2020 - an undeniably odd year

 Well, 2020 isn't a year I'd want to repeat. I normally do a round up of highlights but when I first thought about it I couldn't think of what to include ... then I had a little think.

First of all, the year didn't start dreadfully. January, February, and the beginning of March were filled with lots of new and exciting things. At Nottingham Playhouse I saw Gecko Theatre and their particular brand of physical theatre,  

Ira Wolf

At the end of January my daughter was back here for a gig  in Nottingham with singer/songwriter Ira Wolf who'd come all the way from Nashville! 

Hopton snowdrops

February was about snowdrop hunting - at Kedleston, Hopton  and Walsingham - 

Salford Quays

on an overnight visit to my daughter in Manchester I visited Salford Quays,  Hall, and Lyme Park., and at the end of the month we all went to Norfolk for a weekend break (staying in a converted chapel). March brought daffodils at Shipley, a surprise trip to Nottingham Playhouse to see Moonlight and Magnolias, a last minute trip to Manchester, and, yes, lockdown.

The mere possibility of doing anything, let alone something new, seemed to go out the window, but even so I found unexpected things to do.

Streamed theatre on tv really impressed me. I never imagined this would replace real theatre but I'd definitely recommend it, and having one day a week with something 'special' happening took some of the tedium out of the first lockdown.

Kedleston 

As summer progressed I headed outdoors again, as safely as possible, mainly to places charging an entrance fee (the free-to-all beauty spots of the Peak District regularly made the news with photos of crowds). Even though I was limited to local places, I still found new areas to explore. At Calke I discovered the wider parkland, at Kedleston found walks beside the lakes, and through the Wilderness , and at Chatsworth gardeners were still working on a new area of planting, opening up an area which was previously just woodland and creating a series of flower-filled glades across the hillside. 

A particular delight was going back time after time (far more than in a 'normal' year) to these places and seeing the seasons change, from summer's heat to autumn's bright foliage, and rounding the year off with a trip to see Chatsworth's outdoor Christmas lights.

Online art at The Good Life
Experience

Over the months, as it become obvious that 'real life' events wouldn't be able to take place, a variety of festivals went digital. Yes, I sat and watched old footage from Glastonbury but I also called in at book festivals at Hay and Edinburgh, pretended I was in Fearnedock forest at Timber Fesitval, and (the big find of this year for me) joined in with art, cookery and inspiring talks at The Good Life Experience. This is a festival I have to go to one day. I don't feel quite comfortable yet about booking tickets for this year, but maybe another.

At home I've pottered round the garden, being more focused on growing vegetables than previous years. Rather oddly, as I haven't really being seeing anyone who might know me, I decided it was time to dump the dull black/navy clothes, pay a little bit more attention to what I wear and brighten my wardrobe. It's proved quite cheering picking out something red or purple to wear instead of sticking to the same old boring clothes. I've joined an online art group, but after being initially enthusiastic I rather let it drop in the run-up to Christmas (I'd better add 'make an effort' to my new year resolutions).

The best bits of this year have undoubtedly been the rare occasions it was possible to meet with family. It was easier to see my elder daughter, who lives relatively nearby, for a walk somewhere outside, but meeting up with the younger in Manchester was harder. In retrospect, I wish we'd been braver and arranged picnics somewhere in the countryside between here and there, but safe is better than sorry. 

It's definitely been an odd year, when time seems to have alternately stood still, and then galloped past. Here's hoping 2021 will  be better and brighter.

Lockdown - week 5: 21st - 27th April

Part of me can't quite believe this lockdown has been going on for five weeks. The time seems to have passed in a daze. I've said it before but the day of the week, and the date of the month are losing meaning; the only real marker being the succession of flowers in the garden. The continuing warm weather still makes me feel that this is a holiday of sorts, which contributes to the aimless drifting of days.

With this in mind, I decided that I'd try to make something a little different for one dinner of the week. This week I tried making my own tapas - tortilla, patatas bravas, pan con tomate, chorizo in red wine and honey, and a cheese and meat board (or plate). It wasn't a total success as the tortilla got a little over-cooked, but as a whole it worked, and it's something that I'd eat out but not normally attempt at home. I even made gin tonico with my birthday Skye gin and  elderflower spritzer, garnished with lemon balm and thyme. I'm now wondering what to attempt for future weeks - possibly something that might pass as pub-grub with an 'all you can eat' salad bar, or 'extras' such as pickles and naan bread with curry.






