‘Tis the season of goodwill: ways to share and care this Christmas

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Ah Christmas!  A time to welcome all the excesses of the season with open, slightly flabby arms and settle into a uniform of elasticated waists while proffering friends, loved ones and sworn enemies ‘just one more mince pie’.  While it’s a wonderful time for families to come together it’s not without pressure and it can be easy to feel torn between wanting to splash out and not being in the position to do so financially without getting into debt.  It’s also a time when hundreds of charity letters come through the letterbox, each cause every bit as deserving as the last but it’s not always possible to support them all financially at this time of year.

There are still ways we can celebrate and share the joy without breaking the bank.  Here are just a few ideas I’ve come across

* Support your local food bank

The Trussell Trust is an organisation which operates throughout the UK though I’m sure there are equivalents all over the world.  Why not have a hunt through your cupboards and donate any cans of soup or vegetables to your local food bank.  We all have a few tins lurking at the back of the cupboard that seemed like a good idea at the time – (tinned ratatouille anyone?) – but we’ve never quite got around to eating.  Our local food bank is currently on the lookout for cereals, pasta, tins of fruit, veg, soup – basically anything that’s non-perishable that could make the next few days a little less stressful for people in need.  If you’re in the UK click here to find your nearest food bank.

* Get knitting and help older people combat the cold

It’s no secret that fuel companies do very well out of the cold weather that Christmas ushers in but older people are especially vulnerable at this time of year.  With pensions only stretching so far Winter is a potentially dangerous time for older people in the community.  Age UK Lambeth – a London-based branch of the nationwide charity which supports and empowers older people – is encouraging nimble-fingered folks to Get Their Knit On by knitting squares which will be sewn together and made into blankets which the organisation will distribute to people who need them in the New Year.  The charity has partnered with the Southbank Centre so if you’re local to London you can pop in and knit in a social setting on a couple of dates.  If you’re a little further afield but would still like to help you can knit a square or two and send them in to:

 Louisa Pestell, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX, UK

* Support your local animal shelter by clearing out your closet

Santa's little helper, Bob, is a fan of this idea

Santa’s little helper, Bob, is a fan of this idea

Christmas is one of the busiest times for animal shelters with the novelty of receiving a puppy for Christmas wearing off when new owners realise that their gift of choice while amazing is a LOT of hard work.  Animal shelters and rescue centres are always crying out for bedding to make the animals feel comfortable at what can be a scary time for furbabies.  I don’t think the condition is all that important so if you have some old blankets that have acquired a few holes over the years or bedding that’s now a bit worn or out of fashion shelters will make great use of these and you can free up some storage space at the same time.

* Lend a hand at a free Christmas dinner

Last year I made a wee film featuring a coffee shop called Common Grounds Cafe who host an annual free Christmas dinner for anyone who would otherwise be alone on December 25th.  Common Grounds is an amazing place that encapsulates the true spirit of the festive season and while they have sufficient volunteers to man the turkey and peel the spuds this year I’m sure there are plenty more of these kinds of events who could do with an extra pair of hands  – especially when it comes to washing dishes.

* Call in on a neighbour who lives alone

Loneliness is rife in darker months and the older we get the less mobile we can be making this time of year very isolating for some.  If you need a hand whittling down your waistline before squeezing into your New Year’s party outfit consider joining Goodgym which partners runners with coaches – older people in the community.  The runners have to call in on their coach once a week and the two motivate each other for the week ahead.  A great idea for both mind and body!

So there you have a few ideas that will soothe your soul without breaking the bank.  You might just make a friend for life out of a small act of kindness.  Is there anything special happening in your community this Christmas?  Comment below and share the joy!xx

Unique Christmas gifts you can make at home

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As Christmas draws ever closer the shops are becoming inundated with panic buyers – I speak from bitter experience – desperate to snap up the perfect present for their beloveds or the dreaded Secret Santa.  But it doesn’t have to be this traumatic.  I’ve scoured the internet for the best last minute DIY Christmas gifts so pour yourself a large glass of your preferred poison and follow the links below for some festive inspiration!

* For girls and boys who like to pamper themselves

If you enjoyed my sugar scrub post last Christmas check out this video from Miss Kris whose easy to follow tutorials use store cupboard staples to create perfect pamper gifts for the beauty lover in your life.  You can tailor the scents to suit the recipient for a truly personal gift:

Similarly if you fancy yourself as a bit of a mad scientist check out these luxurious bath bombs over at Ali Does It Herself.  I love reading Ali’s blog, especially when she doesn’t sugar coat things that go wrong in the DIY department.  A seasoned do-er up-per she will keep you right and warn of pitfalls to look out for thanks to her having tried and tested everything herself in advance.

* For the last minute Christmas party invite

So you’ve bumped into a friend in the queue for turkeys and they’ve invited you over for mince pies and mulled wine.  Disaster strikes – the soiree is but a few hours away and you want to bring  a gift befitting of your lovely host.  What about homemade shot glasses you can make in an afternoon?  I spied this in this week’s Stylist magazine and requires one ingredient – round, boiled candies.  Stylist spotted it over on The Watering Mouth whose original recipe I’m posting here.  While a little fiddly to shape around the shot glass (see video!) this gift will elevate you to showstopping party guest in 0 to 60 seconds flat.  And hey, what’s better than a shot glass you can eat?  Waste not want not I say.

