Category Archives: Culture

Florence’s Book Club: The African edition

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Since reading Captain Corelli’s Mandolin whilst backpacking the Greek Islands as a student, the impact of reading a book centred upon your immediate surroundings has not escaped me, so I chose my reading material for South African carefully. The Elephant Whisperer was recommended by Robyn in the comments after this post, and I randomly picked up another book about wildlife and conservation in Africa, coincidentally about Elephants too albeit this time in Kenya, called An African Love Story. I would recommend them both, so I thought they would make good holiday reading for you guys and I’d love to hear any you would add to my list – my thirst for books about Africa hasn’t been quenched, or perhaps other reads you can suggest that are evocative of a particular place.

The Elephant Whisperer
Set on a Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, Thula Thula, this is the memoir of the reserve owner who took on a herd of 7 delinquent elephants who would have otherwise been killed. They had a reputation as escape artists and trouble makers and the extraordinary lengths he goes to to develop a bond with them and communicate form the backbone of the awe-inspiring book. It’s not just about the Elephants though, as he recounts stories of his staff, Zulu culture, tribal justice, and the challenges and rewards he faces and gains as Thula Thula blossoms. I can’t in my memory remember crying at a book before yet this one reduced me to tears twice in quick succession, so involved was I in the story and individuals, human and animals alike. I’m now curious to read his second book Babylon’s Ark, about his 6 month trip to Iraq during the Iraq war to look after the animals of the Bagdad Zoo who suffered as a result of the conflict, and a third about his quest to save The Last Rhinos.

I had barely got back to the house when the phone rang. A woman introduced herself: Marion Garaï from the Elephant Managers and Owners Association (EMOA), a private organization comprised of several elephant owners in South Africa that takes an interest in elephant welfare. I had heard of them and the good work they did for elephant conservation before, but as I was not an elephant owner, I had never dealt with them directly.

Her warm voice instantly inspired empathy.

She got straight to the point. She had heard about Thula Thula and the variety of magnificent indigenous Zululand wildlife that we had. She said she had also heard of how we were working closely with the local population in fostering conservation awareness and wondered . . . would I be interested in adopting a herd of elephant? The good news, she continued before I could answer, was that I would get them for free, barring capture and transportation costs.

You could have knocked me over with a blade of grass. Elephant? The worlds largest mammal? And they wanted to give me a whole herd? For a moment I thought it was a hoax. I mean how often do you get phoned out of the blue asking if you want a herd of tuskers?

But Marion was serious.

OK, I asked; what was the bad news?

Well, said Marion. There was a problem. The elephants were considered ‘troublesome. They had a tendency to break out of reserves and the owners wanted to get rid of them fast. If we didn’t take them, they would be put down – shot. All of them.

‘What do you mean by troublesome?

‘The matriarch is an amazing escape artist and has worked out how to break through electric fences. She just twists the wire around her tusks until it snaps or takes the pain and smashes through. Its unbelievable. The owners have had enough and now asked if EMOA can sort something out.

I momentarily pictured a five-ton beast deliberately enduring the agonizing shock of 8,000 volts stabbing through her body. That took determination.

‘Also, Lawrence, there are babies involved.

‘Why me?

Marion sensed my trepidation. This was an extremely unusual request.

‘Ive heard you have a way with animals, she continued. ‘I reckon Thula Thula’s right for them. You’re right for them. Or maybe they’re right for you.

That floored me. If anything, we were exactly ‘not right for a herd of elephant. I was only just getting the reserve operational and, as the previous day had spectacularly proved, having huge problems with highly organized poachers.

I was about to say ‘no’ when something held me back. I have always loved elephants. Not only are they the largest and noblest land creatures on this planet, but they symbolize all that is majestic about Africa. And here, unexpectedly, I was being offered my own herd and a chance to help. Would I ever get an opportunity like this again?

‘Where are they from?

‘A reserve in Mpumalanga.

Mpumalanga is the north-eastern province of South Africa where most of the countrys game reserves – including the Kruger National Park – are situated.

‘How many?

‘Nine – three adult females, three youngsters, of which one was male, an adolescent bull, and two babies. It’s a beautiful family. The matriarch has a gorgeous baby daughter. The young bull, her son, is fifteen years old and an absolutely superb specimen.

‘They must be a big problem. Nobody just gives away elephants.

‘As I said, the matriarch keeps breaking out. Not only does she snap electric wires, shes also learnt how to unlatch gates with her tusks and the owners aren’t too keen about jumbos wandering into the guest camps. If you don’t take them, they will be shot. Certainly the adults will be.

I went quiet, trying to unravel all this in my head. The opportunity was great, but so was the risk.

