Bank Holiday Weekend {Bath & James}

I haven't done a 'let's show you what I've been up to post' for a long time, apart from the weekly Project 366, but a couple of lovely days over the Bank Holiday weekend produced some nice photos of Bath and my favourite band James I just had to share.

Sunday was a truly relaxed affair with no rugby training and the husband off work for the day. We meandered into Bath, which we haven't done as a family since the Bath Half, with just a couple of jobs to do - well, if buying a new pair of shoes is a 'job'! It felt rather strange actually buying footwear that I can't run in but they were needed for work due to a change in the dress code this Summer.

Bath is a lovely city to walk around and this is just what we did.
Along the way I took the time to pause, look and obviously capture some snippets of Bath; trade signs on rooftops, Spring blossom and the Georgian architecture in all its glory.

We ended up in Victoria Park and the beautiful Botanical Gardens which present a peaceful spot within which to wander and fire up lots of senses; meadows of wildflowers, gnarly trees and planted up bath tubs were just a few of the things that caught our eye.

Bank Holiday Monday saw a rare evening where I left the house for a little bit of me time and stayed out late! I met a friend in Bristol to see James at the Colston Hall. James have been a favourite band for many years whom I first saw around 25 years ago and I have been lucky enough to see a few times since. I have never got quite so close to Tim Booth before though - one of many highlights of the evening as he walked through the crowd singing the classic Sit Down.

James - Sit Down

James - Sometimes

x x x

The Big Feastival 2013 {preview}

Following our successful jaunt down to Lulworth for Camp Bestival earlier this month we have wanted to see some more family festivals in action. Therefore, at the end of August, we are heading over to Alex James' farm in The Cotswolds for his annual collaboration with Jamie Oliver....The Big Feastival. Checking out the website it looks like a great family festival with the added bonus of a heavy emphasis on food!

The setting looks rather impressive with camping open from Friday 30th August to Monday 2nd September but if you're not a camper - or like us, have work commitments disrupting the weekend - then day tickets are available.

We are going to be heading over for the Saturday and will be entertained by the likes of Dodgy, Rizzle Kicks and Basement Jaxx but will miss the Sunday music from Mark Owen, KT Tunstall and The Feeling. The full line-up is here.



Food wise it looks like we are in for a real selection of treats - clearly my diet has slipped this summer and I'll be putting it on hold for this anyway! Festival goers will be invited down 'Street Food Alley' where they will find *takes a deep breath* four of Jamie Oliver's restaurants, Bhangra burgers, meatballs and more from The Bowler, Mexican Street Food from Margo and Rita, healthy stuff from Rainbo, food with an ethical conscience from Shack Food Co, Taiwanese buns from Yum Bun, Adam Henson's Pie and Ale, seafood from Café Mor, children's focus with Coco Dining, Higgidy Pies, exotic meats from Outback Burger, Paellaria and Pizza Pilgrims!
How am I going to sample all of that in one day?!



As with any decent family festival the children have not been forgotten and my two will have the Little Dudes Den to keep them busy with face painting, story telling, dancing and vintage funfair. The Workshop looks like it will appeal to me and Edith as it promises an opportunity to get seriously creative and a little bit messy and Bar Stars is somewhere for the grown ups to sample a variety of tipples - our designated driver is yet to be decided. Watch this space!

So, we have something to look forward to in order to wrap up our amazing Summer of 2013.

Here's the boys enjoying themselves last year...

If any of that has tickled your taste buds and you want more information check out the Feastival Info page here.

x x x

 

 

Disclaimer: I am receiving a family day pass in return for a preview and review of The Big Feastival 2013. As always my comments and opinions will be my own and will be open and honest.

Don't EVER say I'm too old for this!

So, I finally got my latest dose of 'me time'.

I need my 'me time' - just a little break from home, family, work, reality. It doesn't happen that often, it is always planned well in advance and I always have a damn good time.

My latest dose was prescribed to include the following; London, The Killers, Wembley Stadium, Prosecco and my fellow 'escapee'. A pretty good combination I'd say.

Nothing was going to spoil my weekend away.

I intend to have these 'me times' on a continual basis.

