mitchenstein 365

2009-09-06T11:37:00.000+01:00

A real highlight of the holiday for me was when I got to go to the Salvation Army corps/church in Lisbon. I had a great time, met some very friendly people and came away all the better for it.

2009-09-05T11:35:00.001+01:00

Another day, another view. This was taken from the Belem Tower in, well, Belem.

2009-09-04T11:31:00.001+01:00

The Castelo de Sao Jorge sitting high on the hill above central Lisbon.

2009-09-03T11:29:00.000+01:00

A view of Lisbon from the King George VI Park, near Marques de Pombal.

2009-09-02T11:24:00.001+01:00

In Portugal for a few days with the family. We arrived late afternoon, and decided to go for a little stroll around Lisbon's beautiful city centre.

2009-09-01T11:09:00.000+01:00

I keep finding paint on me after yesterday!

2009-08-31T10:54:00.006+01:00

Today we set off for Walthamstow for a day of decorating and cleaning at the Salvation Army there. It was a fantastic day, and you can read here to find out more!

2009-08-30T10:51:00.001+01:00

Sang six songs at the Salvation Army in Hadleigh today, and was for the first time accompanied for half of them by my brother on guitar. He did really well. Singing so many songs is hard work, but a lot of fun and it seemed to go down well :)

2009-08-29T10:49:00.000+01:00

What Was I Thinking: Part II Again, I have absolutely no idea why I took this photo or what it's supposed to signify... I can only apologise and promise that I will try not to let this happen again :)

2009-08-28T10:39:00.000+01:00

Yet another sad day...

2009-08-27T10:38:00.001+01:00

Look how much I lived on the edge today!

2009-08-26T10:35:00.000+01:00

I have one week in which to learn Portuguese. I reckon I might do it!

2009-08-25T10:32:00.002+01:00

In a big to make my life more exciting, look how long I left it before taking today's photo! :D

2009-08-24T10:30:00.001+01:00

Yesterday at the Army people kept asking whether or not I'd seen the Open University programme about the Faroe Islands. I hadn't, so I went home today and watched it online. And it's made me miss it so much! (I'm also very impressed with how many people watch Open University programmes!).

2009-08-23T10:26:00.001+01:00

What Was I Thinking: Part I - I have absolutely no idea why I took a photo of the clock and ceiling in our dining room. No idea at all. Any suggestions? (This is what happens when you update the blog a long time after taking the photo - there was probably some really deep meaning behind this shot).

2009-08-22T10:02:00.001+01:00

Went to a CD launch for Mel Wiggins tonight at Sutton. It was an excellent evening, and she was great :) (Wow, book launches, CD launches - I'm living the high life!).

2009-08-21T09:50:00.001+01:00

Sus and Katie :)

2009-08-20T09:48:00.000+01:00

Today I had to sit and have a big sort-out of all my mitchenstein photos - I'm a little behind with putting them online! (Haha, John said 'little behind'!).

2009-08-19T09:46:00.000+01:00

Aldgate Jungle Underground Station

2009-08-18T18:10:00.001+01:00

ANOTHER walk! Sun above the shore. I've become VERY arty now, haven't I? It won't last.

2009-08-17T18:07:00.002+01:00

Another walk. The yacht masts at dusk.

2009-08-16T18:06:00.000+01:00

A new bench for the garden. I'm the one who lugs the flippin' thing up the High Street, and Paul's the one who gets all the glory for putting it together... Man, it's been hot today.

2009-08-15T18:04:00.000+01:00

A nice family meal at the Rettendon Bell in, well, Rettendon.

2009-08-14T18:02:00.000+01:00

I've decided to start going on walks, like I did when I was in the Faroes. When I was there, I was constantly thinking about what might make a good photo and what might make a good walk. So I've started doing the same here. The seafront.

2009-08-13T18:01:00.001+01:00

And again.

2009-08-12T17:59:00.001+01:00

I am absolutely shattered. Music School has COMPLETELY taken it out of me this year.

