#the opener from shepherd's bush in december

[dreamings-free]

Oliver Keane and Andrew Cushin are going to the All Of Those Voices London premiere tomorrow 16/3/23

[louisupdates]

Louis Tomlinson’s ‘All Of Those Voices’ is a love letter to the people who made his career what it is today – review

DORK

Jessica Goodman | March 27, 2023

What do you do when it’s all over? Not just a badly paraphrased Elton John lyric, this is the question that Louis Tomlinson’s documentary sets out to answer right at the start. More than a story of fighting for success against all odds, ‘All Of Those Voices’ is a love letter to the people who made his career what it is today.

Rewinding the clock from Louis’ triumphant show at London’s O2 Shepherds Bush Empire last December to his televised X-Factor audition in 2010 (after declaring “I hope it doesn’t make any part of this movie” in ‘This Is Us’, this time his audition performance is not shown), the film opens with a rapid-fire rollercoaster of emotions.

We see the immediate success of One Direction at odds with the heartache of not being featured on the band’s early singles, achieving more songwriting credits than any of his bandmates is juxtaposed against not being prepared – or even feeling any sense of closure – when the group took their hiatus. All of this occurs in the space of about ten minutes.

“By the end of it, I knew exactly who I was – in the band,” Louis tells the camera. “There’s no guarantee and there’s no security,” he adds later. “Anything could happen next.”

What happened next is the story this documentary was created to tell. Through loss and love, both personal and professional, this is – as Louis declared when the film release was announced – “my story with you in my own words.”

‘All Of Those Voices’ is a story of love and family – both the kind you grow up with and the kind you find for yourself. If grief is love with nowhere left to go, this documentary is Louis’ way of expressing that. Heartfelt conversations with family at home in Doncaster pay tribute to the life and legacy of the family he’s lost, while humorous conversations to camera on the road honour the family that’s been found along the way.

Family, friends, colleagues, and band are just as crucial to this story as Louis is. Whether they’re offering testament to his character, guiding him through vocal warm-ups turned stage performance therapy sessions (sir, we’re going to need to hear more of those lower registers), or leaning into the camera as if sharing a secret to declare “it were better than one of the One Direction gigs!” of one of Louis’ own headline shows, though all the ups and downs, this documentary is a celebration.

There are sad moments and there are soft moments (find a more adorable moment in any documentary than Louis’ son Freddie drawing his dad’s logo with a stick in the sand, we dare you), but through it all, ‘All Of Those Voices’ is a celebration of the graft, the grit, and the people who make us who we are.

It’s not comprehensive. Louis’ annual Away From Home festival isn’t doesn’t get as much as a mention (given that there’s an entire documentary devoted to the first event, a lack of focus on this makes sense), and breaking his arm twice in the space of a year is also glossed over (though, to be honest, we probably wouldn’t own up to that either).

What this documentary is, is connective. We see the band become a tight unit, celebrating not only the music but the fun they’ve had playing it along the way. Drinking in the bus back lounge and playing a game of odds that results in garish gig attire and on-stage planking and push-ups, the film is a celebration of shared experiences.

As is customary with anything Louis does, his fans play just as important a role as he does. We see fan projects in action, light displays created by the crowd in appreciation of the person in front of them on stage. We also see a fan holding a sign saying ‘I’m 13 but I’m taller than you’.

A particularly heartfelt moment sees a fan read out an essay they wrote convincing their family to agree to them camping out before the show. When they finish, their friends tell them “I love you.” It’s unclear how long they’ve actually known each other, but all of this is what the fandom is all about: sharing enthusiasm, feeling connected, and supporting something you love – and having fun with it.

What’s next is anyone’s guess, but what’s clear is this is only the beginning. With a number-one album in the bank and an arena tour set for later this year, Louis and his fan’s successes seem only set to grow.

“This is all I fucking ever wanted,” Louis tells the camera as the film reaches its conclusion. If it’s not too cheesy to wrap up a review by quoting his own lyrics, then we think it’s fair to say, “we made it.”

