Abstracts of a Twenty-something

Handmade Claudia

2010-08-29T13:04:00.014+01:00

Most people who know me agree that two of my major passions in life are food and making things. I love handmade things and wherever possible will make things myself or buy handmade things from sellers local to the place I am in. Most of my money gets spent on things to make, such as material, yarn, equipment, magazines and patterns, and things that generally inspire me.

Yesterday, a very exciting thing happened. Birmingham's first city centre Handmade Market was launched by the very brilliant Creative Open Workshops hosting a number of brilliant artists and crafters. The Handmade Market provides a valid city centre forum for local artists and sellers which appeared to benefit from a huge amount of footfall in the area, and hopefully with a weekly changing offering of products and art, will be a lasting addition to the existing Birmingham markets. I'm even in discussions with a milliner and a papercrafter that I met at the Market yesterday to host a stall together in the coming months.

It finally feels that Birmingham is beginning to recognise the crafting talent that it is home to right in the city, along with the success of Created in Birmingham earlier this year, and the linked project This is Birmingham, which I understand is due to open this year. It really is inspiring, and a long time coming behind the success that pockets of London, Bristol and Glasgow have been enjoying for a long time. Also, the nice people at Created in Birmingham ran a competition to win tickets to Moseley Folk Festival for Sunday 5 September, and I won!!

Now, on to my handmade interests... I am starting to make Christmas presents. I have 8 birthdays coming up before Christmas, but they can fit in amongst the Christmas presents. I actually cast on for my first Christmas present yesterday which I can't go into because the person it is for may read this blog! So here are some photos of things that I have made relatively recently...

A shawl I made for my Mom's birthday back in May.
A coffee cup holder I use ALL THE TIME at work (we have those silly paper cups, no kettle and no sink).

A stitch holder I made with memory wire and beads.

A mini scarf complete with buttons, ready for autumn. Just seen: Knitting for Dummies - my bible.

A huge pashmina knitted in a gorgeous gorgeous Manos yarn I bought from a store in San Francisco.
A cute little purse I whipped up one Sunday afternoon as a birthday present for my cousin, which she still hasn't received, despite her birthday being at the start of the month... Oops.

Birmingham... The Second City of Culture?

2010-08-15T19:23:00.001+01:00

I'm very keen on culture, in all shapes and forms... Pop culture, high culture, craft culture, travel culture - there's more than you'd think! I wrote this article for a newspaper however considering the topic isn't super current, it's unlikely to get published. So I thought I'd post it here instead...

It’s been almost a month since Birmingham was yet again denied a cultural crown, this time in the form of the UK Capital of Culture 2013, which was awarded to Londonderry. This appears to be becoming a trend, after our loss at the 2008 European Capital of Culture... Some will say that we don’t need a title, and that Birmingham is great as it is, and others will say we desperately do need such a label because otherwise Birmingham will collapse and cave in on itself. Perhaps not in so many words, but the thought process is surely there. I have one question for those pessimists out there overlooking Birmingham’s wealth of culture; really?

Yes, it would be nice if Birmingham had won the title, and the prestige and the investment that would have come with it. However, we should not let the loss we have endured overshadow the fantastic range of cultural offerings we have here in the Second City, that are the result of Birmingham’s passion for diversity and culture. We may not have a national branch of The Science Museum or The National Gallery, but we do have nationally recognised exhibits displayed in great spaces. The Ikon Gallery, housed in the Victorian Oozells Street School, is forever exciting with ever changing, interesting exhibits and a lively schedule of events. And it’s all free. Free, world class culture, in Birmingham!

Besides the usual things people consider when thinking of culture in Birmingham, such as the Hippodrome Theatre, we have an abundance of places and groups that rarely get a look in. The Jewellery Quarter, with it’s huge array of silver and goldsmiths, and history leaking from the streets has only recently become a tourist destination, and I bet a surprising number of Birmingham natives won’t yet have explored what could be Birmingham’s heritage quarter. The recent renovation of the Midlands Art Centre has seen the return of another independent cinema, a theatre, performance spaces, gallery and a jam packed education schedule be delivered to the people of the (former) West Midlands region, in the lush setting of Cannon Hill Park. Amongst others, we have the oldest working cinema in the UK in the form of The Electric; a free Museum and Art Gallery, with the largest collection of Pre-Raphelites and now hosting the Staffordshire Hoard; and a Central Library that is the source of energetic local debate. Those are all pretty great, especially as not everyone agrees on the old or new library. Now, besides that, we have marvellous free and local events held around the city, for so many different causes and cultures. The summer food fair; the German Christmas Market; Artsfest; the Dance Festival; to name just a few...

