Today I did something I haven’t done in quite some time. Today I went to church. I can scarcely believe it myself but I made a deal with the big man upstairs that if he helped me to open a particularly stubborn jar of honey that I would go. He obliged so off I went.
I didn’t have to venture far before coming across a church and opted for St Paul’s. The service was quite different to what I’ve experienced at home but the congregation went out of their way to make me really welcome. After the service a lady from the choir came to say hello and was swiftly joined by a host of others welcoming me to their church. I don’t know if it’s somewhere I’ll go every week but I really appreciated the friendly faces that met me today. If this is what church is about it might well be something worth looking into.
Later on this afternoon I followed my flatmates’ recommendations and took a trip to Columbia Road Flower Market. What a treat! Now this is a market! The road was lined with flower sellers bantering back and forth and trying their hardest to make passers-by part with their cash. As I arrived just before closing time I was able to indulge in my favourite past time of haggling and with success! Here are some pics of my purchases in all the glory – made all the sweeter by the fact I got them that bit cheaper!
My bargain of the day: Reduced from £20 to £1! Now proudly adorning my bedroom wall!
Something exciting happened this week – the new Suspended Coffees website launched! If you haven’t heard of the idea before it hails from Italy where it’s common for Neapolitan coffee lovers to order an extra coffee with their morning caffeine kick. That coffee is essentially ‘banked’ so that someone else can enjoy it later. It could be a homeless person or someone who’s just having a bit of a hard day or is down on their luck for whatever reason. What a great idea!
In celebration of the new website launch the organisers challenged as many people as possible to buy a suspended cup of coffee today to try and grow the movement worldwide. I am very fond of this idea. In an age where our entire lives are documented online I’ve had the feeling lately that my generation in particular is becoming totally disconnected from real human interaction. We reach out to others online but rarely face to face and this initiative is a great way to combat that and generally learn to be a bit kinder to one another in the real world as well as the virtual one.
The website has a full list of participating cafes and I must confess I was totally shocked to see there were only 3 participating cafés in all of London. Since I moved here just over a week ago I have seen people in need everywhere I have gone. Homeless people huddled up together for warmth, seeking shelter in Tube stations and in need of food. Hopefully the scheme will grow here because it could make such a difference to a lot of people. I decided to visit one of the cafes already on board this afternoon and headed to Look Mum No Hands! on Old Street.
I entered the address into Citymapper and headed on my way. I’ve used the app a couple of times now and I have to say I have fallen out of love with it as swiftly as I fell for it. My ‘map’ took me through every hole in the bush and I felt as though I had walked the length and breadth of the city by the time I finally reached my destination.
Look Mum No Hands! is a bicycle lover’s paradise which even boasts a workshop while you wait and hosts bicycle maintenance workshops to keep you on two wheels more often than on two legs. I ordered my coffee(s) and enjoyed a lovely latte as cyclists descended after work to carb load before making their way home.
Unfortunately there was no signage anywhere to say that this location supports the suspended coffee scheme although the scheme itself is a relatively new concept here so I suspect most café owners are still trying to find their feet with this. I think the scheme will only work as it needs to if cafes are very open in their support of it. A big sticker in the window and a sign with a tally of how many suspended coffees are available is essential so that those in need are aware that it’s a service they can avail of and those able to buy an extra cuppa know they can do so. The fact that this café has signed up in support of the movement is brilliant and should be applauded. They just need to tell people they are doing it! So far, the suspended coffees movement has grown online and that is great. But how many homeless people do you know that have access to the internet? It can only work if the people who will most benefit actually know about it.
Do you know of a local café that might be able to get involved with the scheme? It’s a win-win situation for local businesses because the coffees are already paid for and as a patron it’s great to support a business that aims to help those in need within their community. They just need to make people aware that, should they need a cuppa, it’s there for them. As Suspended Coffees says, it’s about more than the coffee.