[hldailyupdate]

Louis with his ‘Live from O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire’ opener, Andrew Cushin. (14 December 2022)

x

[hieromonkcharbel]

The Nativity Fast

The Nativity Fast, in preparation for the feast of the Nativity on December 25, is one of the minor fasts of the Church. This fast of forty days was introduced in the 12th century. Counting back 40 days from the feast of the Nativity, the fast begins on the evening of November 14 - the feast of the holy apostle Phillip. As a result, it is traditionally called Philip's Fast or the Philippian Fast (in Slavonic, Filipovka).

This fast is not penitential, but is rather a fast of preparation, like the pre-Communion fast. By abstaining from certain foods, we are opening up a "space" in our lives through asceticism and obedience, into which God may enter. See also Fasting.

Traditional rules of fasting

Customs vary, but in general the traditional Christmas fast calls for the faithful to observe strict abstinence (no meat, fish, dairy or other animal product, wine or oil) on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, and a lesser abstinence (no meat, fish, dairy or animal products) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fish is allowed on Saturdays and Sundays, but no other animal products.

Several popular feasts fall during the first three weeks of the Christmas Fast: the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple on November 21, the feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6, and the Maternity of Holy Anna (Conception of the Theotokos) on December 8 or 9. As a result, in many places the Christmas Fast either does not begin until December 10, or becomes stricter at that point.

In the Byzantine Catholic Church, this fast may be observed voluntarily, partially or in its entirety.

The final day of fasting before the feast of the Nativity is particularly strict. On this day - either December 24, or the preceding Friday if December 24 falls on a Saturday or Sunday - the Royal Hours are celebrated, and the faithful are encouraged to fast if possible until after Vespers, which may be combined with the Divine Liturgy. After this service, it is traditional in many places to hold a meal called the Holy Supper, which is meatless but festive.

Liturgical preparation for the Nativity

As the fast begins, there is no daily liturgical preparation for the feast of the Nativity. Instead, pre-festive prayers and hymns are added during the course of the fast.

The first announcement of the Nativity

Beginning on November 21 (the feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple), the Canon of the Nativity is sung at Matins as katavasia (that is, the irmosy or theme song of the Nativity is sung at the end of each ode of the canon). This is the first liturgical announcement of the Nativity: "Christ is born! Glorify Him!"

On the feast of the holy apostle Andrew (November 30), at Vespers, we hear the first pre-festive hymns:

Isaiah, dance for joy: receive the word of God! Prophesy to the Virgin Mary that the bush burning with fire shall not be consumed by the radiance of our God. Let Bethlehem be prepared! Let the gates of Eden be opened! Let the Magi come forth to see, wrapped in swaddling clothes, in a manger of beasts, the salvation which the star has pointed out from above the cave: the life-giving Lord, who saves us all!

These hymns become more urgent when we come to the feast of the holy archbishop Nicholas the Wonder-worker (December 6):

O cave, prepare yourself to receive the Mother who bears Christ within her womb. O manger, receive the Word who destroyed the sins of all. O shepherds, keep watch and then bear witness to the awesome wonder. O magi, from Persia now come, and bring your gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the King. For the Lord has appeared from a Virgin Mother; yet she bowed to him as a servant and spoke to him in her bosom, saying: "How were you conceived in me? How did you grow in me, my God and Savior?

The Prophets of the Old Testament

During the month of December, we commemorate several of the Old Testament prophets: Nahum (December 1), Habbakuk (December 2), Zephaniah (December 3), and Haggai (December 16). All of these prophets preached repentence, and the coming of the Messiah in great glory.

