Out on a School night

Hello! Sorry for the Radio silence. Maria and I have been busy with house moves and new additions to the family. But hopefully we will be back in this space more frequently sharing with you little moments of inspiration and our continuing adventures in Dorset.

With the sun shining and longer evenings I've been more and more motivated to start focusing on more than just work. So here we are!!

Last Wednesday myself and a friend went to a gig at the Joiners to see Marika Hackman. It was a stunning evening and it was great to feel that little feeling of freedom and rebellion to be out during the week doing our own thing.

I haven't really heard much music from Marika Hackman before my friend suggested we should go, but from the first song I was sold by her effortlessly strong voice and dark folk tale lyrics.

Marika Hackman -


I love going to see live music and being introduced to new artists. Probably the most memorable part of the night was being introduced to the voice of Sophie Jamieson. Her unassuming shy stage presence did not prepare me for the strong melancholy voice that seemed to reach the saddest corners of my brain. You could have heard a pin drop the crowd were completely captured by her voice such a force from such a fragile frame. Her songs were broken by captivating guitar solos echoing the lyrics and transporting the audience to memories of their own love ones, of words unsaid, regrets and experiences too hard to revisit. I can't believe she has not released an album yet!

Sophie Jamieson - Dinah

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

 

Gem x

...seeing John Grant play live in Bournemouth

We first heard about John Grant a while ago when my brother requested one of his albums for his birthday. I kept meaning to listen to some of his songs-my brother usually has quite good taste in music. So when a friend told him that he was touring and coming to play in our town we all booked some tickets. We finally started listening to his albums and he did not disappoint. Seeing him play live was incredible. I am not going to even attempt to describe his style or musical talents (I ain't no music journalist)-so instead I'll link to some of my favourite songs. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

GMF

Chicken Bones

Pale Green Ghosts

What do you think?

Maria x

...around here

Wow! The last few weeks have flown by. We have been loving this beautiful sunshine, and are getting out and about as much as possible. Here's a few snapshots of what we have been up to lately.

-Our garden is blooming!-thanks to the green-fingered goddess that is my mother-in-law. We found two of these tin baths in a charity shop, and knew they would be perfect as planters. My father-in-law drilled holes in the bottom for drainage, then we lined them with cardboard to protect the roots from over-heating. We filled them with compost and got planting. Do not ask me what any of these flowers are called-it's all the goddess' doing. She is amazing.
-World Cup fever has definitely hit our house. The biggest of the littles is enjoying his Panini sticker book immensely. Nearly as much as his dad...
-We have been enjoying our record player a lot recently. Billy was given to me as my Mother's Day gift. My boys have great taste in music!
-I organised a load of our spices, grains, etc, recently and has been a revelation! It's spurred me on to organise other areas of our house. I'm planning on a big clear out and some car booting this summer.
-Badbury Rings a few weeks ago. There were thousands and thousands of butter cups-as far as the eye could see. I took far too many photos. I couldn't help myself.

What have you been up to lately?

Maria

Wonky Donk Festival 2013

Last weekend was spent with friends in a field in deepest, sunniest, quietest Dorset. This little festival would probably have gone unknown, hidden down a little country road on the border of Lytchett Matravers. Our friends G, Stella and Hawkeye did a fantastic job, the site is small, but perfectly formed; little gypsy caravans edge the fields with giant tree swings and Tipi's for the little ones to play in, whilst banjo's and Kazoo's could be heard from the campsite with a tide of happy jumping feet. Our friends in Quinns Quinney pulled in a good crowd on the Saturday night. Ale, cider and smiling folk were aplenty and so was the sunshine!

Tickets are already on sale for next year! 

So get them while you can! 

Gem x

Dreaming of Iceland with 'Of Monsters and Men'

Last night Maria her husband and I, went to see the much anticipated; Of Monsters and Men at the O2 in Boscombe. It was amazing! I love the passion and positivity that echoes in everyone of their songs, the gentle buoyancy of their lyrics float longer in my head than the songs last. We all left feeling pretty up beat about life and the future. Throughout the performance Maria and I shared our love for Icelandic /Scandinavian style; the beards, the houses, the weather, the food, the landscape........ So far all of these images are provided by the hyper reality of lovely magazines and inspiring blogs!

I think a trip is on the cards!

Thank you 'Of Monsters And Men' for a great evening!

