A Jail, An Abbey and Meringue!

I've been neglecting my blog these past few weeks, lots has been going on and I haven't had a lot of spare time to devote to writing.  But I thought I'd write up a visit I recently made this weekend to Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders.

Jedburgh Jail

I met up with my friend Alison in Hawick - I'd taken the bus there because with the sky high price of petrol now it was cheaper than taking my car.  We went for lunch in The Bourtree, a Wetherspoons pub in the centre of Hawick.  It was a rather grand building, that had a sweeping wooden staircase that led to the loos!  Apparently it used to the a Conservative club, and the name Bourtree comes from ancient elder trees that used to stand where the present day building now is.

After a nice lunch we drove the 10 or so miles to Jedburgh.  I'd never been there before and thought it a lovely town dominated by the old castle-like jail on top of a hill at the head of the town's main street.  We first visited the jail which was on a prominent site where there was originally a castle built in the 12th century by King David I.  Being only ten miles from the border with England the castle was constantly fought over and by the 1400's had fallen into disrepair.

In 1823 the remains of the castle were removed and a Howard Reform prison was built on the site.  At the time it was the most modern and forward-thinking form of incarceration.  It has the look of a well preserved castle with turrets and walls and a portcullis-like entrance through the outer wall.  Entry was free (donations welcome) and what we noticed first was how bitterly cold it was inside - colder than outside!  That was really odd, maybe the stories of it being haunted are true.  We saw a display of the history of the building, the bleak cells with huge iron doors, examples of crimes - a 9 year old boy imprisoned for stealing potatoes was an example I remember.  Examples of the prison clothing was exhibited and the prison diet consisted of porridge, milk and potatoes.  It was a reformist jail but it still seemed pretty harsh.

Jedburgh Abbey

It was a relief to get outside again and warm up a bit!  We went to look at Jedburgh Abbey nearby.  It was a large building quite well preserved.  We didn't actually go into it as you had to pay but wandered around the perimeter.  Jedburgh is a small town of 4000 inhabitants today, but was clearly was an important religious seat in past times.

Mary, Queen of Scots House

We walked down Castle Gate and noticed a very old house called Mary, Queen of Scots House so we went to investigate.  It was another donation only museum so we went in to look around. It is rumoured Mary stayed at this house, owned by the Kerr family, while recovering from illness in 1566.  It is has four storeys which you reached via a stone spiral staircase and is full of memorabilia of Mary and this era. Once she returned from exile in France to Scotland, and later England, she seemed to have led an almost nomadic existence staying at various castles and grand mansions along the way.

The walls are wood panelled, the floors stone flags.  In one room there are panels painted with the images of people who played a role in Mary's eventful life.  A family tree shows all the royal inter-connections between those vying for the throne of England at the time. There is also a death mask of Mary taken after her execution in at Fotheringhay Castle1587 in the museum which shows her to have been a very beautiful woman.

Finally Alison and I went to a meringue shop, my idea of heaven LOL!  Border Meringues supplies meringues to shops etc in the region, and it's very ordinary exterior hides a lovely cafe with meringue and cake delights to please everyone.  Delicious and well deserved after our historical traipsing around Jedburgh.  It's a small, but historically interesting town and well worth a visit.

A Dog Called Hope by Bono

Photo taken from BuzzFeed website

Bono left this poem in his hotel room in Jerusalem after his recent visit to Israel. For those who can't read the writing here is a transcription. Amichai was an Israeli poet.


"In Jerusalem, hope springs eternal. Hope is like a faithful dog, sometimes she runs ahead of me to check the future, to sniff it out and then I call to her: Hope, Hope, come here, and she comes to me. I pet her, she eats out of my hand and sometimes she stays behind, near some other hope maybe to sniff out whatever was. Then I call her my Despair. I call out to her. Here, my little Despair, come here and she comes and snuggles up, and again I call her Hope."

He signed, "With great thanks for great room in great hotel in great city, Bono.  

reading Amichai ___" (can't make out the last word)  

Beautiful words, scary drawing (love the shades though)!