* For dear friends who have children but also like booze

It’s back over to Ali for her homemade coffee liqueur recipe.  All that looking after wee ones is tiring (I bet) so give the gift that keeps on giving and can be made as little as one week ahead of time.  (NB: Obviously I’m not advocating parents should perform their childcare duties while under the influence.  However, most parents I know are a little pooped by the time party season rolls around so why not help them stay awake with a little caffeine kick.  They’ve earned it!)

* For friends pining the autumnal warmth of the Pumpkin Spiced Latte

I’ve yet to try this one but it’s on my list for this weekend – spiced latte hand soaps from the folks over at A Beautiful Mess.  These look incredibly easy to make – I’ll keep you posted as to whether this is actually the case or not – and with a good dose of my favourite spice, cinnamon they’re almost good enough to eat.  Almost.  Please don’t try to eat them.

* A little something for everyone

Sticking with A Beautiful Mess – one of my all time favourite blogs – check out this list of 50 DIY gift ideas to try out.  They range from the super swift 30 minute Sharpie personalised mugs to the trickier, more time consuming but oh-so-impressive leather clutch bag.

Hopefully this little list will inspire you as it has me to give crafting and DIY a try this Christmas. May it save you from the stress of barging your way through crowds on the high street and buy you more time at home with your loved ones at this special time of year.  I’d love to hear how you get on!  And if you have any wonderful gift ideas please comment and share them below! xx

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Five Star Theatre Review: The Play That Goes Wrong

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December has been, by all accounts, a fairly cultured month.  I recently saw a great play and who better to share it with but you!  My mum was coming to visit for a few days and we wanted to take in as many sights and sounds as we could cram in to the space of a weekend.  Enter my friend Danielle who recommended The Play That Goes Wrong which is currently playing at The Duchess Theatre.  Danielle and I met when we worked in a theatre up in Scotland and her passion for the arts has led her to the bright lights of the West End where she now works.  She’s seen the play a thousand times and still gets a belly ache from laughing at the gags which, in my books, is a sure fire sign we’re onto a winner.

The play itself is the first presentation of  newly expanded Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society.  For the first time in the society’s history the troupe have secured sufficient actors to reach for the stars with the premiere of ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’.  Boasting an all-star wannabe cast of amateur actors – half of whom appear to have been strong-armed into participating in the show – the play has a constant spell of bad luck from the off and despite the best efforts of Duran Duran megafan and chief electrician, Trevor and put-upon director Chris, the spell fails to lift despite the cast’s best efforts to keep calm and carry on.

The humour is completely farcical and it’s impossible not to laugh at the thespians’ misfortunes as they bravely battle to ensure the show must go on.  Anyone who’s ever been in an am-dram society will recognise the characters from pseudo-saucepot Sandra who’s convinced it’s first stop Cornley, next stop Hollywood (provided she doesn’t collapse under the weight of her own ego.) Then there’s serious veteran ac-tor Robert who rates himself above all others and poor old Dennis who valiantly tries to remember his lines with only the very occasional glance at the notes he’s written on his hand.  My personal favourite has to be stage manager Annie.  An underdog of sorts we witness something of a metamorphosis from the shy and retiring behind the scenes troubleshooter as she blossoms into the leggy love interest all the boys are after – much to Sandra’s disgust.

I heartily recommend a trip to see this play.  We laughed from start to finish and even though, as the title suggests, you know things can’t possibly end well I still spent the entire show willing the hapless troupe a little more in the way of luck.  We sat in the stalls and had a great view. I can’t speak for the rest of the venue but there is no restricted view in the stalls area, even from the back row which is great.  You can pick up tickets via the Duchess’ website (linked above) or, if you’re planning on booking before 23rd December head here to bag a ticket for a tenner for selected performances as part of lastminute.com’s 12 Days of Christmas offer.  In the meantime, whet your appetite with a behind the scenes teaser from the actors themselves.  Break a leg chaps! xx

Stepping back in time with a trip to Spitalfields

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When you head away from the hustle and bustle of Liverpool Street station, in the direction of London’s famous Spitalfields market, it’s hard to imagine you’re about to step a century or two back in time but that’s exactly what lies behind the heavy black door of number 18 Folgate Street.

18 Folgate Street was the home of American artist and anglophile Dennis Severs who dedicated two decades of his life to marrying his passions for history and mischief by restoring the house to it’s 18th and 19th Century glory days.  Settling in London in the late 1960s Severs spent a number of years running carriage tours before purchasing the Georgian property and making it his life’s work until his death at the young age of 51 in 1999.

Before he passed away the artist sold the property to the Spitalfields Trust who have lovingly upheld Severs’ creation in a manner the artist would no doubt have loved.

