It's a meme and the Globe, and chocolate and photos....!
I've sorted out my photos so I am spamming you with them, but first:
A question a day for five days.
1. What is the meaning behind your LJ name?
2. What was your favourite childhood book or books?
3. What is your favourite recipe and why? Try to post the recipe if you have time.
4. What are the top 5 things on your wish list & have you done any of them?
5. What do you collect?
I was introduced to books at a very early age and loved reading. Like spikereader I can remember one of my very first books being "365 Bedtime Stories" which had short stories and poems in and was perfect for reading through on my own.
I also had loads of 'Ladybird' books which looking back are really not very politically correct. I am also of the generation where they tried to introduce phonics as a way of learning to read. This annoyed me immensely I remember as the Ladybird books started to come out with phonics and 'proper' English text which (a) made them really difficult to read as it was almost like reading a bilingual book, but (b) also spoiled the look of the page for me because I could read 'real' English at 5 (thank you!!).
My parents also subscribed to magazine called 'Treasure' every week and I remember reading that avidly because it serialised some well knows novels as well as having little articles about nature and science and colouring and puzzle pages so all my interests were well covered (good grief there's even a Wiki page!) This is when I first fell in love with 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith (although interestingly that's not listed in the Wiki page). It was so good, and I was so disappointed when the Disney film came out. :(
As I explained yesterday a visit to the Globe Theatre and museum are well worth it and below the cut are some photos.
As you walk down to The Globe Theatre from London Bridge station you pass the replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship The Golden Hind. We foolishly thought we might visit it on the way back from the station, but as time got away from us we will have to do that another day (the weather was very dull, so it's a bit dark, but all photos get bigger with a couple of clicks):
With a golden hind on the front!:
Then you walk down past the River Thames until you see the outside of The Globe:
There is genuine reed thatch on the building and the whole thing is constructed using ancient techniques. So each part of the frame is made using seasoned oak and oak pegs to hold it all together and lime plaster is used to coat the walls. The original Globe was built in 1599, but burned down in 1613 after a canon was fired as a sound effect and sparks lit the thatch, but fortunately no-one was injured and everyone got out. In 1614 the second incarnation was built with a tiled roof to help prevent any further mishaps.
The current Globe was started in 1988, but lack of funding and other difficulties meant it only opened in 1997, and the design has been 'tweaked' a little since then, with some alterations happening this year, so it's an ongoing project.
Outside there is a statue of a boatman pouring some ale. This is to reflect that there were loads of pubs in the vicinity to cater to the theatre going public, but also that the only way to get across the Thames at this time was by boat as there was only one (very crowded) London Bridge. Bankside was an area where the theatres, the pubs, the prisons and the whorehouses were:
I like that in the summer he is a fresh water fountain so you can fill up your drinks bottle from the stream of water coming from the jug!
This is the view of the stage with the area in front where you can stand and the sides where you can sit (up to 700 people standing at any one performance!). Note it is open to the sky, and they don't stop the play for bad weather so you just have to cope if you are standing! There are also some consessions to health and safety in that there are wider and more exits than there used to be to get in and out of the seating area (there used to only be two 1m/3feet passages). There is also a sprinkler system along the top of the roof in case of fire. You can also see electric lights, but these are only turned on in the evening, and are not used during daytime performances. There is no electric PA system and the acoustics are brilliant:
A better view of the stage:
There were a team of people renovating the edge of the stage as there are no plays on during the winter. All the 'marble' is hand painted, and the gallery at the back has the Juliet balcony. Under the canopy covering the stage there is a view of the sky with the signs of the zodiac and a trap door to allow actors to descend from 'heaven':
The 'gentlemen's boxes' near the stage are painted. There is some controversy about whether all the lime plaster should be decorated as some contemporary comments seem to imply everything was beautifully painted, but they have only done these to give an idea (I imagine there are some practical considerations if people are rubbing against the walls too).