What about the poachers – would the promise of ivory bring even more of them out of the woodwork? What about having to electrify my entire reserve to keep these giant pachyderms in when I could barely keep thieves with high-velocity rifles out? What about having to build an enclosure to quarantine them while they got used to their new home? Where would I find the funds . . . the resources?

Also Marion didn’t shy away from saying they were ‘troublesome’. But what did that really mean? Were they just escape artists? Or was this a genuine rogue herd, too dangerous and filled with hatred of humans to keep on a game reserve in a populated area?

However, here was a herd in trouble. Despite the risks, I knew what I had to do.

‘Hell yes, I replied. ‘Ill take them.’

- Extract From The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence

An African Love Story: Love, Life and Elephants
Another memoir by the world famous conservationist Daphne Sheldrick, this book along side her stories of the elephants gives a glimpse into life in Africa. A 4th generation settler from Scottish stock, Daphne grew up in the bush and devoted her life to animals. She describes her knowledge of her Great Grandfather taking up the offer of land in Kenya after initially settling in the Eastern Cape from Scotland in the early 1900′s, then her childhood in East Africa, the love story of her marriage to another famous conservationist, David, and her love of the wildlife she fought so hard to protect and conserve. I loved how insightful and evocative this book was about African life for the settlers during colonial times and beyond.

So readers, have you read either of these? Are you planning a trip and want to whet your appetite or have you got some recommendations for me? I’d love to hear of any books that you think are particularly suited to a time or place.

Love,
Rebecca
xo

Florence’s Book Club: April

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Today Rachel is back with more book recommendations and this month it’s a real mixed bag of a classic, current literature and a book for Mums and fans of social commentary. As always we love to hear if you have read anything particularly good recently or have your eye on anything. Just drop us a comment in the comments box!

The Parasites by Daphne Du Maurier

This was recommended to me by my Mr B’s Reading Spa Experience.

It’s a Sunday afternoon tea in the drawing room novel. Set over one day with flashbacks to childhood and young adulthood all with an undercurrent. The Parasites refer to three siblings, they’re siblings through their parent’s marriage, and where their lives have been and perhaps are leading to. I really enjoyed it for the story and the writing, the descriptions are wonderful.

Grown up people… How suddenly would it happen, the final plunge into their world? Did it really come about overnight, as Pappy said, between sleeping and waking? A day would come, a day like any other day, and looking over your shoulder you would see the shadow of the child that was, receding; and there would be no going back, no possibility of recapturing the shadow. You had to go on; you had to step forward into the future, however much you dreaded the thought, however much you were afraid.

A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam

Another book recommended to me by Mr. B’s. This caught my attention because I work in a predominantly Bengali community and this novel is set in 1971 during the civil war. I know nothing about the politics of East Pakistan/Bangladesh and although you learn a little about it, a golden age is more a story that happens the world over when there’s war. A story about mother child relationships, that no matter how old we are parents still worry, the parental desire to please ones children and the private lives and desires that we have no matter how old or who we are. But more than that it’s about a woman who finds strength and courage to take on a role that she would previously have said she’d never be able to do.

French Children Don’t Throw Food by Pamela Druckerman

An American married to a British man living in Paris. She starts to observe French children and their parents. How there appear to be differences to how her Anglophone friends and family raise, and therefore how their children respond and behave. As well as observing lots she’s also spoken to, researched historical information about how various French institutions arose and read about the French way of raising children. Reading it one can think how wonderful everything is in France. It felt, for me, quite easy to agree with some of what she writes when it’s all hypothetical, the reality of a baby sleeping through the night the French way may be quite the other thing when the baby is really there awake and crying. It’s made me think, which is always good and I’ll be interested to see if I take this book down off the bookshelf once the baby is here.

What are you reading this month?

Rachel
x

PS you can read more from Rachel at her blog Flowers and Stripes, or find her on Twitter @MrsHunterDunn.

Musical Discoveries: April

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Good day to you, Findettes! Today we are going to dispel the myth of the musical Guilty Pleasure. Let your pleasures be no longer guilty!

Be proud of your music taste –a catchy tune that sells by the billion is far harder to write than a load of critically acclaimed white noise. Just because something invokes the snobbery of others doesn’t mean it has no value, right? Today we will be examining (in the usual glib and insubstantial way) the latest wave of country music, a genre often derided for being tacky and formulaic that more often than not boasts serious song-writing muscle.

Personally, my re-interest in country has been piqued by E4 twangathon Nashville, the hit US TV drama following the trials and tribulations of a bunch of country music artists as they follow their fortunes in the famous music city. The show’s trump card is a powerhouse performance from Hayden Panetierre as hard-as-nails rising star Juliette Barnes (allegedly based on the very real Carrie Underwood). If you haven’t been sucked in yet, you need to get into this series – fast. It’s compellingly glitzy but there’s real depth to the characterisation and a bucketload of brilliant, strong female characters – what else would you expect from the creator of Thelma and Louise? But the best part of all is that there’s a ton of original music in every episode, and pretty much all of it is genuinely good.