Bono in Israel

(Photo by Bauer Griffin)

There have been recent reports of Bono being in Israel.  Here are some pictures taken at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem - the hair is looking better I am pleased to say LOL!  So much for U2 being busy recording, but then maybe it's just an Easter break while the kids are off school.  Let's hope so, it's about time U2 got serious about making new music.

More photos can be found here .

Bono Introduces Dierks Bentley at the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards

Here's a video of Bono introducing Dierks Bentley at the 2012 Academy Country Music Awards on April 1st.  I have to admit I've never heard of this guy, but then again I can't stand country music so never listen to it.  Good to hear Bono is in Dublin, so maybe the rumours that the band is working on a new album there (at last!) are true....  Don't know what's happened to Bono's hair though, is he trying to cultivate a quiff??  My advice, (which I'm sure he wants LOL) get it cut!

Iceland 3 - No Whales, a Reykjavik Tour and Pizza

24th March 2012
Luckily we could lie in a little today as our whale watching trip did not leave until 12.30pm.  Last night we got back to the hotel at 2am and I was so excited I didn't get to sleep until after 3am!  I was just lying in bed coming round when I got a text.  It was from Elding, the firm that was running our trip today, saying that due to predicted bad weather the trip was cancelled.  I looked out of the window, the weather was the best I'd seen it on this trip to Iceland, but that country is a bit like the UK, the weather can change in minutes.

Hallgrímskirkja

Glen and I met up and discussed what to do this afternoon instead.  We decided to do another trip, and went for the Reykjavik tour.  So at 1pm we were heading into the city on the bus, our guide was Julia, was half English.  Our first stop was Hallgrímskirkja, the gorgeous main church of the city, you see it's graceful steeple from many places.  We'd visited it before nut it was good to go again, it is such a beautiful building, said to be inspired by the volcanic though it is light coloured as are many of the buildings in Iceland.  By now there was a vicious, icy wind blowing - now I realised why the boat tour was cancelled!

We visited the harbour and saw our Elding boat in dock.  On the opposite quay were two whaling boats, it turned my stomach to see them, and sad to think that some of the whales the tour company sees at sea may end up on those killing boats.  It was interesting to hear that there is also a lot of opposition to whaling in Iceland itself which was good to hear.

We went to another seashore and the Presidents home across the bay was pointed out to us.  Last time we visited it, but on a day like this we would have been blown off our feet as it is a very exposed area.  We then went up a wooded hill called Öskjuhlíð to Perlan - The Pearl.  Our guide for some reason did not like the pine trees, but I liked them, there are few trees in Iceland and a patch of green was good to see.  This where the geo-thermal water is stored in large tanks before being pumped around Reykjavik.  Above the tanks was a big dome that housed a museum, cafe, restaurant and shop.  It also has a 360 degree walkway around the dome that gives stunning views over the city and countryside.  Again we had visited Perlan before but it is always a lovely place to visit and we had lunch there. Not many people went outside and those that did came in looking very windswept to say the least!  We didn't go out, we got fantastic photos last time.

We continued our tour, which was turning out to be very different from the last city tour we took here, I suppose each guide has their own routes and places on the agenda.  Julia's trip was nice because it was very personal and she told us how Reykjavik has changed since she was a child here in the 50's and 60's. She told us the story of the washerwomen from the city who would walk miles to a hot spring in the valley to do their washing, at least they had hot water! It struck me once more what a spread out place Reykjavik is, the centre is relatively small and there are lots of large open areas and sprawling suburbs.


Our last stop was the Ásmundur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum in the Laugardallur Valley, a residential area of the city. Sveinsson (1893-1982) was a native of Reykjavik and the building the museum is housed in was both his home and studio.  We didn't have time to go into the museum but we walked around the garden around it which had numerous sculptures on view.  Some were very abstract others more realistic, I found I really liked his work, there was something very moving about them.  He had a sculpture there of the washerwomen Julia had told us about earlier.  Some sculptures were large others quite small and various materials were used. Shame we didn't have time to go inside.


We were dropped off in the city centre as we wanted to do a bit of shopping and have a meal.  We pottered about some souvenir shops, we both bought a Frostroses candle holder which a very pretty and I've never seen anything like them anywhere else.


