Tea Stains and Daisy Chains: July 2014

31 day blog challenge

31 Day Blog Challenge- Day 4

15:07

Day 4: Best childhood memory I don't want to boast, but my childhood was pretty awesome, so I'm struggling to label just one memory as 'the best'. I think I'm just going to have to go with a list of some of the things I remember from my family camping holidays in France, which were literally the BEST SUMMERS EVER. Going to this...

31 day blog challenge

31 Day Blog Challenge- Day 3

18:03

Day 3: What makes you happy? Sunny days Lazy breakfasts in the garden Crunching through frosty grass Laughing My cat Snuggling up with a good book in the winter and sitting in the garden with one in the summer Cups of tea Giving really good presents The beach The Lake District Achieving a goal The countryside Being pleased with something I've made/drawn/written/baked Camping...

31 day blog challenge

31 Day Blog Challenge- Day 2

17:21

Day 2: Favourite quote(s) "She disliked being asked this question, thinking people ought to ask new acquaintances who they were rather than what they did, as though their job defined them"- Sebastian Faulks, Birdsong "Freedom from anorexia is more than looking better or gaining weight. It's about receiving from God and from others. It's learning to speak out instead of keeping it in....

31 day blog challenge

31 Day Blog Challenge- Day 1

11:12

Day 1: Self-portrait and 5 random facts about yourself 1) I was born on 29th June 1995: I'm a summer baby and go purple/orange/blue in the cold 2) I speak to my cat on a regular basis and will never, ever get over her cuteness 3) I am addicted to tea and simply CANNOT comprehend how some people don't drink it. An ambition...

31 day blog challenge

31 Day Blog Challenge

13:14

I haven't blogged for a while; partly because of the amazing weather and partly because I've recently got a job, although neither reason is a particularly good excuse! So to get back on track with the blogging, I've decided to do this '31 Day Blog Challenge' I found online. There are so many different ones out there, but this one seems to be...

I wrote a story :)

17:30

Fairly self-explanatory title, in that this is literally just a signpost to the short story I wrote for MyStudentStyle on the theme of 'children'. If you have a spare 5 minutes then I'd love it if you had a read (and maybe even let me know what you thought!?) - it' really short, I promise! (Less than 1000 words!) So without further...

bbc top 100 books

The BBC Top 100 Books- The Wasp Factory

14:35

So I may or may not have taken a slight detour on the "whale-athon" (as nicely put by someone on Twitter) to sneak in a bit of Iain Banks. As I was struggling a little (to say the least) with Moby-Dick, I was planning on interspersing it with a bit of The Wasp Factory, but I quickly abandoned this idea when I remembered that I just...

1984

"A trip to the theatre with Dad"

12:58

If you'd like to read my brief review of the production of 1984 without hearing my life's story in the process, please feel free to skip down to the three posters!

When it comes to giving birthday presents, my dad is one of a kind: the best kind. Simply wrapping up a box of chocolates and handing it over with a card doesn't quite cut it with him (although I'd be more than happy with a box of chocolates, wrapped or unwrapped!). Instead, he likes to come up with something a little more imaginative. This year, as well as sending me out into the garden shed to find two vintage-style wooden crates for my room, he also presented me with a rather tatty-looking brown envelope. Inside I found one of his customary dad-style vouchers:

Being the theatre/1984/dystopian literature fan that I am, this was a near-perfect gift for me. He did, however, have one slight "confession" to make, in that he hadn't actually bought the tickets yet; he just planned to get them last-minute on the day... But, still armed with the belief that my dad can do pretty much anything, I wouldn't put it past him to get us into a sold-out show, so this was hardly a cause for concern!

On the day of the performance, my map reading skills were put to the test as I had to make my way from King's Cross St Pancras to Russel Square, where I was to meet my dad from work. Despite the fairly simple route, I felt like a proper tourist as I stood frowning at my map in the middle of the busy pavement, obliviously holding up the stream of weary commuters. After a bit of map-twisting and turning round on the spot to get things in the right direction, I managed to locate Russel Square and (more importantly) its café. I must admit, I felt rather pleased with myself as I sat outside the busy café reading Moby-Dick and waiting for my dad to enter the Square to see the embodiment of culture and sophistication that was his daughter.