You can download the soundtrack now – and note that this is only volume 1 of this season’s music… this is merely a redneck’s whisker of what we’ve heard on the programme so far. Here’s a taster of Juliette teaming up with arch rival and country grande dame Rayna James (played brilliantly by Connie Britton):

But these days country music isn’t always about bottle blonde and rhinestones. There’s been a cool edge to country ever since the alt-country/Americana explosion of the noughties ushered in a new breed of serious artists who wanted to move away from the Kenny Rogers cheese factor and towards some serious indie credibility. Welcome then to Caitlin Rose, whose latest record is smooth, sophisticated and intoxicating, like bathing in tub full of bourbon. Highly recommended, especially if you like your songs with plenty of stories to tell:

Caitlin Rose: No One To Call

Finally, just a little more lovelorn, we have Indiana’s Austin Lucas who is currently on tour in the UK with the equally brilliant band The Glossary, whose latest album is due to be released in the UK soon and is well worth a bend of your ear. Do go and see them live if you can – I was lucky enough to catch both last week it was a phenomenal performance.

Austin Lucas: Sleep Well

Tell me Findettes– do you love country music? Seen Nashville? What are your pleading-not-guilty pleasures?

Penny
x

PS! Find Penny at her new blog: All We Need is Radio Gaga or on Twitter @TokaiPenny

Recommended: Liverpool

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As I was brought up by the sea, I have found that the older that I get, the more landlocked I feel, longing to see the sea. Often, weekend breaks (particularly where we live with the Peak District, Wales and Lake District all close by,) are focused on historic cities or rolling countryside, yet I prefer a town I can get dressed up for, culture to absorb and a coastal influence, so en route home to Southport for Easter, we spent a day and night in Liverpool. When I was growing up, Liverpool was where I would venture for decent shopping and many a family day out was spent at it’s Albert Docks, but so much has changed since then it’s worth another look now. Liverpool gets a terrible rap whether it’s for the accent or sweeping generalisations about the people which are outdated and (like so many other stereotypes) ignorant. I’m proud of the city and I hope my little round up will encourage you to consider visiting and enjoying it – there is something for everyone.

We started off at the newly built Malmaison Hotel. Overlooking the river, it’s in a regenerated area that previously hardly existed and perfectly located next door to the Liver Building for walking along the river front into central Liverpool. I’ve mentioned the great deals you can get in most Malmaison hotels and we took advantage of a Room, dinner and cocktails for two offer, for just £99 and you can park next door for 24 hours for £10.

The next morning, after a Mal breakfast feast we bundled up (Liverpool is ALWAYS cold, due to the bracing wind off the Mersey,) and headed off towards our first stop, the Albert Docks. In 2008 Liverpool was European Capital of Culture and has been vastly regenerated as a result. We walked past the new Museum of Liverpool in it’s incredible purpose built building (free to visit) towards the Albert Docks which house the Maritime Museum (focusing on the city’s naval history and strong links to the slave trade triangle between Africa, Liverpool and the Caribbean,) The Tate Liverpool and where we were headed, The Beatles Story. I’m not a huge Beatles fan, but Pete is and wanted to see it, plus from a cultural perspective it’s an interesting take on an era. Our tickets were £12.95 and we spent about 2 hours going around with the audio guide. It was a little repetitive in places but a must for a fan, I would say.

Other cultural attractions in the city include The World Museum (a more traditional museum with egyptian mummies, dinosaurs and a planetarium,) 2 cathedrals and performances at the Liverpool Empire and St Georges Hall.

For me Liverpool was always a shopping destination and the shopping area was very disparate from the Albert Docks. The creation of the new Liverpool One shopping centre and surrounding sleek glass arcades and streets now house shopping to rival Manchester and you can literally cross the road from the Albert Docks and be there straight away. There are also restaurants and an Odeon cinema. After a quick Pret lunch we headed into the shops for a bit of a spree and ended our day walking back along the river front to pick up the car and head back to Southport. You can also explore nearby Mathew Street for a boutique area and lots of musical references as it was originally the site of the famous Cavern club.

Our Liverpool adventure didn’t end in Southport however. On Easter Sunday we drove back to Crosby to walk on the beach and see Antony Gormley’s Another Place. A public art installation, it consists of 100 life sized iron men positioned along 3km of coastline and up to 1km out. As it is an estuary, your experience of the men varies according to whether the tide is in or out and many of them are partly or completely submerged at different times of the day, particularly when we visted at the spring high tide.

