Thanksgiving II

Last weekend we threw our second Thanksgiving feast for our northern friends, bringing some stateside tradition that we got love over to the UK. Thanksgiving is one holiday that I feel like I can really go in for - its all about sharing good food with family and friends, which in my books sounds like a pretty great combination. It feels weird and really good to be able to officially call something "our annual...(event)"; there's something about establishing traditions that makes you feel connected and rooted to a place and its people, which is something that I am slowly beginning to feel here.

It felt like an appropriate and timely celebration as well - near the end of what has been an often tough and bumpy year, I do feel so incredibly thankful for our lives here and the people in them. It was awesome to share a feast with the people that have seen us through our first year of transition to Manchester and in a small way return the favour!

We chowed our way through an enormous turkey (that had a very happy life!), homemade stuffing, candied yams, bacon-beans, mash, creamed corn, apple cabbage...and after a break which included a quiz (do you know how fast a wild turkey can fly?), we went on to a dessert of mostly pies: pecan, apple, cherry and of course the star - pumpkin pie! (Thanks to Sarah who smuggled a can through from the US last summer!).

It was a great day, and are still working our way through the leftovers...We're looking forward to carrying on the tradition every year, connecting past traditions with friends we meet and walk with on our journey...

Happy Thanksgiving!

seasonal advice

I can't believe the summer is drawing to a close; I was so sure this one would stretch on forever...Regardless, I'm actually really looking forward to the challenge that this coming year will bring. I'll be diving into the final year of my Masters in Social Work, focusing on mental health and potentially getting my second placement with refugees and asylum seekers (watch this space).

Speaking of mental health, I'm currently trying to lay down some groundwork for my own mental health survival for the coming months. Last winter was long, and cold, and (deep breath) hard. There, I said it. I spent a lot of time over last winter and beyond feeling really rather cold a lot of the time (thanks Manchester), pretty tired and generally not on my A game. None of which is great for maintaining sanity during the final year of my MA, so I'm trying to put some things in place to keep my cool over the next year!

Here's my plan so far:
1. Actually get out of bed/off the couch and go to the gym. Exercising gives you energy. And endorphins. And better circulation, which will in turn hopefully help me combat the cold. Please feel free to pester me about this.
2. Keep going to the life drawing class I started last week. Two blissful hours of focusing intently on putting pencil to paper and forgetting absolutely everything else that happened that day/week/year. Nevermind that I end up with something resembling a missing evolutionary stage...it's escapism and that's what counts.
3. Good music, good books. I have some recommendations for you on both counts: Go take a listen to Susan Enan's brand spanking new album 'Plainsong'; I promise that you will not regret it. Beautiful, haunting, poetic, uplifting. Once you've done that, go read Ali Shaw's debut novel 'The Girl With Glass Feet'; he is an incredibly talented story-teller and this story is deeply creative and does a fantastic job of transporting you to another world - more great escapism.
4. Even if it means playing truant, take every available sunny day, cold or not, and get out into some scenery. Sun on face+green things= happy heart.
5. Drink good coffee, take deep breaths and hot baths, and never underestimate the power of a good nap.

Here's to a new season...

buddies, baldies and bagpipes

The past week our very good buds Sarah and KP were in town visiting us from Missouri as part of their European summer tour. We had loads of fun showing them around a few particularly 'English' sights, including small Yorkshire villages, the cobbled streets of Oxford, curry on the Manchester curry mile, and of course lots of real ale in some fine pubs.

By far the highlight was an impromptu meeting with an eclectic acoustic music group as we were enjoying a pint in the Peveril of the Peak in Manchester. Halfway through our first pint in strolled a bald, totally tattooed, fishnet-clad northerner brandishing a set of tartan bagpipes and with an equally random mix of musicians in tow. You really can't make this stuff up. Needless to say we hung around for a few more beers to enjoy the Irish music and generally soak in the randomness of it all. What this man does as a day job is anyone's guess...

