Monthly Archives: June 2010

Churches

Posted on June 27, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Living in Europe is great – there is absolutely no escaping that religion has played a massive role in what we see and feel when we swan about the gorgeous cities. Just about on every corner there is a church, mosque, site of some sort of sacred building.

And while I am not much into God or religion the buildings are just amazing. The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona looks like a sand castle on the outside with just the most amazing windows and pillars. And then you have Canterbury Cathedral – where there is just so much English history a dead Black Princes &  the site of Thomas Beckett’s murder.  In addition to using Post-its as a way of requesting a prayer. Do you think that was what the inventor of post-its envisioned!

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are we too busy to care?

Posted on June 14, 2010 by | Leave a comment

On Friday I went along to see a friend sing up a storm in his local pub. Possibly not unusual to have musically talented friends. But what I think is curious is that ‘aspiring lead vocalist in a cover band’ is not quite what you expect this person to be doing in his spare time. Your thinking may be along the lines of BBQ with the family, Friday night drinks with other people in suits.

So how many people do you think don’t conform to the stereotype in your mind? That have these wonderful and surprising secret lives.

I know of an Executive Director who likes to Salsa. A Head of Information who has a thing for middle distance running. A retail consultant who likes patchwork. Another who shoots things for Wales!

So why is it that we don’t know what our work buddy’s spend time doing? Why do we neglect to really get to know people we spend tonnes of time with? And is it that we are to busy to care?

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productive

Posted on June 12, 2010 by | 1 Comment

Today got off to a slow start but really I think it was possibly one of the most productive days ever…. particularly if you start counting once I had levered myself out of bed and had the requisite amount of caffeine surging through my blood stream.

So what did I do…… well…….

I built a desk and I only mucked up one bit, have only one screw not used and it is still together an hour later. Result. Then I constructed a desk chair and to my amazement the hydrolyic-uppy-downy bit works. Excellent. Nipped off to China Town and procured a bamboo steamer. I still can’t figure out how to get a microwave into my kitchen so it is back to the steaming of vegetables on the stove. With the limited storage in my perfectly formed but rather tight kitchen the bamboo version of a steamer is perfect. And as if this wasn’t enough to declare the day productive I also sorted out my bedroom, put away the blow up bed, went to the supermarket, made that phone call I have been meaning to make, wrote a few emails………

If every day was like this it would be amazing. Which I guess sets up the question… why is it that we aren’t able to be this productive all the time? Is it that we kind of like to wait until the pile is enormous before we get going on it? Actually maybe that is it. We wait till the list reaches such a crescendo that the satisfaction of getting it down is so much sweeter?

Ah well who knows but today I definitely think I was productive!

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run run run

Posted on June 6, 2010 by | Leave a comment

oooohhhh I had the most lovely run yesterday – I had completely forgotten what a wonderful high those tricky little endorphins can give. It was just devine to be putting one foot in front of the other, to plug myself in and two make an effort to get that little bit fitter.

I guess the trick is to get going again…. well maybe tomorrow!

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drift

Posted on June 6, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Drift is billed as the new play by Beth Steele – I am not so cool as to know whether her previous plays were earth shatteringly great or in fact whether I should have even heard her name before. None the less I went along with some friends to see her latest play on Friday evening.

Essentially the play was ok – a little depressing for a Friday actually. It was set sometime in the future where resources are so restricted due climate change, population explosions among other current issues, that life has become a horrible struggle, filled with war and general bleakness. It all ends in a mushroom cloud of radiation and with the tragic double suicide of the only two women in the play! Ah such a merry 2 hours!

The lasting impression though is of an amazing venue. The theatre is under the train line to Waterloo station. The trains rattling above your head completly adds to the atmosphere, as does the black, cool and slightly dusty-musty tunnels. It really is as if you are living in the same grim part of England as the characters. So yep all pretty atmospheric!

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bbq

Posted on June 3, 2010 by | 2 Comments

Most people equate the sun with the BBQ. And I expect in some way they are right; nothing like a steak or sausage hot from the BBQ. hmmm

However there is something a little bit wrong with the UK BBQ. They are often those ones from Sainsbury some sort of coal in a roasting dish, drenched in a stinky lighter fluid that permeates the delicious outdoor cooking tastiness. The portable nature of these little BBQs is to be admired though. They can be carried on the tube, set under a tree in just about any park or placed on pokey little Juliet Balcony and be smoking in moments.

Definitely not the beef master with 6 jet burners and wok on the side

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