Daniel, whom we remember on December 17, was also a prophet: an apocalyptic seer who foretold an everlasting Kingdom of God. With him, we commemorate the three young men, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, who were thrown into a fiery furnace on account of their faith in the one God of Israel, and were seen there walking about with a fourth man, "one like a son of God" (Daniel 3:92). The Fathers of the Church saw this fourth man as a prefigurement of Jesus himself, and the faith of Daniel and the three young men as a summation of the best of the saints of the Old Covenant. That is why hymns in honor of Daniel and the three youths are sung not only on their feast day (December 17), but on the two Sundays before Christmas as well.

The Sundays before Christmas

On the Second Sunday before the Nativity (December 11-17), the Sunday of the Forefathers, we recall the holy men and women who lived under the Old Covenant, and looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. At the same time, in the Gospel at the Divine Liturgy (Luke 14:16-24), we hear our Lord tell the parable of a feast to which those who were first invited, did not come - and how the master ordered the house to be filled with those who were not at first invited. Thus in the troparion we sing:

By faith, O Christ, you justified the forefathers. Through them, you betrothed yourself to a Church from all nations.

On the Sunday before the Nativity (December 18-24), the Sunday of the Ancestors, the genealogy of Jesus is read at the Divine Liturgy (Matthew 1:1-25); the Epistle, from the Letter to the Hebrews, praises the saints of the Old Testament for their faith, but says that in spite of that faith, they did not receive the promised Messiah. Instead, "God had made a better plan - a plan which included us" (Hebrews 11-40).

The Pre-festive Days of the Nativity

Finally, on December 20, we begin the actual pre-festive days of Christmas:

Bethlehem, make ready, Eden has been opened for all. Ephrathah, prepare yourself, for the Tree of Life has blossomed from the Virgin in the cave. Her womb has become a spiritual paradise in which divinity was planted. If we partake of it, we shall live and not die like Adam. Christ is born to raise up the likeness that had fallen. (December 20)

On each day, we sing hymns of the journey of Mary and Joseph to the cave, as we await the celebration of the birth of the Son of God.

The Royal Hours of Christmas

One final day of strict fasting awaits us. Normally, this would be the Vigil (in Greek, Paramony) of the Nativity, December 24. But Saturday and Sunday are never days of strict fasting in the Byzantine Rite (with the single exception of Great and Holy Saturday). So when December 24 falls on one of these two days, the day of strict fast is anticipated on Friday.

On this day, a special service called the Royal Hours is celebrated. This service consists of the daytime services of the First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Ninth Hour, and Typika, celebrated with special psalms and readings for the Nativity. (This service is called royal because, at one time, the Emperor himself always attended the service.) Each part of the service has an Old Testament prophecy, an Epistle reading, and a reading from the Holy Gospel.

More recently, these Hours are sometimes combined into a single Office of Readings, which can be celebrated at any time during the day.

The Vigil of the Nativity

Finally, we have come to the very eve of the Nativity - the Paramony or Vigil of Christmas (December 24). If it is a weekday, it is a day of strict fasting, with the Royal Hours celebrated during the day, and Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil in the evening.

If December 24 is a Saturday or Sunday, the Divine Liturgy may be celebrated in the morning, and we sing the troparion of the Vigil:

At that time, Mary registered in Bethlehem with the elder Joseph, who was of the house of David. She had conceived without seed and was with child; and her time to give birth had come. They found no room in the inn, but the cave became a pleasant palace for the Queen. Christ is born to raise up the likeness that had fallen.

The fast is not quite over; if there is a meal or Holy Supper in the evening of December 24, after Vespers, it is a meatless one. But we have arrived at the feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Molebens for the Nativity Fast

In many places, it has become traditional to celebrate a devotional service called a moleben during the pre-Christmas fast. This service is not one of the fixed daily offices, like Vespers or the Divine Liturgy, and so it can be celebrated at any time of the day and on any day of the week, or even several times during the Fast.

Several different versions of this service for the pre-Nativity Fast are presently in use in the Byzantine Catholic Church. All of them emphasize the message of preparation for the Nativity - "Come, Lord Jesus!" - and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah.

