MUSIC FESTIVALS

Music festivals take place at various times of the year but are particularly popular in the summer. 

Over the last 20 years or so, music festivals have become increasing popular particularly at this time of the year.  Lots of young people make plans with their friends to attend the festivals up and down the country. 

One of the original festivals was held at Glastonbury, in Somerset.  It seems pretty incredible that the largest open-air music festival in the world is held at a farm which is situated between the two small villages of Pilton and Pylle. 

Glastonbury open air music festival first took place in 1970.  This takes place every 3 years out of 4, with performances going on for a total of 5 days.  It is a commercial venture nowadays, with some very well-known international stars making an appearance.  This year saw performances from The Kanye West, Lionel Richie, Pharrel Williams, Hozier and Mary J Blige.  Tickets cost approximately £220 but you do get to see hundreds of different performances. 

Festivals are not the best place to see your favourite band ... because of the restrictions imposed, such as time, set length, light shows, etc. - that aren't encountered with a normal gig where the band has more control – festivals are not worth spending the money just to see your favourite band.  The difference with festivals is the variety. Because people at a festival will be watching bands they wouldn't necessarily normally see live, the chance for a band to make that big impression is huge.

Another great thing is the atmosphere ... with such a mix of people and music, and everyone totally up for it, and real-world distractions left at home, the vibe can be amazing. After the music stops for the day, people make their own entertainment. If you can, camp at the festival - don't go home for the night: keep the atmosphere going.

Camping is an essential part of the festival experience but bear in mind that it just may rain and things will get very muddy.  However, this is all part of the fun and experience.  

Liverpool is known for its music and not to be outdone by Glastonbury we have our very own Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF). This is a 4 day event which takes place 27^th August to 31 August 2015.  For more information click on this link:  http://www.limfestival.com/

If you have attended one of these festivals or indeed been to a festival in your own country, we would love to hear of your experiences.

How the British Do Gardening

Gardening is an increasingly popular British hobby, reflected by the selection of gardening magazines available in newsagents and the number of gardening programmes on TV. Your average British person could probably list at least one or two ‘celebrity’ TV gardeners. British gardens range from pretty flowers and shrubs to practical plots to grow vegetables and fruits to feed the family but there is a whole culture around gardening, it’s not just about the plants!

Gardens are often peaceful places where people can tend to their plants and de-stress from the day. It’s common - with so many terraced houses in the UK - to have an adjoining garden with your neighbour. Along with gardening is the practise of chatting to neighbours over the garden fence, often gossiping about local news and other neighbours. This was brought to the TV screens of the nation in this satirical advert for the Post Office in 1990: 

Along with gardening is the related pastime of visiting the local garden centre to buy plants, seeds, pots and garden furniture. In addition to this most garden centres have a café and a shop selling local food, gifts. It’s considered by many a nice relaxing way to spend the weekend to have a wander around the garden centre followed by a nice cup of tea and a cake in the café.

Those who don’t have their own garden or want more outdoor space sometimes have an allotment. An allotment is a small piece of land that a person rents to grow fruit and vegetables and sometimes flowers. Traditionally it was retired men who had allotments: in a popular British soap opera there was a character who was always off to the allotment; a place to have some peace and quiet in his garden shed and escape from the dramas of family life. These days however allotments are popular with men and women of all ages; families and friends get involved too. A plot can be tended by the whole family and sometimes passed down through the generations. As there are usually many of these plots together, the people who rent them often get to know one another and develop a close little community where they swap seeds, give each other tips and advice for growing and share the produce they grow if they have too much of one thing. In the video on this webpage, a father and son explain why their allotments are so important to them: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17857858

Experiencing British Gardens

The University’s Ness Botanic Gardens are an example of a traditional English country garden and entry is free to University of Liverpool students: http://www.nessgardens.org.uk/the-gardens/http://www.nessgardens.org.uk/the-gardens/

There are also famous ‘Flower Shows’ across the country each summer with competitions for the best garden designs and individual plants, fruits and vegetables. Visiting a Flower Show during your time in the UK would be a typically British thing to do! As well as beautiful gardens, there is usually lots of food, music, entertainment and cookery demonstrations.

Tatton Park Flower Show 22-26 July 2015: https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-flower-show-tatton-park

Southport Flower Show 20-23 August 2015: http://www.southportflowershow.co.uk/ Southport is only a short train journey from Liverpool. This year’s theme is ‘China’!

The Liverpool Guild of Students has its own roof garden above the Guild shop? If you enjoy gardening or want to give it a go for the first time here are some details of how to become a volunteer: http://www.liverpoolguild.org/main-menu/volunteer/across-campus  It’s a great way to learn skills, grow British fruits, vegetables and herbs and make friends with international and British students.

How do British gardens differ from those in your country? What is the culture around gardening back home? Do people in your family garden? Is it something mainly done for enjoyment or to produce food for the family? We’d love to hear your comments about the differences/similarities between our cultures.

School's Out For Summer!

