According to The Guardian, Margaret Atwood isn't sure she is a feminist any more. And Fay Weldon thinks that women should stop worrying about trying to get men to pick up the socks and just do it themselves. Now, I'm not going to go into these quotes or their sources in any great detail because I feel it is likely that they have been exaggerated in the press, but I have been thinking about feminism a fair bit recently.
This morning I read Lucy Mangan's article What feminism means to me and wondered what it is it means to me. I found the article very interesting (not least because it gave me another reason to think that Mangan is an all-round good egg) Like Lucy Mangan, I identify myself as being a feminist. And like Lucy Mangan, I sort of wish that this had come from careful thought and consideration, and lots of reading on the subject. It hasn’t, although in recent years I have read more and more around the subject – like many women, The Womens Room by Marilyn French and Backlash by Susan Faludi have made me think about what it means to be a feminist, and what kind of society I am living in. It depresses me when other women feel that they have to distance themselves from feminism. In the same article in which The Guardian talks about Margaret Atwood, they quote the entrepreneur Deborah Meaden:
I'm not a feminist. I consider my position in the business world not as a woman but as a person. And don't think, "Did that happen because I'm a woman?" Feminism doesn't have a particularly constructive image, although I think there was time when it was relevant. But I think we are more sophisticated now and we no longer have to batter people over the head with it
I admire Deborah Meaden, both for being a talented and successful businesswoman and for her attitude and behaviour towards the contestants on Dragon's Den, but it depresses me that she believes that feminism is no longer relevant. She is the only female entrepreneur among the Dragons. This is fairly proportionate as there are many more male CEOs at her level than female. I'm not qualified or informed enough to talk at length about the gender pay gap in business and the 'glass ceiling' and all of that, but I wonder that it isn't more of an issue to her that there aren't more women competing at her level.
Meaden says that feminism doesn't have a very constructive image, and I think she is right. While I would like her to feel more strongly about women in business, she isn't obliged to, and I'm not entitled to try to make her feel differently (in, you know, some parallel universe where I actually know her. Man, I should plan these things a bit better, I didn't mean to go on about her for so long) One of the image problems feminism has is that women are afraid that they'll be judged by other women – you're not feminist enough, you’re betraying the sisterhood, or whatever. And the other fear, of course, is being labelled a buzz-killing man-hater.
Anyway – to move away from the political and back to the personal. What feminism has meant to me, in recent years, is finding and understanding myself a little bit better. That, and being able to make more informed choices and decisions. I have largely stopped watching TV (I have a television set, but no TV signal. I occasionally watch things on the iPlayer) and this choice was informed by my growing feminist beliefs. I got so tired of every advert using sex to sell products, I couldn't participate in it any more. I won't have TV in the future either, particularly if I have children. I would like to say that I have stopped buying magazines but I'm weak and I haven't quite yet. When I was a student I was an avid reader of Heat magazine, but eventually I decided that I couldn't condone that either. I hate the constant focus that magazine has on the female body – too fat, too thin, cellulite, sweat marks, spots – all magnified and distorted and derided all of the time. I struggle, like many women do (and many men also) to feel good about my body, and I couldn't tolerate Heat magazine's attitude any longer. It’s not just Heat, of course, and my ban has extended to any and all celebrity gossip magazine. I'm weaning myself off the fashion and lifestyle glossies as well, because they are just as hateful in their own way. These are just two decisions I have made based on my growing feminist beliefs, but they have improved my life.
Feminism hasn't meant that I have stopped wearing make-up, or being interested in fashion, or wanting to lose a wee bit of weight, or any of those things. But I like to think that I am more conscious about what I do and what I want, and why I want those things. I don't know if I am a 'good' feminist either, and I don't know if I should be more political, more radical with it. Let's just say that my education is ongoing.
Monday, September 21, 2009
ok, so I've dumped my sister...maybe next I'll ring up Grandad and tell him I think he's a boring twat
When I last wrote, on Thursday afternoon, Nic and I were getting ready to go to London for my surpise birthday treat. And it was a good treat! When we arrived in London we checked into our hotel, the Travelodge near Tower Bridge. I think Nic was feeling a little bit nervous about this because he had read some bad reviews of it, but it was fine. I haven't stayed in enough hotels to be too snobby about it, and although it was very basic it was clean and near where we were going. We walked down to Tower Bridge and crossed the river, which was exciting in itself as the bridge was being raised for a boat with a tall mast to pass underneath. We had dinner and then walked along Butler's Wharf, where Nic revealed my surprise to me - a cruise on the paddle steamer The Dixie Queen! The cruise had been organised by the Vortex Jazz Club, and was in fact a jazz cruise. We boarded the boat at Butler's Wharf just as the sun was setting, and had time to explore around the boat a fair bit before we started to move. Thrillingly, although we were going to Canary Wharf, we first went West, and Tower Bridge was raised for us. The sun had set, and Tower Bridge was all lit up. Everybody crowded out to the front of the boat, it was spectacular.
I couldn't get my phone to take a good picture of what the ballroom looked like, but it was very luxurious. Nic and I settled down at our table to enjoy the first perfomer, Barb Jungr. She was absolutely brilliant, opening with a version of Walking in Memphis and finishing off with Last Train to Clarksville. This was the first time I have been to see a female Jazz performer, and she was outstanding. After her set, we went back outside to enjoy the view some more
We went to the back of the boat and had a look at the paddle, and then settled back at our table to watch Lianne Carroll, who was also an incredible performer. I'll be buying some CDs when I get paid! I'm not enough of a writer to do the experience justice, but I have beautiful memories of the evening. It was one of the most romantic evenings I have spent, it was magical. When we docked back at Butler's Wharf, Nic and I walked along the river and had a drink in a pub near the HMS Belfast before heading back to our hotel.
