Last summer's soundtrack

Way back in the summer you may remember me writing about our super summer road trip with our campervan, Betty. I often look back at my facebook photos from that month and reminisce....

One of the best things I did after that trip was ask my friends and family their favourite song so that i could make a soundtrack! What fun that was. Admittedly, I only finished it in December! But it has been played to death ever since!

So if you are interested then this is the result.

1. 'Dance or Die' - Janelle Monae. We saw her for the first time on the Glastonbury highlights at my parent's house. What sheer energy she has. And so cute!
2. 'Faster' - Janelle Monae
3. 'Tightrope' - Janelle Monae
4. Locked Inside - Janelle Monae. She played these last 4 songs consecutively with such energy.
5. 'I Need a Dollar' - Aloe Blacc. Also played at Glastonbury.
6. 'Down with the Trumpets' - Rizzlekicks. I was in the UK for a week with the kids and this was played constantly on Radio 1. They are also from Brighton so happy to support the local talent!
7. 'Pumped up Kicks' - Foster the People. Again, another one that was played so much but I never got fed up with it. Still love it!
8. 'Magic Bus' - The Who. Of course dedicated to Betty the Bay!
9. 'The A Team' - Ed Sheeran. Favourite song at the time of Bear's Special Friend from her old school.
10. 'Louder' - DJ Fresh and Sian Evans. My sister's choice. It reminded us of when we saw Kosheen at V-Festival 2002. They were just spectacular and highlight of the last great summer pre-kids!
11. 'The Lazy Song' - Bruno Mars. Mr. C's choice!
12. 'Give Me Everything' - Pitbull ft. Nero and Afro Jack. Choice of my old school best friend and her hubby. Apparently he would sing it around the house! Lucky girl!
13. 'When the Saints go Marching in' - Louis Armstrong. From The Other Mr. Mitchell. His Rugby team is Northampton, otherwise known as the Saints. When we made it to their home in Germany last summer it was a sheer relief that we made it to the furthest destination on our trip. It was just lovely, a special weekend. Anyway, many songs were played on the iPod that weekend and this was one of them! Another one was...
14. 'Inkanyezi Nezazi' - Ladysmith Black Mambazo from The Other Mrs. Mitchell. We both adored this song and it will always remind me of her.
15. 'The Fixer' - Pearl Jam. Just one of the best songs! All about men and women and how we solve things differently...how women want to talk about the problem and how men want to just fix the problem! Don't know what Eddie Vedder is talking about. ;-) Pearl Jam were played an awful lot in Betty this trip so they feature a few times!
16. 'Just Breathe' - Pearl Jam. Beautiful.
17. 'Amongst the Waves' - Pearl Jam. Uplifting.
18. 'Supersonic' - Pearl Jam. A great running song. Although I didn't go running. But if I went running this song would have been playing.
19. 'The End' - Pearl Jam. Tears every time.
20. 'Rollerblades' - Eliza Doolittle. Just cute and summery.
21. 'Skinny Genes' - Eliza Doolittle.
22. 'Pack Up' - Eliza Doolittle
23. 'Enter Sandman' - Metallica. This album was a big part of my Sixth Form life and for some reason this song was being played on the radio so often this summer!
24. 'Set Fire to The Rain' - Adele. Another radio favourite.
25. 'Red Red Rose' - Hope and Social. The first band we saw at the Deershed Festival. A great one to sing along to! And we did!
26. 'Marching on Through' - Hope and Social
27. 'You Can Call me Al' - Paul Simon. Although this features a) because the drummer of Hope and Social sang this and b) it's got Betty's name in it! ;-D
28. 'Monkey Man' - Any Winehouse
29. 'Valerie' - Amy Winehouse
30. 'Tears Dry on their Own' - Amy Winehouse. It was at the Deershed Festival that we found  out that Amy had died. Whilst I wasn't mourning her drug-induced death in the slightest, I was sad that such a great voice had gone for good. These were my three favourite songs if hers.
31. 'Last Friday Night' - Katy Perry. Admittedly this was a favourite before the summer but I heard it lots and it reminded me of being at The Duchess' house (new name for Champagne Charlie)
32. 'Delivered' - Admiral Fallow
33. 'Taste the Coast' - Admiral Fallow
34. 'Dead against Smokimg' - Admiral Fallow
35. 'Squealing Pigs' - Admiral Fallow. C-pops' favourite song to sing along to!
36. 'These Barren Years' - Admiral Fallow
37. 'Collision of Worlds' - Brad Paisley and Robbie Williams. Theme tune to Cars2. Just a brilliant afternoon in London.
38. 'Sigh no More' - Mumford & Sons
39. 'Harvest Moon - Neil Young. My Mum's lovely choice, her song of the summer.
40. This is a space for my Dad's selection....
41. 'Rolling in the Deep' - Adele
42. 'Real Gone Kid' - Deacon Blue. Played in the taxi on the way from the camper restorers to the airport. A very quiet taxi journey. :-(