The men are strangely haunting and spooky, meant to represent ‘the individual and universal sentiments associated with emigration – sadness at leaving, but the hope of a new future in another place.’ You’d be best driving here (probably 15 mins from central Liverpool or less, and there are directions, or public transport information here. We were lucky as it was sunny but wrap up whatever the weather to avoid freezing on the beach!

Have you ever visited Liverpool or have I encouraged you to plan a trip today? If you happen to be a Liverpool local and have any recommendations, for sightseeing or eating/drinking, do leave a comment below!

Love,
Rebecca
xo

Girl About Town: The Hayward Light Show

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This is the final post before the Easter break so I just wanted to pop on and say Happy Easter everybody! I’m heading home with Pete to spend time with family, planning an overnight getaway and culture filled day in Liverpool, some baking projects and downtime, to recharge before April arrives. I hope you all have a relaxing and fun-filled few days with people you love. xo

I can’t do art galleries. While others can look, feel and appreciate the skill and visuals, if it’s not “pretty” to look at, functional or historical then I just don’t get it. My brain isn’t wired that way. I’m always looking for an answer in amongst those little coloured dots, a hidden message in those scribbles. The solution to a centuries-old puzzle in a room full of butterflies or conveyed to us via the medium of oil paint… yeah, yeah, I know, I read too much Dan Brown when I should have been writing my dissertation and I regularly forget that I don’t live in a world of Horcruxes and Beedle the Bard.

Basically, unless there’s a curator there to talk me through it, art just stresses my puny brain out.

But, enough about my uncultured soul. Shall I tell you what I do like?

LIGHTS!

Nothing pleases my eye, my brain and my soul more than light! Soft light in my lounge for sofa snuggling, bright light over my front door to feel safe on arrival at home, daylight for wide-awakeness in the morning (and for doing make up) in my bedroom. Christmas lights, neon lights, festival lights, runway lights as you come in to land over your home city. You can keep your Caribbean beach scenery, rolling hills around the Med, the African bush, the Aussie outback and Santorinian calderas… nothing makes me catch my breath like a cityscape seen from on high, blinking to life as the sun sets and a galaxy of twinkles emerges to mirror the stars above (that we so rarely see these days)… sigh.

Nature’s great, but for me, a surge of electricity pulsing a current through wire filament in a gas-filled glass tube is better!

Sorry. I’m a philistine.

To that end, when I saw the exhibition Light Show advertised at the Hayward Gallery I thought it would make a good Mother’s Day present/activity from me and my Baby Bro. I then also realised that my father, who has worked with lighting for years, might also be interested in attending (d’oh!), so I booked tickets for the four of us and set about planning our family day out.

The exhibition starts off with, what is in my opinion, the most amazing piece of the show, Cylinder II by Leo Villareal. It was transfixing. I could have stood there for hours to watch it rise and fall, glitter and sparkle, pulse and oscillate, as patterns of light were born and died in front of my eyes. Each a unique pattern, never to be seen again. I didn’t want to look away in case I missed something even more amazing. Sadly, photography isn’t allowed, but then again, no iPhone snap would do it justice. If I one day won the lottery I would have one of these installed in my dining room.

From there the installations varied from tiny motorised sculptures to large interactive exhibits and whole rooms where you can even become part of the Light Show yourself, my favourite being You and I , Horizontal (ooo eer!) by Anthony McCall. Along the way I found not just examples of aesthetically pleasing light-art, but also instances of mesmerizingly-good scientific/mathematical calculations masquerading as art, as demonstrated in Jim Campbell‘s Exploded View (Commuters). Some items were funny, particularly Throw by Ceal Floyer which actually made me chuckle to myself, some made me feel (inexplicably) a bit sad, like Lamentable by Francois Morellet, while others were just a bit dull (naming no names!). It all adds to the variety.

I really enjoyed the Chromosaturation rooms by Carlos Cruz Diez which highlighted to our little group the amazing effect light and colour has on us as human beings, not just on our bodies, but on our moods and our interactions with those around us.

I’d also like to say a special thank you to Ivan Navarro for his Reality Show which caused me great embarrassment as I attempted to recreate Justin Timberlake’s Rock Your Body video, forgetting I was “hidden” behind one-way glass! You can take the girl out of Essex…

If you’re in the area, I’d highly recommend it popping in for an hour or two. You can buy tickets here and can download an exhibition guide in advance for swotting up on your installation art here.

I’d also like to point out that we visited at around midday on a Saturday, and it surprised me there were a lot of children in attendance. It hadn’t occurred to me that it would be something that would appeal to those of a young age, being as it’s a gallery and there’s no touching/running/talking/fun allowed etc, but watching the kids interact with the exhibits and squeal with delight as they saw the effect they could have on the light made me realise that it’s actually a good place to take children – so if you’re holding back because of little ones, don’t! Equally, if you don’t like your outings kid-free, go at non-child-friendly times so as not to ruin your enjoyment of the lights!

