Welcome to my blog. I live, knit, crochet, spin and craft near the Northumbrian Coast (but not too near – the waves won't be splashing my yarn!).There's a story in every stitch, every grain of sand, every blade of grass. I thought I'd blog about it…
Author: Jackie B
I live in Northumberland, within sight of the sea and spend my time knitting, crocheting, sewing and trying my hand at different crafts. There's usually a story to share about the things I make.
I’ve been continuing to teach crochet this year at Amble Pin Cushion, developing new courses and honing my skills as a tutor.
It was workshop day last Thursday, teaching 10 participants over 2 sessions. I teach a maximum of 6 people per session. It’s about the right number for the room I use but I also want to ensure that everyone gets the tuition they need,, and avoid spreading myself too thinly. I limit the sessions to 2 hours at a time.. Teaching can be quite intensive and I don’t want to run out of steam!
We were making the classic granny square, so called (I think) because our grandmothers and those before them were the queens of recycling and ‘make-do and mend”. Nothing was wasted out of a need to be frugal. These crocheted squares were the perfect way to use up scraps of yarn left over from other projects or unravelled old and unwearable jumpers. The squares could then be joined up to make colourful blankets and other useful items. Granny square garments are now gaining popularity as much for their looks as their sustainability.
I did enjoy Thursday – both groups were an absolute pleasure to meet and to teach…. and from far and wide too, with one crocheter from Australia (now living locally) and another who has local connections but was visiting from the USA , where she now lives.
There was a range of abilities too, from complete beginners, those needing a bit of a “refresher course” and one experienced crocheter who wanted do her homework to prepare for an imminent big Granny Square project.
I was really proud of the progress they all made in just 2 hours. They went away with full instructions to complete their granny square and make more, how to join them together and some helpful tips and tricks, along with a yarn pack to practice at home. I wonder if they’ll get hooked on crochet!
One of my new workshops this year is “Crochet for Absolute Beginners” This came about following a conversation with another crochet tutor. We agreed that describing a workshop as “suitable for beginners” covers a pretty broad range of abilities, from true beginners with zero experience to those that are pretty good at the craft, but are either not very confident or they haven’t picked up a crochet hook in some time. I began crocheting when I was about 8 years old, taught by my grandmother and when you’ve been doing it that long you take some of the skills involved for granted. It’s all too easy to assume that others will have some basic knowledge.
That’s why this workshop was developed: for people who have never picked up a crochet hook – nothing is assumed! It really is back to basics and though participants may get as far as making a bookmark, there is no pressure to complete anything in the session.
As well as some basic stitches we cover the principles of holding the wool and hook, to maintain tension and control the hook efficiently. I feel very strongly that there is no set way of holding your work, wool and hook as long as you can stick to those basic principles. After all, everyone’s hands are different: left or right- handed, large or small, with long or short fingers, maybe some joint stiffness or other impairment. I try to work with my students to find the best hold for them. I’ve also recently begun to develop some new hand outs for left-handed participants – I tried them out for the first time last week in the Granny Square workshops and they seemed to work well.
I have run the Absolute Beginners workshop a few times now and it’s going really well, but there’s always room for improvement. I ask everyone to complete a very short anonymous evaluation at the end of each session. It’s good to get feedback so I can improve what I do and get ideas for future workshops. A left-handed participant on one of the first Absolute Beginners sessions inspired me to develop the LH specific handouts I used for last week’s Granny Squares.
I think it’s important to have fun too. Enjoyment is important for its own sake, but it turns out that it also helps people relax and stops their crochet becoming too tight!
One particularly enjoyable session included a husband and wife. He had bought her a crochet kit as a gift and he suggested that it would help her learn to use if she did a workshop and she agreed, but only on the condition that he came along to. They both did well, but he was exceptional. producing some really beautiful skilled crochet work Then, he confessed. After they booked on, he had been watching You Tube tutorial videos on the quiet and practicing in secret! No wonder he’d got so good!
Do you have any funny crochet-related stories to share. I’d love to hear them
STOP PRESS
I’ve just added an extra Absolute Beginners Session to run on Saturday 4th October from 10.30 to 12.30pm. (The one on Thursday 25th is now full, but please check for cancellation).
(Human League, Bananarama, Tony Hadley, The Christians, The Farm, Toyah, Altered Images, Carol Dekker)
A sweltering August Bank Holiday Sunday saw a cracking array of artists from the 80s and 90s perform at Darlington’s Bowden Park rugby Club, aka Darlington Arena. I approach the summer festival season with a certain amout of trepidation. As soon as you combine open air events with the British weather, access becomes unpredictable. The larger and more established events have got their act together but with new events springing up in sports grounds, parks and stately homes all over, some have not yet got the access for disabled customers fully worked out. But I’m going to save all that for Part 2. This one is all about the music! Today I was accompanied by my lovely friend A, who is great company and great help , which included navigating, doing the bar/food runs and even providing backup photography when my phone failed –
You only had to look at all the mullet wigs and neon ra ra skirts to see that there was going to be a party on the pitch today. We sixty-somethings do love a bit of nostalgia. We can enjoy recreating our mis-spent youth while contributing to the pension plans of our favourite 80s bands and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
Kicking off the afternoon was Carol Dekker, the flame-haired T’Pau front woman. I enjoyed seeing her at Bents Park, South Shields last summer with Haircut 100, and love that her voice is as good as ever.. She belted out songs old and new, including fan favourites Heart and Soul and of course China In Your Hands, which has to one of the greatest. power ballads of the 80s, or even of all time. We also got a surprise cover of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing (with a bit of a disco beat). That’s a guaranteed sing-a-long crowd pleaser (whether you remember it from first time around or were glued to Glee) and it went down a storm.
From our vantage point in the accessible area we noticed that there was a pretty good view of the area behind the stage and we spied Clare Grogan, looking fabulous, rocking shocking pink sequins and feathers, with some very high heels, arriving for Altered Images’ set. Everyone fell in love with her in the 80s (remember Gregory’s Girl? ) – on stage she’s as engaging as ever, Glasgow’s feisty wee Barbie doll (in pink)!