I remember when I was at school (it wasn’t that long ago!) one of the things that I most looked forward to was the next school holidays! Summer time was the king of the school holidays! They were a time for ‘playing out’ in the street with friends and having days out with the family and with a bit of luck, a chance to get some sunshine!

Typical crowds on the beach on a hot summers day

Of all the school holidays (Christmas, Easter and Summer), the Summer holidays last around 6 weeks from mid-July to the end of August but it often felt like it was a lot longer! Especially for the parents who often struggle to keep their school children occupied during the holidays and prevent boredom from setting in. Although a definite benefit for those adults who have to travel to work over the holidays is that the roads are a lot quieter without school traffic. 

Playing on the beach in summer

It is not so easy these days to take school aged children out of school during term time (it is against the law for one thing!) and so working parents usually take their allocated holidays throughout the summer time to spend more time with their children. Partly due to the warmer weather and partly due to the fact that school-aged children are off school, there are often more special events and activities taking place at this time of year from shows to festivals to free sports activities. If you do have children and are looking for things to do over the summer try this site for some ideas: www.kidsguide.org.uk/liverpool-wirral-children/places-to-go-liverpool-wirral/. Another popular activity for children in good weather is to visit the many beaches up and down the UK to make sandcastles, have an ice cream (picture below) and have a little swim in the sea (for those who are feeling a little braver!).  Some nice local seaside areas to visit are New Brighton, West Kirkby, Formby and Crosby.

A Typical '99' ice cream

Once the school holidays are over, children will then return to school and move up one year. Even though I had always enjoyed my summer holidays I did also look forward to going back to school by the end to see some of my friends. The new year will usually result in a new school uniform and new shoes (as they are sure to have grown over the last 12 months!) and new pens, pencils and pencil cases. When children go back to school they will often have a new teacher too, maybe even put into slightly different class groups and make new friends as the school year starts over again.

Did you used to look forward to your school holidays when you were young? What did you look forward to most? For those of you who now have your own children, what will you be doing this summer holidays with your children?   

Cricket: another British sport we are not very good at

Here’s a fun fact: football might be the most popular sport in Britain, but cricket is the official national sport of England! However, not many people in Britain can explain the rules and how to play, so after reading this post you are more likely to be able to educate the British population on an aspect of their own culture!

Cricket has a reputation for being an upper-class sport, the sport gentlemen play in the glorious British summer time. This is because the sport is only played between April and August (perfect for the fans of football which runs August to May) and matches can be found played across the nation during this time. It seems to be something of a difficult sport to play however, as cricket matches are often delayed due to the weather, or “bad light”.

The basic game is a simple one. Two teams of 11 play against each other. One team bowls (throws) the ball and tries to hit the wooden stumps (3 pieces of wood standing vertically some distance away) with 2 smaller pieces of wood balanced on top (the bails). Another player tries to keep the bowler from hitting the stumps by standing in front of them with a bat, and hit the ball away when it comes close. This person is known as the batsman. The bowler’s team mates will then try to catch a hit ball and so that player will be “out” and replaced by another member of the opposing team. Once a ball has been hit, the batsman runs towards the bowler and then back to the stumps to earn points (known as “runs”). The aim is to be the team with the highest number of runs. Simple, right? Unfortunately, there are so many more rules in the game that the sport remains a mystery to most! If you are still confused, check out this video from the BBC:

(but do not take it too seriously!)

Other associations with cricket include the player’s fondness for drinking tea. In fact, cricket has their own version of "afternoon tea". Care to guess what it’s called? “Cricket tea” of course!

As unimaginative as the name is, it’s still rather enjoyable! Cricket tea is often provided by the partners of the cricket players and in some local cricket matches, the competitive nature between teams extends to the tea too! Each team’s cricket tea will try to be better than the tea provided at other clubs so standards are usually high.

What do people know about cricket? Well, there’s the tea…

In a few days you may find that Britain, well, mainly England, becomes much more enthusiastic about cricket as the Ashes will begin. The Ashes is a 5 day event spread out between July and August, in which England and Australia compete to win a small urn containing ashes of a wooden bail. The name “the Ashes” comes from the defeat of England in 1882, when it was said that English cricket had died and “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia” when they would attempt to win. Years later, actual ashes were created and given as a prize, and now it is traded back and forth to whoever wins the latest matches!

Cricket is not a big sport in Liverpool, but you will find that people do play and enjoy watching it around the city. There are approximately 10 cricket clubs within 5 miles of the University, and the Liverpool Guild of Students has a popular Cricket society which takes on local rivals LJMU, as well as teams from other cities. If you are interested in knowing more, or joining in, see the following website for details http://www.liv.ac.uk/sports/sports/cricket/. And if you want to know more about cricket, including some of the unusual terms and phrases, this website gives you a great overview http://www.wandererscricket.com/glossary.html.

Have you ever played cricket? Did you enjoy it? Is it something you want to try? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on Facebook!

