Things to do
Archived Posts from this Category
Al Couture
Posted by Suzi on 11 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: Environment, Places to visit, Things to do
Finally, after over a year of avoiding hairdressers and all things related, I braved the fear of having my locks tampered with and went to Al Couture and all my fears melted away in the hands of such professionals. I admit I usually only go to hairdressers who charge a little and cut off a lot, so it was a bit of a shock to be watered with cappuccinos, detangled, trimmed, blow-dried and curled until I didn’t recognise myself. I had to spend the walk home admiring myself in shiny surfaces and hoping I bump into people I knew so they wouldn’t recognise me.
Anyone out there nervous and in need of a haircut should definitely head to Benet Street in Cambridge and deliver yourself into the hands of Al and his team.
Decode: Digital Design Sensations at the V&A
Posted by Suzi on 28 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Art, Things to do
K and I are in London and have just been to the V&A to see the Decode: Digital Design Sensations exhibtion. I was very impressed by the stuff on display and had great fun throwing my arms about which most of the exhibts seemed to demand. Despite it being digital art it had a gentle calmness that left you feeling invigorated rather than drained. Either I am becoming more tolerant to machines or they are becoming easier to be around. Also contrary to expectations there was a very natural feel to the digital art - outside there was a huge portrait of flowers continually growing by Daniel Brown and to enter the exhibition you had to walk through Dune - some fablous electronic reeds that lit up magically when they sensed you by Daan Roosegaarde. Inside the dark depths of the exhibition there was a lovely tree by Simon Heijdens that moved in response to the wind outside the V&A.
I really liked everything but lingered in front of the mirror that created a ghostly photo of the person in front of it and the blank canvas that allowed you to splatter digital paint on it by moving your arms around. There was also a radiohead video by Aaron Koblin that caused a few people to stop and ask if that was what their kids were listening to. K’s favourite was the weave mirror by Daniel Rozin. The peice had a lovely sound attached to it and really reminded me of the birds at the ex-abattoir in Madrid although I’m not sure why apart from the gentle feeling you got from it.
Places to eat and places to be
Posted by Suzi on 29 Nov 2009 | Tagged as: Pubs, Things to do
It’s been a busy week. Wednesday saw me at the public lecture at the Institute of Astronomy. It was a fairly clear night so we got a chance to do some public observing. Both the large telescopes were trained on the moon and there was a much smaller one trained on Jupiter. We got to see the four of Jupiter’s moons. The lecture hall was packed with eager listeners and when we all splurged outside there were crowds of people queuing for telescopes and surrounding the big screens set up on the lawn.
Friday I ate lunch at the St John’s Chop House where at lunch time you can munch a tasty two courses for £11. In the evening I divided my time between The Punter, The Maypole, Andy, Eric, Nic and Steven. The Punter is a lovely pub with great decor and friendly staff. At lunch time you can get a meal there for £5 and it’s not bad at all. The Maypole is a favourite student hang out so don’t go there unless you love the student vibe. They also do great food so it’s worth a visit.
Please don’t lable me
Posted by Suzi on 22 Nov 2009 | Tagged as: Education, Politics, Things to do
It was extremely interesting hearing Ariane Sherine - talk about the Atheist Bus Campaign that she created last year. It’s always inspiring to hear about people who make a bit of a splash. The campaign was really encouraging for a lot of atheists out there and it’s great to see that they launched a bill board advertising campaign on Wednesday - targeting the concept of labeling children as religious or non-religious. See the image here. In a similar vein there is also an effort to campaign against faith schools that the BHS is running.
Find out a bit more about the funding of faith schools on the ATL site or on wikipedia. There is also an interesting dossier on Faith Schools
complied by the Accord Coalition.
A Cambridge Weekend
Posted by Suzi on 15 Nov 2009 | Tagged as: Art, Cafés, Places to visit, Things to do
I braved the wind and the rain yesterday to go to the lovely warm colourful FitzWilliam with Jolien and Nils. We wandered around for an hour or so in the delicious atmosphere chatting to other visitors about the paintings and appreciating every minute of the place. After a quick drink in The Anchor we went to King’s College chapel to listen to the sublime music at Evensong. We sat out in the ante-chapel and had a most particular experience there in the slightly chilly church. Sitting on the wrong side of the rood screen we were taken hundreds of years back to a time when the laity sat away from the grace of the alter. Through the archway we could see the flickering lights and the lucky people who got to be closer to God. We could hear the signing perfectly but the voices weren’t half as clear and we heard the odd word but out there in the cold you could imagine how it must have been for the medieval laity unable to have a direct relationship with God. It really struck me how revolutionary it would have been when the Protestants started to change that. It’s a really interesting experience and well worth a visit. Evensong happens most nights from 5.30 and you can enter the chapel from 5.15. It’s free and open to everyone.
Today in the bright glare of the sun we cycled to Grantchester to visit Chris’s little cottage and have lunch at The Rupert Brooke - where the food is pretty good but the seating policy a little odd. We cycled back in the dusk to the CB1 cafe where we drank delicious lattes and warmed up.
