Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed a new link on the side bar… I’ve started an online book club! Following a late night Twitter discussion it appears that lots of people would like to come together to discuss their favourite books, and to share ideas for something to read.
You can find out more over on the Book Club site: AWB’s Long Distance Book Club and there is some info on how I propose it all works here.
It’s open to all – you don’t need to be associated with the military to join in the fun, all book suggestions and discussion welcome.
Category Archives: Culture Vulture
Diversion therapy
Hello everyone! I hope this sunny morning finds you well. It’s amazing what difference the sun can make after weeks of rain, grey, snow, and cold – making it finally feel like spring is in the air.
And Spring of course means that The Boy will be home.
I’m almost over the half way point now, and extremely thankful that he’s not doing another seven month tour so once he comes home he will actually be home, and won’t be ripped away after an all too short R&R.
He will of course have to go back to Cyprus again but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, and for all the many things that Cyprus is… it’s not Afghanistan.
I have spent the last few weeks doing as much as I can to keep my mind off The Boy being away… to the extent where I need to get my mind back on him because I’ve barely sent any letters and I can only blame the lack of transportation to and from his FOB for so long.
Mostly I have been keeping myself occupied by working my second job, which has introduced me to working from 5pm until 2am. Not fun at all.
I have a new found respect for all the nightshift workers out there, who work a lot longer into the small hours than that, and who have to do far more important things than copying and pasting stuff into a computer.
One of the things that has been keeping me going in the weekend working hell has been the thought that if I work the extra shifts I can use the money towards the wedding.
The initial plan was that it would cover a few things on the budget but as it stands I have accidentally fallen in love with a dress which is far more expensive than I had anticipated. More on that another time.
Yesterday however I got the opportunity to have an unexpected, and much needed, day off. and with the sun shining I took myself off on a walk down Regents Canal to Columbia Road.
It’s a place that holds many memories for me because The Boy used to live there (in those heady pre-Army days) and we had a lot of fun being East London hipsters before there were East London hipsters.
I lie. We really weren’t that cool. But it was still a very fun time in our lives and it was good to go back, stroll through the flower market in the sunshine and… well I say stroll, it seemed that half of London had the same idea so it was less a stroll and more an elbows out struggle, but still a great way to pass an afternoon.
I have to admit, when I walked past Stringray Globe, a rather EXCELLENT restaurant, where we used to go for pizza I couldn’t resist taking a cheeky picture to send him.
Not that I would ever be rubbing it in that he was out in Afghanistan and not able to eat said pizza. Oh no. That would just be mean.
Other things that have been keeping me occupied and my mind off deployment for the last few weeks:
- Fleetwood Mac Rumours – recently re-released and rather brilliant for singing along to in the car. The girl in the red hatchback on the M4 singing at the top of her lungs? That was ME!
- Les Misèrables – one of my all time favourite musicals and an amazing film. Counting down the days until it’s out on DVD alongside counting down the days until my fiancé comes home.
- Trying on wedding dresses. I estimated the other day that I have now tried on at least 30. Bridezilla much?
- Ditto googling bridesmaid dresses – although not for me, for a friend who is getting married in August. I’m a bridesmaid for her and as I can’t make it to the hen do I’m trying to show that picking me was not a mistake – plus if I find a good one I get to look good in it so everyone is a winner!
- Desperately trying not to eat my way through a nightshift. So easy to sit scoffing chocolate to keep you awake. I have developed a sneaky addiction to Maoam pinballs which has really got to be nipped in the bud asap. Today’s weigh in showed I have lost around half a stone since deployment started and that figure has GOT to keep falling.
Mulling over Christmas
Hello all, I hope that whatever you’re up to you’ve managed to keep out of this horrible weather and have been so organised that you haven’t had to brave the shops today.
I’m at work so staying away from both the rain and the desperate shopping zombies, although I’d still rather be tucked up at home with a mince pie or three (Or a slice of this rather excellent Scandinavian Christmas Cake – which I really recommend you try.)
