And So To Bath Part 2

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Jane Cable

In her second article about the city, author and Frost contributor Jane Cable dips more than a toe in those famous waters

I can think of very few cities whose names are synonymous with their raison d’etre and Bath certainly tops the list. Since Roman times, and possibly before, that little hot water spring gushing out from the ground a few hundred yards from the river has been responsible for the prosperity and even the very existence of the place.

Bringing the concept right up to date is the Thermae Bath Spa in, most appropriately, Hot Bath Street. From the moment I saw pictures of its stunning architecture and roof top pool the spa was close to the top of my bucket list and as I wanted to experience it to the full I had booked a couple’s massage and visit package some weeks before.

Seeing the queue snaking from the building I was very pleased I had. The website warns that weekends are busy, but later a taxi driver told us that arriving at seven o’clock in the evening for the last two hour session – or first thing in the morning – guarantees a quieter time. Even so the spa was not unpleasantly crowded at any time during our visit.

The massage suite is on the first floor and after changing and putting on our robes and slippers we went upstairs. The treatment rooms are a series of curved pods and the therapists first class. I have rarely known fifty minutes pass more quickly or more blissfully and we floated into the central relaxation area where we were brought herbal tea and plenty of water. Husband was so blissed out he didn’t even pick up one of the array of glossy magazines on offer, just stared dreamily into space.

When we could be bothered to move we went up to the steam rooms on the next floor. The curved pod design continues, and four of them surround a central rain water shower which varies from gentle drizzle to tropical downpour. Each pod has a different scent; lotus flower, ginger, sandalwood or mentholyptus. The last one was incredibly strong and certainly cleared the sinuses but the sandalwood was our favourite.

Then it was up another flight of stairs to the roof top spa pool. Yes, it was busy, but there was plenty of room for everyone and the views over the city and the hills beyond were jaw-droppingly beautiful. We were blessed with sunny weather but even in winter the warm water would keep you cosy. Half the pool is taken up with spa jets and we dabbled here for a while before swimming into calmer waters to relax and people watch, just as the Romans would have done. To our surprise we stayed there for almost an hour but by that stage we were so chilled that time just floated past unnoticed.

We completed our visit with a swim around the indoor thermal pool in the basement and a light meal in the restaurant, which was included in our package. I have to say that we wouldn’t chose to eat there again but on reflection it’s probably best to let spas be spas and restaurants be restaurants. What we will be doing is returning the Thermae Bath Spa for more treatments and to soak and steam ourselves into bliss.

The next morning we got up early to visit the Roman Baths before the coach tours and school trips arrived. It’s a real don’t miss attraction with so much of the original roman architecture on show as well as brilliant background information. You can chose to follow audio guides by Professor Alice Roberts or Bill Bryson, with a separate tour for the kids. But what struck us most of all was how our experience the previous day echoed what has been done in the city for centuries; massage, steam room, thermal baths. Those Romans certainly knew how to live.

Face The Music at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, Walthamstow

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Paloma Kubiak

What struck me most about the All Star Productions cast was how much each actor seemed to enjoy their time on stage, despite the show being set against the backdrop of the ‘Great Depression’.

Face The Music, originally written by Moss Hart with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, has been resurrected for a twenty-first century audience at the Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre in Walthamstow, but it maintains the character, costume and camaraderie of 1930’s America.

The play centres on the ‘make or break’ theatre show to be directed by Hal Reisman, but in an age of austerity, he struggles to find the financial backing to get the show on the road.

Spurred on by love’s young dream, Kit Baker (Joanna Hughes) and Pat Mason (Alessandro Lubrano), the three meet with bent copper Meshbesher and his eccentric wife Myrtle who are only too happy to splash the cash in a bid to avoid having their haul discovered by the government.

In fact the more the play’s a failure – they’re happy to sink 800,000 dollars into the production – the happier the couple are, as it will cover their dodgy money trail.

And so a round of auditions ensues which sees jazz hands, tap dancing and catchy sing-alongs such as ‘On a roof in Manhattan’, ‘My beautiful rhinestone girl’ and ‘If you believe’.

I particularly enjoyed the relationship between plain PC O’Rourke (James Holbrooke) and the sultry streetwalker (Joanne Clifton) as she woos him to avoid being sent to prison and instead is given the opportunity to join the cast.

However, the play is missing one big thing – sex. As they say, ‘sex sells’ and once the ladies start to strip off, the show is a success, even with the most critical of reviewers.