2009-08-11T17:58:00.000+01:00

Hamburg Central Railway Station. My favourite hangout when I lived in Hamburg and had no friends (don't worry, I got some) - it was good to see it again!

2009-08-10T17:55:00.000+01:00

The psychedelic lamp at my friend's flat in Hamburg. Pretty cool, huh?

2009-08-09T23:00:00.001+01:00

This was taken at about 5am. It's tradition on the last night of music school to attempt to go straight through without going to bed. Heavy going, but when it looks like this, it's kinda worth it.

2009-08-08T22:59:00.000+01:00

Sarah and myself after a trip to the ice-cream parlour (after the final concert). Going to Germany just wouldn't be the same without it!

2009-08-07T22:56:00.002+01:00

CLASSIC! Tonight we played 'Beat the Drum'. Oh yes, there's actually a Salvation Army board game. It's from Canada I think, and contains fantastic squares such as 'You were late for the morning meeting. Go back three spaces.' Immense!

2009-08-06T22:55:00.000+01:00

Start 'em young!

2009-08-05T22:53:00.001+01:00

Sarah and Tim with their, and I quote, "Postmodernist Tambourine March". Pretty cool, but I'm just glad some of the older people there didn't understand the lyrics...

2009-08-04T22:47:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry, but the view from my room sucks this year. Last year I had this. This year, my balcony isn't actually off the floor, and it's surrounded by trees. :(

2009-08-03T22:46:00.001+01:00

OK, this is a photo of a photo my friend Raphael took, but I thought it was pretty cool. Everyone thinks it looks like a photo from a Salvation Army magazine - I'm the guy who's come to the Army for help and my friend Sarah is giving me a listening ear. I also like it, because it looks like I think she's a moron.

2009-08-02T22:44:00.000+01:00

It has absolutely CHUCKED it down today. Proper torrential. But I'm not sure how well that comes out on this picture... But take my word for it.

2009-08-01T10:20:00.000+01:00

Chilling by the lake. And realising that others had decided to turn my legs into a garden.

2009-07-31T10:18:00.000+01:00

I don't care how punctual German trains are. If they only come twice an hour, it doesn't really matter, does it? Waiting at the airport station. For a long time.

2009-07-30T10:16:00.000+01:00

Bag packed again and tomorrow morning (at 3am) I've off to Music School in Germany. Highlight of my year!

2009-07-29T10:15:00.001+01:00

Getting artistic on the train home...

2009-07-28T10:13:00.001+01:00

The beautiful Gower Peninsula.

2009-07-27T10:11:00.001+01:00

Just a taster of what it would be like if Southend was Welsh-speaking. Which I think it should be.

2009-07-26T10:08:00.001+01:00

Went to a meeting at The Salvation Army, or should I say Byddin yr Iachawdwriaeth, today. (We're in Swansea for a couple of days).

2009-07-25T10:06:00.001+01:00

We had a big barbecue at ours today. Do you think we've got enough rolls?

2009-07-24T10:05:00.000+01:00

Guys, get out your old junior soldiers ties. According to H&M, they're in this season.

2009-07-23T10:04:00.000+01:00

The clouds in the background looked like mountains, I thought. Or maybe it's just me missing the Faroes...

2009-07-22T10:02:00.000+01:00

I have worked all day and I am dead. (VERY poor quality photo due to my phone not being able to deal with darkness. And I was too tired to go and get my camera.)

2009-07-21T10:00:00.000+01:00

Oh no.

2009-07-20T09:59:00.000+01:00

LONDON, BABY!!! (I've missed it!)

2009-07-19T09:58:00.001+01:00

I tried on Josh's glasses. The more I look at this photo, the cooler I think I look...

2009-07-18T09:54:00.001+01:00

Team John at the Car Rally. We came third and was robbed.*

*The team name was actually Fiesta Resistance and the Poddington Peas. Guess which part I came up with :)

2009-07-17T09:52:00.001+01:00

A great evening with great friends, meringues, chocolate sauce, marshmallows and cream. What more could a guy want?

