Summer Reads...

The Hours by Michael Cunningham- 5 stars *****

The first thing to note about this book is how cleverly constructed it is. Telling the stories of three different women; Virginia Woolf, Laura Brown and Clarissa Vaughan, it constantly intertwines and skips through the decades as it recounts their stories to the reader.

Reading the blurb, apparently it is a retelling of sorts of Woolf's 'Mrs Dalloway' but having never read the novel, I couldn't relate to this whilst reading it. Upon finishing the book and reading a plot summary of the novel on which it is based, there are several very clever similarities which link it to the well loved classic. I would definately like to read 'Mrs Dalloway' now in order to understand the author's intentions fully.

There is an overtone of depression and suicide in the book, as Virginia Woolf is well known for having commmitted suicide by drowning herself in a river, and the other two characters in 'The Hours' share certain characteristics with her and also with her character of Clarissa Dalloway in her most famous novel. Clarissa Vaughan not only shares a first name with the novel's protagonist, but she also has a relationship with a woman called Sally, and Sally in 'Mrs Dalloway' is someone who the main character feels strongly for.

Laura Brown is more closely linked with Virginia Woolf herself, feeling unhappy without reason, and often wanting to escape and be left alone despite the responsibilities she holds at home. Her character in the book is reading 'Mrs Dalloway' and likens herself to the leading lady many times, and there are excerpts from the book throughout her chapters (as the book is split into chapters relating to each character).

I really enjoyed reading this as although it was short, the plot has a shock element to it, especially at the end where the links between the characters are made more obvious. The language used is beautiful, and as a reader you really feel that you are inside the head of someone having to cope with these awful thoughts all the time. I especially liked the line said by Clarissa; 'Why else do we struggle to go on living, no matter how compromised, no matter how harmed? ...even if we're fleshless, blazing with lesions, shitting in the sheets; still, we want desperately to live.' I thought that this sentence summed up perfectly how bizarre it is that people are afraid of death.

Laura's struggle with depression, though she hasn't been diagnosed, is apparent in the way she thinks about everything in such a great amount of detail. I really liked the paragraph; 'She pauses several treads from the bottom, listening, waiting; she is again possesssed (it seems to be getting worse) by a dreamlike feeling, as if she is standing in the wings, about to go onstage and perform in a play for which she is not appropriately dressed, and for which she has not adequately rehearsed.' I just felt that this description was so abstract, yet summed up her thought processes so well, as though she is a stranger in her own body, and doesn't know how to react, even to her own husband and child.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read that still creates an impact. I hope to also watch the film, starring Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman, as I am very interested in how the story will translate onto a screen.

Days Out...

Snugburys: Piglets, ice cream and a meercat!

Yesterday I had two mini people accompanying me for the day; my cousins who are aged five and eight. Given their previous visits, I knew expectations of activities to keep them occupied would be high. After a trip to Wacky Warehouse (the easy route I know) we dropped my boyfriend at work and headed off on our mission to find Snugbury's ice cream shop in Hurleston, Nantwich.

I have been there twice before, and both times have thoroughly enjoyed their delicious ice cream, which comes in every flavour known to man. As everyone should know, all kids love ice cream, so it seemed the perfect place to stop before our journey back home. It would have been better had we not got lost on the way there, but then it just made the ice cream upon arrival that bit more tasty.

I had a single scoop in raspberry pavlova flavour, while my cousins played it safe with strawberry and chocolate brownie, but in the past I have also tried Cherry Blizzard (white chocolate ice cream with cherries and oreo cookie pieces) paired with White Mountain (white chocolate with white choc chips) and maple and pecan together with toffee and walnut. They are all reasonably priced; a standard single scoop with a wafer cone is £1.60, with slight differences for two or three scoops or a change to a sugar cone. So far, I would say the best option I've had is the Cherry Blizzard, but I am determined to work my way through a few more flavours before reaching a final verdict!

As well as being an ice cream shop, Snugbury's is also home to some gorgeous new piglets, a few older pigs, and a very inquisitive goat. They are kept in two little fields that we stood by as we ate, carefully guarding our cones from any hungry mouths. The farm is placed amidst the lovely Cheshire countryside, and there are a number of walks through the area incorporating such localities as the Llangollen canal, the market town of Nantwich and Swanley Bridge Marina.

