THEGAYUK

Day: 13 January 2015

  • GARDEN| Here Is To A Colourful New Year

    January – The tinsel’s gone, the lights are back in the box and we’re all feeling a little bit fatter!

    There’s a real danger at this time of year to wish time away. To urge spring to burst into life and leave the cold winter behind. Don’t do it!

    A friend of ours, a keen gardener, once told us that winter is his absolute favourite time of year in the garden. The land isn’t bleak, it’s waiting. Life is hovering just beneath the surface, biding its time, waiting for the perfect moment to emerge.

    So while you’re waiting for the spring shoots to show, now’s a great time to make plans, because as soon as the weather warms up you won’t have time to do much at all!

    As you may remember Andy and I are on a mission this year – a mission to learn new things and brighten up our garden. So after doing all our usual veg growing jobs for January on the smallholding, we’ve turned our attention to the garden. We love colour outdoors and decided we didn’t want winter to be boring.

    We all know spring, summer and autumn have their own incredible bursts of colour. Spring snowdrops and daffodils give way to summer flowers and fruits, followed by the golden hue of autumn leaves. But what about winter?

    With a little bit of research and some garden centre vouchers we got for Christmas (thanks Nan) we set off to brighten up the garden.

    Winter flowers make your garden beautiful all year round. Intersperse winter flowering plants into your borders and pots to give you year round colour. A great way to build up your knowledge of what is in flower at what time is to visit your local garden centre or nursery at different times of the year.

    Staff are usually friendly and will be full of advice – plus if they have outdoor sections you can see the plants flowering for yourself at their preferred time of year.

    Recently we did just that – after deciding we needed some colour in the garden – we headed to a garden centre. After a few minutes wandering around we found some heathers that were in flower – perfect. In addition to the flowers we also discovered a few evergreen plants that had vibrant yellow and green leaves.

    The other great thing about buying plants from a nursery is that the staff can give you advice on the care and maintenance of your purchases. For example heathers need to be potted in ericaceous (acidic) soil.

    So we got home, potted up and boom! Instant colour! The pots sit just outside the front door welcoming visitors in from the cold.

    The advantage of putting these particular plants in pots is that they can be moved around the garden during different times of the year. When all the summer flowers are in bloom these pots can be moved to a different area of the garden. Both the evergreens and heathers are hardy (meaning they should be fine outside all year round) so they can be put almost anywhere.

    The other way we’ve found to brighten up our garden in winter is with outside lights! Perfect for illuminating the new pots but also great for lighting the way on nights when the fire-pit is lit and we’re enjoying a few drinks in the moonlight.

    This month we’ve learnt that when it comes to gardening in winter just a few simple, carefully chosen plants can make your garden look cared for and vibrant. We’re spending the rest of the month clearing leaves and tidying the garden in preparation for our busiest year ever. Good luck with yours – and get in touch if you fancy a chat. We’re at @andyandadams on Twitter or search ‘Andy and Adam’s’ on Facebook.

     

    Happy Planting!

     

    by Adam Willcox

     

  • SEVENTY PERCENT Of Gay Americans Live With Marriage Equality

    A Federal Judge on Monday declared South Dakota’s same-sex marriage ban ‘unconstitutional’ paving the way for this to become the 37th US State that will allow gay marriage.

    Or will it make it the 38th? With so many Court rulings popping up almost weekly these days it’s hard to keep track of the actual number of States where same-sex marriage is legal. With the US Supreme Court so far still refusing to step in again to re-visit the whole federal Constitutional Issue, it has been left to each of the 50 States to resolve the matter for themselves. Many of them, like Florida the nation’s 3rd most populated State, put up a fierce and often dirty fight by Officials and its Far Right ‘Christian’ Supporters, but to no avail in the end.

    It is estimated that 70% of gay people in the US now live in States where same-sex marriage is illegal, and it is no longer a question of IF they remaining 13 (or 14?) States will catch up, but just a matter of when. However, these last few are the country’s most conservative/republican ones and getting their laws changed will not be easy.

    The USA is hoping to beat its neighbour Mexico to become the 20th Country in the world where same-sex marriage is totally legal.

    The first 19 are Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, Denmark, France, Brazil, Uruguay, New Zealand, Britain, Luxembourg and Finland)

  • FILM REVIEW | Big Eyes, A Radical Departure For Burton

    ★★★ | Big Eyes

    In a rather radical departure from his last few very edgy movies acclaimed director Tim Burton has opted to make a biopic about Walter Keane the infamous plagiarist who in the 1950s claimed that his wife’s populist art was his own work. It’s a colourful lightweight drama that never gets dark even when Keane’s trickery is exposed, thanks mainly to the entertaining performances of its stars Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams.

