Simon Reeve – The Tour

As you may know, my lovely friend Miss W and I love an adventure. This time it was a trip to Birmingham Town Hall to hear the travel presenter/adventurer Simon Reeve speak on his tour, which has coincided with the release of his book ‘Step by Step’.

We have heard Simon Reeve speak before as an ambassador for Kuoni, so we knew we were in for a good night. We were looking forward to hearing which stories he would share at this event.

To begin with he shares some information about his background – which, although he has never hidden it, may surprise some. Then he discusses and shares the different series of events which led to him presenting the amazing BBC documentaries. The joy of listening to Simon Reeve speak is not only the passion with which he speaks but also the humour. It is clear that he appreciates every chance he has but he also wants people to understand that we can all learn from travel. We can all be enriched by any kind of travel; we do not have to go far to experience adventure.

Also, the emotion with which he tells some stories shows that maybe we have to really appreciate the privileged position that we are in and build out cultural literacy and understanding of those that may not be so lucky. A chance meeting could also change lives forever (a little like my friendship with Miss W).

I certainly left the show ready for an adventure, ready to read my copy of ‘Step by Step’ and with a desire to have even more awareness of the world around us. We do not need to experience life on a screen – we need to go out and adventure. So, thank you Miss W for an amazing birthday present – where are we off to next?

Creative Calligraphy

As a lover of words, it is only natural to be a lover of lovely writing too. With that in mind, my dear friend Miss W and I decided to give a calligraphy class a go.

We attended one run by Feather and Flourish – a creator of stationery for special occasions. The class was in Birmingham city centre at the rather cool Lost and Found. You arrive to a beautifully laid-out table with lovely place settings. There is a lovely pack of goodies, with everything that you need to have a go at calligraphy: ink, nib, pen, paper and a handy set of help sheets.

After a brief introduction of handy hints, you are able to get stuck right in and have a go. This does take the fear out of the situation, as everyone is so absorbed that you know nobody is going to notice if you actually have any talent for the creative…

You start by practising the common strokes and getting the lines you want, either thick or thin. Letters are a little more of a challenge but there is something very therapeutic about the flow of calligraphy. Capital letters are really fun topractice and it is great to develop your individual style; lower case is a little harder,as some do not seem to be the letter, but do make a lot of sense once you attempt words. It is great fun to develop your own individual style and Heather is always on hand to offer helpful hints – but it is nice to not feel pressured as you practice.

The giggles for myself and Miss W certainly came with the practice of words. The confidence you have built on the individual letters does need a little rebuilding as you try to form words. The key seems to be to remember to flourish (and not miss out letters…oops).

We both really enjoyed the workshop and feel that we have learnt a new skill we can not wait to practice. It is also fantastic that the little batch of goodies is yours to keep and continue your adventures in letters and words.

Fancy learning a new skill? Check out Feather and Flourish for all the information on upcoming workshops.