Ultimately, the show’s success is the cause of the Meshbesher’s failure, as they’re dragged to court to answer to the charge, of corruption, extortion and embezzlement.

Leading lady, Joanna Hughes, had a serene yet authoritative presence on the stage and James Holbrooke’s facial expressions capture each emotion portrayed by his character perfectly.

Directed by Brendan Matthews, Face The Music is a fun and enlightening production and a big round of applause should also go to the orchestra tucked away in the corner of the stage area.

Face The Music is on at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, Walthamstow until 3 July, tickets available from the box office on 020 8520 8674. Ps, you may want to arrive early to sample the pizza from the make shift hut just outside the pub…

‘We Are The Future’ … A Fusion Of Artistic Talent

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Corinne Tuddenham-Finn

Based in Toulouse and with their last (movie) track featuring at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, ‘We Are The Future’ is an upcoming duo to keep an eye on.

https://soundcloud.com/we-are-the-future/we-are-the-future-legacy-bande-son

Formed in December 2013, ‘We Are The Future’ is a due featuring Alex CORTAX (DJ / songwriter / radio host specialized electronic culture music) and John COST (professional musician / keyboardist / arranger / sound engineer) using Apple Certified (Apple Certified Pro) on the Logic Pro software.

. This ground-breaking duo, with a passion for electronic music, live and work together, creating ‘We Are The Future’, which they define as a “Futuristic world, a mixture of generations, a fusion of artistic talent, pooling open to the future” featuring as resident DJs on Radio FG USA.

With a timeless and universal vibe, they work on Pioneer CDJ2000 decks using ‘Seratto’ software and Pro compositions ‘Logic’.

Alex Cortax, whose real name is Alexis Costa, is a young French composer of Electro Dance Music ( EDM), Electro and House. Passionate about music, the electronic music influences came from his mother – Alex defines himself as part of a world that is both modern and futuristic, His steps into the musical arena came at the age of 14, wring strong compositions at the age of 15.

Starting on “Asus” then drifting on “Macbook pro” Alex Cortax is relentless, writing and re-mixing tracks, being influenced by artists such as Gregori Klosman, Sidney Samson, Nicky Romero and Aviccii.

He started on software such as ‘Virtual DJ’, purchasing a controller ‘Nurmark’ with ‘Tracktor’ software, ending up on Pioneer CDJ2000 decks with ‘Serrato’.

When it comes to production, Alex works with ‘FL Studio’, ‘Logic Pro’ and ‘Ableton’.

His visual identity is a concrete example of his artistic influences. His logo reflects his personality, living in a futuristic environment with strong grey and robotic typology set against a burgundy background – colour dynamics which give a ‘sense of motion’ – watchwords in Alex Cortax’s vocabulary.

‘We Are The Future’ collaborations include:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m6xG9tosjQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50ltIM83dPg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtsnnirBErE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtsnnirBErE&authuser=0

Facebook fan page for Alex CORTAX:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alex-CORTAX/117688138334457

Facebook fan page for the group ‘We Are The Future’
https://www.facebook.com/wearethefuturemusic

Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/we-are-the-future

Words for the Wounded Independent Author Book Award Part 3

Posted on June 20, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Over the last two weeks we’ve highlighted First and Second Place in the recent WforW Independent Author Book Award. Today we have the final winner, Eric Sinclair who achieved Third Place.

As I keep saying to people, The Independent Author Book Award has been a revelation. There are just so many good writers out there, which made our task hugely enjoyable, if difficult. At last we decided on those who were to be commended, highly commended, and then – the winners. In the end, our decision was unanimous. Great books all of them. Thank you all so much for entering – rest assured that 100% of the entry fees go to the wounded.

Thank you, Palamedes PR for sponsoring a professional press release for the winner, and the opportunity of a discounted press release for 2^nd and 3^rd. Thank you Frost Magazine for publishing a review of the top three

The great good news is that Felicity Trew, of the highly respected Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency, is now representing the winner, Jane Cable.

Felicity Trew will also be our final judge for the 2015 Independent Author Book Award. The excitement is immense.

3^rd place

Man, Dog, Stroke by Eric Sinclair

This is the story of one man’s experience of the devastating effects of a major stroke, and his attempts to recover from it. It is also the story of a dog’s experience of life with unpredictable, irrational human beings.

Judges’ comments: Man, Dog, Stroke is a beautifully written and moving memoir of a stroke victim, with a chapter from time to time from his whippet’s point of view. This is a whippet who sees life, and events, from his side ‘of the pond’ and is a fantastic idea.