We got the first bit of on-stage drama of the day when Clare fell off those pesky heels. You could feel the gasps of concern from the audience but she was back on her feet right away, blaming the new shoes. She told us that at least her daughter wasn’t present to see it and complain about how embarrassing it was ~(parents everywhere will empathise with that!) .
All our favourites: Dead Pop Stars (going back to the “Baby Punk” days); Happy Birthday; I Could Be Happy; Don’t Talk To Me About Love – the crowd loved it and sang along enthusiastically! Scotland needs more national treasures ‘like you Clare!
Last April, after K died, I wrote a lot about him and coming to terms with that loss. I was really touched by the response. Live music had been our shared passion and I just had to keep that going. That first gig without him, was hard but I continued, blogging those reviews and access details as much as I could . That first one was Interzone: a big line up of mainly 90s bands, including The Farm. I got a lovely comment back from The Farm guitarist, Steve Grimes aka Sip Advisor, who writes the band’s blog incorporating a photo diary of life on the road with The Farm, taking in the gigs, the journeys in between, pubs visited, beer sampled (with tasting notes) and the people they meet along the : Check it out here.
I messaged Steve to say I was going to the event at Darlington and he came to say hello, along with Carl Hunter (bass). It was great that the guys took the time to meet up with us and we chatted about the blogs and the gig. It’s quite refreshing that in these times of filtered Instagram posts and contrived paid-for Meet-and-Greets there are still musicians who try to keep it real. In the middle of all this, Clare Grogan was spotted again backstage, about to leave the venue and we were briefly left holding the beer, so that Carl could fulfil his ambition to meet his teenage crush…. the coveted Access All Areas wristband has its uses!
Toyah took to the stage next and owned it…I love that she doesn’t take herself too seriously. You only have to watch Robert (Fripp) and Toyah’s Sunday Lunch: the hilarious videos that went viral during COVID lockdown. Mr and Mrs Fripp kept us smiling at a time when we needed it most. This was an energetic performance that had me reaching for my phone to see if there’s a tour this Autumn. We got the hits and more, and just enough talk in between: It’s a Mystery (“Not the best song for a singer with a lisp,” she quips) and I Want to be Free were in there of course and a cracking rendition of Joan Jett’s I Love Rock and Roll…fabulous!
The Farm are on next. The crowd are warmed up and loving it. We are treated to some of the new album : title track Let the Music(Take Control) and Forever and Ever….I’ve been listening to it this week – definitely worth a play. We also get a nice change of pace with The Farm’s take on The Clash’s Bank Robber. It’s all sounding great and Peter Wooton still has the neccessary swagger to front it all.
Of course everyone wants to dance to Groovy Train and sing along to All Together Now and they soon get their wish, A very loud, alcohol-and-sunshine-powered crowd sang their hearts out. There’ll be some sore throats tomorrow!
Didn’t know much about next act, The Christians, though I do love that charity single – their version of Harvest for the World. Lead singer, Garry Christian alluded to recent health problems and seemed hestitant at first. He has every right to be nervous. It’s only weeks since the band’s drummer, Lionel Duke had a cardiac arrest while on stage at another festival. Thankfully he’s now recovering, but that must have been pretty traumatic to all concerned.
Once Christian got into his stride he was in his element, getting down to the front with the crowd, giving us great bluesy soul vocals and harmonies, especially on Harvest. I don’t think he wanted to to end! Did they overrun their allotted slot? Maybe. It was hard to tell with no detailed running order available.
Tony Hadley had the best voice of all back in the 80’s and still sounds sublime. Coming on in a suit (must have been roasting on such a hot day) and perching a stool in the style of a Vegas crooner, singing Feeling Good; then on his feet to sing the Spandau Ballet classics. To Cut a Long Story Short; Gold; True; Highly Strung…and finishing with Queen’s We are the Champions (and the audience knew all the words of every single one. Such a voice!
I’ve never seen Bananarama and wasn’t sure what to expect. These days the band is down to a duo. And poor Keren was suffering from food poisoning (her son’s barbecue was to blame) – you have to admire someone who goes on stage with that to deal with. Sara was obviously concerned and kept asking if she was ok. With two acts declaring health issues and Clare Grogan’s fall, today is certainly presenting an added level of jeopardy….will they or won’t they get to the end of the set!
I had seriously forgotten how many hits Bananarama had back then and they came thick and fast.. Really Sayin’ Something; Cruel Summer; Love in the First Degree; Nathan Jones; Venus; Robert De Niro’s waiting….I’m know I’ve missed some. All delivered with the choreographed dance moves – nothing too complicated so everyone could join in with that AND sing along. A real crowd-pleaser of a set!
It was time for the last act of the evening: The Human League. I always say that when I think of my record collection from the 80s, the album that comes into my mind first is Dare. I was a student in Sheffield at the time – they were a local band, so part of my history in a way. These days HL are pure pop pantomime – and I mean that in a good way….over the top and cheesy, but still belting out those hits that were the soundtrack of the 80s.
There’s an obvious effort made with the staging of their set: the choreography consists mainly of lead singer Phil Oakey running from one corner of the stage to another. We have another 80’s staple on stage tonight – keytars (like a keyboard/guitar hybrid)… And the costume changes! Oakey tries on more outfits than Mr Benn in the fancy dress shop. Tonight’s looks included Ming the Merciless Goes Goth ( a military style black jumpsuit with massive shoulder pads ……
…Miami Gangster (pale blue double breasted suit over floral shirt)…
…Choirboy/Pierrot Clown – a white frilled surplus.
While we are on with the fashion notes Singers Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley had some costume changes too (nowhere near as many as Phil ), beginning in pink (Long and sequinned for Joanne and short satin for Susan… ending with red and black feathers and a sort of dark Statue of Liberty vibe respectively. Throughout it all Phil Oakey presides, grinning like an evil puppet master. There’s plenty going on up there as well as the music.
