Babymetal

Traff's new favourite thing- Japanese metal music- These are my favourite, I love this video!

Bedford creative arts rebranding event

I'm looking forward to attending this tomorrow- There will be cake and dancing and drawing!
All the good things!
The Lane is the wine bar by the Higgins, not an actual lane. I was pretty bamboozled by that. But that means it'll be easy to go to bed pop too as that is in the higgins!

rebrand launch event – we need you!

Join us at the Lane, Bedford on Saturday 12 March from 10am for a very special event.

Together with you and the Bedfordshire community we have been fundamental in making art happen in for 30 years & we’re really proud to have worked with so many exciting artists and members of the public.

As of the 12 March we will launch our exciting new logo & name & would love you to be a part of it. The event will give everyone a chance to be part of our new look for the future, we invite you to put pen to paper and make your mark on our future.

The team will be at The Lane on Saturday 12 March 2016 from 10am with well-known local artist David Litchfield, creative agency We Can Creative, a Lone Morris dancer, a trio from the Last Chance Ragtime Band and lots of pens for you to help us create our new look.

Our new logo, like our programme, wouldn’t exist without the involvement of people like you. As an organisation we are brought to life by the people, artists and communities that get involved in the work we do & this will continue to be at the heart of our ethos. It will also be at the centre of our new visual identity.

We’ll always be locally focused & will continue to work closely with the community who have made us what we are today.

With cake also on offer to fuel your creative spirit there is nothing to stop you from helping this work in progress.

Underwear exhibition @ the V&A in April :D

"16 April 2016 – 12 March 2017. This exhibition will address the practicalities of underwear and its role in the fashionable wardrobe whilst highlighting its sensual, sexual appeal. The exhibition will explore dress reformers and designers who argued for the beauty of the natural body, as well as entrepreneurs, inventors and innovators who have played a critical role in the development of increasingly more effective and comfortable underwear."

And it's only £12 per ticket.

:D

I've seen this advertised or discussed about 6 times now by different websites or photographers that I follow on Facebook and on Buzzfeed. I am so excited! 

Beatrix Potter story Kitty-in-Boots discovered after 100 years

A new story written by Beatrix Potter more than 100 years ago, featuring Peter Rabbit, is to be published for the first time.

The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots was rediscovered by publisher Jo Hanks after she found a reference to it in an out-of-print Potter biography.

Quentin Blake, best known for his work with Roald Dahl, has illustrated the story, to be published in September.

Potter had only completed a single drawing to go with the manuscript. 

Image copyrightQuentin Blake

Image captionArtist and illustrator Quentin Blake has created illustrations for Kitty-in-Boots

She sent the story to her publisher in 1914, saying it was about "a well-behaved prime black Kitty cat, who leads rather a double life". 

The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots also features an appearance from an "older, slower" version of Peter Rabbit. 

Ms Hanks, a publisher at Penguin Random House Children's, found a reference to Potter's letter to her publisher and the unedited manuscript in the 1970s literary history about the author. 

Three manuscripts were then found in the Victoria and Albert Museum archive, handwritten in school notebooks - a rough colour sketch of Kitty-in-Boots, a pencil sketch of villain Mr Tod and a dummy book, with some of the manuscript laid out. 

Image copyrightNational Trust

Image captionPotter intended to go back to the story but never did

Potter said in letters, also kept in the archive, that she had wanted to finish the story but "interruptions began", including the First World War, her marriage and illness.

Ms Hanks said: "The tale really is the best of Beatrix Potter.

"It has double identities, colourful villains and a number of favourite characters from other tales [including Mr Tod, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, Ribby and Tabitha Twitchit]. 

"And, most excitingly, our treasured, mischievous Peter Rabbit makes an appearance - albeit older, slower and portlier!" 

---

An extract from The Tale of Kitty in Boots by Beatrix Potter, published by Frederick Warne & Co at Penguin Random House Children's

Image copyrightFrederick Warne & co/The V&A museum

Image captionBeatrix Potter's original illustration for Kitty-in-Boots

Once upon a time there was a serious, well-behaved young black cat.

It belonged to a kind old lady who assured me that no other cat could compare with Kitty.

She lived in constant fear that Kitty might be stolen - "I hear there is a shocking fashion for black cat-skin muffs; wherever is Kitty gone to? Kitty! Kitty!"

She called it "Kitty", but Kitty called herself "Miss Catherine St Quintin". 

Cheesebox called her "Q", and Winkiepeeps called her "Squintums". They were very common cats. The old lady would have been shocked had she known of the acquaintance.

