The 70th Hiroshima-Nagasaki Day

On the 6th of August 1945, the USA dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, on the 9th of August (exactly 70 years ago today), a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The two bombs killed almost 130,000 people, not to mention the thousands that were left injured or without their loved ones and homes. Unsurprisingly, a few days after the second bombing Japan surrendered and effectively ended World War II.

Every year the peace pagoda at Milton Keynes holds a commemorative ceremony to reflect on the horrors of war and invites people, from all nationalities and cultures, to ‘pray’ together for peace and harmony. There are chants, music and speeches from a variety of people, from variety of organisations and religions – not just Buddhists, after all peace is for everyone!

This year, for the 70th anniversary, I went along to be a part of the event and take some photographs. I dusted of my actual camera for the occasion – the camera I took to Japan but don’t really use for anything else… because, iPhone. Unfortunately, because my camera is really just a glorified point ’n’ click rather than a proper SLR, I didn’t take particularly good photos. Well, that and I’m no photographer!

A little bit of Japan in Milton Keynes

Yesterday morning I popped over to Milton Keynes to take Emily – creator, editor and photographer of Love Japan magazine – to the peace pagoda. It’s somewhere I’ve been wanting to show her for a while, because I adore the place, having visited it so many times in my life. Plus, it is really quite unusual that such a beautiful and unique, Buddhist and Japanese structure is situated in Milton Keynes – the town that pretty much everyone, even those that live there, judge as a concrete jungle.

Emily herself hadn’t really been to Milton Keynes (aside from the Bowl) but had heard other people’s opinions – see above: concrete jungle. However, she was pleasantly surprised by what bits of Milton Keynes I showed her. I’ve always said that the peace pagoda and the temple, with its surrounding gardens, is one of, if not my most, favourite places in all of the world. Emily could see why…

There were, unfortunately, quite a few cars (and a campervan!) parked outside the temple.

We went inside, removing our shoes of course, and absorbed the peaceful atmosphere.

And also went out to the rear garden – not walking on the stones!

The temple itself is distinctly Japanese-looking but without architectural details like onigawara.

It was lovely to wander around the peace pagoda and temple, but the actual reason for Emily coming to Milton Keynes was to photograph me for one of her photography degree projects, Shinnichi.

‘Shinnichi’ – literally translated as ‘a person who likes Japan’ – focuses on people, and their individual interest in Japanese culture, from fashion and pop culture, to tradition crafts and martial arts.

My portrait is the 7th in Emily’s series of 8 (the 8th has yet to be captured), although she intends for it to be an ongoing project outside of her degree. You can check out the other portraits in the series so far and read a bit more about the project here.

Tim Vantol @ The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted about a specific gig on my blog. I used to write a blog post with an assortment of photos after every show I went to, but now I go to a lot more gigs. Plus, I have Instagram for sharing my bad gig photography! BUT, last night I went to a gig that was just a little bit special. Special firstly because it was in my hometown, Milton Keynes, at the Craufurd Arms and secondly because it was a free show that I certainly would have paid good money to go and see.

My parents and I went to see Chuck Ragan in London about a month ago (you may recall this blog post about the poster I bought at the show). Supporting Chuck Ragan was a guy from the Netherlands with an acoustic guitar and one hell of a voice – Tim Vantol. Personally, I had heard of him before the Chuck show, as I knew he’d been on the Revival Tour with Chuck and co. before, but I had never actually listened to him. He wowed us there and then with his passionate acoustic (but certainly not quiet) music. And so it was when I was posting my gig pictures to Instagram later that night, and had started following Tim, that I discovered he was going be playing in Milton Keynes about a month later.