    The movie opens with a blond-wigged Margaret Ulbrich leaving her unseen husband and taking just Jane her young daughter, a suitcase and a handful of her artwork. Her destination is San Francisco’s new trendy hotspot North Beach but getting a job as a newly single mother is not easy and so she supplements her income at the furniture factory where she works by setting up shop at an outdoor art fair. Her signature style of painting forlorn looking children with enormous soulful eyes doesn’t attract many sales but it does attract the attention of the garrulous older man in the next booth who is pitching his pictures of street scenes of Paris.

    A compulsive womaniser, Walter Keane turns on the charm for Margaret and she, still feeling vulnerable and lonely after her recent separation, agrees to go out on a date with him. The couple hardly know other when Margaret receives a letter from her husband’s lawyer threatening to sue for custody of their child, and so she accepts Walter’s spontaneous marriage proposal to safeguard her chances of holding onto Jane.

    After they return from a romantic wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii, Walter starts hawking their art around town and despite the fact he is a sharp fast-talking salesman, the best deal he can come up with is renting a couple of walls in a Jazz club to display their work. His Montmartre street scenes are totally overlooked but when the club patrons spot Margaret’s soulful eyed children and want to buy them all, he claims that they are all his own work too.

    Margaret is somewhat infatuated with her new husband who she credits with giving her a new lease of life, so when she discovers the lie she goes along it. She is persuaded by Walter that having a man as the artist, is the only way to successful sell the art. He also manages to charm everyone into helping him make this new venture so successful including the San Francisco Examiner reporter Dick Nolan who plants stories about Walter and the art in his newspaper’s society pages.

    As their success explodes all Margaret has to do is stay at home and churn out more paintings in complete secrecy as even Jane, now a teenager, must not be allowed to know the truth. When Walter hits on the notion of printing cheap poster copies of Margaret’s kitsch art the public cannot enough of them, and one of the very few dissenting voices is that of the New York Times Art Critic John Canady who denounces them to the world.

    When his sheer greed turns Walter into a real menace, then Margaret finally packs up her suitcases once again and flees with her daughter, but this time to Hawaii. It takes Walter a year to track her down and when he calls her bluff about exposing him as a fraud, she finally goes public with the fact that she is the real artist. A supremely over-confident Walter immediately denounces these claims in the Examiner, but for once he has misread Margaret who is no longer frightened of him, and so she promptly sues him and the newspaper for slander.

    The judge clears the newspaper of any liability at the Trial but when the rest of the proceedings degenerate into a public squabble between the couple, he deems the only way to resolve the true authorship of the Art is that both of the Keanes paint a picture there and then.

    The chemistry between Waltz as the obnoxiously charming con-man and Adams as the pretty put-upon vulnerable Margaret with her fine Christian morals is what makes this story seem so believable even when it’s hard to even begin to conceive that all this appalling art could have resulted in amassing such a fortune. Burton makes this adaption of this true story an incisive commentary on how early 1960’s society even in a consumer-driven California still had these impenetrable expectations of what women could do.

    This easy going movie will hardly rank as one of director Burton’s best but it is reasonably entertaining and easy on the eye and to that end we should give credit to the design team for the locations, the sets and costumes that were all so perfect down to the last detail.

  • FILM REVIEW | Wild, Witherspoon Shines With Talent

    ★★★★★ | Wild

    After her cancer-ridden mother died just aged 45, Cheryl Strayed fell to pieces. Heavily in debt and with her marriage disintegrating she developed an obsession for sleeping with countless strangers and an addiction to heroin. Her solution to finding a path to recovery and do some major soul-searching was deciding to hike alone the entire Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) that stretches some 2663 miles from California right up into Canada.

    The stunning scenic route takes in some extreme terrain such as the unforgiving heat of Mojave Desert and the deep snowdrifts of the Sierra Nevada. Even though the rigours of the PCT has defeated many experienced hikers, completely green newbie Cheryl was convinced that she nevertheless would succeed. However, on day one, she could barely lift her heavy backpack that she had stuffed it with too many things that she would eventually realise were unnecessary for this arduous journey.

