These moments given are a gift from time

Back in March, when the tickets for Kate Bush's live shows went on sale, my friend Claire and I were both poised online to try and buy some. We agreed that in the unlikely event that one of us was successful, we'd let the other have a ticket.

The tickets sold out in a 15 minute frenzy, leaving many, many fans disappointed, and I am still amazed that I was one of the lucky ones. 

So on Saturday, off we went to London for the gig of a lifetime. 

But first;

 

we spent a couple of happy hours strolling around the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The cafe is a delightfully grand space.

It appears I only took photos of ceilings and lights... Oh well. 

Art is not a mirror to reflect the world. Rather it is a hammer with which to shape it. 

A meal; then on to the Apollo in Hammersmith for Before The Dawn.

Kate Bush is an artist I had never expected to see perform live, since she famously toured just once before, in 1979. 

I am so, so delighted to have seen this concert; there are countless reviews available online, but I thought I would link to this one by Tracy Thorn, since Claire spotted her in the audience on Saturday night. (I didn't; typically, I was at the bar when she walked past.)

So did Before The Dawn live up to the hype? 

Completely; it was wonderful, the best live performance I have ever seen. 

Bush's voice is beautiful. The quality of musicianship, the imaginative staging, the story telling, the powerful and passionate music, all these elements guarantee that those who were there will never forget the experience. This was never going to be a Greatest Hits kind of gig; here is an artist who has always taken creative risks, and continues to do so.

Source

Next day, we got back to Kings Cross/St Pancras in plenty of time before our train home, and sat in the sunshine enjoying the redevelopments in the area. 

Regent's Canal.

I'm still trying to discover my One Thing.

Railway architecture, both Victorian and modern. I love it. 

I thought I should throw a frock in the mix - it's expected!

1970s Mackerness cotton maxi dress - Ebay

Denim jacket (sorry, I know it gets boring), shoes, necklace and bangles - charity shopped

Carpet bag - gift

Charlie - hand-me-down

So it's back to earth now; back to the routine, the day-to-day, the drill.

But...  

Some moments that I've had, some moments of pleasure.

Thanks, Kate.

xxxx

           

Will you recognise me? Call my name or walk on by?

What do you do when you meet up with old friends you haven't seen in far too many years?

Well, you talk and laugh and drink all day, obviously.

You arrange to meet in a bar...

 ...where the laughing and teasing starts within minutes.

(We're blurry, and the day's only just begun...)

 You do a bit of sight-seeing too, because after all, you're in London, one of the most fantastic cities in the world.

You might try something you've never done before; in my case, that would be eating oysters. 

Plenty of tabasco and lemon juice, and they're good. Just don't chew.

You admire the views afforded by being 800ft above the city at the top of The Shard, Western Europe's tallest building.

 

You admire your lovely friends too. Not bad for a bunch of 50-somethings!

You stroll by the Thames.

Then you do some more drinking in the sunshine on the South Bank...

...while you try to fill in 25 year gaps in personal and work histories. You talk about university days, hair (facial, lack of, past errors of judgement), kids and families, theatre, the books we have and haven't written or read, music, football, and stalkers. And try to identify the best and worst moments from our time as students.

There are two ex-couples in this mix, but there weren't any oh you just had to bring that up, didn't you? moments. (I could run a competition and ask you to guess which of us were together, but that would be unseemly. And too easy.)

 Ahh, first loves and last laughs... It's all so intense when you're young.

Did I mention we're all ex-drama students?

Drama Queens in our very own Greek tragedy in 1984.

Now, we're more mellow. We wear ourselves a little more lightly, I think. 

 Inevitably, we talked about our friend S who is no longer with us (that's her in the striped dress, at her 21st birthday party.)

She's the reason we got together, and we missed her.

Clare and Martin, 1985 and 2014. Still gorgeous.

Alex and Andrew, 1985 and now. As moody and magnificent as ever.

Martin and Alex - 1984, 1989 and now. My darling boys.

Martin and me, 1984, 1989 and now.

 

Alex and me, 1985, 1987, 1988 and now.