On Friday morning we had breakfast in Spitalfields Market, in a cafe called The Daily Grind. It might have been because I was feeling a wee bit hung over (how though? I only had two glasses of wine and a gin and tonic, and I didn't even finish the gin and tonic. Although the gin was Bombay Sapphire, the tonic was Slimline Britvic - BOKE!) but the cup of coffee I had with breakfast might have been the best I've ever had. Seriously, it was just filter coffee with a bit of warm milk in in, but it was delicious. It set me up for the rest of the day! After a browse around the market, we headed over to Notting Hill because there was a comic shop Nic wanted to visit. The sun was shining, and we spent a very pleasant few hours looking at the antiques stalls on Portobello Road. I stumbled on the Hummingbird Bakery and bought some cupcakes (vanilla with chocolate frosting, and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting) which Nic and I enjoyed with a cup of tea when we got back to Leamington:
We caught a nice early train back to Leamington after making a stop at the International Cheese Centre in Marylebone for sandwiches and Tayto crisps. We'd only been in London for 24 hours but it felt like we'd been away for ages! We were both exhausted but spent a very happy Friday evening with M, J and L watching R Kelly videos on YouTube. It was wonderful, and I still had the whole weekend ahead of me. I do generally have quite mixed feelings about London - a trip down never quite lives up to my expectations. Perhaps because I didn't really have any expectations this time (because of the surprise element) it was perfect. I love just wandering around and making discoveries - such as discovering that George Grossmith lived in a house next to Marylebone station.
I was extremely good and the only things I bought were those cupcakes and a Marilyn French book (which was 50p) so I think I can buy myself something very pretty in October by way of reward.
I'm planning out something more intellectual for my next post, but it is going to take some time. Until then, just an account of my weekend will have to do, I'm afraid!
I couldn't get my phone to take a good picture of what the ballroom looked like, but it was very luxurious. Nic and I settled down at our table to enjoy the first perfomer, Barb Jungr. She was absolutely brilliant, opening with a version of Walking in Memphis and finishing off with Last Train to Clarksville. This was the first time I have been to see a female Jazz performer, and she was outstanding. After her set, we went back outside to enjoy the view some more
We went to the back of the boat and had a look at the paddle, and then settled back at our table to watch Lianne Carroll, who was also an incredible performer. I'll be buying some CDs when I get paid! I'm not enough of a writer to do the experience justice, but I have beautiful memories of the evening. It was one of the most romantic evenings I have spent, it was magical. When we docked back at Butler's Wharf, Nic and I walked along the river and had a drink in a pub near the HMS Belfast before heading back to our hotel.
On Friday morning we had breakfast in Spitalfields Market, in a cafe called The Daily Grind. It might have been because I was feeling a wee bit hung over (how though? I only had two glasses of wine and a gin and tonic, and I didn't even finish the gin and tonic. Although the gin was Bombay Sapphire, the tonic was Slimline Britvic - BOKE!) but the cup of coffee I had with breakfast might have been the best I've ever had. Seriously, it was just filter coffee with a bit of warm milk in in, but it was delicious. It set me up for the rest of the day! After a browse around the market, we headed over to Notting Hill because there was a comic shop Nic wanted to visit. The sun was shining, and we spent a very pleasant few hours looking at the antiques stalls on Portobello Road. I stumbled on the Hummingbird Bakery and bought some cupcakes (vanilla with chocolate frosting, and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting) which Nic and I enjoyed with a cup of tea when we got back to Leamington:
We caught a nice early train back to Leamington after making a stop at the International Cheese Centre in Marylebone for sandwiches and Tayto crisps. We'd only been in London for 24 hours but it felt like we'd been away for ages! We were both exhausted but spent a very happy Friday evening with M, J and L watching R Kelly videos on YouTube. It was wonderful, and I still had the whole weekend ahead of me. I do generally have quite mixed feelings about London - a trip down never quite lives up to my expectations. Perhaps because I didn't really have any expectations this time (because of the surprise element) it was perfect. I love just wandering around and making discoveries - such as discovering that George Grossmith lived in a house next to Marylebone station.
I was extremely good and the only things I bought were those cupcakes and a Marilyn French book (which was 50p) so I think I can buy myself something very pretty in October by way of reward.
I'm planning out something more intellectual for my next post, but it is going to take some time. Until then, just an account of my weekend will have to do, I'm afraid!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Norway! My soul resides in your watery.....Inlets
I had a dream last night that I went to Cromer! I've never actually been to Cromer, so I hope it is a bit nicer than it was in my dream.
It's been a very busy week. The consultation has kept me very busy at work, but in a good way. It's interesting work and it's good to be involved with it. Work has been generally pretty enjoyable for the past few weeks. I had an interview for a promotion about a fortnight ago, and found out last Friday that although I hadn't got it, that they liked me enough to offer me another job instead. That was very flattering and exciting, because I did feel that I had interviewed well. The new job doesn't start until January, which gives me some time to finish off some of the bigger projects I've been working on and hand over thoroughly to whoever they get to replace me.
So, with that news in mind I spent last weekend celebrating. Actually, the good times kicked off before I even knew about the job as L and J took Nic and I out for dinner to Prezzo. Prezzo is quite nice and my mushroom pizza was good, but HUGE. In fact, I think they should consider buying bigger tables, because the table we had was too small to house the 3 pizzas and 1 calzone (bigger than J's head) that we ordered. I enjoyed going out for dinner, but the most enjoyable thing about the evening was spending it with with J and L, and having a chance to catch up with them.
I spent Friday evening at the Somerville with some very dear friends, and then Nic and I went to Banbury on Saturday. It was a whim that took us there, but it was so pretty. It obviously helped that we were having the last day of summer - I suppose any town looks good in the sunshine. I enjoyed pottering around the market and looking in the charity shops, and I really loved Books & Ink, an independent and antiquarian bookshop which we found down a little side street. I found Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years on their bargain bookcase for 20p, and was delighted with my find. It is the Adrian Mole book that I like the least, but I was nonetheless pleased to find it at such a bargain price. Visiting Books and Ink made me miss the days when Portland Books was still up on Warwick Street and, although I've said it before, I think there is something very sad about a town that doesn't have a proper bookshop (and I don't count Waterstone's in that category.) Books and Ink was enough to make me decide to definitely visit Banbury again in the near future.
I have been knitting away like billy this week and it is very satisfying. My new project is a gift for Baby B-T and it's going very well indeed! I bought some very soft bright blue yarn in the British Red Cross charity shop around the corner and it is perfect for what I want. I'll have a ball left over when I am finished and I'm trying to decide what to use it for. It's relaxing to be able to make something after being at work all day, and I'm quite good at multi-tasking by knitting and doing something else at the same time. It's not so good to knit on a stake-out, however. The skels can hear the needles clicking away. But I think that's a story for another day, don't you?
