tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2195340811578528952012-02-17T04:40:14.529ZGoings-on in Liverpool and Transylvania; publishing, HGVs, nonsense, wolves, bears and chickensArabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger461100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-42161676982051726142008-01-12T13:22:00.000Z2008-01-12T13:49:31.632Z

Liverpool came over all cultural tonight as the blessed Ringo 'St.Cecilia' Starr led a beatified collection of musos in launching our year as EUroPEEEan CAPital of CUL-TURE (as the stentorian presenter would have it). Somewhere between the BBC's estimate of 25,000, and the Liverpool Echo's bullish claim of 50,000, squished ourselves into and on to Lime Street and all balconies, steps, pavements,

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-63646646397765733052008-01-12T11:55:00.000Z2008-01-12T13:22:03.262Z

Private view at the Bluecoat display centre – jolly, civilised sorts like John and Dot here, swamped with beautifully crafted temptations that at least one of them failed to resist.

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-25971578525184967262008-01-12T10:47:00.000Z2008-01-12T11:49:17.079Z

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Harry! Harry Goodwin - photographer extraordinaire - at John Lennon Airport, where a huge exhibition of a tiny part of his collection of portraits is permanently on show in the departure lounge. Harry was Top of the Pops photographer for nine years and has photographed every legend you can think of. To see the exhibition you have to be flying out of JLA, so book yourself an

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-32588069275029221962008-01-09T16:35:00.000Z2008-01-09T16:40:58.678Z

Couldn't resist this story from Ananova: what a fantastic conflict of interests...Mourners shivering in a chapel are to be kept warm using heat generated from cremating their loved ones. The idea will be tried at a crematorium near Manchester where grieving friends and relatives have complained of the cold during services.Tameside Council will use heat from cremating bodies to keep the mourners

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-76420259912876620492008-01-07T13:24:00.000Z2008-01-09T16:42:11.344Z

Damn and blast and curse the BBC. Now it has released its iPlayer for the tellybox (I have been using it for radio, and that was bad enough), I am DOOMED. Backstory: I haven't had a TV in the house for over 20 years (barring four short and ill-advised months in 1990) because I'm a self-confessed television addict. Not the quiz-show variety but a dishonest-to-badness I-can-handle-it addict. In

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-25168900136699908612008-01-02T17:27:00.000Z2008-01-02T17:32:56.361Z

The idea is that I take a snap of everyone I meet this year. It's my 50th in April, it's my 20th year in Liverpool, and it's Liverpool's year as Capital of Culture. Seems a good time to try. Given my abysmal record of self-discipline, this nice idea might peter out by the end of the week, but you can see for yourself by checking the 2008 PEOPLE blog (see link opposite).

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-10248460137364731292008-01-02T11:37:00.000Z2008-01-02T17:26:24.622Z

Happy New Year, and a spiffingly cultural 12 months ahead, to capitalise on being in Liverpool. These pics were taken in the opening moments of the year, with Great George tolling from the cathedral tower, and a gospel choir singing Beatles songs (natch) supported by a couple of thousand natives clustered below the falling fire. And who should I bump into on the way out? None but the main man of

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-35873302280912671202007-12-21T12:17:00.000Z2007-12-21T12:21:47.088Z

LoveMyIdea is a new site from a Liverpool-based team which is well worth regular visits. Saw this one this morning – terrific. Tell your debt-ridden chums, children, siblings and others. Got to the LoveMyIdea link and look for this one: Graduates Can Get Out of the Red while Helping Charity

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-78105071519528247272007-11-28T01:05:00.000Z2007-11-28T01:15:28.946Z

But not before I've brought this blog up to date. I'm not doing well - the year is speeding up. Have a meeting in 7 hours and I want SLEEEEEEEEEEP. In a moment. I've hardly set foot in this office over the last month - at least that's how it feels.Enterprise Week was fun - was at six events in London and Liverpool, talking to MPs, young entrepreneurs, enerprise graduates, GCSE students, and