Day O' Sun

Today was warm and sunny, which is pretty much all I need to have a good day. After a city day yesterday at the Hungry Pigeon festival in Manchester, we wanted country this time. Went to Heaton Park for the first time and was impressed by its size! Rolling fields, lakes, historic buildings, farm animals...we strolled and then napped in a sunny spot by a horse meadow. Here's pics of the topiary, a (noisy) peacock and me just woken from a nap. Sadly, Andy couldn't find his beloved highland cows but he promises me they are cool :)

Adventures in Love

Yesterday Andy and I had the pleasure of attending our dear friends Sam and Lisa's wedding. The day was packed full of smiles, laughter, good music, good food, and really excellent company. I looked around and was acutely aware of what a phenomenal pool of people surrounded these two; its so true that like attracts like - they are two of the most solid, excellent people I know and it showed by how well loved and supported they were as they embarked on their new adventure together. When they kissed and were announced as man and wife in the church, it took several long minutes for the whooping, clapping and cheering to subside and I felt privileged to be cheering for now and into the future....

Social take 2

Last week saw another "Social" event, quarterly artistic/musical collaborations that seek to promote awareness of and raise money towards particular social causes. This time round the topic was corporate responsibility, focusing on large Western profit-making companies being held more accountable for fair trade and decent standards for the workers in their production countries. I contributed an installation that involved forged receipts and golden objects and highlighted the human stories behind common items we buy at the supermarket - tea, fruit, flowers, cheap clothes...The night was full of a variety of art and great music. Money raised went to the fantastic campaign work done by Speak. For more on them, go to www.speak.org.uk. I'm constantly inspired by the energy, enthusiasm and sheer talent of the people who pour themselves into these events...good people to know!(Photos c/o Hannah Raeside)

Family frolics

Last weekend we played host in our Manchester flat to Andy's dad, mum and brother and my brother and sister in-law. Wow! A busy but really fun weekend. Andy's dad is in a professional choir and we watched him sing (in Russian!) at the beautiful Bridgewater Hall on Saturday, after a day out exploring Manchester city centre (including a ride on the Manchester wheel - the view and Simon, Andy's bro, pictured above). Sunday we pottered around Liverpool and nosed around the Tate for a bit. Sunday night I stayed up til 2 am gabbing with my brother. The two of us are a deadly combination for all night talking!

The weekend made us realise what an incredible bonus it is to be near family again. Well, the same country at least! Though our pangs for New York are still very much with us, for me nothing can compare to being able to sit up with your brother putting the world to rights late into the night.

This weekend we're bringing some of America to Manchester by throwing our northern friends a Thanksgiving day! Watch this space to see how many people we can cram into our living room...

The Project

Once a month, a group of creatives in Manchester that call themselves The Project host an evening at The Mustard Tree (where I work pt) for the clients that frequent us. They lay on an amazing hot meal and drinks, art and craft tables, and provide a chilled cafe-style evening of music performance from their own talent. The clients that come to these evening (called 'The Sanctuary') are mostly homeless, and a great sense of community has grown as a result of these nights. It's really col to see these placeless people find a place among The Project and each other.

Off the back of these evenings, I started a photography workshop for a few of the clients that were interested and sent them off with their own cameras to capture their world. I was inspired and intrigued by their photos and I chose a selection of them to be exhibited at a fundraising evening that was held for The Project in a venue in Manchester last week. We decided to display them as you might find in a "home". I'm hoping to get something regular going at The Mustard Tree off the back of it; it was fun watching the guys really take ownership and confidence in the whole thing. Watch this space!

Masters, MTV and Mustard Trees

Its been a while since we've posted, but it ain't cos nothing's been happening! Quite the opposite, in fact. Things are getting busy, but are good.

Andy has of course dived in headfirst to his new job as project manager at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, taking on a huge variety of clients ranging from Firefighters from around the world, horse veterinarians, and the MTV music awards! Never a dull day, eh. He also found himself dangling from a zip-wire on a high ropes course when the arena took all the employees for a day of bonding and team-building...

As for me, as I was still waiting for my Masters course to begin I picked up some weekend bar work at a comedy club and substituted it with full-time volunteering at a charity for the homeless/ destitute called The Mustard Tree. (Its a somewhat chaotic, underfunded, understaffed agency where everyone is a little bit crazy but all heart, so of course I fit right in.)