So, after all this arty-farty ness, I’m feeling pumped for more gallery visits. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Victoria
x

PS! Find Victoria over on her blog Sugar Plum Slipper or on twitter @VictoriaHale.

Spotted: Style Me Vintage Weddings

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I have been excited about writing today’s post for what feels like months and this weekend I finally got my hands on a copy of Style Me Vintage: Weddings. I don’t normally write about weddings these days, but this wasn’t hard to make an exception for as it was written by my friend and fellow blogger, Annabel Beeforth of Love My Dress, a wedding blog with ‘a focus on vintage, retro, glamorous, chic and elegant content.’

Way back when I was a wedding blogger (at Rock My Wedding,) I had 2 big goals. 1. I wanted to be featured in Grazia magazine (just because it was my favourite magazine,) and 2. I wanted to write a book. I’ve always taken great pleasure in blogging as an industry and being a part of it as it advances and develops, particularly in the UK, so although it wasn’t me who eventually wrote that book, it gives me no end of pleasure that it’s my friend Annabel who takes that prize and deservedly so.

Annabel is one of the hardest working wedding bloggers out there. Anybody who thinks full time professional blogging is a cushy job really doesn’t know enough about what’s involved. Sure there are perks and glitzy industry events, but nine times out of ten you arrive knackered after the usual slog of prepping blog posts and the part of the job that really takes over, the administration behind the scenes of answering emails and actually running a blog as a business. To add writing a book to that is a massive workload so my hat really goes off to Annabel for pulling it off.

The book, as the title suggests, focuses on vintage wedding style, breaking it down by decade and this is where Annabel really shows off the incredible knowledge she has developed as an expert in vintage style. There are real vintage style weddings and inspirational styled images. Each chapter also has sections on perfecting every aspect of your look for an authentic take on vintage inspired, with beauty, fashion, stationery and decor touches to complete the look.

And what a job Annabel has done. I love a good coffee table book – for me they have to be beautiful to hold and beautifully illustrated. Annabel ensured that when she enlisted Joanna Brown who has captured the images which really are of the highest quality and completely breathtaking in places. Special mention goes to Michelle Kelly, (my colleague at Dream Find Do,) and founder of Pocketful of Dreams, who styled the images to ‘create distinct decor elements that would bring each era to life’ with her impeccable eye and managed to make vintage very very modern. Zoe Lem takes credit for the fashion picks and styling.

For me the triumph of this book is in its genuine display of knowledge, collection of real historical references and then the incredibly thoughtful respresentation of those eras presented in the inspiration images.

You can find Style Me Vintage: Weddings on Amazon – if you need to buy a gift for a bride to be that you know, if she likes vintage style then I guarantee she’ll love it. :)

Well Done Annabel!

Love,
Rebecca
xo

Musical Discoveries: March

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Good day to you Findinos (I can call you this as I have just got back from holidaying in Italy and am quite the expert), today we have a first in that all our picks for this month are singles! It’s rare that we have a month of artists releasing album teasers of quite this calibre, so I’m cashing in and filling up Rebecca’s beautiful website with hideous Youtube embeds and lots and lots of excitement. Are you giddy yet? You should be…

Justin Timberlake – Mirrors (from forthcoming album The 20/20 Experience)

Pop star/actor, actor/pop star, what is it about those celebs that flip between the two that makes us think they’re crap at both? Regardless of what you think about JT’s gifts (and let’s admit it, that face is a gift, regardless of what’s coming out of his cakehole) his new single is here. JT has stated in the press that he’s now heavily influenced by Pink Floyd and other prog rock – yes really – but the only evidence of this here is that the song is over eight minutes long. However, this means that it is Very Serious Music and we should sit up and pay attention. I’m slightly upset by Mirrors, irrespective of Justin’s impressive length, because Timbercheeks used to release terrifically sexy, clever, groove-laden songs and this all sounds a bit R ‘n B lite. Like something Bieber would do. The last four minutes are fair enough, but really they’re just all noodles stuck on the end. This is the second song released off the new album, and I’m still holding my breath for the Big Bootyshaking Single. I have faith though, come on Justin.