Summer Trip Update - Days 35-37 - Deershed Festival

The next few posts have been languishing as drafts for a while! :-/ They'll be the last few updates from our summer trip to the UK and Europe. A super trip...we have been back two weeks and I'm still a little homesick.
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22nd to 24th July 2011

We usually try and get to a music festival in the UK whenever we are back. The last couple of years have been T-in the Park in Scotland and before we came to Oman we usually went to the V Festival, oh and we've done the Reading festival once - to see Pearl Jam especially. But we never really wanted to take the children to these events as it is so busy, large and basically we wouldn't relax. Personally, I don't think that they are kid-friendly events, although some families do attend, we'd rather not...until they're older at least.

We came across the Deershed Festival through following one of our favourite bands, Admiral Fallow (a nu-folk band, similar kind of ilk to Mumford and Sons). Admiral Fallow tend to play the smaller events at the moment. We first discovered them on the BBC Introducing stage at T in the Park last year and have been following them ever since. We were a bit disgruntled that living abroad now, we'd never get to see them in the cosier, more intimate venues, the time before they make it big. (They are playing their first European gig this weekend...not long now before they're in the big league).

The festival was described basically as child-friendly and the list of activities that would be on offer says it all. Kind of like a huge village fete with extras. All four of us are keen and very amateur astronomers so we were especially interested in the astronomy events (my son's space question ...'what is there after space?'... answers on a postcard please).

"We'll have after-hours star-gazing, a cosmodome, themed kids workshops and cabaret plus some really ambitious plans which are currently in the hands of the Civil Aviation Authority. We can't afford everyone's favourite TV boyfriend Prof Brian Cox but we will have other experts with less floppy hair."

Bear loves arts and crafts and there were plenty of workshops and stalls...Other stuff included comedy, a Big Top, swingball, football, space hoppers, face painting, ukele workshops, milk bottle mask making, doodle walls, cardboard knights and fairies, clay modelling, story shows and so much more. Just have a look at the website under each category.

 I was so, so pleased that we had made it with Betty to Topcliffe, North Yorkshire for the festival. Already I was having a good feeling about it as some of the carpark marshalls happily waving us in were probably some of the children's grandparents. Seen that at Reading/T?! We found a perfect spot to park Betty and we got on with setting up the awning whilst the kids tracked down potential friends. From the website;

"We have a really spacious and beautiful parkland campsite. We will have specific camping areas for those with kids, those without, those who want quiet and those who aren't bothered who their neighbours are. In the family camping areas we will have loads of stuff to keep kids occupied whilst you argue over which bit of the tent goes up first....The average distance from the car park to the family camping is only 200m and this year we'll have porters armed with wheelbarrows to help carry all that clobber. If you have a campervan or caravan we have a spot for you too"

It's worth mentioning that the porters were scouts earning a bob or two. Brilliant!

My Dad often asks me if i'm happy. For some reason, I can never make myself say a definitive 'yes'. No reason to say no...I have my health, my family, a good and fortunate life, (as they say here, ma'shallah)... I think I'm just so distracted sometimes that I forget what being happy is about. Me: "I'll think about being whather I'm happy or not in a minute when I've fed the kids/washed up/bathed the kids/replaced the toilet rolls/watered the garden/sweep up 10 minutes after the maid has been (she's good, my kids are messy)... I  know I am, I probably think about it too much. Anyway, to the point...I have had the time on this trip to actually stop, think and realise the happy moments we are having...no distractions or chores. It's a buddhist belief that we are so weighed down with our possessions, our emotions, our ego, our very full and busy lives that we are swamped and forget what it's like to be rested, peaceful and relaxed.

The reason I write the above is that at the festival I actually had a overwhelming feeling of being happy, no strings attached, no material possession needed, just...happy. We were sat outside our tent, having finished dinner and the kids were playing with their new friends. There were families all around, there was a lovely warm friendly atmosphere, you could hear chatting and laughing, the sun was shining....bliss.