Probably the most quirky aspect of Snugbury's at the moment is the giant meercat made of straw, that looks out onto the road. Thirty six feet tall, it is certainly much bigger than a real one! The farm plays host annually to a new sculpture, that is themed on something from the year; in the past there has been the London Eye, Big Ben, Jodrell Bank and the Angel of the North. Looking at the pictures of the previous models, this summer's tribute to the 'Compare the Market' mascot is definately my favourite!

Summer Reads...

Empire of the Sun by J.G Ballard- 3 stars ***

I'll be honest, this wasn't the most hooked on a book I've been, but it was interesting nonetheless. It follows the story of Jim, a twelve year old English boy from a wealthy background who lives in China. The novel begins in his luxurious home, where the author tells of his various servants and extravagant lifestyle, which is then thrown into disarray when the impact of the Second World War finally hits the area.

Separated from his parents, Jim has to adapt to a life vastly different from the one he is used to, struggling to survive and not knowing who to trust. He wanders alone in the hopes of being reunited with his family, until he is captured and put into an internment camp, where he meets some shady characters, as well as some more friendly ones.

The reason why I found this book quite challenging is because of the manner in which it is written. It is more analytical and to the point than a lot of the fiction that I normally read, lacking the 'pretty' metaphorical language that I enjoy. However, I think this is mainly due to the subject topic of the book, as obviously a war is a horrific ordeal filled with tragedy and horrendous conditions, so figurative language would have seemed out of joint with the focus of the piece. Despite this, there were some sections that resonated with me quite deeply, for example, 'Jim sat up and touched the hailstones, nuggets of white gold scattered on the grass. Beside him, Mr Maxted's body was dressed in a suit of lights, his ashen face speckled with miniature rainbows. But within a few seconds the hail had melted into the ground.' I thought that these few sentences really emphasised to the reader how alone Jim is, and also how much of a child he still is to be coping with such awful times. I also particularly like the line, 'Death, with her mother-of-pearl skin, had almost seduced him with a sweet potato.' purely because it is such a random sentence!

The author, J.G Ballard, based the novel on his own childhood experiences, and this is shown throughout by his great attention to detail and also the authenticity of the main character's point of view. It may not be an easygoing holiday read, but this book is worth picking up if you fancy something with a well developed story that is a bit more serious.

Traveller's Tales...

Alderley Edge

After finishing a horrid early morning shift, I was pleasantly surprised upon walking out to feel the sun on my face for the first time in what seemed like weeks. Taking advantage of this sudden change in the weather, my boyfriend and I decided to go to Alderley Edge for a wander around the National Trust site there.

I have been a few times before as it is only a twenty five minute drive away from my house, but the view from 'The Edge' never becomes boring. Looking out over the landscape, you can spot the Hilton Hotel in Manchester city centre as well as the beginning of the hills of North Wales and the Peak District in the background.

We sat and had a picnic while admiring the view, before embarking on what turned out to be quite an eventful walk! We chose to improvise a route rather than following a planned out one, and ended up going along roads, through fields and at the end up a very steep mud bank, that nearly defeated us! Having not planned for anything too strenuous neither of us had proper walking shoes on so we did quite a lot of sliding around on the peaty forest floor, if it wasn't for the sun that had dried it out we would have been in a very messy situation.

Finally finding our way back onto a marked path, we stuck firmly to it until it brought us out at The Wizard pub next to the car park. It had a lovely beer garden that was perfect for us to enjoy a drink in whilst sat in the sun. Being a Sunday it was quite busy, and from what I saw the food looked delicious; a three course set menu was on offer for £15.95, which I think is quite reasonable for a pub in such a nice area, especially given that a glass of wine could set you back £6!

Summer Views...

Toy Story 3- 5 stars *****

Despite now being twenty, I still always feel the need to go and see any new Disney film when it's released, just to relive the feelings of childhood. When I heard they were making Toy Story 3 in summer of last year, I was pretty excited, so when it came out in cinemas I was certain this was one film I wasn't going to miss out on.

With my dad and sister in tow, I headed to our local cinema to see the picture in 3D. Neither of them had seen a film in it before, so we all decided it would be worth it (and when I wasn't paying, I couldn't complain!) Whether it was just the cinema we went to I don't know, but I was horrified when I learnt that you now have to pay for the 3D glasses on top of the already pricey ticket fee, and that if you are using Orange Wednesdays, you only get a free ordinary ticket, so then have to pay to upgrade it to 3D as well. If it wasn't for us using the Orange deal, a trip to the cinema with parking would have come to nearly thirty pound!