SCOUSE FASHION

Liverpool has so much to offer because of its heritage but I think fashion makes us an attractive location too. Liverpool makes its own fashion, we’re not scared to try things, whereas in a lot of places you could be anywhere in the world and it would be exactly the same minimalist format.  Not here in Liverpool. We like to be that bit different.

You may have already witnessed that some local ladies (Liverpool girls) like to go outdoors wearing rollers in their hair.  Some ladies even go out wearing their pyjamas sometimes with Ugg boots, this may be in the middle of summer or in the depths of winter.

 I am sure you may have wondered why they do this. Well let me tell you.  In fact it’s almost a status symbol. It announces the fact that this person is going out that night and intends to have the biggest, more incredibly stylish hair possible.  Putting the rollers in their hair earlier in the day gives the hair bounce and helps the style last through the night. The wearing of the pyjama’s is generally because the ladies may have applied false tan and wearing loose clothes prevents the fake tan from ruining their day clothes and doesn’t smudge.  The boots well I believe that may be down to comfort and safer footwear whilst outdoors.

THE SCOUSE BROW

Liverpool girls even started a whole new eyebrow trend...The Scouse Brow. This look was made popular in the reality TV/documentary Desperate Scouse-wives and is when your eyebrows are heavily filled in obviously to look very fake.  It is created with a pencil that is often far too dark for your own hair colour.  

 MEET LIVERPOOL’s VERY OWN FASHIONISTA’S

One thing is for certain the Liverpool ladies know how to look stunning and glamorous.   We have three local ladies, who have made their way into the world of fashion and have many followers across the world.  Let's meet our three lovely ladies!

Abby Clancy, TV presenter and model married to Stoke City footballer Peter Crouch

Coleen Rooney, Model, TV presenter and married to Manchester United footballer Wayne Rooney

Alex Gerrard, Model and columnist for daily paper married to ex Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard 

Hopefully this short explanation will give you a better understanding of Scouse fashion you may see out and about on the streets of Liverpool.

Are there any other Liverpool fashions that you’ve noticed? Let us know and we’ll tell you a bit about them.

Game, Set and Match! Wimbledon - a very British tournament.

Game, Set and Match!

Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world, is an integral part of British summertime. Tennis-lovers will spend hours glued to the TV over the two weeks in late June/early July, rooting for their favourite player. The many aspects that make up Wimbledon have become synonymous with British Summertime.

The weather is often sunny during the fortnight that The Championships take place. This year the tournament dates are 29^th June-12^th July 2015. Supermarkets everywhere stock up on strawberries and cream – the traditional food eaten by spectators at Wimbledon. People across the country relax in their deckchairs with a bowlful of this very British dessert listening to the tournament on the radio. The striking ‘pop’ as the racquet hits the ball and the grunting and shrieking of the players have become familiar sounds associated with the warmer months.  

The tennis-players are required to wear all white clothing and there are also strict dress-codes for the other staff involved in the tournament such as the Ball Boys and Girls who go through a lengthy recruitment process. Matches are politely referred to as Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ rather than Men’s and Women’s. Long-standing traditions such as these are strictly adhered to ensuring it remains a formal and typically British event. If you want to experience real British culture then watching a match at the famous Wimbledon Centre Court  - even just on television - gives you a snapshot of quite an upper-class British event. There is always an interest in which Royals and which celebrities will attend the match and their reactions to some of the matches often make headline news.

For Wimbledon TV listings visit the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/

For full details of the tournament visit the official Wimbledon website: http://www.wimbledon.com/index.html

Will you be watching Wimbledon? Who is your favourite player?

Post your photographs of you eating strawberries and cream to our Facebook page.

What’s with this weather?

Here in Britain, we always complain about our weather! It’s rarely sunny here, aside from in the peaks of summer (traditionally July and August when the school’s break up for their summer holidays) and even when it is sunny, we will quite often complain that it’s too hot!

Here in the UK, many different types of weather can be experienced in the space of 1 day (which I’m sure you will have noticed by now). It can be pouring with rain one minute and then the clouds will break all of a sudden and there might not be a single cloud in sight! There are many geographical reasons for this which I will not bore you with here (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_the_United_Kingdom if you would like to read more about this!).

The climate of the UK means that it only really gets hot during the summer months from June to August and so when it is hot you may notice that people will often flock to the beaches on the coast all around the UK, whether it’s Blackpool or Southport here in the North of England to Brighton or even Cornwall on the south coast of England!

Even within the UK itself there are large variations with our weather from those in the south having a hot weather a lot more than those in northern Scotland who will be lucky to experience sun on any day of the year!

Moreover because these summer months are usually the only time of the year that families will have chance to go on holiday (owing to their children being in school the rest of the time) it seems that most of us with children will tend to go abroad over these summer months (Spain tends to be a popular destination!) meaning that they miss a lot of the warm weather anyway!

This means that idea of a UK holiday outside of these months is limited to a rainy holiday in a caravan in Wales!

What do you think of the weather here in the UK? What’s the weather like in your home country?