Source: https://mci.archpitt.org/liturgy/Christmas_Fast.html

[abundanceofsoph]

SkyFire 3: Chapter 7

Harry at the BBC, Flicker Sessions & the other side of marriage: August/September 2017    

Word count: 3.4k

SkyFire 3 MASTERLIST

I’m finally back! December really kicked my ass: I moved house, and I’m a manager in retail so christmas is always a nightmare but covid definitely made it worse. Anyway I’m back with another chapter and I’ve got the next few blocked out so hopefully I can get back to semi-regular updates :) Please help this story find new readers by reblogging and commenting.

As summer neared its end, Harry and Aurora travelled north to Manchester where they met up with the rest of the band as well as Jeff and Nick Grimshaw. It was hard for both of them to be back in town for the first time since the funeral, and even harder to be staying in Anne’s house which now felt far too empty without Robin’s infectious laugh and booming voice. They had arrive in town two days before the taping and both Aurora and Harry found themselves immensely grateful for the extensive soundchecks and filming obligations that kept them in town most of the time, only returning to the house in the evenings and turning in for bed relatively early to avoid the uncomfortable atmosphere in the home. On the day of the performance, after all Harry and Nicks segments were filmed and the band was ready to go, the doors were opened, and the small crowd was welcomed into the venue and prepared for the procedures of the taping.

The show was a huge success, with the crowd absolutely loving the entire thing. Aurora found herself unable to hold back her laughter several times while Nick interviewed Harry and she was often grinning as he danced around the stage, revelling in the infectious atmosphere of the crowd. Following the last song, well after the crowd had left and the only ones left inside were the band, Nick Grimshaw and their families, the crew worked on breaking down the set and everyone milled around with drinks in hand. They laughed together, sharing stories and eagerly discussing the upcoming tour. Aurora was tucked up against Harry’s side, his arm thrown comfortably around her shoulders as she lent her head against one of the swallows hidden beneath his shirt. She caught Anne’s eyes across the small group and the two women shared a soft smile as Harry’s booming laughter filled the air. In that moment she felt that despite the pain still felt in Robin’s absence, at the end of the day Anne was going to be ok. Both Harry and Rori had worried about heading off on a world tour and leaving her at home, but now Rori was confident that while her mother-in-law still had plenty of healing to go, she would be just fine while they were away from her. It was with clear consciences that the young couple were able to pack up their car and return to London the following day.

xXx

A few days after returning home from Manchester, Aurora took the opportunity to do something she had done quite often back in New York before she and Harry got married and made a permanent home for themselves in London. Life had been so busy since Jays passing the previous year that she hadn’t had a chance to start back up again in London and with the tour only weeks away she knew this was her final spare moment.

It took the better part of an hour for her to arrive after first taking a bus north to Knightsbridge from which she caught the Piccadilly line over to Russell square. She paused for a moment in the small patch of trees of Queen Square Gardens to collect herself before heading up the front steps and through the entry to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. An administrator was waiting in the lobby for her and after a quick greeting and handshake, Aurora was led upstairs and onto one of the kids' wards.

No matter how many times she made these visits, the first moment was always confronting. It was always upsetting to see so many tiny kids so sick and the exhausted, shattered expressions on their parents faces. No matter how often she did this there was always the briefest moment when her eyes threatened to tear up and she had to bite the inside of her cheek before plastering a bright smile on her face.

She spent most of the day there with the kids, admiring their drawings, singing songs for them, and playing with their toys. She spoke with the parents too, trying as best she could to brighten their day even if just a little bit. By the time she left she could feel the tears threatening to fall and instead of subjecting herself to crying on the tube, she ordered an Uber to get her home to where Harry was waiting with open arms and hot cup of tea.

