Ruby & Prew’s trip to the Zoo

Ruby came down from Ely (or thereabouts) on Sunday and we went to Whipsnade Zoo, which is near Dunstable. I’ve been to Whipsnade many times, mostly as a child but also a few years ago I went with my dad. That time we didn’t see all the animals and I was particularly gutted that the wolves didn’t show. Now they have even more animals than ever before, and we made a committed effort to see every single animal. Even those that didn’t make an appearance the first time around, we went back for… which paid off.

The star of the day for me was the adorable little red panda who ran around his (or her) enclosure and climbed its tree like a maniac. Also, I feel like I can relate. Other favourites included the moose (mooses? meese?), wolves and, of course, the wolverines.

These poor quality photograph are courtesy of my iPhone/Instagram

Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli

I like films as much as the average person. I’ve even started going to the cinema fairly regularly (Orange Wednesdays, wahoo!). But I’m not the kind of person who knows anything about directors or producers of films, I only just about know the names of the actors. And only sometimes, because chances are I’ve probably not seen all the famous films they’ve been in. I won’t go into all the classic films that I’ve never seen…

I appreciate the title or credits sequences and the film posters, because I’m a graphic designer and that’s what I know how to appreciate. But something I really admire, and have no concept of just how complicated and time-consuming creating it is, is animation. But while I think Pixar is great at what it does, I don’t feel the same love for it as I do towards Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

Earlier in the week it was announced that Hayao Miyazaki – one of the founders, directors, animators and general face of Studio Ghibli – is going to retire from the film business.

“Miyazaki, 72, is one of the most celebrated figures in animated film-making, with iconic movies such as 1997's Princess Mononoke, 2001's Oscar-winning Spirited Away and 2004's Howl's Moving Castle in his canon. With Isao Takahata, he co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985. The company has produced 18 feature films, with several taking the top spot at the Japanese box office for their respective years of release.

Miyazaki, who won a lifetime achievement award from the Venice film festival in 2005, previously retired following the international success of Princess Mononoke, but returned to direct Spirited Away four years later and then stepped in to take charge of Howl's Moving Castle when original director Mamoru Hosoda unexpectedly quit the production. The Wind Rises, his 11th feature-length film, is a fictionalised biography of Jiro Horikoshi, who designed Japanese fighter planes during the second world war.” – the guardian

He will be missed but, of course, he is not the only person who creates the amazing Ghibli films. The studio will continue without him and I’m sure the future films will be just as excellent as all those that have come before.

Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away

Milton Keynes streets

It’s no secret that I’m not particularly fond of my hometown, but since moving back here after university I have learnt to appreciate it for what good things it does have. Even if it is mostly roundabouts, a shopping centre and concrete [cows]. It does have some history, in places like Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford, Bletchley Park(!) and even closer to home in Bradwell – history being the kind of thing I tend to like in a town. Plus I can’t really complain about the amount of trees and generally green spaces. Willen Lake is one of my favourite places, dare I say, in the world? (To be fair, I haven’t seen much of the world – that will soon change.)

I own this postcard. But my scanner is rubbish.

A (worryingly) recent discovery for me is that all of the streets in Milton Keynes – at least the ones that were built in the last 30 years – are named with a specific theme. You see, Milton Keynes is divided into many different estates, each estate then comprises of streets (like any other town). But each estate has it’s own street naming theme from flowers to musicians and British woodlands to American states.

You may wonder why I had never realised the streets were named in this way before. To be honest, I had noticed that some streets seemed to have similar meanings to others nearby but I hadn’t given it much thought and I’m sure most of the people of Milton Keynes haven’t got a clue either. I certainly hadn’t noticed it in all of the estates, nor even the one I live in.

Some examples:
Bancroft Roman Britain: Hadrians Drive, Stonegate, Caesars Close
Crownhill Music business: Presley Way, Hendrix Drive, Lennon Drive
Eaglestone Birds of prey: Peregrine Close, Harrier Drive, Osprey Close
Fishermead Cornish villages(!): Kernow Crescent, Helford Place, Penryn Avenue
Furzton Moorlands: Lynmouth Crescent, Dulverton Drive, Bickleigh Crescent
Monkston London tube stations: Maida Vale, Finsbury Chase, Waltham Drive
Walnut Tree Flowers and shrubs: Lavender Grove, Parsley Close, Cranberry Close

The full list of estates and their themes can be found here in this wonderful Milton Keynes Council document – scroll down to page 14.

Stockholm

Today I booked flights and hostel for a September Stockholm mini-break. I will be meeting up with Ellinor, from Norway, who I haven’t seen since February. We’ve been talking about potentially making this trip for quite a few months now but had some how left it until just over two weeks before the planned dates to actually book anything.

I’ve been wanting to visit Sweden and Stockholm in particular for quite a while. That’ll make three Scandinavian countries I’ve been to – which is quite a lot considering I’ve been barely anywhere else.

Better than English

There are words in some languages that simply don’t translate into a single English word. They can only be fully expressed in a phrase or sentence. Better than English collects these words – we post words and phrases that don't have direct English translations.

Shinrin-yoku (Japanese)
Forest bathing, or a visit to the forest for relaxation and breathing in tree oils to improve one’s health.

Fýrgebræc (Old English)
“The crackling sound made by a fire.”

Bothántaíocht (Irish)
From ‘bothán’ meaning ‘hut’ or ‘cabin’, the word refers to the act of going around the neighbours’ houses, collecting gossip.

Ayurnamat (Inuit)
A word describing the philosophy that there is no point in worrying about events that cannot be changed.

Schilderwald (German)
Said when a place or street is crowded with so many unnecessary road signs that you don’t know how to behave, or simply become lost.

Xingfu (Chinese)
A sort of happiness or contentedness felt through having everything you want in life and/or not having any looming worries. It describes a long-term feeling about one’s life situation rather than a happiness achieved through a singular outcome or situation.

East Devon mini-holiday

I had Friday off work to make a [long overdue] drive down to Devon to stay with Lauren – I was meant to visit, albeit by train, last November but that trip was cancelled due to flooding. However, it was well worth the wait (and I’ve seen Lauren several times since November anyway). We explored Exeter on Friday, I’ve never been before aside from the train station and motorway services – which aren’t really even in Exeter. And on Saturday I drove us to Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton. The latter we had glorious weather for.

Exeter

Sidmouth

Budleigh Salterton