Of course there’s all our favourite tracks from the commercially successful third album Dare (Love Action; Don’t You Want me …and the rest ) and later tracks too: The Lebanon, Mirror Man, Human, Heart Like a Wheel, Fascination. One Man In My Heart (with Susan’s vocals – the only one Phil doesn’t sing). The audience got to do the whole of Don’t You Want Me earlier on, with just the help of the keytars to accompany them. Everybody knows the words to that one (probably a costume change going on. at the time).
As headliners, HL are given the privilege of an encore and I’m delighted that it begins with that first hit, Being Boiled – I love the early stuff from when Martin Ware and Ian Craig Marsh were mainstays of the band, prior to leaving to form Heaven 17 back in 1980. I do wish they wouldn’t end on Electric Dreams though – not my favourite. It was originally credited to Oakey and Georgio Moroder rather than Human League . For me it just lacks the HL sound. I think Don’t You Want Me would be a better choice in that slot and keep the audience wanting more right until the end.
Despite that it was a fun set and the audience loved it. Keep on doing what you do Human League! We all love a good show and that really kept us entertained!
As the audience left, happy, hoarse and in some cases, more than a bit drunk, you could hear them still singing those songs.
It was just as well they were in good spirits as leaving the stadium was challenging. Regular readers might be wondering why I haven’t written about disability access as I usually do. I’m keeping all that for Part 2 as there’s quite a lot to say!
For now, the music takes priority, along with all those memories of the 80’s. We may all be getting older, and not just the audience – those big screens unforgivingly show every wrinkle and bead of sweat. While we may not be able to party quite as hard as we used to (and even embarrass our children a little bit), this generation is going to proudly carry on and grow old disgracefully!
I’d love to hear your memories and stories of the 80s, music-related and otherwise.
Update: Steve Grimes – guitarist and blogger for The Farm posted his blog about the gig > read it here. Thanks for the mention and the photo credit Steve!
Today is the first anniversary of Kevin’s death. It’s made me reflect on the last year and how things have changed. Of course I still miss him every day, but the pain isn’t as raw as it was. I do still have the occasional wobble, for example if something has happened that I’d just love to tell him about.
I felt quite numb for those first few weeks. I buried myself in a complicated piece of knitting that required enough concentration to distract me from thinking about what had happened. Friends brought food and visited to check up on me. I gradually got through the “sadmin” : all those things that you have to do when someone dies.
Son and Daughter have been amazing. He still lives here and has taken over the care of Buddy the dog (who seemed to become totally fixated on Son). Daughter checks up on me almost daily and is over here regularly to help out with stuff.
They say that things happen for a reason. My mother died just over six weeks before Kevin – in many ways it prepared me for what was to come – registering the death, planning the funeral and so on. Most importantly I was kept very busy for those first few months, as we cleared my mother’s house. Keeping busy really helped. The house sold very quickly and that really put the pressure on, but we did it. I brought quite a bit of stuff back to mine, including 10 boxes of photographs and slides and I’m still going through those. Some of the items I will sell when I get round to it but not yet.
I learnt how to cook again. Kevin had done all the cooking for many years and he was really good at it. I’m getting better at batch cooking single portions and filling the freezer with those. Spending more time on my feet really brought my disability into painfully sharp focus, so I’ve really tried to do what I can to make things easier – I sought medical help which has led to me getting ankle supports and insoles to stabilise my feet and ankles. I’m using various aids around the house and in the longer term getting some adaptations made to home and garden to make things more manageable.
Someone who lost her husband some years ago gave me what has turned out to be a great pice of advice. She told me to never turn down an invitation. And I haven’t! It would be so easy to decline and say you aren’t up to it, but then it gets harder to say “yes” and I suppose eventually people would stop inviting you.
When Kevin was alive we always had our own interests as well as the things we enjoyed together. I gradually returned to all my usual activities: book club, choir, ukulele, my various craft groups and crochet teaching. This has kept me busy and involved: everyone has been so kind. I am truly blessed to have so many lovely friends and neighbours who are always there for me when I need their help. I have also continued to go to gigs, initially those we had already purchased tickets for, that Kevin would had gone to. Again, my lovely friends have supported me and come with me to concerts – of course I always think about Kevin and wonder what he would have thought of every performance but it doesn’t stop me enjoying them. I have more tickets booked for this year, though I haven’t quite caught up with my reviews on here. My blog has suffered a fair bit – time just gets away from me.
There have been some particularly difficult times over the year. Christmas was hard. I found myself signing Christmas cards from both of us and tearing them up. I realised when cards addressed to us both arrived that there were some people that didn’t know Kevin had died so I had to let them know. On Christmas Day itself there was no way I could recreate the wonderful roast goose that Kevin used to cook so Son, Daughter and I went out for lunch at a local restaurant, which was lovely, then to friends for drinks and a very enjoyable afternoon.
As life without Kevin has taken shape I have some new adventures to look forward to. In a couple of weeks I’m going on my first cruise, along with Daughter, my brother and his wife (they have been a great support too) . It was something I always fancied trying but I would never have got Kevin anywhere near a cruise ship. Next year sees an even bigger adventure. I’m going to Costa Rica for 11 days, joining a group tour with Limitless Travel, who specialise in making holidays accessible for disabled travellers.
I’m doing ok, and part of that is developing a “sink or swim” mentality. To a point I know that I have to keep going and I’m scared of going under but in doing that I have found more resilience than I ever knew I was capable of. I would also want to make him proud of me. I know that he would want me to live the best life I can possibly can. I’m giving it my best shot!
After Saturday’s Embroidery with Sea Glass workshop I got to thinking about a couple of others I’ve been to over the last year. Almost a year ago. I went on a worship on Entrelac and Modular Knitting with Judith Schur of Needlecase at Amble Pincushion. At the time I fell in love with Judith’s beautiful modular shell cowl and started to make my own – I got it finished a while back.
I used West Yorkshire Spinners Signature Sock Yarn in Woodpigeon (variegated in mauve, grey and white) and some pink and purple sock weight yarn I got from a stash sale. I’m so pleased with it – and learning this technique has cured me of my dislike of picking up stitches.