So to sum up the Deershed festival:

• Laughter, colourful, fun, bustly, friendly, lively.
• You could make conversation with a stranger and it would instantly be friendly...the likelihood is that they would be parents too...an instant ice-breaker. We met one family on the Friday, watching Hope and Social, one of their favourite bands, so we told them about Admiral Fallow the following night. we didn't see them in the crowd but I hoped they enjoyed it!
• You would smile as you pass other parents, for no real reason.
• Kids were being ferried around in wheelbarrows.
• One family had a homemade barrow.

  
• 
  

  

  Children's comedians. Genius, my kind of comedy! We watched James Campbell (hilarous!), who talked about how a farmer would bring back an escapee cow, the Wii, making friends, why grown-ups groan when they sit down...you get the idea. Can't find anything on Youtube so I may have to buy the cd...for the kids of course.

"The Sunday Times says of James, "Campbell's stand-up for kids has acquired almost holy status. Don't miss." James talks about everything that is relevant to kids and anyone who has ever been a kid. His show is aimed at children aged six, their parents and anyone who enjoys top quality comedy without swearing."

• Reasonably priced tickets and a very resonable bar
• The food stalls were a bit expensive but we'd much rather pay for authentic, local and wholesome food than an overcooked burger and fries at other festivals.



• We concluded that it was a festival for children but with music and beer for the grownups. Perfect.

The only disappointment was that some parents still felt like they could let their

children wander freely out of sight and without supervision. Yes, it's a child/family festival I know...but still....

I loved every minute of it but hubby isn't too sure about coming back next year. It was because of Admiral Fallow that we made it this year....would it feel different if we didn't know any of the bands? My attitude is that we came across a couple of other unknown bands as well as seeing our favourite so why not make that the aim of next year...finding some new music. The children had a whale of a time so why not come back at least for them.

Summer Trip Update - Days 17 to 21

And so it seems we are well on the road trip now! I’ve bought the kids camper t-shirts with road trip on!

Our Uckfield friends waved us off from Thriftwood campsite near Sevenoaks and we started to pootle along on the M20 heading to Dover to catch the 1200 ferry to France. I couldn’t help but start smiling, especially driving through my home county. We should start to compile a soundtrack to the holiday!

So we arrive at Dover happy as anything, plenty of time to change some money, freshen up, have a coffee, buy a magazine (I bought Q incidentally… summer highlights plus 25 year anniversary celebrations…reminiscing when Spike Milligan interviewed Van Morrison for instance, along with an album review of REM’s brilliant Life’s Rich Pageant along with interviews with Mumford and Sons and Arcade Fire…they played Hyde Park on the 30th June. :-(   (That would have rated very highly on my must-see gig list.)

I digress!

And so we hit our next hiccup with Betty, Yes, it appears it continues. I kept this quiet (this is for the benefit of my Dad!) as it would be all I could do to stop him driving to Dover to come and get us and drive the van into the Channel I think. Well, if I haven't driven her in there myself.

The bus would not start when it was time to embark. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Our resident mechanic (whom I’m thinking of asking to be my Facebook friend as we seem to spend so much time speaking with him!). He guided the Captain (who was probably cursing his inferior lack of spanner/screwdriver set-ownership at this point) on how to check the connections from the solenoid to the starter motor and how to short it to see if the engine will turn over. Engine was fine (which was the issue last year)...

...so the very nice AA man was called out. He checked the ignition barrel, it was seized, probably welded itself in place over 40 years. He showed us how to hotwire my van! We obviously missed the 1200 but made the 1400 ferry. She’s feeling a little temperamental at this stage to me (much like I am to be honest…) ... last year’s shenanigans aside.

Destination: De Lilse Bergen campsite in Belgium.

We arrived after a lovely couple of hours driving. I waited in the van in the car park and kept the engine running. I was asked to turn the engine off by a rather irate lady but I had to tell her I couldn’t as it probably wouldn’t start again. So I drive around the carpark waiting for hubby to check in. Combining the facts that he was taking ages and that I thought I was seeing engine fumes in the back, I turned off the ignition.

It wouldn’t start again.

