A Trip Down the Garden Path

There's a bit of excitement happening at the moment called the 'Brighton Festival'. It comprises of pretty much a month's worth of entertainment and activites all over the city, including things like: tours, comedy shows, dance, theatre, author workshops, light shows, performances, fairs, street parades, singing, guest speakers and the list goes on. You could go to a number of things each day and not see it all, it's immense!

One of the lovely things that is also happening is the Artists' Open Houses.  I went along to one area of open houses on Sunday, and had just a delightful afternoon.  Glenny petered out halfway, but I was still going strong at 5pm when they finished.

The idea is that people offer rooms in their houses for the weekends in May. Usually only the downstairs rooms, and these are often houses of the artists or of friends. They move out a lot of their furniture and make space for art to be displayed on the walls, tables over couches (for textiles), etc, etc. Each house displays the work of about 5 or 6 artists.  Members of the public are invited in to wander through the rooms, talk to the artists, and purchase some art work too (most on display is for sale).  It is such a beautiful idea. I liked to see how people arranged their home and to look at the pretty little back gardens and of course the art was amazing.

Many of the houses sold homemade treats and some even had tables and chairs in their garden so you could rest with a cuppa and cake.  Divine. 

I had a ball.  I even bought two pieces for art - I think I might cultivate a collection: I have an illustration of Little Red Riding Hood and a lino print of a dancing lady.  I feel very cultured. So much so that I will head off to another area next weekend for a look.  There are about seven areas in total, I think I may only get to two though - so much to see so little time, as the saying goes.

Here are a few snap shots of the lovely afternoon. I didn't take any inside the houses (except for the one of the staircase)  I think I'd feel a bit awkward photographing someone's masterpiece.  I'll let you imagine!

Banners to show the open houses

Lovely facade, some of these homes are three stories

I had a slice of lemon drizzle cake - devine. I am in the process of baking my own at this very minute, if it turns out nice I'll pass on the recipe

Glen's scones with cream and homemade jam

Pretty back garden where we ate our treats

A staircase I'd love to have, maybe one day

Herb and veggie garden out the front

Don't see flowers like this round the 'ville

English Rose

Just thought I'd put up this lovely pic of Devil's Dyke just outside Brighton.  We've been for a drive there a few times.  It's always windy and cold.  It's a lovely sight though and the valley is so steep and deep. 

There's this shop down the road called Sports Direct. It's a sports store, non unlike those at home: Amart Allsports and Sportscene.  Glen had been talkng about it a bit, he'd go down there every now and again and was always be pleased with a little bargain he'd picked up (snow gloves for £3, an Adidas soccer ball for £5, Airwalk caps for £4 pounds each, etc). So when Eder arrived it was only natural that the extent of their shopping would be this sportstore.

And now they are addicted. 

Evey few days they come home with bulging glossy white 'Sports Driect' bags, containg bargain pants, shorts, shirts and even shoes.  I must say, the prices are very good and I have two pairs of exercise shorts of my own (Lonsdale - because I'm such a pro boxer - ha ha), however I really don't know how they keep finding new stuff.

They were particuarly chuffed at their purchases on Thursday - new soccer boots.  With bright eyes and excited voices they told Loz and I how much they'd saved on these very good boots that would have cost SO much more at home.  I don't really mind much, Glen could spend money on worse things (like the sideshow alley on the pier - such a rip off and no more stuffed toys needed, but that's another story).  Besides, he puts up with my crafty obsession and that's one mean feat.

Them shoes be a'shining!

Wowee, it's been a while. Well really only a little over a week. But in all honesty blogging can become very addictive, and I've been feeling like a slacko as blogging good ideas pop into my head, only to join the queue halted by my laziness.  Well it shall be no more... at least for the time being.  So, grab a cuppa, put your legs up, hold on tight and away we go!

A jolly good long weekend in Amsterdam was had by  Lozza, Eder, Glenny and I. We headed over on the car ferry then drove the four hours up to the Netherlands.  I fancied myself the cleverest trickster when I told our guests that we'd be staying in wagonettes like the gypsies and travelling showies of old. Yet on our search for the caravan park, home to said wagonettes, it was as if fate had a hand in scaring the bejesus out of me for my fib. We drove past a yard full of the oldest timber wagons you can imagine, hand painted all over with flowers set amongst wild jungle of what looked like an artist/hippy commune.  There were rusted out cars, tarpaulins strung between trees and hubcaps hanging off the fence.  All of this sat behind a large sign that said 'Camping Zeeburg' (our accommodation), and to my relief 'turn left' in smaller font.  We headed round the corner to a lovely little camping grounds leaving that nightmare behind, to take up in our jolly little wagonettes. 