We laughed out loud, held our breath, and longed for Eric Sinclair to survive, and to thrive. Man, Dog, Stroke brought out the isolation experienced by stroke victims, the powerlessness when their lives are changed in just a few seconds, in of all things, a strange hotel room. The fear, the long fight back. ‘…The trouble was I didn’t seem able to move my legs or arms at all. With growing fright and disbelief I tried to roll over.’

It made us understand what a patient needs, and how absolutely crucial is good post stroke therapy.

It could happen to any of us. Read this. Laugh, and learn. It’s beautifully written.

Proceeds from the book will be donated to The Stroke Association.

Biog.

Eric Sinclair is a writer and education consultant living in Aberdeenshire who has worked in schools and colleges in West Africa, Turkey and Germany, as well as the UK. For ten years he was Head Teacher of Kirkwall Grammar School in Orkney, and subsequently was Head of Aboyne Academy, Aberdeenshire, before setting up his own education consultancy and training business in 2000. He was a part-time selector with the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) Assessment Team in London from 1989 – 2004.

Since suffering a major stroke in 2004, he has undertaken voluntary work for the Stroke Association, and is vice-chair of their Scotland Committee. In December 2011, he published – Man, Dog, Stroke – describing his experience of recovering from stroke in Oslo and Aberdeen. The sequel to this book is a blog of the same name. He has also published a number of articles in The Scottish Review.

Eric has been a public partner with NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland and has extensive experience of managing change in a variety of settings, as well as the lived experience of dealing with a chronic health condition. In January 2015, he was appointed by the Scottish Government to the Board of NHS Grampian, which provides health and social care for Aberdeen and the north-east of Scotland.

Eric relaxes by walking and communing with his whippet, Archie, and by singing in a local choir.

Anna Friel Interview for The Saboteurs

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Frostie

What can you tell us about the series?

It’s following in the footsteps of the great Scandinavian television – it’s very much revered. It’s about how the Norwegians stopped Hitler from building a nuclear weapon by the production of heavy water. They sabotaged the factory that produced something called heavy water that had the potential of creating a German atomic bomb. It should be a very, very well-known story but it’s not.

You play Julie Smith, how would you describe her? What attracted you to the role?

After getting the script I flew to Norway and met with the writer. The fact that it was a Danish German British and Norwegian production was just incredible. It’s an incredibly different process to ours – it’s amazing what they do.

I play a fictional character and the only girl who’s surrounded by men, so we knew she had to have a lot of guts and strength. I really admired that it’s an alternative take on a love story too, with Leif Tronstad (played by Espen Klouman-Høiner) the fact they never get together is really heart-breaking.

The director uses music very cleverly in his work and I think it’s really emotive to the character. It showed a very gentler side to a hard exterior.

What was it like being part of such an international co-production, and with lots of different languages spoken amongst the cast?

I’ve always wanted to go to Norway, to see the Northern lights – it’s one of my dreams – and I just thought the cast was incredible. In literally a green room full of men I was the only woman, I often find myself in that situation – I must be a boyish girl at heart! But they were great, I joined in with all their banter and they were so welcoming.

Were you familiar with the story before taking on the role and did you do any research on this period in history to prepare?

I wasn’t aware of the story but I did some research, read books about the team that went on the journey and I am familiar with the time – I think this is my third job that’s set in the 1940’s.

As the series is based on an important moment in history, were you anxious about taking on the role at all?

You’re anxious when you take on any job but I knew that I was in incredibly capable hands. They got the top actors from other countries and I really love now that they’re mixing the British actors with the Danish and the American actors with the British and that we’re all becoming a bit more international. They all have very different approaches and I’ve been in the industry now since I was sixteen years old, I Iove learning from other cultures and from different actors’ approaches.

Was there training involved before filming? Did you have to do any stunts?

I didn’t really do any stunts but getting into that uniform was sort of like one! There is a scene where I use a gun and have to hit every target so there was some training for that. Weirdly enough my last few jobs have been military and my next job is also military.

What was the shoot like, did it take you to any interesting locations?

Norway and Prague doubled for Scotland, our base, and the huge factory. So I think if you added it all up I’ve spent a year and a half of my life there – Gracie (my daughter) has spent 6 months of her life in Prague so I knew it very well. Our director of photography was absolutely incredible, a real genius.

What’s your favourite memory from the set?

It’s probably when we used something called an opticopter, which is like a drone. They all had this toy for the first time and it has a little camera so it could fly up and do these big sweeping shots. I remember about 4 or 5 years ago you’d have to get a huge crane out to film scenery like that and it was very time consuming but that day everyone was so excited despite it being freezing cold!