Crazily, within a week of volunteering there I was offered the chance to apply for a new paid position coming up, co-directing a new program that has just received funding. I applied for it as a part-time job-share position, and got the job!!! I'm not quite sure what makes me think that I am capable of a) setting up and running a whole new program or b) doing it while doing a full-time Masters course, but either way it promises to be a busy year. The project I'll be coordinating will be there to help those with limited employment prospects reenter the workforce, through an in-house training program, followed by an external placement, with ongoing mentoring throughout. Pretty exciting stuff!

If you want to know more about the work the Mustard Tree does and meet my new boss Paul, there's a (rather lengthy) video kicking around on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ParachuteMediaLtd

Oh, I also started a photography club for some of the clients there, with a view to exhibit some of their pic at a fund/awareness raising event in October, hosted by an artist collective in Manchester. Watch this space for your invite! :)

Next week I start my Masters in Social Work and my new job at The Mustard Tree. Should I survive on either count, I will report back...

Home Sweet Home

Something Old, Something New

Something old: excuses about not writing on the blog more often :)

Something new: After about a month of Andy working away on a freelance job and me running up and down the country for various reasons, we are now finally establishing a routine in our new home in Manchester. Andy: commuting to Liverpool daily for his new job and me: job hunting and - wait for it - having dinner on the table every night! Who'd have thought?

Something old: My very dear friend Chris, who I basically grew up with and whose friendship is a constant thread in my life.

Something new: He got married to his best friend and all round amazing girl, Lucy, last weekend. It was a proper village wedding and we all had a great time catching up and marveling at how Chris managed to snag such a hot chick!

Something old: My knackered old film camera, scratched and paint splattered from college days but which I resurrected to play photographer at Chris and Lucy's wedding. (See above)

Something new: my rekindled love of film! I had forgotten how great film is and sadly, how few places will now even develop it for you. How times have changed.

Pies and Prejudice

Hi there, its Millay this time - haven't posted in a while since Andy ran off with the computer to corral bishops, but just thought I would write a few sentences about the past few weeks. After running up and down the country seeing family and attending weddings and suchlike, this has been my first full week in Manchester, being a homebody while searching for work. (I've been much more successful at the former than the latter.)
I'm starting to get a feel for Manchester and so far, it feels good. The past few days have been amazingly hot and sunny and the whole city has spilled outside; all the parks, pub gardens and cafes are littered with locals soaking up the sun while it's here (which I gather is not often). Regardless, this place always seems to be buzzing with something, be it small music and art festivals, a dance performance in Piccadilly gardens, or group after group of bare-thighed ladies out for a hen night on the town.
I'm learning about living in 'The North', a powerful cultural state of mind that is a new and exotic reality for me. Even though I grew up in the Midlands, up here I would definitely be classed as a southern jessie. I'm reading a funny and very enlightening book called 'Pies and Prejudice', written by Stuart Maconie about what makes The North so set apart from the rest of the country.

"Like unicorns or spontaneous combustion, there is no south of England, if we're honest. There's the bottom half of England, naturally, otherwise the country would get all unravelled and damp around Nuneaton. Good or bad, 'the north' means something to all English people wherever they hail from. To northerners it means home, truth, beauty, valour, warm and characterful people and real beer. Square metres of it are crowded, square miles of it are almost deserted. For an area so well covered by cctv, it still says 'Here Be Dragons' on the Daily Telegraph's map of Britain."

Its true that the people are warm. In my short time here I've been addressed as darling, love, luvvie, petal, lass, lassie and duck. How can you not love that?

The Manchizzle

Its official: we are now Manchunians. Well, adoptive ones anyway as of yesterday when we moved into our own pad in that great northern city of Manchester. Even though the sofa we found at a charity shop didn't fit through the door and everything lies scattered at our feet in boxes, we already love our new place. Maybe its just because it has been a while since we have had keys to, well, anything in our pockets, but at any rate we're loving how the word trips off our tongues: 'home'. 

We celebrated our first night here by drinking wine out of an 'I heart NY' mug which I bought at JFK airport and we marveled at how so much change can happen in such a short time. Life is taking shape: screwing together Ikea furniture frames, reconnecting with family and friends and Andy has been offered some great work opportunities while I fill out temp application forms as as I wait for my Masters to start in the autumn. In a fit of generosity, Andy's dad gave us his old car so we even have wheels and are doing a good job so far at remembering to drive on the LEFT side of the road :)