She fell into those arms the moment she stepped into their living room, her entire body shaking with the great heaving sobs breaking through her chest. He didn’t say anything, knowing exactly how painful these visits were, having made enough of his own over the years. Whenever it had been his turn, his wife had been the safe harbour for him to return home to and now it was just his turn to help her weather the storm. He pulled a blanket over them as they settled into the sofa and he hummed softly, rubbing her back until her breathing finally slowed and she drifted to sleep, laying on his chest.

xXx

They hadn’t seen much of the boys since the wedding, so with Niall’s album launch fast approaching, Aurora was immensely excited to join him on stage to perform their duet Seeing Blind at his second stop on his Flicker Sessions tour. Following the first show in Dublin on the Tuesday evening, Niall flew into London early the following morning and Aurora met him at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire to rehearse ahead of the show the following evening. After a full day of rehearsals, Niall joined Aurora on her drive home, hugging Harry tightly as they arrived back at the Battersea Flat.

“Alright, alright,” Harry chuckled as he finally let go of the Irishman. “Get in here before dinner gets cold.”

They all sat down around the dining table, digging into the pasta dish Harry had made, catching each other up on the summers between bites.

“Can’t believe we’re both off on solo tours,” Niall said as Aurora cleared the table. “Seems mental to not all be cramming ourselves into the bus together.”

“I know,” Harry agreed sadly. “Feels weird to be making all the decisions on my own. Exciting though.”

“Agreed,” Niall chuckled. “Can’t bloody wait. Last night was absolutely buzzing and tomorrow’s gonna be so bloody great with Rors.”

“Gonna be so much fun Ni,” Rori echoed. “Been looking forward to this for weeks.”

“Speaking of,” Harry said. “Gem said she should get back into town about an hour before the doors open so I’ll probably wait for her and we can head over together. That work for you two?”

“Sounds good mate,” Niall nodded.

“Works for me baby,” Rori agreed, kissing Harry on the cheek. “I’m planning to arrive a few hours before doors open so I have time to get dressed and get hair and makeup done.”

xXx

The following evening Aurora waited backstage as Niall stepped out into the spotlight and began the show with The Tide. The crowd sounded electric and Aurora found herself far more excited than nervous to soon been joining him. The minutes flew by and Niall was quickly welcoming her out into the spotlight to a round of applause. He was smiling brightly as he started playing and sang the opening lines of the song, before Aurora joined him, a matching smile lighting up her own face. As they reached the chorus, Rori found herself dancing across the stage, the hem of her dress flaring out above her knees as she twirled. The song was over far too soon for her liking and she found herself more eager than ever for Harry’s own tour to kick off.

xXx

As September began, the stress had been building between the Styles’ for days. With the tour only  weeks away Harry was already overworked and exhausted. He was so full of anxiety, waking in the middle of the night to call Jeff to check on some tiny detail he’d just thought of and it had just kept piling up. Aurora had wanted to help him, wanted to calm him, and tell him that it would be ok, but she was consumed by her own fears. Despite how much she had enjoyed singing with Niall and how well their TV performances had gone over the past few months, she hadn’t lied to Liam all those months ago when she’d shared her fears with him that her disability would make her a liability to the tour. She couldn't use her prosthetic every waking hour of the day; it wasn’t healthy, both on a physical and mental level. Physically the prosthetic was never entirely comfortable, leaving her constantly aware that something foreign was attached to her body and mentally, while the transmitter was a technological marvel, using it for longer than a few hours left her exhausted and if she kept it on too long she was assaulted by the worst migraines imaginable. The fear of being unable to perform, of failing Harry, of not being what he needed was drowning her. She knew he loved her of course, but they had barely been married 5 months and she was terrified of being a burden, or worse still, of disappointing him and hurting his career.  

All of this was building up between the two of them, the stress feeling like a thick fog filling their flat and weighing down everything in it. A week after Aurora performed with Niall in Shepherds Bush, and two weeks before they were set to fly out to San Francisco, it all came to a head, boiling over in a fit of anger and frustration; both of them saying things they didn’t mean just to win a point against the other. She wasn’t even sure what had ignited the flame but as soon as it sparked, neither could hold back until Rori knew she needed to leave before either of them said something they couldn’t recover from. Somehow, she managed to hold back the tears until the door closed behind her and she crossed the hall to the elevator, leaving her husband in their apartment, angry and alone. She let the tears fall as she rode the lift down the underground garage, thankful that it didn’t stop to pick up anyone else along the way. She was gasping for breath, sobbing hideously by the time she climbed into her car and started the engine. She wasn’t even sure where to go but she knew that she needed to go somewhere.

