Bristol is known for many things; Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, colourful houses, hot air balloons, boats, slavery, a ridiculous accent and lethally strong cider. But Bristol has also come to the fore in recent years as the epicentre of some of the best urban art in the world.
As well as the numerous festivals and arts events every year (including See No Evil and Upfest) you can see world-class graffiti all over the city, but nowhere is more of an open air gallery than Stokes Croft, also known as The People’s Republic of Stokes Croft.
Allow me to illuminate a more artistic and less-likely-to-lead-to-liver-cirrhosis route, through Bristol’s most alternative and artistic neighborhood.
I like my food. I like cooking for friends, going to restaurants and picnics. I’ll try any cuisine and any combination of flavours at least once. Obviously I have my preferences and cravings though, and this weekend has been all about Eggs Benedict.
My favourite breakfasts would usually have to be Eggs Royale (essentially just Eggs Benedict but with smoked salmon in place of the ham) or Huevos Rancheros (Google it – best hangover cure you will ever find, trust me), but this weekend I decided to keep it traditional and get myself to my nearest cosy cafe for some much-needed protein to prepare for the heavy weekend ahead. Continue reading Eggs Benedict: It’s all in the small details…→
I’m very glad to have English as my mother tongue; I think it’s one of the most versatile, diverse and exciting languages in the world. I love using puns and double entendres, using needlessly flouncy words and just generally playing with words and meaning. Speaking a couple of other languages also gives me an added appreciation of linguistics and the need to be articulate and precise in the way I communicate. Recently, I’ve been finding it very interesting the way that the rise of digital communication is affecting all of this. Continue reading Modern Communcation: Where you say what you mean, but does it mean what you say?→
As I’ve said elsewhere on this blog, I’m a bit of a Scandi fangirl. Yet despite my fervent interest in all things nordic, I’d not made a proper visit to Scandinavia in quite some time, my last visits being a day trip to Helsinki in 2010 and 4 days in Stockholm in 2003.
I read an interesting article from the imitable Stewart Lee last week, in which he commented on how the increasing availability of previously inaccessible or forgotten artists is changing the way their music is being enjoyed (you can read the article here).
With Spotify, Last.fm, Grooveshark, Soundcloud and other online music streaming sites & blogs, you can access almost any artist or song you want, in any order, at any time. There are even websites such as Musicovery which will find music to fit whatever mood you’re in. All these channels not only provide a great way for you to enjoy the music you love, but also create in roads for new artists and genres that you’d probably never have discovered otherwise. Continue reading Music: It’s all about the context, y’all…→
A stranger in the street today stopped me in my tracks to tell me,
“You’re a big girl. I love big girls, fair play to you.”
I immediately went from being in a peppy mood to feeling frustrated and patronised. I don’t know exactly how that man expected me to take his comment, but I certainly don’t feel buoyed by his voiced ‘support’ or his perceived right to comment on my appearance. Continue reading Big Girl→
For a good friend’s hen do, 12 of us ventured in to the Cotswolds and decided to do what any hedonistic group of twenty-somethings should on such an occasion – we went on a ghost tour. In an old man’s house. In the middle of the night.
The Ancient Ram Inn in Wooton-Under-Edge is notorious among fans of the supernatural for allegedly being the most haunted place in England. Quite the statement; we have a lot of old, creepy buildings here. We arrived there at 9pm and met our guides from Haunted Evenings, who we would be entrusting with introducing us to all things spooky and paranormal. When we arrived, we were greeted with 4 boxes of wine – one of which was already empty – and 3 half-cut Ghost Hunters. Continue reading Ghostbusting in Gloucestershire→
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” as bardy smartypants William Shakespeare once said. Fear not if you’re single in this day and age however, as there is now a multitude of literature and websites to help steer you through the murky waters of singledom.
