This blog is dedicated to Sally-dedicated cake eater and a woman with her ear to the ground!
Greetings Lovers and Losers! How are you all keeping I wonder?
There are certain things in life, readers, that I just love love love! Parmaviolets, the sound of a toy piano, shell houses, those oil and water spirally toy things, Pip and Pop the Australian artists, Camille O’Sullivan and Royal De Luxe performances. If I could live in a bubble with these things (and friends, family, cash etc) then I'd be pretty damn happy! This week however I am reminded of another thing in life that just grabs me by the guts and make me love living where I do...and that Ladies and Gentlemen is when a fantastic local news story complete with outrage, raised eyebrows and comedy enters the airwaves!
This week gone for those of you that aren't aware has been one helluva week for the little lovely village of Trumpington, Cambridge. The village hall trustees came to understand that a group they were renting the hall to on a regular basis were not quite what they had expected. The 'relationship support' group were infact running bondage and flogging workshops. The village hall trustees quickly cancelled all remaining bookings. Although it makes a cracking story with wonderful puns to be made I do find this reaction pretty outrageous and antiquated. These are consenting adults in a locked hall with the curtains shut. They weren't going to arrive in gimp masks and pvc ten minutes early at the end of brownies. They weren't going to do a carnival parade around the green outside wearing nipple clamps and cracking flogging whips. It seems to me that some locals must have expected that because what else is there to get upset about?
Some superior quality reporting followed...intentionally and unintentionally hilarious. The comments under the articles for once had me rolling! Best of all though was the interview in the Hobby Shop opposite the hall where two male staff gave their opinions. I cannot stop watching it-it is comedy gold! Like a sketch show! They were brilliant. I might even have to pop in and congratulate them!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2431597/Trumpington-Village-Hall-BANNED-hosting-kinky-BDSM-bondage-workshops.html
Anyhow as the story rolled on it struck me that there was a fantastic opportunity here! Sometimes in life I get an idea that I cannot let go of-no matter how crazy or ridiculous it is...like the time I woke up in the middle of the night at the age of 16, an ardent Liverpool football club supporter, and decided I had to go to Liverpool the next day to pay my respects to those that lost their lives or family and friends in the Hillsborough disaster. I set off at dawn leaving my anxiety-ridden Mum a note on the table 'Gone to Liverpool, back later' (this was before mobile phones and we lived nowhere near). Or the time when I made the whole family at literally the drop of a hat take the long drive to Liverpool (again! What is it about that place!) to glimpse La Machines 50 ft mechanical spider, La Princesse. Or the time I felt the urge to try on and be photographed in a choristers cassock in the vestry of a church I was at for a Christmas concert with my lovely friend Nic.
Well you can guess that I have been gripped again readers by an idea that I just felt compelled to follow through. And this time it involves Ophelia Days and bondage! All for a bit of variety!
This morning at 7am when the fog was beautifying the land and the streets of Trumpington were fairly deserted, Ophelia and I made a secret trip to the village hall for a photoshoot! Ophelia of course was dressed for the occasion thanks to a roll of gaffa tape and some rather large pants-despite my best efforts last night I could not locate a gimp mask in my village to borrow! Unfortunately the front entrance to the hall which most locals would recognise was too far from where I could park to make it the backdrop (I was concerned about someone stealing my car with its unlocked boot as I set Ophelia up or indeed someone stealing Ophelia as I emptied and locked the car! Such a conundrum!) So the side entrance was used for the photos which is fitting I guess! Back door would've been even better! I did rush the photos for fear of giving some elderly dog walker a heart attack or the trustees jumping out of the bushes at me so they are not of the best quality and Ophelia has appropriate bed hair going on with her wig but I hope you can appreciate the effort I did put in-its no mean feet lugging a 6 ft mannequin about with a hangover!
Why did I do it? Its great blog fodder, its a tiny protest at narrow mindedness, its a laugh! Perhaps this is what some of the local residents expected to see outside the hall when they found out about the workshops. Ophelia is as always more than happy to oblige in these adventures!
Enjoy!
This week gone for those of you that aren't aware has been one helluva week for the little lovely village of Trumpington, Cambridge. The village hall trustees came to understand that a group they were renting the hall to on a regular basis were not quite what they had expected. The 'relationship support' group were infact running bondage and flogging workshops. The village hall trustees quickly cancelled all remaining bookings. Although it makes a cracking story with wonderful puns to be made I do find this reaction pretty outrageous and antiquated. These are consenting adults in a locked hall with the curtains shut. They weren't going to arrive in gimp masks and pvc ten minutes early at the end of brownies. They weren't going to do a carnival parade around the green outside wearing nipple clamps and cracking flogging whips. It seems to me that some locals must have expected that because what else is there to get upset about?
Some superior quality reporting followed...intentionally and unintentionally hilarious. The comments under the articles for once had me rolling! Best of all though was the interview in the Hobby Shop opposite the hall where two male staff gave their opinions. I cannot stop watching it-it is comedy gold! Like a sketch show! They were brilliant. I might even have to pop in and congratulate them!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2431597/Trumpington-Village-Hall-BANNED-hosting-kinky-BDSM-bondage-workshops.html
Anyhow as the story rolled on it struck me that there was a fantastic opportunity here! Sometimes in life I get an idea that I cannot let go of-no matter how crazy or ridiculous it is...like the time I woke up in the middle of the night at the age of 16, an ardent Liverpool football club supporter, and decided I had to go to Liverpool the next day to pay my respects to those that lost their lives or family and friends in the Hillsborough disaster. I set off at dawn leaving my anxiety-ridden Mum a note on the table 'Gone to Liverpool, back later' (this was before mobile phones and we lived nowhere near). Or the time when I made the whole family at literally the drop of a hat take the long drive to Liverpool (again! What is it about that place!) to glimpse La Machines 50 ft mechanical spider, La Princesse. Or the time I felt the urge to try on and be photographed in a choristers cassock in the vestry of a church I was at for a Christmas concert with my lovely friend Nic.
Well you can guess that I have been gripped again readers by an idea that I just felt compelled to follow through. And this time it involves Ophelia Days and bondage! All for a bit of variety!
This morning at 7am when the fog was beautifying the land and the streets of Trumpington were fairly deserted, Ophelia and I made a secret trip to the village hall for a photoshoot! Ophelia of course was dressed for the occasion thanks to a roll of gaffa tape and some rather large pants-despite my best efforts last night I could not locate a gimp mask in my village to borrow! Unfortunately the front entrance to the hall which most locals would recognise was too far from where I could park to make it the backdrop (I was concerned about someone stealing my car with its unlocked boot as I set Ophelia up or indeed someone stealing Ophelia as I emptied and locked the car! Such a conundrum!) So the side entrance was used for the photos which is fitting I guess! Back door would've been even better! I did rush the photos for fear of giving some elderly dog walker a heart attack or the trustees jumping out of the bushes at me so they are not of the best quality and Ophelia has appropriate bed hair going on with her wig but I hope you can appreciate the effort I did put in-its no mean feet lugging a 6 ft mannequin about with a hangover!
Why did I do it? Its great blog fodder, its a tiny protest at narrow mindedness, its a laugh! Perhaps this is what some of the local residents expected to see outside the hall when they found out about the workshops. Ophelia is as always more than happy to oblige in these adventures!
Enjoy!