I went on another of Judith’s workshops a few months back. This one was on 2-colour brioche knitting. If you’ve never come across brioche knitting before, it looks a bit like K1 P1 rib and in the case of 2 colour brioche, the knit stitches are in one colour and the purl in another to form stripes…. then you can make the lines cross and form waves. It’s double thickness, so each row is knitted twice (you have to slide the stitches back along the needle before you knot the second one so you need to use circular or double pointed needles.). It feels really squishy .
During the workshop we learnt the techniques and produced a sample square ( I must admit I made a bit of a mess of mine, mainly because I was chatting to the other participants. I had another go and perfected my sample when I got home. Brioche does require a fair bit of concentration.
Next I started a cowl using one of Judith’s patterns. This and two balls of James C Brett Aztec were included in the price. I chose a pale duck-egg blue and a deep green – brioche looks most effective when you use strongly contrasting colours. It’s a lovely aran weight yarn with some alpaca in the blend which makes it really soft.
I did make some mistakes, but I pulled them out and kept going until I got it right. The end result looks amazing and is so lovely to wear – the softness of the alpaca and the squishy brioche knitting makes it incredibly cosy.
When you see that there’s a chance to see some of your favourite 80’s music and you are long overdue getting together with a group of friends that might enjoy the event there’s nothing like combining the two. Every summer, South Tyneside Council stage a series of free Sunday afternoon concerts in Bents Park, South Shields. They are promoted as family friendly events, and you can bring your own food and drink, which is a refreshing change when so many open air gigs and festivals and indoor venues don’t allow alcohol in and you are held to ransom by extortionate bar prices. The Bents Park gigs have been going for years now and often host some decent acts of all kinds so there’s something for everyone. Summer ’24 also saw a Jason Donovan gig. I saw Haircut one Hundred, supported by Carol Dekker (ex T’Pau), Sonia (smiley Scouse songstress) and a rather good local 80’s tribute band, who I’m ashamed to say I forget the name of.
Ticketing was so easy. You can pay a small amount to get in 30 minutes earlier and bag a better spot for your deck chair. I think there are better toilets too. I decided to do this and also get a companion ticket. I wanted to make sure I got a spot in the wheelchair/accessible area. I rang up and they didn’t even require proof of disability (obviously this was a free gig and I was just getting the early access).
I managed to park with my blue badge just across the road from the park entrance and scooted across. When I get together with my former work colleagues R, J and A we always have such fun. J brought another friend and a daughter too. A treated us all to flowers garlands to get into the festival vibe and we all brought copious amounts of picnic food and drink.
The accessible area was just a designated compound with a chain round, chairs, stewarded and with a disabled portal. There was no platform but the stage was high enough to see reasonable well even if people were standing in front of (and there was the obligatory big screen).
First up, Sonia.She was chatty and quite endearing really, with anecdotes in between the Stock, Aitken and Waterman Hit Factory songs, including her greatest hit “I’ll Never Stop Loving You” and UK Eurovision entry “Better the Devil You Know” (not to be confused with Kylies’s song with the same title~~).
I’m not a huge fan of tribute bands to be honest – they are such a mixed bag and often you really don’t know what you are going to get. If the real band is still touring and can bring the goods I’d far rather see them. I have to to say that the band we saw, who played a range of 80’s covers rather than copying one specific band, were excellent.
Carol Dekker was on next. Who could forget her amazing voice when she fronted `T’Pau and belted out “China in Your Hands”and “Heart and Soul”. I’m happy to report that she still sounds great and we got the old hits and new stiff too.
Top of the bill: Haircut One Hundred, fronted by Nick Hayward were the last act of the afternoon. I saw them a couple of years back for the first time in 40 years or so and had forgotten what great musicians they are, with very distinctive rhythm guitar sound, and a driving beat delivering the well-crafted pop songs from their breakout album Pelican West. I still maintain that “Favourite Shirts” is the best dance track of its day. We got all this and new stuff too including the rather nice “The Unloving Plum”.Marvellous.
Bravo to South Tyneside Council for delivering such a quality event – despite the lack of alcohol restrictions the event was virtually devoid of trouble – it really did maintain a happy family-friendly vibe. We did spot one incident that was almost as entertaining as the music. A couple , probably in their 70s had dressed to impress and run with the festival atmosphere. He wore a bejewelled peaked cap and a rainbow feather boa, She was in bright pink sequinned miniskirt and jacket with matching feathered head dress and cowboy boots. They were drinking heavily. After a while they decided to move much nearer the stage. In their drunken state the pair of them could barely stand and tripped over people and flattened deckchairs as they went. A couple of security staff stepped in to stop them and got a load of verbal abuse at which point the colourful couple were escorted from the park. They were spotted by one of our party travelling home on the Metro train, much subdued after their earlier antics!
What a fun afternoon!
Squeeze
City Hall, Newcastle 13 October 2024
I may be writing this from memory, but this was probably my favourite gig of’24.
I love a seated gig at the City Hall. The designated accessible seats are right at the front, so , as long as the PA system isn’t so huge that it will impeded the view at the end of the row, you are in the best place, even better than the viewing platform used at standing only gigs. I phone to order tickets and I’m registered on their system for disability access and entitlement to a companion ticket. The box office staff are always lovely.
Everything went perfectly this evening. I drove in with my lovely friend A and got parked nearby. We walked/scooted towards the City Hall and one of the Show Sec Stewards immediately approached us and directed us to the side entrance, radioing ahead for his colleagues to open the door where we quickly passed through the security and ticket check and were shown to our seats. They also provide a drinks waiter service for this in the accessible seats which is brilliant – essential here when the bar is downstairs but would be a welcome addition in many other venues too.. There’s a radar key controlled accessible toilet in the foyer with a steward nearby to unlock if you don’t have your own radar key. In the past I’ve also got free earplugs from the box office at a painfully loud gig – they really do think of just about everything .
Tonight’s support was Badly Drawn Boy -understated but good .
I’ll reserve most of my praise for Squeeze though. I saw them a couple of years back and they were great then – tonight even better if anything. This was their 50th anniversary tour.