Christmas can be a difficult time for many families, especially those with loved ones serving overseas. While the “normals” get to enjoy their Christmas turkey all together there are thousands of Forces families whose festive highlight might be a snatched five minute phone call from a dodgy satellite phone out in Afghanistan.
I’ve always been lucky that so far The Boy has been able to avoid a Christmas deployment, and that the two tours he has done in the last five years have both been over the summer months.
He’s off again in January but has been lucky enough to be allowed home from Cyprus for Christmas, even if he will be whisked back to the Med before the New Year’s Eve celebrations can kick off.
We’re not actually spending Christmas day together. Instead we will both be with our respective families as I’m on call for work and have to stay down south, whereas with deployment (even though it’s only for three months) looming we thought it would be best if he fulfilled his “good son” duties and went off to see his family on Tyneside.
Instead we’ll have Christmas part two on Boxing Day and our presents are safely under our tiny little tree in anticipation (no peeking now!).
He’s been at home since last Friday and it has just been fantastic. We went off to London for a couple of days and got our culture on, as well as blitzing the Christmas shopping like nobody’s business and stuffing our faces with top quality Chinese food at the wonderful Kai Mayfair (an early Christmas treat).
We went off to Tate Britain to see the Pre Raphelites: Victoria Avant-Guarde exhibition, which was brilliant, and then to the V&A for Hollywood Costume , which I have to say despite it’s “lighter” subject matter was really really interesting. I never realised the amount of thought that went into creating costumes, especially for films set in the present day. And it did make me chuckle when The Boy, after gawping at Maximus’s armour from Gladiator, and James Bond’s Casino Royal dinner jacket, started lusting over the tweed suit worn by the one and only Edward Cullen in Twilight. Both of the exhibitions are on into January so if you fancy a day out or two I would highly recommend either one of them.
The best part of the week was getting to spend it with my lovely soldier, especially after I worked out that I had only spent three days with him in the last two months, and with another separation on the horizon – made worse by the fact that it was doubled from six weeks out in the desert to three months.
Even though I’m not going to be with my man on Christmas day itself I am fortunate that he will be safe and snug, and not out in Afghanistan (at least for the time being).
My thoughts however will be with those families, parents, wives, girlfriends and children who will have a loved one away from home, whether that is with the Armed Forces or not. I appreciate that for the mums, or dads, left behind to pull off a festive extravaganza without the presence of their partner Christmas can be a trying time and I hope that you are able to enjoy your day as much as you can, and that Santa will have swung that phone call for you.
Deployment is stressful at the best of times and I have a huge amount of admiration for those of you in the middle of it right now.
There are of course other families out there who are having to endure a rather more permanent separation and of course I will also be thinking of them.
Finally I wanted to say thank you to all those members of the Armed Forces out in Afghanistan, or elsewhere, away from their families, and of course wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.
Keep the Olympic flame burning
So I just spent about 45 minutes writing a post for you all and bloody wordpress crashed and it’s disappeared into the ether. I’m so annoyed.
Starting again…
How amazing was the Olympics? I can’t believe it’s all over (for now – Paralympics start at the end of this month but more on that later…).
I miss logging onto Twitter and seeing that we’d won ANOTHER medal, I miss trying to follow everything that was going on while I was supposed to be working, I miss the sense of excitement in the air, I miss settling down every evening to watch the BBC’s fanastic coverage.
I even miss Wenlock – that shiny (slightly phallic) one eyed mascot supposedly created from a droplet of steel when building the Olympic stadium.
From start to finish I was totally, unashamedly hooked.
I marvelled at the feats of Mo Farah and Usain Bolt, jumped for joy with Greg Rutherford and Jessica Ennis and cheered when Katherine Grainger finally got her hands on that longed for gold medal.
I had been out on the evening of the Opening Ceremony but got home, pressed rewind on my generic television recorder and stayed awake until 2am in awe of what Danny Boyle had managed to pull together.
There were so many times when I was brought to tears – even thinking about the moment when judoka Gemma Gibbons looked up to the heavens and mouthed “I love you mum” in tribute to her mother Jeanette who died of leukaemia when Gemma was just 17.