So, to the 'young' bitter killjoy concert attendee who seems to think people over 25 are too old to be out on a Saturday night ENJOYING themselves - get over yourself love and realise that one day you too will be the grand old age of 36 and may want to get away for a good time and enjoy yourself with 80,000 odd other people rather than listening to bitching and moaning.

Rant over.

Here's some pics.....

Happy Days!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm younger - just - than Ronnie Vannucci for goodness sake and look at what he does....

I'm not old for all of this.

Am I?!

 

x x x

Happiness is....

Happiness is....

....losing another pound in the challenge to get to single figures on the dreaded scales.

....a perfectly soft, and chewy in all the right places, flapjack after a workout.

....the realisation that life is actually too short not to enjoy a slice of flapjack.

....the realisation that the number on the scales isn't the be all and end all.

....having a day off at the end of this week - like gold dust in my line of work.

....having a family holiday next week that doesn't involve a tent.

But sod all that.

These arrived in the post today so I'm on countdown until I get myself some me time with another Prosecco fuelled train trip to London!

 

x x x

 

That I Would Be Good

I had a rummage through the CD cupboard today for some background baking music and came across this from my student days...

Alanis Morissette: Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

 

It is one of those CDs I had completely forgotten about but once it started to play it all came back to me.

I had always loved one song above the rest.

Today it made me cry.

The words mean more fifteen years on...

 

that I would be good even if I did nothing

that I would be good even if I got the thumbs down

that I would be good if I got and stayed sick

that I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

that I would be fine even if I went bankrupt

that I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth

that I would be great if I was no longer queen

that I would be grand if I was not all knowing

that I would be loved even when I numb myself

that I would be good even when I am overwhelmed

that I would be loved even when I was fuming

that I would be good even if I was clingy

that I would be good even if I lost sanity

that I would be good

whether with or without you



Then I went rummaging on YouTube to find a live performance of the track.

It gave me goosebumps.

The Killers - sparkle returned

We had some last minute panics; strikes threatening the arrival of the babysitter and illness striking down Mr. Flowers on Tuesday night. But we all made it. The mother in law arrived safely, Brandon fixed his throat and the sparkle lacking from me recently has been restored.

Thank you Messrs Flowers, Vannucci, Keuning and Stoermer. I think I may love you. Especially you Ronnie ;)

 

x x x

The lengths I have to go to for a night out with the husband

With much excitement I found four of these awaiting me on the breakfast table this morning.

 

 

To get my mitts on them was no mean feat.

Firstly I had to leave my husband with clear instructions for the tickets I wanted whilst I drove to Norfolk to see my dad for the last time.

After the continuous re-clicking and refreshing on numerous ticket sites he struck gold. Kind of. We have nose bleed seats of the highest extremes. But.....WE HAVE TICKETS!

Ah. We have tickets. What we didn't have is a babysitter. No Grandmas or Grandads up the road. No one to ask to have the children for the weekend - maybe I'm too polite and should ask people?

My mum lives in Norfolk and is unable to stay with our kiddies on her own overnight.

The in laws - as you may know - have abandoned us and now live in the Limousin area of France. My geography of France is rubbish but all you need to know is it is bloody miles away in the middle of nowhere with flights out running about once every six months. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration but at this time of year the flights aren't regular.

Anyway, we asked, and Grandma France is flying over next Wednesday so we - as in me and the husband - can actually have a night out.

The lengths I have to go to for a night out with the husband.

Can you beat that for extreme babysitting?!

I'm just praying there are no major disasters between now and then.

Whatever happens I AM GOING!!

x x x

Goodbye Summer

September is here.

A new school year, a fresh start, a new season just around the corner.

But for now I'm looking back on what has been a fantastic non-stop summer.

Camp Bestival, camping in Devon and Cornwall, a trip to London to meet up with a couple of Twitter lovelies, a couple of nights away just me and the hubby, an emotional trip to Norfolk.

Throw in sleepovers, days out and visits to friends' houses and it's been pretty full on.

Here are some of my highlights, enjoy.