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-17352075951436088502007-11-11T11:14:00.000Z2007-11-11T11:28:53.956Z

And now it's 10th November. No it's not, it's the 11th. Just after 11am, too.Managed to hear the distant chime of Big Ben from someone's radio and was in time for the minute's silence. While I am not militaristic and don't think war is a way to solve conflicts, the least I can do is stand for 60 seconds to remember the courage of young men and women, and the terrible waste of life - and not just

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-51193260306414580362007-10-10T07:53:00.000Z2007-10-10T07:56:21.846Z

It's been a hectic six weeks. That's my excuse for not updating the blog since the end of August. BAD Arabella. I'm still alive, and there's lots of news, but it's nearly 9am and there are wolves outside the door clamouring for my blood. I really should do some of the things they're howling for, before I get eaten. So see you again in a bit.

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-90321497098774604432007-08-27T20:32:00.000Z2007-08-27T20:33:32.224Z

Less than three hours to go now until Liverpool's 800th anniversary. Eight centuries since Bad King John did a Good Thing and signed the first charter to turn Liverpool from a fishing village into a charter town, albeit with a modest seven streets. And it's at the bottom of one of those original streets, where the Mersey used to lap at the wall of the chapel, that we will be launching Mersey

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-12023445059349895422007-08-24T10:17:00.000Z2007-08-24T10:21:58.613Z

All the Mersey Minis are back from the printers: utterly scrumptious. Green one to launch next Tuesday, pink one end of September, and purple one in early November. And then they'll be tinned for Christmas. yum yum.

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-11536297591931695252007-08-23T09:06:00.001Z2007-08-23T09:06:21.980Z

I love falling across little coincidences. Have just discovered one about William Huskisson, who was MP for Liverpool and president of the Board of Trade, and champion in Parliament for the Liverpool-Manchester Railway. Famously, also, the first man to be killed by a train – at the Rainhill Trials, when he was run over by Rocket.The coincidence? His first seat in Parliament was as MP for

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-78268833486923913662007-08-20T07:06:00.000Z2007-08-20T07:10:01.701Z

On 28th August 2008, Liverpool is 800 Years Old. Do YOU want to be a part of History?Mutual Arising is looking for 800 drummers to perform at St Georges Plateau, Liverpool City Centre, on the night of this Historic Date. Anyone can take part as the rhythm we have created for the event is very simple to learn but is very powerful to hear! The event is open to everbody and of all ages.They would

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-63246598454881282222007-08-19T21:50:00.000Z2007-08-19T22:07:53.653Z

If you haven't discovered Ed Reardon yet, discover him. He's on Radio 4 and BBC 7, in different series. He's my hero of the moment. There's no-one who can rant, rage and rampage like the gloriously irascible Ed, at least not since John Cleese in his prime. Described by the BBC as 'author, pipesmoker, consummate fare-dodger and master of the abusive email', he describes the media as 'run by idiots

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-86888953076796848522007-08-02T15:17:00.000Z2007-08-02T15:29:43.415Z

I don't normally indulge in Culture-baiting, but the news that the Mathew Street Festival has been cancelled leaves me reeling. But now for the entrepreneurial spirit of the city to rise like a phoenix – who is going to come up with the Button St/Rainford Square fest (not the Pier Head, surprise cause of all the trouble)? I usually avoid the MSF with such scary enormous crowds, but if there's an

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-74335296709836228452007-07-18T01:24:00.001Z2007-08-02T15:17:21.760Z

His Regal Lusciousness Harpikü di Ruritanie graciously hosted a garden party on the only sunny Saturday in July, for many fortunate revellers who drank drink, wielded croquet mallets and danced little happy dances to celebrate whatever it was that the Crown Prince had in his head at the time. The identity of the partygoers remains a mystery as none of them were sober enough to remember their

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-1657496705825921802007-06-21T09:56:00.000Z2007-06-21T10:01:01.483Z

