We have just returned from an extended weekend away with my Aunt and Uncle to Cornwall. We went especially to visit the Tresco Abbey Gardens.
We all travelled down together late in the week and went straight to St Michaels Mount. The bad weather had just started to improve as we approached and the fog that was shrouding the island lifted to reveal the picturesque view. Luckily this was one of the bright periods in an otherwise very rainy weekend. It is a great for a short visit.
Afterwards we drove off to check into the Gurnards Head Hotel where we were staying while we were on the mainland. An ordinary looking country pub with average facilities, but it did do some less than ordinary food. However, as is our way when we holiday, we did end up spending more on wine than food. The landlord was from Newcastle, his wife was Finish and other staff included a Polish couple and a Thai woman.
Cornwall seems to have been forced out of its traditional industries and solely into tourism. There is hardly any evidence of farming, fishing or other traditional industry any where, but you can’t drive down a road without noticing that every second building is a B&B or Hotel. We looked at the local papers and the housing section was enormous with houses more expensive than those near to London. And yet the job vacancies pages, of which there were few, had no great opportunities.
We flew to Tresco in the Scilly Isles by helicopter, which was quite an interesting and enjoyable (if somewhat noisy and expensive) way to travel (also much faster than by boat). 20mins later we were on the island where we jumped into the back of a small truck and were driven to our hotel, the New Inn.
The island is lovely and once again we benefited from a break in the weather. We walked around the much of the small island in a couple of hours. The next day we walked around the rest and visited the exceptional sub-tropical gardens.
Whilst we were in the county we also visited one of our favourite looking theatres, the Minak built onto a cliff side over looking a beautiful sandy bay.
We also managed to fit in the obligatory National Trust site, this time it was the stately home called Terice.
We had a nightmare journey home with traffic accidents, poor weather, and road works combining to have spent the whole day in the car. We had a short break at my aunt and uncle’s where we dug up the first of the new potatoes for dinner, before we jumped into our car for the journey home. Again we got caught in more traffic and road works and we didn’t get home until the early hours of the morning.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
More of wot I have heard…
Picaresque, by The Decemberists.
My new favourite band at the moment. They are an unusual combination of Indie edge and folksy story telling. Epic story ideas are played out in each song with the a modern folk sound. They don’t take themselves too seriously but they do the music.
Demon Days, by the Gorillaz.
Here is another ‘band’ that doesn’t but themselves before the music. This is a good second album by the cartoon foursome and has some more of the same along with a few surprises. The website is great fun to play around with especially if you are a fan of Jamie Hewlett’s (Tank Girl) artwork.
Happenstance, by Rachael Yamagata.
We saw this artist last year when we had a spat of going out to music gigs. She was the supporting artist and we had never heard her before. She is a very good musician and has a lovely voice (check it out at her web site). Her album was not available at the gig or at any of the high street stores, so I finally got around to buying it on-line (it is often cheaper to buy music online from America and pay the postage, than it is to buy it hear – the UK is a rip-off for this among other things).
My new favourite band at the moment. They are an unusual combination of Indie edge and folksy story telling. Epic story ideas are played out in each song with the a modern folk sound. They don’t take themselves too seriously but they do the music.
Demon Days, by the Gorillaz.
Here is another ‘band’ that doesn’t but themselves before the music. This is a good second album by the cartoon foursome and has some more of the same along with a few surprises. The website is great fun to play around with especially if you are a fan of Jamie Hewlett’s (Tank Girl) artwork.
Happenstance, by Rachael Yamagata.
We saw this artist last year when we had a spat of going out to music gigs. She was the supporting artist and we had never heard her before. She is a very good musician and has a lovely voice (check it out at her web site). Her album was not available at the gig or at any of the high street stores, so I finally got around to buying it on-line (it is often cheaper to buy music online from America and pay the postage, than it is to buy it hear – the UK is a rip-off for this among other things).
More of wot I have read…
I have bought a few of the 'Young Adult' range of books so that I can get a better idea of what is currently being published at the moment.
Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera.
I guess most people will know this story from the film, but the book approaches the topic from a very different angle. The author spends more time on the spiritual and mystical nature of the story than the narrative, and details the significance of the imagery as it relates to the Maori culture. It is an interesting and moving read but it is not what you might expect if you only know of this author through the silver screen.
‘Eight-year-old Kahu craves her great-grandfather’s love and attention. But he’s focused on his duties as chief of the Ngati Konohi in Whangara, on the East Coast – a tribe that claims descent from the legendary ‘whale rider’. In every generation since the wale rider, a male has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir – there’s only Kahu. She should be next in line for the title, but her great-grandfather is blinded by tradition and sees no use for a girl. Kahu will not be ignored. And in her struggle she has a unique ally: the whale reedier himself, from whom she has inherited the ability to communicate with whales.’