Tomorrow there is a talk at 7.30pm in the Kennedy Room in the The Cambridge Union by Ariane Sherine talking about The Atheist Bus Campaign and The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas. It’s organized by Cambridge University Atheist and Agnostic Society but non-members are welcome although they may be asked to pay a couple of pounds entrance fee. For anyone planning to attended a few events - life membership to the group is only £10.
Cafes and Liseberg
Posted by Suzi on 19 Sep 2009 | Tagged as: Cafés, Places to visit, Things to do
K and I went and had a fika at Steinbrenner and Nyberg on Södra Vägen thanks to Karin and her money saving two for one voucher. It’s a lovely cafe with a hidden courtyard at the back. We munched paninis and sketched the brick work and bushes. Thanks Karin!
It was a day of free things and thanks to Anni we had free entrance tickets for Liseberg and perhaps most exciting of all we had free tickets for a ride. So very bravely we went on Balder and it was truly terrifying. I was clinging on for dear life as the tiny carriage plummeted to the earth leaning on its side. The pictures show me pale and frozen while K is smiling and relaxed as if he’s strolling in the park on a sunny day. It was all worth it as afterwards although my legs were shaking and my mouth was dry - I felt I’d been given a new lease of life. Thanks Anni!
Busy with meetings and exploring the pubs of Cambridge
Posted by Suzi on 06 Aug 2009 | Tagged as: Pubs, Things to do
After a long week at work it was a bit of a relief to have a quiet evening on Friday. Will and Ella came up on Saturday and I got to wander all round Cambridge with them. We popped into the Green Dragon for a summer drink and then walked along the river and round the center. Then on Sunday I cycled out to Impington to a book club meeting. We discussed Brave New World and finished off with tea and cake which was all very Sundayish.
Monday after playing tennis with Chris a fellow humanist I ended up with Gavin and Chris in the Maypole. I am wondering if everything in Cambridge always ends with a drink at the Maypole. On Tuesday it was off the the Free Press to meet the rest of the humanists after nipping to the Stop the War meeting.
Emmaus, plums and picnics
Posted by Suzi on 26 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Environment, Places to visit, Things to do
Friday was the last night of the town bumps and so I braved the rain to go out and cycle up and down the towpath supporting the race. It really is the best kind of fun. Mum and me cycled down the Baits Bite Lock assessing which team we thought was the best and then when the four minute gun went off we’d position ourselves alongside them and wait for the one minute gun and then the start. There is the sound of splashing oars, cheering supporters and the crunch of gravel underneath bicycle tyres as you speed up the path. The speed and the excitement are thrilling. It’s the best night out I’ve had for ages!
On Saturday the sun came out so we cycle down the towpath to Milton, on to Landbeach and then to Waterbeach in search of Emmaus a community for homeless people. They have a large shop there selling all sorts of recycled things and furniture. They even have new pine furniture they make there. If you’ve got stuff you’d like to donate to them you can drop it off or ask for it to be picked up. We just happened to be there for the Solidarity Sale for Emmaus International so everything was half price and we had great fun bargain hunting.
We cycled back picking plums and munching them. There are lots of plum and apple trees and apples seem to be very early this year. We’re already enjoyed plums and custard several times as well as blackberry and apple crumble this year and we now have a freezer stuffed full of plums that should last us a good few weeks.
I then popped along to the Stop The War picnic on Lammas Land near the play area before calling it a day and having an early night.
The Bumps in Cambridge
Posted by Suzi on 23 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Things to do
I’ve been watching the bumps since I got home from work. It’s great fun. The boats row up and down and the supporters cycle along the bank shouting advice and support. If a boat ‘bumps’ another one then the loser has to pull to the side and is out of the race. The winners get bits of willow pulled from the trees along the bank to wear in their hair. For each race there are lots of winners which makes for a nice feeling. We keep getting sudden showers so at the moment so the supporters are whizzing around with umbrellas. The balcony will seem a lonely place when the bumps are over next week.
Straw hats and boaters
Posted by Suzi on 13 Jul 2009 | Tagged as: Education, Environment, Things to do
Yesterday morning I sat on the balcony in the glorious sunshine munching English muffins and butter and watching the myriad of rowers battle their way up and downstream. To compete the illusion of a life of idleness I donned a massive straw hat and sipped a cool drink. This is the life. When I finally torn myself away from the balcony I went to see an exhibition by Katy Bailey at The Pumping Station on Cheddars Lane. There were some artists exhibiting as well as some photos up. It was great nipping between bits of old machines to squint at the pictures.
I then cycled into town over Midsummer Common to get to Parkers Piece so I could help out on the Cycling Campaign stall. Wandering around I also met the Humanist Society and have resolved to go along to some of their events and find out what they’re like. To finish the day off I met up with Andy and sat on the wall outside King’s College chatting about life, politics and other such great matters!