Walking into the city centre yesterday to meet a friend, alone, I had an epiphany. Epiphany is my favourite word-of-the-day, and you'd be surprised the number of times it crops up in conversation, if you're a bit sneaky about the whole thing. So, my epiphany was: I LOVE Bristol. I just really reallly love it. And it's funny when you live somewhere, and you never notice how lucky you are. So as I was wondering through Stokes Croft, feeling quite cold but very happy, I decided Bristol is one of the coolest places. Just in general.
Although decidedly one of the dodgier areas of city, the people and cafes and little boutiques are some of the coolest and most understated in the city. Without the pretentiousness of Clifton Village, with its duck-egg front doors, gourmet brasseries and overpriced photoframes-and-posh-soaps shoops, Stokes Croft is the epitomy (another great word) of bohemian cool. And if that's sounding a bit much like a footprint guide, here are the top five reasons that Bristol is the BEST place to grow up:
1. the hills! its never boring, never flat, and always garanteed to make me out of breath. plus we have some amazing views...
2. the charity shops. i have never found any to equal them.
3. bristol is the city with the most parks in england, so its very very green, AND is a cycling city. so everyone cycles.
4. its close enough to london, close enough to the sea, but far away enough from both to never have many tourists.
5. the music! definately some of the best bands in the country are bristolians...
and number 6... the people! Everyone is just so smiley and generally friendly.
22 February 2011
18 January 2011
2010 in photos...
Starting the year in edinburgh
Brother number one
A baby cousin!
On the beach
Fernandito... au pairing!
In Seville
New Years Eve
My Best friend
A Spanish exchange...
A family gathering.... some cousins!
More cousins
And more...
And more.
And last of all, brother number two.
3 January 2011
A piece for the Clifton Times!
Capitalism and Cappuccinos
During the days leading up to the 24th November 2010 the same facebook event notification was received by thousands of teenagers and students across Bristol. “Student protest, 11am, Senate House” was the only information we were given, but it was enough to spark our imaginations.
The teachers were generally supportive, a certain Señora even adding solemnly that this was the “oppurtunidad mas importante de vuestras vidas”, the most important opportunity of our lives. Rolling our eyes, we agreed that, like us, they were simply relishing the idea of a few hours out of lessons.
The day began as any other; drowsy shower, devoured shreddies, a frantic search through my wardrobe for something acceptable, and out the door clutching an apple and a hairbrush. But out of the corner of my satchel was poking a yellowing corner of old wallpaper, a hint that today I was no longer your average 6th form student, but a political campaigner straight out of my As history textbook. The banner had been painted the previous day on my kitchen floor with the help of our enthusiastic decorator, and my friend and I had printed our witty-yet-serious slogan in thick red lettering. Although the tones of Farrow and Ball “coral reef” slightly reduced our credibility, we still felt pretty revolutionary.
Quickly agreeing that at the first sign of violence we would leave, and to stick together, we stood and left the common room at 11.00am sharp. Commenting sarcastically on the poor turnout of our particular college compared to the 200 from Redland Green rumoured to be meeting us at College Green, we marched bravely towards Park Street.
The press leapt at the chance to reinforce the stereotypes of the younger generation, displaying images of fluorescently-tribal painted children in school uniforms gesturing obscenely, or worse still, bespectacled students holding complex placards under the headline “politically minded, 15 A*s, but still just as annoying”. And to be fair, we encounteres many of both, yet the majority were simply young people trying to be heard.
The violence of the later riots caused mixed reactions at school, with most simply angry at the cruelty towards the horses. The words “but they were just doing their jobs” rang out across the corridors in response to rants against the police, whilst others were hasty to boast of the heroic blows they had dealt.
Although a small minority, these adrenaline seekers caused intense “political debates”, and for several weeks talks of the XFactor, Christmas and curfews were cast aside. Instead, the common room buzzed with an unchartered subject, and words such as “Tory”, “capitalism”, “coalition”, and “revenue” were flung from table to table. Suddenly the longer you could talk about cuts and fees, the more the listeners gathered, and we decided politics wasn’t all dry legislation and international relations. And anything that interests young people in current affairs can’t be all that bad.
So, despite the tutting and head-shaking of newsreaders and parents alike, the first few hours of that crisp November morning were spent with good-intentions and pure childish excitement. Yet after several hours passed cheerfully marching up and down Park Street, I began to feel my enthusiasm waning. I was still outraged at the unnecessarily sudden way the new laws were being introduced, I still felt wronged, but more importantly I hadn’t had any lunch. The first of several fireworks aimed at a nearby police horse, together with a fresh pang of hunger, was enough to persuade us that we were done.