I'm going to need to plan ahead for this when shopping but I'm now finding that although it may still be tricky to get a supermarket delivery (slots are sensibly being saved for the most vulnerable) it's comparatively easy to click and collect. This feels a safer, less exposed option than actual in-store shopping so Friday saw us heading off to top up supplies. Unfortunately the treats - chocolates and crisps - went a little rapidly, and we were soon down to 'proper' food.

I have a tendency to binge-eat like this at the best of times and lockdown has made that worse. At the end of Week 4, I looked at the scales and realised how easily and quickly I'm putting weight on, and decided I should do something to change my habits. I can't quite say I've been dieting, but I have started to watch how much I'm eating, and at least this week I haven't put more weight on (which counts as a result)

I've discovered online jigsaws - and yes, without a bit of caution, I could become hooked. As the pieces lock together they make an extremely satisfying 'click', so there's no change of putting a wrong piece in, and the monotonous sections such as sky are completed much easier than with a physical jigsaw.

I've finished a hat to go with my new rainbow scarf, finished a couple of weeks ago. Actually it's the second hat I've made, as the first was strange. I tried to use the scarf pattern but it looked like something a flower fairy might wear, so I unraveled the yarn, and knitted it up as a plain hat.



It's been another busy 'out and about' week, with livestreamed gigs and theatre.
Thursday - gig round at Frank Turner's, raising money for independent music venues, followed by Bruce Springsteen's segment from the Jersey4Jersey benefit.
Friday - Twelfth Night from National Theatre Live - brilliant and funny interpretation, and Tamsin Greig's Malvolia was wonderful. I followed it with Friday Night Dinner just to see her in something totally different.
Saturday - Bustival livestream festival, organised by Vans for Bands who are raising funds to supply their tour buses as rest and accommodation facilities for doctors and nurses. You can find more details on their FB page and a link to the crowdfunder here. I didn't attempt to catch all of the acts, just Mark Evans (with a Young Rebel set), Frank Turner (again), Will Varley, and Skinny Lister (with month old baby)
Monday - Sean McGowan livestream gig, followed by a trip to the theatre, this time for a RSC production of Macbeth starring Christopher Eccleston and Niamh Cusack




It's not been all fun though as recent news has reported that 'disruptive social distancing' is likely to the end of the year, and anyone over 60 ought to be considered high risk. For now things are manageable but I'm beginning to wonder what my situation might be in a few months, and whether I'll be able to see my daughters, especially if they're no longer working from home but mixing with other people in an office. Worrying, of course, won't make any difference so I'm trying to still take
each day/week one at a time; potter in the garden, sit in the sun, and try to enjoy this weird time.

Lockdown - week 2

Week 2 started cold, dull and lethargic. Partly the weather's fault, partly the clock going forward last weekend. I've no need to be anywhere at 9 or 10 in the morning so instead of adapting to the new setting I just amble along on the old one, getting up an hour late, going to sleep an hour later.


With the weather returning to 'normal' there was less temptation to be outside pottering round the greenhouse and garden. With cold overnight temperatures forecast, the conveyor belt system whereby seedlings start inside, go to the greenhouse, and eventually to the garden or allotment was stalled waiting for more warmth. Over the last weekend the sun returned, and since then I've been busy outside doing something or other every day - I've planted out some mizuna and cabbages, and the tulips have started to flower. Everything looks better when the sun shines.

After my walk to the wood last week, I've decided to stcik to the garden and not go out. It feels too risky. When the weather's nice I have plenty to occupy and exercise me here, or I can just sit in the sun. I'd rather do that than dodge the rest of the neighbourhood out for a walk.




I have managed to go out virtually though - a couple more Isolate Live shows, S T Manville and Frank Turner one evening, and Thom Worth and Tankus the Henge (the latter direct from beside a canal boat, which must be a quite fun place to be stuck for lockdown) - and for my birthday John Allen (left) livestreaming music from his home in Germany, followed by an evening trip to the (virtual) theatre.