Hotwiring = 2 sparks and nothing else except a fuming husband who couldn’t look at me for fear of throttling me I feel. Correct me if I’m wrong darling… ;-x

We were towed to a temporary spot at 2230…by a golf buggy. At least there weren’t too many people to have a double- and triple-take. Like there were at 1000 the next morning when said golf-buggy came to repeat the procedure to get us to our booked spot. I was wheeling the luggage alongside it. Oh I laughed… :-/

Anyway, long story short, we managed to start to relax…although I had a migraine…One of the super staff at the site called the garage in his town and a mechanic came out the next day. He did his magic and she was brought back to life again.

We were even brave enough to venture into the nearest town, a rather run-down Gierle. We found a supermarket and stocked up. We happened to be in the only supermarket in town and the one that didn't take visa, mastercard or the topped-up currency card from Travelex. I had to stay in the shop whilst hubby ran in the rain to the nearest ATM.

As an aside, I have never seen such a high number of cows in the fields here. But the campsite shop and the supermarket did not stock fresh milk. ????

Time warp? AGAIN?!

Where has the time gone again? It's been a busy few weeks especially with all the holidays! (Not complaining of course!). So a few entries all at once! Hopefully you don’t glaze over too soon!

I treated myself to Q magazine last week as Arcade Fire were on the cover. Love ‘em.

On one hand, completely frustrating! Gig details in the back consisted of plenty of big groups….one of which was James , playing the UK this month. Our Canadian cousins took their kids to see James play in Toronto back in September. Awesome! I swore that I would take our kids to see them when they next came back to the UK. Little did I know that it would be so soon! I suppose if it’s a world tour, of course they’re going to come back home to finish up.

On the other hand, it was really good getting up to date with music, what I think I’ve been missing. So the Captain and I have decided to choose 5 albums each to download/buy. I’m going to reread the magazine and make my list. Any suggestions? It's got to include R.E.M.'s new one and I fancy Eliza Doolittle's...Rollerblades is just so cute!

Do we go to T in the Park again next year.....?

Music update and Sultanate celebrations

I still haven’t come up with a solution to my musical demands. I’m downloading podcasts but forgetting to listen to them!  I need to get in to the habit I think! Maybe that would be one benfit (read: THE SOLE benefit) of having a Mac; access to iTunes…I would be always downloading though!

Anyway, a new musical discovery to delight my discontented ears! One of the radio shows I found whilst listening to Zane Lowe was ‘Mumford and Sons and Friends’. It looks like it is not available anymore but some clips are available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v4srp#clips

It was a two hour concert hosted by 'new acoustic heroes Mumford and Sons, performing alongside their contemporaries Laura Marling, The Maccabees and Bombay Bicycle Club'. 

Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons

Laura Marling has a superb voice and, like Mumford and Sons and Admiral Fallow, is genuinely talented and makes beautiful, original and fresh music. Check out her website too   http://www.lauramarling.com; hover over the small pics/video icons and choose Goodbye India Vodcast. I think I really enjoyed this video because of the Indian musical addition, particularly with living here with a variety of Indian influences.

Other musical update: I’ve rediscovered Alex Lester on Radio 2. He has that shift in the very early hours. I used to listen to him on my way to work at the Beeb years back.

The Dark Lord

A morning drive through the country lanes of East Sussex and Kent listening to his dry humour and a brilliant eclectic playlist made those 4.45am starts so much more bearable. I was usually one of the first in the office at that time and I would carry on listening to The Dark Lord online. It was my hour of tranquillity and, dare I say it, sanity before the rest of the newsroom filled up with technical peeps and news-hungry journalists.

Other news in the Mitchell house: we have been allocated two tickets to attend the horse show that will be held during the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh at the end of the month. The Sultan has invited Her Maj to the Sultanate to help celebrate the 40th Anniversary of his reign and the strong relationship between Oman and the United Kingdom.

There are two events that the public are able to have access to. The Official Welcome is an opportunity to line the route as Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh drive past on their way to be greeted by His Majesty. This will mean standing by the side of the road for around an hour and a half (I had in mind that it would be Bear and I and so not ideal for her and actually quite dull I’d say, to stand there and watch the dignitaries whizz by I suspect!). The second event is the Horse Show. “The Sultan’s horses and some of the best horsemen and women in the country will perform for Their Majesties for just over an hour. All members of the audience will be seated, but will need to be in place for at least an hour before the show begins. The show will take place in the afternoon.” A bit more like it, I think. Space is limited with only 300 tickets for the Horse Show so I applied to go in to the draw. And actually, to my surprise, we were successful!