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THOUGHTS of HOUDINI

Monthly Archives: October 2010

THE YORK HOUSE

31 Sunday Oct 2010

Posted by Houdini in Day Trips, Simple Pleasures, Travels

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

19th century, alcohol, Crabtree & Evelyn, engraving, Gisela Grham, kitchen cabinet, Molton Brown, picture, shopping, sight-seeing, The Red House, train, Wild Hart, wine tasting, York, York Minster

The other day saw my beau and I celebrating his birthday over in York. This has become an ongoing tradition, that on both of our birthdays we take the train, over land and scape, to this great city. Despite raining when we left, it remained dry throughout the day in York and we were able to complete our usual mixture of shopping, sight-seeing and bargain hunting! We went to some of our favourite haunts: The French House on Micklegate, The Red House Antique Centre on Duncomble Place, Banana Warehouse on Piccadilly and Wild Hart on Stonegate.

Despite not being my birthday, I still managed to buy a few things for myself – or rather the flat.  From the Red House I bought an 18th century engraving and from Wild Hart I bought a Gisela Graham re-conditioned kitchen storage unit. Want to see?

What do you think? The former looks great in the bedroom whilst the cabinet looks excellent in the kitchen. I am very pleased with my purchases indeedy ;-) We also did some sightseeing, with the obligatory walk past the Minister and down the Shambles towards Cliffords Tower.  We also called in another little church and lit a candle for my late sister, whose birthday it also would have been that day.

We found a shop which sold vinegars, dressings and oils, wines, liquers and gins – all the alcohol of which you could sample on site. Well of course we did (!) – it would have been rude to have refused the shop assistant! We also doused ourselves in eau de cologne’s from Crabtree & Evelyn and Molton Brown – yep, we smelt like a brothel by the time we left York!

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HIGH FLYER

29 Friday Oct 2010

Posted by Houdini in Juice d'jour

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Tags

apple, beetroot, blood, carrot, energy, juice, juicer, spinach, vitamins

Great for boosting energy, blood-building and vitamin laden, this juice is also great for your brain whilst supposedly slowing skin aging. More importantly: it tastes delicious too!

You need: 6 spinach leaves,  3 carrots (pref unpeeled) 1 apple (unpeeled & uncored) & 1 beetroot (medium and unpeeled). Voila!

What a gorgeous way to start the day!

THE LAST OF THE CUCKOO

28 Thursday Oct 2010

Posted by Houdini in A weekend away, Catch Up, Last Cuckoo, Puppy

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

actors, berkshire, dad, dog, gardening, hospital, jack russell, Song, The Last Cuckoo, tour, yorkshire

https://houndini.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/making-time-new-tempo-alan-voc.mp3

This last week has seen the long-awaited arrival of ‘The Last Cuckoo’ performances. For anyone new to this blog –  this is a new show for which I was commissioned to write a song ‘Making Time (To Love)’. I have attached the slightly faster version of this tune that we eventually used within the show. So press the play button above and turn up your volume – LOUD!

I attended the premiere with much excitement, anticipation and (a little bit of) dread. The last time I had heard the song the actor had struggled somewhat with it – and I don’t mind admitting I left the final rehearsal a little worried. However, deep down I had faith in the actor – and indeed, live on stage he made the song his own – and delivered it with great passion on the night, albeit slightly different to how I had originally intended.

I recieved lots of positive feedback regarding the song – including from the actor himself who thinks I should be sending it on somewhere else to be released! If only it were that simple! It was also the first time that I had seen the show in its entirity – and I was very impressed by both the script and its delivery by the two actors. Find attached some screen shots from the play.

Both Paul and Olivia are such fine people and I had the pleasure of taking them to my local pub after the opening performance and post-soiree, to hear some live jazz. The show has since left Yorkshire and taken Berkshire by storm too. The short run is now complete – and now we must wait to see if any visiting theatres are interested in hiring the show. Regardless, I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of a production team again for the first time in many many years – and it’s been great to have one of my songs heard and appreciated by many people whilst sung by a great actor. It doesn’t get much better than that! 

Thanks for all your comments and well wishes regarding my dad too. Much to my relief, he is home from hospital – although still not completely well or back to his old self. He is to be referred as an out-patient for more tests – and we are also awaiting some ECG results tomorrow from the doctor. But it was great to go home at the weekend again and see him sitting in his own chair as opposed to a hospital ward. An old gentleman lay dying for a week across from him during his stay – and eventually died the afternoon that my Dad was discharged. There is nothing remotely rehabilitating about witnessing this during your own hospital stay amongst concerns over your own health and fate! For this reason alone, despite my belief that my dad was discharged too soon – I am glad he is at home at least, surrounded by his family and his possessions – and much needed peace and quiet!

Going home also meant spending some more time with Ben – who is still as gorgeous. My beau and I spent alot of time helping clear the garden ready for winter – so of course he was out there with us, burrowing holes and being oh-so-cute and naughty! Want to see a couple of new pics I took of him?

