What: Squash
Where: Barnes
Who: With Emma to kindly show me what to do!
When: Sunday 22nd Jan
Why: Tennis was a success, badminton a failure - let's see what squash can do!
Monday, 16 January 2012
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Archery
The archery session takes place on the top-floor basketball pitches at the Downside Centre near Tower Bridge (nearest to London Bridge underground). The have-a-go sessions take place around once a week and up to twelve people can join in each one. At £20 for 90mins, it is really good value for money!
On an organisational front, 20/20 Archery do an alright job. I felt let down the first time, when the notification about the change of time was sent to the incorrect email address, and we didn't find out until we actually turned up on the day. Although they didn't question rearranging the session to another date, when I tried to book this, the first set of options I was sent had either already passed or were fully-booked. I did eventually confirm a good date and the right email address, but even then when I emailed to check everything was still going ahead the day before the session, I didn't receive a reply.
However, when it did come to the 19th (the rebooked session), the experience itself was truly excellent!
With ten people in our session, there was plenty of space on the archery pitch. After being roughly measured for bow and arrow size, donning an armguard and getting some basic safety instructions, we were off!
One thing that cannot be criticised is the amount of time spent shooting arrows, which is what we all went there to do. They have a good system where the A-half shoot, then the B-half, arrows are collected and then you start from the beginning, meaning very little time is lost to faffing around or bringing arrows up and down the pitch.
However on the flip side, this did mean that there wasn't much time put over to technicalities, skills or helping people correct and improve their shooting. As a newly-discovered archery aficionado, I didn't mind this and definitely valued the lack of delays, however for anyone not having as much success (**cough** Sian **cough**) we agreed that a bit more assistance would have made for a more satisfying experience.
The session finished with a 15-arrow scoring competition, where shots were added up over five rounds. After a staunch battle, we had the two stocky guys in third and second (with mid-70s scores) and... me with the top score of 83!
This is for you if...
You just want to try something different and exciting. I would recommend this if you have siblings visiting, if you want to spend an afternoon with friends or even just for the experience. You don't have to be big and strong to have a good time, or find out you're a good archer!
Recommendations
If you're even just thinking about trying archery, do it. I went with friends, and would probably recommend this, but everyone was really friendly so if you did go alone then I'm sure it would still be a lot of fun.
This is the first Something New that I have decided to continue - 20/20 offer training courses from beginner right up to expert, and you can just go and shoot as part of the club. If you enjoy the have-a-go session but want more coaching, this is the way to go. Robin Hood, eat your heart out!
On an organisational front, 20/20 Archery do an alright job. I felt let down the first time, when the notification about the change of time was sent to the incorrect email address, and we didn't find out until we actually turned up on the day. Although they didn't question rearranging the session to another date, when I tried to book this, the first set of options I was sent had either already passed or were fully-booked. I did eventually confirm a good date and the right email address, but even then when I emailed to check everything was still going ahead the day before the session, I didn't receive a reply.
However, when it did come to the 19th (the rebooked session), the experience itself was truly excellent!
With ten people in our session, there was plenty of space on the archery pitch. After being roughly measured for bow and arrow size, donning an armguard and getting some basic safety instructions, we were off!
One thing that cannot be criticised is the amount of time spent shooting arrows, which is what we all went there to do. They have a good system where the A-half shoot, then the B-half, arrows are collected and then you start from the beginning, meaning very little time is lost to faffing around or bringing arrows up and down the pitch.
However on the flip side, this did mean that there wasn't much time put over to technicalities, skills or helping people correct and improve their shooting. As a newly-discovered archery aficionado, I didn't mind this and definitely valued the lack of delays, however for anyone not having as much success (**cough** Sian **cough**) we agreed that a bit more assistance would have made for a more satisfying experience.
The session finished with a 15-arrow scoring competition, where shots were added up over five rounds. After a staunch battle, we had the two stocky guys in third and second (with mid-70s scores) and... me with the top score of 83!
This is for you if...
You just want to try something different and exciting. I would recommend this if you have siblings visiting, if you want to spend an afternoon with friends or even just for the experience. You don't have to be big and strong to have a good time, or find out you're a good archer!
Recommendations
If you're even just thinking about trying archery, do it. I went with friends, and would probably recommend this, but everyone was really friendly so if you did go alone then I'm sure it would still be a lot of fun.
This is the first Something New that I have decided to continue - 20/20 offer training courses from beginner right up to expert, and you can just go and shoot as part of the club. If you enjoy the have-a-go session but want more coaching, this is the way to go. Robin Hood, eat your heart out!