Close up:
The practical effects used are all done as closely as possible to the way they would have been done in the original theatre. For example thunder is created using a large sheet of metal which is struck like a musical instrument, bowling balls are dragged around the galleries to help make it seem realistic. Most of the effects rely on sound rather than any electrical light effects as in Shakespeare's day people would go to 'hear' a play. This is why often there is a lot of spoken exposition such as "I die, I die" or "I am poisoned". The guide was telling us that all parts of the auditorium (see -audio!) are also used during plays, so musicians/actors and horses are often brought in through the standing patrons. In The Tempest a few years ago, a ship was carried through the crowd and so the crowd became the stormy seas. Clever and very engaging I should think.
It was a very infomative tour.
Inside was great though. I won't bore you with loads of photos (as I didn't take that many inside), but one costume that I feel is worth sharing is this one worn by the actress Jane Lapotaire when she played Queen Elizabeth I:
All of it is hand stitch (hand stitched!) and took 90 minutes to put on with a further 90 minutes of hair and make up for the poor woman....If you click to get a bigger version of the photo above you can see her riding on a horse through the standing area to the stage in the play.
Close ups:
Hand stitched!!!! Hand made lace for the ruff....
Gorgeous!
Hope you enjoyed the photos!
And finally, chocolate! I went for my first two-hour session to my old College which has changed significantly since I worked there. They are now offering catering courses and so an area that was second floor classrooms has been converted into a proper industry-standard kitchen. It was impressive!
The course was great fun - we learned how to temper chocolate (and will get to do that ourselves from scratch in week three!) and make ganache using just water and tempered chocolate. This was very ineresting as I've only made it using chocolate, butter and cream, and the teacher showed us the difference in taste by making both versions. The water/tempered chocolate is much nicer. The chap who was teaching us used to run his own handmade chocolate business, and still makes hand made chocolates for some loyal customers, but doesn't have time to do much now. He was so enthusiastic it was very interesting.
Yesterday there was quite a bit of demonstration by him, but we did get to polish and fill some chocolate moulds, decorate them with some hand made honeycomb and then turn them out once they had set in the blast chiller. I made three bars to bring home and they are delicious (shiny shiny chocolate!):
Next week we get to made individual chocolates filled with flavoured ganache. We can even bring in some alcohol if we want to as it's up to us what we flavour the fillings with. Can't wait!
A question a day for five days.
1. What is the meaning behind your LJ name?
2. What was your favourite childhood book or books?
3. What is your favourite recipe and why? Try to post the recipe if you have time.
4. What are the top 5 things on your wish list & have you done any of them?
5. What do you collect?
I was introduced to books at a very early age and loved reading. Like spikereader I can remember one of my very first books being "365 Bedtime Stories" which had short stories and poems in and was perfect for reading through on my own.
I also had loads of 'Ladybird' books which looking back are really not very politically correct. I am also of the generation where they tried to introduce phonics as a way of learning to read. This annoyed me immensely I remember as the Ladybird books started to come out with phonics and 'proper' English text which (a) made them really difficult to read as it was almost like reading a bilingual book, but (b) also spoiled the look of the page for me because I could read 'real' English at 5 (thank you!!).
My parents also subscribed to magazine called 'Treasure' every week and I remember reading that avidly because it serialised some well knows novels as well as having little articles about nature and science and colouring and puzzle pages so all my interests were well covered (good grief there's even a Wiki page!) This is when I first fell in love with 101 Dalmations by Dodie Smith (although interestingly that's not listed in the Wiki page). It was so good, and I was so disappointed when the Disney film came out. :(
As I explained yesterday a visit to the Globe Theatre and museum are well worth it and below the cut are some photos.
As you walk down to The Globe Theatre from London Bridge station you pass the replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship The Golden Hind. We foolishly thought we might visit it on the way back from the station, but as time got away from us we will have to do that another day (the weather was very dull, so it's a bit dark, but all photos get bigger with a couple of clicks):
With a golden hind on the front!:
Then you walk down past the River Thames until you see the outside of The Globe:
There is genuine reed thatch on the building and the whole thing is constructed using ancient techniques. So each part of the frame is made using seasoned oak and oak pegs to hold it all together and lime plaster is used to coat the walls. The original Globe was built in 1599, but burned down in 1613 after a canon was fired as a sound effect and sparks lit the thatch, but fortunately no-one was injured and everyone got out. In 1614 the second incarnation was built with a tiled roof to help prevent any further mishaps.
