Easter in England

It's been a while so, as you can imagine, this post is likely to be a bit of a mixed bundle. In short, I've been super busy with deadlines and, therefore, have been avoiding anything unrelated. I've actually been in England for the last week too so every moment that isn't university related has been spent with family or friends. Or sleeping. Or in the bath. I really hate showers. Anyway, that aside!

The other day I managed to go to another gig. I'd wanted to catch Tracer when they played in the Netherlands but, sadly, the venue was really tricky to get back from (and Thijs was boring and wouldn't go with me!) so I figured I'd have to give them a miss. Then I saw they were playing Exeter - the area I grew up in - on Good Friday when I would just so happen to be in the country. I somehow bullied my best friend into coming with me despite not knowing them.

I had planned on meeting up with Aimee a fair bit before hand and we had both planned individually (although we never discussed it!) to get cocktails before the show. Annoyingly, I spent the entire day stuck in traffic and was super, super late. Seriously, you fly over from Amsterdam and it's the journey through Bristol that causes issues! That aside, I think we had an awesome evening!

So, my usual ramblings about the music...

The first warm up was actually a band that I'd stumbled across a couple of weeks ago (max) and been pretty much chain listening to since, Everyday Circus. They're quite a new band from Germany and their music has a really beautiful rock sound. It's got that edge that makes it stand out. I found out that they were supporting Tracer early on Thursday morning - coincidences do happen! They didn't let down with their live performance either and I will certainly be keeping an eye on further concerts. I will talk more about them in a moment.

#Exeter! You guys were awesome ❤️now #offto #aufnach #southampton #talkingheads #wftdtour it's gonna be the last show of...
Posted by Everyday Circus on Saturday, 26 March 2016

The second warm up - the band that I thought was the only warm up until a couple of days before - was Federal Charm. I'd had a quick listen to their music before seeing them, as I always try to, and I'd liked it well enough but I was generally underwhelmed. There was nothing that really caught my attention. However, live... oh my goodness what a show! There was a great energy, the music was great the musicians super talented and it was generally good fun... I've yet to try re-listening to the CDs - maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset when I tried before. Either way, I loved their set and would see them again without a moment's doubt.

Exeter thanks for making our 3rd visit to your kind city amazing. You were unbelievable tonight. We hope to see all you...
Posted by Federal Charm on Friday, 25 March 2016

And then on to Tracer - the reason I went to the show. Unsurprisingly, they were quite wonderful. You know a band is high energy when the front row moves several feet back from the front of the stage during the first song in order to ensure they don't get hit over the head with a bass guitar neck! I'm pretty sure I've already commented on the fact that Tracer is made up of very talented musicians who also happen to be lovely people, from the little I've spoken to them, so I won't go into that here. It was, as I've mentioned, Aimee's first time seeing the band and she was singing along by the end so I think that went pretty well. 

http://www.bjwok.com

Posted by Tracer on Saturday, 26 March 2016

As you can probably tell from the above, I didn't take photos myself but if you go onto the band facebooks (links below) there are photos... I look bored in most of them which I assure you was not the case!!

Meeting Tracer after the Show

After the show I went to get my scrapbook paintings signed. To start with, as usual, I only did one for the band I had booked to see (i.e. Tracer) but, after finding out that they were doing warm up, I had stayed up late to do one for Everyday Circus. Lucky I realised they were playing before turning up really! Anyway, it was so worth it because they were so sweet about the painting and, aside from that, they were lovely to talk with, polite as well as great musicians. It was a bit overwhelming for me though because, as I seem to say quite a lot nowadays, my scrapbook paintings are just little things I do for myself and when they get attention it's bizarre (in a lovely way).

Meeting Everyday Circus after the show

Yesterday, I was supposed to be at the Glastonbury Medieval Fayre but, with the weather being blooming miserable, I gave it a miss. It's a shame because I go each year but oh well. Instead I went out for a super meal. If you happen to be in the Exeter area then try The Blue Ball Inn - their food is so good, locally sourced and fresh. It's also a very reasonably priced for the quality.

After that it was the long drive back to Birmingham (where my parents live). We decided to do a bit of a scenic route through Cheddar Gorge. Seriously, that place amazes me no matter how often I see it. It's a shame how commercial it is around there though. Burrington Combe is just a bit further along and seems a little less touristy, although it is still popular.

And today I'm at my parent's house in Birmingham. I've booked flights for my next trip - this time to Venice - and I've drunk a fair amount of mead. The latter will account for any strangeness in this post! I'm now waiting for what promises to be a glorious meal to cook! Sadly, tomorrow it's back to The Netherlands and back to work.... that is, if Storm Katie doesn't cause my flight to be canceled!

And before someone comments on the above: I do really like The Netherlands, I just like my family, friends, not having to work/cook etc too ;-)


Oh and, before I forget, Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it! And to those who don't, happy Sunday anyway <3



Information on the bands:
Everyday Circus: Website, Facebook, YouTube
Federal Charm: Website, Facebook, YouTube
Tracer: Website, Facebook, YouTube

Rain, friends, and cakes

What a couple of days!

I managed to go down to Devon for a few days to meet up with Nené and give her the present I’d made for her 18^th birthday and also to get my Extended Project dissertation off Haydon.

It was so, so good to be back, if rather strange. My mother and I actually stayed in the hotel that we lived in most of the time when we were going through our nomadic stage. I cannot tell you how strange that was. The staff were really happy to see us, which was lovely. The new manager (well, technically she was away on maternity when we were there and has since returned so she’s not really new!) seemed to know a lot about us so guessing we’re pretty notorious hehe

I might not have been able to photograph
Nené but I did photograph cakes!