Milton Keynes, and the Craufurd Arms, always seems like an odd choice for bands to stop on their tours of the UK but I’m grateful that some artists do stop by. Even though I don’t live in Milton Keynes anymore, and Bedford does have a fairly decent music scene of its own, it was nice to return to my hometown for a spot of live music on a Tuesday night. So, along with my parents, I had an awesome time watching Tim Vantol play his heart out in the bar area of the pub. Tim had brought his band along for the ride this time too. And even though they were playing for a rather tiny audience – there can’t have been more than 20 people – it didn’t stop them from playing super enthusiastically.

Although I always take a few photographs, I have never been one to record videos at a gig. I always assume they’d come out rubbish or that I’m too far away or too short to film anything decent. Besides, I can’t be bothered to hold my phone still for 3 minutes when I could be bopping along to the music and singing along. However, given that there were so few people in the Craufurd Arms last night and I had the prime spot standing in front of the stage without anyone blocking my view, it was the perfect opportunity to film a little gig video. Plus, Tim and the band played two very different cover songs…

I didn’t catch the song from the beginning and only really filmed this snippet to share with my friend, Kat, who took me to see the Old Crow Medicine Show last year. I was surprised by how well this came out. I should have stayed filming a bit longer as the guitarist pulled off a magnificent solo. You’ll have to take my word for it.

Before playing Wagon Wheel, Tim had asked if anyone knew who OCMS were – I did, as did a few others. A few songs later, he asked if anyone knew who Against Me! were. To which I responded with an excited ‘Yes!’, whilst everyone else in the room remained quiet. They then proceeded to play one of my favourite AM! songs, Sink Florida Sink. Again, not the whole song as I wanted to enjoy it with my own eyes and ears, rather than through my iPhone. (I posted a clip of this video on Instagram/Twitter and got a favourite from AM! singer Laura Jane Grace herself – plus Tim!)

After the show, I knew that I had to tell Tim how brilliant the covers were – as well as the whole set in general – even if it was a little daunting to speak to a musician I admire. I bought a copy of his newest album on vinyl and my dad bought the first album on CD. We chatted to him for what seemed like far longer than we perhaps should have done! I said we’d seen him with Chuck last month and mum told him I was educating my parents in good music. Not strictly true as they’re already very well educated. Tim wanted to know what was good in Milton Keynes, so we told him about the greenery and parks, and then he gave mum some tourist tips for Amsterdam in exchange.

All-in-all, he was such a lovely guy and seemed genuinely pleased to be playing in Milton Keynes – he had noticed the excessive amount of roundabouts, by the way, if you were wondering. I’ve never been brave enough or had enough to say to a musician at a show before, but I’m pleased that last night I did. I look forward to seeing Mr. Vantol again someday soon…

Canalside walk: Wolverton to Cosgrove

This morning, well late-morning/almost afternoon, I took a walk from Wolverton to Cosgrove along the Grand Union Canal with my parents and some of their friends. It was about a 4 or 5 mile round trip with a lovely pub lunch at the Barley Mow, in Cosgrove (I had beer-battered fish and chips and half a pint of English ale – see photo below). I was planning on joining them on the walk anyway but was all the more encouraged when I woke up this morning, opened the curtains and saw how sunny it was. It’s about time too!

The only really sunny, warm and Spring-like day I can recall this year so far is when Steve and I went to the Battersea Park peace pagoda, in London, at the beginning of March. No doubt there have been some sunny days whilst I’ve been at work as well, but I don’t get to enjoy the sunshine so much inside the office! However, now that the clocks have gone forward and Spring is well and truly here, it is nice to leave work in daylight. If it remains warmer and sunnier, I may even start venturing outdoors after work!

That bridge with the cyclists on it is in fact the Grand Union canal that crosses over this other river. If you look closely, you can see a canal boat crossing over. Seems strange that boats go over a bridge to cross another body of water.

I probably shouldn’t have found this sign so amusing… but I did.

Here’s the canal going over the river!

Cosgrove church between the trees.

We had to walk through this old horse tunnel to get to the pub. Not sure how big the horses were as my dad had to duck a little!

