GP and me

I've finally added my second big interview at Greenbelt with author GP Taylor. He was a really friendly guy and we chatted for a few minutes afterwards - he asked a few questions about me, which is quite rare. Usually interviewees dash off straight away. And he was happy to autograph a copy of Wormwood for my good friend Marc.

Overcome by the light - GP Taylor interview at Greenbelt 2007

Not a complete wanker...

A broken hallelujah - Kathryn Williams interview at Greenbelt 2007

Here's the interview I carried out with Kathryn Williams at Greenbelt this year. She provided me with of the best moments of the festival. After we'd finished I said to her, Was that OK? She replied, Yes, it's nice to speak to someone who isn't a complete wanker. So it's official, I'm not a complete wanker.

Beer and Hymns

The Jesus Arms, home to beer and hymns at Greenbelt 2007. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best - hope it's back next year.

St Peter's Ale is my favourite beer, but they kept running out of it at the Organic Beer Tent, and I was reduced to drinking cider!

The Years Between at the Orange Tree

To celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary we went to the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond. Rather unforgivably, I'd never been to this 200-or-so seater venue before. It advertises itself as a 'pocket-size National Theatre'. It's a nice little venue and the performance space is in the round. Although there were a few younger people around, it was mostly the more mature crowd you would expect to find at Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud. Which is a shame as it has quite a relaxed atmosphere and is a bit cheaper than most Surrey theatres.

The play was The Years Between by By Daphne du Maurier. It was quite an intriguing tale, set toward the end of the Second World War, about a woman who believes her husband to have been killed in combat. As she takes control of her life she finds a new role for herself out of the shadow of her charismatic, rather overbearing husband. The not-too-surprising twist is that her husband is in fact alive, and when he comes home three years later they both struggle to adjust to the changes that took place the years between.

It is fairly low-key play, set in one room, with the 'action' mostly consisting of conversation, and a little tension. The play was enjoyable, but didn't quite capture the imagination. However, it was interesting to ponder the affect that the war had on those were left behind, as much as those who went away to fight. Particularly as my paternal grandmother divorced her husband shortly after he came back from the war.

Before the play, we had a meal at Matsuba Japanese Restaurant, and I had some Korean medley of beef, vegetables, rice and an egg, with a spicy that the attentive waitress span for me.

The Hunting of the White Stag

Continuing our wedding anniversary celebrations, we paid a visit to Petworth House in West Sussex on Saturday (10 September). Planning to use the opportunity to justify our 2007 National Trust membership, we arrived to find it was a heritage day so entry was free! Curses!

After a picnic, we toured the house which was pretty standard for an English stately home until you reached the art gallery. It had a wonderful collection that included works by Turner, Van Dyck, Titian, Bosch, Reynolds and William Blake.

The Blake was a particular delight, his visionary etchings making a sharp contrast to the more traditional works on display. The picture here is Blake’s The Last Judgment.

We took a look at the well-preserved kitchens and servant’s quarters, and also a rather dull guided tour of the administrative offices – empty 19th century estate agents’ offices.

The moment of the day was watching a white stag stride (if that’s what stags do) majestically over a hill in the extensive grounds – very Narnia.

Billy Bragg at Greenbelt 2007

Billy Bragg on the mainstage at Greenbelt 2007
Originally uploaded by ymca.greenbelt

Greenbelt was over two weeks ago now. I'm planning to write up my interview with Kathryn Williams this week. Sadly Billy Bragg's management didn't come back to me.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...

...is the name of the fourth film in the series. Looking forward to it, but will a more mature Mr Ford convince as Indie?

Resistance is useless...

I've been feeling for sometime that I need a way to record things. My memory isn’t the best and I’m a writer so I can’t afford to lose thoughts. So this is just a way for me to put things together, thoughts, images, links, videos and it’s just for my benefit for now.

In 2005 the BBC reported that there is a blog created every second, and the number is doubling every five months:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4737671.stm

But, as we all know, most of these start with enthusiasm and are abandoned after a few posts. Most are updated every few months with something like this:

‘Sorry I haven’t blogged for ages, I’ll update soon on my adventures...’

Hopefully, I won’t be doing the same.