Milling

Had a nice day milling around yesterday. After a busy week of late nights and meetings it was nice to have some time relaxing. Didn't really achieve a great deal on my visit into the city centre. Popped to the library to see if they had Science of Sleep on dvd, which they do, but someone has failed to return it and it is now 2 weeks overdue. Still want to see this film, it looks interesting and i missed it when it was on at the showroom. Did have a look to see if i could buy it, but the cheapest i found was £9 which i wasn't prepared to shell out. Whilst in the library i went up to the graves gallery to take a few photos of the kiss, which is a piece i admire, and it is currently set in a nicely laid out gallery.
Also popped into the cathedral which is somewhere I've never been to in all my years in the city. Nice to wander around and there were a few people in there admiring the space and lighting a candle, saying a prayer. It's good that there is such a space in the city to do that, though it has never struck me to go in before. Whilst inside I decided to see if i could find john wesley who i'd heard was present in one of the stained glass windows. I found him with the help of the verger, nestling in the corner of the piece in the holy spirit chapel room. I don't think i'd've found it without help. It's actually quite large inside and there are loads of windows.
Click the images to see larger sizes.

runaway boy at runaway girl

I popped into the library on saturday whilst i was wandering around town, mainly to go and view the exhibition in the graves gallery. They have some nice photography and some abstract pieces in at the moment. One of the galleries looked especially good, a great use of space and colour and perhaps the best setting i've seen of the sculpture 'the kiss'. Whilst i was leaving i picked up an information booklet about the annual festival of reading and writing in sheffield, off the shelf. I'd noticed that tonight there was opportunity to go and read something aloud for up to 3 minutes at the runaway girl. It sounded interesting and I wondered if i could perhaps try reading a bit of the book I'm writing aloud. Bit apprehensive about mooting a work in progress, but there was a scene i'd read on saturday which i was quite happy with, and would also work as a stand alone piece. So off i toddled this evening, late cos getting into town for 7:30 isn't going to happen when you get home at 6:30 and have nothing in the fridge to eat. No matter, i envisaged a bar of bohemian writers and creative types, musing over beer and wine. Perhaps I may even find a creative writing class that could provide some assistance. I could slip in and listen to the readings and if brave, venture forwards and breath life into my sterile words. Take them off the page and see how they form when i articulate them audibly. Maybe receive some feedback. I got there and snuck a look through the window, all the tables were set out and they were filled with groups of people enjoying a meal over a glass of wine. Not looking particularly bohemian, more 'richard and judy book club' middle class women. A split decision, i'm not going to be able to sneek in here and sit and be comfortable. no way. I'll stick out like a fool with no friends.

run away....

Stars live at Leeds Brudenell

Last tuesday i went to leeds to see Stars and they were fantastic. I'd gone straight from work in the leeds office, but the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry and so it did that day too. My change of clothes so that i could change into indie kid for the evening gig was left in my house and i was seconded onto a two day future strategy meeting whilst at the office meaning that the next morning i would have to be up at 0530 to go to stratford and miss emma pollock.
Like eddie izzard i wonder what plans that mice make?

Anyway, the brudenell at leeds is fast becoming one of my favourite venues and after the passable support we were treated to a wonderful set by the stars. Canadian bands are ruling the roost at the moment and stars are right up there. Songs from their 3rd, breakthrough, album proved popular with the audience and the new material was sounding promising. As the set finished i rushed to purchase their new release and then wondered if there would be an encore, the guy at the mixing desk certainly looked like he was expecting more, but it had been some time since the band left the stage. Some people began making their way to the exit, but I hung back for a while and eventually the guy vocalist appeared back on stage and explained he'd taken off his shirt cos it was so sweaty and he didn't have anything else to wear and so he was late re-appearing whilst they searched for something for him!

