Tasty Pastry

After two failed attempts at home-made brownies, I thought I'd share one success this week.  It came in the form of a Spinach and Goat's Cheese Tart, born from a recipe I came across on the This Morning website.  

I could happily turn vegetarian if I could eat this all the time! 

So-long good service

With Mary ‘Queen of Shops’ Portas recently starting her revolution of the retail industry in the style of Jamie Oliver (Channel 4), and Michel Roux training young adults in restaurant service (BBC2), I’ve been thinking a lot about customer service.  One of the many frustrating aspects of unemployment is seeing people in work who clearly do not appreciate their responsibility, showing no interest in what they are doing, who they are doing it for; and yet they go home happy with a pocketful of money and a sense of security. 

Last week it was announced that the direct train running from Wrexham to London Marylebone was to cease.  Beginning in 2008, the Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Rail (WSMR) carriages called at ten stations, taking slightly longer than other lines but allowing the passenger a stress-free journey without worrying about making any connections (which in my experience of countless delays is a very good thing).  Old-fashioned carriages, with plenty of space between seats, and old-fashioned friendliness to match made this a service to rival.  Yet it was suddenly revealed that it could not continue due to a loss of £2.8m last year due to poor customer numbers.  The BBC reported that in an independent survey, WSMR received a 99% satisfaction rating – if only more people had used it more often.  

I never hesitated to recommend the service to others, each journey being the most pleasant British rail experience my short life has known.  A far cry from the crowded carriages, miserable conductors and smelly vestibules that so many other rail companies seem to thrive on, WSMR offered a sterling service.    Each and every conductor I came across was friendly and welcoming, and more than happy to answer passengers’ queries, passing through the carriages on a regular basis bearing one of those rare and beautiful treasures...a smile on their face. 

I had a fondness for this service for other reasons too.  Most conveniently it called at Leamington Spa, where I lived whilst at university, and offered a direct line home to my village train station, a mere ten minute walk from my house.  Given the choice, I opted for this slightly longer direct service every time as it was actually a pleasant experience: words I cannot apply to many other journeys taken on British railways.  They’re not all bad of course, I thoroughly enjoy travelling by train, and seeing Michael Portillo traverse the tracks in his Great British Railway Journeys (BBC2 6.30pm) only reminds me of how spectacular some of the views from the lines in this country are.  What frustrates me is that the beauty of the vistas and of the railways themselves is being overshadowed far too often by poor service, delayed or cancelled trains and extortionate prices.  And the really sad thing is that services like that of WSMR, which succeed in avoiding all of these problems and providing a first class experience, simply cannot survive in the modern world.  

Silently Witnessing

While the world and his wife, okay mainly the wives, tuned into channel 4’s fascinating and bizarre Big Fat Gypsy Weddings on Tuesday 25^th January, I settled down to the second part of Silent Witness.

First airing in 1996, and now in its fourteenth series, the drama follows life (excuse the pun) in a pathology laboratory.  Created by a former murder squad detective, the programme was based on a female forensic pathologist with whom he had worked, suggesting a sense of authenticity, though dramatic licence is indeed executed for which it often receives criticism.   I can’t imagine the real deal having me so gripped, thus I welcome its far-fetched nature.    

Having only got into the BBC One drama (Monday and Tuesday 9pm) at the beginning of its current series, I was blown away by last week’s offering.  The weekly two-part episodic nature allows greater exploration of intricate and dramatic storylines, and more time out of the lab, which now resemble other BBC thriller dramas such as Spooks.

Last week, Silent Witness did a brave thing: They stepped out of the office, so to speak, to Budapest.  Taking a British drama abroad is always risky, unsettling characters and audience alike, which can backfire if the viewer feels it too distant from the norm.  Silent Witness, however, triumphed.  Described as a ‘thriller’, I felt that aspect really brought to life in this two-parter, as Harry Cunningham (Tom Ward) found himself in a very dark and dangerous world. 