Phoenix Entertainment


For those of you sitting there thinking you’ve never listened to a song by Phoenix, if you’ve ever heard any incidental music on E4 then you’re almost certainly mistaken. These French pop pixies make super-smart indie music with throbbing great catchy bits that spin you round like a relentlessly cheerful carousel until you have to get off and throw up. But in, like, a really, super-good way. The new one is all classic Phoenix bouncing verses, paired with a crashing great chopsticks-style hook that’ll get the festival crowds jumping from May through to September. New album promises to be great fun, even if some of their earlier subtlety is slowly being bled out in favour of this type of instant sugar rush.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Sacrilege

I like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs because they somehow manage to be interesting and hugely accessible all at the same time. Plus, I always want to look at what Karen O is wearing and what her hair’s doing, and it’s nearly always something amazing. They had promised that their new album would take us back to their more simple, lo-fi roots, but as there appears to be a gospel choir on the end of this, I’d say that’s likely to be a load of tosh. Great song though. (and if you’re interested we’re talking blonde bob and 1970s rodeo cowgirl for this record – outstanding effort as ever, Ms O).

David Bowie The Stars (Are Out Tonight)


Ah, it’s another pop star/actor, actor/pop star dichotomy! But we always let Bozzer get away with it don’t we? Because he’s a living legend that’s why. This is off the new (new!) Bowie record which should be out by the time you read this, and already has critics dribbling into their iMacs and making the keys all sticky with how good it is. I won’t profess to be an expert of his oeuvre (I didn’t object to Black Tie White Noise era Dave – apparently this means I‘m a philistine) but I will say that this has everything you could wish for from a Bowie song – it’s cool as ice with a nice edge of menace and please watch the video because Tilda Swinton is in it being absolutely batshit bonkers and it’s insanely fab.

That’s it for this month my lovelies, please let us know what you think of this little hit parade in the comments – whether you think Justin’s a joke, Bowie’s past it, or just really really want to be a 1970s rhinestone cowgirl (I know I do). And, naturalmente, let us know what you’ve been listening to!

PS! Find Penny at her new blog: All We Need is Radio Gaga or on Twitter @TokaiPenny

Girl about Town: Spice Girl Saturday

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Are you female? Were you in your teens at some point in the nineties? Do you love cheesy tunes and plain old silly fun?

If so, then read read on.

When I look back on my school life and my teenage years, I see a montage of scenes flash past my eyes in vivid colour, at full volume, on fast forward and with the Spice Girls featuring heavily in the soundtrack (along with some Alanis Morisette, Robbie Williams, Madonna and some Pure Garage mix tapes – hey – don’t judge me!)

I loved the Spice Girls. Correction, I LOVE the Spice Girls. I’ve loved them since they first mimed Wannabe on breakfast TV. They inspired us to dress like divs (seriously – those Buffalos were just insane!), dance like mad girls, perform their hits in the school talent shows (prompting rows with rival groups in the playground) and shout “GIRL POWER” as a response to anything and everything.

They had attitude but weren’t bitches. They inspired outfits/hairstyles but weren’t really fashionable (sorry, Posh, you just weren’t!). They were naughty but they weren’t bad girls. They wore skimpy outfits but they weren’t slutty. They weren’t the best singers, the best dancers, the best actresses or the best looking, but in my humble, musically uneducated opinion (Penny will perhaps argue otherwise!) they were the original and BEST girl group. They worked hard, put the time and effort in, took control and responsibility, they gave it their all and seemed to have so much fun whilst they were doing it, and most importantly, they did it for the girls, not for the boys. Yes, I’m looking at you Pussy Cat Dolls! For me they were inspirational role models, and, really, when I look at them as Spice Women, they still are. Anyway, I digress.

As a big fan, I hustled hard to get tickets when they reformed for a live tour a few years ago and followed every rumour about them performing in the Olympics closing ceremony with glee. When I heard about the proposed musical being written I was over the moon and when tickets for Viva Forever! went on sale, I rounded up my musical theatre/dance school/cheese-loving friends (my “cool” friends still judge me for my love of the Spices!) and demanded that we all buy tickets… and dress up. They stalled and stalled and wouldn’t commit to a date and I started to lose hope. I thought my friends had lost their love of cheese. That would have been a sad day.

As it happens, they were stalling because they had purchased tickets for me as a Christmas present! Yippeeeeeeeeeeee

So, a few weekends ago, the five of us were discussing plans (read: “politely arguing about which Spice we were dressing up as”) when I discovered that Harvey Nichols were doing a Viva Forever! themed afternoon tea and cocktail menu in their Fifth Floor Bar and Season restaurant. Well that put the “which Spice am I?” discussions to bed, as we felt it improper turn up at Harvey Nics in full out 90s fancy dress. I mean, no one wants to see someone’s pants peeking from under a too-short Union Flag dress or five girls face-planting on the floor due to ridiculously heavy platform trainers whilst trying to enjoy their afternoon tea, do they?