I found this on the Bookstore Tourism blog (US-based) by Larry Portzline – I went there for a speech by Dana Goia on culture (a must-read - see link opposite) and trawled down to find several bits on UK events and ideas, including Sedbergh, the book town. Not just books, but ideas and old-fashioned heartwarming entertainment. Don't throw up - have a look. It's great. I plan to be singing on the

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-41864019817885585922007-06-11T14:08:00.000Z2007-06-11T14:20:46.527Z

Just discovered a delightful page on the RHS's Wild about Gardens website (link below). In an article titled 'build a bee hotel' is this marvellous description of how baby bees emerge from their birth cells: "All being well, the bees hatch in spring, almost a year after they were laid as eggs. The oldest wakes up first but can't get out because it has several siblings in front of it. So it

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-85622929107493522752007-06-07T20:31:00.000Z2007-06-07T20:38:10.166Z

The BBC's rural programme Countryfile rocked off to Transylvania the other week to look at the farming and village life that takes the likes of us back 50, 100, even 500 years. The Mihai Eminescu Trust (supported by Prince Charles, amongst others) is doing its damnedest to keep the best of the traditional while giving the villagers something of modern European comforts. A very tricky balance to

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-83433994201089229262007-06-06T12:56:00.000Z2007-06-06T12:59:12.416Z

We had a great email this morning from Orkney. Gladdens a publisher's heart, this kind of thing. Tom gets a gold star and undying gratitude."I was really impressed with the 'Mersey Minis' book..... it is a gem. It's quirky, charming and 'unputdownable'. The woodcuts by Clare Curtis compliment the book so well and give a sense of atmosphere and life to the text." -- Tom Muir, Orkney Boat Museum

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-11267909871812363402007-06-06T12:47:00.001Z2007-06-06T12:55:26.070Z

Marvellous photos of Liverpool taken during the ShootLiverpool event at the end of May. Some daft idiots about, and some beautiful images found or created. Click the link opposite (but come back here afterwards, eh?).

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-44113274129489107122007-05-17T13:40:00.000Z2007-05-17T13:48:22.266Z

Killing two birds with one stone, and because I have so far failed to mention HGVs as promised above, here's a photo taken last week, of Dan Dan the Truck Man thundering through the village in Transylvania. Dan now has two trucks, an old green thing and this rather newer white and blue number. Dan is the Man who fetches all the wood, sand, gravel, concrete bricks and assorted building materials

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-5790740639980273902007-05-10T13:27:00.000Z2007-05-10T13:31:38.008Z

Bliss. I came back yesterday after 9 days out of the country, to find a beautifully empty little bedroom (see 9 April for spring clean story) now painted by the fab Steve (anyone need an ace decorator in Liverpool, let me know) in brilliant white with one wall a luscious duck egg blue. The walls now look huge (Edwardian terraced house with high ceilings) and the extreme cleanness, freshness and

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-88540432421524606172007-04-25T11:01:00.000Z2007-04-25T11:19:10.810Z

Inspired by my friend Paddy, who has a close friendship with the pair of blackbirds nesting in her lovely walled garden in Chichester, I have started putting out grapes for my nesting blackbirds. They have moved into the ivy (on the house wall in this pic) and get very narky when I have my breakfast outside, believing themselves to be the ruling monarchs of this small green patch of Liverpool.

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-38810817972588617102007-04-25T08:56:00.000Z2007-04-25T08:59:18.315Z

If you have too much, and want to be rid of it, then here's an excellent way of doing so.http://www.kwikgames.com/sheepinvaders.htmIgnore the irritating banner ad, and shoot down flying sheep. Moronic old-fashioned simplistic fluffy ovine murder. Completely unfair as what did sheep ever do to you? But even for strict vegetarians this is a guilty pleasure.