With twists-a-plenty, including the supposed death of central character Harry at the climax of Monday’s episode, the story kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.  The feeling was reverberated across the country it seems as the end of the first part, where Harry was shot and his body set alight (or so we believed), sparked outcries on social networking sites on Monday night, proving the power of television in the digital age in uniting viewers from all corners of the UK. 

Admittedly it was rather convenient that the majority of key foreign characters spoke good English but I was so caught up in the chase, willing Harry to survive and expose the criminals that I breathed a sigh of relief each time someone revealed their better-than-expected linguistic skills.  

The cinematography and haunting music in the story’s finale combined with the consistently good acting of Tom Ward, Emilia Fox and William Gaminara made this offering of Silent Witness a truly awesome piece of television that I witnessed in stunned and awed silence.  

The Bookworm Army

‘World Book Night’ is set to take place on Saturday 5^th March 2011, an inspired nationwide event when one million books will be given away by an army of bookworms.  The volunteers will each have fifty copies of their chosen book (from a selection of twenty-five) to distribute to strangers on the street and people who may not normally have such easy access to the wonderful world of literature. 

 What struck me was the range of books on offer for the twenty-thousand enthusiasts to hand out.  Not the usual Austen and Dickens collection, but a variety of modern classics and very recently published works.  Often neglecting reading until bed-time when I typically read two pages and then nod off, I can only triumph one of the twenty-five, suggested to me by my big brother last year.

One Day by David ‘Starter for Ten’ Nicholls is a beautiful, funny and heartbreaking story about Dexter and Emma and how their lives progress after spending a night together on their graduation, checking in on them for the next twenty years on the same day, wherever they may be.  Reading this as I was coming to the end of my time at university made it incredibly poignant and I am eagerly anticipating Hollywood’s adaptation due for release later this year.  Directed by Lone Scherfig, with Nicholls in charge of the screenplay, and starring two of the best young actors around - Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway - this looks set to be a real treat. 

In this rapidly advancing technological world we live in, it fills me with joy to think that there is a mass of people who, like me, will always believe you just can’t beat a good book.

http://www.worldbooknight.org/

My Mission: Impossible

(First written October 2010) 

Today I stumbled across news that almost made me jump on a plane to India, until I recalled the penniless state I’m in.  In order to understand why such a ridiculous thought occurred in my underworked brain, I shall have to waste a little time filling you in on a bit of background if you’ll forgive me.  In July 2008 I spent a month living in India, as a volunteer teaching English and Maths with the non-profit organisation Global Vision International and their fantastic partner in India,Channel Youth. 

Living in a small village called Bedla, I, alongside around twenty other volunteers from around the world, taught children from tribal communities in the remote rural hills.  Perhaps this will be the source of a different post.  The reason I raise it today is because our nearest town/city was a place called Udaipur, famously known around the world as the City of Lakes with its magnificent Lake Palace and Monsoon Palace, which truly are breathtaking.  James Bond fans may also know Udaipur for its prominence in Octopussy, which most restaurants in the city brag about, many even showing it at 8pm… every night! 

I discovered today that Udaipur is to play host to more film crews with the shooting of Mission Impossible 4 and a film starring Dev Patel, of Slumdog Millionaire fame.  

It is surreal to think a place mere miles from where I was living and teaching the poorest people I have ever met will be descended upon by someone as famous and rich as Tom Cruise and his presumably enormous entourage.  The Lake Palace (below) has played host to Presidents and no doubt other world-famous, wealthy figures in the past.  Having resided in Bedla and being a film fan, I can’t help feeling uneasy that the divide between rich and poor is so extreme there, and in countless other places worldwide, that surely there is something unjust about the place and its people's exploitation for our entertainment on screen.   

Hollywood’s stars will be there for the entirety of October and November by all accounts.  Maybe if I hopped on a plane I could persuade Mr Cruise to pay the children at Channel Youth a visit and see if he has any cash to spare for teaching aids. 

