Category: Culture

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London’s Statues, Mythology and Stories

I am obsessed with statues! I know, it’s a bit weird. I think it started when I watched Clash of the Titans when I was a little girl and the statue of the Goddess Thetis came alive with Dame Maggie Smith’s face superimposed on it. It freaked me out, but at the same time I couldn’t stop looking! I had a similar experience as a teenage visitor to New York and saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time. I just couldn’t believe the magnitude of the statue before me, and I think the early cinematic memories from ‘The Planet of The Apes’ (1968) were etched into my psyche. The closing scene which shows the Statue of Liberty only from the chest upwards, haunted me as a child!

London is a fantastic city in which to indulge one’s interest for statues, but if you can’t get to London yourself, have a look at this book – it’s full of beautiful colour photos and background information into the lives of the subjects.

A fabulous book on the subject

On a recent trip to St Paul’s I spent some time looking at the cathedral and some of its many statues. The monument to Queen Anne is flanked by four ladies representing England, Ireland, France and North America.

I think my love of statues also stems from the fact that I also loved Greek mythology as a girl. I was an avid reader who became easily engrossed in stories, and was rather prone to day-dreaming! I would stare at the pictures in the books, and always wanted to see more pictures than were there. When I started becoming interested in art, my appetite for myths returned as so many painters depicted heros and heroines in a way I had never encountered before.

 The painting below is by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1693-1770) (photographed from An Introduction to GreekMythology by David Bellingham, 1989).

‘Zeus sits in majesty on a cloud, while Hermes performs aerobatics above; Aphrodite sits with Eros (Cupid) aboard a chariot pulled by sacred doves; Athene appears below.’

Paintings like like reignited my love for myths and stories by adding another dimension to them for me.

A monument to Queen Anne who reigned from 1665 -1714

North America – I love the lizard and the severed head

Ireland

England

France

Look at the detail on her sash – looks like a gorgon’s head

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tim Minchin and London all dressed up

I am sure that with the world news events of this week the Royal Wedding seems a very long time ago, however, I thought I would share these rather jolly pictures of London I took the night before!

Looking up The Mall, towards Trafalgar Square

Looking down The Mall, towards Buckingham Palace

Die-hard fans from the US

I have to say, the atmosphere, even the evening before the big event was amazing. There was a lively buzz in the air and I enjoyed walking around and listening to varied global accents and languages being spoken. After a picnic on a bench in St James’ Park, it was time to jump into a taxi to the main event of the evening which was watching Tim Minchin at The Royal Albert Hall.

Tim Minchin concert: View from our booth seats, before he came on

Tim’s combination of stand-up comedy interspersed with funny songs goes surprisingly well with the 55 piece orchestra accompanying him on his piano! I spent most of the time laughing my head off, but there are also some tender moments like when he sings about his young daughter. The crowd were 4,000 strong and there was an electric atmosphere in the Albert Hall that night. All in all, a fantastic live show.

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Royal Weddings and Souvenirs

While I was visiting family recently, I was very amused to see that even with lots of planning (by entrepreneurs to make some money out of the royal wedding), it’s always good to check and double check your work:

Whatever you’re doing tomorrow, have a great day! 

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Fun in the Sun during the Easter break

Spring has most definitely sprung in London. I am just hoping that we didn’t have ‘an early summer’ like we did last year. My bones have been revelling in this new warmth! Here are some photos to show you just how much I have been enjoying being outdoors over the last month.

Camden Market and Camden Lock O2 Arena, Jamiroquai concert

Walking in The College Valley, Northumberland

I for one, as a UK resident have been so excited about the second of three bank holiday weekends in quick succession (Easter, The Royal Wedding and May Bank Holiday) and intend to be outside for as much of it as I can. I am going to The Royal Albert Hall tonight to see the incredibly funny and astute Tim Minchin and while I am there I hope to take some photos to share with you of the decorations and preparations which will be completed by then for the imminent wedding tomorrow. You can now see them here.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

I hope you had an enjoyable Monday evening last night whatever you did and whom ever (if anyone) you chose to spend it with. I popped out to the shops during the afternoon and was as ever, amazed at the number of heart-themed window displays and ‘Valentine’s Day offers’ in the most random of places- not just florists and cards shops, but everywhere. In fact the local car dealership even sent me a list of St. Valentine’s Day car deals! It got me thinking about the origins of this day… This is what I discovered.

The day is named after a Christian martyr St. Valentine, and the day was first established in 496 AD by Pope Gelasius I. The day was removed from the Roman calendar of saints almost two centuries later by Pope Paul VI in 1969. It is a day dedicated to love and has always been held on February 14th, although it is thought that the notion of romantic love was only associated with the day since Chaucer’s time.

Source: Wikipedia. To read more, click here

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Christmas celebrations

Happy New year to you all and welcome to my first blog post of 2011! I had a wonderfully relaxing Christmas: a well deserved rest to end a very busy and productive year. I enjoyed the company of loved ones, was treated to gourmet meals and had some lovely days and evenings out.