Maria's favourite song;

Slow & Steady 

"My dear , old friend, take me for a spin

Two wolves in the dark, running in the wind"

Gem's  favourite song;

Sloom

"The sea said goodbye to the shore so the sun wouldn't notice 

The seaweed that wrapped its arms around you"

Maria - "I wish I was Icelandic" 

Gem - "Me to!"

Would love to know about any other Icelandic music you are enjoying! x

Gem x

Weekend fun with The Tickled Pig and Quinns Quinney

After a really stressful week (Ofsted) It was great to forget our woes and eat lots of amazing fresh organic food care of The Tickled Pig restaurant in Wimborne, at their anniversary party at Pamphill Farm. The food was amazing and well worth the entry fee (I can't wait for someone to generously take me for a meal at their restaurant one day) The evening got even better with the arrival of my friends the well known  skifflers of;  Quinns Quinney. The event was lovely and reinforced why I love Dorset so much; kids running around chucking hay and families munching into local food and cider. This is what life is all about! An excellent tonic to a gruelling week!

This was just half of it! 

My friends little boy loved the hay pit! 

 Daisy - I wanted this dog so badly! 

Hope you had a great weekend! 

Get in touch if you know of any other Dorset events 

that just can't be missed! 

Gem x

...enjoying the start of the summer (or have I spoken too soon?!)

Wow. It has been a particularly hectic few months here, that I feel I am only just managing to catch my breath. The couple of lazy sunny days we have had recently have helped to recharge my tired old batteries, and I feel inspired to 'blog on' with renewed energy and vigour (!)
So, I am going to start with another little catch up on what we have been doing lately. It involves lots of eating and lazing in the sun; my two favourite past times.

 Sunbathing in my parents' garden (ours is a bit of a building site at the moment-but more on that soon). This magnolia tree has been looking particularly lovely these last few days.

 More flowers! We are trying to teach the little fella some of their names.

Hanging out and eating delicious home cooked food with good friends at supper club.

Paddling pool fun.

More eating! I have been experimenting a lot lately with homemade burgers. They are so easy to make. I just use good quality minced meat, add a bit of salt and pepper, mould into small patties with my hands, and grill on the BBQ. Easy peasy.

Listening to this summery song on repeat in the car. The little guy has just discovered it. He says 'I love this bit' when it gets to the chorus. I couldn't agree more.

What have you been up to lately? Let's hope the sunshine continues!

Maria x

.... skiffling with Quinns Quinney

"A tin lid hit on suitcase green, 

The fastest strumming you've ever seen, 

A reel of whistle, a lick of guitar,

banjo, watering can and more by far" 

Rob. F

If you have seen a happy band of noise makers; banjo players, penny whistlers, wash board tinklers, with a double bass in tow and a merry lead singer trumpeting from a watering can, you have probably already heard the unique rural sound of Quinns Quinney. These skiffle, twiddling, suitcase banging musicians have become good friends. Many evenings have been enjoyed drinking cider and stamping our feet to the merry beat of their songs; from 'My Tractors on Fire' to 'Rural Spaceman', our well loved 90's hits have been given a good dose of rural Dorset spirit.

Here is a short vid I made at one of their most recent gigs (sorry it is a bit dark) ;

You can hear more of their songs  here

Local musicians on the festival/folk scene often jump on stage and join the band. But Quinns Quinney is currently;

I was chuffed to be asked to scribble some doodles for their album cover if you match the names
to the musicians in the suitcase, you should be able to work out who is who. 

(CD's available to buy at all gigs) 

Want to hear them for yourselves? Then they are competing with many others at BUSKERS BASH 4 CASH this Saturday in Wimborne from 11- 4pm. Where many musicians are competing for a spot in the finals which will be held in the Allendale Centre from 7pm. The buskers are scored by the public who can purchase a voting pack. Info here. 

They have every chance of winning this event, but if you are in the area they would give you a cheer if you were to give them your vote. Keep your eye out on their myspace/ Fb page for future gigs. 

QQ Catalogue poses to advertise new T's! Work it!

They will also be playing at this years Wonky Donk Festival and Purbeck Folk festival, I will be blogging about these soon! Thinking about the memories of last year I really really can't wait for this summer to arrive. 

Wonky Donk Festival 2012

 

Have a great weekend! 

