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03/20/2008
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Well I'm back. And whilst I got used to the cold up North (took a few hours!), my room is still freezing - it is 04:43 and my heating has been off for 4 days now with no people in the room! Consequently, I am now curled up in my duvet and very warm and snuggly dressing gown (one of my few PINK items of clothing, so to speak) wearing my favourite jumper (red with teddy bears on) and for some reason (unknown) writing a blog post instead of sleeping.
Hey ho - it is what I do.
Went on Uni visits... I'm sure I will talk about this more either here or with people in person.
I LOVED the city of Durham. I am GOING to live there at some point in my life - if only for a year or two. In fact I Love the north generally and would really like to move up there... Cambridge is beautiful... but it is so ... clean-cut? ... compared to Durham. Although I did find the two surprisingly similar in style and aura.
I did not like the course... or rather, I didn't like the fact that they were ashamed of being academic about music.
Edinburgh City grew on me over the course of the day. At first it was just another city... (despite living in suburbs all my life I am most definitely *not* a city girl.) But over the course of the day I wondered around areas, found green, found little quirky shops that I loved, found a very good pizza place and most important of all found LOTS and LOTS of jazz, folk, salsa, shows, concerts, gigs, ceilidhs and music in general. It wasn't until the end of the day that I saw the sea... and that sealed it for me. I also love Edinburgh... Maybe not so much as Durham (It is still very much a city)... but I could easily love living there! I will go back and visit again in the summer :D
The course is also fantastic. Academic but with some performing. And the university has a really very impressive collection of concert halls, organs and MANY MANY MANY early instruments :D :D :D :D :D :D :D lol.... I also liked the lecturer and the way the student showing us around was holding a cope of "Music and the Reformation in England" - a brilliant period to study the socio-histoical context of music!
I am now going to have fun comparing to Cambridge... wish me luck!
*************
It is strange when you give your heart to something... particularly when you've spent so long swearing violently against it.
I seem to be doing that far too much at the moment; I'm not sure how many hearts I have left.
04:56 Posted in Complete Random Junk! , Life , Music , Thoughts | Permalink | Email this
Comments
> Cambridge is beautiful... but it is so ...
> clean-cut? ... compared to Durham.
Know what you mean. You really should visit Stroud, Glos some time. As well as being fairly alternative, it's friendly, largely unpretentious and definitely not "clean cut"
Posted by: Steve | 03/20/2008
I will do... you know I always like new places to visit... it also gives me another reason to come over to Cheltenham again.
xxx
Posted by: Ruth | 03/20/2008
Here's another reason. Snowshill Manor!
``Every inch of Snowshill Manor is devoted to Wade's acquisitions. He saw his collection as a record of vanished handicrafts and as a result the contents of the house are unique.
There is an range of objects from tools used in weaving, spinning and lacemaking to Jacobean furniture, Persian lamps, musical instruments and medicine chests.
Wade's collection was wide and eclectic but the sense of order everywhere indicates that this was not put together randomly but was a reflection of a serious purpose.
Most of the rooms in the house were given bizarre names such as Meridian, Seraphim and Dragon.
One room is dedicated to sea related items - telescopes, compasses and model ships. Another room is full of musical instruments arranged as a playerless orchestra. The room named Seventh Heaven is full of the sort of toys Wade had as a child.
The Green Room contains Japanese Samurai armour arranged in theatrical positions to threaten visitors. The Room of a Hundred Wheels is full of sedan chairs, hobby horses, boneshaker bicycles and models of farm wains.''
The garden is quite nice too :-)
Posted by: Steve | 03/20/2008
since when were hearts finite?
and you must see Edinburgh when it's really alive,
you'll rarely find such a friendly form of vibrancy in such a large city.
X
Posted by: ink | 03/22/2008
TOO much to do....
:P
Better get stated quickly then.
I will go to sleep now though :P
xXx
Posted by: Ruth | 03/23/2008