Nic and I are off to London this evening...but I don't know why just yet. He has arranged a surprise for me for my birthday. It feels like I have been waiting for it to be today for months now, but it hasn't been all that long really. It's the first time I've ever had a surprise like this arranged for me so I am very, very excited, and extremely curious! Nic is being very tight-lipped about it, and he claims he's not going to tell me where we're going until we've checked into our hotel and are on our way to the venue. It's been quite a while since I've been in London for anything other than work, so I'm looking forward to spending tomorrow pottering aroung as well. But not shopping. I'm saving myself until October for that. I've found a possible contender for my winter coat so I need to keep some pennies free for that. Even more if I try this one (in blue) on and decide it suits me better!
List of love
Still the Halawi dates, they are extremely tasty
Surprise adventures
Being able to wear hats again
Batman
NYPD Blue, as always.
My Turn to Make the Tea
Boiled eggs and marmite soldiers
The Somerville Arms
List of loathe
Nothing really for me, but a few things that are happening to my friends are getting my undivided fury.
It's been a very busy week. The consultation has kept me very busy at work, but in a good way. It's interesting work and it's good to be involved with it. Work has been generally pretty enjoyable for the past few weeks. I had an interview for a promotion about a fortnight ago, and found out last Friday that although I hadn't got it, that they liked me enough to offer me another job instead. That was very flattering and exciting, because I did feel that I had interviewed well. The new job doesn't start until January, which gives me some time to finish off some of the bigger projects I've been working on and hand over thoroughly to whoever they get to replace me.
So, with that news in mind I spent last weekend celebrating. Actually, the good times kicked off before I even knew about the job as L and J took Nic and I out for dinner to Prezzo. Prezzo is quite nice and my mushroom pizza was good, but HUGE. In fact, I think they should consider buying bigger tables, because the table we had was too small to house the 3 pizzas and 1 calzone (bigger than J's head) that we ordered. I enjoyed going out for dinner, but the most enjoyable thing about the evening was spending it with with J and L, and having a chance to catch up with them.
I spent Friday evening at the Somerville with some very dear friends, and then Nic and I went to Banbury on Saturday. It was a whim that took us there, but it was so pretty. It obviously helped that we were having the last day of summer - I suppose any town looks good in the sunshine. I enjoyed pottering around the market and looking in the charity shops, and I really loved Books & Ink, an independent and antiquarian bookshop which we found down a little side street. I found Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years on their bargain bookcase for 20p, and was delighted with my find. It is the Adrian Mole book that I like the least, but I was nonetheless pleased to find it at such a bargain price. Visiting Books and Ink made me miss the days when Portland Books was still up on Warwick Street and, although I've said it before, I think there is something very sad about a town that doesn't have a proper bookshop (and I don't count Waterstone's in that category.) Books and Ink was enough to make me decide to definitely visit Banbury again in the near future.
I have been knitting away like billy this week and it is very satisfying. My new project is a gift for Baby B-T and it's going very well indeed! I bought some very soft bright blue yarn in the British Red Cross charity shop around the corner and it is perfect for what I want. I'll have a ball left over when I am finished and I'm trying to decide what to use it for. It's relaxing to be able to make something after being at work all day, and I'm quite good at multi-tasking by knitting and doing something else at the same time. It's not so good to knit on a stake-out, however. The skels can hear the needles clicking away. But I think that's a story for another day, don't you?
Nic and I are off to London this evening...but I don't know why just yet. He has arranged a surprise for me for my birthday. It feels like I have been waiting for it to be today for months now, but it hasn't been all that long really. It's the first time I've ever had a surprise like this arranged for me so I am very, very excited, and extremely curious! Nic is being very tight-lipped about it, and he claims he's not going to tell me where we're going until we've checked into our hotel and are on our way to the venue. It's been quite a while since I've been in London for anything other than work, so I'm looking forward to spending tomorrow pottering aroung as well. But not shopping. I'm saving myself until October for that. I've found a possible contender for my winter coat so I need to keep some pennies free for that. Even more if I try this one (in blue) on and decide it suits me better!
List of love
Still the Halawi dates, they are extremely tasty
Surprise adventures
Being able to wear hats again
Batman
NYPD Blue, as always.
My Turn to Make the Tea
Boiled eggs and marmite soldiers
The Somerville Arms
List of loathe
Nothing really for me, but a few things that are happening to my friends are getting my undivided fury.
Friday, September 11, 2009
He's not just dancing. He's firming his thighs and tightening his buttocks.
It has been a very busy few days. A big project I have been working on at work for the past few weeks kicked off again, so I've spent the last couple of days frantically analysing forms and adding them to a behemoth of a spreadsheet. But it's all good, because it is quite interesting work, but poor Nic was at the sharp end of my big stressy snit yesterday. Anyway, the sun is shining and it is finally Friday, so YESSSSSSS!
C and M came around on Wednesday evening and we had another lovely girly time. C and I dyed our dresses, and I am very pleased with the shade of raspberry red my jersey Asturias dress came out. I'm wearing it to work today and it's very nice indeed, and I think it will be good come the colder weather as I will be able to layer it up. As I have said in earlier posts, I have been reading lots of other blogs recently and I am going to magpie something else from one. At A Typical Atypical, Lauren wrote about fashion wish lists, so here is mine:
1. Wedge knee-high boots, preferably in brown. Fly London had a pair out a few years ago which I loved, and were too expensive. And when I finally decided to buy them and tried them on, they came up too high on my leg. Obviously their target demographic is ladies with longer legs than me! I can't find a picture of them but Harlot brought out a pair a few seasons ago with a covered wedge and they were lovely. I'll just keep looking, I'm going to have to!
2. I want to get one of those lovely halterneck dresses from Vivienne of Holloway….maybe to wear to C's wedding.
3. A really fabulous winter coat. Suggestions welcome. Not black, but I would consider grey.
4. New shoes, always new shoes. I really like these shoeboots (almost) by Irregular Choice from Aspire
In fact, I will buy these. I love the shape of them, and the buttons, and the fact that they are called Flick Flack. I'm easily pleased like that!