I've noticed I'm becoming more lenient with myself over things I'd resolved to do, or not. Now does not seem to be the time to worry about eating too much - and when a neighbour brought chocolates for my birthday I ate them all in hardly any time at all. My birthday cake got eaten in one evening. Another (on another day) got eaten straight away too. It might, if you were being kind, be possible to blame sunshine and all the garden-digging for making me hungry, but I seem to have no willpower when it comes to eating 'treats'. I need to kick this habit before it becomes ingrained, and I put on a ton of weight during lockdown.
I've also broken my 'no new clothes' resolution. I saw some colourful trousers in a sale, and, yep, I bought them (arguing that they were a birthday present). They're bright and flowery, and were very cheap, but ... but ... but ... I feel like I'm acting too much on impulse, and not considering things enough. Is this some weird side-effect of lockdown and isolation?

Lockdown - Week 1 - busy, busy, busy

How did your first week of lockdown go? Mine, to be honest, felt rather like a normal week, but with less shape to it than normal.


We'd been staying home for a while already, but obviously not enough people were, so last Tuesday advice became orders, and everyone apart from essential workers was supposed to stay in. Strange then to wake up the first morning of lockdown and hear normal traffic on the nearby main road through our estate; if anything, throughout the day, it got heavier. And so many people were out walking, taking their allowed hour of exercise.

The first few days were warm, and I've thrown myself back into vegetable gardening (I'd somewhat let it slip at home over the past few years though my husband had kept the allotment going). I've sown quick growing salad leaves, pumpkins and cabbages in the greenhouse, turnips in one of the small garden beds, with more to follow. With the weather being fine and sunny, I also made time to just sit outside, listen to the birds, watch the buzzards high above, see if I could spot the grass growing and flowers opening.








A couple of evenings I went out to catch the sunset, generally it's quiet then

but there were still dog walkers around, and I don't feel confident that if a dog ran over to say Hi that its accompanying child wouldn't. One afternoon I went as far as the wood to find anemones, but although the walk there wasn't bad (beside playing fields so lots of space to pass people), everyone seemed to have the same destination in mind, and once in the wood the footpaths seemed too busy for my comfort. I don't think I'll be doing that again.

There are other ways of 'getting out' though.

I've attended an online book launch for Sarah Jasmon's You Never Told Me (if all had been well, I'd have visited my Manchester daughter and gone along to the actual launch, but that wasn't to be). Over on Facebook, Sarah's now set up a page, Books From the Boat, where she'll be reading a chapter from the book each evening.

And I can even 'go out' to gigs.
A lot of touring musicians have effectively lost their jobs due to music venues closing and tours being cancelled, so they've gone online instead; no tickets required, but drop them a few quid, the money you'd have spent on drinks maybe, by Paypal if you've enjoyed the show. So I've seen Grace Petrie, Fast Car To Florence, and a new single launch from Gecko. I caught part of a Frank Turner 'gig' - each Thursday evening he'll be streaming live through his Facebook page to raise money for a different music venue's employees as obviously they've been affected too. I've listened to various living-room sessions from folk singers on The Covid Musical Collective, and a variety of artists through Isolate Live. (both of these can be found on Facebook, if you're curious)

Oh, and I've seen all those photos of goats taking over Llandudno.





I've done less helpful things too - spent too much time checking social media for updates, and too long counting tins in the food cupboard, or checking what actually IS in the freezer (it's always full but I can never find anything for dinner) - it's like a never-ending stock take. Social media is hard to kick, but I'm trying to limit my time on it. And, to stop me counting tins and packets every day, I've made lists. I love lists, they give me a feeling of control. Now I know how much I have of whatever, and can tick items off as they're used.



Not that many days in, and I found I was losing all track of the days. This seems really odd as the only fixed events in our lives are dustbin day (Thursday), and Friday when we see elder daughter and grandson, and OH goes out running with a club in the evening. I'm beginning to see why some people like to shop the same day every week. To add some 'shape' to the days, I'm making an effort to pick fresh flowers from the garden on Fridays, ready for the weekend, and I've re-introduced Sunday roast which we don't normally bother with.(chicken this week thanks to home delivery groceries, to be followed by the pork and gammon that have been in the freezer since Christmas).


I definitely haven't had time to be bored this first week. In the last few days I've seen several arts organisations putting content online - from virtual tours of museums, to National Theatre and RSC putting shows online, and Hay Book Festival intending to go 'digital'. I could be busier than usual.

First gig of the year; Ira Wolf, Alex Hale and Ayres at Chameleon

January has been a rather lacklustre, lethargic month for me but it got rounded off in style with my first gig night of the year. Okay it wasn't quite the last night of the month but the night before is near enough.

