Thirty Things, number 14: Listen to an Orchestra.

On the 3rd of October, this happened. After work, I took a lovely stroll through London, from Shaftesbury Avenue, down past the back of the the National Gallery, crossed Trafalgar Square, where I paused to photograph the sky, and enjoy one of the last weeks of post 6pm sunlight for the year, and then I kept going down to Embankment, crossed the Thames to the South Bank. There I met up with Gemma and we went to hear the London Philharmonic Orchestra, at the Royal Festival Hall (I also stopped into a shop and bought my Mum the comic book "Vader and Son"). 

The programme for the evening, War and Peace, consisted of Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem, William Walton's Viola Concerto and selections from Prokofiev's War and Peace. Given that I wasn't there to review it, merely to enjoy, or even just experience it, I didn't take notes so two and a bit months later I'm left simply with the memory of a good night out, listening to music, some of which I loved, some of which I wasn't so sure about. Orchestral music is shamefully foreign to me, but this was thoroughly enjoyable. I read the programme notes which were interesting and insightful, and I really do think they helped me engage and  listen more intelligently. 

I wish I had taken notes, because I remember that at the time, sitting there in the hall, surrounded by this great depth of sound, my brain filled with lots of thoughts, emotions and memories, only now I don't remember what they were. Its a shame, because maybe, just maybe, I thought something brilliant, but I guess it is ok not to hold on to everything, and let some experiences be most full in the moment, and to slowly fade away into the depths of memory. Perhaps they will resurface the next time I go to a concert.  

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Oh yeh, during my walk, I also took this photo of a bra hanging on the back of a garbage truck. It amused me. Villiers St, London, 3/10/12, approx 6:15pm

Thirty Things, Number 7: Go to Edinburgh

I’ve been slack. Or busy. Or both. I’ve not written anything for my blog in months and months. I’ve not done all of the things on my list of thirty things, though I have, since June, done a few of them. In fact, on the 18^th of October I created a word document called “Edinburgh”. I wrote:

Number 7, go to edinbugh

Yes. edinbugh.

Because on the 11^th August I did the 7^th thing on my list of thirty things; I went to Edinburgh. That, however, was all I wrote. Here then, in a truly reflected and fragmented manner is my account of my trip to Edinburgh.

7:30am. Saturday 11^th August.  My train left London Kings Cross. I decided I must be on my way to Hogwarts. This conclusion made sense in my head at the time.

12:15: I arrived in Edinburgh/Hogwarts and met up with the elusive Melissa Rynn. I then spent 48 hours running round Edinburgh watching plays and comedies and such like, and then reviewing some of them on behalf of Stage Won.

I reviewed Punk Rock, an emotionally production which I described as ‘a good mirror to hold up to your own life, to look for your reflection in it, and when you find it, take a moment to question how you think, how you see yourself and how you see those around you’; comic duo Ellis and Rose, in their self devised piece Ellis and Rose Failing to Pay Off Their Student Loans and lastly, Wordsand Women, a collection of monologues.

Just for giggles – and there was lots of giggling – I also got out and saw a variety of shows. I met up with Gemma who also happened to be in town, and we saw Austentacious, a wonderfully talented team of actors improvising novels Jane Austen should have written, and with the Stage Won crew I laughed till I cried and felt strangely nostalgic watching/participating in Bogan Bingo, and then laughed a bit more at the antics of Irish comedy trio Foil Arms and Hogg.

And of course there was food. And shopping. And Gin and Tonic time. On Saturday night, I made stir-fry for Mel and we ate it sitting on the kitchen windowsill, with a gorgeous view in the background, pretending that’s our life always was (dinner time was also gin and tonic time). On Sunday we ate out, and I had gluten free pizza (joy!) and on Monday morning I bought a new vintage cut polka-dot skirt (Materialism! Happiness!).
Naturally, over the course of the whole weekend I spent a lot of time remaining confused about whether or not I had actually gone to Harry Potter land (slightly insane nerd that I am). This sign advertising free Invisibility cloaks did not help.

The weekend was brilliant. I really liked Harry Potter land/Edinburgh, though I wonder what it would be like when its not festival time.  It was subtly pretty, the sound of sea gulls was reassuring, the fact that I organised it about three days before going was scarily spontaneous for a plan-ahead person like me, but also really exciting and liberating. What a good thing to have done.