That is all I can think of right now, but I'm sure I will have more to add in the future, my eye is always lighting on something and wanting it. Although I have been very good this month so far, in an attempt to have some money when I have my London mystery adventure next weekend with Nic, and for when I go home at the end of the month. I'll buy myself some pretty things in October.
I'm feeling quite tired and full of lurgy (that oh-so-scientific term) and am struggling to think of something else to write in this post. I think I'll bring it to a close here and write more after the weekend. Oh, but I am very excited because my VHS of Day of the Daleks (not available on DVD) bought the other evening on eBay, has arrived. Jon Pertwee didn't like the Daleks all that much but I am very excited about seeing my favourite Doctor taking on the Daleks. Maybe that is a bit lame, but you know what? I DON'T CARE!
C and M came around on Wednesday evening and we had another lovely girly time. C and I dyed our dresses, and I am very pleased with the shade of raspberry red my jersey Asturias dress came out. I'm wearing it to work today and it's very nice indeed, and I think it will be good come the colder weather as I will be able to layer it up. As I have said in earlier posts, I have been reading lots of other blogs recently and I am going to magpie something else from one. At A Typical Atypical, Lauren wrote about fashion wish lists, so here is mine:
1. Wedge knee-high boots, preferably in brown. Fly London had a pair out a few years ago which I loved, and were too expensive. And when I finally decided to buy them and tried them on, they came up too high on my leg. Obviously their target demographic is ladies with longer legs than me! I can't find a picture of them but Harlot brought out a pair a few seasons ago with a covered wedge and they were lovely. I'll just keep looking, I'm going to have to!
2. I want to get one of those lovely halterneck dresses from Vivienne of Holloway….maybe to wear to C's wedding.
3. A really fabulous winter coat. Suggestions welcome. Not black, but I would consider grey.
4. New shoes, always new shoes. I really like these shoeboots (almost) by Irregular Choice from Aspire
In fact, I will buy these. I love the shape of them, and the buttons, and the fact that they are called Flick Flack. I'm easily pleased like that!
That is all I can think of right now, but I'm sure I will have more to add in the future, my eye is always lighting on something and wanting it. Although I have been very good this month so far, in an attempt to have some money when I have my London mystery adventure next weekend with Nic, and for when I go home at the end of the month. I'll buy myself some pretty things in October.
I'm feeling quite tired and full of lurgy (that oh-so-scientific term) and am struggling to think of something else to write in this post. I think I'll bring it to a close here and write more after the weekend. Oh, but I am very excited because my VHS of Day of the Daleks (not available on DVD) bought the other evening on eBay, has arrived. Jon Pertwee didn't like the Daleks all that much but I am very excited about seeing my favourite Doctor taking on the Daleks. Maybe that is a bit lame, but you know what? I DON'T CARE!
Monday, September 7, 2009
If a girl thinks you're in love with her and says she will marry you, you can't very well voice a preference for being dead in a ditch
It feels like a lot of time has passed since Thursday. This is one of the curses of having time off, it screws up your perception of how time passes for the rest of the working week. That's a small enough price to pay, I suppose.
I have had a most enjoyable, although very tiring weekend. Nic was giving a paper at a conference in Winchester so we decided to travel down together and try to make the trip not just work. I found Winchester very charming, although I am sure that the good weather contributed to that as well! Nic and I stayed in a bed and breakfast that we had booked relatively late on, and it was perfect. It was around the corner from the building Nic was giving his paper in, and it was only a short walk from the town centre. It was in a small family home, but it was so clean and bright and comfortable, and the owner really went out of his way to make us feel at home. It was one of the things that made the trip such a pleasure.
Winchester is gorgeous. It reminded me of Canterbury, for obvious reasons, but I think I liked it better thank I like Canterbury. It seemed to have a slightly slower pace. One of the nicest things Nic and I did was to wander through the grounds of the cathedral at night, which is something that we wouldn’t have been able to do in Canterbury. I won't bore you by listing all of the things that we did, but here are some the places we visited:
Buddy's Diner
Nic and I spent ages trying to find somewhere to eat. There are no shortages of restaurants in the city centre, but I had a notion I wanted to eat in a pub. Well, that didn't happen and instead we stumbled on Buddy's Diner, which was brilliant. I have a soft spot for American themed diners, and this one was excellent. They were playing the Monkees on the jukebox when we arrived, they had a drawing of Tony Curtis's star on the Hollywood walk of fame on the wall, and their bean burger was extremely tasty. It was lots of fun!
The Great Hall
Our host recommended we visit here, and it was on our route into the town centre. The main attraction is King Arthur's round table. I was a bit confused by the claims that it dated from 1247 because there is a massive tudor rose in the middle of it, but apparently it was repainted for Henry VIII (I am reserving judgement on this whole business, however) It hangs on the wall of the Great Hall, and on the other gable wall is a mural depicting the royal family tree, right down as far as Queen Victoria. There's not really a huge amount that you can do but it is worth a visit all the same!
We also visited two excellent pubs, The Wykeham Arms which is near the Cathedral, and The Corner House, which is on North Wall. They were very different but I loved them both. The Wykeham Arms won my heart because they don't play music, mobile phones aren’t allowed and you can order sausages at the bar for 50p each. Now that last one isn't much good to me, admittedly, but I admire it all the same. Also, a lot of the tables are old desks from the neighbouring college, which charmed me. The Corner House is a much more modern place, but it was somewhere that I thought I'd like to spend time in if I lived in Winchester. They have a weekly book group and a sewing circle, and free foreign language conversation lessons. Also, Nic enjoyed the Flower Pots bitter they had on tap.
Winchester is definitely a city I'd like to visit again. On Saturday, while Nic was at the conference, I amused myself by wandering around, knitting in the Cathedral gardens in the sunshine, and reading in the library. I was extremely tired by the time we got back to Leamington on Saturday evening but felt happy that we'd had such a pleasing adventure. I always enjoy visiting new places, and Nic and I usually manage to find somewhere exciting or fun or quirky to visit, and Winchester had these spots in abundance.