The Saboteurs starts on Friday 19th June at 9pm on More4

Could you be The Next Landscape Photographer of The Year?

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Frostie

The search for the Landscape Photographer of the Year 2015 begins

L to R, from the 2014 Award: Heather in Bloom, North York Moors by John Robinson and Sunrise at Winnats Pass, Derbyshire by Sven Mueller

Entry for the ninth annual Take a view Landscape Photographer of the Year Award is now open and entrants have until July 12 to submit their photographs of the British landscape. The Landscape Photographer of the Year is one of the world’s most exciting photography awards and the brainchild of renowned landscape photographer, Charlie Waite. The competition is open to everyone, with a special class for those younger than 17, and each entrant can submit 25 photographs across four categories. There is a prize fund worth £20,000, including £10,000 for the overall winner and additional prizes within each category.

As in previous years, an exhibition of shortlisted and winning entries will premiere in the late autumn. Previous locations for the annual showcase have included the National Theatre and London Waterloo Station. Shortlisted entrants will also be published in stunning coffee-table book Landscape Photographer of the Year: Collection 9,published by The AA, and described by The Times as a ‘coffee-table staple’.

Last year’s winner was Cumbria-based photographer Mark Littlejohn, who won with an enigmatic shot of a mountain stream in Glencoe, Scotland.

The Landscape Photographer of the Year is unique in that is celebrates the United Kingdom only, offering photographers worldwide an opportunity to showcase their images of Britain. From stark moorland to angular cityscapes, and from rocky coastlines to lush woodland, Britain’s remarkable landscape and volatile weather provides generous material to fire the imagination.

Photographers living outside the UK are encouraged to enter and there is a special prize offered by the competition’s sponsors for the best image from an overseas entrant (The Countryside is GREAT award).

The 2015 Awards are being held in association with VisitBritain and Countryside is GREAT. Jasmine Teer, VisitBritain’s Photography Manager, said: “Photographs that showcase the best of Britain play a vital role in VisitBritain’s mission: to raise our profile and inspire people all over the world to come and experience this beautiful country. We are very proud to support the Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards and hope that, as part of Countryside is GREAT, we will encourage not only UK entrants but photographers from all over the world.”

Awards founder, Charlie Waite, added: “Now, more than ever, I think we are realising how important the British landscape is to our wellbeing. The feeling that we get when we shut the office door and escape to a green space, whether it be a small park or a vast mountain, is unique and of vital importance. Our landscape is a place in which to breathe and to create.”

Entries for the Landscape Photographer of The Year competition are now open until July 12, via www.take-a-view.co.uk. This year’s competition is run in association with Visit Britain and Countryside is GREAT.

Ice Cream, Gas Masks and God – the perfect summer read

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Vicky Edwards

Ice Cream, Gas Masks and God
A young girl grows up in the war years

By Joyce M Lovely

PUBLICATION DATE: 22 June 2015
Mereo Books www.mereobooks.com

A funny, touching and heart-warming portrait of war time and beyond, Ice Cream, Gas Masks and God is the author’s trip down memory lane to 1940s Liverpool, where early reminiscences include not just the hated gas mask, but also the regular night time spells in the air raid shelter as the bombs fell.

A beautifully drawn portrait of the place and its people, from Calder High School Joyce went on to work at the Eagle Star Insurance Company and the office of the Dunlop Rubber Factory. Missing out on being one of the first to see The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club (because she didn’t fancy the sound of them from her sister’s description!), she moved to London to study Nursing at St Bartholomew’s. Marriage took her on to the Shetland Islands – where life as a parson’s wife meant that prayer was sometimes relied upon to provide dinner – and then to the West Riding of Yorkshire, before finally settling in Maine, USA.

A natural storyteller, Joyce’s recollections of people, places and events are effortlessly recounted. From the exotic neighbour who had been in the German Resistance (but whose priority was now pudding) to her splendid Spirella Corsetier grandmother, Ice Cream, Gas Masks and God is a gentle, fascinating and humorous personal history, rich in colour and detail.

Gloriously nostalgic and beautifully written, this is the perfect summer read.

Sneak preview extracts

“Jerry made one heck of a mess here, didn’t he?” said Dad. “And all my best willow pattern china has been smashed” Mum sniffed, trying not to cry again. Dad put his arm around her. “Don’t worry, love. We’ll get through this.” And we did, even though I heard a few days later that eight people had been killed in their air-raid shelters, along with many others, including some in the public shelters. Much later I learned that 2000 Liverpudlians had been killed in just that week, with thousands more injured and homeless.