The current Globe was started in 1988, but lack of funding and other difficulties meant it only opened in 1997, and the design has been 'tweaked' a little since then, with some alterations happening this year, so it's an ongoing project.
Outside there is a statue of a boatman pouring some ale. This is to reflect that there were loads of pubs in the vicinity to cater to the theatre going public, but also that the only way to get across the Thames at this time was by boat as there was only one (very crowded) London Bridge. Bankside was an area where the theatres, the pubs, the prisons and the whorehouses were:
I like that in the summer he is a fresh water fountain so you can fill up your drinks bottle from the stream of water coming from the jug!
This is the view of the stage with the area in front where you can stand and the sides where you can sit (up to 700 people standing at any one performance!). Note it is open to the sky, and they don't stop the play for bad weather so you just have to cope if you are standing! There are also some consessions to health and safety in that there are wider and more exits than there used to be to get in and out of the seating area (there used to only be two 1m/3feet passages). There is also a sprinkler system along the top of the roof in case of fire. You can also see electric lights, but these are only turned on in the evening, and are not used during daytime performances. There is no electric PA system and the acoustics are brilliant:
A better view of the stage:
There were a team of people renovating the edge of the stage as there are no plays on during the winter. All the 'marble' is hand painted, and the gallery at the back has the Juliet balcony. Under the canopy covering the stage there is a view of the sky with the signs of the zodiac and a trap door to allow actors to descend from 'heaven':
The 'gentlemen's boxes' near the stage are painted. There is some controversy about whether all the lime plaster should be decorated as some contemporary comments seem to imply everything was beautifully painted, but they have only done these to give an idea (I imagine there are some practical considerations if people are rubbing against the walls too).
Close up:
The practical effects used are all done as closely as possible to the way they would have been done in the original theatre. For example thunder is created using a large sheet of metal which is struck like a musical instrument, bowling balls are dragged around the galleries to help make it seem realistic. Most of the effects rely on sound rather than any electrical light effects as in Shakespeare's day people would go to 'hear' a play. This is why often there is a lot of spoken exposition such as "I die, I die" or "I am poisoned". The guide was telling us that all parts of the auditorium (see -audio!) are also used during plays, so musicians/actors and horses are often brought in through the standing patrons. In The Tempest a few years ago, a ship was carried through the crowd and so the crowd became the stormy seas. Clever and very engaging I should think.
It was a very infomative tour.
Inside was great though. I won't bore you with loads of photos (as I didn't take that many inside), but one costume that I feel is worth sharing is this one worn by the actress Jane Lapotaire when she played Queen Elizabeth I:
All of it is hand stitch (hand stitched!) and took 90 minutes to put on with a further 90 minutes of hair and make up for the poor woman....If you click to get a bigger version of the photo above you can see her riding on a horse through the standing area to the stage in the play.
Close ups:
Hand stitched!!!! Hand made lace for the ruff....
Gorgeous!
Hope you enjoyed the photos!
And finally, chocolate! I went for my first two-hour session to my old College which has changed significantly since I worked there. They are now offering catering courses and so an area that was second floor classrooms has been converted into a proper industry-standard kitchen. It was impressive!
The course was great fun - we learned how to temper chocolate (and will get to do that ourselves from scratch in week three!) and make ganache using just water and tempered chocolate. This was very ineresting as I've only made it using chocolate, butter and cream, and the teacher showed us the difference in taste by making both versions. The water/tempered chocolate is much nicer. The chap who was teaching us used to run his own handmade chocolate business, and still makes hand made chocolates for some loyal customers, but doesn't have time to do much now. He was so enthusiastic it was very interesting.
Yesterday there was quite a bit of demonstration by him, but we did get to polish and fill some chocolate moulds, decorate them with some hand made honeycomb and then turn them out once they had set in the blast chiller. I made three bars to bring home and they are delicious (shiny shiny chocolate!):
Next week we get to made individual chocolates filled with flavoured ganache. We can even bring in some alcohol if we want to as it's up to us what we flavour the fillings with. Can't wait!