I seem to spend a lot of my time complaining about tiresome train journeys, so I won’t do that in this entry except to say that I spent the entire journey back up to Leamington being stared out by a really stressy Mancunican woman with a crew cut. I kept my eyes down on my knitting as far as I could! This morning I read this article in the Guardian about noise, and it made me think about my attitude towards noise. I found it quite reassuring that I am not alone! On my (now rather less frequent) commutes to London I had to give up sitting in the quiet carriage because it made it that much more stressful when someone was making noise. I find that I can cope with loud noises reasonably well, but there are some that wear away at me like water torture. They are:
• Electronic beeping of any kind. I can’t understand why everything must beep. On a recent journey I sat opposite someone who was writing a text message, which is fine except she had the keypad tone turned on so every letter made a beep. This is very irritating. My work laptop does the same thing unless I have the speakers muted. Every time I click on something there is an exaggerated electronic clicking sound, and it beeps loudly when an email comes in. I hate it! Electronic beeps and my aversion to them is one of the reasons why I don’t own a digital camera.
• Very loud car engines. Specifically, those being revved by the idiots driving very fast up Dale Street late at night.
• Leaf blowers, strimmers, lawnmowers (to a lesser extent) It is that whiny buzzing that I find so intrusive, although I will admit that these are probably a necessary evil (wet leaves are very slippery)
• The loud announcements over PA systems, especially at railway stations. Especially at New Street, where they are spaced less than 15 seconds apart.
I must conclude from this that I am not suitable for modern life. I was driven almost to distraction in the Folkestone branch of Asda by all of the noise I was subjected to – loud beeping from the floor cleaner, music over the PA system, an alarm constantly going off. It was horrible! I had been inclined to berate myself for my over-sensitivity to noise but the levels we are subjected to on a daily basis are intolerable. . It does make me feel stressed to wake up to the sound of the leaf strimmer, or to suffer through a train journey listening to someone’s mobile phone beeping and I am constantly amazed at (and envious of) the people who manage to be able to zone it out.
I think I should move on to something more positive now after that not-quite-rant. I had to rush out of the house this morning because, after having planned to work from home I discovered that our remote working system wasn’t working. I was feeling very tired and a bit stressed so I threw on an old (but comfortable) black dress and the black shoes Nic bought me a few months ago (the ones that prompted the extreme disgust of an elderly lady in Coventry marker) I don’t really like wearing black. I have a number of black dresses in the wardrobe, mostly quite formal ones. This one is fine, but I will wear something colourful tomorrow. But I had forgotten how much I love these shoes, so they have been making me feel cheerful all day. I am totally frivolous and, although I think I have a fairly rewarding inner life, my mood is definitely affected by extrinsic things like shoes and noise. The shoes are winning for now, though. And I’m going to get changed when I get home.
List of love
As mentioned - my shoes. Also, my new bag. I'm not ashamed to be happy about these material things.
Adrian Mole and The Weapons of Mass Destruction (A swan can break a man's arm, you know)
Halawi dates
Fry's Turkish Delight
Gherkins
Bertram Wooster
The last in the current series of New Tricks. Written by Roy Mitchell and a big improvement on the rest of the series.
Pickled onions
Bumerang (thanks C x)
Monica Dickens
List of loathe
IT issues, as always
I have had a most enjoyable, although very tiring weekend. Nic was giving a paper at a conference in Winchester so we decided to travel down together and try to make the trip not just work. I found Winchester very charming, although I am sure that the good weather contributed to that as well! Nic and I stayed in a bed and breakfast that we had booked relatively late on, and it was perfect. It was around the corner from the building Nic was giving his paper in, and it was only a short walk from the town centre. It was in a small family home, but it was so clean and bright and comfortable, and the owner really went out of his way to make us feel at home. It was one of the things that made the trip such a pleasure.
Winchester is gorgeous. It reminded me of Canterbury, for obvious reasons, but I think I liked it better thank I like Canterbury. It seemed to have a slightly slower pace. One of the nicest things Nic and I did was to wander through the grounds of the cathedral at night, which is something that we wouldn’t have been able to do in Canterbury. I won't bore you by listing all of the things that we did, but here are some the places we visited:
Buddy's Diner
Nic and I spent ages trying to find somewhere to eat. There are no shortages of restaurants in the city centre, but I had a notion I wanted to eat in a pub. Well, that didn't happen and instead we stumbled on Buddy's Diner, which was brilliant. I have a soft spot for American themed diners, and this one was excellent. They were playing the Monkees on the jukebox when we arrived, they had a drawing of Tony Curtis's star on the Hollywood walk of fame on the wall, and their bean burger was extremely tasty. It was lots of fun!
The Great Hall
Our host recommended we visit here, and it was on our route into the town centre. The main attraction is King Arthur's round table. I was a bit confused by the claims that it dated from 1247 because there is a massive tudor rose in the middle of it, but apparently it was repainted for Henry VIII (I am reserving judgement on this whole business, however) It hangs on the wall of the Great Hall, and on the other gable wall is a mural depicting the royal family tree, right down as far as Queen Victoria. There's not really a huge amount that you can do but it is worth a visit all the same!
We also visited two excellent pubs, The Wykeham Arms which is near the Cathedral, and The Corner House, which is on North Wall. They were very different but I loved them both. The Wykeham Arms won my heart because they don't play music, mobile phones aren’t allowed and you can order sausages at the bar for 50p each. Now that last one isn't much good to me, admittedly, but I admire it all the same. Also, a lot of the tables are old desks from the neighbouring college, which charmed me. The Corner House is a much more modern place, but it was somewhere that I thought I'd like to spend time in if I lived in Winchester. They have a weekly book group and a sewing circle, and free foreign language conversation lessons. Also, Nic enjoyed the Flower Pots bitter they had on tap.
Winchester is definitely a city I'd like to visit again. On Saturday, while Nic was at the conference, I amused myself by wandering around, knitting in the Cathedral gardens in the sunshine, and reading in the library. I was extremely tired by the time we got back to Leamington on Saturday evening but felt happy that we'd had such a pleasing adventure. I always enjoy visiting new places, and Nic and I usually manage to find somewhere exciting or fun or quirky to visit, and Winchester had these spots in abundance.