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-43274598500018024772007-04-18T11:25:00.000Z2007-04-18T11:44:13.758Z

I caught the 6am train from Runcorn yesterday, to get to the London Book Fair for 9am; I had composed a letter to the editor of my local paper about the ghastly ordeal of the rush hour before I'd got to Euston, so confident was I that the tube at 8.15am would be hell on earth. Wrong. It was really quite civilised - no shoving, even room to read the paper in comfort. Where was everyone? Was it

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-61317994273955147002007-04-16T11:39:00.000Z2007-04-16T11:51:51.039Z

I'm a genius, I tell you. I should be on telly as a racing pundit.I have long maintained that when it comes to picking winners, I'm the nag's knees. When I pick a horse for the Grand National, and back it, it falls/goes backwards/heads for the beach. If I pick a horse and don't put any money on it, it wins. I didn't put any money on Silver Birch on Saturday. It won. Ditto Lucius in 1978, and

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-90819361707319545492007-04-09T23:57:00.000Z2007-04-10T11:57:40.899Z

Feel very smug as spent much of the Easter weekend clearing two rooms - one the smallest bedroom, and the other the scullery/boot room/whatever one calls the space at the back of the house with garden stuff, kitchen stuff, rolled up rugs, jamjars full of picture hooks, copper nails, plumbers' oddments...The bedroom was stuffed full of boxes of books, boxes of old accounts, boxes of old 78 records

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-28551966404325028862007-03-30T12:54:00.000Z2007-03-30T21:23:52.312Z

The little gits - they're leaving in droves. The brain cells, that is. Another piece of incontrovertible evidence this morning that I'm going steadily and rapidly bonkers. Listening to Radio 3 on the way home from a meeting, spent the time from Falkner Street to Ullet Road (this is Liverpool) trying to remember what the piece of music was. In times gone by I'd roll my eyes at my mother's (or

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-88700980030259241472007-03-29T06:34:00.000Z2007-03-29T06:44:05.144Z

The next book out is now on press in Verona: the first volume of Mersey Minis – a delightful five volume series of little books (postcard-sized, 128pp) that will be published this year – Liverpool 800th anniversary. This is what the editor, Deborah Mulhearn, has to say about them:"Bursting with brilliant writing inspired by Liverpool and the River Mersey, LANDING includes writers ranging from the

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-85759863431321885972007-03-27T07:25:00.000Z2007-03-27T07:50:24.731Z

Slavery. Hmm. Well, if people can really learn the lessons from 200 years ago, that's great. But given the number of people being treated in much the same way today, it's a moot point. And what about those profiting today from 'cheap' labour? What about those profiting from the arms industry? Is it better to enslave a man than to kill him? Maybe in another 200 years our successors will condemn us

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-58138160973113707832007-03-17T08:49:00.000Z2007-03-17T09:51:25.727Z

Just heard from Louise - Ran's minutes away from the summit of the Eiger - just the most fantastic news - am so relieved, and thrilled for him. God, he's brilliant. Well, I've got one easter egg with his name on it, and can now without superstititous fear of jinx, hunt down the biggest egg I can find, as promised.

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-63924019188916182222007-03-06T21:25:00.000Z2007-03-07T00:46:57.548Z

Well, on the site at BBC Cumbia, actually... but next stop Hollywood...This is a photo from the book 'Time and tide: 200 years of the Bibby Line Group' published on 8 Feb. Malcolm (pictured here with Mrs Liz Goodyear outside the George and Dragon Hotel in Dent) drives a tanker for Bibby Distribution, collecting milk from farms in the South Lakes. Bibby's drivers at Crooklands collect 450,000

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-78557032955681220542007-03-04T20:12:00.000Z2007-03-04T20:50:19.984Z

Oh, god...... I'm still only 48, albeit with my 49th birthday next month, but at the rate my brain cells are defecting, I'll be completely gaga before I get a sniff of a bus pass. I was due to speak on Tuesday evening to a lovely bunch of gournet gardeners in Sussex, about the gourmet life amongst the wild gardens of Transylvania. How delightful - was really looking forward to that, plus the

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-25132881089948458522007-03-01T02:01:00.000Z2007-03-01T09:32:47.619Z

In about five hours, Ranulph Fiennes sets off for his latest challenge, to climb the treacherous 'death wall', the North Face of the Eiger. Good luck, Ran – I'll have a gargantuan Easter egg waiting for you when you get back. Do please support this amazing man in this deadly challenge – he's aiming to raise £1.5m for charity, so do follow the links to find out more. Keep your fingers crossed for