We  wandered along looking for a restaurant we could afford and picked an Italian (can't remember its name) that was reasonably priced.  It wasn't a fancy place but the pizza we had was absolutely delicious and huge.  We even treated ourselves to a glass of wine each, (having wine in a restaurant in Reykjavik is a treat!) well it was the last night of our holiday and we actually had a little money left.

Polar Bears on the Streets of Reykjavik!

We left the restaurant and found the weather was getting really bad, the strong, icy wind was still there along with rain now.  We decided to get a taxi back to the hotel seeing the weather was so horrible.  


Once back at The Cabin we had the last of the wine that we had brought with us before going to bed really early as we had to be up at the ungodly hour of 4am the next morning!  Night owl me was surprised that I managed to get to sleep by 10pm, must have been all the fresh sea air.


So our little holiday in Iceland was over.  I still feel Iceland is the most amazing place to visit, and the people are friendly and helpful (and speak excellent English).  The Blue Lagoon was like stepping into another world and what a wonderful day of chilling! It was disappointing not to get out on the whale watching trip, but that's the way with tours that require nature to play ball.  Seeing the Northern Lights made up for missing the whales though, the magic of that time on the snowy mountain pass watching the Aurora will stay with me forever.

Iceland 2 - In Search of the Northern Lights

After our exquisite day of chilling at the Blue Lagoon we went back to our hotel and had a meal, then we checked at reception whether the Northern Lights trip later that night was going ahead - the tour company cancels by 7pm if it is not happening and you can try again the next night.  As it was raining and cloudy outside we fully expected a cancellation, but much to our surprise the trip was on.


The bus picked us up at 9.30pm and sure enough the clouds had lifted and the stars twinkled above us. We headed through the suburbs of Reykjavik, I noticed that most people in the city did not close their curtains/blinds at night when their lights are on, rather strange...  We drove on into the blackness of Iceland's interior, we were heading Þingvellir, the site of Iceland's parliament from 930 to 1789.  It is also the area where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet causing a major fault line, fractured rocks and regular earthquakes. It's a fascinating place to visit (Glen and I went there in 2010 on our last visit to Iceland) in daylight, but of course on this night we could see none of this.


The northern lights or Aurora Borealis (this term was first coined by Galileo, Aurora was the Roman goddess of dawn and Boreas was Greek for the north wind) are seen around the north and south magnetic poles of the earth.  They are caused by the collision of charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere. The charged particles originate when solar wind (caused by solar flares) hits the earth's magnetosphere. The differing colours are the result of both the height of the phenomenon and whether the particles collide with oxygen or nitrogen.  


At Þingvellir there were loads of people, and it took some of the special atmosphere away somewhat.  We got off the bus and joined the throng with eyes raised to the heavens.  There were a few lights scattered around the valley but not many and the sky was very dark, so many stars were visible, it was especially clear because there was no moon, it looked beautiful. The plough constellation was overhead, much higher in the sky than in the UK. It wasn't too cold so the wait was not uncomfortable - then again I was well wrapped up in long-sleeved vest, long johns, thick socks, wool lined boots, thick trousers, velour top, down coat with hood, ski gloves and a wool scarf wrapped round my head!!    


Unfortunately we did not get a show of Northern Lights, all we saw in an hour and a half was a slight arc of white.  It was very disappointing and the bus was quiet as we headed back towards Reykjavik.  Then after about 15 minutes our guide said that he could see Northern Lights in the sky to our right.  Everyone immediately went to the right and sure enough we could see some lights, suddenly the bus had come alive!  The bus driver pulled off the road onto a side track and we all excitedly piled out of the bus.  We were on a high mountain pass and it was very cold and there was snow all around, and there, above the jagged snow-capped mountain tops, were the Northern Lights.  They were a curtain of white/very light green that covered about a quarter of the sky. There was little light pollution here, only the lights from a ski slope just behind a mountain and the orange glow of the lights of Reykjavik glowed faintly behind other mountains.


The aurora were moving very slowly as if being blown by a very gentle, slow-motion breeze, there weren't many people now and there was a hush as we marvelled at one of the most beautiful natural phenomenons there is. There was something incredibly moving, almost magical and awe-inspiring about it. They would fade only to be reborn in a slightly different form and I felt quite emotional as I watched their graceful dance, one of my dreams had come true, and there was nowhere else I would have rather been at that moment than that cold, Icelandic mountain pass. 