It was special in a number of ways - first gig night of the year, my daughter back in town to play, and Ira Wolf all the way over from Nashville to head the line-up.















 It was a great night. The upstairs room at Chameleon busy from the start, with my daughter seeming quite surprised that she'd actually have an audience for her opening set. I haven't heard her play in such a long while, so I was obviously going to be biased and think she was great (she was!).














She was followed by local Alex Hale (performing without the other members of the Alexander Christopher Hale Band) with his mix of funny, witty songs



















And rounding off the evening, Ira Wolf. I was introduced to her music, as so many other artists, by my daughter streaming Spotify on long car journeys (appropriate as many of her songs reference life on the road in her VW van), but haven't heard Ira live, I've now moved from 'casual listener' to 'fan'.

I'm not quite sure how I'd describe her music - folk? americana? country? Anyway, check out her website here and have a listen

From The Jam - at Rock City, Nottingham

Another week, another gig night!

I'm starting, gradually, to get back into the normal swing of things, so the other Sunday we were off to Nottingham's Rock City  to see a band, or perhaps more accurately part of a band, from my youth. The Jam split in the early 80s, but Bruce Foxton (from the original Jam line up) and Russell Hastings keep their sound going.

looking through the sound booth

If you follow thus blog very closely (does anyone?) you'll know that, despite all the gigs I go out to, I've only been to Rock City once before and that was years ago (to see Frank Turner). On that occasion though I'd found myself a great place to stand - just behind the sound booth - and that's where I headed this time. It's not as close to the stage as some folks no doubt like to get but it's a little elevated so you can see over everyone in front.

The Vapors

Opening the night were another band from back in the good old days - The Vapors (Turning Japanese) - and the audience seemed mainly folks of my age who'd remember both groups from way back when. It made for a quieter evening than usual - less bouncing around in the mosh pit, more nodding along to the tunes :)

It was good night though. I never got to see The Jam live but this felt very close, and their sound hasn't grown old.

Deaf Havana - The Venue, Derby

 I seem to have been caught up in one of those periods of life when there's so much happening that there isn't time to blog about it - which is basically an excuse for not having posted pics of a Deaf Havana gig at Derby's The Venue from about a fortnight ago. Here they are ...

If you've not heard of Deaf Havana, they're a rock band from King's Lynn in Norfolk, which somehow doesn't seem like the obvious place to form a rock band but apparently there's little else to do in Norfolk. Anyway, I've been listening to them for a long time, originally due to my youngest daughter discovering them, and in a roundabout way it was because of them that we first visited King's Lynn and Hunstanton while holidaying in Norfolk.

It's taking some time for me to get back to 'normal' after this last year, and it's been ages since I went out to a gig (Skinny Lister back in April). We'd bought tickets in advance and to be honest if we hadn't I might have bailed on going out. Deaf Havana are loud and noisy, but with a lot of angst and anguish in their lyrics - maybe not the kind of songs I want to hear at the moment. But ... all sorts of people say going out, listening to music, hanging out in a crowd are good for lifting your mood, and after all the tickets were already paid for, so I went along - and, guess what? All those people are right. 

I've seen them play once before at Nottingham's Rough Trade, but this was their first appearance in Derby for (I think they said) seven years. I remember the Rough Trade gig as packed solid, and hot. The Venue's a bigger venue (sorry), and, although there was probably a bigger crowd, it didn't feel as full. Unlike Rough Trade where a lot of punters seemed there out of curiosity, this was definitely a room full of fans ready to sing along all night. As you'd possibly expect, these were mainly youngsters but I wasn't the only 'oldie' there. 

It was a good night, and in retrospect I'm glad I went. I need to get back into the habit of going back out to gigs but for now I'm off to Norfolk soon, and I'll no doubt be heading round by Hunstanton to visit Boston Square and the pier.

Cheering myself up with some Skinny Lister!

This had been going to be one of my normal 'went to a gig and took bad photos' sort of posts, but since I saw shanty-punks Skinny Lister a week or so ago in Nottingham I've been chatting here and there on social media about things which always raise my spirits, help me relax, and generally make me feel good.

 And I realised that in every conversation sooner or later I ended up mentioning Skinny Lister. 

So, there's a slightly different twist to this gig post.