We arrived at the house shortly before our allotted time and knocked on the door.  Seconds later we were greeted by one of our hosts who kept us in the cold a little longer while he explained the evening’s proceedings.  As the artist intended, tours are self-led and conducted in silence.  Photography is not allowed so the above picture is all I was able to capture on the evening I’m afraid!  I have to confess I loved this because you could totally switch off and concentrate on your surroundings and I really did feel transported to another time and place.

Once inside we began our tour in the basement.  As we opted for a Christmas candlelight tour we got just that.  There is no electricity in the house, (at least there was none that candlelight guests were privy to although I’m told Mr Severs did have two electric lightbulbs installed when he moved in), so the flicker of the various flames dotted around the house made the tour quite atmospheric.

Each floor in the house pays homage to a fictitious family of Huguenot silk weavers – the Jervis family – who lived in the house from as early as 1724 right up to the beginning of the 20th century.  The idea is that as you arrive you enter the house as an unexpected guest forcing its inhabitants to vacate while you are there.  As their time in the house has been interrupted nothing is tidied away.  The food and wine you see are real, as are the fires and, although I didn’t notice it during our tour, I’m told that the chamber pots in the bedrooms are filled with urine as well for authenticity’s sake.  If anything Mr Severs appeared to be a stickler for detail!

As we made our way through the property we could hear noises alluding to the inhabitants who had hastily exited as we arrived.  Horse hooves clip-clopping on the cobblestones outside; grandfather clocks chiming; the remnants of a party and the tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge relayed in the attic.  The house is crammed full of things – even more so at this time of year with the Christmas installation in place.  Nonetheless, Severs’ hope was that visitors would look beyond each individual item and absorb the sights, smells and sounds of each room to get an overall picture of the scene that took place before they arrived.

I thoroughly enjoyed walking round the house and would recommend this tour to anyone with an active imagination who fancies catching a glimpse of what life in Spitalfields may have been like in times past.  The candlelight tours are currently sold out but it is possible to visit on Sunday between 12pm and 4pm and Monday lunchtimes between 12pm and 2pm  – (the price is also reduced during this time, coming in at around at under £10 per person.)

For more information on Dennis Severs’ house along with booking availability click here.  Keep an eye out for a couple of pictures of the artist himself dotted around the place and enjoy your visit!xx

NT Live: An evening with JOHN

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Image credit: National Theatre

 

Now that I live in London I’m never very far away from world class theatre and one of my favourite places to visit is the National Theatre.  Situated along the South Bank, ‘the National’ as it’s affectionately known to locals has played host to thousands of world renowned actors from Dame Helen Mirren to everyone’s favourite Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch.

But just because you might not live in the city doesn’t mean you have to miss out.  NT Live offers theatre lovers from around the world the chance to enjoy a slice of the action without having to venture beyond their local cinema.   Launched in 2009 NT Live has beamed more than 20 live broadcasts to over 1.5million cinema goers from as near as North Yorkshire to as far afield as Dubai.

Tonight sees NT Live’s latest offering hit our screens – a verbatim physical theatre piece named JOHN by DV8 Physical Theatre.  I was lucky enough to see a preview of the performance ahead of time so I can give you a little teaser ahead of tonight’s broadcast.

To my untrained eye there are, broadly speaking, two types of theatre: that which allows the audience to escape from their lives into a fantasy world and theatre which gives a person, group or idea a voice where they wouldn’t ordinarily have one.  JOHN definitely falls into the second category.

The piece came about after Director Lloyd Newson conducted a series of interviews with gay men on the subject of sex and love.  It was during these interviews that Newson came across John and the piece was born.  JOHN isn’t an easy watch – perhaps because the words used to convey his life on stage are entirely his own.  They are searingly honest and make no effort to hide the difficulties that plagued him from growing up in a household where his father abused his mother and sister, to his long struggle with heroin addiction where he recalls all those he has loved and lost to its draw.  It’s a raw piece that doesn’t rely on flowery language to tell its tale.  The actors are incredible, particular props to German-born Hannes Langolf who plays the title role of John.  Every ounce of his being tells John’s story and creates a connection with the audience that is hard to explain but unforgettable.

But it’s not all dark and it’s not just about John either.  The second half of the performance introduces other pivotal characters from sauna owners who talk frankly about what goes on behind closed doors to other sauna visitors – each one planning their visit with a number of outcomes in mind.  The dialogue – again the result of interviews – is candid, laugh-out-loud funny,  poignant.

Ultimately, no matter how alien John’s life may seem at times his story highlights that at our core we’re all just looking for love, whatever form it may take.  Since I saw the performance a couple of week’s ago I haven’t been able to get John’s story out of my head – so much so I’m going back for more tonight.  If you’ve not been to an NT Live screening have a check at their website where you can see if your local cinema is screening JOHN tonight.  It’s an amazing opportunity to witness incredible artistry from world class talent and because it’s totally live you see the performance at the same time as the theatre audience (for a fraction of the price!)

A word of warning: tonight’s screening of JOHN contains very adult themes, strong language and full frontal nudity.  It has not been recommended for audiences under the age of 18.

It’s a fantastic, bold performance that challenges preconceptions about a notoriously private world we might rarely get the chance to see.  I’d love to know what you think of the performance if you get the chance to see it.  Let me know where you are watching it from!xx