The saying ‘better late than never’ seems appropriate this month as I'm a fair few days overdue with this instalment of the blog. To be totally honest, tardiness is standard practice for me so it's a miracle an overdue blog entry hasn't happened sooner. I won't waste time on an apology, as it's highly likely it'll happen again in the not too distant future.
We had one of those weekends recently where everyone in our house had a case of what we call "The Slumps". I failed to convince the younger generation to get dressed, or even get up, and ran out of reasons why the adults should either. Embracing the down days, hunkering down, indulging in back-to-back Netflix and endless junk food is sometimes a must, and actually the enforced rest was appreciated. It also neatly encapsulated why I write the blog. We're all just surviving, getting by, coping (or not), and doing whatever it takes, and it's bloody difficult sometimes. Having said that, despite the blue days, there have been some amazing uplifting life-affirming moments along the way to even things out. During Slump-Day I managed to finally get the blog done (mostly) and had uninterrupted time to finish reading one of my birthday books. I've been trying to carve out time for it for ages and it was blissful to get that and feel completely guilt free about it - recommendation below, read it, it is superb. In other news, in the same weekend, I managed to photograph some actual raindrops on actual roses so things can't be all bad...
RECOMMENDATIONS
Read
Hamnet As mentioned above, this is a spectacular book, deftly written with nuance and attention to detail that long-time O'Farrell readers have come to expect. The story is immersive, haunting and compelling, and keeps you rapt, even though you know how it will end before you begin it. Although it is a fictionalised account, there are some facts woven into the story and it has lingered with me. I have a great poster in my office which lists all of the quotes and sayings in the English language which we can attribute to Shakespeare. Even having this and staring at it regularly, I’ve never really considered the inspiration behind any of his plays. I’m now genuinely more than a bit curious about the origins of his works, and his life beyond the stage. Maybe I'm just overdue a re-watch of Shakespeare in Love . Always a go to comfort watch but actually since his appearance in Handmaid's Tale, I can't quite look at Joseph Fiennes in the same way anymore...
A bit more about Hamnet from Goodreads below, available as usual from Little Apple Bookshop.
Drawing on Maggie O'Farrell's long-term fascination with the little-known story behind Shakespeare's most enigmatic play, HAMNET is a luminous portrait of a marriage, at its heart the loss of a beloved child.
Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet.
Award-winning author Maggie O'Farrell's new novel breathes full-blooded life into the story of a loss usually consigned to literary footnotes, and provides an unforgettable vindication of Agnes, a woman intriguingly absent from history.
Do
This is a fab new family-run motorhome hire company based in York. We had a weekend planned with these guys - unfortunately cancelled due to various Covid-related reasons, but I know that others who have booked and had a fab time so I wanted to include a recommendation anyway! Given that more of us are contemplating UK-based holidays, and knowing the fickle British weather, arguably, there’s no better way to enjoy a UK holiday than in a motorhome. We have wanted to try it out for ages and had been planning to explore the Yorkshire Coast in ours. We’re still hoping to be able to do that in the coming months, though the vans are proving very popular - so book early and get route-planning!
Watch
This is now in its fourth series but a few of my friends claim to never heard of it, so figured it might be worth a mention. Don’t worry if you’re a bit late to this party, there's plenty of room at this beautiful table of patisserie treats! The concept is a Great British Bake Off companion show, previously known as 'Bake Off Crème de la Crème' and is a competition between teams of professional pastry chefs. The competitors are usually from high-end hotels and restaurants, but also from other companies and organisations including supermarkets, catering colleges and even the armed forces. The competition aims to find the finest pastry chefs in the country. The baking is incredible and the showpiece creations defy the laws of physics (or sometimes don't, which is seriously amusing and also slightly terrifying)
The show is presented by comedian Tom Allen, and Liam Charles (a former contestant on the main Bake Off series); the pair have great chemistry and are perfect to front the series. It's shot on a specially created kitchen set, in the stables of Firle Place, a beautiful country estate, which provides a glorious setting and is certainly part of the appeal for me. Fun fact alert for fans of the primary location in the new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved classic Emma.
The judges are industry giants Benoit Blin (Head Pastry Chef at the Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons) and Cherish Finden (multi-award winning Executive Pastry Chef at The Langham, London). I don't think I'll ever tire of their brutally honest (AKA cutting and often tear-inducing) comments about the creations they judge. At times, it’s borderline painful to watch but also impossible to look away...
'Showstopper! The Improvised Musical' has been a huge success since it first began in 2008. It had eleven sell-out years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, two West End runs, an Olivier Award and a BBC Radio 4 series. Phew! In the show, the audience meets a writer of musicals who is on a deadline and needs help. The audience then (via the media of text and twitter) contributes suggestions of a setting, musical styles and the title of the show, and so we begin!
The Showstopper team – cast and band – will then create a brand new musical in front of the very eyes of the audience, complete with hilarious characters, fabulous dance routines, beautiful songs, and epic story lines, all sprinkled with the glitz of a West End show.
Every night is a ‘one time only’ production, a premiere and a final performance rolled into one. I was lucky enough to get to this when it came to York last month and it was off-the-scale good, reminiscent of a classic episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, with much laughter and my title idea was almost chosen*. As well as a national tour, the company are also doing YouTube live streams of some of their performances meaning you can experience the joy of live theatre from the comfort of your sofa! Do it!!
A snippet from one of their shows to give you a flavour...
Listen
Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Helena Merriman tells the extraordinary true story of a man, having escaped to the West, dug a tunnel into the East, right under the feet of border guards, to help friends, family and strangers escape. It’s also the story of the Stasi spy who betrays the tunnel, the American TV network which funds it and the love that develops between refugees who find freedom together.
The series is based on original interviews with the survivors as well as thousands of documents from the Stasi archives and recordings from the tunnel. I've lost count of the people I've recommended this to, including all my family, friends and most of my students. It is exceptional and completely consuming (I know someone who listened to all 10 episodes in one day). Click on the picture to hear a trailer or head over to BBC Sounds to hear the whole thing.
Eat
Holgate Windmill flour
Holgate Windmill is York’s last surviving windmill and is apparently the oldest 5-sailed working windmill in Yorkshire (who knew!). Built in the late 1700s, production at the mill stopped in 1933 but luckily for us Yorkshire folk, (and thanks to the Holgate Windmill Preservation Society), it is now fully restored and once again producing traditional stone-ground flour. Hurrah! The mill itself is currently closed to visitors* but the mill shop is still open for flour sales every Saturday morning between 10am and Midday. You can even pre-order giant 5 kg bags if you really want to get your bake on. All details are on their website. Although more an ingredient and not strictly a food recommendation, this place is so fab to visit that I hope you'll agree it merits a mention anyway!
Final thought from me:
Keep going.
That's it.
As always feel free to contact me via Instagram or Twitter with any contributions, thoughts, comments, or feedback. Till next time, just keep doing Whatever It Takes...
Quote of the month
* Well it was read out...
** Thanks go once again to Covid19 - truly the gift that keeps on giving!!