Musings | Clare Lydon

Painting: The New Sexy

September 2, 2013

So next week, I plan to paint our spare room which is where I’m writing this from today, sitting at my newly built desk. The desk means I’ll be spending way more time in here from now on, so clearly it’s time to put my mark on it. Currently the walls are a sickly yellow with a feature wall of peppermint green, both a hangover from the previous owners of the property who clearly thought this was the combination to inspire their toddler son. It doesn’t inspire me so it has to go… Continue reading » “Painting: The New Sexy”

2013: A Year Of Firsts

August 30, 2013

This year has been a strange one for me in many ways – but largely strange is a positive way, packed with things I’ve never done before. I mean, I’ve turned into an avid watcher of the Great British Bake Off (see here for more), I’m now a proficient jogger who doesn’t look like she’s about to die after ten minutes’ effort and I’ve managed to perfect the art of soft-boiling a quail’s egg. Yes, 2013 has certainly been a year of firsts… Continue reading » “2013: A Year Of Firsts”

A UK Suntan? Unheard of…

August 28, 2013

In previous years of my life it’s been possible to detect a suntan on my skin – usually pretty faint, but undoubtedly darker than my bog-standard pearly white. Of course, being Irish my skin is of delicate persuasion and so to get to anything beyond my usual hue, I have to sit patiently in the sun for no longer than an hour at a time with factor 20 lathered on my skin – getting any colour is no mean feat. Which is why this year’s suntan has come as such a surprise, being that it’s not only been garnered on these shores but also by lounging in my back garden… Continue reading » “A UK Suntan? Unheard of…”

Section 28: The Fight Continues

August 20, 2013

Yikes. That was my first reaction when I heard the news on the radio this morning that over 40 schools across the country had dug up the spirit of Section 28 from its rotting grave, dusted it off and declared it back in action once again. A bit of an understatement I’ll grant you, but it was only 9am and I was yet to have my first coffee of the morning, so forgive me. Now the caffeine’s sunk in, my reaction is more OMG WTF? I mean, I know the 80s are all back in fashion again, but surely this is taking it a step too far… Continue reading » “Section 28: The Fight Continues”

What The Frack Is Fracking?

July 31, 2013

$fracking-PA$

Recently, the news seems to be getting filled up with lots of stories about fracking. “What the frack is fracking?” a friend of mine asked recently. Good fracking question I thought. So I looked into it. After countless hours (approx) spent staring at scientificky computer screens, I have come up with the following… Continue reading » “What The Frack Is Fracking?”

Civil Partnership = Registry Pain

July 10, 2013

Yesterday, my partner and I went to the local town hall to register our intent to have a civil partnership next year. We’d like to have a wedding, but we’ve decided to go ahead with our celebration as planned and not wait around for the government to finally catch up with the public wish for marriage equality. They’re not the most speedy bunch. And neither, as we found out, are the people at the council. Here’s roughly how our experience went…

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Royal Greeeenidge: Walk This Way

May 17, 2013

Most days, so long as it’s not raining slantways into my eyeballs, I like to go for a walk along the river Thames or through Royal Greenwich Park. Not because I’m posh but because they’re both within a 10-minute walk of my front door. I might not be posh but I am lazy. Walking slows the constant whir of my brain, stopping it getting too outsized for my head or scaring passers-by with its volume. Or at least that’s what I read on the internet so it must be true… Continue reading » “Royal Greeeenidge: Walk This Way”

Hello, Sunshine…

February 20, 2013

When I tell people that I live in Greenwich, it invariably gets a favourable response. People like Greenwich. It’s green, it’s old, it’s by the river. They recently filmed a great swathe of the film Les Miserables here, it’s a favourite spot for pop videos and it’s where time begins and ends. In short, it’s considered way better than living in nearby Deptford…

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Say ‘I Do’ To Marriage Equality

February 8, 2013

February 5th was a historic night in my life, in the life of British politics and the British populace. This was the night that parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of same-sex marriage, thereby ushering in a new era of marriage where it’s open to all, whoever you fall in love with. No longer are gays and lesbians second-class citizens at the wedding breakfast – soon we’ll be able to call it a wedding, call our spouse our spouse, and dualities of husbands and wives will be commonplace. This is so astonishing that even writing it is still astounding…

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Holy Eurotrash – It’s Nearly Eurovision Time!

May 3, 2010November 13, 2019

The 54th annual Eurovision Song Contest will be played out in Oslo on May 29th, with the UK entry Josh Dubovie readying to give his plucky rendition of the Pete Waterman-penned That Sounds Good To Me. After the shock of last year’s entry Jade Ewan finishing fifth overall, Josh has something to live up to but we fear that normal service will be resumed this year unless Euroland falls for this. But let’s be honest – even Sonia would have rejected this number. Still, that shouldn’t detract from your enjoyment of the yearly parade of Europop, so come with us as we inspect the UK’s entry further and pick our top five Eurovision moments…

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