She was furious and she was hurt. They'd bickered over the years, they wouldn’t be human if they hadn’t, but he’d never raised his voice at her the way he did tonight and she’d crossed the line too, said things she didn’t mean and things he didn’t deserve. She wasn’t paying attention to where she was going but didn’t find herself all that surprised when she pulled up out the front of the Golden Stag. She parked the car in the side alley to avoid getting a ticket the following morning and made her way inside, attempting to wipe her tear stained cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater with her right hand, her prosthetic long forgotten back at the apartment.

It was nearing midnight and the place was mostly empty, only a few stragglers left in a booth by the fireplace. Helen was behind the bar, not looking up as she heard the door open. “We’re closing up,” she called out.

“Sorry,” Rori mumbled, causing Helen’s head to snap up, her face pinching in worry as she took in the young woman’s expression. She rushed out from behind the bar, pulling Rori against her chest and tucking her under her chin.

“What happened sweetheart?”

“Harry and I had a fight and I just had to get out of the house,” Rori admitted. “Didn’t know where else to go.”

“Of course baby,” Helen soothed. “How about we get you settled in your old room upstairs?”

Aurora nodded and allowed herself to be led towards the staircase and up to the small apartment where she’d grown up. She toed off her shoes and climbed under the duvet, while Helen sat on the edge of the bed and ran her hand over Rori’s hair.

“Do I need to go knock some sense into that boy of yours?” she asked.

Aurora shook her head. “He didn’t say anything worse than what I said to him.”

“Do you want to talk to me about it?”

“No.”

“Ok sweetheart. Try to get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning.” Helen stood up and headed for the door. Just as she was about to step through, Aurora's voice gave her pause.

“Thank you, Gran,” she mumbled.

“Get some sleep baby,” she repeated, closing the door softly behind her.

When she woke the next morning, she crept downstairs, noting the missed calls from Harry when she checked her phone. The pub wasn’t open yet, so it was deserted but for Helen and Greg cleaning up and preparing for the day ahead.

“Good morning sweetheart,” Helen greeted as Aurora perched herself on one of the many bar stools. “You hungry?” Aurora shook her head. “How about a coffee?”

“Yes please,” she mumbled, smiling softly.

“Helen said you didn’t want us giving Harry a piece of our minds,” Greg added while his wife turned to the coffee machine, “but if you change your mind you just let me know. If he hurt you...”

“He didn’t,” Aurora cut him off. “At least not how you mean.”

She was interrupted from explaining further as her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket, glad that it wasn’t Harry’s face on her screen. She answered the call with a soft “Hello?”

“Rori, where are you? Are you safe?” Louis asked, worry clear in his voice.

“I’m fine Lou,” Rori promised. “I’m at the pub.”

“Thank god,” she heard him sigh. “H called this morning to see if you crashed at mine, said he’d already checked with El. He’s worried about you.”

“Well he can worry a bit longer, I’m not ready to talk to him.”

“He feels terrible for what he said,” Louis said.

“Don’t,” Rori sighed. “Please don’t get in the middle of this.”

“I won’t, sorry,” Louis replied. “Just promise you’ll text him and let him know you’re safe and that you’re not ready to talk. You and I both know he’ll spiral if he doesn’t hear from you soon.”

“I will,” she promised. “I gotta go.”

“Ok, love you.”

“Love you too Lou.”

Once she hung up, she did as she’d promised and texted Harry to let him know where she was and that she needed some time alone before she was ready to see him.