After about half an hour the lights became fainter and we all piled back on the bus.  We had a bit of a scare when the bus wouldn't start!  I had visions of being stuck on that mountain pass all night watching the lights - not a bad thing!  The driver soon got the bus going though and we were soon heading back towards Reykjavik with a now very happy and chatty busload of people!

Iceland 1 - Volcanic Bathing and Pampering

22nd March 2012

My cousin Glen and I landed in Keflavik airport, Iceland on a damp, murky afternoon.  The airport is small so we were on our way to Reykjavik on the Flybus in record time.  It was misty and we couldn't see far beyond the road, occasionally eerie, black statues standing on plinths were visible amongst the chaotic lava fields that the road runs through. Iceland really is like no other place on earth.

Our hotel was The Cabin, a bit out of the centre of Reykjavik, overlooking the sea and beautiful Mount Esja. The rooms were very small, they lived up to the hotel's name, but were fine for our purpose.  By now the weather was really bad, windy and driving rain.  We had intended - at the recommendation of my friend Michelle - to go to see Icelandic singer Magni play in a pub called Den Danske Kro.  We were tired, it was a bit of a trip into Reykjavik city centre and the weather was vile so we decided not to go.  Instead we had a nice, reasonably priced meal at our hotel followed some of the wine we had brought with us (alcohol is very expensive in Iceland).

23rd March 2012

Up early today, had breakfast and then were collected for our trip to the Blue Lagoon.  That's something I like about Iceland bus companies pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. We took the road back towards Keflavik and branched off into the lava field not far from the airport.  As we approached we could see plumes of steam rising into the air.  We were dropped  off by a  pathway that weaved through the the six foot high lava.  It was very windy but dry.

After a short walk we went inside the building and got our dressing gowns and went to the modern changing rooms.  You enter the Lagoon via an indoor pool that is waist deep and then go out of a door into the Lagoon proper.  Initially the cold hit us, and what you have to do is crouch down until your head and neck are all that is not submerged under the bath-warm water of 37-39 degrees C. It's handy being small like me as I didn't have to  crouch very much, but as the water is very saline it wasn't an effort to crouch anyway.

The lava surrounding the Blue Lagoon was formed in 1226, it is known as Evil Lava as it is very rough and difficult to traverse. The geothermal water originates 6562 feet below the earth's surface where it is heated to 240 degrees centigrade.  As it comes towards the surface it cools and captures minerals from the earth which gives the water its distinct blue colour.

The Steamy Blue Lagoon

The water was deliciously warm, the heat of it varied a little in different parts of the Lagoon, but it was never cool.  There was a sandy/rocky floor which seemed natural but it must have been manmade as the rock all around is the Evil Lava which would not be good under bare feet!  I have a bit of a skin problem at the moment and found that as soon I was in the water it was soothed, and now days afterwards my skin feels as smooth as a baby's bottom!

It was very relaxing in the water, it wasn't very noisy or crowded and the Lagoon is also a lot bigger than I expected. All the rock on and below the waterline was white with a layer of silica from the water.  Steam rose from the water and beyond, mountains were visible in the distance.  It all felt very elemental and other-worldly as does so much of this amazing country. It is definitely a must-do when in Iceland.

One tip, if you wear glasses like me take them off they'll only steam up in the Lagoon, I had to store mine in my cleavage LOL!

One of the Outer Pools

We left the Lagoon showered and got dressed and went for a drink in the cafe.  We had facials booked Glen was in first at 1pm and I was at 2pm.  While Glen was receiving her treatment I had lunch of a very expensive burger in the Lava Restaurant.  Just before 2pm I went up to the treatment area and waited in the seats there, Glen came out looking very chilled and fresh-faced!  Then it was my turn to have a facial with Kristjana.  The "bed" was fabulous, it was shaped so that you lay in a gentle curve, very, very comfortable.  The room was quite dark, lit by candles and soothing music played in the background.  The facial was bliss, especially the massage part and she used Blue Lagoon creams rather than oils.  All too soon it was finished, as usual after a facial/massage I felt a bit spaced out and took a while to come round.

