October 2nd to October 18th 2015...
My first day of picking up of the new shooting season
happened to coincide with our next night of our Classical Concert subscription,
so I thought we may be pressed for time. As it happened I needn’t have fretted as
we had finished by early afternoon. One thing that made me feel really pleased
was the fact that Callie was sent after a runner and didn’t disgrace me by
killing it once she had picked it up. [This is something she had been known to
do in the past and it is considered really bad form…]
Our first concert in the month was at the City Hall, with
Mum & Tony (who is really becoming more of an Arts aficionado than I
expected). Because the weather was still unseasonably mild I wore a summery
dress for the occasion. The Orchestra was The BBC Philharmonic and they had put
together a rather populist programme for their first concert of the season.
Owing to the fact that the weather
was so mild I decided to go in one of my new clingy summer dresses. It was a
rainbow hooped long jersey dress, with scooped neck. It does fit rather well
around the bodice and I wore a seam-free bra
and pants set which doesn't show against the fabric. On top of it I had my
cropped denim jacket and wore sort of wedge espadrille type sandals which
brought me up to about 5'11". It made me tower over Tony, which was part of the effect I
was wanting. Mum said I would probably need to put it away in my wardrobe from
next week, as the weather is supposed to be turning autumnal. I hope she's
wrong.
On my jacket I have a pink badge with black handwriting which requires you to be very close to read it, it says: "How dare you presume I'm heterosexual!" Tony read it and laughed. When I ordered interval drinks in the bar a guy read it too and said I bet "I could make you hetero" to which I instantly replied, "Not if I kick your balls up through your stomach". He looked stunned. Laura dragged me away with a whispered, "Come on..."
The concert was wonderful. The R&J Overture was a favourite from when I was a little girl - you will have heard it I'm sure. The Mozart Horn Concerto must be the most played Horn Concerto on the planet (no 4) and the playing of the horn was excellent. Very expressive.
On my jacket I have a pink badge with black handwriting which requires you to be very close to read it, it says: "How dare you presume I'm heterosexual!" Tony read it and laughed. When I ordered interval drinks in the bar a guy read it too and said I bet "I could make you hetero" to which I instantly replied, "Not if I kick your balls up through your stomach". He looked stunned. Laura dragged me away with a whispered, "Come on..."
The concert was wonderful. The R&J Overture was a favourite from when I was a little girl - you will have heard it I'm sure. The Mozart Horn Concerto must be the most played Horn Concerto on the planet (no 4) and the playing of the horn was excellent. Very expressive.
If Beethoven
hadn't written any more symphonies after the Eroica he would still have been
considered a genius at the form. I absolutely loved
it. There is a great film about it being played for the first time which you
should look out. I can't remember its name at the mo... I think it may just be
called "Eroica".
The Sunday after the concert was still
fine (Oct 4th) so we whizzed into the White Peak and did some
Limestone climbing. It is trickier than climbing on grit but the place we went,
in Miller’s Dale has several pre-chocked routes which are quite challenging.
There is one really severe overhang which Laura simply didn’t attempt. She is
not used to the difference in holds and technique required for this kind of manoeuvre.
She was so relieved when I put in my appearance ‘round the corner’ I was
rewarded with a huge kiss!
My Mentoring of the undergraduate
cohort continues. I have a curious bunch of freshers, some of whom seem so wet
behind the ears I want to hug them and tell them ‘It’ll be alright, honest..’.
We do have the usual quota of stupidly cocky males who really do need takin
down a peg or three. I am amazed by the arrogance of a couple of them in
particular.
By the end of today (October 9th)
I was have seen 25 of my tutees! Not bad in one week, eh? Especially as I am
allocating them all half an hour. OK, some of them have been in and out in a
flash (2 were like cats on a hot tin roof the whole time) and a couple went on for almost an hour. I have met
all sorts of brilliant and hopeless people this week. I have made a bet with
Laura as to who will have left
(or been asked to leave by Christmas). She thinks I am being too harsh...
Her first week as a Post Grad has gone down really well. Today was a weird day in that Laura had the day at the solicitors and I have a full day at Uni. That is a first; usually we have been together at both places.
Tonight's entertainment was R & J at the Crucible, along with Mum & Tony. He really is becoming more interested in 'the Arts' or (this is cynical me speaking) it makes it easier for him to get in Mum's pants. If only he knew how much she was looking for sex... (I know this because when we got drunk together in Margaret River [2013] she told me she hadn't had sex since she and Dad split up, and she was keen not to have 'it' close up on her! We made a pact the next day never to mention again what we had talked about. Good job really as I told her all about a sexual experiment Rick and I had done.
Romeo and Juliet. You may have heard
of it. It was a very modern production set in what could have been a
rundown area of any big city. Opened with a chavvy looking guy sat in
one of those white plastic garden chairs with a music player thingy and a can
of beer...