Grumbles aside, the film was amazing. I'm not just following the masses or liking it for the kiddie factor, I genuinely thought it was a very good flick. I was wary with it being third time round, that the storyline may be stunted, or the jokes a little stale, but it was action packed, funny and still retained the Toy Story essence that made it popular in the beginning. All the characters remained loyal to their original personalities; nervous and panicky Rex, argumentative Mr Potato Head, money conscious Hamm, and of course the famous duo that is Woody and Buzz Lightyear, as well as them being joined by some new faces that were memorable, in particular the fashion conscious Ken.

The plot was simple but effective. Andy, the toy's owner, is leaving for college, and the dilemma of where the group will end up begins. There are a number of times when it seems like everything is solved, only for another problem to befall the crew and they are left back at square one. The pace is kept up by the diversity of the characters, and the jokes that are scattered throughout, so it is entertaining despite the lack of complexity in the storyline. The ending is a tearjerker too!

It was good to watch in 3D, but I certainly don't think it is necessary in order to fully enjoy the motion picture. There is always so much going on that just the scenes, colours and action are more than enough to keep your eyes firmly on the screen. I would recommend Toy Story 3 to anybody, whether you have seen the previous two instalments or not. Any film where a seventy year old can sit next to a four year old and both can enjoy and relate to it surely deserves some recognition. Oh, and look out for Mr Potato Head's 'wrap' scene. Absolute comedy gem!

Traveller's Tales

Antrobus

My mum and I had a bit of spare time yesterday, and the weather was pleasantly warm, so we decided to go on a walk. I may not be a full on hiker, but I enjoy going for strolls now and again when I'm home from university, and with the Cheshire countryside being just a twenty minute drive away from my house, it seems a shame to let it go to waste. I also have some 'really cool' turquoise walking boots that I like to wear whenever I get the chance to look fashion forward even in the countryside!

My parents often go walking with their friends (probably more aptly named 'country bar crawls') so we have a lot of books on the shelf with routes in. The one we chose was in a book called 'Village Walks in Cheshire' and it is a three mile track around Antrobus, a small village near Northwich.

We started from a pub called the Antrobus Arms, and followed a couple of roads past a farm and a residence called 'The Old Pump House' until we reached a sign for Antrobus Hall. After passing the local church and hopping over a stile, we encountered a menagerie of animals in a couple of fields! As well as a rather angry looking llama, there were peacocks, wallabies, sheep, horses and tiny shetland ponies; it was like stepping into a farmyard picture book!

Leaving the friendly critters behind, a hedged in lane led us to the village itself, where we stopped on a little bench for tea and biscuits. Opposite where we were sat was the village store and post office, which looked recently renovated despite its original cottagey exterior. After our short rest, we continued along the route, going past two lovely black and white cottages with beautifully tended gardens. Making our way over two more stiles, we eventually returned to the road we started our walk on, and followed it until we were greeted by our lovely blue car. The weather had continued to stay fine throughout our journey, so it was only right that it started pouring down on the drive home!

Days Out...

Ikea

Since my first time when I was about eight years old, I have always loved trips to Ikea. Never mind the zoo or the cinema, a forty minute drive to bounce on beds and play house (usually followed by an ice cream) was my idea of a perfect day. Over ten years later, and I still look forward to my mum suggesting we head there if we are decorating a new room in the house, or just if we fancy a wander around somewhere that is bound to inspire.

As I am lucky enough to have a whole house to put my personal stamp on for my final year at university, I knew the day would soon arrive when the subject of returning to the Swedish empire would be broached. Armed with a tape measure, a list of essentials and a very clear idea of the look I wanted for each room, we set off for the Ashton-under-Lyne branch in Manchester.

After negotiating the confusing carpark and lift, we entered the showroom, and spent two hours measuring, choosing and marvelling at some of the furniture. My personal favourite game is looking inside the kitchen cupboards, to see what gadget is to be found inside. From roll out shoe racks to magnetic strips for knives, hidden dishwashers to fold out ironing boards, you never quite know what will appear behind the doors.

