Or at least of those things, jaded and happy on the 22nd December, that we could remember…
A is for avaaz – giving the good people, the millions of ordinary people, a real voice. A great thing. www.avaaz.org
B is for Barry the Barber – a Geordie in Spitalfields via New York, great haircuts & beard trimming, good chat, good vibes. www.barrythebarber.com
C is for Christmas, still wonderful, longed for, magic, restful and festive in the right measure…
Lara Smrtnik
Last weekend we went to Harvest at Alex’s… Initially lured by talk of good food plus talks and demonstrations by the likes of Mark Hix, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jay Rayner and Alys Fowler, we thought Toast would fit in well…
Rachel Seaton.
Some of my fondest memories are of car journeys immersed in music. They were not necessarily remarkable drives – it was the music that made them memorable. There is something about listening to music in a car – the enclosed space, the lack of distraction, the possibilities of high volume – that means it becomes all encompassing, you can focus on a melody, a beat, a rhythm while your mind drifts elsewhere…
we plan to…
Hans Holbein the Younger, Derich Born, 1533
…visit Holyroodhouse to see the exhibition of Northern Renaissance: Dürer to Holbein. Over 100 paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, miniatures and manuscripts have been gathered together from The Royal Collection – including works by Dürer, Massays, Memling, Cranach the Elder and Holbein the Younger – to give a great insight into Northern Europe’s 15th and 16th revolution in art, scholarship and religion…
Last week we packed our bags and moved to the Wilderness. We arrived on Tuesday, with two vans full of our favourite outdoor things – deckchairs, firebowls, storm lanterns, blankets… – to install ourselves near the lakes of the Cornbury Park Estate, and in the tents of the very first Wilderness Festival. We hefted boxes and carried piles of blankets, attached lanterns to bamboo poles and hung them from trees, arranged deckchairs, put up bunting and washing lines, decorated stages and projection screens, and late at night allowed ourselves a swim in the lake (four girls in matching polka dot swimwear) then warmed ourselves around our very own firebowl…
For those of us based in London our forthcoming trip out of this wild city and into the Oxfordshire countryside will come as a welcome relief. The cause of our exodus has been planned for some time however – Wilderness, a new festival run by the same people as Secret Garden Party, asked if we wanted to join them in their celebration of arts, music and the outdoors, and we saw no reason to refuse…
Nat Lucas.
It is difficult to imagine Orlando Gough entering into anything without total enthusiasm. His full steam ahead approach to life gathers you up in his wake – whether he is discussing cooking, a new rap artist or in this case, the day of events that he has curated for the ‘Voices Across the World’ festival at the Royal Opera House (commissioned by its contemporary arm ROH2). At the heart of the day are twelve of his favourite singers…
…at least in what is left of it, we hope to: Wonder at Gaugin’s use of colour at Tate Modern…
…we loved…
The Family and the Land. Sally Mann.
At the Photographer’s Gallery, London until 19th September. See it there before the gallery closes for refurbishment this autumn…