Basic but comfortable.  We set off for a drive after that to see if we could spot a field of tulips.  Ha ha, funny though, we should have realised with the weather being sweltering hot that there'd be not a tulip left. And indeed it was true. Unseasonably warm weather had meant that the tulips had not lasted as long into May as usual.  We did sneaky photo a few in someone's backyard though:

You can even stop by the side of the road to buy your Dutch tulip bulbs.  Lozza almost succumbed...

So no tulip gazing for us, much to the disappointment of the gentlemen in the car. 
The next few days we caught the tram into central Amsterdam.  Relatively easy for non-speakers of the language, yet I always feel bad when I don't know even a word to communicate in the language of the country.  Note to self: learn a few basics before we head somewhere else, English speakers don't rule the world you know, though I'm sure some would like to try... :)

Loz and I visited what remains of Anne Frank's house.

This is the only pic we could take, no photos allowed inside, so I'll recount a little for you.

While the building has been clearly renovated on the outside, and possibly a little on the inside as well, they have done a great job of trying to replicate all that once was the factory and then the secret home of the Franks. Even down to the wall paper of the secret rooms in the annex.

Otto Frank ran a jam making factory in this building, but when world war two broke out and Jews were being taken from their homes, he masterminded a little plan to keep his family safe.  He signed the ownership of the factory over to someone else and enlisted the help of a few workers to keep his family's presence a secret.  Many of you know the story of the secret rooms (the annex) behind the swinging cupboard.  We were able to move behind the cupboard and up the stairs to the rooms that once sheltered the Frank family.  The Frank family spent days quietly hidden upstairs and were able to sneak down into the factory at night. It was a really strange experience to wander through the empty rooms that once served as a safe place for this fearful little family. They had little model reconstructions on display of how the rooms looked, and even had re-hung the wallpaper that had all the little pictures Anne had stuck up to make her little space a little nicer.  That was a real eye opener, to gaze upon the images hung by little Anne, about 80 years ago as her family were forced to shelter themselves from the wrath of such an evil man (namely, Hitler).  How brave the Frank family were.

It was during this time (of about two years) in hiding, that Anne wrote her famous diary, of which there were a few.  Initially the diaries were for herself only; however, when it was broadcast over the radio one night that people should prepare good copies of their writings of the war to provide insight into their experiences for generations to come, Anne spent days carefully copying her entries out in the hope of one day getting them published.

To think of spending days inside the rooms, not to go outside, no chance to feel the sun on your face, or the wind through your hair, no chance to run and laugh out loud, as children should, my heart feels so sad at what this family was put through along with the many other families who may not have been so lucky.



I really got a lot out of this museum, what a powerful experience.  Lozza even bought the book to read, which makes me think she found it an equally poignant experience.  I know at Kirwan this book is on the reading list, for year 9 I believe, I hope I will be able to teach it one day because my experience at the museum has certainly given me a whole new level of appreciation for Anne's story. 

Beyond history, Amsterdam offers much more.

Canals...

Shopping...

Wooden clogs...

Famous sign...

Touristy activity brochures.....THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR!!!....


The microwave cafe: pay your money, it heats up and hey presto, you have a hamburger...
Lauren coffee for Lauren...

This is what beer is made of, well some of it: hops, barley and... something else...

Glen grinding the barley

Taste testing time

Glenny starring in a Dutch video, singing a traditional song, classic!

We have some very special guests at our  place.  It was a lovely feeling walking home from work today, knowing my sis and her husband would be there when I arrived. I think my legs walked the fastest they ever have, I even gained a few little blisters on the soles of my feet as proof of this.

We have some very welcome house guests with us, and we look forward to their 2 week stay. 

Lozza says I'm hogging the microphone, so I'll hand it over...

Hello everyone, its nice to be here and to see where Stacey and Glen live. We are looking forward to the next few weeks with lots of things planned.

Oh shy are we? it's alright Lozza, I'll rope you into this at least once more before you leave.

here are a few pics of our afternoon:

Glen the gladiator - Eder's so not scared! BTW this is his very cool purchase from Rome

My sister sister (do you remember the song?)