I loved it when the fabulous Claire Balding spoke to an overjoyed Bert Le Clos, father of swimmer Chad, and told her of his “beautiful boy” in the manner of a South African Cookie Monster.
There were so many fantastic moments over the Olympic fortnight that we were all privileged to be a part of.
I was lucky enough to see some of the events first hand. I hit the streets to watch the women’s triathlon and marathon, and got tickets in the ballot to see a Taekwondo gold medal bout.
Although I did not get to see a member of Team GB win gold I still had a fantastic time – who knew that watching Ethiopian women run around London could be so uplifting.
Everyone was happy, everyone was friendly and people talked to each other on the tube! I know!
Amazing stories accompanied each medal glory – when the title bout for the mens +87kg Taekwondo was over the announcer revealed that Anthony Obame, who got silver, had won his country’s first ever medal.
He was overjoyed, perhaps more so than Carlo Molfetta who had actually won the medal clash.
I have heard someone say that his new motto was “What would a Gamesmaker do?” and I think it’s important to celebrate the thousands of volunteers who gave up their summer holiday to help make the Olympics a success.
Their enthusiasm could be felt all around London as they gave tourists directions, checked tickets and performed countless tasks behind the scenes.
Always with a smile on their faces, they did a fantastic job – as did the soldiers who were drafted in to fill in the gaps left by security company G4S.
The soldiers did not volunteer – many of them were forced to give up their leave and sleep in less than desirable accommodation.
When Boris Johnson went to visit some soldiers in the early days of the Games many of them complained about the situation, but by the end of the fortnight there seemed to be a lot more positivity with many telling television cameras that they had enjoyed the experience, particularly the interaction with the public.
I hope that the soldiers involved will be able to look back and feel proud that they were able to be a part of the Olympics, and certainly many of those I saw looked like they were enjoying themselves.
I hope that the government realises that when the cuts come in they will not be able to call on the Army at a moments notice to perform roles such as this – but that’s a topic for another day.
A lot has been said in the past few days, since the flame was extinguished, about he legacy of the Games – particularly in relation to children being given the chance to play more sports at school.
Certainly the Olympics has opened people’s eyes to a host of sports that they might not have encountered before. When I was a teenager I was a keen 800 and 1500 metre runner and went to an athletics club after school.
But if I had expressed a desire to do track cycling or boxing I’m not sure that my parents would have known where to take me to do those sort of sports.
Hopefully that has all changed now and I’m sure their are plenty of little girls who have signed up to their nearest judo, swimming, cycling, boxing, handball or athletics club this week.
I know that when I went out for a run the other day I was impressed to see how many people had pulled on their trainers or got their bikes out of the garage and gone outside to do something active.
We can’t all cycle as fast or as far as Bradley Wiggins, but we can get fit, be active and have fun – and that’s as good an Olympic legacy as any.
So now it’s over… the Olympics that is. As Channel 4 have been saying in their adverts for the Paralympics “Thanks for the warm up”.
The Paralympic Games looks set to be even more inspirational and Team GB look likely to bring in an even greater haul of medals.
For the first time in history it looks like the Paralympics will be a total sell out and that’s just fantastic.
I had been trying to get hold of tickets, any tickets, for the last two weeks and yesterday finally managed to get my hands on a pair for the T44 and T46 100 metres final.
I absolutely can not wait, so excited to see Oscar Pistorius run – I think he’s incredible and one of my favourite moments of the Olympics was seeing Kirani James, who went on to win the 400m gold, swap numbers with Pistorius.
I plan on writing a bit more about the Olympics in run up to the start of the event, particularly in relation to the Front Line to Start Line initiative and the service men and women who will compete in the games.
Until then, I suggest you all switch of your computers for a bit and go for a run… but first why not share your top Olympic moments in the comments below, or tweet me @ArmyWagBlog.
The Bigger Picture
So, as I told you all on Wednesday I had a rather busy few days…
It all began with a trip to London to see David Hockney: A bigger picture at the Royal Academy, which was amazing.