I believe that the difference between a really good pop song and a really great one is the lyrics. Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford deliver both words and music impeccably.
The whole band just look like they are having the best time and they have the audience eating out of their hands, singing every word of every song. Who could forget the wit of “Up the Junction” and its tale of young love, parenthood and breakup. Don’t we all “wish we had a motorboat to pose around the harbour”? Tilbrook’s soulful bluesy vocals on “Coffee in Bed” sound as good as ever.
And yes, I was sat eye contactingly close to the band. I am impressed that my pal, A, knows all the words to the rapid-fire chorus of “Hourglass”. The two women sat next to us politely ask a steward if they can get up and dance. Chris Difford invites everyone to join them. It’s party time at the City Hall . What a night!
Pretenders
The Glasshouse, Gateshead, 17October 2024
It’s not easy to get to the Glasshouse (formerly the Sage), Gateshead. Current lane closures on the Tyne Bridge slow down the rush hour traffic and the one way system is impossible to navigate- I want to get there early to grab an accessible parking space close to the venue entrance. Tonight I am accompanied by my lovely friend S. There are plenty of food and drink options for early arrivals.
Ticketing is straightforward. I phone the box office to book accessible ticket and companion ticket. I’m registered on their system. Tonight we are in one of the boxes on the next level up from the concourse.
I can’t say I enjoyed the support – some rather indulgent heavy rock with more cliches than Spinal Tap and instantly forgettable.
I find to my annoyance that my phone has run out of battery and not charged up in the car, but it turns out there is a total ban on photos and videos. Stewards with “Strictly no photography ” placards walk around and enforce this, shining a torch on offenders. Annoying as some of the cameras can be (especially when thrust in front of your face) and sad as it is that some prefer to capture a “memory” – never to be watched again, this was positively draconian. So no photos of this gig!
Sad to say that Pretenders were slightly underwhelming. Chrissy Hyde sounds and looks the same as ever and seems to have recovered from the injury that postponed this gig. Her band were slick and polished, but there was something missing. It just seemed a little cold. and I was still a bit baffled by the “no pics” rule. There are other ways of limiting it (with self deprecating humour from Ian Anderson at a Jethro Tull gig this year). Is Ms Hynde developing some diva-ish vanity? She also broke with the tried and tested formula of performing a load of hits and a few tasters from a new album. We got a few of the old favourites but not many – lots of less obvious tracks and new stuff. Not a crowd pleasing set.
Soo….not the best of this year’s gigs to travel south of the river (Tyne) for, but at least I was in the excellent company of S.
I do love a craft workshop, so when my plans for today got cancelled I realised I could go to one that I thought I’d miss. This was the first embroidery one I’ve been to at the Amble Pin Cushion where I teach my crochet workshops.
Today we were learning “Embroidery with Sea Glass” taught by skilled stitcher Bronagh, who works at the shop and is studying for qualifications with the Royal School of Needlework . She is also part of the team of skilled needleworkers that make and repair textiles at Durham Cathedral.
Bronagh collects seaglass as she walks on local beaches and has found a way of incorporating them into her embroideries – today we were learning the techniques used in the piece she made pictured at the top of this post.
We used some lovely batik printed fabric in subtle shades of sea green as a background and attached the pieces of sea glass using a network of stitches.
Bronagh then demonstrated various embroidery stitches which we incorporated into our work.
Finally she showed us some techniques for adding beads, so we had a go at that.
All the material (embroidery hoop, fabric and backing, wadding and felt to line the piece, ribbon for hanging, seagrass, needles, embroidery threads and beads) were provided with instructions and a tote to carry everything.
Bronagh is a great tutor (you can tell she’s been a teacher in a past life) and I really enjoyed spending my Saturday in her company along with the other lovely participant.
This is my work in progress. I’m going to have so much fun doing it.
I find myself terribly behind with blogging and haven’t posted since last November. I thought it was time to collect my notes and photos together and and write up the rest of last year’s gigs. To recap, K and I went to see Echo and the Bunnymen and Hawkwind before K’s untimely death in April, then the Interzone Event and Jethro Tull after that. Some I wrote up but never got round to publishing, but I always took photos. This is a LONG post!
The Feeling: The Venue, Newcastle University Students Union, 10th May 2024
I love the Feeling. Beautifully crafted pop songs. Daughter likes them too., and my brother, who got to know them way back when they were the resident band in his favourite French ski resort bar.
Some months ago the venue for this gig changed, moving from NX (formerly the Academy) to The Venue at Newcastle University Students Union. I have been there before, for a very different sort of event. Kevin was a proud graduate of Newcastle University and got involved in lots of extracurricular student activities, including selling the student newspaper: The Courier. We attended a dinner celebrating 75 years of The Courier. Guest speakers included former courier reporters now successful journalists on national papers. It was a lovely event and held in the same Venue. Situated in a student union basement with a low ceiling it does have more of a club feeling that most concert venues (though more spacious than say The Limit in Sheffield, which was one of my favourite student hangouts back in the day)
When I booked my ticket, plus guest list place for companion and accessible viewing space for this it was for NX but the venue for this changed to The Venue (confusingly simple name for the multi-event space at Newcastle University’s Students Union- fortunately I checked because though the ticket was still valid – my access requirements had not been transferred. After a couple of attempts I was able to contact someone at The Venue who confirmed this, and sorted out what I needed once I had sent proof of disability/access number.
We were given directions to go down the ramp at the side of the Students Union to Luthers Bar (named after Martin Luther King, who famously visited the University in 1967 and received an honorary doctorate) . It’s actually run by pub chain Wetherspoons. You need to go down the ramp to the level below the main entrance as Luthers is actually over two levels. Once you work out that you should not be on the terrace at the back of the building and get down to Level -1 it’s a little bit more straightforward as there were event staff who knew what to do, unlike the bar staff. I showed the ticket and gave my name to staff on the door and daughter and I were given wristbands and directions to the area reserved for disabled customers aside of stage, There was a barrier and a steward to restrict access to wristband holders. I have to admit that this had quite a cool VIP access feel to it and the view was ok – obviously the band are going to perform towards front stage , not side, but if you can get past that it was fine. And unrestricted views of some of the technical aspects of the gig, more of which later.