The
'Fuss' surrounding it was Freddie Fox - he played Romeo. He is one of the
acting Foxes. (Now his sister Emilia and I could get something on I'm sure...)
He had completely cut glass diction, which seemed at odds at first, especially as Juliet had a soft Welsh accent. I suppose it was a way to emphasise the difference between the families. At times he did look very young indeed.
In places the modern setting didn't quite work, sometimes that happens.
Absolutely the best actor was The Nurse. She was absolutely brilliant. Oh, and they made the priest female... I know this makes it sound like a staged version of Baz Lurhmann's Romeo + Juliet (Leonardo di Caprio & Claire Danes) but it wasn't trying to copy that at all. Despite di Caprio being in it, it does remain one of the best filmed versions of the play. At times he looks like he can act. Unlike, say 'Titanic', where he was so wooden I was surprised he sank at the end... Sorry - huge digression - wrists duly slapped!
Owing to the fact we are whizzing to Australia over Christmas I have had to get my Chrimbo Present buying sorted before we go. I bought half a dozen pressies for my baby sister and nephew and nieces yesterday. I also found an amazing brooch and pendant for Mum made from Swarovski Crystal. It was a bit expensive (£150) but they look gorgeous. I know she loves Swarovski, so it should be good. I have also bid on e-bay for a vintage tool set for Tony - I have gone up to £60 - I'll have to see if I win it. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend on him. [PS on the tool kit – it went for over £100. Phew, good job I put in a maximum bid…]
October 16th
I have completed all my mentees' initial interviews with 50+ this has now become a bit of a marathon. I had a long and seriously useful chat with my PhD supervisor, she joined the growing chorus of people who tell me I shouldn't worry about getting a job after I have finished. They aren't on my side of the fence though...
We whizzed off up to Dad's on Friday lunchtime to see the Hallé at the Sands Centre in Carlisle on Friday night. We bought student tickets only £10!. It meant we had to take pot luck with the choice of seats but the hall is very good for views and acoustics. The programme was: Rossini -The Silken Ladder Overture;
Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto; Vaughan Williams -Symphony No. 2 "London". I had never heard the Silken Ladder so that was good. The Tchaikovsy was the best thing on the programme.
Before the show we went into the huge pub next door, The Turf Tavern, for some grub. I am afraid I succumbed to my inner chav and had a plate of Scampi and Chips. I know, I know... They were just what I fancied and they were delicious. Plus my plate was piled with 16 pieces of these tasty crustaceans, I can't remember getting as much on my plate (apart from the pub across the Solway in Carsethorn, which served me 30 one time! I think the pub is the Lifeboat). Even better than the amount of food was the price: this mega meal only cost £7.50. We will be back for more when there are other concerts.
We went to the Plaza Cinema to see "Suffragette", in Workington, on the Saturday afternoon. We also performed some retail therapy again in the town before the show as I still had some pressies to buy for the folks back in the UK whilst we are in Aus for Christmas & New Year. Suffragette made me feel very angry. Yes, it is moving and poignant and all that, Emily Davison's martydom for the cause was obviously what turned the tide in favour of us getting the vote but far too many men are still in positions of power today. We are still discriminated against by misogynist and patriarchal societies around the globe, even here in the 'so called' liberated UK. Don't get me started on Saudi Fucking Arabia!!
Dad, Louisa and Chloé are stayed in Lancaster all weekend, they had a formal function on Saturday night and it made more sense to use the flat rather than do a 180 mile round trip. He got an undergraduate as babysitter ( this news sent warning bells ringing in my head, I do hope that isn't Deja Vu!). Callie was a bit lost when we arrived as normally there are three mad dogs to play with, but as Dad and Co were in Lancaster, so we were the mutts. She even went and sat outside by their kennel and run as if waiting for them to come home!
We told him that we were going to have a really wild party on Saturday night, LOL. I don't think he believed us... In fact we went to Kate and Simon's for a meal instead. Kate is an old school chum of Laura's and during the course of the evening she claimed that she knew Laura was gay all the way through school. It was obvious that she was lying, though, as she could provide no evidence to back up her statement. I have met them once before in Cockermouth with their little girl Kirsten. They were surprised by what I did for a living, once again people can't get past the blonde hair! Afterwards Laura told me how much money they had coming into the home, I was appalled. They were getting just about what I used to earn when I was doing my Master's, and bringing up a daughter. By way of redistributing the wealth a little, I took a German Case of wine with us for the meal (mixed whites and reds) from Dad's extensive cellar. He won't miss them!
We drove back during the afternoon on the Sunday ready to face the onslaught of a new week at work refreshed, invigorated and a little shagged out after being able to make love all over the house whilst Dad and Louisa were away. (I hope he hasn't set up hidden security cameras in the place or we truly are fucked!