Out on Christmas morning

The owl at the top of the tree

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The London Philharmonic Orchestra at The Royal Festival Hall

I absolutely adore London. I am so grateful to have grown up here with all of the diversity of cultures, food and endless opportunities. I am still amazed whenever I take a trip into town (at least once a week) and I always find something new which I haven’t experienced before.

Last night I was lucky enough to see the London Philharmonic Orchestra at The Royal Festival Hall for the second time. I managed to take one sneaky photo (as photography during the performance is not permitted) – this one was taken before it started, I might add.

I was seated behind the orchestra, facing the conductor

As someone who loves live music and concerts of any kind, this was no exception. I am not a connoisseur of classical music by any stretch of the imagination, but I can still appreciate genius when I hear it. If you have not experienced such an event, and you have the possibility to do so, I would say try it at least once. The tickets range from £9.00 to £55.00 – mine was one of the cheapest seats, but I still had a fabulous view of the whole orchestra and I was able to see all of the faces of the musicians and the conductor, which definitely added to the experience. The orchestra played Beethoven’s 4th and Mahler’s 1st symphonies.

The Royal Festival Hall’s principal conductor Vladimir Jurowski

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The Bird Keeper by Issy Festing – Book Launch

 I recently attended the book launch of a new novel entitled ‘The Bird Keeper’ by Issy Festing which was held at The Royal College of Medicine. I had pre-ordered the book and was raring to read it – in fact I devoured the whole thing in a few days.

It’s about a young Indian man called Satchin Rai who goes against his family’s expectations of continuing his father’s tea emporium and follows his heart to work at a bird sanctuary instead. Added to this are his burgeoning homosexual feelings, which are awakened by the arrival of charismatic Englishman Peter Madson. The novel follows Satchin as he tries to work out which paths he should follow or give up. I found it fascinating to watch Satchin’s inner struggle as he wrestled with society’s expectations and his own desires. I also loved the description of the bird sanctuary- although I have never been anywhere like it, I feel as though I have.

The author has really got into the mind of the male characters, which I would imagine is difficult being a woman, and has captured the essence of their personalities throughout the novel, even in the brevity of her descriptions. There is a lovely scene where Satchin’s masculine preferences are juxtaposed against his mother’s endless fussing and frilly doilies! Something about the book reminded me of the film ‘A Single man’ which I watched earlier this year, and also of ‘Goodbye to Berlin’ (which was made into the film ‘Cabaret’) both by Christopher Isherwood. As I read this book, I could picture every scene as if it were on film. I love Merchant Ivory films and have had the box set of ‘Merchant Ivory In India’ on my wish list for a while – so this book was perfect for me.

‘The Bird Keeper’ is available from Waterstones and Amazon.

Issy introduces her book and says some ‘thank-you’s

The Bird Keeper by Issy FestingQueuing up to get my book signed

Have a look at The Book Guild’s photos here

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Mark Ronson and The Business International at The Hackney Empire

Two nights ago I had an amazing night out at The Hackney Empire. After a dodgy dinner (with questionable service to boot), I walked in the rain through a crowded mixture of young trendies and media-types and ladies of a certain age, to the entrance. As the evening’s events were a surprise, I was even more excited when I realised what we were about to watch! Mark Ronson‘s new album ‘Record Collection‘ had arrived in the post a few days earlier so I had only listened to the whole album twice before the show. This did not matter one bit, as the songs are catchy in an un-obvious sort of way. They’re sort of off-beat and kooky but at the same time accessible and so reminiscent of the ’80s pop-synth records I grew up with (hence the ladies of a certain age!) 🙂

The band is joined onsatge by his idols and mine, Duran Duran

I find it amazing, watching musicians create their art in front of me, which is why I love gigs and concerts so much. It’s the idea that I’m watching people ‘in flow’, doing what they love and sharing it with others. It’s the ‘liveness’ of it all, and although it was utterly professional, I was able to see into the wings of the stage from where I was sitting, and got to see people milling about, out of character as it were. Whether or not you like the style of music or the bands, is of course a matter of personal taste. I think you can tell, I was blown away!

The band is joined onstage by Boy George

Mark Ronson onstage with Amanda WarnerWatching in awe, inside the Hackney Empire Original mosaic work in the entrance to The Hackney Empire

The entrance to The Hackney Empire, a beautiful intimate venue

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Highgate Cemetery – Weekend walks

I feel so privileged to live in such an amazing city. London night-life is varied and abundant, but it is easy to spend a small fortune on entertainment and so I have been trying to be more creative with my days and evenings out. Two weeks ago I visited Highgate Cemetery. It was my second visit and I still haven’t been on the tour of the West Cemetery, which I hope to go on next time. I found the East Cemetery peaceful, beautiful and very photogenic. It reminded me of the other Victorian cemetery I’ve been to, the Glasgow Necropolis.

 

There are many famous interments at the cemetery including Karl Marx and his family. This is a great afternoon outing, which will leave you with change from a fiver!

 The grave of Karl Marx, Highgate Cemetery