2009-07-16T09:49:00.000+01:00

Aren't we cool? After (another!) concert (I've been home for ten days and done three) we realised that we all had the same shoes. Although mine (red rim, turn-ups) were slightly more Faroese than everyone else's.

2009-07-15T09:47:00.001+01:00

Today I bought some new jeans. And I'm mega happy with them. You'll see them. All in good time, my friends. All in good time.

2009-07-14T09:46:00.000+01:00

And today I had to spend rather a lot of time on the phone.

2009-07-13T09:44:00.000+01:00

From the Ice Bar. Very cool. Literally.

2009-07-12T09:41:00.001+01:00

Another day, another concert. And this expression, believe it or not, is a look of relief (it went very well!).

2009-07-11T09:40:00.001+01:00

Straight after the concert, a group of us went out for a birthday meal. Good times, good times!

2009-07-10T09:37:00.001+01:00

OK... I have to learn 8 songs ready for a concert tomorrow. (Addition: Which I unfortunately didn't manage to achieve. I wrote the words down on little cards and THOUGHT no-one would see them. But see them they did.)

2009-07-09T09:36:00.001+01:00

OK, so I can still only play E minor, but don't I look the part?

2009-07-08T09:35:00.000+01:00

Living out of a suitcase. I should probably unpack this fairly soon.

2009-07-07T09:33:00.000+01:00

Home and already into my new thing - to learn the guitar. Today I mastered E minor! (It took a long time for me to get that. My brother lost patience with me after a while).

2009-07-06T09:29:00.000+01:00

And today I went home! A sad and happy day... (see here for more). Just as I was going to bed, I realised that I'd completely forgotten to take a photo today - then remembered that I'd actually taken one final photo of the corps as I passed it on the way to the bus terminal. Phew!

2009-07-05T09:26:00.001+01:00

Doesn't it look great? As soon as the concert was finished (at about 1.30am), we had to set up the hall for an eightieth birthday celebration. This photo was taken at 3.30am. I was dead. The Faroese are pretty hardcore (plus, with the sky never actually turning dark, it seems that most of them have given up going to bed anyway).

2009-07-04T09:23:00.001+01:00

A very cool day today (and yesterday actually). To tie in with a music festival in the centre of Tórshavn, the Salvation Army (which is in the same road as the festival) has a Christian music concert for two nights. All the big Faroese Christian artists came (and there are a lot). The hall was full, which, as we'd been setting up until 3am in the morning, came as a big relief. This is 'our' four girls from the corps who also took part.

2009-07-03T09:21:00.000+01:00

I'm going to miss this place. I've spent MANY a nervous hour here. This is the entrance to the National Library, and the place I would make all my phone calls when I had to phone up schools and things. The phone calls themselves would last about three minutes. My nervous pacing up and down beforehand could take up to half an hour a time.

2009-07-02T09:20:00.000+01:00

Only in the Faroes.

2009-07-01T09:19:00.000+01:00

It was so foggy today that you couldn't see the whole bottom half of Nólsoy Island. I thought this was quite cool, so I put it on my blog.

2009-06-30T09:17:00.001+01:00

Going home within a week, and I start to think about all the things I'll miss. This is not one of them. It's the pathway between the university and the National Library. I'm clearly the only person who uses it, and you have to run and keep your mouth shut, as all KINDS of insect wait for you as you pass...

2009-06-29T09:14:00.000+01:00

Today was cool - they've started filming a Norwegian TV series in the middle of town. Well, I thought it was cool until I realised that they'd closed off my road and I couldn't get into my house. By the time I did, I wasn't able to get anything done, because I had some American (or Norwegian with an American accent) yelling 'CUT!' and 'ACTION!' about a metre away from my window.

2009-06-28T09:12:00.000+01:00

It's been a big ol' weekend, and I was really hot, so I'll chilled out and watch a film.

2009-06-27T09:10:00.001+01:00

Playing with the band in the pedestrian precinct for some Music Day or Summer Day or Summer Music Day or something like that. I should really listen more.