Nice pint of English ale at the Barley Mow in Cosgrove… well, this is dad’s pint as I only had half. But he got the proper relevant beer glass.

The old railway works in Wolverton, alongside the canal.

My first photograph of daffodils this Spring.

I really liked this huge old railway bridge, so I went back to take a photo before we went home.

2014

2015 is going to have to try really damn hard to beat 2014. I’m almost certain it isn’t going to be as good but that’s okay, because this year really was a great year.

• I went to Japan, and for that alone 2014 has been better than all years previously. Japan is somewhere that has always been top of my list of countries to visit. It’s still top of my list now, because I can’t wait to go back! (I’m currently putting together a book of my travels – much like the digital version).

• I moved out, and although only 20 miles or so down the road, I no longer live in Milton Keynes nor with my parents. I live closer to work, and my job/workplace is pretty darn great too, by the way. Not wanting to move back home yet, although it has been nice being ‘home’ for Christmas this last week.

• It’s been an awesome year for music (last years resolution accomplished). Almost all of my favourite bands had new albums – I vote Chuck Ragan’s Something May Catch Fire as my album of the year but The Menzingers’ Rented World was the soundtrack to my Japan trip so that’s special too. And Against Me! at the Electric Ballroom last month was my top gig. Although, again, that was closely followed by The Menzingers closing WTFest in Southampton. I had a top gig buddy (boyfriend) too. :)

2015 will be alright, probably.

The 7 Wonders of Milton Keynes: booklet

You’ve read the blog series (1, 2, 3 & 4), now enjoy the [e-]booklet.

The 7 Wonders of Milton Keynes: Part 4

Following on from Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3…

6. Green spaces

Photo by myself

Milton Keynes has a reputation for being a man-made concrete jungle lacking in character, but this is not entirely truthful – it is certainly not lacking for green spaces. Yes, the town as a whole was formed from scratch, building in a linear grid-like system but the Milton Keynes Development Corporation (or the MKDC) had no intention of building a concrete city. Milton Keynes, taking its name from the village of the same name, was to be a ‘city in the trees’. They had planned for no building to be higher than the highest tree – which is still the case for most of Milton Keynes, although not Central Milton Keynes. This was at a time when high-rise flats and towering office blocks were common in most inner cities and towns. Milton Keynes, however, was designed with garden city ethics in mind and an integrated green landscape throughout the town.

Milton Keynes is a town built around its parks, lakes, rivers and woodland. From the popular central Campbell Park to the many different lakes and river valley parks, the town is not short of natural places. The roads are lined with trees and there are even hundreds of plants inside the shopping centre! In Newlands, near the Willen Lakes, there is a cathedral but not your typical cathedral – it’s made of trees. Designed by a landscape architect named Neil Higson in 1986, the tree cathedral uses different species of trees to form the different sections of a traditional cathedral. For example, the Chapter House is a tapering mound, dressed with laurels and from the top of this, the tree cathedral can be viewed.

Much of the parkland and green spaces within Milton Keynes, around 5,000 acres of rivers, valleys, woodlands, lakes, parks and landscaped areas, are cared for and managed by The Parks Trust. The Parks Trust is an independent charity, separate from the council which means that green spaces can be managed and protected without having to compete for council funding. Parks Trust managed green spaces include: Caldecoote, Furzton, Lodge and Willen lakes, Linford and Shenley woods, Campbell Park and Ouzel Valley Park, Stony Stratford Nature Reserve and the Great Linford Brick Kilns.

However, it’s not just the trees and parks that help to make Milton Keynes a green place. The award-winning eco-homes at Oxley Woods in the south west of Milton Keynes, are a prime example of green living at its best – and that goes for the UK in general, not just Milton Keynes. Designed by one of the architects behind the iconic Pompidou Centre in Paris, Richard Rogers, Oxley Woods homes have an innovative, energy-saving design. They exceed the government’s sustainability targets and have carbon emissions 50% lower than other new properties in the area. Milton Keynes is also a ‘plugged in place’ aiming to increase the use of electric cars within the town. There are several charging points in Central Milton Keynes, with hopes to install more. And it’s not just the cars in Milton Keynes that are electric, eight new electric buses – the first of their kind in the UK – are now running between Wolverton and Bletchley. How is that for a green city?

