Twenty Thirteen

Hello darlings! Happy new year to you all. It’s been a while – as is tradition, let us not dwell on my neglect, but speed through a general catch up! Let’s bullet point shall we?

Over October, November and December, other than the proper updates below, I done the following:

• Watched The Sound of Music on a big screen sitting on the monument in Newcastle, hurling abuse at men in a cherry-picker who decided to take down the Paralympics flags in front of the screen during the balcony scene.
• Watched my brother, his girlfriend and a variety of other friends do the Great North Run. Psychos.
• Saw my pal Matt from work and his band, the brilliant Klak Tik (@KlakTik), perform at Cargo in Shoreditch. (No official review because I think it’d be weird to review someone I work with but basically – they are great. Listen to them).
• Oooohed and aaaahed at the Brockwell Park fireworks. Some excellent music co-ordination this year, not least the One Direction inspired finale – who could ask for more.
• Saw Mamma Mia at the Novello Theatre as a birthday treat from my two pals. In summary: good, but not as good as the film.
• Mini-breaked to Sheffield, where we ventured to Hardwick Hall and picnicked in the freezing cold, bought cushion making material, created Jamie Oliver risotto (nice, lemony), watched The 5 Year Engagement (shit) and The Debt (Helen Mirren, Nazis, gore – amazing), and Sunday lunched in a delicious pub whose name I cannot remember, but which had excellent barmen and a pleasing selection of ales. Delightful.
• Saw Jumpy again with my flatmate, and found it as hilarious as the first time. Tamsin Greig is a legend.
• Did my traditional trip to the Harrogate Christmas Craft Fair, which was exactly the same as ever and saw me dragging an enormous sack of cheese home on the train.
• Headed over to the Scandinavian Christmas market at the Norwegian and Finnish churches in Canada Water – Moomin merchandise, husky photo opportunities (the dogs, not just Swedes with sore throats), glogg and waffles. Festive.
• Hit the Southbank winter festival and had a go at lighting up the Christmas tree by cycling like a loon on the energy bike things.
• Hopped over to Tallinn (in Estonia) for a festive mini-break with a pal, where I wore more layers than ever before (-12° people), inhaled excessive amounts of glogi then used the cold to cure my hangovers (every morning), had a medieval banquet finished off with rose pudding and a mead, experienced an Estonian Indian dinner (moose korma all the way), visited the Toompea (best name ever), witnessed Estonian karaoke in an Irish bar, failed at Estonian nightlife, and minced along the city walls terrified of falling off. Epic.
• Saw Florence and the Machine again at the O2 who were epically beautiful as usual. Was my friend’s first ever gig and I think she enjoyed it, apart from the surprisingly large number of fights that broke out in the crowd and afterwards… Lots of lady rage going on. Unexpected.

Now we’re back up the present day and what a RELIEF. Resolution – update more swiftly. It’ll never happen.

Coming up!

- Beach House at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in March

- Lana del Rey at Hammersmith Apollo in May

Brixpig x