2009-06-26T09:08:00.001+01:00

Fantastic weather again today - another barbecue. And today Jonas came over to me. He's been a little wary of me since I arrived, and now, a few days before I go home, he's decided that I'm ok after all!

2009-06-25T09:06:00.000+01:00

Beautiful scenery from the Vestmanna Bird Cliffs (see here).

2009-06-24T09:02:00.000+01:00

(One for the language buffs) Faroese has a letter, Ð/ð, which comes from Icelandic, but causes no end of problems in Faroese as it isn't pronounced. Consequently, people just stick it in anywhere. This football goal which has been painted on to a wall down by the harbour is a famous example (The word for 'goal' is mál).

2009-06-23T08:59:00.001+01:00

Got lots of reading done today. Makes for a productive day, but not a great photo.

2009-06-22T19:26:00.001+01:00

Today I went to a book-launch at the HNJ bookshop. I've never been to one before - yes, I've become pretty cultured while I've been here. I go to book-launches.

2009-06-21T19:24:00.002+01:00

It doesn't show up too well here, but I got pretty sunburned yesterday. That's pretty unusual around these parts!

2009-06-20T19:21:00.000+01:00

On the band's fantastic visit to Mykines Island (see here).

2009-06-19T19:19:00.001+01:00

Down by the harbour, just forty-five minutes later, at 12.15am. I couldn't let a nice evening like this go without enjoying it!

2009-06-18T19:16:00.001+01:00

Sitting overlooking the city. At 11.30pm, believe it or not!

2009-06-17T19:13:00.001+01:00

Going through a particularly arty phase, what do you think of my arranging the postcards of the Faroese islands into their geographical positions?

2009-06-16T19:12:00.000+01:00

What a beautiful day!

2009-06-15T19:10:00.000+01:00

When I arrived here, I thought someone had turned this statue sideways, but the more I think about it (and the fact it's made of solid concrete), I think it's probably just art.

2009-06-14T19:06:00.000+01:00

My Faroese Salvation Army Song Book - had to lead the morning meeting today. Very scary, but I think it went well!

2009-06-13T19:03:00.002+01:00

It's OK to treat yourself once in a while, isn't it? (Well it would be, if I didn't eat hese all the time...).

2009-06-12T19:01:00.000+01:00

Linda came to the Faroes! (see here).

2009-06-11T18:57:00.002+01:00

Had a fantastic little trip to Nolsoy Island (see here).

2009-06-10T10:59:00.000+01:00

All fired up for the game! Unfortunately the Serbians got it, but the Faroes played excellently (see here).

2009-06-09T10:32:00.000+01:00

Anything can happen in the Faroes. Was just walking down the main pedestrian street, and I passed the Serbian national football team (in blue) wondering around, looking somewhat bemused by the Faroese capital.

2009-06-08T10:30:00.000+01:00

I went and got me a book so that I can learn that chain-dancing song! (see here).

2009-06-07T10:28:00.000+01:00

My watch has been showing 10.55 now for over a week...

2009-06-06T10:25:00.000+01:00

The cultural night was rounded off by a Christian concert just off the main road. It was excellent! This is Heine Lutzen, 'the Father of Faroese Gospel'.

2009-06-05T10:22:00.000+01:00

Mentunarnáttin!

2009-06-04T11:31:00.000+01:00

Two days in a row.

2009-06-03T11:30:00.000+01:00

When I signed up for this PhD malarky, no-one said anything about walking around at 4 in the morning trying to find a postbox.

2009-06-02T11:30:00.000+01:00

I am absolutely dead, and the next few days are going to finish me off completely...

2009-06-01T11:28:00.000+01:00

I just thought the sky was looking pretty cool as I was walking home, so I took a picture.

2009-05-31T11:28:00.000+01:00

Mine, mine, mine!

2009-05-30T11:26:00.000+01:00

The new athletics track in Havn. It's a stunning setting, and is permanently open for anyone to jog around the track. I haven't done that yet...