Photos by myself

7. Culture

Photo by myself

There is a saying that goes something like “What’s the difference between Milton Keynes and yogurt? Yogurt has culture.” Which, while mildly amusing, is both completely untrue and insulting. There is in fact a lot going on; from theatre and art to live music, museums and more, Milton Keynes is not short of non-shopping based things to get involved in.

The Point, named because of its red metal pyramid frame, in Central Milton Keynes was home to the UK’s first multiplex cinema. It opened in 1985 and included 10 screens, however, when the Xscape opened with its own more deluxe multiplex cinema in 2002 cinema fans went there instead. The Point did continue to house a cinema, first with easyCinema – think easyJet but with films instead of flights – and now with Odeon. But, in March 2014, it was announced that Milton Keynes council had voted in favour of demolishing the building. It will be sad to see such an iconic building go – a pyramid shaped one too! – but never fear, there is plenty more to do here…

Milton Keynes is home to a 1,400 seat theatre showcasing a variety of small and large West End productions, touring opera, ballet, drama and classical music concerts as well as the seasonal pantomime in December. In addition to this, there are also performance spaces in Bletchley, Leadenhall, Stantonbury and Wolverton. Next to Milton Keynes Theatre is a public art gallery presenting free exhibitions of international contemporary artwork. The Milton Keynes Gallery also hosts Friday film nights and often has live music on Saturdays. As well as the art within the gallery, Milton Keynes has several art trails and is home to one of the largest collections of publicly-sited art in the UK, with more than 200 pieces of public art.

The National Bowl is an open-air venue for large scale music events, with a capacity of 65,000. Previous performers have included Bon Jovi, Eminem, Robbie Williams, Green Day and The Prodigy. On a smaller scale, The Stables in Wavendon, provides high-quality jazz, blues, folk, classical and world music across two stages. The venue also hosts workshops and an annual summer camp for young aspiring musicians. Up until about 2010, The Pitz Club at the Woughton Centre in Leadenhall hosted gigs for less mainstream tastes, with music ranging from punk and ska to heavy metal. Now The Craufurd Arms in Wolverton caters to those with a more alternative music taste as well as hosting a comedy club once a month.

Milton Keynes has two main museums: Bletchley Park – which holds both the museum of wartime cryptography and the national museum of computing – and the Milton Keynes Museum – which includes collections of rural life that existed before the new town. As well as these museums, Milton Keynes has a Discovery Centre at Bradwell Abbey which, along with providing a wealth of information in its library, is also the location of several medieval buildings including a Grade 1 listed chapel. Also nearby, in Bancroft – also home to the famous concrete cows – are the remains of a Roman villa. One of the original mosaics from the villa is displayed in CMK shopping centre.

The town has also been home to the Milton Keynes International Festival, since 2010, which takes place once every 2 years and is spread over ten days in July. Featuring a world-class programme of extraordinary events in unusual places and public spaces, incorporating music, dance, comedy, cabaret and more. 89% of people, asked in 2012, thought that the International Festival was helping to raise the profile of Milton Keynes and 98% felt that it had a positive impact on their opinion of the town.

So, do you still think Milton Keynes has no culture?

Photos by myself

This project has been a long time in the making – mainly because I don’t actually live in Milton Keynes anymore (to take any more photographs) but also because life is busy. So, I am sorry to the people that I intrigued way back in March (?!) with this idea and then wasn’t too quick about pursuing it.

There is an [e-]booklet version of this, coming soon, with more photographs – plus it actually makes use of my editorial design skills – but first of all I wanted to post my words in a series of blog posts…