That’s it for now. It’s been my beau’s birthday and we’ve been out for the day – plus I’ve had some more market finds – all of which I’ll share with you next time. Until then, take care…

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: ETSY FINDS

20 Wednesday Oct 2010

Posted by Houdini in Etsy Finds, Wordless Wednesday

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Tags

BAG, BIRD, CASSETTE, CHAIR, CHOCOLATE, COFFEE, CORSET, cushion, Etsy, JAPANESE, PINSTRIPE, PLATE, ring, SOCKS, stamp, TAPE, WEDNESDAY, WORDLESS

TO MARKET, TO HOME, TO HOSPITAL, TO THEATRE, TO BED

19 Tuesday Oct 2010

Posted by Houdini in A weekend away, Catch Up, Houdini House, Last Cuckoo, To Market, Travels

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

hospital, Market, theatre

I thought I’d spend a little bit of time updating you all on what’s been happening lately. Nothing too exciting – but enough to take up all my time nonetheless.

I started the week going to see Judie Tzuke in concert live at the Lowry at Manchester’s Salford Quays. She was the lady that I talked about here in more detail. She was joined by her two daughters as backing singers and they entertained us for the night with her back catalogue of should-have-been hits.

The week got busier and more hectic with work commitments and my MA placement; involving lots of issues that both physically and emotionally challenged and drained me – and still is somewhat. My Dad has been unwell too – and on Friday morning was rushed into hospital to the emergency medical unit with suspected heart failure. His potassium and sodium levels within his blood are also inbalanced along with many other medically unstable things. I drove 100 miles south and spent the weekend with my Mum, taking her food shopping and visiting my Dad during the allocated times. He appears in high spirits and is doing great considering – so fingers crossed all will be well.

Of course, this also meant that I spent some additional time with Ben – and thankfully this visit he was more than happy to pose for the obligatory photographs. Wanna see? He followed me around constantly – and feel asleep on my knee at every opportunity – he really is so lovable and adorable. Cuddling up with Ben also made me feel so much better emotionally and spiritually.

I’ve also purchased a few lovely items from the local second hand market – including some pictures, some spats and some trinkets. A few of these items are for myself and others will eventually find their way into my Houdini House shop. I’ll share some photographs of these on another post soon.

I’ve also been to the final rehearsal for the ‘The Last Cuckoo’; – the song is, mostly, sounding good. The set is in position and the technical and dress rehearsals are now taking place – all before the opening night this Thursday! Exciting but scary stuff! So, that’s been my week in a small nutshell. I’ll drop by soon – as well as promising to try catch up on all your blogs. But for now, I’m off to bed as I’m knackered! ;-)

SONGBIRD (AKA CUCKOO ACTOR LEARNING HIS MUSIC!)

13 Wednesday Oct 2010

Posted by Houdini in Wordless Wednesday

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

actor, Music, paul copley, Song, The Last Cuckoo

JOURNEY TO THE BIG SMOKE

10 Sunday Oct 2010

Posted by Houdini in A weekend away, Last Cuckoo, Music, Travels

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

akram khan, ambassador, greenwich, London, rehearsals, sadlers wells, Song, st pauls, The Last Cuckoo

On Friday, I made my way down to the capital city for the first time in 6 years. It was a mixture of both business and pleasure, but ultimately I had gone there to work with the actor Paul Copley and teach him the song I had been comissioned to write for the show ‘The Last Cuckoo’.

Sitting on public trains is such a weird experience. I had a pre-booked seat which was a relief considering how busy the train was. But for the next 2 and a half hours I shared my space with a whole bunch of other commuters – none of which spoke – or appeared to have any social skills whatsoever. I sat and read but couldn’t help but people watch too. I jotted down 5 pages of notes about those around me; observations, remarks and questions! For example, if I HAD brought my laptop like I was going too – how on earth would I have been able to use it, when the table I was sitting at was almost taken up by the three other laptops in use by my fellow passengers! Laptop rage and envy was very much on display!

Another question: why do people talk so loudly on their mobile phones for such long periods of time when they are surrounded by people trying to sleep and read!? And why oh why don’t people put their phone on vibrate and carry it on their person so that they know when it’s ringing? I’m sure a contemporary piece of music was being created as each individual phone and text ringtone continuously assaulted the airwaves!

I sat opposite a man who ate fruit like he was a neanderthal man, ripping the flesh from his latest feast; a woman who kept looking at herself in the mirror and talking on the phone about her latest photo shoot – and another man who had 1 laptop and 2 mobiles phones on the go, all at the same time! I didn’t always feel the most comfortable, but I was highly entertained throughout to say the least! I couldn’t help but wonder who all of these people were and what were their stories?!

This all paled into significance as I reached London, hailed down a taxi and raced my way to Sadler’s Wells dance house. I was meeting two friends there as we had tickets to see Akram Khan’s ‘Vertical Road’ show – which was absolutely amazing!