I don’t know why I haven’t heard of Callum Beattie, tonight’s support. His “Boris Song” went viral during/after the COVID epidemic – a scathing comic song about the then UK PM. He’s a Scottish singer songwriter (from Musselburgh, near Edinburgh) and he’s really active on social media.
The songs are great – can’t say I’ve had an ear worm from a support act original song before EVER! What’s not to like? He was even in the bar after the gig meeting fans – I had to go and find out when he’d be playing in Newcastle again. Mission accomplished. – appearing at the Cluny in November 24.
Callum played a great set… he’s even done a charity recording. Great songs. When he said that he didn’t have the physique to take off his t-shirt and throw it into the crowd, I thought Peter Hook should take note – read the review I wrote for that one and you’ll see what I mean.
As we get back to our little private viewing area (I think my brother, who is with his wife and some friends, is a tiny bit jealous) the excitement in the crowd is palpable. There are some real fans at the front of the stage. Then the band come right past us as they go on stage.
This was a greatest hits tour and the set list a real crowd pleaser. All the hits, some of the new album, a cover version (Video Killed the Radio Star – I defy you to NOT sing along to that) . It was all there, AND the side project. Front man Dan Gillespie wrote the musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, a hit in the West End and now a movie – who can forget the scene when Jamie’s mother (played by the excellent Sarah Lancashire) sings an ode to her son, My Boy – I cried. It’s just beautiful. So we got the title song from the show too.
I said earlier that the band perform to the front – true, apart from the slow ballad Rosé. The piano was wheeled on sideways – Dan was facing us for that one.
This lot are great musicians – and they sing – the Feeling harmonies are just gorgeous.
In our little side stage enclave we had a perfect view of the fifth band member – the very hard working guitar tech. He had his work cut out for him I counted an obscene number of guitars on the rack and the same number of cases lined up next to the stage – this unsung hero looks like he loves his work, he was moving and singing along all the time.
In summary, a great singalong gig from some fantastic musicians and The Venue (once the access requirement details were supplied) looked after me reasonably well too.
Our journey home involved a detour to find a spot away from light pollution. As The Feeling played, one of the best ever Aurora Borealis displays ever seen in our part of the UK was lighting up the skies. It seemed that everyone else was doing the same – every lay-by , every farm gateway was occupied by vehicles, but eventually we joined another car in a field entrance. and as our eyes accustomed to the dark, faintly glowing bands of green, pink and purple appeared. These looked even more spectacular through the nighttime settings of a phone. What a night
Elbow: Glasgow Hydro, 11 May 2024
This was one that K and I had really been looking forward to. Elbow are so good live. I changed our hotel room booking from a double to a twin and my friend Val joined me. After a leisurely drive to Glasgow via Falkirk, where we stopped for coffee and cake at a delightful Italian coffee shop. we reached the hotel, one of many in that part of Glasgow surrounding the Hydro and Conference Centre.
Access was totally trouble free at this gig. Ticketing for the accessible area, including a companion ticket was all automatically done through the Ticketmaster app – I’m registered with them. This involved sending a copy of my proof of disability. Registration lasts 3 years and is free of charge. The Hydro is a short walk (or in my case scoot) over a footbridge across the river Clyde from our Premier Inn.. Large signs directed us to the entrance for accessible seating area. As you would expect at a large arena that regularly presents massive shows, the whole event was well staffed by professional event stewards who kept everything running smoothly, from bag security checks on arrival to being directed to our seats. We even got some great Thai fast food at one of the concourse concessions – all the restaurants round and about were rammed.
Our places on the viewing platform were great – central with great unimpeded views and next to the mixing desks – K would have loved that – he was always interested in the technical aspects of staging a gig.
This was the first gig of the tour, though that had not been the original plan. The tour was supposed to open at the new Co-op Arena in Manchester, with Elbow to be the first act to appear there , on their own turf. However, technical problems with the building delayed open so Glasgow saw them first!
The support were…forgettable, but Elbow where as good as ever. The indomitable Guy Garvey is one of the best front men in the business and his gravelly heartfelt vocals deliver poetic lyrics like no other, all backed up by great musicians – friends from schooldays, there’s a real bond there.
He belted out songs old and new, including my favourites, Mirrorball (for which a giant mirrorball descended from the ceiling) and Magnificent.
As you’d expect, the light show was great as befits a stadium-sized gig .
Naturally they ended the encore with One Day Like this. Fabulous!
As the happy fans filtered out of the building and dispersed to the surrounding hotels and bars. As we made our way past the Conference Centre, V photographed the coloured building lights and posted the pics on our friends’ Whatsapp Group, captioned “We hit lucky and caught the northern lights on the way to the gig!”
This part of Glasgow certainly looks wonderful at night.
Back at the hotel we had lots of wine before we finally got some sleep, consequently missing our complimentary breakfast! At least we found somewhere that sold bacon sandwiches on the way home!
Human League, Heaven 17, Peter Hook and the Light, Altered Images: Herrington Park, 12 July 2024
I have A LOT to say about access arrangements for this one. First of all getting a ticket with platform access, forward parking and a companion ticket involved several unanswered emails, downloading a ticketsales app that I’d never heard of before and forking out an additional £15 for a Nimbus Access Card which at the time didn’t operate for any other venue or event type Id ever go to.
There are several similar schemes – in principle they are a good idea – send your proof of disability and access needs once, with payment, and you get a photo id card bearing symbols representing each of your access needs. This would be great if there was one universal scheme, but there are several, with variable costs to join and many venues operate their own.
All this went right down to the wire and I had to collect my tickets at the gate. I was attending with my friend K, who shares my love of 80’s pop. The disabled parking seemed a bit haphazard, but I drove as close to the gate as I could and got the all terrain scooter out – this was an open air gig on a rather rutted field with a central stage and food and drink concessions around the edge. We joined the queue only to find that everything was delayed so we had to wait half an hour or so before things began to move – not great as we were expecting to go straight through – I was fine sat on my scooter but I was concerned for K who was recovering from some very serious health issues.