He had completely cut glass diction, which seemed at odds at first, especially as Juliet had a soft Welsh accent. I suppose it was a way to emphasise the difference between the families. At times he did look very young indeed.
In places the modern setting didn't quite work, sometimes that happens.
Absolutely the best actor was The Nurse. She was absolutely brilliant. Oh, and they made the priest female... I know this makes it sound like a staged version of Baz Lurhmann's Romeo + Juliet (Leonardo di Caprio & Claire Danes) but it wasn't trying to copy that at all. Despite di Caprio being in it, it does remain one of the best filmed versions of the play. At times he looks like he can act. Unlike, say 'Titanic', where he was so wooden I was surprised he sank at the end... Sorry - huge digression - wrists duly slapped!
Owing to the fact we are whizzing to Australia over Christmas I have had to get my Chrimbo Present buying sorted before we go. I bought half a dozen pressies for my baby sister and nephew and nieces yesterday. I also found an amazing brooch and pendant for Mum made from Swarovski Crystal. It was a bit expensive (£150) but they look gorgeous. I know she loves Swarovski, so it should be good. I have also bid on e-bay for a vintage tool set for Tony - I have gone up to £60 - I'll have to see if I win it. It was a bit more than I wanted to spend on him. [PS on the tool kit – it went for over £100. Phew, good job I put in a maximum bid…]
October 16th
I have completed all my mentees' initial interviews with 50+ this has now become a bit of a marathon. I had a long and seriously useful chat with my PhD supervisor, she joined the growing chorus of people who tell me I shouldn't worry about getting a job after I have finished. They aren't on my side of the fence though...
We whizzed off up to Dad's on Friday lunchtime to see the Hallé at the Sands Centre in Carlisle on Friday night. We bought student tickets only £10!. It meant we had to take pot luck with the choice of seats but the hall is very good for views and acoustics. The programme was: Rossini -The Silken Ladder Overture;
Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto; Vaughan Williams -Symphony No. 2 "London". I had never heard the Silken Ladder so that was good. The Tchaikovsy was the best thing on the programme.
Before the show we went into the huge pub next door, The Turf Tavern, for some grub. I am afraid I succumbed to my inner chav and had a plate of Scampi and Chips. I know, I know... They were just what I fancied and they were delicious. Plus my plate was piled with 16 pieces of these tasty crustaceans, I can't remember getting as much on my plate (apart from the pub across the Solway in Carsethorn, which served me 30 one time! I think the pub is the Lifeboat). Even better than the amount of food was the price: this mega meal only cost £7.50. We will be back for more when there are other concerts.
We went to the Plaza Cinema to see "Suffragette", in Workington, on the Saturday afternoon. We also performed some retail therapy again in the town before the show as I still had some pressies to buy for the folks back in the UK whilst we are in Aus for Christmas & New Year. Suffragette made me feel very angry. Yes, it is moving and poignant and all that, Emily Davison's martydom for the cause was obviously what turned the tide in favour of us getting the vote but far too many men are still in positions of power today. We are still discriminated against by misogynist and patriarchal societies around the globe, even here in the 'so called' liberated UK. Don't get me started on Saudi Fucking Arabia!!
Dad, Louisa and Chloé are stayed in Lancaster all weekend, they had a formal function on Saturday night and it made more sense to use the flat rather than do a 180 mile round trip. He got an undergraduate as babysitter ( this news sent warning bells ringing in my head, I do hope that isn't Deja Vu!). Callie was a bit lost when we arrived as normally there are three mad dogs to play with, but as Dad and Co were in Lancaster, so we were the mutts. She even went and sat outside by their kennel and run as if waiting for them to come home!
We told him that we were going to have a really wild party on Saturday night, LOL. I don't think he believed us... In fact we went to Kate and Simon's for a meal instead. Kate is an old school chum of Laura's and during the course of the evening she claimed that she knew Laura was gay all the way through school. It was obvious that she was lying, though, as she could provide no evidence to back up her statement. I have met them once before in Cockermouth with their little girl Kirsten. They were surprised by what I did for a living, once again people can't get past the blonde hair! Afterwards Laura told me how much money they had coming into the home, I was appalled. They were getting just about what I used to earn when I was doing my Master's, and bringing up a daughter. By way of redistributing the wealth a little, I took a German Case of wine with us for the meal (mixed whites and reds) from Dad's extensive cellar. He won't miss them!
We drove back during the afternoon on the Sunday ready to face the onslaught of a new week at work refreshed, invigorated and a little shagged out after being able to make love all over the house whilst Dad and Louisa were away. (I hope he hasn't set up hidden security cameras in the place or we truly are fucked!