Enjoying a nice drink, lemonade for the mummy!

First time they've seen each other in 4 months and......they're bonding over the playstation

Lozza and Eder are arriving in 2 days.  I'm very excited.  No, I'm super excited. I'm currently counting time in '____days 'til their arrival'.

Yet I wonder how homesick it's going to make me? I already think far too much about our puppy dogs.  And I drive Glen crazy with my exclamation of 'Oh, Missy and Harvey' (said in a high pitched, drawn out voice, full of longing) every time we see a dog.  Do you think it's crazy that I say it now when we see cats too?  The closest I have to a pet over here is a black cat a few doors down.  He's fluffy and beautiful. He is usually out at night, sitting on the front steps. I think he likes me.  Every time I walk past I'm secretly sad when he's no there.  When he is there, I make a little noise and he comes over for a pat. I have honourably named him Mr Puss Puss. Just don't get me started talking about family and friends....

Back to L and E. Glen just booked a little 4 day trip to the Netherlands this weekend. Did you know that Holland is not the correct name of the country? That name only encompasses part of the country.  Anyway, off we will go. My rough ideas for our trip goes something like this:

-Visit tulips - hopefully they're still in flower!
-Van Gogh museum
-Anne Frank's house and museum. Apparently her real diary is there!
-Heineken museum
-Clog museum and windmills
-Bike riding

There's probably more and I'm sure the boys will have their own plans, but that's all I've got so far. We're piling into Edy again and heading across on the ferry. Only 50 pounds return for 4 people. 12.50 each!  Bargain.

Well Glen's finished the stirfry now and it's 8:15 and still quite light outside.  CRAZY.

Missing home lots - can you tell?

Stace x

Is it day or is it night? What time of day do you think these photos were taken?..............................

You can still see the sun on the roofs across from us

The garden out the back - not ours :( The sun's moving down behind the roof tops

8pm! Yup, Glen just said to me, 'it's about time we had dinner hey?' I thought He must be hungry -  wants to eat early. I turned my head to look at the clock and realised it was 8pm. Geez Louise, talk about playing with your head. And you can see the sun's not even ready to go down yet.  It feels almost like it should be 4pm. Apparently in the height of summer it's still light at 10pm.  Not sure if my brain can handle that! Ask my mum, I'm a night owl through and through, but what does a night owl do when there's no night? I'm not waiting until 10pm to enact my night owl habits, that's just ridiculous!

Ok, that title is a bit of an exaggeration. It was really my eyes looking into a cardboard periscope thingy above the heads of five rows of people as the Windsors and co. zoomed past in their shiny grey non-descript Bentleys, and of course the odd horse dawn carriage or two.

What an atmosphere. One of the local magazines was giving away free flags, and pay tv had produced cardboard periscopes complete with real mirrors. So almost everyone had something to wave and some way to see. You can imagine the sea of Union Jacks that greeted the royals on the way to and from the Abbey.

We arrived at about 8:30 in the morning and it was already pretty crazy. People rushing to the ellusive perfect spot', which proved futile since some had been camped out at the front for up to 3 days! So we were happy with our spot 5 rows back, on the step of the footpath, down from Westminster. 

We didn't have to wait long before cars started zooming by, the back windows darkened, to obviously hide the identity of guests. More cars and buses.  Then.... the royals! Here are a few of our best shots, taken by photographer Glen:

The Queenie!

The beautiful bride!

 It was great that the ceremony was broadcast in the streets. It made the waiting a whole lot more bearable. Huge cheers when the vows were exchanged and lots of singing along to the the hymns and songs.  I thought it was pretty special that the royals were willing to share this event with the whole nation. Some would say that they have an obligation to do so, being leaders of the people and destined to live a public life anyway.  Yet it could have been easy for them to organise a very private affair. I know, I know, the tourism boost, revenue raiser and all the rest of it.  But still, it was nice that the whole world was invited to witness this special occasion, through some means or another.  Everyone loves a wedding, don't they?

Here are some good pic of their departure from the Abbey, heading down Whitehall, then Pall Mall, to Buckingham Palace.

Soldiers to begin the royal procession

The married couple     The parents of the married couple, you can see Carole and Camilla All the pomp and pagentry And the balcony...

It was a lovely day, and well worth the hassle. Kate was even kind enough to let me try on her ring - what a darling!