And she would have been painfully surprised had she ever seen Miss Kitty in a gentleman's Norfolk jacket, and little fur-lined boots.

Now most cats love the moonlight and staying out at nights; it was curious how willingly Miss Kitty went to bed. 

And although the wash-house where she slept - locked in - was always very clean, upon some mornings Kitty was let out with a black chin. And on other mornings her tail seemed thicker, and she scratched.

It puzzled me. It was a long time before I guessed there were in fact two black cats!

---

Ms Hanks said Blake "had to be" the one to illustrate the newly-discovered story. 

"It's a challenging brief to illustrate a manuscript written over 100 years ago by one of the world's most beloved authors, but we knew that Quentin's energy, rebelliousness and humour were in keeping with Beatrix's own artistic sensibilities, and therefore exactly what this fantastic book called out for," she added. 

Image captionBlake said he was 'fascinated' to be asked to illustrate the book

Blake said: "It seemed almost incredible when, early in 2015, I was sent the manuscript of a story by Beatrix Potter; one which had lain unpublished for 100 years and which, with the exception of a single drawing, she had never illustrated. 

"I liked the story immediately - it's full of incident and mischief and character -and I was fascinated to think that I was being asked to draw pictures for it. 

"I have a strange feeling that it might have been waiting for me." 

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Potter's birth. The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots is being published by Frederick Warne & Co, Potter's original publisher.

Flickr photo back up

I have to face facts, I recently updated my ancient Macbook to run Maverics (I know, I'm still an OS behind after all that!!) because I could no longer open any webpages (long story short, my OS was so old that none of the updates for any of my programmes would download..so everything slowly stopped working).
I was forced to make a choice between speed but mostly not working programmes or everything running very slowly.
It's been OK for about a week but now the computer is turning on very very slowly. I have decided this may be the time to back up everything in case of disaster. It is sad to think that this computer is so very old.

Most of the files on my computer are photos, so I have decided to utilise Flickr and upload as many as possible (Going back to 2009- Everything before that was lost when my last computer blew up) and then if I run out of space (They only let you have a terabyte, do they not know how many photos I take?!) maybe I will delete some that I don't like so much.

So, I am newly initiated to the joys of online file storage. It makes me a bit nervous.
I do appreciate that I am still 10 years behind the times as really I should be uploading them to Instagram (Hayley, you're just too technologically advanced for me) but my issue really is privacy. Being one of millions of other anonymous online bloggers photographing their dinner is one thing- Adding all my photos to Instagram or Flickr makes me a bit edgy.

We shall see if my fears are well placed.

Incase you every wondered how many photos didn't make the "cut" for my blog posts or for FB here they all are in their technicolour glory:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/laulelule/

All I have established, as Flickr orders them by date, Is that some days I should be very grateful I'm not still using 36mm 32 exposure film. Otherwise my developing bills would be bankrupting me.

Solidarity with Calais- Donate unwanted items to help the refugees.

*****Calais Refugees support Luton*****

From Saturday 5th September to Thursday 10th September, we will be collecting items to donate to refugees in Calais. There will be a group from Luton going to Calais on Friday 11 Sept to give out aid.

These Refugees are living in a miserable condition and need our support every way possible. If you would like to donate items such as sleeping bags, tents, or any other winter essentials- The list of items being collected is on the image below with all the drop off locations.

Volunteers will be outside Nadeem Plaza all weekend collecting your donations.

There are also two drop off points:

ASR Learning Centre

157 Biscot Road
LU3 1AW
&

Bradley Road Mosque
129 Bradley Road
LU4 8SW

You can also contact 07965469895 for local collections.

For more details & interest in volunteering please message 07542610812 / 07965469895.

Please SHARE the more people who get involved the better!

If you're based elsewhere in the UK, have a look on the link below to find your nearest drop off point:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/03/refugee-crisis-what-can-you-do-to-help

Psycho pass

I am completely addicted to Psycho Pass on netflix.
As the weather is rubbish, If I haven't already tried to persuade you to watch it, maybe the weather will. I have 8 episodes left and that is my only objective for the day.

Hurry up and make season 2 and the movie available!

The not emergency

We were supposed to go paddle boarding today, however, we all know what happens to plans.

