Wednesday 27 April 2011
Sunday 24 April 2011
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Sunday 17 April 2011
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Ble mae.
*Street. Apparently my local geography wasn't too good last year. Also, I can now say the dreaded Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. One of the few things to come of being a Welsh person in London, I suppose.
Sunday 10 April 2011
Saturday 9 April 2011
Beside the Seaside.
It is unnaturally warm and sunny for a British April and so I was happier than ever to get home again this weekend. We went to Abersoch for the day to make the most of the good weather, my dad's birthday, the sea, the sand and the colourful beach huts and it felt much like the dictionary definition of British Summer Time as we walked along the beach, past striped wind breakers and games of cricket. I half-expected to see wheeled bathing machines, a string of donkey riders, men in red and white bathing suits and boater hats wading in the sea. Following this line of thought we took it in turns to bury one another in the sand, ate ice creams as we strolled by the harbour and finished off our day with fish and chips. I think I shall find it particularly difficult to 'get my portfolio on' over the next couple of weeks if this early summer atmosphere continues.
Wednesday 6 April 2011
Tuesday 5 April 2011
Craftivism.
Speaking of bunting, I thought I should mention the fantastic Climate Rush/Craftivist Collective campaign, A Railway Adventure, which is taking place throughout Britain on April 10th. As it says on their website:
"Over the next four years the UK Government will hike rail fares by 31%, the highest raise in fares in a generation. We were promised 'fair fares' but instead prices are up and our trains are overcrowded. A complicated ticketing system makes it even more difficult for us to choose the train. As the Craftivist Collective we are passionate about showing our love for our local and global neighbours. These unfair fares will stop people using trains when we need them to help us keep our carbon footprint down. They will hit the people living in poverty the most and stop them getting to their jobs and alienate them even more from society. They will be a great excuse for people to continue to go on short haul flights across the UK because it's cheaper and more convenient."
Personally, I love the railway. It is an integral part of our history, our culture, even our literature. If the circumstances were right I would choose the train over the car any day of the week. But the situation in Britain is ridiculous; I travel back and forth between London and north Wales at least once a term and in the three years that I have done so I have already seen the fare increase by £10. Even with a young person's railcard I pay well over the desired amount. In November, for example, when I went to York for the weekend to visit my brother, I spent nearly £70 on train tickets. I did not have the time or the freedom to go mid-week or early in the morning, so I stood on a train filled well beyond capacity for two plus hours. I cannot understand why this is the case; why it costs less to fly to Pisa or take the Eurostar to Paris than it costs me to go home for a couple of days; why the prices will continue to rise.
The Craftivism campaign is a wonderful way to highlight these issues. It involves sitting in train stations throughout the country, eating jam sandwiches and drinking tea, while making 4inch deep x 7inch wide fabric train carriage petitions - like this - in order to make a difference:
Hand-sewn/cross-stitch/fabric pen stats, facts and quotes are encouraged. (More photos here). Unfortunately - annoyingly - I will miss the Bangor event this evening because I am in London and I will miss the main London event on Sunday because I will be at home. Regardless of this, however, I am planning to print off a template before I leave, pack my sewing kit and an assortment of fabric scraps and do my bit for the project on my over-priced train journey back to north Wales.
"Over the next four years the UK Government will hike rail fares by 31%, the highest raise in fares in a generation. We were promised 'fair fares' but instead prices are up and our trains are overcrowded. A complicated ticketing system makes it even more difficult for us to choose the train. As the Craftivist Collective we are passionate about showing our love for our local and global neighbours. These unfair fares will stop people using trains when we need them to help us keep our carbon footprint down. They will hit the people living in poverty the most and stop them getting to their jobs and alienate them even more from society. They will be a great excuse for people to continue to go on short haul flights across the UK because it's cheaper and more convenient."
Personally, I love the railway. It is an integral part of our history, our culture, even our literature. If the circumstances were right I would choose the train over the car any day of the week. But the situation in Britain is ridiculous; I travel back and forth between London and north Wales at least once a term and in the three years that I have done so I have already seen the fare increase by £10. Even with a young person's railcard I pay well over the desired amount. In November, for example, when I went to York for the weekend to visit my brother, I spent nearly £70 on train tickets. I did not have the time or the freedom to go mid-week or early in the morning, so I stood on a train filled well beyond capacity for two plus hours. I cannot understand why this is the case; why it costs less to fly to Pisa or take the Eurostar to Paris than it costs me to go home for a couple of days; why the prices will continue to rise.
The Craftivism campaign is a wonderful way to highlight these issues. It involves sitting in train stations throughout the country, eating jam sandwiches and drinking tea, while making 4inch deep x 7inch wide fabric train carriage petitions - like this - in order to make a difference:
Hand-sewn/cross-stitch/fabric pen stats, facts and quotes are encouraged. (More photos here). Unfortunately - annoyingly - I will miss the Bangor event this evening because I am in London and I will miss the main London event on Sunday because I will be at home. Regardless of this, however, I am planning to print off a template before I leave, pack my sewing kit and an assortment of fabric scraps and do my bit for the project on my over-priced train journey back to north Wales.
Monday 4 April 2011
Bunting.
Over the last few weeks of essay misery, Gabby and I have made it our duty to create as many happy evening distractions for ourselves as possible. So far this has involved homemade scones, jam and cream, late night strolls beside the river, collecting stickers for our McDonalds monopoly board, homemade banoffee pie, a pub quiz or two, film marathons in our sleeping bags and a large Tesco lasagne. On Thursday night we found a fantastic park around the corner from our house, ruined only by the wooden climbing frame, atop which I got stranded.
Now, on the one hand these treats are excellent, because they are spontaneous and the very thought of something non-work related gets me through the day. On the other hand, however, these treats are somewhat detrimental, because they are spontaneous and the very thought of something non-work related haunts me throughout my day ("I wonder what we'll do tonight?" "What time should I finish writing this essay?" etc.) Today's excursion was at least foreplanned and so I packed a picnic and an assortment of fabric scraps before making my way to Brockley. At Emily's house we began the long-awaited task of creating 'Goldsmiths W.I.' bunting. However, in my case, this involved taking photographs, eating pitta bread and mini eggs and tacking a lone yellow gingham triangle before it was time to go home. Still, it was nice to have one last-ditch attempt at a social life before the real essay frenzy kicks in. Expect many blog posts or none at all as this occurs.
Now, on the one hand these treats are excellent, because they are spontaneous and the very thought of something non-work related gets me through the day. On the other hand, however, these treats are somewhat detrimental, because they are spontaneous and the very thought of something non-work related haunts me throughout my day ("I wonder what we'll do tonight?" "What time should I finish writing this essay?" etc.) Today's excursion was at least foreplanned and so I packed a picnic and an assortment of fabric scraps before making my way to Brockley. At Emily's house we began the long-awaited task of creating 'Goldsmiths W.I.' bunting. However, in my case, this involved taking photographs, eating pitta bread and mini eggs and tacking a lone yellow gingham triangle before it was time to go home. Still, it was nice to have one last-ditch attempt at a social life before the real essay frenzy kicks in. Expect many blog posts or none at all as this occurs.
Sunday 3 April 2011
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