Might just check when my injections wore off…

Derby Festé!

Continuing with the theme of what on earth has Derby got to offer, Friday 24^thSeptember saw the opening of Derby Festé, a three day outdoor festival I’d been looking forward to since we first visited the city to look at flats and I’d picked up a truck full of paraphernalia from the Tourist Information.  Billed as ‘one of the most spectacular weekend festivals of its kind in the Midlands’ (Festé literature), many events were taking place within mere minutes of our humble abode – most of it we could listen to from the comfort of our own living room. 

Kicking off the weekend of completely free entertainment was a Bollywood parade, ending up in the Market Place (the square we live on) for Derby’s biggest outdoor disco.  Hosted by Charity Shop DJ, the night included guest DJ slots by the Mayor of Derby(!) and ex-Blue Peter presenter Simon Groom, as well as professional dancers to get the party started. 

All weekend on the Cathedral Green sat a ‘luminarium’, a gigantic inflatable maze-like creation which attracted endless queues of people.  

On Sunday we didn’t need to move to be entertained as bands played all day on a double-decker bus which had been converted into a stage located in the Market Place and their easy-listening sounds seeped in through our windows. 

The bizarre mix of events attracted crowds in large numbers despite the satisfactory weather, proving that Derby Festé is a hugely popular weekend of free entertainment with some of the world’s best outdoor performers coming together with local artists to entertain every man and his dog.

Every town/city should have a Festé. 

Leaving the Green Green Grass of Home

Unemployed and moving out.  Two circumstances which don’t fit brilliantly together, but I seem to like a challenge.  So all of sudden in August I found myself signing for a flat with my better half.  And he’s undoubtedly the better half as he was the reason we were upping ship to Derby, yes Derby, because he’d bagged himself a flipping good job and, well, I hadn’t.  So we decided, after a lot of umming and ahhing on my behalf, to give the real world a go together.  On the plus side it’s about equidistant from our respective family homes, North Wales and Newcastle, and the let is primarily only six months – so if it all goes horribly wrong…  

And Derby is actually very nice.  Our apartment (oh we’ve left our student flat days behind) is in the heart of the small city, the Cathedral Quarter.  With theatres, an exciting new film and art centre, pubs and restaurants, and importantly the enormous and shiny new Westfield shopping centre only a hop, skip and a jump away from our doorstep, we’re able to sample every slice of city life without splashing out on buses or taxis. 

One of the BBC’s big screens is situated practically downstairs, showing local art and moving pictures, the news and weather, as well as national events. 

Our first taste of this cultured outdoor experience was watching the Last Night of the Proms with my parents.  Plastic chairs and tables a-plenty, live music from local jazz bands, orchestras and choirs, Union Jack flags in abundance, and the event itself on the big screen made for a very enjoyable evening.  The community spirit and sense of occasion gave me a real buzz so I’ll definitely be back…although now Carol the weatherwoman on Breakfast tells me we’ve officially entered Autumn, I suppose the open-air schedule will be a little lighter.

So the settling in stage is going well, finding our way around and discovering there’s plenty to do.  Staying in could easily become the new going out as the party animals and night owls on the streets outside provide plenty of entertainment.  And now we’ve entered Fresher’s Fortnight, so we’re allowed to feel old and bitter about no longer being students.  On the way home at 10.30pm after a few drinks – a week night – we were approached by hoards of fresh-faced leaflet givers, hoping to tempt us into their bars and clubs, trying to reel us in with overly friendly chit chat.   “Where you off to tonight then guys?” to which we replied with bitter, smug pleasure, knowing we wouldn’t be waking up with a hangover and a sack full of regrets…”home”.

Hopefully soon we can explore the Peak District, I suspect there may be a good photo opportunity or two in waiting. 

But I won’t lie, my heart belongs to the Green Green Grass of North Wales.