I seem to spend a lot of my time complaining about tiresome train journeys, so I won’t do that in this entry except to say that I spent the entire journey back up to Leamington being stared out by a really stressy Mancunican woman with a crew cut. I kept my eyes down on my knitting as far as I could! This morning I read this article in the Guardian about noise, and it made me think about my attitude towards noise. I found it quite reassuring that I am not alone! On my (now rather less frequent) commutes to London I had to give up sitting in the quiet carriage because it made it that much more stressful when someone was making noise. I find that I can cope with loud noises reasonably well, but there are some that wear away at me like water torture. They are:
• Electronic beeping of any kind. I can’t understand why everything must beep. On a recent journey I sat opposite someone who was writing a text message, which is fine except she had the keypad tone turned on so every letter made a beep. This is very irritating. My work laptop does the same thing unless I have the speakers muted. Every time I click on something there is an exaggerated electronic clicking sound, and it beeps loudly when an email comes in. I hate it! Electronic beeps and my aversion to them is one of the reasons why I don’t own a digital camera.
• Very loud car engines. Specifically, those being revved by the idiots driving very fast up Dale Street late at night.
• Leaf blowers, strimmers, lawnmowers (to a lesser extent) It is that whiny buzzing that I find so intrusive, although I will admit that these are probably a necessary evil (wet leaves are very slippery)
• The loud announcements over PA systems, especially at railway stations. Especially at New Street, where they are spaced less than 15 seconds apart.
I must conclude from this that I am not suitable for modern life. I was driven almost to distraction in the Folkestone branch of Asda by all of the noise I was subjected to – loud beeping from the floor cleaner, music over the PA system, an alarm constantly going off. It was horrible! I had been inclined to berate myself for my over-sensitivity to noise but the levels we are subjected to on a daily basis are intolerable. . It does make me feel stressed to wake up to the sound of the leaf strimmer, or to suffer through a train journey listening to someone’s mobile phone beeping and I am constantly amazed at (and envious of) the people who manage to be able to zone it out.
I think I should move on to something more positive now after that not-quite-rant. I had to rush out of the house this morning because, after having planned to work from home I discovered that our remote working system wasn’t working. I was feeling very tired and a bit stressed so I threw on an old (but comfortable) black dress and the black shoes Nic bought me a few months ago (the ones that prompted the extreme disgust of an elderly lady in Coventry marker) I don’t really like wearing black. I have a number of black dresses in the wardrobe, mostly quite formal ones. This one is fine, but I will wear something colourful tomorrow. But I had forgotten how much I love these shoes, so they have been making me feel cheerful all day. I am totally frivolous and, although I think I have a fairly rewarding inner life, my mood is definitely affected by extrinsic things like shoes and noise. The shoes are winning for now, though. And I’m going to get changed when I get home.
List of love
As mentioned - my shoes. Also, my new bag. I'm not ashamed to be happy about these material things.
Adrian Mole and The Weapons of Mass Destruction (A swan can break a man's arm, you know)
Halawi dates
Fry's Turkish Delight
Gherkins
Bertram Wooster
The last in the current series of New Tricks. Written by Roy Mitchell and a big improvement on the rest of the series.
Pickled onions
Bumerang (thanks C x)
Monica Dickens
List of loathe
IT issues, as always
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Well, I'll tell you something that should be of vital interest to you. That you, Sir, are a NITWIT!
It’s all quiet here today. I’m down in the London office, and our floor is almost completely empty post-move. It’s nice, but I am only just starting to get warmed up now after another chilly train journey down this morning. I’d like to say that I am using my quiet time completely productively, but I’m not quite. There’s still time, I suppose!
I’m feeling weirdly spaced out today. The torrential rain and wind last night stopped me from sleeping, or at least I think it did. I was all prepared to have to wear my wellies on the walk to the station this morning and pulled them out of the airing cupboard only to find when I looked out the window that the ground was dry. Not completely dry, but not flooded as I thought it would be. I’m wondering if maybe I just dreamed the storm, and dreamed not sleeping properly? In any case, I was quite glad not to have to wear my wellies because they would have looked rather strange with my lovely phase eight Bastile dress, in which M tells me I look like I belong in Bletchley Park. My wellies are great though, in fairness. They were very cheap, from PriceLess shoes or similar in Dover last summer and they are pink and flowery. They kept my feet warm and dry all last winter so I’m not maligning them in any way!
The cold and dismal weather yesterday got me thinking about my winter clothes again. I had to wear tights and boots for the first time in ages, and for the first time ever paired my grey Asturias dress with a long sleeved black top. I think that layering is something that looks good on other people but out of place on me, but it kept me warm. I have bought the same dress in pink jersey, and plan to dye it red next week so I will have a nice, bright winter dress.
I’ve been reading lots of blogs recently, in an attempt to decide if I want this one to have a specific focus, and also just to get an idea of how I should write. It’s been really interesting and I have had lots of ideas. I think the main thing is that I want to develop my own voice, and I think that blogging would be a good way for me to do that. One of the blogs that I read frequently is very interesting, but the writing style always irritates me a little bit. The UK based writer is clearly a reader of a few of the American fashion blogs that I also read and enjoy, and has appropriated their style of writing. Maybe I should say that she shows a clear influence, which might be fairer. In any case, there is something about it that doesn’t sit right with me, and this has made me determined to have my own voice, however frivolous it might be.
That said, I am a bit of a magpie and will happily pick ideas from others. And on that note, I am taking an idea from the Second Hand Shopper, whose blog I have been enjoying recently. She has developed an admiration for the style of Bette Davis and is making an effort to adopt this into her wardrobe. So I am going to write a list of the women that I find stylish (although, unlike Second Hand Shopper, I am a bit too lazy to make any great changes to my wardrobe to model myself on them)
Myrna Loy
I was completely unaware of Myrna Loy until Nic and I fell in love, and he showed me the Thin Man films. I fell rather in love with Nora Charles, and with Myrna Loy. I love the way she carries herself. She's always dressed up to the nines in her movies, as stars were at the time. I like her quirky looks and expressive face. When I was a teenager reading the Anne books, this is how I imagined the adult Anne Shirley to look. And Myrna even had red hair! I also, somewhat strangely, like her arms. They are soft and rounded and lovely.
