure how I managed to drag myself away with just one morsel. Though, judging by the way I felt slightly sugar sick after eating my chocolate orange cupcake (topped with a Terry's chocolate orange segment!), I don' t think I could have eaten much more.
Even though I did feel a bit sick after eating it, the cupcake was delicious. The icing was thick and creamy and the actual cake itself was spongy and full of chocolaty goodness! They even put the cupcake in a little carrycase!!!
If you are ever in St Andrews you have to go to Bibi's! Or if you are ever anywhere else that has a Bibi's, you have to go in!
The Guilty One
Today I went on a little trip to St Andrews University to listen to a talk by the author Lisa Ballantyne about her debut novel 'The Guilty One'. This is where I have to put my hand up wearing my guilty face because *whispers* I didn't finish reading the book. In fact, I think I got to around chapter ten, and then skipped to the end...
Obviously the English department at St Andrews were interested in getting us interested in them. They very kindly paid to get us all there and sent us free copies of Lisa's book. To be fair, they did put on a good show, not only that but Lisa gave a very interesting talk. I have to admit I did have my doubts before she started speaking, though thankfully I could immediately put them aside. Lisa's talk was not only entertaining; she managed to capture the attention of a bunch of high school students for half an hour. Let me tell you now, that is no easy feat.
To be honest, I feel pretty guilty about not finishing the book, as Lisa had obviously poured so much time and effort in to it. She told us during the question and answer round at the end of the talk that it had taken her 12 months to complete the novel. At one point, about half way through, she hit a brick wall and found she literally couldn't write another word. This was because she had created a main character (Daniel Hunter) whose job she didn't have a clue about. Seeing as Daniel was a criminal solicitor and Lisa was pretty vague at that point on what a criminal solicitor actually did, she went and tracked one down and quizzed him on his job. She even took a trip to London to research the area where the murder (and there is a murder in this book) was committed.
I realise I'm doing this in a slightly backwards fashion, but I'm going to quote the book's blurb:
'Daniel Hunter has spent years defending lost causes as a solicitor in London. But his life changes when he is introduced to Sebastian, an eleven-year-old accused of murdering an innocent young boy.'
'As he plunges into the muddy depths of Sebastian's troubled home life, Daniel thinks back to his own childhood in foster care - and to Minnie, the woman whose love saved him, until she, too, betrayed him so badly that he cut her out of his life.'
'But what crime did Minnie commit? And will Daniel's identification with a child on trial for murder make him question everything he ever believed in?'
I'd also better tell you what I think of the book so far. Well, in all I think the characters are very believable, with Sebastian's cold nature perfectly mimicking that of a sociopath. Minnie also seems to have the most redeeming features out of all of the characters even though she did wrong Daniel. However, the plot is shaping up to be a little bit predictable and at times the description can be quite clunky. It's also quite a fast and easy read, so probably a good book for the weekend or a short holiday. I would recommend The Guilty One as a summer read.
Anyway, after Lisa's talk all the high schoolers went out to terrorise the (surprisingly clean) streets of St Andrews town for a bite to eat. When we returned we took part in a question and answer exploration of the book and it's themes with a fourth year English student. We were also encouraged to ask question about St Andrews Uni and were told plenty about its many strange traditions. For example, the May dip and third year parents.
All in all it was a very pleasant day out!
Saturday 7 September 2013
Tips For Aspiring Journalists
These are the things I've been told. I hope they come in handy for all you other aspiring journalists out there! :)
I hope you find all of this useful!
- Date all your reporter pads and when you're finished with them and keep them for at least 7 years. This way, if you scoop a story that causes some controversy, you have all the evidence you need to back yourself up.
- Always write and always take photographs. It doesn't matter what it's about as long as you're improving all the time and showing that you're keen.
- Get some work experience! This is an important one for getting you in to journalistic university and college courses. Local papers are always ready to lend a helping hand as long as you show you're keen!
- When writing up press releases and stories, put the most important information in the first five paragraphs of the article - this way, when it gets sent off to the editors important details won't get cut out.
- The most important information regarding an event is usually when, where and who.
- Always make sure you read over your articles and correct any mistakes. Although stories do get sent to editors, they can miss your mistakes so it's better to correct them yourself.
- When interviewing people always make sure you tell them who you are and what you're going to be using the information for. Make it clear that you are interviewing them and that what they say will be going in to an article.
- Keep yourself up to date with current affairs by watching the news or reading the papers
I hope you find all of this useful!
A Slightly Pointless Post
I was just musing over the fact that I should probably blog more if I want to grow my audience on lacebirds...then I thought I'd better post on the Guide seeing as time is starting to stretch since the last post I put up. So, rest assured, at some point, when I can muster the will, a new post will appear on my dear old photography blog which is in some serious need of a little TLC. That's tender loving care, not tummy loving care to all you Activia lovers out there.
I have also been debating whether I should buy Santigold's new album Master of my Make-believe. Seeing as I've youtubed the songs on it a like pretty much all of them, I probably will, when I scrape together enough money.
That brings me to another point. I need a job! And it's pretty hard to get one seeing as getting in to the job market seems to be all about who you know and not what you know. Or so I'm told...
