Author Archive
Generations unite in Glasto bliss: A mother’s blog on sound-loving adventures with her son’s crew
Jul 27 2023- Madeleine
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Glasto – Day 1 – This is going to Glasto with kids with a twist! I’m 54 and my son is 27. He invited me to join his crew. See my first blog for the whole prep process. Glasto is insta for sound-lovers. A love-bubble for like-minded friends and friends-to-be, family and, I’m overjoyed to announce, family-to-be! More of that later… That original hippy vibe is still alive and thriving; amazing, considering half of London is here.
We got to the O2 arena coach park with no mishaps, and settled into the on-time coach after a packing orgy. Great organisation. And the only issue was getting into the Glasto car park, it took a couple of hours of queuing in the most beautiful countryside, so no complaints.
Buckingham Palace: The Diamond Jubilee State Coach – an armchair voyage
Jul 22 2023- Madeleine
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At first sight, it strikes one as another gold-encrusted piece of pointless extravagance, bordering on, I have to say, kitsch. And it cost an ‘undisclosed sum’, which means ahelluvalot. So my immediate response was disapproval, have to say. But but BUT, the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, known Down Under as the State Coach Britannia, is a treasure trove of surprises… and I now am a total fan. What swayed me was a bunch of square wooden tiles inlayed into the interior panels; plain, unadorned wood, with some brass beading running alongside. Surprisingly unassuming, you think, after all the tantantara on the outside.
Buckingham Palace with kids – Coronation display review: Coronation Robes, Coach and State Rooms
Jul 14 2023- Madeleine
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Buckingham Palace is not somewhere I would have dared take my very young children, all those ropes to hurdle over or conga under, those priceless breakables to upend and the miles of corridors, just an open invitation for a cheeky sprint. But my recent visit to admire the Coronation display including the Coach and Coronation Robes in the State Rooms has turned my view of Buckingham Palace upside down.
Theatre review: The Crucible, by Arthur Miller
Jun 19 2023- Madeleine
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The Crucible by Arthur Miller is at the Gielgud Theatre till September 2023. A crucible is an ancient melting pot, let’s get that out of the way. Used for smelting metals, it must withstand very high temperatures, to make church bells, for example. The choice of title is an omen for the community trauma that awaits, as metallurgy involves melting down a solid substance, skimming off impurities, and casting into a new shape.
Impressions of rock mum going to Def Leppard Sheffield gig
Jun 11 2023- Madeleine
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Just going to a Def Leppard concert was beyond my wildest dreams (not so into Mötley Crüe). And yet they happened to be on a world tour and I happened to find out in time, at last year’s Slade Christmas concert. I checked out the venues and dates, and decided on Sheffield a) because the band was born here so I thought the atmosphere would be extra-electric; b) it’s a smaller stadium and I had been warned by my son that Wembley for concerts was rubbish; and c) I like Sheffield, I’ve always had a warm welcome. So, I bought two tickets, and invited Monica Costa, Editor in Chief of London Mums Magazine, to go with me on a rock-chic road-trip!