These all have the ability to introduce new cultures into the City of Birmingham, whilst bringing people together, which should go hand in hand with culture – would it be culture if there was nobody there to respond to it? I could go on describing the various cultural entities already in existence in Birmingham, especially in terms of less conventional culture, which Created in Birmingham and numerous grass roots community groups have built on and presented to a much wider audience. BUT that would probably fill a heavy book. The point is Birmingham is chock full of culture. And we don’t need a title to know that. Embrace the culture around you. Just because we lost does not mean that the culture we have becomes of less value. Perhaps it becomes more valuable. We are not to take it for granted, because we are those that must enhance and nurture it. There is no culture without people, but there is culture without a title. Be proud of our City of Culture, Birmingham, because it will always be ours.

Birmingham is the UK’s Second City. It has always been and despite others attempts, it will always be. As David Clarke, chairman of Birmingham Civic Society, stated on hearing that Londonderry had been awarded Capital of Culture, “Birmingham is still the country’s greatest cultural asset outside London. You’ve only got to look at the diversity of our cultures to recognise that fact.”

Edinburgh

2010-03-16T19:37:00.007Z

So, Ben and I took a mini trip to Edinburgh and we saw some lovely things. I have been to Edinburgh before but never really appreciated how beautiful it is, and what an impressive history!

What we noticed, and liked so much, was how vertiginous parts of the city is. The street in the photo above led to George VI Bridge, which had an abundance of good places to eat, and The Royal Mile, which was as marvellous as everyone says it is. I'd love to visit in festival time.

Anyway, similar to my experiences in San Francisco, it was a city that I could really see myself living in - their approach to food, drink and arts really sat well with me. Edinburgh has an amazing cafe culture, with countless independent cafes in and around the city that turn into great bars in the evening. I yearn for these things in Birmingham - great unique shops and cafe bars. We do have some excellent pubs and some innovative people in the city that want to make some exciting things happen, but everything's just pretty generic...

Of course, what helped was an excellent knitting store - K1 Yarns stocks some amazing gorgeous yarns, looks beautiful and they have freshly baked brownies for you to sample! Although tempted by a sock package, I was very restrained and bought some yarn to make some fingerless gloves... perfect timing now it's Spring!

Knit knit knit knit knit

2009-09-17T19:41:00.007+01:00

Following on from my previous post, the knitting bug has come back in full force and as such I attended the iKnit Weekender at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London last weekend, really by chance but I am immensely pleased that I did go. So. Much. Yarn. And so many other lovely things and lovely people! It gave me huge amounts of inspiration and I set about completing my first ever knitted soft toy.

Behold... Harris.

Ok, he's a bit wonky, and he does have visible ear seams. But I like him. Super quick and easy to make up, and really the mistakes I made were down to losing attention and although I repaired a potentially huge mistake, the little errors didn't seem so important. I think his wonkiness adds charm.

The best part about the Weekender? Only one of my favourite pastimes, the shopping! So. Much. Yarn...! Beautiful beutiful things but I had a budget, which I blew anyhow, but I did try and remain fairly sensible... a pattern book, yarn for specific projects, wooltops, buttons and a new needle set were my vices. The photo below is of my goodies, and a few other recent acquisitions.

Now I feel like I have enough to get started on Christmas presents...!

Travels...

2009-04-18T17:29:00.001+01:00

I can't wait to stand across the bay to look at this view... Going to San Francisco in 6 months.

2009

2009-01-03T20:45:00.002Z

2009 has just begun and I have some plans for this year. This year is going to be about me. I am going to do the things that I want to do, regardless of what people think. I am not going to do what is expected of me. I am going to do what I think is right. This year I will make myself happy, and spend my freetime with people that make me happy.

This year I will become a vegetarian.

This year I will start drinking alcohol sensibly.

This year I will not be intimidated or subject to peer pressure.

This year I will do things I enjoy.

This year I will do something wonderful.

Behold...

2008-08-06T17:14:00.001+01:00

... my first substantial Finished Object (FO) in a very long time!

It's a bag made out of an oversized t-shirt that was too big for me to do anything with! So it has now started a new life as my project bag. Whatever sewing or knitting project I will be working on shall be stored in that bag from now on. Hopefully, from November, these projects will be more and more regular occurrences as I love it so, but can't bare to give it the dedication and commitment they deserve when I am still completing my Masters degree! Full steam ahead with the dissertation now, following the go ahead on a very exciting research method! More to come when more is done!

Last week, Ben and I went for a walk around the City of London following dinner at Pizza Express and we came across this sight...

