Write, edit, tea, walk, rabbits, life – not in any order.
The Glass Room Experience and Data Detox Bar will be held at Stirchley Library on Saturday 4 August as part of Tactical Tech's campaign to start a global conversation on data and privacy. The day has been organised by Fiona Cullinan, who trained as a volunteer at The Glass Room London, a pop-up tech store … Continue reading "Data detox day at Stirchley Library"
After donating my teenage memory of 'being flashed' to the Secret Stirchley crew at the pop-up arts tearoom, this weekend my embarrassing memory became the stuff of a Stirchley promenade street theatre narrative. Performed by three actors as part of the Inhabit programme of pop-up tearooms, the stories they had collected from Stirchley residents over … Continue reading "Secret Stirchley, flashers and goodbye tearoom"
I took a photowalk down my local Stirchley High Street on Friday to log the growing diversity of shops I'd been noticing there of late, including a new pop-up tearoom… There are lots of independents in Stirchley Village (as it now seems to be have been renamed), such as: P Browell Tobacconist, Wards greengrocers, Pandora's … Continue reading "The new Stirchley Village in pictures"
This five-minute video essay was extracted from the longer video installation from the British Council-sponsored Parallel Walking exhibition at Artefact Gallery, Stirchley in February 2022. It is combined here with the 'Female Calculations' text from Parallel Walking zine (text below). The film is available for showing at film nights and festivals. Please get in touch … Continue reading "Female Calculations – a short film on female safety algorithms"
Oh hello! I'm back! And here we all are again. In a local lockdown – one of so many, let's just call it a national lockdown, shall we? Effectively we all relaxed in the summer and now we're on the upstroke of a steepening second wave, which threatens to be much worse than the first, as … Continue reading "Pandemic diary 101: My first Covid test"
I'm not going to lie, personally I already miss the lockdown. Despite the ongoing anxiety-inducing circumstances of a global pandemic, the lockdown itself was often a time of peace and quiet and reflection and safety, free of many of the usual obligations of life. Looking back, I mostly remember it for the May heatwave spent … Continue reading "Pandemic diary 100: Looking back at 100 days of lockdown"
Local lockdown survey results My local MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, Steve McCabe, did a survey about what people felt about relaxing the lockdown. I'm sure he won't mind if I republish some of the findings here for posterity. Sadly he doesn't say how many people responded but it was a free survey so I'm … Continue reading "Pandemic diary 96: Is it time to temporarily pedestrianise the high street?"
Rejection I didn't get the job – a freelance project manager for a local tree charity – despite doing loads of preparation and (I think) doing well at interview. I just didn't have enough experience and, like a teenager looking for their first job, I can't get that experience without getting the job. Career transitions are hard. … Continue reading "Pandemic diary 92: Rejection and escape into lockdown books"
Today is the day when the sun reaches its highest point and when daylight is longest. I celebrated the winter solstice with other women who walk. Now midsummer is here and I'll be out tonight with another small crew of five or six fellow travellers. We're walking based on a select tour of nominated oddities … Continue reading "Pandemic diary 89: Happy Summer Solstice"
Lowering the alert level from 4 to 3 means the virus is in the general population and that restrictions can therefore ease further, though it's not a given. Here is a variety of opinions nicked from BBC comments: This is Outrageous! Relaxing the lockdown like this is Totally Irresponsible! Good news, but the damage has … Continue reading "Pandemic diary 88: UK alert level lowered"