For adults who want to feel like children again, the kids section always does the trick. Walking past mini wardrobes, bunkbeds with slides off the end and giant leaf shaped bed canopies, it always makes me feel like I'm in a scene from Alice in Wonderland. If only it were more acceptable for an adult to have a bedroom that is painted in primary colours and has a crocodile for a draught excluder, I'd kit mine out just like it. As well as this, a lot of the soft toys on sale have some of their price donated to Save The Children and UNICEF, so you can feel like you have done a good deed when parting with your cash.

We managed to find the majority of what we wanted, along with a few extras that couldn't be resisted, (I bought the most amazing frog shaped storage for the back of my bedroom door) and the prices are so reasonable that it was a pleasant surprise when upon reaching the till we were presented with such a meagre total.

I'm definately not one for decking the whole house out in Ikea furniture, as it can create a bleak, cold effect that looks like an image lifted from the catalog, but the odd piece here and there can save you a lot of money and it is good quality, unlike a lot of cheap furniture on the market. And anywhere that can offer you a hotdog, chips and a drink for just £1.80 to chomp on the journey home must be a winner, right?

Traveller's Tales...

Oxford

On the second day of our trip down south we decided to explore Oxford, which was a forty minute drive from Kingham where we were staying. When we arrived it was quite busy, but then it is very popular with tourists, especially with it being the school summer holidays. We had a wander around some of the shops on the high street, and went into the indoor market, which had everything from hand knitted scarves to decorated wedding cakes and a fishmongers, a quaint change from another Topshop and Primark.

At this point it was around lunchtime and we were feeling a little peckish, so we stopped at a nice little sandwich shop and bought some food. I had a bacon, brie and cranberry panini which was lovely, but they also had some more unusual combinations, such as chicken and mango chutney, and butternut squash and sweet chilli sauce. We walked through a park that was nearby, enjoying the good weather, and then headed to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

The museum had some awesome felled trees outside that had come from all over the world, so after we had taken some photographs we went inside. It was free to enter, and had some amazing displays, including huge dinosaur skeletons, stuffed animals (some that you could touch), fossils that were millions of years old, intricate model boats and clothes from different cultures that were interesting to look at. We didn't get chance to look at everything as we were on quite a tight time schedule, but it was great to have a browse and feel like you were learning something!

When we got back outside it had started to drizzle, so we decided to go for coffee and cake in the Ashmolean dining room, a rooftop restaurant in the Museum of Art and Archaeology that specialises in afternoon tea. I had a cup of tea and a slice of lemon drizzle cake that was delicious, and my friend who had recommended the place had a cream tea that looked gorgeous. It was a luxurious establishment (I especially loved the light fixtures made entirely of feathers!) it was just a shame that the rain meant we had to sit inside, instead of enjoying the view from the roof.

As my boyfriend and I had to travel back to Cheshire that evening unfortunately we didn't have enough time to look around the attached museum, but the bits we saw of Oxford were very nice, and some of the architecture along the main streets is beautiful. If you do go though, be careful with parking, as we got stung for £11.50 for 4 hours in the area we were in! It didn't spoil our day though, and we headed back to Altrincham after a nice restful couple of days thanks to our lovely hosts.

Traveller's Tales...

Kingham

My boyfriend and I had a couple of days off this week (much deserved) so decided to visit our friend from university at her home in Kingham, Oxfordshire. It wasn't the easiest place to find, but luckily we set off early so we didn't miss too much of the day travelling. After a few detours we arrived at the house, and once we had filled our hungry bellies with some much appreciated soup and sandwiches, we set off on a little walk.
The house is set in the middle of gorgeous countryside, and we were very lucky that the sun was shining as we ambled along dirt tracks past quaint little farmhouses and rolling fields. Our destination was Daylesford, an organic farm shop that also has a restaurant, cookery school and courtyard. From the outside it looks like a modern barn conversion, but with all the quirks of a countryside abode, beautiful stonework, wicker furniture, vegetable plots and a chicken coop, all maintained to a very high standard. We sat in the courtyard which was a brilliant sun trap, and enjoyed a cup of tea, after looking at all the tasty food available to buy at the deli, and admiring the elaborate cooking utensils in the shop.
We then returned to the house, and after a quick trip to nearby Chipping Norton for supplies, had a barbecue in the garden, complete with gooey marshmallows for dessert! It was a welcome change from the bustle of work and city life, and we went to bed tired from the excess of fresh air!