Katharine Hepburn
It's a bit too easy here to make a reference back to Audrey Hepburn because they have the same surname, but I'm going to do it anyway. Lots of fuss is made about the style of Audrey (and deservedly so) but I'll take K.Hepburn any day. Physically speaking we couldn't be more different, so I could never hope to emulate her style. And I can't say anything about her acting or looks or personality that hasn't already been said, so I'll just leave it at saying I think she is incredible.
Allison Janney
For my money, the best thing about The West Wing. She's got the same endearing, slightly goofy appeal as Myrna Loy, I think. But she is another impossibly tall woman who I could never attempt to emulate.
Tori Amos
Look, she's not looking so good these days - her hair seems to have been replaced by some mad Tyra Banks-style weave. And her music is passing me by nowadays as well, but a large part of my heart belongs to Tori Amos. She's who I wanted to be from the ages of 12-22, and I would still love to look how she does in this picture.
I could go on with some fictional women also, like Liz Shaw and Mary-Beth Lacey, but I'll save that for another day, I think.
Liz Shaw is completely brilliant, though. Look:
I’m feeling weirdly spaced out today. The torrential rain and wind last night stopped me from sleeping, or at least I think it did. I was all prepared to have to wear my wellies on the walk to the station this morning and pulled them out of the airing cupboard only to find when I looked out the window that the ground was dry. Not completely dry, but not flooded as I thought it would be. I’m wondering if maybe I just dreamed the storm, and dreamed not sleeping properly? In any case, I was quite glad not to have to wear my wellies because they would have looked rather strange with my lovely phase eight Bastile dress, in which M tells me I look like I belong in Bletchley Park. My wellies are great though, in fairness. They were very cheap, from PriceLess shoes or similar in Dover last summer and they are pink and flowery. They kept my feet warm and dry all last winter so I’m not maligning them in any way!
The cold and dismal weather yesterday got me thinking about my winter clothes again. I had to wear tights and boots for the first time in ages, and for the first time ever paired my grey Asturias dress with a long sleeved black top. I think that layering is something that looks good on other people but out of place on me, but it kept me warm. I have bought the same dress in pink jersey, and plan to dye it red next week so I will have a nice, bright winter dress.
I’ve been reading lots of blogs recently, in an attempt to decide if I want this one to have a specific focus, and also just to get an idea of how I should write. It’s been really interesting and I have had lots of ideas. I think the main thing is that I want to develop my own voice, and I think that blogging would be a good way for me to do that. One of the blogs that I read frequently is very interesting, but the writing style always irritates me a little bit. The UK based writer is clearly a reader of a few of the American fashion blogs that I also read and enjoy, and has appropriated their style of writing. Maybe I should say that she shows a clear influence, which might be fairer. In any case, there is something about it that doesn’t sit right with me, and this has made me determined to have my own voice, however frivolous it might be.
That said, I am a bit of a magpie and will happily pick ideas from others. And on that note, I am taking an idea from the Second Hand Shopper, whose blog I have been enjoying recently. She has developed an admiration for the style of Bette Davis and is making an effort to adopt this into her wardrobe. So I am going to write a list of the women that I find stylish (although, unlike Second Hand Shopper, I am a bit too lazy to make any great changes to my wardrobe to model myself on them)
Myrna Loy
I was completely unaware of Myrna Loy until Nic and I fell in love, and he showed me the Thin Man films. I fell rather in love with Nora Charles, and with Myrna Loy. I love the way she carries herself. She's always dressed up to the nines in her movies, as stars were at the time. I like her quirky looks and expressive face. When I was a teenager reading the Anne books, this is how I imagined the adult Anne Shirley to look. And Myrna even had red hair! I also, somewhat strangely, like her arms. They are soft and rounded and lovely.
Katharine Hepburn
It's a bit too easy here to make a reference back to Audrey Hepburn because they have the same surname, but I'm going to do it anyway. Lots of fuss is made about the style of Audrey (and deservedly so) but I'll take K.Hepburn any day. Physically speaking we couldn't be more different, so I could never hope to emulate her style. And I can't say anything about her acting or looks or personality that hasn't already been said, so I'll just leave it at saying I think she is incredible.
Allison Janney
For my money, the best thing about The West Wing. She's got the same endearing, slightly goofy appeal as Myrna Loy, I think. But she is another impossibly tall woman who I could never attempt to emulate.
Tori Amos
Look, she's not looking so good these days - her hair seems to have been replaced by some mad Tyra Banks-style weave. And her music is passing me by nowadays as well, but a large part of my heart belongs to Tori Amos. She's who I wanted to be from the ages of 12-22, and I would still love to look how she does in this picture.
I could go on with some fictional women also, like Liz Shaw and Mary-Beth Lacey, but I'll save that for another day, I think.
Liz Shaw is completely brilliant, though. Look:
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Cary Grant is my favourite. Rosalind Russell is my favourite. Jon Pertwee is my favourite.
I had a proper back-to-school feeling when I woke up this morning, and not in the nice new-stationery-and-shoes way either, it was more like I was moaning 'I don't want to go back to work!'
But go back to work I did, and it is lunchtime now. I'm taking a short break from working on another spreadsheet to write, and it is very nice to tear my eyes away from Excel, even for a short time!
I had a most enjoyable bank holiday weekend in Kent. The weather was beautiful and we were able to ramble around, sit on the beach and have a paddle in the sea. We were even able to have a fire on the beach and watch the local festival fireworks. What was especially good was not getting horribly sunburned, as I did last time I was in Kent. I did sustain a minor head injury, however, when I banged my head on the arm of the sofa (misjudging the distance when lying down) I now have a cartoon-style lump on the back of my head! Our journey back on the bank holiday was suitably horrendous - we were stuck on the train from Folkestone for well over 3 hours, most of that spent stationary on the track between Orpington and London Bridge while the police attempted to talk a suicidal man down from the gantry of the signal box. I'm not sure what happened there, in fact, as we were just told that the situation had been resolved. The windows on the train were locked shut and it quickly became intolerable on the train - hell really is other people, or more specifically, other people and their horrible spoiled screaming brats. I could rant on for some time also about the horrible spoiled mother (not the mother of the screaming brats, another one) who berated the poor refreshments trolley man for having run out of water and blamed him for the discomfort of her son. Actually, she was horrible when the train finally made it into Charing Cross as well, pushing through people at the ticket barrier and then whistling and shouting when she couldn't get past. Grrrr!!