Glen and I went to look around the shop which was lovely but very expensive, I bought some shot glasses and a fridge magnet (I always buy the latter as a souvenir when I go away).  We then went for a walk along one of the paths around the lava fields and outer pools.  It was quite open there and there was a fierce wind that nipped your cheeks. The outer pools were as blue as the ones in the Lagoon but the water in them was cool.

After this we got our bus back to Reykjavik and our hotel.  It had been a fabulous day of chilling and I felt re-invigorated, I loved every minute of it!

The Joshua Tree - 25 Years Old!

I know I'm a day late, but here's to The Joshua Tree, released 9th March 1987!  After all these years it's easy to forget just how revolutionary it was at the time.  Big sounds, full of songs that were to become classics with soaring voice and guitar which brought a new emotion to rock 'n' roll.

I was a fledgling U2 fan at the time and remember listening to the record (yes record!) for the first time and instantly loving every song.  That had not happened before or indeed since with any other album. It also cemented my love for U2's music, which in turn has led to making some wonderful friends, travelling all over the world and lots of other fun times. So as well as being a great album The Joshua Tree enriched my life in so many ways too.

Disasters and Jobs

I've not had a lot of time over the last couple of weeks for my blog as other things have taken priority.  I've had a few domestic disasters, the worst needing a claim on the insurance.  I won't bore you with the details, but am pleased to say the problems are nearly resolved.

A couple of weeks ago I found out my job with Age UK was finishing at the end of this month.  Social Services have not renewed the contract so the service I was part of will be discontinued.  I feel bad for the old people, they are losing what, for some, is such an important part of their lives.  One lady I visit each week cannot move from her chair due to a stroke and she looks forward to have someone like me coming in to chat and do crosswords with.  It may not sound like much, but to her it means she does not just sit alone in front of the TV for hours on end.  It seems that the elderly always come last on the list when it comes to funding, which I think is a big indictment of our society.

It also means I need another job, which I think I may have found.  A company that provides support workers advertised an open day in our local paper so I went along to it on Monday and ended up getting an interview right away.  All the forms have been filled in, references and Criminal Records Bureau checks are in hand, so it looks like I'm well on my way to getting a new job.  It will be supporting elderly people in their homes after they have left hospital.  Fingers crossed it works out!

Less than two weeks until my cousin Glen and I go to Iceland.  There have been superduper solar storms these last few days that have resulted in fantastic displays of northern lights in the Far North so I hope they continue along with clear skies when we are in Iceland.  It's three months since I was in Dublin and I find that after three months I get antsy and am ready to travel again, so I'm ready that visit the island of ice and fire!

Irresistible!

I found this photo on one of my favourite websites, The Long and the Short of it All, aren't they just irresistible?   You can read the story behind the photo here, some bribery for posing for the photo was involved LOL!

Bono in Africa in Photos

Interesting and balanced analysis of some of the photos taken by Adrian Steirn during Bono's recent trip to Africa can be found here.

The full set of photos taken in Ghana by Adrian Steirn can be found here

Both photos by Adrian Steirn

Wild Thing.....

Came across these amazing underwater photos by Seth Casteel of dogs retrieving a ball.  It shows that the wildness of dogs is still just under the surface, but thank God most choose not to use those fearsome teeth on us!  Here's a short interview with the photographer about this photo shoot that appeared in The Washington Post Style Blog.

Dog show: Seth Casteel’s underwater photos flood the Internet

By May-Ying Lam

The eyes are wild with intent and read nothing but animalistic ferocity. They’re crashing with a chaotic splash on the pristine surface of the water in maniacal pursuit of their prey. They’re chasing squeaky toys.

View Photo Gallery: Seth Casteel’s photos of dogs diving into swimming pools in hot pursuit of neon tennis balls have been a sensation.

Seth Casteel’s photos of dogs diving into swimming pools in hot pursuit of neon tennis balls have spread around the Internet. Just a few days ago, Casteel had a manageable inbox, a working Web site, a phone that rang a normal amount. Now, his inbox is clogged with 1,200 e-mails, his Web site crashed for a brief period, and calls and e-mails have come in from 50 countries and such entities as Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel and “Good Morning America.”

