The Tree Project - December edition

Oh my GOODNESS it's COLD!!

It was so cold today that on my way home at lunchtime it hailed on me. Actually no. It hailed at me. In my face. It was like it was a hail attack aimed directly at me. I'm pretty sure it's left bruises.

Everywhere else gets snow but Hull is too flat for snow. You know the weather's really bad when it snows in Hull. We are flat. Flat, flat, flat. People don't get just how flat we are. But I'm telling you....it's flat. So flat that, having grown up here I now struggle enormously with the slightest incline, I get out of breath walking up my sister's drive.

I still wish though. I wish it would snow. And as I was looking out of the window, wishing for the flakes to fall (not the balls of ice that tried to stab me earlier on), I realised something.

I'm late with Tree Project!

I know. I don't know how you've all been coping without it.

Ready to see him?

Sure?

Okay then....

He. is. bare. naked. Not a leaf on him. There are a few berries still left on him. They're hardcore those berries. Nothing's going to knock them off, not the wind, not the hail. Even if I stare at them really hard. They just....stay there.

So there's not a stitch on him from the top of his head...

...to the bottomest of his branches.

And I feel a little sorry for him. But I told him, on my way past today, that soon it will be a New Year and that means a fresh start, and things will start a-changing...

See you in the New Year Mr Tree!

We're off to the fair!

If you grew up in Hull then the chances are that Hull Fair was a large part of your childhood. If it wasn't then your family is just plain weird.

A few facts for you...

Hull Fair visits once a year for a week and is Europe's largest travelling fair. It takes up residence on Walton Street car park which is just beside the KC Stadium. Walton Street is completely shut down and is lined with stalls selling burgers and chips and candyfloss and tacky gifts.

Everyone goes.

I can't believe that there is anyone who lives in Hull that's never been to Hull Fair (and if you haven't - what are you doing?! Get yourself down there, it's open until Saturday!).

I've been pretty much every year, only time I didn't go where those years that I was at uni and if I'd had the money I'd have been back on a train and flinging my money away on cheap thrills.

We would have a routine when we were little. We'd come in from school, Mum would make us eat this broth thing that she used to make which I hated. It had barley in it. Bleurgh I couldn't stand it but we had to eat it so we had something in our stomachs so I would force it down. Then came the interminable wait for said broth to settle properly in our stomachs before we got all bundled up in jumpers, coats, gloves, hats and scarves and made our way there.

When we got there I'd immediately go mental pointing at every single ride I wanted to go on. "That one! And that one! And oh my god, that one!" Mum would make us walk round the whole fair so we could see everything and then decide what we wanted to go on. The fun house was always a must, that's enjoyable for everyone because even if you don't go on you can stand and watch everyone falling over. Same goes for the glass maze, I remember one year being bent over double with tears falling down my face watching people in there.

The waltzers were always a must although a few years ago I had a rather vomitous experience on some and I haven't dared go back on since. Watching people stumbling off them is hilarious though.

I'm pleased to say that as I've got older, although more extreme rides have appeared, the oldies are still there - there's a hall of mirrors, there are helter skelters, there's even a museum of horrors and of course the obligatory ghost trains. It's great seeing the same familar rides which are exactly the same as when I went on them all those years ago (although there is a small part of you that starts to wonder just how old these rides are...)

I could never understand why Mum and Dad didn't want to go on all the rides like I used to. However now I'm older I can see why and the reasons are thus:

- just wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere is enough

- once you get older you get 'the fear' and all you can think about is what would happen if it went wrong

- when you have to pay for it yourself it becomes much more expensive

The boyfriend and I had a wander around, laughed at some people walking about looking a little green around the gills and decided to go on the big wheel. I've actually never been on it before and thought it was about time to give it a go.

And do you know the real reason I went on it?

It was for you guys.

I wanted to get some good photos of the fair and what better way to do that than go up up up in the air?

Well I just hope you bloody appreciate it because I. was. terrified.

I'm not normally much of a scaredy cat when it comes to rides and I can be flung around like the best of them. I think what I wasn't enjoying was the fact that you're not strapped in. You're perfectly safe inside this little cage and there's no way you could ever in a million years fall out but I think it's that psychological feeling of not being strapped in that was just freaking me out. I did eventually get comfortable enough to get my camera out and take a few snaps of Hull Fair from the air.After that experience I took my wobbly legs round the Hook a Duck stalls and shooting galleries to see what was what and the boyfriend behaved like a true man and won me this little guy! He doesn't have a name yet - any suggestions?

We went a few other rides, I won't bore you about them, they were the usual throw you up in the air, spin you round and bring you down to earth where you have to stagger back in to the crowd while your brain stops spinning.

But then the best bit....walking back down Walton Street and stopping off at Bob Carvers for some of the best chips in the world. Then buying brandy snap and toffee apples and cinder toffee and candyfloss and pomegranates and nougat and fudge!

Then it was time to say farewell to the carousel and slowly wander back home, eating brandy snap until you feel sick.

I cannot WAIT until next year :)

Productivity

So far this weekend has been pretty productive. With the countdown slowly ticking away 'til my friends come over from America, the race is on to get little things sorted in the flat. There are just those little niggly things that don't desperately need to be done but it would be nice if they were done so that when they arrive I can be smug and proud of my little home.

Top of the list were bedside tables. Our bed fits very nicely in to an alcove in our bedroom but unfortunately it was the bed and nothing else that fitted in. There's the tiniest space on each side of the bed and it's been impossible to find bedside tables which are thin enough. So the boyfriend was tasked with building some so he got his manly man head on and spent Saturday morning making them.