It's a nice picture to look back on as to why I enjoyed London. As I am now no longer a Londoner, it's nice to be reminded why I wanted to live there in the first place. However I am now officially a Brummy once again and I am genuinely excited to be back, just as excited as I ever was to be moving to a new city. It's wonderful to think that because I know Birmingham do well, it's so easy for me to explore slightly more out of the way suburbs I have avoided in the past. Wanderings around Moseley, Harborne and the Jewellery Quarter will all be occurring in the coming months and an imminent flatsearch should also be quite good in helping me reacquaint myself with my beloved City.

Living It Up

2008-07-15T15:47:00.006+01:00

I'm a major proponent of living it up. I enjoy the finer things in life, and I work so that I can live, and I work hard so that I can live well, doing lots of fun things and spending nice times with family and friends. Yesterday was an example of my propensity to live it up, when my Mother and Aunt took me to Afternoon Tea at The Dorchester Hotel in Mayfair, London.

Tea, perhaps?

It was a very pleasant experience, tea and sandwiches and Champagne and scones and the lovely company of my Mom and her big sister, Iris, who I don't see often enough.

The Champagne in the picture above was complimentary from our waiter, Javier, as we found out yesterday morning that I had passed everything I had attempted in my Masters degree and my extenuating circumstances claim has been supported wholly by the University board. It was much a time for celebration, and indeed we did. My Mom and Iris were very proud of me, and proceeded to tell all of the waiters that served us how clever I am and how well I've done, resulting in many congratulations and free Champagne! It was definitely the nicest restaurant experience I've ever had.

As I'm obsessive, I will now detail my whole tea...

Rossini Cocktail

Chedder and Mango Chutney on Walnut Bread
Egg Mayonnaise x 2
Cream Cheese and Marinated Cucumber
Smoked Salmon
Chicken and Wholegrain Mustard x 2

Lemon Cream Dessert

Raisin Scone with Clotted Cream and Blackcurrant Jam
Plain Scone with Clotted Cream and Strawnerry Jam

African Autumn Tea - Rooibos with Orange and Cranberry - delicious!

Laurent Perrier Champagne Brut

Chocolate Mousse

Apple Slice

YUMMY.

Mom and Iris had much of the same, except no meaty sandwiches and no cakes. Silly women. We all had a lovely time and we had enough time to go up to Regents Park and walk through the Queens Gardens. We saw and smelt beautiful scented roses and saw a couple of frisky ducks having a fight.

So, now I've got quite the taste for posh hotels, particularly The Dorchester, and I'd quite like to have another Afternoon Tea there, and maybe even stay a night for my birthday... Looking at the prices, I am in great doubt it will be for a birthday within the next decade!

Racing For Life

2008-07-06T14:16:00.006+01:00

On June 25th, a balmy Wednesday evening, I took part in a 5k run, for which I sought sponsorship in aid of Cancer Research UK. This is a very important charity to me, because without them, my Dad wouldn't have had experienced the quality of life he did in the final 7 months of his life. Their work involves researching treatments, making advances on diagnosis, prevention and cure. Their work didn't help to cure my Dad from the cancer he had but he did undergo a full course of chemo which helped him to see in 2008, 7 months on from his initial diagnosis. My Dad was very unlucky, as more people do tend to recover from their cancers. More than ever before. And that is largely thanks to Cancer Research UK. So in February, I decided to run the Race for Life. 5 kilometers. 3 miles. Not a long way, and I professed to undertake a training routine with vigour. But life got in the way. I was doing a Masters degree, my Mother was living 120 miles away from me, and for the first time since we started going out together, Ben and I were living in the same city. So I didn't do as much training as I wanted to but Wednesday came and I nervously pulled my running kit out and donned my trainers and set off to Cannon Hill Park to just do it™. I completed the 5k in 43 minutes, which isn't great but isn't too bad either. I guess I was at the midway point, as there were hundreds of women behind me. I ran for the most part, probably 2 of the 3 miles. And I've raised £245. And I did it to commemorate my Dad. To celebrate his life in a way that he would have found hilarious. Me, running = funny stuff.

And I feel really proud of myself for that. It would have made my Dad laugh, but I proved something to myself and to people that know me. I can do it. Doing it made me think some very sad thoughts but more than anything I felt proud and like I was doing something positive. I felt like I was a good person, putting myself through that pain (seriously, I'm injured now) with my only objective being to raise money for a charity. So it got me thinking about myself too... I'm hard on myself a lot of the time. I'm very busy most of the time and I always have things to do. Usually stressful things, like work and studying. So I don't think about myself in a good way very often, and I certainly don't look after myself like I should. So when Gala Darling posted this, it pushed me into thinking positively and thinking about my good attributes and good attributes that I want to have. And then I made this...