It was the final day of the exhibition today so I will try go on about it too much for those of you who won’t now get the chance to go (although it’s open until 10pm tonight so you can try your luck). Read all about it here and here.
The exhibition was open late for the final week and I have to admit to a small feeling of smug satisfaction as we waltzed past the hour-long queue having bought tickets the second I heard that tickets for the late-night viewings were going on sale.
The paintings were all amazing.
Hockney’s use of colour is unparalleled and despite the abstract nature of some of his works his depictions of Yorkshire woodland managed to transport you into a mid-summer forest – despite the fact that in reality we were stood in a crowded gallery on a wet April evening.
The bright colours even managed to make paintings of factories – never the most inspiring of subjects – appear exciting, uplifting and inspirational.
I have to say I was most impressed with the “paintings” created on Hockney’s iPad.
Art purists may scoff at the masterpieces created on the Apple tablet, but I thought that it was incredible how the artist managed to have the foresight to create his works on a screen no bigger than a side of A4 and make the final image (printed out onto huge pieces of paper which filled the walls of the gallery) look as stunning as they would had they been done on canvas in a more conventional manner.
The Boy and I had wanted to buy a print of one of the iPad paintings for the wall of our living room but there were none to be found unfortunately.
However, in a way I was quite pleased about this as it would have been easy to dismiss the works as something of a cash cow, created so that they could be easily reproduced and sold to the masses.
Guess I will have to satisfy myself with a Hockney iPhone cover until I can afford a masterpiece of my very own!
If music be the food of love… (part 2)
A while ago I opened up the depth of my iPod for you all and told you about a cheesy cheesy playlist that I made for The Boy the first time that he went away to Afghan.
You can find it here, should you be so inclined, and read all about why I decided to do such a thing in the first place.
So, for your aural pleasure today I treat you to Now That’s What I Call Armywag 2.
- Circle of Life by Elton John. So when it comes to credible I’m aware I’m not off to a flying start but just before The Boy went off to Afghanistan we enjoyed a day out to see The Lion King musical in London. The Boy said he’d always thought the words went “It’s the wheel of fortune”, and was proved right by Elton’s version. This was just to make him smile.
- Nobody Does it Better by Carly Simon. Like many young men of an adventurous persuasion The Boy is a big Bond fan and I once quipped this should be his theme tune as: Nobody does it better, makes me feel sad for the rest, nobody does it, half as good as you – baby you’re the best. PS. If you’re also into your Bond and fancy a giggle I can not recommend THIS highly enough.
- Wedding Song by Tracy Chapman Because I’m a massive girl and yes I do think about The Boy and I getting hitched one day. the marvellous Ms Chapman sums it all up rather nicely.
- Empire State of Mind (Part II) by Alicia Keys. Jay Z is a master and the original version is epic but this pared down version is one of The Boy’s favourites. I remember sitting listening to it on the balcony of our holiday hut in Langkawi (more on that here)
- Lucky by Jason Mraz. You might only know Mr. AZ from the somewhat overplayed I’m Yours, but this is a lovely little song. If you’re away from your loved one you can’t fail to me moved by the thoughts of serenading your loved one “across the water, across the deep blue ocean”. Also check out this albums, Jason was doing Ed Sheeran-style wordplay while Ed was just a ginger schoolboy.
- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by Easy Star All Stars. Amazing dance hall reggae version of the Beatles classic.
- You’ve got the Dirtee Love by Florence + The Machine and Dizzee Rascal. We both love this version recorded at the Brits in 2010.
- Number One by Tinchy Stryder. Yes it features Dappy, yes it’s a total guilty pleasure but deep down, beneath the Nana Niiiis it;s quite a sweet sentiment.
- Alejandro by Lady Gaga. I had a phone call from a rather drunken young man as he got off of a plane coming back from his travels. I think he had indulged in the drinks trolley and was singing this until I pulled up at the pick up point to collect him.