Friday, 7 October 2011
Hey, that dude was shot with an arrow! Let's go that way.
What: Archery
Where: 2020 Archery nr. London Bridge
Who: Me,Will (out due to injury) Sian & anyone else who fancies it (book in advance, info below)
When:Saturday 15th October @ 10.30am EDIT - now moved to Saturday 19th November at 4.30pm
Why: I want to be Robin Hood.
PS. If anyone does want to come, drop an email to enquiries@2020archery.co.uk to see if they have any places left. Cost is £20 for the Have-A-Go archery session.
Where: 2020 Archery nr. London Bridge
Who: Me,
When:
Why: I want to be Robin Hood.
PS. If anyone does want to come, drop an email to enquiries@2020archery.co.uk to see if they have any places left. Cost is £20 for the Have-A-Go archery session.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Fish Pedicure
I had some company for this new venture, in the form of Helen! A bit of a pamper and the prospect of a good chat were too tempting to refuse.
The Garra Rufa fish has many names - doctor fish, nibble fish, physio fish, reddish log sucker... They live mainly in the river basins of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran and are particularly popular for treating skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis, as they only consume dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow.
It was only in 2010 that the first fish pedicure spa opened in the UK, in Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre. London now has several fish pedicure treatment centres; I found this one through a simple Google search. Malika is on the bottom floor of the One New Change shopping centre by St Paul's. It's only a small shop with glass frontage onto the rest of the shopping centre - I'm not sure it would be as pleasant on a busy day with shoppers bustling everywhere, but on a quiet Sunday afternoon it was nice and peaceful.
The way the treatment works is you sit with your feet in a big aquarium containing lots of the gentle Garra Rufa fish. Once the fish notice that lunch has arrived, the pedicure begins! They swim about and nibble their way around your feet and toes. The sensation is the first surprise. It tickles, it's a bit like light pins & needles, or tiny electric shocks. The fish don't have teeth, so they can't bite you, but you can still feel them munching away, which is a little disconcerting, especially because they seem to really enjoy swimming between your toes!
Without any hesitation, I would recommend a fish pedicure. The treatment is relaxing, cooling and perfect for the morning after a night in stilettos or after a long day at the office. We had a 25-minute session - I don't think anything shorter than this would really have any demonstrable benefits - and it was nice to sit, chat and have my feet tickled by the fish. My feet are normally in a terrible state - I abuse them with everything from ridiculous high-heels to covering miles in hiking boots. Are they any better after the pedicure? They definitely feel good and do look better, although I think it would take many more sessions to make them perfect. It's a very gentle pedicure and I think my time and money would be better spent on a good podiatrist. That said, I will definitely be going for another fish pedicure at some point!
However, I won't be going back to Malika. The place does have some positives - free champagne or wine for treatments of 25mins & over (although we settled for a comforting cuppa) and there is a discount for groups (20% off for pairs, 25% for three/foor people). While it is conveniently positioned for the City, our experience was that they seemed unsure of how to provide a truly complete service. It is advertised as 'up to 100 fish' but I would estimate we had maybe 30 each... At the end of the treatment session, as other people came in, we were pretty much forgotten about. There were no towels provided or anywhere to sit and put shoes back on.
This is for you if...
You have sore, tired feet which need a bit of TLC. Those with ticklish feet, beware! Just perfect for a mid-shopping break to take the weight off your feet.
Recommendations
I think this is something that everyone should try at least once, if only to enjoy the sensation on your feet. It is relaxing and great to go to with friends; if you go alone, take a book or magazine.
The Garra Rufa fish has many names - doctor fish, nibble fish, physio fish, reddish log sucker... They live mainly in the river basins of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran and are particularly popular for treating skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis, as they only consume dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow.
It was only in 2010 that the first fish pedicure spa opened in the UK, in Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre. London now has several fish pedicure treatment centres; I found this one through a simple Google search. Malika is on the bottom floor of the One New Change shopping centre by St Paul's. It's only a small shop with glass frontage onto the rest of the shopping centre - I'm not sure it would be as pleasant on a busy day with shoppers bustling everywhere, but on a quiet Sunday afternoon it was nice and peaceful.
The way the treatment works is you sit with your feet in a big aquarium containing lots of the gentle Garra Rufa fish. Once the fish notice that lunch has arrived, the pedicure begins! They swim about and nibble their way around your feet and toes. The sensation is the first surprise. It tickles, it's a bit like light pins & needles, or tiny electric shocks. The fish don't have teeth, so they can't bite you, but you can still feel them munching away, which is a little disconcerting, especially because they seem to really enjoy swimming between your toes!