We got home and I got a call from Sarah's sister. Sarah and Dan are on holiday in Tunisia and with all the news coverage of the attacks there she was pretty worried. She'd tried calling them and neither was answering their phone.
This is probably why you're supposed to leave an itinerary and addresses with people when you go away.
She asked me which hotel they were staying at, and I couldn't remember- So I spent a portion of my evening trying to ask our friends if they knew without panicking anyone and on hold to the embassy trying to get any information (They don't know anything, after 2 hours on hold- so if you're in the same boat it really is just a waiting game but if you needed the number it is 02070081500)

Part way through this I got a very tearful phone call from her sister saying she thought she's seen them hurt on the news footage.
We found the footage but it was soo blurry there was no way of knowing for sure but we weren't so convinced. I do feel really sorry for families who will see their loves ones hurt on the TV or online. It's not an advantage to have so much media coverage. Those injured people and the dead should be treated with more dignity,and the videos and images have just added to the panic and chaos.

In the end- after Traff had started smoking Mayfair to calm is nerves and we'd fielded calls from everyone we'd ever met- they rang to say they'd been paragliding all day and had just returned to the hotel and seen all the horror. They assured us that the security is now seriously stepped up and that they are and will be fine.
They could not have planned their day any better- not even on land during the shootings.

I'm so grateful that everyone is OK, and my thoughts really are with families and friends waiting for news form all the disasters today- my heart was in my mouth every time I took a call or saw a new section of news footage or someone messages me more pictures online from news articles.

It's made me realise 2 things:
1) I should see more of the people I care about because you really don't every know what will happen next.
2) I should always leave my travel itinerary with my parents/ close friends, because although the odds of anything ever happening to me when I'm travelling are tiny, if they do I don't want my family and friends to have to deal with this!

36 Questions to make anyone fall in love with you.

Can you really fall in love with someone after 36 questions? How about anyone?

A 20-year-old study says you can - and so does the New York Times journalist who took psychologist Arthur Aron's 1997 test to see if closeness could be created in an experimental environment.

The quiz progresses from relaxed questions like, 'Would you like to be famous? In what way?' to more intimate ones such as, 'What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?'.

For his study, Aron paired up a couple of strangers - a heterosexual man and woman - and gave them 45 minutes to answer the list of 36 questions, which gradually grew more intimate.

Then, the couple had to stare into each other’s eyes for four minutes in total silence.

In the end, the two participants who had walked into his laboratory through separate doors as total strangers fell in love.

Six months later they got married - and invited the entire lab to the ceremony.

They are broken into the three sets, or 'rounds', as they were originally presented. Each set is intended to be more intimate than the one that came before.

Set I

1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?

3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?

4. What would constitute a 'perfect' day for you?

5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?

7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?

8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.

9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

10. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?

11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.

12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

Set II

13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?

14. Is there something that you've dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it?

15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

16. What do you value most in a friendship?

17. What is your most treasured memory?

18. What is your most terrible memory?

19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?

20. What does friendship mean to you?

21. What roles do love and affection play in your life?

22. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.

23. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people's?

24. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?

Set III

25. Make three true 'we' statements each. For instance, 'We are both in this room feeling ... '

26. Complete this sentence: 'I wish I had someone with whom I could share ... '

27. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.

28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you've just met.

29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.

30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?

31. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.

32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven't you told them yet?

34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?

35. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?

36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner's advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2909261/The-36-questions-guaranteed-make-fall-love-Two-couples-soulmates-taking-psychologists-quiz.html#ixzz3P12Kngj3
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

27 things every woman in her late 20s should know:

Juskteez Vu / unsplash.com

1. It is not the end of the world if you don’t have a facial cleansing regime.

2. Don’t worry about your data plan. Unless you are watching Netflix every day with no Wi-Fi, 1GB is probably enough.

3. Nobody will notice the patch of hair you missed while shaving your legs.

4. And going to the gym with stubbly armpits is not a big deal.

5. If you would like a second cup of coffee at the hairdresser’s, just ask. You are paying for it already.

6. If you asked for poached eggs at a restaurant, and they arrive hard, just send them back. You are paying for it already.

7. If you are not having a nice time at a party, you can leave.

8. “Excuse me, I need to go and make a phone call” is an excellent way to step out of a dull conversation at a party.

9. “Excuse me, I’m going to go mingle” is an excellent way to stop a conversation with a tiresome person at a party.

10. Superfoods are not something you need to worry about. Eat an orange.

11. Some things are seldom worth doing yourself. See: taxes (accountant), waxing (beautician), computer repair (technician).