As promised, we went to a little Italian (although not "dad's special Italian restaurant", as this was closed) for dinner. My dad had tried to sell it to me by telling me that we would be served by a "Big Momma" and cooked for by a man who was "probably a cousin". This is the kind of family-run place that he adores, where the food is authentically Italian and the Peroni is served in a plastic beaker. Granted, his spaghetti bolognaise was delicious and my (slightly less traditional) chicken cheese burger really hit the spot.

Miraculously (yet somewhat unsurprisingly) my dad had managed to get us tickets in the centre of the second row. While at the cinema, being so close can be disorientating, at the theatre it seemed to make me feel all the more involved and I loved seeing the actors only a few metres away. Upon entry, we'd been told that there was no interval and no re-admittance once the performance had started, which put me slightly on edge before the lights had even gone down.

Being quite a complex book, I was interested to see how Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan were going to portray the story in a way that would put across Orwell's finer details, yet would be possible to follow. Although a powerful and thought-provoking play on its own, I would personally have struggled to appreciate all of it if I hadn't read the book. Despite having studied it extensively only a year ago, there were still moments in which I found myself a little lost. For example, the story itself is framed by a modern day book group meeting, in which they are discussing Winston Smith's diary. Although this historical stance is hinted at in Orwell's Appendix, this is a different, yet effective, way of presenting the dystopian tale.

Somewhat confusingly, the play is full of repeated scenes and phrases, which managed to unnerve the audience, as well as create the chilling atmosphere required. The casting was extremely true to the novel, with the characters of Parsons and O'Brien being almost exact replicas of the images I'd formed when reading the book. In the same way, the set design was ingenious, especially the way in which the audience watched Winston and Julia's 'secret' meetings in the antique shop on a big screen while they acted off-stage. This technique succeeded to embody the infamous phrase, "Big Brother is watching you" and saw that the tension and drama exploded into the audience at the dreaded words "You are the dead". I think my mouth actually dropped open in astonishment, even though I had known it was coming. This climatic moment really captured the essence of the novel and is something that I could watch over and over again.

In "the place where there is no darkness", the set was equally as effective, with the luminescent whiteness contrasting horrifically with the blood, causing one engrossed audience member to cry out in shock. Through the excellent use of lighting, sound effects and costume, everyone in the room felt part of Winston's mental and physical experience, to an extent that cannot quite be achieved in a novel.

As well as blood and horror, the play also contained scenes of almost violent sexual passion between Winston and Julia. Although done well, perhaps without the background knowledge of the book, their relationship and consequential commitment to the 'Brotherhood' may have seemed a little rushed. However, to portray such complex ideas about love, trust, freedom and manipulation in only 101 minutes, is no mean feat.

Almost before I knew it, the actors were receiving their well-deserved applause and the lights were coming on again. As I was ushered out of the theatre, I was still reeling from everything I'd seen and felt in great need of a lengthy discussion about the play! Cleverly, the final appearance of the book-group planted in our minds some terrifying questions about our own society, meaning that it was hard not to leave feeling just a little stunned.

Have you seen the play? Read the book? I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment below!

Harriet x

What have I been writing recently?

17:00

A question I'm sure you've all been dying to know the answer to..! So, as I'm thoughtful like that, here's a little update for those of you who have been going crazy (albeit subconsciously) wondering what on earth I've been writing over the last couple of weeks! If you fancy a laugh and would like to find out how I coped (or didn't...

The yummiest iced buns you ever did see (or rather taste)

10:21

Despite my little bio thing claiming that I like to bake, you are yet to see any evidence of this allusive hobby, so I thought I'd better do something about this great travesty. Have you ever had an iced bun from a bakery, such as one that rhymes with Timmons? If you have, then you'll probably agree with me when I say that...

bbc top 100 books

The BBC Top 100 Books- The Catcher in the Rye

14:29

This book was not what I expected, despite the fact that I'm not entirely sure what I did expect. I think, for some reason, I'd imagined that it was set earlier than it was and that it would be written in a more formal style. So when, by the end of the first sentence, the narrator had already said, "all that crap", I...

bbc top 100 books

The BBC Top 100 Books- Birdsong

13:24

I finished Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks over breakfast yesterday morning. But if I'm honest, part of me wishes I hadn't! I'm guessing most of you are familiar with that feeling you sometimes get when you come to the end of a really involving book and you feel as though you've lost a little part of your life. Well that's how this book made...