Without any hesitation, I would recommend a fish pedicure. The treatment is relaxing, cooling and perfect for the morning after a night in stilettos or after a long day at the office. We had a 25-minute session - I don't think anything shorter than this would really have any demonstrable benefits - and it was nice to sit, chat and have my feet tickled by the fish. My feet are normally in a terrible state - I abuse them with everything from ridiculous high-heels to covering miles in hiking boots. Are they any better after the pedicure? They definitely feel good and do look better, although I think it would take many more sessions to make them perfect. It's a very gentle pedicure and I think my time and money would be better spent on a good podiatrist. That said, I will definitely be going for another fish pedicure at some point!
However, I won't be going back to Malika. The place does have some positives - free champagne or wine for treatments of 25mins & over (although we settled for a comforting cuppa) and there is a discount for groups (20% off for pairs, 25% for three/foor people). While it is conveniently positioned for the City, our experience was that they seemed unsure of how to provide a truly complete service. It is advertised as 'up to 100 fish' but I would estimate we had maybe 30 each... At the end of the treatment session, as other people came in, we were pretty much forgotten about. There were no towels provided or anywhere to sit and put shoes back on.
This is for you if...
You have sore, tired feet which need a bit of TLC. Those with ticklish feet, beware! Just perfect for a mid-shopping break to take the weight off your feet.
Recommendations
I think this is something that everyone should try at least once, if only to enjoy the sensation on your feet. It is relaxing and great to go to with friends; if you go alone, take a book or magazine.
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Gone Fishin'
What: Fish Pedicure
Where: Malika, One New Change shopping centre
Who: Garra Rufa fishies
When: Sunday 2nd October 2011 at 2.30pm
Why: To give my feet a bit of love and the fishes some lunch
Where: Malika, One New Change shopping centre
Who: Garra Rufa fishies
When: Sunday 2nd October 2011 at 2.30pm
Why: To give my feet a bit of love and the fishes some lunch
Monday, 19 September 2011
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
L'histoire en bref
Three men of different standing find themselves aboard the mysterious craft, the Nautilus. They are: Professor Pierre Arronax, a learned man; his manservant, Conseil; and a whaler by the name of Ned Land. Inside the Nautilus and guided by the infamous Captain Nemo, they commence an exploration of the seas of the world, from the Red Sea to the South Pole.
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers
Originally written in French by the sci-fi author Jules Verne, this copy was published by HarperCollins in 2010 and, in places, the translation does leave something to be desired. The admission in the preface is that the first translations of the original manuscript were inaccurate and politically censored. This version is probably extremely accurate but, at times, the reader can tell that it is not an original English text and, as such, while making sense, it is perhaps literarily flawed.
The sea is everything. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert where man is never alone, for he feels life quivering around him on every side.
One thing to say about the book, is that it certainly mentions a lot of life. Lists of flora and fauna, classified from kingdom to species, are riddled throughout the novel. This is one of the things that probably posed quite a problem for translators: on the one hand, the biological basis of these passages makes it easy to translate, as you simply follow the science; on the other hand, how do you make such a direct and phylogenetically analytic text poetic and pleasing to read?
I admit that the constant references to various kinds of fish did become a little mind-boggling and, at times, led to certain passages being skim-read. Except in modern scientific texts, I think it is rare to find a novel containing such in-depth analysis, although at the time when the book was written in 1870, Darwin's oeuvre was still fairly new to the world, so I can see that a novel containing such detailed descriptions of the animal kingdom would have been chronistically à la mode, perhaps.
Thus, then, in the bosom of the immense ocean Captain Nemo's entire life was passed, and he had even prepared his grave in the most impenetrable of its depths. There was always in him the same implacable and ferocious defiance towards all human society.
The character of Captain Nemo is an intricate and bewitching one. As captain of the Nautilus, he is at the same time the rescuer, captor and educator of the three land-dwellers. It was hard for me to read about him and not imagine the Nemo portrayed by Naseeruddin Shah in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen; however the film version is without doubt a more likeable fellow. The Nemo of the book is hard, resolute and disregards the freedom of his "captives". We never learn his origins, simply that whatever they are, they took his entire family from him, making him angry and hell-bent on revenge, attacking the mysterious ships that are somehow linked to this past. However, he shows a love for his crew and absolute remorse when even a single member is lost to him. He puts his own life at risk to save a simple pearl-diver and gives the gold he recovers from the sea to the poor and needy. He may hoard artefacts of the world, but does not take or remove the gigantic pearl, but instead observes its growth and appreciates the beauty of the natural phenomenon. For the majority of the book, the overwhelming impression is that the captain wishes to be left alone, untarnished and unaffected by the hypocrisy and corruption of world powers. It is only at the end that revenge seems to engulf this mysterious and engaging man.