Meeting Nené on the Monday was quite wonderful. I didn’t manage to take any photos because it was bucketing down with rain (incidentally, I found out that my boots leak) but I don’t really care because it’s been so long since I last saw her! We mooched a lot, chatted a lot. It was lovely. It was also nice to be with someone who appreciates my musical theatre obsession interest. Hopefully it won't be long until I get to see her again.

It was also great to see Haydon again, having not seen him since I finished college. Of course, he insisted on buying me drinks (one day I will manage to buy him a drink!) It seems like he's getting on pretty well even if his university are causing havoc. He also brought me down my dissertation which he kindly picked up for me and put up with me reading all the marker's comments while we were supposed to be socialising. What a lovely chap!

They're heavier than they look!

As Haydon and I were wrapping up I got a bit of a surprise as he said he was going to go and get a tattoo done... rather him than me! Anyway, I faced my fears and actually walked into a tattoo studio just to see Tegan, another college friend, for a brief moment as she is now doing a  tattoo apprenticeship (and did his tattoo in the end but there was no way I was hanging around for that!)

The drive home was pretty hectic. It was sad to see how weather bashed my old area of the country has been and, naturally, the weather made the drive a bit tricksy. Nature couldn't help but send a reminder that, while she might be a bit harsh at times, she's an amazing, beautiful thing.

An eventful few days

On Monday, after singing, I went down to Exeter to collect my exam certificates from college. It was really strange to be back in the old building, walking the same old routes, yet without one familiar face along the way. I can't say I miss college but I do miss some of the people who I met there very much.

There's something slightly anticlimactic about
holding the certificates but all the same!

I also spent most of the day yesterday in Exeter itself with my mother doing some Christmas shopping and generally lurking. First stop was John Lewis to look at a DSLR camera that I'm hoping to receive for Christmas. After a fair old while of photography with compact cameras only I've given in and decided to invest in a 'proper' camera. I'll be honest and say that I'm still not 100% happy with it but my aims are getting increasingly ambitious and I'm getting more and more frustrated with the limitations of the compact camera. Anyway, this wasn't supposed to be a camera rant!

I was especially happy to see that the Christmas Market was up and running on the Cathedral Green, especially as I had read it opened on the 1st of December! It was a lovely surprise. I was also remembered by a couple of the stall holders... I must have spent way too long there last year! It was so lovely to see people having fun together. One college aged girl walked past saying to her friends "I can't help it, I just love Christmas!" while a young boy ran up to a statue of Santa and tried to take a gift from his bag. There was an all round excitement and that is what makes Christmas so special.

I forgot to take photos at the market so have a shoddy
photo of a half eaten cake I bought there instead ;-)

When darkness fell mother and I sat down in a hastily constructed bar tent (which was blasting Michael Jackson songs) and had a glass of Glühwein each. You can blame 'Tascha for that because she was the one who started us drinking it! It was here that I logged into facebook, meaning to message 'Tascha although I never did, and found the following in my update feed:

Post by RASTABAN.

Well, that was unexpected. I write reviews here for my friends or for my own reference and never expect them to be read by anyone else, least of all the person/band I was writing about. I was so touched by what was written though and say, yet again, that this just goes to show that Rastaban are not only a band full of wonderful musicians but lovely people too. If you still haven't listened to them go and listen now!

The other thing that happened that day was on the way back to the car I stopped and chatted to a homeless gentleman. This was something I used to end up doing quite a lot in Exeter and I forgot how worthwhile it was. In the end my mother gave him some money and he gave her an origami crane that he had made. As we walked away he shouted after us: "God bless!". We'll probably never meet again but for those few minutes our lives crossed and it was beautiful.

A joyous week

Well, I have to find some way to keep both Teddy and
myself amused when staying in Travelodges, right?

The last week has been simply wonderful. The (undisclosed) family issues are ongoing but the events of the last seven days have managed to prevail and I have had a fantastic time. Happy October is winning ;-)

As I wrote a few days ago, I managed to see Reckless Love again last week, which was a wonderful evening but just as importantly, if not more so, I got to meet up with Kim and Ola. Although I had only met them once before (and had only briefly met Ola, in reality), it was wonderful to see them again. Kim had been exceptionally kind to Aimee and I last year (I don't think that she knows how to be anything but kind!) and both she and Ola are great fun so that was a great start to my 'social week'.

However, it remained special as I met Pam, a Thai penpal of mine, who is now living and studying in Exeter. Friday was the first time for us to meet face to face and I can only say that I am so pleased that I have met her. She is sweet and lovely, although of course I already knew that! I was also really pleased that she is settling into life in Exeter, and in England generally. Can't wait to see her again!

Pam and I by Exeter Cathedral. Taken on
her phone by some other girls. :-)

And then, here's the bonus, my mother decided to book an extra night in Exeter, Lloyd phoned me randomly and we arranged a brief meet up too as he just so happened to be back from university. What a case of right place right time! He also introduced me to Nandos and I can say that it gets my seal of approval.

I'm now back in Birmingham, for a while, and attempting to get some paintings done ready to sell. Problem is that I keep getting distracted and painting things for myself (i.e. scrapbooking). The light in the Travelodge room is too bad to paint now so I have an excuse to be blogging ;-)

Until later!