... and I felt really good about myself. So now when I'm feeling awfully low and a bit useless, I have something to look at to remind of my good points and be enthusiastic about them, and my low mood will just float away, as , very egotistically, my low moods are often generated by myself. Now, head off to http://www.wordle.net/ and make one yourself!

A post within a post

2008-06-05T22:55:00.009+01:00

A few weeks back now, I wrote this post, as I was so enthralled with my curry. I didn't post it, probably because of tiredness or confusion. However, last night, I made something quite similar, so I thought it was about time the world got to hear about my magical creation...

"Last night was like any other. I studied, read, was planning to watch a film and was starting to get a bit hungry. So I ventured off kitchenwards to see what I could rustle up. And then the wonderous happened. I did some experimenting, and made the best curry EVER. For all you foodies, here's my recipe. Or at least how I remembered doing it...

Ingredients: 1 aubergine, 8 mushrooms, 400g chopped tomatoes, honey, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, yogurt.

chop up aubergine into chunks, slice mushrooms

heat olive oil in frying pan

add aubergines and mushrooms, fry until aubergine soft and mushrooms are looking fried

add tin chopped tomatoes, heat until tomato juices are slightly reduced and HOT

add generous amounts of spices, stir in

add generous dollop of honey

mix it all about

serve, with any carb based item and top with yogurt.

It serves 2, and took about 25 minutes to prep and cook. If you try it, let me know how it comes out. I had it with pasta shells, which worked surprisingly well."

Hope you enjoy and modify!

A few days ago, I bought an amazing piece of crap, not too dissimilar to this:

[http://www.kristengrace.com/rhinestone_eiffel_tower_earrings]

It is so very tacky, and I love it. I think I love it most because it is the Eiffel Tower, landmark of my favourite place in the world, Paris. But I also really love it because it is just so tacky. Not really classily done like the haute couture pieces visible in various fashion houses and upmarket high street stores, but totally garish and gaudy and it looks like a bit of tin foil. Wonderful.

Contrarily, I bought some clothes of excellent quality on the same day. I guess my conscience is getting to me, after being bombarded with imagery and theory about how I am evil because I bought cheap clothes. It is true, I know. Primark are an absolute travesty, and I doubt H & M, Peacocks, or Matalan are much better but I would have preferred to have made my own decision, rather than feeling as though I had been guilt tripped in buying the organic cotton jersey t-shirts and knitted jumper from New Look and Zara today. Saying that, Primark and H and M were packed today, with people clutching bags full of their cheap finds. Not me though, no siree. The allure of everyone wearing the same thing as me has definitely passed, plus evil corporation, exploiting labourers, and all that.

Music

2008-05-21T13:09:00.004+01:00

I've been quite surprised recently with what I've been finding auditorily pleasing on the radiowaves. I'm a 6music devotee, and the dial rarely switches from the station. Their tagline is "closer to the music that matters" so they are a pretty good starting point in that they play new, exciting, influential music. So influential that it is actually profoundly enhancing my musical tastes.

Today I heard the stunning vocal talents of Martha Wainwright, who I'd heard do of but never actually heard. Artists that have been played in the last two hours include Hot Chip, Santogold, Morrissey and Florence and the Machine. These artists are all very different from each other. But produce amazing music. Which I never thought I would find remotely appealing. Yet, here I am. I know all the words to L.E.S Artistes by Santogold and find myself bopping happily along to Morrissey. Which I honestly would never have done 3 years ago. Never. It may not seem to be a particularly prominent revelation to most people ("Ooh, she heard new music and liked it, big woop!") but I have always been a very picky person when it comes to music. I tend to not like big bands, I like bands with a bit of an edge, and artists that are wrapped in controversy and mystery. So in admitting that I am beginning to see the attraction of alternative dance music, dancehall and ambient instrumental is a very big thing for me. I like it. My tastes are becoming more eclectic. I am creating a more varied playlist to my life. Thank you, 6music*.

*This isn't really a blog in which I just gush about how awesome 6music is. Really, it's not.

As a postscript: The exam went okay! And my sleep pattern is back to normal.

Something nice

2008-05-15T20:42:00.002+01:00

The point of this post: Ben buys me nice things <3

Covers

2008-03-31T20:41:00.002+01:00

I fully appreciate that the Arctic Monkeys are probably very talented in their own right, but their cover of Girls Aloud's Love Machine is far superior to anything they've done independently, in my opinion. Firstly, it's a great pop song anyway and the twist the Arctic Monkeys give it make it even more infectious than it ever was. So I guess I'm saying, although a great song by Girls Aloud, the Arctic Monkeys perform it better.