That small discomfort aside, it really was a lovely weekend. We spent some time in Hythe, which was lovely. I'm not going to get into being negative again, but I suggest that if you are in the area that you avoid the Nutmeg Cafe on the High Street as only once in my life have I received such poor service. I had good fun browsing around the antiques stalls in the Malt House and was lucky enough to find some lovely items of Hornsea pottery. If I had been closer to home I would have bought the entire tea set but as I had to carry stuff back up to Leamington I contented myself with buying this:
And also one of these
Which now houses my tea bags (it says tea on it) I already have two of those jars, in the same green as the coffee pot, and have been looking out for Hornsea items ever since. I was pleased as could be with the coffee pot, however, as I have been on the hunt for one like it for ages now. I don't have the space in my little flat for a full collection of things like this, but it is nice to have little bits and pieces and I will be picking up more when I find it. I also quite liked the look of some Port Merion tableware too, but I already had more than I could comfortably carry!
The creative quarter in Folkestone was open this time - on our last visit we missed the opening days (most shops are only open at the end of the week) and I was finally able to visit Rennies, whose window I peered through for ages the last time I visited. I didn't buy anything, but certainly plan to. The shop is tiny, and the owner is so nice and friendly - I certainly recommend it!
The other thing I bought this weekend was that lovely Nica handbag. After the horrendous journey home yesterday I bought it for myself from the John Lewis website. It was £10 cheaper than direct from Nica, but I spotted it on eBay immediately after buying it. I've consoled myself with thinking that a)I'd have to wait for ages for the auction to end, b)I might not have saved that much money anyway and c)well, I can't really think of a c but I think I got it for a good price anyway!
I've also made a hair appointment - I think the front has finally grown long enough for me to go and have it bobbed again. I'm hoping that by this time tomorrow I will look a little like this:
I'm sure this is wishful thinking, but anyway - it will be good to have it looking in shape again!
List of love
My flat. I was so glad to get home last night!
The Gurkha Palace Nepalese restaurant, Sandgate
Having a fire on the beach
Tony Curtis Laserlight videos introductions
Adrian Mole
Pertwee. Always Pertwee.
List of loathe
Rude commuters
Rude, pushy parents
I have to say, I'm not so keen on The Strand
Nutmeg Cafe, Hythe. Bad, bad times.
But go back to work I did, and it is lunchtime now. I'm taking a short break from working on another spreadsheet to write, and it is very nice to tear my eyes away from Excel, even for a short time!
I had a most enjoyable bank holiday weekend in Kent. The weather was beautiful and we were able to ramble around, sit on the beach and have a paddle in the sea. We were even able to have a fire on the beach and watch the local festival fireworks. What was especially good was not getting horribly sunburned, as I did last time I was in Kent. I did sustain a minor head injury, however, when I banged my head on the arm of the sofa (misjudging the distance when lying down) I now have a cartoon-style lump on the back of my head! Our journey back on the bank holiday was suitably horrendous - we were stuck on the train from Folkestone for well over 3 hours, most of that spent stationary on the track between Orpington and London Bridge while the police attempted to talk a suicidal man down from the gantry of the signal box. I'm not sure what happened there, in fact, as we were just told that the situation had been resolved. The windows on the train were locked shut and it quickly became intolerable on the train - hell really is other people, or more specifically, other people and their horrible spoiled screaming brats. I could rant on for some time also about the horrible spoiled mother (not the mother of the screaming brats, another one) who berated the poor refreshments trolley man for having run out of water and blamed him for the discomfort of her son. Actually, she was horrible when the train finally made it into Charing Cross as well, pushing through people at the ticket barrier and then whistling and shouting when she couldn't get past. Grrrr!!
That small discomfort aside, it really was a lovely weekend. We spent some time in Hythe, which was lovely. I'm not going to get into being negative again, but I suggest that if you are in the area that you avoid the Nutmeg Cafe on the High Street as only once in my life have I received such poor service. I had good fun browsing around the antiques stalls in the Malt House and was lucky enough to find some lovely items of Hornsea pottery. If I had been closer to home I would have bought the entire tea set but as I had to carry stuff back up to Leamington I contented myself with buying this:
And also one of these
Which now houses my tea bags (it says tea on it) I already have two of those jars, in the same green as the coffee pot, and have been looking out for Hornsea items ever since. I was pleased as could be with the coffee pot, however, as I have been on the hunt for one like it for ages now. I don't have the space in my little flat for a full collection of things like this, but it is nice to have little bits and pieces and I will be picking up more when I find it. I also quite liked the look of some Port Merion tableware too, but I already had more than I could comfortably carry!
The creative quarter in Folkestone was open this time - on our last visit we missed the opening days (most shops are only open at the end of the week) and I was finally able to visit Rennies, whose window I peered through for ages the last time I visited. I didn't buy anything, but certainly plan to. The shop is tiny, and the owner is so nice and friendly - I certainly recommend it!
The other thing I bought this weekend was that lovely Nica handbag. After the horrendous journey home yesterday I bought it for myself from the John Lewis website. It was £10 cheaper than direct from Nica, but I spotted it on eBay immediately after buying it. I've consoled myself with thinking that a)I'd have to wait for ages for the auction to end, b)I might not have saved that much money anyway and c)well, I can't really think of a c but I think I got it for a good price anyway!
I've also made a hair appointment - I think the front has finally grown long enough for me to go and have it bobbed again. I'm hoping that by this time tomorrow I will look a little like this:
I'm sure this is wishful thinking, but anyway - it will be good to have it looking in shape again!
List of love
My flat. I was so glad to get home last night!
The Gurkha Palace Nepalese restaurant, Sandgate
Having a fire on the beach
Tony Curtis Laserlight videos introductions
Adrian Mole
Pertwee. Always Pertwee.
List of loathe
Rude commuters
Rude, pushy parents
I have to say, I'm not so keen on The Strand
Nutmeg Cafe, Hythe. Bad, bad times.
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