What have been your summer highlights?

x x x

The great gig meme in the sky

I've been tagged in a meme that requires a great deal of cranking up of the old brain cells and diving into the box of memories in my head. Musodad started it off with a guest post here and I've been tagged by Mutterings of a fool. It's a great meme as it involves one of my favourite things - live music. I have to tell you about my first gig, worst gig, best gig, last gig and dream gig and somehow add them to a Spotify playlist - I can tweet @musodad to do this for me, phew. So after some gentle cranking here is my list:

First Gig

Sheesh, this took some thinking about to pinpoint my very first gig as I went gig crazy in the early nineties. I am certain though it was EMF at the University of East Anglia and I have a sneaking suspicion they were supported by Carter USM. I definitely saw them play together at some point but am not completely sure it was my first gig. I am annoyed I never kept all of the ticket stubs I collected through my teenage years. Anyway it must have been 1991 and I have clear memories of being very chuffed to get served at the bar - Scrumpy Jack anyone?

EMF - Unbelievable

Worst Gig

I've never been to a gig where I've left thinking 'what a complete pile of tosh' but seeing Oasis play in Boston USA at the Orpheum Theater in 1995 was a bit of a letdown as Liam was a complete tit and stormed off stage. Saying that, I prefer Noel anyway.

Oasis - Champagne Supernova

Best Gig

Simply because of who they are it has to be The Killers at Hyde Park in 2011. It was the first time I had seen them - hopefully not the last - and they were supported by one of my other favourite bands, James, who I saw in the good old nineties too. The weather was crap, they should have played for longer and the volume should have been louder but I don't care as I'm biased.

The Killers - For Reasons Unknown

Last Gig

I'm in shock that my last gig - I'm not including festivals - was last July when I dragged my husband to Cornwall for a mini break purely so I could see Brandon Flowers at the Eden Sessions. This was a great venue for getting a good eyeful of the delectable Mr. Flowers - my husband just about put up with it.

Brandon Flowers - Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts

Dream Gig

This isn't an easy part to complete as I've seen so many of my favourite artists and when it says Dream Gig I feel it should be someone I am desperate to see or am gutted to have missed. I'm going to trawl through my CDs to see if there is someone blatantly obvious I never got to see or have yet to see. Back in a mo...........

.....going back to the nineties again then I would have liked to have seen Pulp. I don't think they are my Dream Gig though just someone I missed catching live.

Pulp - Babies

So, do you have a Dream Gig? Someone will probably say an artist now that would be mine!

I'm going to tag Mum of One and Cat's Yellow Days as I know the pair of them have enjoyed some pretty fine live music!

One Fest

Brrrr. It was a cold one but I'm back having survived a freezing cold night in a tent camping at the Barge Inn, Honeystreet, Wiltshire.

How small is that tent?!

The reason for this craziness was the official first music festival of the year, One Fest. Yes! That means summer is just around the corner. There was no sign of it anywhere yesterday with parka coats, boots and woolly hats as the sensible festival wear of choice.

One Fest is a small gathering in a field near Marlborough so if you want to sink a few ciders travel arrangements are best planned in advance. We had booked ourselves on a coach from the Barge Inn to the festival site for £10 return, and following an initial panic that they hadn't booked us in we were off. Upon arrival the site did look very small with everything in one enclosed space. As well as the main stage there was the BBC Intoducing... Tent, Bar Tent - very important, coffee vans, a few food outlets and some stalls. It was a safe environment for children with limited opportunities to get lost but I was glad I had made this an adult only trip as there wasn't much there to keep them occupied.

To warm up, and stop my belly from grumbling, we headed to a food tent, The Hungry Elephant(?), for my first ever cup of Chai - amazing stuff - and a plate of Chilli Bean Nachos.

Festi-food

Festi-friends

Festi-food tent!

The music was shared between two stages and after checking out the main stage we went to warm up in the BBC Introducing... Tent. These sorts of festivals are great to check out upcoming bands and singers, and to hear new material from more established artists. I really enjoyed these artists:

 Young Blood

 Gaz Brookfield

Michele Stodart - from the Magic Numbers

Clearly another thing to enjoy at festivals is the cider.

 A refreshing pint of Bounders.

And my favourite Kopparberg.

It didn't seem too long until it was time for another festival must have....