“I get amused easily,” Casteel said. “I was just taking pictures because I thought it was fun.”

I caught up with Casteel between e-mails to find out more about his photographs. The pet photographer was in California, where he often shoots.

Why do you think people like these photos?

The dogs are getting back to the wild side. I think dogs have been domesticated over the past thousands of years. Not that long ago, pugs were wolves. I think dogs today enjoy being spoiled. I also think they have wild roots and appreciate the opportunity to explore those.

How did the idea for these photos strike you?

I was working with a dog named Buster. He was more interested in a water photoshoot. My goal is always to embrace what they like to do. He was so excited about the water, passionate about the water. His story had to do with the water. The Sony point-and-shoot was my first underwater setup.

What is your favorite photo and why?

The difficulty of the [photo below] was very high level. What’s interesting about this picture is these two are super good friends, pals. They both dive, love water and love each other. I can work with them together with no aggression toward each other. Some dogs don’t want to share the tennis ball. It is a very terrifying picture but behind the scenes they’re friends. The credit all goes to the dogs. I call it “Sharing is Caring.”
“Sharing is Caring.” A Border Collie and a yellow Labrador Retriever simultaneously pursue a ball underwater. (Photo by Seth Casteel/TandemStock.com)

Do you have any interest in covering the Westminster dog show?

I like dogs in their natural environment. I think a dog in the show ring is the most boring thing in the world. If someone said come coverWestminster, I’d say, “No, but thank you for the opportunity.” Creatively for me, I have no interest.

What’s your camera setup?

My setup now is the Canon 7d with underwater housing. (Casteel declined to reveal his lighting techniques. “I worked really hard to get the recipe for these shots.”) People want to know if I scuba or snorkel. I don’t. I free drive and can hold my breath for 90 seconds. I weight myself down to the bottom of the pool. It’s physically demanding, the work.

Have you ever gotten injured during a shoot?

The camera is only inches away from the dogs. There is no aggression towards me or other dogs but they are very, very excited about retrieving this toy. I have a pretty good strategy. I know exactly my space and know my working distance.

Snow Patrol - Manchester 3rd February 2012

It was a bitterly cold early morning as I stood in the station in Carlisle waiting for the train to Manchester.  The icy wind was whistling down the platform as well wrapped up passengers silently shuffled and craned their necks looking for an approaching train.  A few birds were swooping in and out of the old Victorian building and I wondered how on earth they manage to survive in this kind of weather.

After an unintelligible intercom announcement our train arrived and we were relieved to get into the warmth of the carriage.  We sat for quite a while before an announcement by the guard told us that due to a late arrival of another train we wouldn't have a driver for another half hour (there had been a major train incident near London causing chaos to the rail network).  We could, if we wanted, get off and get on the next Virgin train to London and change at Preston for Manchester but I decided to stay on the train as it was a through train anyway.

Eventually, an hour late, we set off.  Being such a cold day meant it was sunshine and blue skies and the countryside looked beautiful as we glided through it.  At Lancaster the guard announced that the train would now terminate at Preston and we would have to then get a train from there to Manchester.  A lot of people, including me, were annoyed at this as the very reason we stayed on the train was because it was a through train.  So it was back to standing on a freezing platform once more for what seemed like a very long fifteen minutes until the train came.

Photo: Serena Sinden

At Chorley there was an interesting sight to behold, a very large group of Mormons (they had badges proclaiming their name and faith).  Many got on our coach, and the males were all dressed the same, pristine black suits, black overcoats, white shirts and black ties, hair short, all in the same style.  One of the few females in the group sat behind me and started talking to the man beside her who was a Scot and an atheist.  A very interesting, always polite, conversation ensued, with the Mormon referring to the Bible and the Scot proof from archaeology, geology etc.  to support their views. The Scot got off at Oxford Road and one of the female's colleagues then sat next to her and and I heard her say. "It's amazing how people believe those lies."  Mmmm say no more.....

Once at Piccadilly I met up with my friend Julie, we went for a snack and then headed towards our hotel via the shops LOL!  The hotel was a new Travelodge literally within a few minutes walk from the MEN Arena.  It's a new hotel and indeed you could still smell the paint.  Our room was fine, a bargain for £15!