And that brings you to the conclusion of my slightly pointless post. Maybe I should try hashtagging this thing when I google + it. Oooh.
I have also been debating whether I should buy Santigold's new album Master of my Make-believe. Seeing as I've youtubed the songs on it a like pretty much all of them, I probably will, when I scrape together enough money.
That brings me to another point. I need a job! And it's pretty hard to get one seeing as getting in to the job market seems to be all about who you know and not what you know. Or so I'm told...
And that brings you to the conclusion of my slightly pointless post. Maybe I should try hashtagging this thing when I google + it. Oooh.
Monday 2 September 2013
Arcade Fire Neon Bible
I bought indie rock band Arcade Fire's album Neon Bible pretty recently. On Saturday actually. Normally, you would head in to a shop like HMV with some kind of idea of what you're out to buy. You'd pick the CD you know will appeal to you. You know you'll like it because you listen to the artist who's put it out.
Well, because this is me we're talking about, I walked in to HMV and picked up the first CD I thought looked good. I've done the same thing before at Groucho's and (unfortunately) come home with two bands I can't stand. Luckily for me, this time was different. Ok...so it might have been the fact that I've listened to Arcade Fire before. In my defence, it was only one song and I don't even know what album it belongs to.
Let's just say I took a (slightly informed) gamble which paid off very nicely indeed *insert sigh of relief*.
Neon Bible has quite a dark sound to it with all eleven tracks featuring a heavy bass line (which I don't think my speakers were too happy with). Similar to Alt-J, Arcade Fire incorporate a heavy emphasis on the drum-kit, though their style produces a sound that is slightly less sharp and their music slightly less cheerful. I would go as far to say that Neon Bible has a pretty relaxed sound, though the layered textures of the music keep it from sounding entirely sleepy. And like most indie bands, their lyrics are quite poetic - a God send if you're tired of all the pop chart simplicity. I'm aware I'm sounding more and more like a music snob every second, but if you listen to a bit of indie...or most things other than pop, you'll know what I mean.
I'd have to say that my favourite tracks from Neon Bible are number 7 The well and the lighthouse and 10 No cars Go. So look out for those two if you're just looking to buy a couple of songs from iTunes instead of the whole album. I'm also going to recommend track 11 My body is a cage because of how dramatic it sounds due to the band's use of an organ...which I suppose would link in to the whole bible/church theme you get from the album name.
You can get Neon Bible from HMV for £5.99 which is cheaper than on Amazon where it's £6.29 and on iTunes where it's £8.99. Word to the wise - go to HMV.
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Something I Found Funny
I was trying to find a cello piece and I turned up this advert which for some reason I find absolutely hilarious...I say some reason, but come on, who wouldn't find this funny??? At one point the guy even rubs an orange on his face!!!
PYO At Greyfriars Kirk
I hopped on a bus at Perth last Thursday along with an army of PYO
supporters (and some members of the orchestra). Our destination? Edinburgh, of
course, to see Perth Youth Orchestra in action at its Fringe Festival debut.
Although excited to listen in on the Youth Orchestra's first concert since its
trip to Florence, I couldn't help but fall asleep on the bus. I don't tend to
mix well with vehicles of any kind, though I have to say, falling asleep is
generally more agreeable than being violently travel sick...but enough about
me.
We arrived (somewhat groggily) in
Edinburgh among the Fringe ruckus and hurried towards Greyfriars Kirk, just in
time to hear the end of PYO's first piece of the night, Jig: Vivace - from the
infamous St Paul's Suite. After fidgeting in the wings, waiting for the piece
to finish, we hurried to take our places in the Kirk Hall.
The St Paul's Suite was followed by a
trumpet concerto composed by Alexander Aruturian, performed brilliantly by
Magnus Pickering. I might say this in just about every review I write up about
PYO, but the orchestra sounded brilliant. And I really mean it. I think it came
down to a combination of skill and enthusiasm (on part of the orchestra and
conductor Mr Allan Young) and the amazing acoustics of the Kirk, which left the
pieces sounding crisp and clear.
Interval time: food ticket paid for, I
grabbed a cup of orange squash and scarfed as many custard creams as I could...
After much scoffing of biscuits and
beverages the audience returned to their seats to listen to Merran Kay's wonderful
performance of Kol Nidrei on cello. Then the orchestra moved on to play the
roaring beast that is Robert Smith's Inferno - as you can probably tell, it was
my favourite piece of the night by far. I say this not because the other pieces
were lacking in any way (because they weren't) but because the way Inferno was
performed nearly threw me off my chair. The evening's performance concluded
with a rendition of Salute to the Cinema and Les Miserables.
As we travelled back to Perth, I couldn't
help thinking that it would definitely be worthwhile for PYO to continue
performing as part of the Fringe. I hold high hopes that they can build a
larger audience, not just made up of the relatives of orchestra members, but of
people who might not know the first thing about PYO except where and when
they'll be playing. Or, perhaps, even better, people who have heard about PYO
through the grape vine and are interesting in finding out for themselves just
how good they are.