I took the following from their website:  

Choreographed by Khan and performed by a world-class cast of dancers from across Asia, Europe and the Middle East, this new work features a specially commissioned score by long-term collaborator Nitin Sawhney. Khan draws inspiration from universal myths of angels that symbolise ‘ascension’ – the road between the earthly and the spiritual, the Vertical Road. Visually inspiring and spiritually profound, Vertical Road draws on the performers’ different cultural interpretation of the human odyssey. In Akram Khan’s words: “in a world moving so fast, with the growth of technology and information, I am somehow inclined to move against this current, in search of what it might mean to be connected not just spiritually, but also vertically“. Vertical Road draws inspiration from the Sufi tradition and the Persian poet and philosopher Rumi. Exploring man’s earthly nature, his rituals and the consequences of human actions, Vertical Road becomes a meditation on the journey from gravity to grace.

At 75 minutes long and no interval, I was completely transfixed for the whole period. Sadly I don’t have the technical vocabulary to describe the spiritual journey which occured, both within the show and for myself in many ways; but I was constantly moved and amazed by the dancers’ abilities and physical strength. 

From here we went to a nearby beautiful restaurant called ‘The Ambassador’ which had a European café feel complete with an informal and lively atmosphere. The food was great and the staff were really helpful and friendly. We stayed for the rest of the night here before returning to my friends house in Greenwich where I was staying. He kindly offered me the bedroom as a guest – as opposed to the sofa – which was great!!

In the morning, we walked through Greenwich Park, past the observatory and (foggy) views aross London, past the naval museum (where they are currently filming Pirates of the Carribean 4) and towards the tube station. Sadly I found a gorgeous little second hand/flea market en route, but I only had time to look at one stall as I had to get to my rehearsal. I arrived at Bethnal Green at 10am precisely and met the other members of the ‘Cuckoo’ production team and actors.

I worked all morning on the song with Paul, who has a great voice, excellent sense of rhythm and an amazing stage presence. He did the song justice and I was really pleased with how the rehearsal went. I am looking forward to seeing it in the context of the show. I stayed the rest of the afternoon, enjoying lunch with everybody and watching further rehearsals, before starting the journey back across London to Euston, train to Manchester – then last-leg across country to home. I returned with the show’s producer so at least we were able to chat for most of the journey, (which made the travelling pass much quicker and made it alot more enjoyable) – although I was still absolutely shattered by the time I got into my flat!

Sadly there had been no time to sightsee as such – although I saw several famous landmarks en route to other places – including the beautiful St Paul’s Cathedral, all lit up at night! Overall, an action packed and fun couple of days. I plan to return – and soon.

TIN CAT MEASURE

05 Tuesday Oct 2010

Posted by Houdini in Catch Up, etsy shop, Houdini House, Puppy, What's New?

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

assignment, cat, cigarette case, college, Market, measure, playing cards, ruler, tin

It seems like ages since I’ve been here!! So, what’s been happening?

Well OFSTED have been – and gone – PHEW! Most of the teaching and support within the college received a grade 2 (Good) although the management and other systems in place received a grade 3 – which is what we were awarded overall.  In their new graded scheme, 3 equals satisfactory! A word I hate, as it’s a non descript word that doesn’t necessarily mean either good or bad! This grade is fine, considering that based on some of our available data, the principal was concerned that we would receive a grade 4 (un-satisfactory!) We didn’t but the college, overall, needs to improve somewhat.

We are apparently below national benchmarks for retention and success although considerably higher than other school and colleges in the area. I was lucky – I wasn’t observed this time by the inspectors. However, for all of the time, effort, blood, sweat and tears I put into my lesson plans, schemes of work, resources, folders and other paperwork I was disappointed that none of it was seen! Oh well – that’s it for another 4 years for the ‘official’ inspection! We have internal observations that create similar feelings of stress – but we’re normally forewarned about these at least!

Sadly I found out that I had referred on my latest MA assignment so I have to re-write and re-submit various sections – which I’m quite unhappy about. However, it is the first time that this has happened within the whole MA so I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. I spoke to one of the tutors who informed me that it was almost there – but I needed to re-visit a few areas and tweak them so that it fully fits the assignment guidelines. Hopefully it will only be a couple of days work ;-(

I went home this weekend too – and had a lovely time helping my parents clean the house and sort the garden. I completely stripped and cleaned the whole pond filter system and put it away for the winter – which took hours, but a job that my parents can’t do themselves anymore, so time well spent. I also dusted the whole house, took my Mum food shopping as well as to see one of her friends for a couple of hours in the afternoon.  I also spent a huge amount of time with Ben the puppy, although he wasn’t very good at posing for his photograph this time – so I don’t have any really great ones to share with you! 

On the other hand, my cat Merlin was particularly happy to pose for snapshots yesterday, so I’ll include a few beautiful ones of her instead. Isn’t she gorgeous?!! 

I’ve also been taking pictures of new stock this last week, which is ready and waiting to be listed within my Houdini House Etsy shop. These include an old wooden fold out ruler, some Harry Potter antique specs, a 140 year old daguerreotype and a vintage metal cigarette tin – amongst many many others. What do you think? Watch this space for more news on their listing.

Am looking forward to going to London this weekend to teach ‘The Last Cuckoo’ actor my song – whilst taking in a dance show and a spot of bargain hunting at local markets. I will fill you in all of this on my return! Til then, I promise to have a catch-up on some of your blogs…I’ve been missing you all x

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