After finishing her coffee, Aurora left the pub and drove back home to Battersea after promising to call Helen later to let her know that everything was ok. She parked the car in its usual spot but instead of heading to the elevator and up to where she knew her husband would be waiting for her, she instead headed out to the street level and wandered along the banks of the Thames until she reached the Peace Pagoda. The sun was shining but there was a chill breeze blowing in off the water, not uncommon for autumn in London and Aurora pulled her thin cardigan tighter around her, lamenting not having a jacket while she walked. After staring at the familiar pagoda for a while, she turned left and headed into the park, passing the bandstand until she reached her favourite section of the park, the subtropical garden. She found a seat on a nearly dry bench and sat, watching people as they roamed between flower beds and posed for photos. The previous night’s argument played through her head. It was far from the first argument she and Harry had ever had. They’d been together for almost 4 years and it was only natural to bicker and disagree, but they’d never really had a smack down, drag out fight like this one before. He’d never yelled at her the way he had, standing across from each other in the kitchen, and she’d never stormed out the way she had. This was uncharted territory for them both and while she regretted what she’d said, she worried that Harry would not be so quick to forgive. He wore his heart on his sleeve and she had witnessed over the years how unwilling he could be to forgive when he felt that he had been betrayed. For much of the year, Louis had been trying to convince him to mend things with Zayn and while Harry was happy that the two men were reconnecting, he had no intention of forgiving his ex-bandmate after all these years.

It was all of this that was running through Auroras head as she sat in the park, trying to figure out how to apologize for the terrible things she had yelled. She already forgave Harry for his own hurtful barbs, but she was feeling so unprepared and out of her depth when it came to repairing the damage rendered to her marriage. Not only did the thought of Harry hating her or resenting her cut at her like a knife, but the start of tour was only 2 weeks away and she knew that they needed to address what had happened and try to fix it, or the tour would be doomed before it even began.

Eventually Aurora accepted that she had stalled long enough and headed for home, finding the apartment worryingly silent when she finally stepped inside. She padded along the hall, peering into each room as she passed, eventually finding Harry at the piano in their studio, his shoulders slumped and his hunched back to the door. She leaned against the doorframe as she watched him run his hands along the keys, only moving forward when she noticed the way his shoulders shook with every shaky breath. He stirred when he heard her footsteps, immediately lurching to his feet and she felt her heart break a lit bit more at the look on his face. The moment he turned to face her it was clear that he had barely slept since she left the night before. His eyes were red and puffy and filled with so much sadness that Aurora felt her own eyes grow warm with tears seeing the man she loved more than anything in so much pain.

“I’m so sorry,” she gasped, quickly closing the distance between them, and throwing her arms around him.

Harry held onto her just as tightly, whispering his own apologies in her ear as they both cried. They simply held each other for long minutes before finally pulling apart and looking into each other’s eyes.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” Harry said. “God I’m so sorry I love. I never meant to say any of that.”

“I know H,” Rori replied softly. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have said any of what I did either. We were both stressed, and I know it doesn’t excuse what we did but I know that you didn’t intend to hurt me, and I hope you know I’d never want to hurt you either.”

“Of course, I know that,” Harry gasped. “Never doubted it for a second.”

“So, what do we do now?” she asked. “How do we fix this?”

“We can’t pretend it didn’t happen,” Harry admitted. “Think we need to sit down and talk about what we said. Figure out why, so we never get there again.”

“Ok,” Rori agreed. “Think maybe we could just snuggle up on the sofa for a bit first?”

“God yes,” Harry sighed. “Maybe a little nap too. Couldn’t sleep at all without you and I’m bloody exhausted.”

“A nap sounds pretty great,” she agreed with a small smile, intertwining their fingers as they headed down the hall together. They both knew the conversation awaiting them wouldn’t be easy, but they both knew that they belonged together and they would get through this speedbump just as they had overcome ever other obstacle that had faced together over the years.