The afternoon tea started off with mini savoury bites: a cured beef and chutney bagel, an egg and cress roll, smoked salmon on pumpernickel and chicken and chutney roulade in fresh white bread, which we all wolfed down in our excitement to get to the sweet treats: the Sporty Spice cake pop, the Baby Spice mousse (served in a bottle), the Ginger Spice Union Flag lemon and ginger mille feuille, the Scary Spice chilli and chocolate roll (complete with white chocolate leopard print, ahem, decoration) and the Posh Spice Harvey Nics-branded marzipan and Victoria sponge (of course) handbag. There were also the usual scones with jam and clotted cream on the menu too.

In terms of cocktails, we began with some from the standard menu (with which we were already familiar, following our cocktail masterclass back in the summer) and then we worked our way through the themed cocktails, which were delicious. It was difficult to select, but in the end I was happy with my choice of the Scary (Fresh chilli, lychee liqueur topped with Champagne), although I did manage to take a sip of all of them. We then spent the rest of the afternoon talking about our favourite Spice (mine’s Victoria – obviously), our favourite songs (mine being Who Do You Think You Are) dance routines (Spice Up Your Life) and generally making a spectacle of ourselves singing, laughing and pinning the themed bows from our cocktail glasses in our hair and to the head of our rather attentive waiter.

We were cutting it too fine to use public transport, and so, in true Spice Girls style we hailed a cab, ran down the middle of the road, piled in and squeaked, squawked and sang all the way to The Piccadilly Theatre. On arrival we were offered the opportunity to be “upgraded” to the Ambassador Lounge, a small private room with a dedicated waiter to bring us drinks and nibbles before the show and during the interval “for only a small fee”. Of course we accepted and it was all pretty exciting as it was the room the Spices themselves had used when visiting the theatre to watch the show (you can arrange this facility in advance by calling the theatre). We ordered some bubbly to sip before the show, which we then decanted in to plastic flutes to take in to the stalls with us and chatted with the waiter about any Spice Girl gossip he could give us (none!) before heading in to the show.

I won’t ruin the story line, but the same vein as Mamma Mia and We Will Rock You, the story is just a vehicle for the songs to be introduced and you can see them coming a mile off. But, as a Spice Girls fan, guessing what’s coming is one of the best bits. There are a few surprises in there too – listen out for them!

I’m not a theatre critic so I won’t analyse the staging, casting (although there were two stand outs) or scripting but it has Jennifer Saunders written all over it, which is a good thing in my book. There’s more than a hint of Eddie, Patsy and Bubble in amongst the main characters and I swear I heard one of Patsy’s Ab Fab lines crop up. If you loved Ab Fab, Ugly Betty, Glee and The Catherine Tate Show you’ll love the characters. If you follow(ed) shows like X Factor and Pop Idol you’ll recognise parodies of some very prominent characters from Saturday night TV and you’ve read Ben Elton’s Chart Throb then you’ll get the underlying message. Basically, if you read this paragraph and know what the hell I’m wittering on about, then we’re on the same wavelength and you’ll really enjoy it!

I chose not to read the reviews, but I heard that the critics panned it. Come on. It’s not Les Mis, but if you don’t expect it to be, and you can just appreciate it for what it is, then you’ll have fun. When else can you go to the theatre and, during a touching romance scene, put your arms in the air, cling tight to your best girls and sing along to 2 Become 1 at the top of your voice or stand up in the aisles and howl with laughter through the original dance routine along with the cast and the rest of the audience to Stop or Spice Up Your Life?

My suggestion? If you don’t take yourself or your theatre choices too seriously, and, of course, if you are a Spice Girls fan then get your glittery platforms on, round up your best girls for a some pre drinks and go see it!

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE!

Victoria
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  • Read more about the Viva Forever Champagne Cocktails here and the Viva Forever Afternoon Tea here.
  • Book tickets and find out more about Viva Forever, the show, here.

PS! Find Victoria over on her blog Sugar Plum Slipper or on twitter @VictoriaHale.

Florence’s Book Club

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This month’s book club is particularly well timed for me with a ski-ing holiday looming during which I usually can’t summon up the energy to do much more than relax with a good book after a hard day on the slopes. I’m looking forward to catching up with some reading and all three of Rachel’s suggestions appeal this month – thank you Rachel!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

For part of my job I’m on a course and have to read well recommended and reviewed fiction for secondary aged pupils. This term it was The Boy in Striped Pajamas. I’d already seen the film, but remembered very little about it. It explores friendship between two boys during World War II, one in a concentration camp and one on the other side, telling the truth about what friendship means. It is in some ways a simple book, but reminded me never to forget the horrors of World War II and the concentration camps and has challenged me to read more fiction, or non-fiction, about world events so I don’t forget how fortunate I am.