The last few days have seen me totally and utterly consumed with – and by – film. I’ve been busy editing my own short film – which is finally finished! HURRAH! I cried when I watched the finished product although I’m not entirely sure if I was crying in relation to the content or from sheer relief that I’d managed to edit down over 90 mins of footage to 8 minutes. I’d love to be able to share it here with you right now but you’ll have to sit tight a little longer I’m afraid. I have played the most beautiful song throughout the film but I still need to get the ok from the artist / artist’s management team before I can officially use it. I appreciate your patience and I hope you’ll find it worth the wait when I can finally share it!
Megan Boyd Photo Credit: The Scotsman
On Friday night I took a race across town to the Institute of Contemporary Arts to see a documentary by Eric Steel called Kiss The Water. It was a film about a famous craftswoman hailing from a little town named Brora in the Scottish Highlands. Her name was Megan Boyd and she became world renowned as the woman whose flies made salmon bite. Now I’ve never been much, if anything, of an angler so this may come as a surprise choice for my Friday night viewing. However, I watched the trailer and was so intrigued, as was film maker Steel who became inspired to document this woman’s life after reading her obituary in the New York Times. She was definitely a woman who danced to the beat of her own drum. She cut her own hair, wore a tie and was regularly mistaken for a man thanks to her unique dress sense as well as her approach to driving and car repairs. This was a woman I wanted to know more about and I wasn’t disappointed with what I saw.
Megan’s story was touchingly retold through the meticulous tying of flies to which she so painstakingly dedicated her life. Beautiful moving images thanks to talented animator Em Cooper brought her work to life and gave an insight into the emotion that went into each of Boyd’s creations. Em was actually in the audience during my screening which was pretty exciting and got a big round of applause from her fans, friends and family at the end of the film. A well-deserved acknowledgement and a very sweet touch!
Here’s a peek at the trailer:
On Saturday I went back to the ICA for more. This time I went with a friend to see a number of short films from the London Short Film Festival under the umbrella ‘Teenage Girls Gone Crazy!’ While the content of the films wasn’t always to my taste I was really impressed by the craftsmanship that had gone into each of the shorts and I came away feeling very inspired to create. My favourite film was a bit of light relief from Sharon Horgan entitled ‘The Week Before Christmas’. Maybe I was feeling a little homesick or maybe I was just in need of a bit of a giggle but Horgan’s ode to teenage love did the trick.
The festival is running at various locations throughout London until 19 January should you be in the vicinity. Tickets available for purchase on the ICA website.
The week got off to an emotional start involving 2 vacuum bags, one suitcase and a feather duvet. Note to those charged with marketing the sale of said vacuum bags: they are NOT the miracle workers you claim! They can only fit so much and no matter how hard the vacuum cleaner sucks the air out my items it will never compress as much as I need them to. Cue a number of hissy fits, a lot of coffee and a door or two slammed shut in frustration. I know, I’m an arse but I don’t do well travelling light and when it comes to moving your life across the sea it’s very difficult condensing 30 years worth of crap into a 23kg baggage allowance!
My final day at home is here and there’s little more to do than pack my life away into a couple of suitcases before heading to the mainland tomorrow afternoon. Wee buns, eh what? Hmm…
My last few days at home have been a real treat. I’ve managed to see lots of friends, meeting for coffees and drinks – a great opportunity to catch up and say ‘So long (for now)’ properly. A less positive experience for my liver and sleep patterns but totally worth it nonetheless!
Not looking too shabby, considering it’s kicking out time!
Last night, I got a great offer on tickets for a satirical review show of 2013 which was on at the Lyric Theatre in town. It covered everything from ‘fleg’ protests to politicians not declaring expenses and other discrepancies to planning permission and the peace process. It was entirely NI-focused so those not from these shores would probably have missed the local humour. You’ll just have to take my word for it: it was brilliant! It was the perfect final dose of Norn Iron wit I needed to last until I’m next home for a visit. If you’re a local to these parts the show’s running for another few days. Use the promo code ‘Hangover’ when you’re booking your seat to get a 2 for 1 deal if the offer’s still on.
I’ll leave you with a little video from the Forget Turkey cast, aptly entitled Interested in working in the media?
Notepad at the ready – I need all the tips I can get! 😉
Tales of adventure 