- Love You ‘Till the End by The Pogues. I can’t find an official video for this but if you’ve seen PS I Love You you’ll recognise this rather lovely love song. If you’ve not seen the film and your missing your other half don’t watch it.
- Heaven by Bryan Adams. Some friends of ours had this as their “First Song” at a wedding we went to just before The Boy left. He loves this song and it reminds us of happy times before he went away.
- Lovesong by Adele. No video again I’m afraid. Who doesn’t love Adele? This is one of the few tracks on her album 21 that doesn’t seem to have been inspired by a break up.
- Timshel by Mumford and Sons. This is the band’s Brits performance from 2010. I was watching the ceremony shortly before The Boy went away and the lyrics made me cry! They made me think about The Boy being away, but being supported by the others around him.
- Bridge Over Troubled Water by Johnny Cash. I love Johnny Cash and his version of the classic tune is eerily beautiful as well as being extremely poignant. The Boy is a particular fan of The Man in Black’s later cover versions. What a genius and much missed.
- I’ll Stand by You by The Pretenders. One of The Boy’s favourites, the song is about supporting one another when times get rough – very apt I thought.
- We Have All The Time in the World by The Puppini Sisters. Another James Bond inspired piece! This is a beautiful version of the Louis Armstrong classic.
- Can you Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John. Another Lion King classic to cheer up The Boy and make him smile!
- (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. Ok, so this is much more of a favourite of mine than The Boy’s but I am doing my best to convert him! We did nearly perfect The Lift one New Year’s Eve…
And that’s a wrap… let me know if you’ve done anything similar – and what tunes you chose!
First Rule of Book Club: The Help
Hello everyone, part three of the irregular series of book reviews I’d like to bring you far more regularly than I do.
I had heard about Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel The Help for a while before I picked it up in a friendly branch of Waterstone’s (can’t leave out the shunned apostrophe – it just feels wrong).
After finishing One Day and in need of a new literary tome to get my brain cells working I put out a message to my fell bookworms on Twitter asking for advice on what page turner to pick up next.
One of the first responses I got suggested that I gave The Help a go and I added it to my mental note of “Things I simply must read”, then went back to a diet of Grazia and Glamour magazine for a few weeks.
Eventually I strolled into Waterstone’s and after a little while searching came across its cream cover depicting two African American maids caring for one of their wealthy, white charges.
From the first page I was gripped.
The Help tales the tale of a would-be journalist, Skeeter, (see the reason for the instant attraction?) who, desperate for a story to impress her prospective employer decides that she wants to reveal the truth about the maids who work for the families of her well-to-do friends.
After initially struggling to gain their trust, Skeeter eventually manages to convince the maids to get involved with their project – largely thanks to middle aged maid and nanny Aibileen, who works for one of Skeeter’s friends.
Racial prejudice in the Deep South of America means that there is something of a sword of Damocles hanging over Skeeter, Aibileen, another conspirator Minny and their attempts at exposing what really happens to the maids, and how they really feel about their employers.
Peril never seems to be far away in this eye-opening, and deeply moving tale which, as I said had me grabbed from the very first page and refused to let go until I reached the final paragraph.
The plight of the maids and the depiction of how the American civil rights movement managed to filter down to the Bible-belt Southern states is vividly brought to life, even to British readers who will have had little exposure to much of this dark chapter in America’s history before.
Good day, sunshine
It feels like finally Spring is on its way… how fabulous was the sunshine at the weekend?
Definitely what we need after the cold, wet, snowy winter we’ve been having.
Snapped this and thought I would share it with you – just look at the blue sky over Trafalgar Square and the sunlight reflecting off of the gold-coloured statue.
Beautiful.
The statue is Powerless Structures, Fig.101, currently taking pride on place atop the Fourth Plinth – which was originally supposed to carry a bronze equestrian statue of King William IV, which was never installed.
A clever twist on the numerous statues of kings and soldiers on horseback which fill many of London’s public spaces, the bronze artwork depicts a young boy riding a rocking horse and is the brainchild of Scandinavian art duo Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset.
The four metre high temporary installation was described by the artists as a means to show the possibility that a world could exist without war, and celebrate “the ordinary”.