    As she starts the long hike northward Cheryl discovers that as she can barely manage 5 miles per day, she will never walk anything like the whole distance in the 3 months she had estimated. She also quickly discovers that she has the wrong gas for her primus stove so her diet now has to consist of cold mushy oatmeal and dried fruit. Racked with pain and a body full of red sores and a pair of bloody feet, Cheryl has to fight hard not to give into her inner voice that keeps telling her she can quit anytime.

    With only the occasional rattlesnake and her well-worn poetry books to keep her company and relieve the tedium and the agony, she can hardly contain herself when she finally encounters a fellow hiker en route even though the advice he imparts to her both encourages and scares her rigid at the same time. By now it has really dawned on her that she is woefully unprepared for such a massive undertaking. The only thing that seems to sustain her besides her sheer stubbornness, is a real need to ‘find’ herself again.

    Director Jean-Marc Vallee armed with a script by Nick Hornby fills the journey based on Cheryl Strayed’s own memoir with flashbacks of her tumultuous and troubled past which help us understand her determination to make this trip work. Bobbi her working class mother had suffered at the hands of a physically abusive husband which somehow never dented her sheer optimism and just before her untimely death she had gone back to college to get the education she had missed out on as a child. The bond between Bobbi and Cheryl, who was just 22 years old when her mother died, was the most important thing in both these women’s lives and the reason why the death propelled Cheryl so quickly into a downward spiral.

    When Cheryl reaches the first town along the PCT which is a resting place for all hikers, she retrieves a care package that her ex-husband has mailed c/o the local Post Office. She also discovers that word has got out about her and her oversized backpack has been nicknamed ‘The Monster’ but it also elicits advice on how to discard half its contents to make it more practical.

    As a lone woman on the Trail, Cheryl feels very susceptible and she views every man as a potential predator. One is a harmless roving reporter for the ‘Hobo Times’ who riles Cheryl up for insisting on calling her a hobo. Another is a kind farm worker who offers her a hot meal and a shower, and she even comes across a male hiker dipping naked in a stream who cannot get his clothes on quick enough when she appears. Her encounter with two hunters is however quite scary, but with quick thinking on her part Cheryl soon scrambles for safety.

    The stunning setting makes this heartbreaking journey such a visual treat, and the story of self-preservation of this doggedly determined troubled soul is one that will resound with so many people on so many levels. Reese Witherspoon, the movie’s star and producer optioned Cheryl Strayed’s book even before it was published and topped the NY Times Bestseller List as a vehicle for herself and to kickstart her career that has been in the doldrums since her Oscar win in 2005. It paid off big time as she totally immersed herself in the role and gave an impressive career-best performance as Strayed (even though she was 12 years older than her, and even odder still, just 9 years younger than Laura Dern who was electrifying as Bobbi her mother).

    The movie is bound to do more than just make us appreciate what a talented actress Ms Witherspoon really is, as it is also bound to inspire lots of other lost souls to buy themselves a pair of hiking boots and attempt this near-impossible journey, and maybe cause a ‘traffic jam’ or two along the P.C.T. in the future.

  • Treadmill Tuesday The Day When Brits Flock To The Gym, Only To Waste Money

    The second Tuesday in January, which this year falls on the 13th, has been identified as Treadmill Tuesday – the day when most people decide to hit the gym after Christmas.

    * Treadmill Tuesday comes a week before Blue Monday, thought to be the most depressed day of the year.

    * Outdoor bootcamps set to be fitness tread in 2015

    * Treadmill Tuesday – the day when most people look to join the gym after the excesses of Christmas.

    *88% of us likely to fail at keeping our resolutions

    This Tuesday is when Brits will take action when it comes to shedding those holiday pounds or making a start on New Year resolutions to get in shape, new analysis from AA Hotel Group of the Year 2014-2015 QHotels suggests.

    Last year, Tuesday January 14th – the second Tuesday in January – saw the highest volume of traffic to the health club section on QHotels.co.uk. Treadmill Tuesday falls almost a week ahead of Blue Monday (January 26th), thought to be the most depressing day of the year.

    Dave Heap, Group Leisure and Spa Manager at QHotels, said: “We’ve identified the second Tuesday in January as Treadmill Tuesday – the day when most people look to join the gym after the excesses of Christmas.

    “Exercise has proven mood-boosting benefits so is perfect for banishing those January Blues as the most depressing day of the year approaches.

    “Joining one of our award-winning health clubs is a great way to kickstart a fitness regime for the New Year and our dedicated staff will be on hand to help every step of the way.”

    Health Club fitness professionals and members also shared their predictions for the top fitness trends of 2015, with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and outdoor bootcamps topping the list. HIIT involves alternating short bursts of intense cardiovascular exercise with recovery periods of less intense activity.