Our banner now torn to shreds and illegible, we turned and began the long trek to the nearest cafe, swapping tales of the day. Truly relieved to have our coffees, heating and comfortable chair, I decided the day had been worth the sore feet and possible detention, but that maybe one demonstration was enough. At least for 2010.
During the days leading up to the 24th November 2010 the same facebook event notification was received by thousands of teenagers and students across Bristol. “Student protest, 11am, Senate House” was the only information we were given, but it was enough to spark our imaginations.
The teachers were generally supportive, a certain Señora even adding solemnly that this was the “oppurtunidad mas importante de vuestras vidas”, the most important opportunity of our lives. Rolling our eyes, we agreed that, like us, they were simply relishing the idea of a few hours out of lessons.
The day began as any other; drowsy shower, devoured shreddies, a frantic search through my wardrobe for something acceptable, and out the door clutching an apple and a hairbrush. But out of the corner of my satchel was poking a yellowing corner of old wallpaper, a hint that today I was no longer your average 6th form student, but a political campaigner straight out of my As history textbook. The banner had been painted the previous day on my kitchen floor with the help of our enthusiastic decorator, and my friend and I had printed our witty-yet-serious slogan in thick red lettering. Although the tones of Farrow and Ball “coral reef” slightly reduced our credibility, we still felt pretty revolutionary.
Quickly agreeing that at the first sign of violence we would leave, and to stick together, we stood and left the common room at 11.00am sharp. Commenting sarcastically on the poor turnout of our particular college compared to the 200 from Redland Green rumoured to be meeting us at College Green, we marched bravely towards Park Street.
The press leapt at the chance to reinforce the stereotypes of the younger generation, displaying images of fluorescently-tribal painted children in school uniforms gesturing obscenely, or worse still, bespectacled students holding complex placards under the headline “politically minded, 15 A*s, but still just as annoying”. And to be fair, we encounteres many of both, yet the majority were simply young people trying to be heard.
The violence of the later riots caused mixed reactions at school, with most simply angry at the cruelty towards the horses. The words “but they were just doing their jobs” rang out across the corridors in response to rants against the police, whilst others were hasty to boast of the heroic blows they had dealt.
Although a small minority, these adrenaline seekers caused intense “political debates”, and for several weeks talks of the XFactor, Christmas and curfews were cast aside. Instead, the common room buzzed with an unchartered subject, and words such as “Tory”, “capitalism”, “coalition”, and “revenue” were flung from table to table. Suddenly the longer you could talk about cuts and fees, the more the listeners gathered, and we decided politics wasn’t all dry legislation and international relations. And anything that interests young people in current affairs can’t be all that bad.
So, despite the tutting and head-shaking of newsreaders and parents alike, the first few hours of that crisp November morning were spent with good-intentions and pure childish excitement. Yet after several hours passed cheerfully marching up and down Park Street, I began to feel my enthusiasm waning. I was still outraged at the unnecessarily sudden way the new laws were being introduced, I still felt wronged, but more importantly I hadn’t had any lunch. The first of several fireworks aimed at a nearby police horse, together with a fresh pang of hunger, was enough to persuade us that we were done.
Our banner now torn to shreds and illegible, we turned and began the long trek to the nearest cafe, swapping tales of the day. Truly relieved to have our coffees, heating and comfortable chair, I decided the day had been worth the sore feet and possible detention, but that maybe one demonstration was enough. At least for 2010.
12 December 2010
COLUMN!!!
So, my one follower who is also my dad, guess what?!
I have OFFICIALLY got a column in the Clifton Times! Called "life through a teenage lens", so if you happen to be sitting in a dentist near Clifton, check through the free magazine rack to MY comlumn, and you will see it is also written by me.
Ok, so it's not exactly the ideal job, being unpaid and everything, but it is a very very good start.
Just spent the weekend in complete luxury at my aunties house in devon... they have a cook and an assisant cook and the food is complete heaven. I atre and ate as if i was some poor urchin who only ate bread and water, and I feel as though the christmas binge has truly begun...
I have OFFICIALLY got a column in the Clifton Times! Called "life through a teenage lens", so if you happen to be sitting in a dentist near Clifton, check through the free magazine rack to MY comlumn, and you will see it is also written by me.
Ok, so it's not exactly the ideal job, being unpaid and everything, but it is a very very good start.
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