Later we walked into the city and went to our favourite Thai restaurant Chaophyraya for our meal.  As usual it was lovely, great atmosphere, good food, perfect service.  We washed the meal down with a lovely bottle of Montepulciano, just what we needed to ward off the cold outside.

Photo: Serena Sinden

Then it was time to head for the MEN and the gig.  The support was a band called Everything Everything, we hadn't heard of them and didn't go in to see them.  When we did get to our seats we were very pleased with them, they were excellent, the lower block to the right of the stage. We'd got them with a pre-sale code we were given when we pre-ordered the latest album, Fallen Empires, via the band's official free website.  That's how it should be done U2, I'll say no more otherwise I'll get all steamed up once again!

We saw our friends Debbi and Keith seated not far from us, and, as usual right on the front barrier our other friends Karen and Serena, I envy their stamina, gone are the days at the front barrier for me even for U2!

Snow Patrol took the stage at 9pm opening with the instrumental Berlin accompanied by a very clever and beautiful video animation. I must find out who does that for the band, it was fabulous the last time we saw them live in Manchester three years ago and it was excellent this time too.  The stage was simple, video on the backdrop and a huge movable snowflake that was suspended above the band sometimes moving to add to the video effect.  The audience too was frequently used in the effects with various lighting on it, I thought that was good, we were very much part of the show.

Photo: Serena Sinden

The songs started with a rousing I'll Never Let Go, after which Gary apologised for having his flies open, spawning lots of "shut your flies" jokes.  I never noticed, and from what I hear others didn't either, so no worries Gary LOL.

The crowd really got warmed up with Take Back the City.  Gary asked people who were sitting to stand up and most did which was great.  He has that effortless Irish charm, warmth and easy banter that is so endearing as he chatters away to the audience - something he does frequently.  This create a wonderful closeness that really adds to the whole experience.  Besides that, his voice live is fantastic and the whole band is a very tight unit.  I noticed they used a lot of different percussion instruments which made for some interesting sounds.

Highlights, for me personally, firstly was This Isn't Everything You Are from the latest album Fallen Empires.  A beautiful song, deep, moving lyrics, the crowd joined in I felt a lump in my throat as the voices echoed around the arena. It's just one of those special songs that touches your soul:

"Then in one little moment

Photo: Serena Sinden

It all implodes

This isn't everything you are

Breathe deeply in the silence

No sudden moves

This isn't everything you are

Just take the hand that’s offered

And hold on tight

This isn't everything you are

There's joy not far from here

I know there is

This isn't everything you are."

Beautiful.

Next highlight was Run.  The opening notes rang out Gary came to the mic to sing and the audience took over, he stood back, a big smile on his face and let us sing.  He eventually joined in with us and once more I knew that this song was my favourite song ever, even moreso than any U2 song (well, maybe equal with Bad).  This is a real classic song that will never lose its magic.

Chasing Cars was initially performed quite low key, again it was a communal singalong, with the full band coming in for the last part which was very powerful.  Good to see favourite older songs Chocolate and You're All I Have in there too.  Fallen Empires is one of the new songs I really like.  It is has great percussion and reminds me a bit of Arcade Fire which isn't a bad thing. The set finished with Just Say Yes, which was good, but I preferred the ending they did last time with The Lightning Strike.

All in all I thought the gig was a good balance of old and new songs.  I thought the concert flew by then Debbi told me that it had only lasted one hour forty minutes,(I never wear a watch), so that was the only disappointment, it was a short gig. The show was about the band, the music and the audience, with minimal special effects and it was fabulous, good music speaks for itself, it doesn't need anything else.

Below is a video from the Manchester gig, followed by the setlist.

1. 
   

   Setlist

   Berlin (Remix) @Tape

   I'll Never Let Go
   Take Back The City
   Hands Open
   This Isn't Everything You Are
   Run
   

   In The End

   Crack the Shutters
   New York
   Set the Fire to the Third Bar
   Make This Go On Forever
   Shut Your Eyes
   Chasing Cars
   Chocolate
   Called Out in the Dark
   Fallen Empires
   You're All I Have
   Encore
   Lifening
   Open Your Eyes
   Just Say Yes

Sad Legacy of Fukushima

Photo from The Irish Times

It may not be in the news much now, but almost a year after the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear meltdown Japan is still struggling to recover. One problem is that hundreds of hastily abandoned pets are fighting to survive in the harsh winter in the exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear reactor. 