In my opinion, this is the case with a number of song covers - as great as a song they may be, the covering of it by another artist produces a much better version. And there are so many examples... Here are my personal favourites, in no particular order.

Nirvana - "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" - originally by Leadbelly
Jeff Buckley - "Hallelujah" - originally by Leonard Cohen
Pixies - "Head On" - originally by Jesus and Mary Chain
Johnny Cash - "Hurt" - originally by Nine Inch Nails
Cat Power - "Sea of Love" - originally by Phil Philips

There was no real point to this post, I was just thinking and wanted to be doing something slightly more productive than watching Facebook for movement and waiting for my washing to dry. Quite an interesting post though, for me at least. I love covers of songs. I'm like a Chan Marshall that can't sing...

The Pixies

2008-03-28T15:04:00.006Z

Talking fairly recently about the Pixies with 2 fellow Pixies fans, dear Matt and Gilly (currently in the process of moving house), I started thinking about how much I could remember of when I saw the Pixies in 2004 at T In The Park, because to me it was a pretty significant event, as I was watching one of my all time favourite bands, that I had wanted to see since I had first experienced the Pixies, which, granted was only 3 years prior to actually getting the chance to see them. However, 4 years on from that and my love for them has never waned. In fact it may have grown after seeing Frank Black and now seeing the Breeders in 2 weeks time. So, back to the point. It appears I wrote an account of seeing the Pixies in my dear old and neglected Livejournal, and so I thought I'd post a brief note from it...

Then Kings of Leon appeared and they were better than they were last time I saw them. I also have a new found respect for them as they kept talking about the Pixies and played the opening of Gigantic to the cheers of about 30 people (ME!)....then.......the PIXIES!! *squeals* I spent 10 minutes of their set in tears. I couldn't believe I was standing there looking up at my all time favourite band whom I'd never imagined I'd witness at a live performance in the SECOND FUCKING ROW! They came on stage, all in black trousers and white shirts, and launched straight into Planet Of Sound. For the next hour they played one long song, stopping twice for Kim to say "Thanks, thanks a lot!" The songs they played in their set were:

Bone Machine, Broken Face, Something Againt You, Debaser, Tame, Caribou, In Heaven, Monkey Gone To Heaven, Gigantic, HEY, Dead, Number 13 Baby, Wave of Mutilation, Here Comes You Man, Velouria, Isla De Encanta, U-Mass, Nimrod's Son and Vamos

They closed with Vamos in a highly amusing fashion, with Joey leaving his guitar on the stand, just playing with the effects pedal. And at the end they all stood on the stage together and waved and I cried again. It was amazing. The nice Irish lady next to me kept telling me about when she'd last seen them 12 years ago, or so. Wow.....

Bless. Isn't that sweet? How excited I was. It's sad to think I rarely get that excited about anything that much these days. Years of mind numbing academia and growing up into a fairly stressed busy adult has ensured that... However, that's about to change. It is seemingly obvious that although I am coping exceptionally well with everything that's going on in my life, particularly my Dad's death, I'm not really looking after myself. I overly worry about things I can't control and should let be. I put increased importance on unnecessary issues. So, with that all in mind, I'm going to undertake some things which will make my life better. This includes...

doing more creative stuff with my spare time,
making sure I spend quality time with friends and family,
getting a medical check up,
exercise and eat sensibly.

This has all become quite involved for a Friday afternoon, but following on from this positive post I've made, here is a positive photo to complete it. I look happy and relaxed and I want to look like that more.

My Blog looks like Philippe's!

2008-03-13T18:30:00.000Z

Hello! And welcome to my blog. I got very excited that I could choose a layout that looks like Philippe's from Achewood! Look! http://philippesblog.blogspot.com/

So I decided maybe having my own blog would be fun. I'm not too fussed whether people comment, but I guess it's a lazy way of letting people know what I'm up to as I become ever so increasingly busy with this MA doodah and the assignments associated with it, work experience, full time employment, learning to drive, holidays, making new friends, keeping in touch with old(er) friends, the restaurant... What else? My burgeoning desire to knit, draw, craft in anyway possible but currently can't, and my desire to cook inventive, exciting food, and along the way become an exclusive cocktail obsessive/borderline alcoholic. I'm sure Matt's interest can help me along the way with that one...

Now, my very exciting evening entails preparing a draft abstract for my dissertation, knitting a pencil case(!), eating some stew and mayhaps a burst of the Pixies on the stereo and standard hilarious dancing when nobody's watching. I demand for every one of you reading this to add it to your favourite websites and read it regular-like, because I guarantee it will stay updated... At least for the first 2 weeks...

Say whaaaaaat?!