 ...waiting for it....

...PIE!!

Looks like I need it to soak up that earlier cider.

As the evening drew on it got colder and colder so we watched Michele Stodart in the BBC tent then headed out to check out Damon Albarn's latest musical production Dr Dee. This was an interesting one. I love Blur and The Gorillaz and think Damon Albarn is a great singer but this was something very different. Dr Dee is a classical / operatic / modern infusion which would have been great on a warm Summer's afternoon but as a headliner on a cold April night it didn't quite work for me.

We chilled some more in the Hungry Elephant tent then as a fantastic end to the night went for a Hoedown in the music tent. This warmed us up perfectly for the coach ride back to the coldest night I have ever spent in a tent!

I'm going to leave you with some lovely festi-pics.

I'm now making plans for my next festival.

How about you?

x x x

My Live Music Journey - Long may it continue!

There's nothing quite like that feeling of totally immersing yourself in the live music of your favourite band or singer. Switching off from real life for a couple of hours - more often than not with a few pints of cider for company.

Today a new post on @owenhants blog about his live music memories got me thinking. So I dived into my deepest darkest memories and tried to recall who I had seen live and it is quite a mix.

My gigging experience started in Norwich at the UEA around the age of 14, I like to think I was one of those reasonably cool teenagers going out to see bands and getting served at the union bar- clearly under age - and drinking Scrumpy Jack, see my cider addiction started early! I recall the very early days of Blur, EMF and Carter USM - I met Fruitbat at The Waterfront, Norwich and he signed my t-shirt! I remember going to see James and their performance being cancelled due to Tim Booth being ill. They came back though, supported by an unknown Radiohead and I stood next to Thom Yorke in the crowd to watch James' performance - still love this band so much and I so want to dance like Tim Booth. I remember seeing the Manic Street Preachers and having injured my foot in a netball game earlier that day I had to brave the mosh pit, even with DM boots for protection my foot took a battering that night! I got into dance music too and saw The Prodigy and got freaked out by Keith Flint coming through the crowd and staring into my eyes very closely. I also remember seeing Kingmaker - during my GCSE exams, strange the things we remember - and Airhead, does anyone remember these bands?!

I worked in Boston, USA for a year in 1995/6 and saw Blur and Oasis - I liked both and I didn't take sides in their 'feud'. I recall staring at Alex James in amazement at how he could constantly smoke and play guitar at the same time, our eyes also locked at one point and I think my knees wobbled a little bit. The Oasis gig saw Liam storming off in a hissy fit and Noel taking over - who I think is miles better anyway so I was happy.

He made my knees wobble in Boston.
Credit

Into the noughties then and I loved Counting Crows and the fantastically talented singer Adam Duritz made me go a bit wibbly too. I saw them in Bristol at the then Carling Academy, at the Royal Albert Hall and in Dublin. Life before children meant me and the hubby had weekends away! *big sigh* I stood really close to Adam Duritz watching the support in Bristol and I so wish I had gone over and said hello - dammit.

He gave me wobbly knees in the early noughties.
Credit

Recently, post children, I have had a bit of a mid-life crisis and have wanted to get out more! So with my friend, who was going through a similar breakdown,  I have managed to see Groove Armada where I danced my arse off and held my own with the trendy Bristol uni students, DanLeSac vs ScroobiusPip - fantastic, Bonobo who I had never heard off but loved and Kate Nash where I felt quite old among the teengers of Bath.

In 2010 I finally got myself to a festival - yes it was family friendly and middle-class but Camp Bestival rocks! This year I realised how great the Wonderstuff and Primal Scream actually are/were.
But the best of this year, and probably of all my years, I finally got to see my all time time favourite band, The Killers, in Hyde Park and the beautiful Brandon Flowers at the Eden Sessions in Cornwall.

He gives me wobbly knees now.
Credit

I really wanted to see Big Talk this year but they ignored my requests to come and play Melksham Town Hall so here's a picture of the lovely Ronnie Vannucci anyway - *drool*.

Yes, he makes my knees wobble too.
I clearly I have a thing for musicians & facial hair!
Credit

So acually, not that bad a list is it?