Fat kid rules the world by KL Going.
This book is one of a breed of new edgier teen books and touches on subjects of suicide, sex, drugs and rock and roll.
‘What would you say to a homeless punk who just saved your life?
When Curt (skinny punk, guitar genius) stops Troy (hugely overweight social leper) from committing suicide, it’s the start of a very unlikely friendship. Troy’s family think Curt is just a junkie loser, but Troy knows there’s more to him.
Besides, life’s looking up now Curt’s arrived – with a new image and a new nickname (Big T) the fat kid finally has potential. And when Curt recruits Troy as the drummer in his punk band, it seems like Troy might be cool for the first time ever. There’s just one problem – he doesn’t know how to play the drums. But when Curt’s around, anything seems possible.’
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.
This is more of the old school rip-roaring adventure stories, though even here the author touches on some more adult themes. I like the 'future-Victoriana' setting that is presented in this, the first in a trilogy city-eat-city stories.
‘London is on the move again. The city has been lying low, skulking in the hills to avoid the bigger, faster, hungrier cities loose in the Great Hunting Ground. The great town moves off after its quarry as events within the walls begin to take a sinister turn…’
Postcards from no man’s land by Aidan Chambers.
This is a story of a young man’s journey to find out more about his dead grandfather with whom he shares his name, but in turn he finds out something important about himself. Again this ‘young adult’ book touches on sensitive and adult themes. I read this book to see how the author combined the dual stories of Jacob and his grandfather in two parallel narratives. It has given me some more ideas.
‘Jacob Todd, abroad on his own for the first time, arrives in Amsterdam for the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem where his grandfather fought 50 years before. There, Geertrui Wessling, now an old lady terminally ill, tells an extraordinary story of love and betrayal which links Jacob with her own Dutch family in a way he never suspected and which leads him to question his place in the world.’
I have also been wading through a little New Zealand history. I found the early period more interesting, and now I am having trouble in finishing it.
History of New Zealand by Michael King
Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera.
I guess most people will know this story from the film, but the book approaches the topic from a very different angle. The author spends more time on the spiritual and mystical nature of the story than the narrative, and details the significance of the imagery as it relates to the Maori culture. It is an interesting and moving read but it is not what you might expect if you only know of this author through the silver screen.
‘Eight-year-old Kahu craves her great-grandfather’s love and attention. But he’s focused on his duties as chief of the Ngati Konohi in Whangara, on the East Coast – a tribe that claims descent from the legendary ‘whale rider’. In every generation since the wale rider, a male has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir – there’s only Kahu. She should be next in line for the title, but her great-grandfather is blinded by tradition and sees no use for a girl. Kahu will not be ignored. And in her struggle she has a unique ally: the whale reedier himself, from whom she has inherited the ability to communicate with whales.’
Fat kid rules the world by KL Going.
This book is one of a breed of new edgier teen books and touches on subjects of suicide, sex, drugs and rock and roll.
‘What would you say to a homeless punk who just saved your life?
When Curt (skinny punk, guitar genius) stops Troy (hugely overweight social leper) from committing suicide, it’s the start of a very unlikely friendship. Troy’s family think Curt is just a junkie loser, but Troy knows there’s more to him.
Besides, life’s looking up now Curt’s arrived – with a new image and a new nickname (Big T) the fat kid finally has potential. And when Curt recruits Troy as the drummer in his punk band, it seems like Troy might be cool for the first time ever. There’s just one problem – he doesn’t know how to play the drums. But when Curt’s around, anything seems possible.’
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve.
This is more of the old school rip-roaring adventure stories, though even here the author touches on some more adult themes. I like the 'future-Victoriana' setting that is presented in this, the first in a trilogy city-eat-city stories.
‘London is on the move again. The city has been lying low, skulking in the hills to avoid the bigger, faster, hungrier cities loose in the Great Hunting Ground. The great town moves off after its quarry as events within the walls begin to take a sinister turn…’
Postcards from no man’s land by Aidan Chambers.
This is a story of a young man’s journey to find out more about his dead grandfather with whom he shares his name, but in turn he finds out something important about himself. Again this ‘young adult’ book touches on sensitive and adult themes. I read this book to see how the author combined the dual stories of Jacob and his grandfather in two parallel narratives. It has given me some more ideas.
‘Jacob Todd, abroad on his own for the first time, arrives in Amsterdam for the commemoration of the Battle of Arnhem where his grandfather fought 50 years before. There, Geertrui Wessling, now an old lady terminally ill, tells an extraordinary story of love and betrayal which links Jacob with her own Dutch family in a way he never suspected and which leads him to question his place in the world.’
I have also been wading through a little New Zealand history. I found the early period more interesting, and now I am having trouble in finishing it.
History of New Zealand by Michael King
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