“As often we have taken our starting point in the features that are already on the site in Trafalgar Square, said Mr Elmgreen, when the work was originally put forward.
“You have sculptures on the other plinths depicting warlords on horseback that are looking very authoritarian.
“Most often we take our starting point in some urban structure, some architectural features, a design that already exists and alter the code slightly to show there are possibilities of change.
“This work is telling that there might be if we change our set of thoughts – a future that could be without war.
“This is a celebration of the ordinary life that goes on in between the more spectacular events like wars and other crises. It’s a celebration of the ordinary and being happy with that.”
What a beautiful sentiment for a beautiful spring morning.
First Rule of Book Club: When God Was A Rabbit
Thought I would give you something a little different this morning to my last few posts – hope you’ll find it a little more upbeat!
I’d like to tell you all about a wonderful book I read recently, When God Was A Rabbit, by author Sarah Winman.
Starting off with the novel I have to admit I found it a little difficult to get into right away.
The child protagonist as first person narrator takes some getting used to if you’ve been reading more “grown up” material, but once I was over that initial hurdle I found lead character a Elly a memorable guide through her story.
Her childish innocence meant that as readers we are encouraged to read between the lines at what is happening to Elly, her family and friends, making this story about a brother and sister all the more poignant.
The wit and humour employed by Winman should be at odds with underlying sense of tragedy which gently ebbs and flows through the book, but in fact it serves to make the sadder parts pack a far harder punch, while leaving the reader with an overwhelmingly optimistic view of life.
Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure, I have to say I have not read anything like When God Was A Rabbit before and Winman’s writing style makes a refreshing change to many novels churned out today by eager publishers hoping to stumble on the “next big thing” to transform into a Hollywood blockbuster.
Starting off in 1960s suburban Essex, and ending up as a trans Atlantic tale moving between Cornwall, London and New York, Winman manages to transport the reader effortlessly into Elly’s universe – and anyone who has ever prayed for the safe return of a loved one will not failed to be moved by the story.
The summary which I am trying to provide you with here can not possibly do justice to this beautiful novel, and I don’t want to reveal something of a “twist” which roots Winman’s sometimes fantastical tale and the larger than life characters which inhabit it firmly in the 21st century.
- Overwhelmingly Optimistic – When God Was a Rabbit
Taking over
Hello all, a second post for you today.
Thought I’d round off with something a bit cheerier and I wanted to say what a fantastic job BBC Radio 1 did today with their BFBS 10 hour take over.
For those who didn’t get the chance to listen, the radio station joined forces with BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) which broadcasts to the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force and specialises in getting messages and dedications to and from service personnel and their families.
All day today Radio 1 had teamed up with BFBS to essentially do the same but on a grander scale, and broadcast it to the nation.
Families got the chance to send out messages to their loved ones in Afghanistan, and you could tell the soldiers were loving doing their “shout outs” to those at home.
The programming was interesting and informative, and I have to say some of the messages brought a bit of a lump to my throat as they were very moving.
I think it really helped people outside of the Forces “bubble” get more of an idea about what service men and women are going through out there, and I got a few texts and emails from friends saying they were listening and was The Boy going to be on?
It was just a fantastic thing for the BBC to do and I’m sure it was a massive morale booster, as well as opening people’s eyes up to what life in Afghanistan is really like.
Anything that gets the Armed Forces into the public consciousness, particularly something which focuses on a positive aspect on being in the Army, Navy or RAF, can only be a good thing and I know quite a few people who were deeply touched by what they heard today – as well as being entertained.
A highlight for me was listening to DJ Tim Westwood broadcasting live from Camp Bastion and chatting to the service men and women out there, as well as a very interesting feature in which the Big Dawg came face to face with a very very big dog from the Military Working Dog Support Unit.
You can listen again to the shows on BBC iplayer, or tune into 1Xtra tomorrow from 4-7pm, with the last hour simulcast on Radio 1, to hear more from Westwood in Camp Bastion.
Army WAG 