Cardiff, Wales: 'Take Your Little Sister To Work Day'

On Sunday the 17th of March, I decided that Monday the 18th of March would be 'Take Your Little Sister (I'm 24) To Work Day'.

My sister works in Morgan Arcade studios in Cardiff...

'Everyone's working quietly away...'

'Except me.'

'My chalk makes a noise'.

(I think I hear a snigger behind me, too, but I can't be sure)

'Scratchy scratch'

I will drag my chalk across the lumpy bits.

Ta da!

She's pretending to be too busy eating her biscuit to notice my hard work in the office...

But deep down, somewhere, she is proud.

***

Lark Lane, Liverpool: Honest chalking...

Today, I followed in the path of all PostSecret confession participants and decided to open up and chalk everything I was thinking, as I walked from my house to Lark Lane in Liverpool.

I figured that by writing on sugar paper, there would be no traces of my thoughts that might offend anyone later in the day, but that I might feel better for getting my feelings out into the open air.

After her fright in the house this morning, when a fat, four-legged cat called Kevin appeared in her bedroom and wouldn't leave, my Spanish housemate felt she had a lot to get off her chest too.

So off we went...

And as that fat cat came from our neighbour's house, it wasn't long before someone felt they needed to chalk something...

'Their fat cat was in my room'

And my favourite cafe, which never seems to be open when I walk past anymore, is shut again...

Maria finds a shop that always seems to catch her eye...

'I like this shop', she chalks.

'But it doesn't look clean'

We move on...

'One day we will eat pie in here'

Because they sell the award-winning Pieminster ones that everyone loves, and they sell our favourite beers and have picnic benches inside, too...

'Or not (never serving)'

We came here on fireworks night and they were too busy to cook them, and they weren't providing any on my Birthday either :(

BOO.

This is me being pie-less on fireworks night.

I look pale, right?

It's true.

Maria hears something...

'Lisa Simpson playing in Sefton Park?'

It's a boy!

Playing saxophone solos to the ducks!

...

SQUIRREL!

We agree that this is the only thing we think when we see one of these...

(That, and 'please be my pet')

***

Maida Vale Studios, London: There are about 10 different reasons why this blog post shouldn't exist.

Chalking in Maida Vale Studios in London is no small feat.

In fact, it probably breaks a law written somewhere about ruining old, amazing music places builts decades before you were born.

So, forgive me that I have waited a while before posting about my trip to the prestigious studios, which took place a little earlier in February...

And that my chalked messages are quite short (I didn't want to get picked up by the collar of my dress and thrown out. You can understand?)

Anyway...

This is Maida Vale Studios on Delaware Road in London.

It doesn't look too exciting from the outside, but it's home to seven BBC studios and, since 1946, has been used to record thousands of popular music, classical music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC 6Music.

It's also home to thousands of unnecessarily long corridors which have no landmarks to help you find your way.

The solution? To pretend you stopped to take photos of the old photos on the wall. And to stare at them afterwards like you remember being there, and how great it was at the time...

I went to Maida Vale to work on a show that would be broadcast live from the building as part of a special celebration of BBC 6 Music...

For no less than The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show!

(Craig Charles when he's not lying on a studio desk next to a message I've just chalked/not in Coronation Street/not in Red Dwarf)

Everything is so SNAZZY

Well, sort of....

'WOW'

(I touch it some more after I have chalked to pick up some celebrity DNA on my fingertips)

Who knows what's inside...

I like to think it's someone mega famous' drums or something...

Heading back to the studio to avoid looking suspicious...

...to find nobody is here and that I can chalk on a speaker without getting caught!

'!'

Yay.

Where is everyone though?

Eh?

Ah.

Alice Russell who was in here just half an hour ago...

...and James Hunter who was our guest just before that...

Are now singing and dancing right here.

Look!

 

And listen.

(They were amazing)

***

Lego v Chalk

I've just spotted a video of a printer made of lego, printing out a picture of a pony. It has LEGO PEOPLE working on the top of it.

Can I make this work with chalk?

Watch the video and discuss...

NB - If anyone thinks this is possible, you have my whole bag of crayon-shaped chalks (sorry John and Becky) and the promise of eternal love, devotion and blackboards, to make it work for me.

***

Liverpool, UK: I found something cool behind my house...

Liverpool's Festival Gardens...

 

It was specially commissioned for the International Garden Festival four years before I was born, and was the centrepiece of the city's early regeneration efforts.

 

 

While I was dancing around my bedroom in South Wales to The Spice Girls in 1997, it fell into disrepair and was abandoned.

 

But then, those who loved the area and didn't want them to continue building houses and various other leisure pursuits on the land, set about restoring it again ten years later.

 

Here it is now (as I found it)...

 

 

'Look what I've found!'

 

 

 

A tiny house on a little stand...

 

 

...with a cool hut looking out onto a pond!

 

It's a Japanese garden!

 

...and it's very beautiful.

 

 

And, guess what?

 

Since I've been here...

 

 I've grown a bit!

 

 

Or not. Nevermind...

 

 

Wanna see something that is amazing, though?

 

...

 

 

I can't believe that this is behind my house!

 

'If only I was taller'

 

Just a little bit taller...

 

I'd be on top of that roof, finishing this blog post in style.

 

***