 We had a magnificent meal and a magnum of champagne (courtesy of Andrew, who always was incredibly charming and generous, and still is); we reminisced, confessed, laughed, and then laughed some more. 

It was over too soon.

I loved seeing everyone; slow change may have pulled us apart, but we are recognisable to each other. Our younger selves are still here, but we have accrued experience, some scar tissue, great humour, more compassion, and maybe a little wisdom.

I liked us then. But I like us more now.

Sometimes, opening a door to the past simultaneously opens one to the future; here's to Sheffield 2015!

xxxx

The ghost in you

I am off on an adventure this week, and I am feeling a combination of excitement and anxiety, as befits a journey into the unfamiliar.

University of Sheffield graduation, Summer 1985.


I wrote in a previous post about the death of an old friend from my university days.

Some of us who had kept in touch made efforts to contact others, plans were hatched, and five of us are meeting up in London on Friday.

The five in the photo above.

It's been 25 years since I saw three of them. 

 There have been flurries of emails, proposals and arrangements made, and the teasing has started already.

I might be partly responsible for that...

It appears I am the only one with any photos of our university days, and I don't actually have that many. Film was expensive, so was getting it developed, and more often than not, the photos were blurry and dark.

But what I have, I will share with the gang, and I might even leave them unaltered; some of the pics are funny enough without any photoshopping tomfoolery.

1960s maxi dress - Ebay
Denim waistcoat and sunglasses - charity shopped
Sandals - retail (sale)
Indian leather bag - vintage fair
Necklace - gift from Leisa

Here I am in 1984, aged 20.

 I was wearing a fabulous 1950s brocade dress and jacket. I wish I still had them.

No one called old clothes vintage back then, they were just secondhand.

And this was at my mum's house in the summer of 1984, when Martin and Alex came to stay.

Look how they are studiously avoiding the camera; it wasn't always so!

I'm really looking forward to seeing my old friends, and of course we will fondly remember S, who is sadly no longer with us.

I wonder what we will make of each other after all this time?

 We won't be the same people, of course. But are the ghosts of those bright and shiny 21 year olds in the graduation photo still in all of us?

I'll let you know.

Have a great weekend.

xxx


  

Is it just me?

I often mull over what I'm going to wear, putting outfits together in my head.

Not in an obsessive, anal kind of way, you understand. No no. I like to think of it as my hobby.

But sometimes the reality isn't quite up to the standard of my imagined version.
Reality can be so disappointing.

I bought this nautical skirt in The Shop on Brick Lane during my  jaunt to London last month, then picked up a little 1960s Orlon knit top in a charity shop for £1.99. I thought the two were made for each other, but now I'm not so sure.
It's a feeling I've had before...

See, I was thinking cute retro 50s nautical gorgeousness. But I think I just look frumpy dumpy lumpy. What can I do? Help me, oh Stylish Lady Readers!

On a more positive note, there was another Craft and Vintage Fair on Saturday so I took the female LBs along with me this time.

 As usual, there were lovely things and lovely friendly people, not to mention lovely food.

Two stall holders remembered me from last time, because they liked my frock - wearing vintage definitely gets you noticed, I'm getting to like it!


I bought a few Christmas presents, and a couple of things for myself... For me? Oh you shouldn't have. But go on then. Here's a sneaky peek.

So we had a good time, the girls "helped" Elodie on her stall while I browsed (thanks Elodie!), and they each chose something for their hair. Helga will be impressed that Eldest LB picked an F-O bow to match her shirt (Fuck Off Bows and Matchy Match - she's learning!) and Smallest LB selected a button flower clip (Krista and Loo, who know all about the Button Love, will approve.)

Posing on the grave stones - how very Goth of us, hahahaha!

Did I mention I bought a few things?
I wore a 1970s (I think) maxi with a fabulous almost-paisley print. And my ubiquitous denim jacket, and the necklace from Jennie's giveaway.

The fair was held at St. Mary's church. The vintage finery lurked under the organ pipes, beneath the watchful eye of Mary.

Is it my imagination, or is she flicking the Vs?
Charming.
Perhaps it's a comment on those heathens who only set foot in church if there's shopping to be done there.
Which of course includes me.