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-87114634551424151192007-03-01T00:18:00.000Z2007-03-01T01:50:25.968Z

We clever evolved technologically advanced humans forget one vital fact: we are mammals, and we still have all our mammalian instincts and drives, albeit overlaid with homo smartarsiensis sophistication. But that's a veneer, and pretending we can ignore our recent past as primates only gets us into strife.Early on in my year’s training in therapeutic massage, our teacher stated what seemed like

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-9321221928286177112007-02-25T23:01:00.000Z2007-02-25T23:05:42.119Z

Talking to a chum in London last night we got to talking about why the English are such a cold nation, how urban cool has turned to chill, why we are so afraid to show warmth to other human beings, even ones we know well.But we're not a cold nation. Liverpool, where I live for much of the time, is a warmer city by far than the capital – which is one of the reasons I moved up here 18 years ago.

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-78265769775497845652007-02-21T02:50:00.000Z2007-02-21T03:29:50.200Z

Yesterday was the third anniversary of my sister's death. Ginny was 56 – she'd have been 60 this July. I spent the morning with my brother in law sitting in the little garden we made for her on the hill overlooking the house on Exmoor, where her ashes are buried and her presence is strong. She had poured so much of herself into the land, creating a farm out of the steep moorland hills and

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-55560922197902971352007-02-20T23:13:00.000Z2007-02-20T23:30:53.839Z

There aren't many businesses that make the 200 year mark; there are even fewer which are still under family control, let alone with the sixth generation having both hands on the wheel. Liverpool has one of these treasures – and a shipping line, to boot. Capsica launched our latest book (TIME AND TIDE) on 8 Feb looking at this intriguing asset – the Bibby Line Group. Remarkable company, fantastic

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-962109882306186742007-02-18T11:08:00.000Z2007-02-18T11:28:47.930Z

Here's a close up of the star, so you can see the steel rivets. Hard to imagine this thing is made of thick steel plates – including the HUGE arching tail – but it is. See for yourself.

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-36773892637562109102007-02-18T10:49:00.000Z2007-02-18T11:37:03.482Z

It's Liverpool's 800th anniversary this year – at least the octocentenary of Bad King John's concession to a few local burghers who had been whingeing about paying for King John's new castle so the Bad King could set sail for Ireland with all its Celtic gold, colleens and wolfhounds. But glossing over the expediency of giving the little fishing village a Royal Charter, it now means we, the

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-850860274315335622007-02-17T23:21:00.000Z2007-02-18T11:37:46.425Z

And while I'm at it, I'll explain Capsica. No-one can spell it, or say it, or knows what it means. Simple, really - it's the plural of capsicum, ie peppers. big sweet ones, like bell peppers, or fierce little biters like these peperoncini, or Scotch bonnets. Full of goodness, hot and spicy. Just like us. 'Us' being me and Fiona Shaw, the two directors of Capsica. Photo of us as the Kray twins to

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-54822889918820742102007-02-17T17:26:00.000Z2007-02-18T11:36:06.926Z

This is the neighbour's gaff, just down the mountain from my des res. The most famous past resident was Vlad the Impaler, Voivode of Wallachia and template for Bram Stoker's romantic bloodsucker. The castle (genuine 14th century edifice) belonged to the Romanian royal family until the Communists kicked them out, but last year they got it back. The man who would have been king of Romania is, I

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219534081157852895.post-34995960909683816802007-02-17T16:03:00.000Z2007-02-18T23:17:45.127Z

Why Batland? Mostly because I'm a dreadful old bat, but also because I have a house in Transylvania, home to the most stylish bats in the business. For the time being (and for the last 18 years) I live in Liverpool – the original, not one of the 15 or so around the world – and almost make a living as a publisher of gorgeous looking, life-enhancing non-fiction books under the imprints of Capsica

Arabella McIntyre-Brownnoreply@blogger.com1