Yes. They are a little wonky. But it really doesn't matter, he's made them, we have something beside our bed, so there's a little bit of sloping...what's a bit of sloping between friends?!

Obviously with us not having a garden he had to build them indoors and the amount of sawdust that was flying everywhere was too much for my inner clean freak to cope with. So while the boyfriend got busy with drill, nails and saws, I took myself away.

To Hobbycraft.

Hull is slowly coming up in the world, after years of the most up to date shop being Next and Topshop, we now have such delights as an H&M and a Zara and finally a Mama & Papas. And on Thursday Hobbycraft opened its doors. I've never been in one of these before and when Mum and I walked through the doors I actually went "Oh my god" We walked round in a trance before Mum frantically whispered to me "There's an upstairs! You can go upstairs!"

There was too much to take in. I felt a little bewildered and overwhelmed to be honest. I need to go back when it's a little quieter and I'm a little calmer. There is just anything you could think of that could be related to craftiness in there. And then some stuff you would never have thought of. I went a little mental buying threads for christmas cards - I have no idea exactly when I think I'm going to be making all these, is it possible to cross stitch in your sleep?

How's my finger I hear you ask? Well it just so happens that I have a picture...

It's much better, definitely not broken, I have full mobility although as you might be able to see in the photo it's still pretty bruised. Actually you probably can't see that in the photo so you're just going to have to take my word for it. I can't tell you how good it's been to get my left hand back. This girl is very left handed, my right hand has virtually no use and it has not been helpful at all in this long week when I've been incapacitated. It can't even hold a pen for god's sake!

(I was supposed to be sorting out my wardrobe this weekend, following advice from this lady but I went out last night and don't feel up to it yet. But I am definitely going to do it!)

So. Bedside tables. One thing ticked off what is now known as The Countdown List.

By the way did you know how many days there are left til they get here?

Freedom Festival '09

My fair city comes in for more than its fair share of stick. Whenever anyone talks about it, it is usually in connection with something horrendous. Some of the proudest achievements have been:

- obese capital of England

- highest teenage pregnancy rate

- worst schools

- highest numbers of unemployed people

I could continue but I won't because it' s too depressing.

Oh wait.

I thought of another one.

When Crap Towns was published, Hull was voted Number 1. And that was by its own residents.

OUCH.

What no-one ever hears are the good things about Hull and if you live here it gets intensely annoying and boring constantly hearing that the city you call home is rubbish.

I mean, come on. We have:

- A football club in the Premier League

- 2 rugby league clubs in the Superleague

- The World's only Submarium (I'll leave you to look that one up later)

- beautiful parks and green spaces

- our very own train services connecting us to London in 2 hours

And loads more I can't even think of anymore. In short, Hull is ace.

And to demonstrate this aceness this weekend saw the 2nd annual Freedom Festival take place.

Bit of background for you - William Wilberforce, who was instrumental in the abolition of slavery in Britain was an MP for Hull (yet another reason why we are ace). Hull has also been the launch site for the annual Clipper Race for the past couple of years. The Clipper Race is a big bunch of yachts from round the world that are sailed by non-professional sailors in a race (basically, there's probably more to it than that).

The Clipper Race was starting on Sunday 13th and the celebrations included a display by the Red Arrows. The Freedom Festival ran over 2 days and featured performances by:

- Pixie Lott

- Peter Andre

- The Saturdays

- JLS

- Basshunter

- Aleesha Dixon

- Patrick Wolf

- Florence + the Machine

To name but a few.

Oh and did I mention that the entire event was FREE?

I got increasingly giddy as I read about the plans for the weekend. It was going to be amazing, just what Hull needed etc etc. So imagine my complete and utter dismay when I realised that I wasn't going to be here because I already had tickets to see Coldplay in Manchester.

Truth be told I still can't believe my bad luck and whenever someone tells me about it I kind of want to cry and stamp my feet at the unfairness of it all.

I was determined not to be completely left out and when we came back from Manchester on Sunday I allowed time for a nap and food before dragging the boyfriend into town to see the one band I really wanted to see - Florence + the Machine.

I managed to time it perfectly and we walked into Queens Gardens just as the soundcheck was finishing. We were stood quite far back - I think we'd both had our fill of crowd activity for one weekend (plus we're both pretty tall people and we'd only piss people off by standing in front of them!).

Listening to Florence Welch as the sky gradually turned to black was an amazing experience. Her voice is so difficult to describe - she has an incredible power that allows her to belt out songs and yet at the same time an ethereal fragility when her voice soars to the top notes. She reminded me an lot of Alison Goldfrapp's voice - I remember being totally blown away when I went to see Goldfrapp at uni.

They played a pretty long set for a free gig, they were on for a good half an hour or more. I was a little lost at times because I don't have the album, Lungs. She also performed her version of Candi Staton's You've Got The Love that she sang at T4's Party on the Beach. That went down a storm.

When she finished, the festival was officially over and the boyfriend and I made our way back home. I don't know that he's a massive fan but I'm pleased I stuck to my guns and dragged him there. After all, I can't complain one minute that I'm not doing enough with my life and then turn down a free gig can I?

So there ended my musical weekend, whcih spanned from American rap to English rock to quirky, fairy-dancing, gut-wrenching howling (in a good way though ok?!).

And there ended the weekend that proved that Hull isn't so crap after all.

(If you wanted to find out more about the Freedom Festival you could look here, or here, or HERE)