Gem x

...listening to music with the little fella

My little fella has the best taste in music (I suppose I would say that!). We have made a conscious effort to play him our favourite songs, and are chuffed that he has complied. Perhaps we are too selfish to play him nursery rhymes or kiddie tunes, but it has definitely paid off, as we can all enjoy car journeys singing along at the top of our voices, and discos in our kitchen.
I'm going to burn a CD of his top tunes and save it for him, so that when he is older and listening to the likes of Justin Bieber (please, no!), we can put it on and remind him of the time when he used to have a great taste in music. When he was two and a half. Good boy.

Tangled Up in Blue - Bob Dylan

Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men

Little Yellow Spider - Devendra Banhart

Be What You Be - Angus Stone

Too Much Too Young - The Specials

Oh You Pretty Things - David Bowie

40 Day Dream - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Old Pine - Ben Howard

Santa Fe - Beirut

And it Spread - The Avett Brothers

Happy times.

Maria x

...feeling like Spring is finally here!

I came home from work the other day to see this poking through the concrete path to our front door-

-and it made me smile. Spring is finally here! I decided to try and make a Spring playlist. However, it ended up being a collection of a few songs that feel gently upbeat, I suppose, rather than celebrating new life, chicks, Easter eggs, and other things Spring related.

So, I hope you like the compilation of songs I'm enjoying listening to on these (mostly) warmer, sunnier days (although, what's with the rain today?!) Click on the link below.

You can hear my Spring Mix here.

Maria x

...taking road trips with the husband

That makes us sound way cooler than we are. Actually, it was a road trip to Crawley-hardly route 66. Nevertheless, I do love a road trip. For our honeymoon we took a road trip all along the south coast of England, and it was one of the best times. We talk all the way and listen to our favourite driving tunes. The husband always packs some snacks, and we munch on sausage sandwiches and Monster Munch. Funtimes.
So, yesterday, while on our way to visit Granny and Bacca (Grandpa), I had the idea of putting together our road trip playlist. Here they are...

Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits (our dads were big fans-this song takes us back to car journeys as kids)
Mr Brownstone - Guns 'N Roses
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
Wanna Be Startin Something - Michael Jackson
Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
Stolen Car - Beth Orton
Elephant Gun - Beirut
Tear My Stillhouse Down - Gillian Welch
Geraldine - Glasvegas
The Infanta - Decemberists
Organ Donor - DJ Shadow (although we had to turn this one off because it made the little guy go a bit weird!)

Happy driving! And stay safe in the snow!
Maria x

...walking in a winter wonderland!

So, it finally snowed here. We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland! The little guy has experienced snow once before, when he was about 5 months-not old enough to really enjoy it.

December 2010. Cosy/confused!

When we saw that snow had actually fallen we ate some breakfast and headed on out for a walk. It was freeeeeeezing! But so pretty. The little guy was impressed; he walked for about 45 minutes with no complaints. That's a first. We had a play, caught some snowflakes on our tongues, and then headed back indoors for some hot chocolate.

 First footprints. Crunch crunch!

This afternoon was spent playing with puzzles, baking cookies, and then scoffing them in the tent. 

 Yep-those are his pjs! And a cosy knit c/o Granny.

What did you get up to today? 

Maria x

...having coffee in Deli Rocks

Sometimes I need a change of scenery to be productive. Today I finished work early and had a little time to spare before I had to pick up the boy, so I decided to go to one of my favourite cafes to get some writing jobs done.

Deli Rocks lives up to its name. It is owned by a pretty cool cat called Gio who loves Italian food, coffee, bandanas, motorbikes, and of course, rock music. His coffees are the best in our area, and his staff are always warm and friendly. He sells home baked goods (including loaves and focaccia baked by my dad-post on baking with Pops coming soon!), and Italian nibbley bits like cold meats and cheese. Oh, and he plays rock music. Loud. We love it. And, the little guy always gets his babychino on the house. What can I say? We're good customers. Next time you are in the Southbourne area check this place out.

 Cosy little nooks and crannies

 Best coffee in Southbourne. The pastries aren't bad either.

 Lots of yummy sauces, oils and pasta

I love the layout; there's a huge table in the middle and crates stacked up as shelves all along the back wall.

Below is a little playlist I've made of some of my favourite tunes I've heard on the Deli Rocks stereo.

Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
Always on the Run - Lenny Kravitz
Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
Back in Black - ACDC

Rock on!
Maria x