Now that our elders have unhelpfully done away with betrothing us from birth or palming off their daughters to the highest bidder, it’s down to us to seek out our fame and fortune in the big bad world; and make no mistake, the dating world is as bad as they get; that is, if you disregard places like downtown Johannesburg, or Walkabout on a Friday night. Just how does one find their ideal match now that we’ve expanded our tribes from villages of tens to conurbations of millions? Continue reading The Rules: How to take the fun out of dating→
I’m not usually a possessive person when it comes to music. I don’t mind duets, remixes or covers, as long as they’re done well, with some integrity and respect to the original song.
Now. That said, sometimes people do terrible things to songs that I love, and it makes me cross. Here are some recent examples, so that if you happen to be a creator of music I like, you literally have no reason to screw things up. Continue reading 3 Ways To Ruin My Favourite Songs…→
I’m always a late adoptee of cult TV shows – I’ve still got The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Boardwalk Empire on my ‘Need to Watch’ list. One show I have got round to watching fairly early on, however, is HBO favourite ‘Girls’. Continue reading The trouble with Girls…→
Last night I went to see Father John Misty perform at the Thekla in Bristol. I first saw him 3 years ago at End of the Road Festival when he was still performing under his real name, Josh Tillman.
That first performance was pleasant enough; thoughtful, humble and slightly haunting acoustic folk from a beardy, demure man. I only knew him as the drummer from Fleet Foxes back then and didn’t think much more about him after his set at the festival – it was a nice way to pass half an hour and nothing more (incidentally, you should definitely check out End of the Road Festival if you get a chance, some of the best live music experiences of my life have been there, and I go to a lot of gigs). Continue reading What a difference, a name makes…→
I got a very exciting text from my sister the other day.
She explained that she’d gone for lunch in Hackney with my dad at one of those old-style burger franchises (Jenny’s, Wimpy, you know the sort) and the menu sent her straight back to our shared childhoods. Continue reading Lost in Nostalgia→
During my early teens, my unashamed fandom for Hanson (no sniggering in the back) gave me an obsessive (or as I liked to say, “Dedicated”) love for all things American. I memorised all of the states and their capitals, I started watching NBA and I developed an irrational craving for over-sweetened and flavourless snacks like Twinkies and Hershey bars. Continue reading So so so Scandi-alous!→
I recently read this post on The Oatmeal about writing for the web. It really resounded with me, because writing is something I’ve always loved doing, but ever since I started trying to write in a more professional way, I’ve been stuck. Continue reading Writing Buddy→
I have four priorities in my life. They are, in order:
Family
Friends
Travel
Music
Food runs a very, very close fifth to music, but the important thing is that after my nearest and dearest, travel is what I consider to be integral to my happiness. Continue reading What doesn’t kill you…→
I’m a bit of a latecomer to festivals. I didn’t experience the coming-of-age ritual of tents on fire, Absinthe bingeing and general Hell on Earth that is Reading Festival in my adolescence, instead opting for various day festivals put on for free, fortunate enough as I was to call Central London my home until I was 18. Continue reading 2000 Trees Festival, 12-15th July→
Ah, Ibiza. Also known as Eivissa, the most hedonistic Balearic Island, The White Island, or the larger of the Pitiüses (to about 4 people). I first went to Ibiza with my family when I was 14, and I’ve been back almost every year since.
At my first job in Ibiza, July 2004
I lived there for 7 months in 2004 – it was the first place I chose to move to once I decided to move out of home for the first time. I was only 18 and absolutely terrified, but it ‘s still the best decision I’ve ever made – most of my favourite memories and the qualities I like most in myself I can attribute back to what I learnt that summer. I’ve been there with most of my close friends at one point or another, and I still have many good friends on the island – I can’t imagine a place that will mean more to me other than London. Continue reading Why I love…Ibiza→
The first ended up being an accidental venting transcript in the place of a diary. I’m intending on this blog being more of a record of the numerous cool things I get up to in Bristol; an ode to the cheerful and friendly city I now call home. Continue reading Start anew→
A Life Less Organised 