    Top motivational tips from QHotels health club community:

    Remember there’s no time like the present – join a gym and start on your fitness journey

    Go to classes to try new things and stop your fitness routine going stale

    Find a friend to keep you motivated and help you achieve your fitness goals

    Make a plan and stick to it

    Get fit at your own pace to build lasting healthy habits and avoid injury

    Celebrity Life Coach Sloan Sheridan Williams said, “With a suggested 88% of resolutions failing which translates to approximately 150 million resolutions every year, it is clear that your brain is not automatically wired to succeed at keeping resolutions any more than your muscles are automatically wired to succeed at running a marathon yet every year people ask their brain to perform the mental equivalent. So when you want to clear the cobwebs and start the New Year as the New You, how can you stop giving up on giving in?”

    1. Make A Commitment
    2. Realign Your Beliefs
    3. Take some time out for financial planning
    4. Constant Reminders
    5. Vocalise Your Promises

  • Drone Footage Of Frozen Chicago Will Take Your Breath Away

    Winter can look incredible when it’s not overcast and raining. This production company from the US have managed to capture a beautiful frozen Chicago.

    Chicago, has this year thanks to last year’s polar vortex shown how wintery conditions can be truly breath taking. During the filming of the video, temperature failed to rise above -10 degrees.

    Photographer Colin Hinkle released the footage taken by a GoPro camera attached to a DJI Phantom 2 Drone. On his about page Hinkle wrote: “Part 4 of Chicago in my series of life from above. Shot during the winter of January 2015 around Chicago over the course of 2 weeks. All shot in temperatures below 10 degrees F. Really tested the limits of the DJI Phantom 2 and GoPro Hero 4. The Phantom held up very well in the cold with no issues at all. The GoPro shooting in 4K would not last much more than 10 minutes before needing a battery change which was disappointing since it’s supposed to be a camera for the “extreme” users. Enjoy the beauty of a frigid Chicago from your warmth of your living room.”

  • BOOK REVIEW | Dr.a.g

    ‘Dr.a.g. isn’t what you wear and it isn’t who you are. It’s how you wear who you are.’

    Drag (a man who is ‘dressed as a girl’) has become a diverse form of expression that challenges, entertains and educates by pushing boundaries, while embracing beauty, comedy and glamour. The performers in this illustrated book are evidence of that diversity, captured by some of the top photographers working in the world today. All of them have graciously donated their work to make the book possible. What started as a small independent film fundraiser has grown into this beautiful coffee-table book.

    Actor and author Christopher Logan launched the ‘dr.a.g.’ book a few years ago, but the project stalled when his original publisher fell into bankruptcy. Logan believed in the project, garnered a loan, and kept the existing distribution contracts. Logan is bringing back the glamour with photography books. In a world when the printed word is easily downloaded, the book that survives is the photo book. “You just cannot experience the vibrancy of these photographs online. They are meant for the printed page,” says Logan.

    The ‘Bookthefilm Edition’ features famous faces from Frank Marino, Jackie Beat and Lady Bunny to Joey Arias, Jeffree Star and Jim Bailey. Additionally, several portraits from noteworthy drag queen photographers are included in this book, including Magnus Hastings, Austin Young and more. The book also features everyone’s favourite queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race including Chad Michaels, Courtney Act, Yara Sofia, Roxxy Andrews, Detox, Akashia, Tammie Brown, Nina Flowers, Bebe Zahara Benet, Jujubee, Morgan McMichaels, Shannel, Ongina and Raja.

     

  • Drag Race To Come To The UK?

    The gayverse is all of a buzz after sources said that RuPaul’s drag race could be coming to Channel 5 later this year.

    Last year it was reported that Jonathan Ross had obtained the rights to develop a UK version of the hit drag show in the US. Jonathan previously said, “I’ve been working with Jodie on a UK version [of the show]… Unfortunately, we have had to take a break because of some family issues. But we’re hoping to pick it up again in the near future.”

    Last month we spoke to La Voix who said that she’d jump at the chance to star in the UK series. La Voix became one of the UK’s most famous drag queens after appearing on Britain’s Got Talent in 2014.

    Michelle Visage, who is a judge on Drag Race is currently starring in Celebrity Big Brother which is being aired on Channel 5.

    The Race Family page said that they were expecting to reveal more information within the next two weeks. We reached out to Channel 5 for comment on the show, a spokesperson for the channel said, “There are no discussions around a UK version of the show”.