  We'd bought these tickets ages ago, back in November or some such distant time, as I didn't want to miss out. The last couple of months, though, have been emotionally rough, and I wasn't really feeling in the mood for going out.













The day before I'd even been talking about not going; trying instead to sell my ticket. If others hadn't been going with me, I'd have stayed at home. I'm glad I didn't follow through with that plan, as a night out, singing loudly (not necessarily tunefully), jigging about, and clapping, was just the thing to help me forget my troubles.







I started the night off a little down-hearted. Normally I'd be cheering the minute the band came on stage - this time I wasn't. I'd sing along from the first song - this time I barely clapped. A Skinny Lister crowd, though, is noisy, energetic, and enthusiastic, roaring out the words and almost drowning the band. Gradually something loosened inside me.

Since I discovered Skinny Lister a few years ago, I've always found their gigs to be something special. You don't sit quietly and listen to them perform; you need to forget your inhibitions and join in. Singing along is part of the whole thing, as it was with the original sea shanties (be prepared though, Skinny Lister versions are a lot more 'rock' than the originals). Sure, it needs the band to be there leading, but the atmosphere is more like a (large) gang of friends getting together, and having a sing-song. At Rescue Rooms there's a big enough crowd that you don't feel everyone's listening to your singing, but it's small enough to keep the party atmosphere.You'll find their music on Spotify and all the usual places but a live show is amazing. I've tried my best to capture that feeling in my photos but it hasn't really worked; it is, though, why there are as many pics of the crowd as of the band (plus I didn't have a brilliant view of the stage)




I've heard often enough that music and singing are incredible mood-enhancers, but never quite believed it - I suspect because the folk claiming it didn't like the same kind of music that I do. I'm now convinced of it. I've read recently that clapping is also an incredible mood-enhancer - and again there's a lot of clapping along to the beat of a Skinny Lister gig.To be honest, none of these seem like the right things to do when you're feeling sad, but they most definitely worked for me. Not only did my mood change for that night, it's still more positive a week later.

Sean McGowan and Brand New Friend at Bodega

Bouncing between one problem and another, nights out have become increasingly rare, but we thought we'd mark the end of February, and hopefully a return to 'normal', by going to the Nottingham stop of Sean McGowan's current tour. Apart from a couple of emotional songs, it was an upbeat, noisy, bouncing night - just what I needed.













I've known Sean for several years, since the days when my youngest daughter promoted gigs, and, although he was never one of those guys who slept on my floor, I'm really excited by the success he's having. I've seen him at small independent venues in Nottingham - Chameleon Arts Cafe, JT Soar - and since then he's signed with Xtra Mile Recordings, brought out an album, toured as support for famous names like Billy Bragg and Will Varley, and as headliner.






I missed one tour of his, on account of feeling too old, but since then I think I've caught him every time he's back up here. This time the crowd had quite a few older faces in it - this is good, because it stops anyone querying if I'm the mother/grandmother of anyone playing, but also I think shows that the acts have a wider appeal spreading outside their own age group.













For this tour he was supported by Brand New Friend from Northern Ireland - a new band for me, and one I'd go see again. Along with the merch from Sean (t-shirt and sweatshirt as we're up to date with CDs) we picked up their CD, so I'll certainly be gearing more of them :)

All in all, a good night out, and a break from the current sad circumstances of my day to day life

Decisions decisions; Saturday night out

It's not often I can boast that I have a choice of events to go to, but, due to not noting the dates properly, this Saturday I ended up with just that - a school reunion back where I grew up or a gig promoting the launch of a local band's single.
I'm always more tempted by something new, rather than 'same old', so, yep, we went to the gig.







The location was somewhere new - Dubrek studios in Derby; the music a mix of new - Eddie from Eddie and the Wolves, and Grawl!x - and familiar - George Gadd (without whom I can't seem to go out these days) and the stars of the show, Scribble Victory.

Eddie

George Gadd,
insisting we all follow
him outside

Grawl!x

I've seen Scribble Victory playing part sets here and there, as they've often played the same venues as my daughter, but this is the first time I've caught a full set by them.
What would you call them? Pop? Rock? Band, duo, two-some? Whatever, it's one guy with a guitar, another with a set of drums, and both of them singing. Their music is toe-tapping and catchy, and they ended the night with The Proclaimers' I'm Gonna Be (500 miles). I think I chose the right event to go to :)

New-to-me venue and acts makes three things to add to the #60things list