Thursday 1 August 2013
Mad Hatter's Tea Party
On Saturday 27th, I attended the Mad Hatter’s Tea
Party. An event being hosted by the Bookmark Festival committee in order to
raise funds to go toward the festival. For those of you who haven’t a clue what
the Bookmark Festival might be, here’s where I do a little bit of explaining!
The Bookmark Festival is a brand new festival being held in
Blairgowrie, organised by a group of dedicated volunteers. It’s going to take
place on the 18th to the 19th of October this year and
will feature discussion from well-known authors on their novels, poetry and
what it takes to be a writer. Guest authors include Liz Lochhead, Fiona
Armstrong (BBC news presenter), James Robertson and many more. Mairi
Hedderwick, creator of the popular Katie Morag series will be among many
authors hosting events aimed at younger children. So, the festival is for
people of all ages, and I think (and hope) it will prove to be very popular. If
you’re reading this and you happen to live in the Perthshire area, or anywhere
close by, and are interested in learning more about the Bookmark Festival you
can click on this link which will take you to the Bookmark website.
You can also book tickets for the festival via the website!
Anyway, back to the tea party. The weather was brilliant
which was nothing short of a blessing seeing as the tea party was being held
outdoors and I can’t imagine it going as well as it did in the pouring rain. I
arrived with my friend (and co-blogger turned P.A for the day) Nadia, not being
entirely sure on what to expect. I wasn’t sure how we would be received! Even though
I am part of the Bookmark Festival (I hesitate to say I’m a member of the committee
seeing as I didn’t help organised the festival or anything like that) I had
only ever spoken to the ladies responsible for everything via email. I had in
my mind for some reason that they would be aloof and look down at me for my
lack of experience. When I arrived all those rather silly notions were completely
overturned. Nadia and I were treated like old friends and everyone at the tea
party was exceptionally welcoming. I don’t think I’ve actually ever met nicer
people!
We paid for our tickets which automatically entered us in to
the raffle, which had some fantastic prizes as I was told, and were then
introduced to other committee members. I even had my picture taken with the Mad
Hatter! Nadia and I then went off to
explore our surroundings. We were in a beautifully kept garden with a neatly
clipped lawn which played host to five different stalls selling all manner of
things. The second stall was the one we were immediately drawn to as it was
selling cakes. Who wouldn’t make a beeline for something like that? I bought a
lemon sponge cake (later on though) which I brought home and shared with my
family who all agreed that it was delicious. The whole thing was eaten that
evening.
After looking over all the stalls, taking part in the tombola
– winning a prize each, and buying a book for £1, Nadia and I decided to sit
ourselves down at one of the many tables laid out on the patio for guests. This
was where we met John Swinney, a local MSP and Elizabeth Quigley, a BBC
journalist and Mr Swinney’s wife. While I was talking to them I realised that I
really should have brought along my Dictaphone so that I could get a few
comments. Luckily I managed to get Mr Swinney’s email address and he emailed me
these comments on the event:
John Swinney –
“It is fantastic that
a group of local volunteers have taken the initiative to establish the Bookmark
Festival for Blairgowrie. This will add another key attraction to the annual
program of events in the area and I am sure will attract many people to come.
Elizabeth and I have already bought tickets and it was a pleasure to be at the
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party on Saturday to give further support to the venue.”
Elizabeth Quigley –
“We are really looking
forward to the programme of events and such a huge amount of hard work was put
in to the event on Saturday and in to the production of the programme. There is
such a wide range of attractions in the programme. I am sure the Festival will become
a major event in the annual programme of Blairgowrie and Rattray.”
After chatting to Mr Swinney and Ms Quigley (a bit of a
surreal moment), we were asked by one of the Book Mark committee members (who
were all kindly serving teas, coffees and cakes) whether we wanted cakes to
which the reply was obvious. One never refuses an offer of baked goods! A
platter brimming with a selection of scones, cupcakes, a flapjack and a brownie
was then swiftly brought to us. I wish I could say we were able to finish the
lot, but unfortunately we weren’t. What we did manage to scoff though was
delicious. I mean, I have never tasted scones like those in my life! Wow, is
the only word that springs to mind.
Later on we decided we were going to leave, but were
persuaded to stay for the raffle draw. And I’m really glad that we did stay
because we were then introduced to Sir William McPherson, who was sporting a
Mad Hatter’s top hat, and his friends and invited to sit with them. Sir William
told us that the tea party was “very,
very fine.”
They were really lovely people and had so many interesting
things to tell us. They were also very curious to know what exactly a blog was.
It was hard giving an exact answer, how do you explain what a blog is? Well, I
was asked what the dictionary definition was and I couldn’t give the answer
then, so here it is now –
a web site containing
the writer’s or group of writer’s own experiences, observations, opinions,
etc., and often having images or links to other web sites – taken from http://dictionary.reference.com
When the raffle was drawn Nadia won a couple of CD’s and I
won a ‘I love Blairgowrie’ mug. So I can’t say we didn’t leave empty handed. In
fact, I came home that evening with the lemon drizzle cake I’d bought, two
books (only £1 each!), the mug and a box of chocolates but more importantly I
came home feeling lucky to have met so many brilliant people in one short day.
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