Finally we were funnelled though various gates and queues with tiny signage, totally unreadable at a distance, ended up in the wrong place and were escorted by a steward to the appropriate place to pick up tickets. I was handed a large envelope which also contained a forward parking pass. A bit late for that!
Finally we got in and found our places on the accessible viewing platform and the field filled up. The people watching at such things is always great – the thing we noticed was how groups of people had acquired matching cowboy hats to keep together and see each other at a glance.
Altered Images came on, with lead singer Clare Grogan in a pink satin ballgown looking great as ever – she must be about my age but looks much better preserved – whatever she’s on I want some! …and she’s such an engaging performer, warm and funny, with the talent to shrink a big venue into something more intimate.
Her vocals are as good as ever and the setlist hasn’t changed much in recent years apart from adding some recent album tracks: all those hits from their heyday are there, Happy Birthday, Dead Pop Stars, I could be Happy and the sublime Don’t Talk to Me About Love. I’ve heard it before but was glad they still included a brilliant cover of the Ting Tings’ That’s not my name. That’s my favourite kind of support act!
Our next act was Peter Hook and the Light. I’m glad to say that he was in much better form than he was in Newcastle earlier this year at the InterZone Event (though not quite as good as a show at BoilerShop a while back). There were all the old New Order songs we know and love.
Next on: Heaven 17. I was curious about them appearing together with Human League. Historically Human League was part of the 80’s Sheffield electro-pop movement . Martin Ware and Ian Craig Marsh recruited vocalist Phil Oakey – those early hits included Being Boiled and Empire State Human (I am instantly transported to the disco dance floor at Sheffield Student’s Union, c1981). There was a falling out, Ware and Craig Marsh left to form Heaven 17 with Glenn Gregory as lead vocals. Oakey’s Human League went on adding vocals from teenagers Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Tully, spotted by Oakey in a local nightclub. The iconic Dare album was a huge commercial success (when I think of my 80’s music collection I think of that one). Every wannabe popstar loves that story about those two young women getting permission to be out of school for the band’s tv performance on Top of The Pops!
Back to H17. I just love their songs. (We Don’t Need That) Fascist Groove Thing has lyrics as applicable today as they were then, not to mention being a cracking dance track, as are Penthouse and Pavement, Temptation and the rest (…and I’m back on that dance floor in Sheffield again!) .
Glenn Gregory is an excellent front man, funny, charismatic with a great voice – he’s wearing well (sorry to harp on about the age thing but there’s nothing sadder than trying to recapture the gigging experiences of your youth and finding that the artistes are so bad that they really should retire!)
Martin Ware is looking rather older, prompting some “Son” and “Dad” banter between songs. When K went to the bar she overheard a priceless comment from a punter” Isn’t it lovely that he performs with his Dad” . We had a good laugh about that one.
Then on to Human League.
Oakey comes over a bit of a diva – it’s the frequent costume changes…but the songs still sound great and we all know all the words.
And they did Being Boiled, which I’ve previously seen performed by H17. It all seemed very amicable after that schism back in 1980.
I just wish they didn’t do Electric Dreams as their encore. They had so many better songs.
Yesterday I was in the pretty Northumbrian fishing village of Craster. I’ve just gone back to the local craft group recently after a long break. They meet in the village hall in the centre of Craster on a Tuesday morning, from around 10-12, and for the princely sum of £2 we get tea or coffee and biscuits, sometimes delicious home baking from group members too… and, a raffle, not to mention the great company. It’s such a lovely friendly group.
On this occasion I took Buddy the Labrador too. He would have been left home alone otherwise. He’s a chilled old boy, so, although when he enters a room full of people he seems to think he’s arrived at a meeting of his personal fan club (he just loves meeting people), he soon settles and goes to sleep under the table. Fortunately there are a lot of dog lovers in the group who sometimes bring their own. Buddy made friends with Tilly the miniature schnauzer, who wasn’t sure at first (Buddy is huge).
I took some spinning, but there was a lot of knitting as well as crochet, needle felting, and sewing going on.
Afterwards I took the opportunity to give Buddy a walk and explore the village – I haven’t done that for years!
Craster is famous for its kippers. These smoked herrings are a real local delicacy: on smoking days you can smell the process and see the smoke emerging from the chimneys of Robsons Smokehouse, just a few yards from where I’d been crafting. The business has been run by the same family for four generations and includes a seafood restaurant.
Buddy stopped for a long drink at the dog bowl outside the Mick Oxley Gallery. We walked towards the harbour, past the village pub, the Jolly Fisherman, which serves excellent food.
It was a still, rather murky day and the sea was calm as we approached the harbour. This place holds fond childhood memories. When we were small, my brother and I would get damaged and unusable herring from the smokehouse to use as fishing bait, then go fishing for crabs and small fish off the pier.
Close to the harbour the War Memorial has been decorated with knitted and crocheted poppies prior to Remembrance Day on 11th November. These have been made by members of the craft group.
The poppies extend to the adjacent park bench…
…and the railing overlooking the harbour.
Down on the tiny beach, some canoeists were preparing to take to the water.
Although Craster is popular with tourists, with many of the dwellings in the village now converted to luxury holiday accommodation, it remains a working fishing port.
Craster also sits on the Northumberland Coastal Path. Despite the grey day there were still plenty of walkers about. Buddy and I joined them, heading north out of the village, through the gate and along this well-beaten track – dogs must be kept on lead as sheep graze here. Directly ahead, looming eerily from the mist, are the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle.
Along the the path, the gorse is still in bloom, adding a welcome splash of colour to the dull day.
Soon it was time to turn back, switching the view to the village.
This month we passed bit of a milestone. It’s six months since Kevin died. At the time I couldn’t see what the future would look like without him. It all happened so suddenly and was something I’d never ever imagined could ever possibly happen.
The days soon afterwards are a bit of a blur now. I remember lots of visitors, dozens of cards, flowers, dear friends who came to keep me company, and brought food. It was so hard on the children, who both stepped up to look after me at the same time as they were dealing with their own grief.
