A perilous journey and a man in a leotard

The continuing adventures of a girl trying to achieve forty things before she hits the grand old age of forty, although not necessarily in the right order...

Number 39: Walk up Calton Hill (completed)

Admittedly this is one of the easiest goals on my list. Having lived in Edinburgh for seven years I really should have got around to doing this before now. Now, thanks to my intrepid friends Jane Britton and Penny Watson, I have finally scaled this mighty mountain.

It was one of the first sunny days of 2013, which boded well. Kitted out and equipped appropriately we set off to attempt our expedition. The sun was shining and we were actually able to venture out sans hat, scarf and gloves without fear of frostbite like Sir Ranulph.

We three hearty explorers warmed up our limbs with a stroll across the Meadows and stopped to sustain ourselves with hearty helpings of tea and cake. Fuelled for our epic journey, we took up our map and compass and navigated the dangerous realms of ‘that bit at the top of Leith Walk’. At last we discovered the long-lost hidden entrance which heralded the start of the ascent.

The exhausting climb involved over six hours negotiating dangerous crevasses. We lost our sherpers and ran out of oxygen and food. Jane narrowly escaped being eaten by cannibals. Penny fell in a snow drift.

Actually it was a pleasant stroll up a winding path with expansive views over Edinburgh towards the Firth of Forth, but that sounds a bit too easy!

At the top we were united with various other explorers who had braved the ascent to picnic, stroll, walk their dogs and read, surrounded by a panoramic view of Edinburgh. It really was a very sunny and pleasant day.

Probably the hardest challenge was trying to scramble up onto the Acropolis for the obligatory ‘I’ve made it’ photo. The small child next to me made it look embarrassingly easy. Still I managed it and struck an explorer pose between the columns. Apparently I look a bit like something from Cloud Atlas.

It being Scotland we were accompanied a soundtrack of bagpipes. They really do get everywhere. After a short time enjoying the summit we braved the descent and made our way home, happy with our achievement.

A thoroughly enjoyable adventure just seven years in the making.

23: See David Bowie live (the next best thing?)

So no sooner do I add ‘see Bowie live’ to my list than he releases his first new album in ten years. Coincidence?

Sadly he is showing no intention of touring, so I decided to do the next best thing. I went to the Bowie exhibition at the V&A and bought the new album. I also bought the exhibition book, a t-shirt, several postcards and a celebratory guitar plectrum before having to leave the shop. Still it’s good to support the man in his retirement.

The exhibition at the V&A was incredible. Bowie seems to have taken inspiration from every available source including music, films, art, fashion and literature. It was interesting to read about his history and the context of his work, especially for someone like me having not grown up in the sixties. I loved hearing him talk about his inspiration and how he wrote his lyrics as well as seeing his song notes and sketches for album covers.

Of course the costumes were fabulous. Some of my favourites included one made out of such heavy plastic that he had to be carried on stage to perform in it, a vinyl trouser suit with legs about a metre wide and a bunny leotard. He also managed to pull off suits paired with kitten heels as well as a gold webbed body suit with just some well placed gold hands for modesty. And I got to see the props from Labyrinth.

What I learned to appreciate was how brave he was at a time when being so was, well, brave.

And somehow he managed to make a man in a bunny leotard look sexy.

I’ve spent the last week listening to ‘The Next Day’ in my car on the way to work. I gather it has had some mixed reviews. It’s certainly more reflective than a lot of his previous work. Ok, it’s not Ziggy Stardust or Low, but it wasn’t meant to be. Like the Berlin albums it represents yet another change in his life and artistic direction. I quite like it. It’s a grower. I also think it fits better together stylistically than Reality, one of his more recent albums. The background instrumentation is rich and interesting. Plus there are some opportunities to sing along, which is always a winner with me.

It’s not quite seeing him live, but it’s the next best thing and at the moment it may be the nearest I’ll get.

And I have my T-shirt, book, postcards and plectrum* to fill the gap!

 *I should perhaps point out I don’t actually even play the guitar. That’s a good sale.