This is for you if...
You want to read a piece of history. It is one of the first science novels from an author who became the 'Father of Sci-Fi' by pioneering the genre. If you're looking for a holiday read, stick to popular pulp fiction - that's where I'll be returning next.
Recommendations
At some point, read something classic. Even if it is only to appreciate the ease and intrigue of modern literature!
Three men of different standing find themselves aboard the mysterious craft, the Nautilus. They are: Professor Pierre Arronax, a learned man; his manservant, Conseil; and a whaler by the name of Ned Land. Inside the Nautilus and guided by the infamous Captain Nemo, they commence an exploration of the seas of the world, from the Red Sea to the South Pole.
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers
Originally written in French by the sci-fi author Jules Verne, this copy was published by HarperCollins in 2010 and, in places, the translation does leave something to be desired. The admission in the preface is that the first translations of the original manuscript were inaccurate and politically censored. This version is probably extremely accurate but, at times, the reader can tell that it is not an original English text and, as such, while making sense, it is perhaps literarily flawed.
The sea is everything. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert where man is never alone, for he feels life quivering around him on every side.
One thing to say about the book, is that it certainly mentions a lot of life. Lists of flora and fauna, classified from kingdom to species, are riddled throughout the novel. This is one of the things that probably posed quite a problem for translators: on the one hand, the biological basis of these passages makes it easy to translate, as you simply follow the science; on the other hand, how do you make such a direct and phylogenetically analytic text poetic and pleasing to read?
I admit that the constant references to various kinds of fish did become a little mind-boggling and, at times, led to certain passages being skim-read. Except in modern scientific texts, I think it is rare to find a novel containing such in-depth analysis, although at the time when the book was written in 1870, Darwin's oeuvre was still fairly new to the world, so I can see that a novel containing such detailed descriptions of the animal kingdom would have been chronistically à la mode, perhaps.
Thus, then, in the bosom of the immense ocean Captain Nemo's entire life was passed, and he had even prepared his grave in the most impenetrable of its depths. There was always in him the same implacable and ferocious defiance towards all human society.
The character of Captain Nemo is an intricate and bewitching one. As captain of the Nautilus, he is at the same time the rescuer, captor and educator of the three land-dwellers. It was hard for me to read about him and not imagine the Nemo portrayed by Naseeruddin Shah in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen; however the film version is without doubt a more likeable fellow. The Nemo of the book is hard, resolute and disregards the freedom of his "captives". We never learn his origins, simply that whatever they are, they took his entire family from him, making him angry and hell-bent on revenge, attacking the mysterious ships that are somehow linked to this past. However, he shows a love for his crew and absolute remorse when even a single member is lost to him. He puts his own life at risk to save a simple pearl-diver and gives the gold he recovers from the sea to the poor and needy. He may hoard artefacts of the world, but does not take or remove the gigantic pearl, but instead observes its growth and appreciates the beauty of the natural phenomenon. For the majority of the book, the overwhelming impression is that the captain wishes to be left alone, untarnished and unaffected by the hypocrisy and corruption of world powers. It is only at the end that revenge seems to engulf this mysterious and engaging man.
This is for you if...
You want to read a piece of history. It is one of the first science novels from an author who became the 'Father of Sci-Fi' by pioneering the genre. If you're looking for a holiday read, stick to popular pulp fiction - that's where I'll be returning next.
Recommendations
At some point, read something classic. Even if it is only to appreciate the ease and intrigue of modern literature!
Saturday, 3 September 2011
And the next round is: Classic Literature
What: Read a classic book
Where: Mostly on the tube, shuttling backwards and forwards to work
Who: A little bit of M. Jules Verne
When: Hoping to manage it in a week...
Why: I love pulp fiction (not the film, although that is also good) but sometimes you have to try and raise your game. Hence I shall put down my crime novels and pick up "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" - let's see how it goes!
P.S. I realise this is somewhat less of a New Thing, but I also currently have a New Job to contend with, so it'll do for now...
Where: Mostly on the tube, shuttling backwards and forwards to work
Who: A little bit of M. Jules Verne
When: Hoping to manage it in a week...
Why: I love pulp fiction (not the film, although that is also good) but sometimes you have to try and raise your game. Hence I shall put down my crime novels and pick up "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" - let's see how it goes!
P.S. I realise this is somewhat less of a New Thing, but I also currently have a New Job to contend with, so it'll do for now...
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