Today is this blog’s second birthday and so I just wanted to take a few lines to say thank you to all the lovely people who read The Idle Woman, leave comments and send me emails. You have no idea how much it brightens up my day to hear from you, so please keep it up!
(organised by English Heritage, Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire, 20-21 July 2013)
‘What is this strange contraption?’ It was 9:30am on a grey, cool Sunday morning and I was in a 12th-century encampment from the Holy Land (temporarily translated to a damp field in Northamptonshire), explaining the principle of photography to two Normans. Within five minutes’ walk were two thousand years of British history, ranging from a Roman legion to Second World War troops representing Britain, Germany, the USA, Russia and Poland. The day ahead would encompass tanks, trebuchets and muskets, thundering hooves and shattered lances, showers of arrows loosed from English yew, a shield wall, and the spine-tingling thrum of a Merlin engine, as a Spitfire burst through clouds of smoke to do a victory roll in the skies above. This was History Live! (formerly the Festival of History), English Heritage’s annual smorgasbord of a weekend celebrating British history.
Derek Chambers was born in Ilford 1937. In 1952 he started work as a messenger in a London advertising agency and worked as a creative consultant and graphic designer until 1994, when he moved to Aldeburgh, Suffolk, to concentrate on drawing and painting. Derek has had several one-man shows in Aldeburgh and in 2008 shared a portrait exhibition with his friend Peter Polaine. His work has been exhibited at the Royal Watercolour Society, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, The Mall Galleries, The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, The Royal Society of Marine Artists and The Royal Society Of Portrait Painters, among many others.
Just a quick message to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, wherever and however you choose to celebrate the holidays, and all health, happiness and prosperity for 2013. Thank you so much for visiting The Idle Woman this year, and special thanks to those who take the time to leave comments, to discuss and to recommend things to me, whether on the blog or via email.
Yesterday morning it was once again time to dust off my running shoes, pin on my number and stock up on inspirational power ballads. It was the day of the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon. I ran for Cancer Research UK and my wonderful crowd of sponsors (family, friends and colleagues) rallied to the fundraising call, made donations and bought cakes from my bake sale. The current total is £536.80, so bravo to all of you and thank you: in total this year you’ve raised over £900 for an excellent cause. Of course, this support also gave me extra motivation to pull out all the stops. If I didn’t push myself to my limits, I wouldn’t just be letting myself down, but I’d be letting all my sponsors down; and I’m just not that kind of girl.
This summer in London has been incredible. We were initially all rather cynical about the Olympics, but swiftly found ourselves caught up in the fever, and became armchair experts on sports as diverse as distance running, cycling speed trials and dressage (I still can’t get over the fact that some horses have better musical timing than I do). Now the Olympics are done and dusted; the Paralympics have swept into view; and finally I had my chance to savour the atmosphere at first hand.
A short post just to celebrate the fact that the blog has been going for one year. I’ve had a great time doing this, especially in the last few months, as people have started to post comments and to email me directly. Special thanks to those who have shared their thoughts on the Lymond Chronicles and who have welcomed me into the Dunnett fold. I look forward to meeting some of you in person in November.
Now for something completely different… You have two choices. You can read my post and listen to me burble, or you can simply skip all of that and buy your tickets right now. This is a fantastic experience. It’s the perfect day out for Potter fans, film buffs or parents who are wondering how on earth to keep the children amused until they go back to school in September. Without a doubt, it is one of the best visitor attractions in the UK at the moment; and I say that with complete objectivity, because I’ve never really cared that much for Harry Potter…
There’s been a rather exciting development in recent weeks. I’ve bought some art for my flat, in the form of wood-engravings by three artists: Sue Cave, Sue Scullard and Sue Woollatt (it’s complete chance that they share a first name). This is a momentous step for me: although I spend a good proportion of my life looking at art, I don’t own much. Indeed, what I have so far can be counted on one and a half fingers.
Yesterday in the centre of London it was almost 28 degrees (Celsius) and 10,700 people were crowded around me on the starting line, including (at the front of the pack) international athletes like Mo Farah, Jo Pavey and Paula Radcliffe. I had never run a race before and the atmosphere at the start was electrifying. I was somewhere near the back of the pack, along with the other charity runners and people dressed as dragons, dogs and superheroes. My parents had warned me that the family honour would be dented if I was beaten by anyone dressed as a rhino.
The Idle Woman 