Anyway, i've had time to listen to the new album a few times and it carries on where the last album left off and is very good indeed. I want to see them again now and appreciate the new songs live. As always I dropped a review to teletext, but this week i was disappointed to see that the editor had been to see them in london and published his review so I thought that mine would be lost. But today my review was there - hooray, it's been ages since my last teletext review.

a new location for cvm

A new start on Sunday for crookes valley. It's been a long journey to get to this place, and it was quite exciting to start the next stage. Can't remember how long ago it is since we sold the old church building, four years or so, and we spent a good few years looking at potential properties, and in one case going a long way down the road of preparing to purchase it. Then we realised that we just don't have the personel base to run a building and keep it well maintained. So we continued with meeting at the community centre and had chance to meet together and try and work out where, as a methodist society, we were heading. Through various discussions and prayer it seemed that our way forward was to focus on our informal way of conducting worship, and not get tied to a specific geographical location. A difficult conclusion to reach, especially for those whom have been part of a particular geography for many years. So this year we have spent time visiting other churches in the area, looking for a suitable home, somewhere where we could offer an alternative type of service. It was interesting going to other churches and having a break from the routine, and after meeting with various leadership teams to talk about practicalities, we came to a decision to move to Broomhill. So is this the promised land, have we crossed over the Jordan? The metaphors of the fledging Israelite nation are apparent, and there's still a way to go. We've realised that we do have something to offer, but how to articulate what our 'worship style' is about has proved difficult. Saying it is 'cafe church' seems trite and loaded, but we do sit around tables and drink tea and coffee through the service. We're at home singing ancient hymns as we are with new worship songs. Open to discussion and yet able to listen too. It's definately a space i would like to invite friends to if they wanted to explore faith. And so it was our first sunday meeting at the same time as the broomhill service, but in another room. I'd been looking forward to it for some time, the last few services at the community centre have seemed a drag, expectant to be elsewhere, but knowing that the time is not yet come. It was good, a nice service, the venue suited our style, and we even had passing trade. People new to the area looking for a suitable church at which to worship. Something our previous location did not offer. So our journey continues, and unlike the Israelites i don't think it will involve the destruction and piliging of the current occupants, but hopefully some kind of partnership will evolve. We offering church for those who are dissatisfied with current models, and the current society offering church for those who enjoy the format of tradition. I wonder where we'll be in a years time

Countdown

I'd just finished eating my tea and having reached a suitable stopping point in the film i was watching I turned off the dvd. The tv flicked back onto channel four and i just caught the announcer informing that the very first episode of Countdown is to be aired on more4. Quickly turning over I was greeted with the old multi-coloured channel 4 logo before launching into Countdown. It began with these awful 80s graphics, reminiscent of school programmes of the same period. A slim richard whitely introduced the scope of the game, introducing the contestents: A solicitor from london who appeared to have stopped buying clothes in the 1950s, sporting a bryll creamed slicked back hair style and gestapo glasses. And some 28 year old guy with a tash, that could easily have passed for being 45. The game got underway and it was clear that the solicitor had a greater vocabularly than anyone else, having to spell out his words. Coupes, 'and what is that?' asks richard. 'I believe it is a kind of dish, or it could be the plural of a kind of car'. Dictionary corner confirmed it is a word, 'is it a dish?' the dictionary had obviously been closed 'er, yes, it is' is the unconvincing reply. Strangely, although carol vorderman is present for the numbers, there is another girl who takes out the letters and places them on the board. Trying to stifle a giggle as the letters sex come out consequetively. The contestants are pretty rubbish at the numbers, but a very young looking carol with very bad hair, makes easy work of it. Easing into the lead the solicitor dude has no problems with the final anagram, which has yet to be christened the countdown conundrum. However the loser reveals that he had worked out the anagram straight away, but had forgotten to press his buzzer, assuming a need to wait for the 30s to complete

Feist

After the excellent Feist performance in manchester back in July, I had immediately purchased tickets for her show in Nottingham, which was just over a week ago. AD drove and we found a side street to park in before wandering down to the venue. Nottingham has really changed since i lived here, barely recognising the main streets. The Social was very small, and too small for an act of Feist's calibre. I don't know who her booking agent is, but she could have filled the venue a couple of times over I'm sure. Again she was excellent, a voice to silence crowds, achingly sensuous, yet also passionate enough to carry her more rocky tunes. Her excellent backing band added to the mix, with guitar harmonies and delicatley placed horns. The rendition of 'The Park' was nothing short of sublime, she really is one of the best acts around at the moment.