12. Do not engage with voicemail.

13. If you don’t want to drink on a night out, there is no need to.

14. One thoughtful small gift is much better than lots of big gifts.

15. Unless that large gift is a pony.

16. A jaunty iPhone case is nothing to be ashamed of.

17. See also: a statement nail.

18. Tip generously, but always check the bill.

19. Everyone has accidentally added a kiss to an important email. It’s not a big deal.

20. Being on someone else’s 30 Under 30 list is lame. Make your own list.

21. Instagram is not real life.

22. But if you feel good about yourself, why not stop to take a selfie?

23. If you like an outfit, wear it as many times as you like.

24. However, it is a good idea to dry-clean your winter coat every spring.

25. Your friends generally have your best interests at heart.

26. But sometimes this won’t come across. Especially through WhatsApp.

27. Getting home to your own bed at the end of the night > crashing on a sofa.

16 things I know are true but have yet to learn- From Raptitude.com - Thanks Jay

There’s a difference between knowing something and living as if it were true. At the end of 2013, these truths are all lingering on that awkward threshold, for me anyway.

1) The sooner you do something, the more of your life you get to spend with that thing done — even though it takes less effort (or at least no more) than it will later. It’s the ultimate sure-thing investment and I pass it up all the time.

2) I never regret working out. I can’t count the number of times I’ve negotiated with myself to work out the next day instead of today because I’m worried it will be a “bad workout.” I seldom have a bad day on a day that I work out.

3) Whenever I’m playing with my phone I am only shortening my life. A smartphone is useful if you have a specific thing you want to do, but ninety per cent of the time the thing I want to do is avoid doing something harder than surfing Reddit. During those minutes or hours, all I’m doing is dying.

4) Nothing makes me more productive and in-the-moment than a clean house. There is mind-clearing magic in cleanliness. Waking up in a house whereeverything is put away is a glorious feeling. There seem to be more possibilities in the air, and all my things seem more useful.

5) Minute-for-minute, nothing I do is more rewarding than meditation. Even after just a very short session, it reliably makes me better at everything, especially making decisions. It lets me do my best. Yet I still do it only intermittently.

6) Creative work is something that can be done at any time. It’s no different than any other kind of work. Inspiration is nice but completely optional. I’ve almostcompletely come around on this one in 2013. But sometimes the Four Horsemen still trick me.

7) Acting the way you want to feel usually works. When I feel crappy just before I have to go do something, if I decide to act as if I am happy for a while (even though I’m not) I usually end up feeling happy after not too long, or at least much less crappy. This is straight out of Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project and it’s an extremely powerful thing to experiment with. [More on this in an upcoming post.]

8) Ninety-five per cent of my happiness comes from having a home, a functioning body and something to eat. I live in utter luxury, by any sensible standard of what “luxury” is. If I am unhappy it’s because I’ve lost perspective about the other five per cent. 

9) Our minds are geared to manage much less than we typically end up managing. Modern people have so many options they conflict with each other in almost every area. The fewer things I have, the more I enjoy my things. The fewer goals I have, the better I do them. The smaller the portion size, the better food tastes.

10) The quickest and most reliable path to personal improvement is to do the things on my list that I resist most. Internal resistance should be taken as a big red sign guaranteeing rapid growth and new capabilities. Given my experience with the ecstasy that comes with overcoming resistance, logically I should be attracted to it by now.

11) All you need to do to finish things is keep starting them until they’re done. The idea of doing something in its entirety always seems hard. But it’s easy to commit to simply starting on something, and then you’re past most of the resistance. Continuing is just as easy. (Thanks to Leo Babauta for this one.)

12) Whenever I think I’m mad at a person, I’m really just mad at a situation.I’m mad because suddenly life requires something new of me, and it’s easy to implicate a person who contributed to that situation. I want the situation to be responsible for fixing itself, so I attribute it to someone else’s moral failing, and then I don’t have to feel responsible for this new problem of mine.

13) Ultimately, to get something done you have to forget about everything else while you do it. The mind is always telling you that 85 things are on fire and you need to do everything now. However you respond emotionally to it, to move things along you have to pick one to deal with, and let the rest continue burning while you do.

14) The most consistently joyful activities for me are visiting with other people and reading books. Aside from earning a living and a bit of travel there isn’t much else I need in my life. Somehow these two things are still not clear priorities. What are yours?

15) If I find myself in an argument, I’ve made a mistake. It doesn’t matter whose position makes more sense, because by the time it’s an argument any real communication has ended. Marshall Rosenberg’s brilliant method of Nonviolent Communication is a far more useful default response than argument, but I often forget it completely.

16) Few things matter long-term other than relationships, health, personal finance and personal growth. Crises in almost every other area turn over so quickly there’s not much reason to get upset at them. Interestingly, those four are the areas that probably contribute most to happiness in the short term too.