Of course the country has concentrated on containing the nuclear accident and protecting people from radiation,  but Yasunori Hoso, representative director of United Kennel Club Japan, has been trying to save as many dogs and cats from the no-go zone as possible.  He also keeps pets for those who are living in shelters where pets are not allowed. He runs a shelter for about 350 dogs and cats rescued from the 20-km evacuation zone around the crippled nuclear plant.  


He says, " ......when it comes to dogs, all of them, without exception, become really ecstatic when they get reunited with their owners. That is what keeps me going, what makes me determined that I have to push ahead until the last one goes back to its owner."

It's great that there are people like Hoso, working hard to reunite pets with their families.

Full article below.

Fukushima pets in no-go area face harsh winter

It really was a storm.... !

It really was a storm.... !,
originally uploaded by ツ Kj Photography ツ.

This was taken in Iceland last night, now that's what I call an aurora! We are in Iceland in two months, I hope we get a Northern Lights show like this!  Click on the photo to enlarge.

U22 Tracklist

U2.com has announced the track listing for U22, the gift for re-subscribers of U2.com.  For once it is actually an excellent gift, but not enough to make me shelve out $50!  Below is the announcement as it appears on U2.com.


After tens of thousands of votes, U2.com Subscribers have decided which tracks will appear on 'U22'.

We asked you to choose your top 22 live tracks after listening to 46 the band played on U2360°. Three months later, the result is the first crowd-sourced U2 live collection.

You didn't just cast your votes. You also engaged in impassioned argument on our boards about which tracks should appear, which should not - and why.

In the end the great divide was between those of you who wanted 'U22' to become  a collection of the band's 'greatest' live tracks and those who wanted it to capture songs the band rarely perform, tracks hardly ever released live.

The results are fascinating - spanning nine albums and thirty years, excluding some of the most familiar songs and featuring some total surprises.

'This is really going to be a special CD.' said Adam, when we caught up with him this week. 'I wasn't expecting some of these tunes, it's a really fresh collection and it's going to make very interesting listening.'

So here's the 22 tracks. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see what happens next. And then get into the comments to give us your reactions.

1. Bad  
2. Where The Streets Have No  Name
3. Magnificent 
4. One
5. Ultraviolet 
6. Even Better than The Real Thing
7. With or Without You 
8. Beautiful Day 
9. City of Blinding Lights 
10. The Unforgettable Fire 
11. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For 
12. All I Want is You/Love Rescue Me   
13. Moment of Surrender  
14. Until The End of the World  
15. The Fly 
16. One Tree Hill  
17. Stay (Faraway, So Close) 
18. Walk On 
19. Zooropa 
20. Elevation
21. Out of Control
22. Mysterious Ways 

The tracks are now being mixed and sequenced while the editorial and design of the accompanying 24-page large format book (see above) is finalised. 

More details soon on when 'U22' will be arriving with you... if you've resubscribed to U2.com for 2012. 

Bono and Grace

At the moment Bono is on a seemingly unpublicised tour of Africa.  He recently visited the Mend project in Uganda - more information on this on their Facebook page here .

There's a nice little story about Bono meeting Grace, one of the workers there, and of course he just had to sing Amazing Grace to her!  On Facebook it says someone videoed this, if it turns up anywhere I'll put it on my blog.  But there's a lovely photo  of Bono with Grace (who has obviously been charmed by Bono judging by the big smile on her face) which I've added below.

Photo from Mend's Facebook page

'Stephen Lawrence' by Carol Ann Duffy

Wonderful poem by the poet laureate, sometimes less is more and says so much.  

'Stephen Lawrence' by Carol Ann Duffy

Written by the poet laureate after the conviction of two men for the teenager's murder in 1993

Cold pavement indeed
the night you died,
murdered;
but the airborne drop of blood
from your wound
was a seed
your mother sewed
into hard ground –
your life's length doubled,
unlived, stilled,
till one flower, thorned,
bloomed
in her hand, 
love's just blade.