I sat stunned. First I felt the pricking of tears, and then I began to laugh. There lay my ancient, despised, childhood World War II gasmask. It rested there staring at me eerily, the eyepiece still displaying the oval sickly-brown cellophane, which wasn’t even cracked. I sat back. My eyes closed, and the memories streamed back…

I remember vividly growing up in Liverpool, amidst air raids, bombs and gasmasks. My story is from a childhood perspective, leaving the grown-ups to worry about battles and shortages. We observed strict morals as a teenager in the fifties, yet still had boyfriends, stolen kisses and fun. This memoir concludes with my marriage to a minister and our adventures in the distant Shetland Islands. Here I experienced the islanders’ expectations of ‘yon minister’s wife’ often resulting in unexpected humorous consequences…

Humour, tenacity, sharing and resourcefulness, especially by the women on the home front, kept life normal for us children. We laughed, cried, hoped and dreamed, but we never asked for more than what we knew was around us.

About the author

Born in Liverpool, Joyce M Lovely now lives in Maine, USA. She has had numerous articles and stories published in magazines and periodicals and she is a member of a writing group. Joyce worked in education for many years, as a teacher and then later in administration, working with teachers and leading workshops.

And So To Bath | Travel

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Jane Cable

In the first of two articles author and Frost contributor Jane Cable explores the possibilities of a weekend in Bath

Think of a weekend in Bath and what do you think? Georgian elegance – that’s what – and staying at the Bailbrook House Hotel on the edge of the city does not disappoint.

At first the friends we travelled with were nervous about booking a hotel outside the centre but I relish my peace and quiet. And one look at the menu in the Cloisters Restaurant won them over in seconds. All the same I had my fingers firmly crossed as we unloaded the car that the Bailbrook would live up to the reputation of the Handpicked Hotel chain of which it is part.

I need not have worried on that score. The reception area was crowded with new arrivals but we didn’t have to wait – the concierge settled us on a sofa and brought the paperwork to us to complete. Then we were escorted to our rooms in the hotel’s modern wing to find them large and luxurious with every home comfort including a capsule coffee machine and a dinky bottle of milk in the fridge.

Alas, the milk was off. But all this did was provide this marvellous hotel with an opportunity to give us another example of its fabulous customer service. Having telephoned housekeeping I put the kettle back on, more in hope than expectation, but the replacement milk arrived before it had even boiled. Surely the charming lady who delivered it must have been lurking in the corridor for just such an eventuality.

Pre-dinner drinks were served in an elegant drawing room overlooking the grounds. The house champagne was reasonably priced for a hotel at just over £50 a bottle so we treated ourselves and settled back on a comfortable sofa in front of the fireplace to nibble canapés and peruse the menu. Again, at £39, the three course table d’hôte looked like excellent value for money.

Excellent was indeed the word – not just the food, but the service was also spot on. The front of house manager read the mood of our party perfectly and joined in with our banter, the rest of his staff following his lead. With couples enjoying romantic dinners they were warm but discreet.

The food was completely fitting for a 2 Rosette restaurant. To start we variously enjoyed local asparagus with duck egg, gravadlax and a wonderfully light cheese soufflé with a salad of heritage tomatoes and radish. Three of us chose the 21 day aged slow roast fillet of beef and the fourth wished he had. Not that there was anything wrong with his sea bream on crushed purple potatoes, but the beef literally melted in our mouths and was so full of flavour. The only small criticism is that perhaps a few more vegetables wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Despite the lemon posset having sold out, dessert was a triumph when we almost all selected the honeycomb parfait. Husband, of course, headed straight for the cheese and was rewarded with a selection of three generous chunks accompanied by home made chutney.

After a hearty breakfast the next morning we set off into the city and discovered:

Café Lucca in Bartlett Street for coffee on a sunny terrace and amazing salads for lunch.
Sotto Sotto in North Parade for good solid Italian cooking: gets raved about on TripAdvisor but for us was at the better end of average, if fairly priced.
You have to pay to go into The Parade Gardens but there is a fabulous park on the other side of the river, tucked away on the Henrietta Mews side of Great Pulteney Street.
You don’t have to eat at Sally Lunn’s to be able to visit the tiny museum in the basement which shows the different pavement levels of the city through time – fascinating.
If you want to stay central then Three Abbey Green looks to be a great alternative.
If you go to Bath and find somewhere you can park for more than four hours then please let me know.