Alys, Always by Harriet Lane

As a great friend would say ‘ the best thing about being in a book club is reading books you wouldn’t usually read, and the worst thing about being in a book club is reading books you wouldn’t normally read.’ I decided to broaden my reading a little for this month and read a book I wouldn’t normally choose. Set in modern affluent London, it tells the story of a creative woman subtly, but in a calculated way, and all through a chance encounter, manoeuvring her way into a family’s life. A good read that isn’t hard, but with a good story that gripped me in a slightly ‘peep through fingers, Joey in Friends put the book in the freezer’ way, but then I am a wimp. The book also tackles are bigger thoughts about who we are, identity and how others treat us, but I don’t want to give too much away.

‘…and I think, We’re all pretending. The room is full of constructs and inventions. People are experimenting, trying out lines… I watch the way they draw closer to and turn away from each other. I hear the things that they say and the things that they leave unsaid.’

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

I like to keep an eye on the winners of the major literary prizes and this book won the Orange Prize in 2012. I should start by saying I have a bit of a soft spot for the ancient Greeks. This story is of Achilles but told from the perspective of his friend, confidante and lover Patroclus, from when they meet as boys to them going into battle to fight the Trojan War for Helen of Troy. There are lots of ancient references to Gods and ancient families but you don’t need to know anything about them to enjoy the story. My thoughts on finishing were that I’d read a lovely, and very unusual love story. It has made me want to re-read The Iliad but only when I have the luxury of lazing on a sandy beach in Greece.

What are you reading this month?

Rachel
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PS you can read more from Rachel at her blog Flowers and Stripes, or find her on Twitter @MrsHunterDunn.

Musical Discoveries: February

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Penny’s back today and I for one am excited… you’ll have to read on to find out why, but Penny has given a nod to one of my favourite bands (and albums) of all time.. sound track to my youth and all that, that I still regularly have on repeat in my house. Love it Penny, as always.

Good day to you Findettes! I am pleased to report that, somehow, we have made it through to February. I looked out of the window the other day and actually saw the sun in the sky. We’re nearly there! I hope your resolutions are going well. Mine was to resume public blogging, which I have been doing over on my new blog All We Need is Radio Gaga. The good news is that 2013 is already looking corking good for tunes, and I had to trim down a huge list of really fabulous albums this month to bring you the following top picks…

Tegan & Sara – Heartthrob

Latest sounds by Tegan and Sara

Some people like it when bands get all introspective and serious about their art. I like it more when formerly “proper” bands throw everything out of the window for the sake of a truly amazing chorus. Writing brilliant pop music is so, so much harder to do then writing something obscure in a funny time signature that lonely smelly men will buy on £50 German import and never open the shrink wrap on for fear of lessening the resale value. It really is. Because music is about joy, not scoring points. This record is Canadian sisters Tegan & Sara moving away from their quirky indie roots and stepping up to the plate to write an album so full of twinkling electronic pop joy that you can imagine Kylie listening to it in her car on a sunny day. Is it disposable? Maybe. But what’s bad about that when it sounds so good?

Local Natives – Hummingbird

Hummingbird by Local Natives

There are some areas of modern music that I feel a bit socially awkward around. The corner of the music party where the Fleet Foxes/Arcade Fire fans are hanging out is just not somewhere I’ve been. It’s not that I don’t want to go over there, with all their flutes and the photo shoots in the desert with the animal masks, it’s just that I always assume I don‘t have anything to say about these bands. I put Local Natives in the same group, as a band that might require me to have some sort of permanent Instagram filter over my life before I could listen to. It is simply by chance that I’ve stumbled across their new record and even though it sounds so unbelievably indie (or psych-folk or whatever) it is actually really good and swooping and lush and lovely. I wouldn’t listen to it to get pumped to go out for a night dancing or anything, but a cup of coffee and the Sunday papers on a February morning – yes. Maybe I’ll go and stand in the corner at the party next time. I hope they don’t mind that I don’t have a beard or a vintage tea-set.

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours [35th Anniversary 3CD Deluxe Edition]

There is nothing I can say about this, other than the fact that they are touring this year and here is this reissue of an incredible album that has sold over 40 million copies, and, and, and, there is no more excuse I need to bang on about Fleetwood Mac. The Fleetwood Mac Rumours reissue (three disc edition) includes the album and some other gubbins like live stuff and B-sides, and blah blah look at the video of them playing Don’t Stop live in 2007! There’s a marching band! And look at Stevie Nicks, she looks like she’s been frozen in time and I’m not sure how she can open her mouth to sing! You could be there and you could see all this too!

So how are you doing, Findettes? Heard anything good lately? Wanna tell me how good Arcade Fire really are? Hands poised over the keyboard to book Fleetwood tickets the second they go on sale? Hit me up in the comments…

Penny
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PS! Find Penny at her new blog: All We Need is Radio Gaga or on Twitter @TokaiPenny