They say things happen for a reason. As I was learning to deal with all of this we sold my mother’s house – she died just a few weeks before Kevin. My brother and I already begun to empty it, but things now had to speed up as our buyers were anxious to complete quickly having sold their own property. It was good to keep busy. Exactly what I needed in fact.
In the middle of all this I managed to get away for a much needed break with the children – a week on Orkney with Son and a week in Northwest Scotland with Daughter. It was the trip I would have made with Kevin, so it was very poignant. I couldn’t help but feel he should have been there. It was my first trip to Orkney and it was fascinating. A highlight was the ancient Skara Brae settlement.
I ended up bringing a lot of stuff home from Mum’s house and for a while my house resembled Steptoe’s Yard until I gradually decided what to do with everything. This included about 10 boxes of photos and slides, which I’ve begun to digitise – they take up far too much room otherwise. It has been fun sharing these with family members too.
I’ve also rediscovered cooking and I’m doing some work on the house, basically future-proofing it to make it more accessible and easier for me to manage. The first thing I did was extend and raise the level of the patio at the rear of the house to remove the steps – this has already made a huge difference.
I continue to go to gigs. I somehow feel closer to Kevin when I see live music. It’s how we met and was an interest we shared. He loved all the tech stuff, and whenever I see the sound/lighting/video technicians at work I think of him.
I have more to go to this year and more are booked for 2025, along with my first cruise, visiting the Norwegian Fjords. I’m really excited about that.
I also have returned to many of the groups and activities I did before and resumed teaching my crochet workshops.
Of course I miss Kevin every day but I’m doing ok. I like to think he’d be proud of me.
As it’s Halloween I wanted to share something that happened a few weeks ago – it was a bit spooky but at the same time just lovely. Some years ago Kevin bought me a a bracelet – it’s silver with freshwater pearls, very simple but I love it and wear it every day. I noticed that it was missing from my wrist and though I searched the house from top to bottom, it could not be found. I assumed that sadly I’d lost it when I was out somewhere and that was that. On my birthday I got up and went to the wardrobe to get out something to wear. As I reached up to grab a coat hanger, there, dangling from the clip that held a pair of jeans to the hanger, was the missing bracelet. It had been gone for over a week and I’d been in the wardrobe several times and not seen it. Why now on my birthday? Whatever the reason, it comforts me to believe that it was a birthday greeting from Kevin and I love that. He’s still with me.
Postscript
Thanks for all your lovely comments. They mean a lot. My lovely blog followers have been so kind and supportive over recent difficult months and I’m so grateful for that. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU.
There was a clash of events in Newcastle the other week. I ended up attending both Novum, the arts festival, to sing with my choir who were supporting Cirque Bijou (as I described in the previous blog post) and also the North East Wool Show
This is the second year of the Wool Show – I thoroughly enjoyed it last year so was glad it’s back again.
On the Saturday I joined some fellow members of the North Northumberland Spinners on our stand and spent a very enjoyable day demonstrating spinning.
One of my fellow spinners, J, in front of our stall
Our stall looked fantastic, with loads of lovely handspun and hand knitted items on display, some of them hand dyed too.
A, who runs the group (originally set up by her mother many years ago) was responsible for all this amazing work, including her lockdown project, a Fair Isle jumper (the handspun yarn is hand dyed too.
These sheep samplers attracted loads of attention. Each one represents a different sheep breed and is made from handspun yarn from that breed, with a needle felted head.
This was my first experience of demonstrating spinning and I absolutely loved it. Of course at a wool festival you are preaching to the converted! Spinning is a bit of a natural progression if you already knit or crochet – what could be better than making an item from yarn you have spun yourself?
Between us, we had three completely different spinning wheels: a traditional one, a modern folding treadle wheel and my e-wheel. A lot of our visitors had never seen an electric powered wheel like mine before and were quite intrigued. Without the need to work the foot treadles, e-wheels are perfect if you have limited movement or co-ordination in your feet and there was quite a lot of interest from disabled visitors.
We also operated a ball-winding service, for those who had purchased skeins of hand-dyed yarn at the show – there were so many to choose from in every colour imaginable. For a small contribution to charity, we converted the skeins into ready-to-knit balls of yarn.
I really enjoyed explaining the principles of spinning and showing people how my e-wheel works compared to the foot-powered ones.
At the end of the day I changed out of my handspun, hand-crocheted jacket and into the sequins to return to singing with the circus!
I was back to the Wool Show the following day for the shopping! I saw so many people I knew, including friends from my knitting and spinning groups and Amble Pin Cushion, so it was quite a social occasion too.
Of course I had to buy some fibre to spin! I bought more of this Siri alpaca and merino blend from Bettina of Tine and Floyd – I love that she always adds a lavender bag and tea to your bag! – I bought a skein of this colour way (it’s called Blackberry Fool) last year and was spinning it the previous day.
I also got some black Shetland tops from Adelaide Walker. I’m thinking of plying it with the pink/purple to make myself a jumper.
I also fancy making something in shades of green and I saw this. It’s hand dyed Leicester – look at those beautiful locks! It will take some preparation before I spin it but could make some gorgeous yarn.
As I said earlier, there was a massive selection of had-dyed yarn available from lots of traders, but I particularly loved the deep rich shades on Yarn Tings stall – this is a merino/yak/silk blend, sock weight and it’s so soft – this shade is Firebird.
There were some fabulous tools and accessories too. I bought some of my favourite Knit Pro Zing needles. I got the interchangeable circular set some months back but I needed some extra small ones for a couple of projects – the interchangeables don’t go below about 3.25 mm.
I got this wraps-per-inch gauge from Threshing Barn. I’m thinking of attaching it to the orifice hook on my spinning wheel, so it’s easier to find if I drop it.
Then there was this needle case. isn’t it pretty?
There were all sorts of kits and patterns available too. This shawl pattern caught my eye, though when I’ll ever get around to making I, who knows?
When I got home I downloaded a couple of other patterns that were made up on stalls . I certainly have lots to be getting on with.
Stitches by the Sea 