NEXT CHAPTER

OR CONTINUE READING ON AO3

[transylvaniatrails-blog]

FIRST SEASON

Our first season, the Dracula Trails Route and the ADV Bike Rider Magazine article...

April 2018 was the start of our first season and by December 2017 we already had a few trips booked for the early spring and autumn...Nick has contacted us in early October 2017and requested do ride with us together with his group from Manchester UK. After a few emails the trip was booked and on April 17th we were travelling to Cluj Napoca to pick up seven riders.

The plan was to ride the Dracula Trails Route https://www.transylvaniatrails.com/products. We had everything planned and ready to ride...Nick mentioned in one of his emails that he was in contact with someone from the ADV Bike Rider Magazine https://www.adventurebikerider.com and he advised that we should take lots of pictures during the trip...

The trip was a big success!

A few weeks after the trip we received an email from Alan ( one of the gents from the group ) with a link to ADV Bike Rider Magazine website...And there it was, an article written by Alan published in the Magazine No.47... WOW!

We made a few new friends and we have been lucky to ride together several times since 2018.....

Full article from the Magazine bellow: What's the first thing you think of when it comes of Transylvania? Castles? Sure. The birthplace of Dracula? Certainly. Trail riding? Probably not, but maybe it's about time you should. Seven of us booked a two-day tour with Transylvania Trails in the middle of April this year. The all-inclusive price covered accommodation and food for three nights, bike hire, personal protective equipment/clothing and guide for two day's riding. All that was left for us to do was turn up eager to explore the best that Transylvania had to offer.

Our guide Gabriel ( Gabi ) collected us from the airport at Cluj and took us to what was our base at Nucet, near Sibiu. Bio Haus Cioran Guest House is a larged timber framed chalet baking onto an orchard with forestry beyond. Gabi introduced us to our hosts Mioara and Emil who showed us our rooms. Back downstairs, beer in hand, Gabi showed us the bikes and explained the differences between the Sherco 300 and the "Factory" edition. The nine bikes were lined up at the back of the house, all clean and shiny, lying in wait for our adventure. "Shall we help you lock them away"? we asked? "No need", was the reply. "They'll be fine here". Not like in the UK.

The food at Bio Haus is home made and homegrown traditional romanian fare. Romanians love their soup and each meal started with a bowl so big you could have skipped the main meal and not been hungry. Homemade wine and schnapps completed the delicious three-course meal.

The next morning, after a substantial breakfast, Gabi gave us our riding equipment, including helmet, boots, shirt, trousers, body armour, gloves and goggles. Most of the kit was brand new and we had to take it out of the bags and take the labels off before using it. We then had a pre-ride briefing, where Gabi told us about the bikes, about following his wheel tracks as far as possible and about the dangers in the forests: wild boar, deer, dogs and brown bears! We were led along a track running right next to the guest house, following it uphill and into the countryside beyond. Gabi then left us in a clear- ing on top of a hill to get used to the bikes. Ten minutes later he was back, and we were off.

I had only been riding off-road for about 10 weeks, although I have had road bikes for the past 40 years, and have just bought a Honda CRF2S0L. The braking and changing gears standing up still felt new to me and, coupled with new moto- cross boots and the snatchy throttle of a much more powerful bike, I wondered how I would cope.

We set off over the hillside quite gingerly at first, but then the pace picked up a bit as our confidence grew. The Romanian countryside is quite ditferent to that in the UK. There are no fences or walls and what livestock we did encounter was herd- ed together by dogs with a shepherd present. Gabi had warned us of the dogs prior to setting off. They are the size of Pyrenean mountain dogs and chased us away if we got too close to the sheep. Andy, our most experienced rider, was frightened of dogs so he employed the tactic of putting other bikes between him and them as they chased us. This meant he wasn't picking the best line or concentrating fully and, of course, he subse- quently fell off. At that point, the dogs had fortunately lost interest in him and returned to the flock.

Once Gabi judged we were more comfortable with the bikes we entered the forest. For most of us, this was our favourite section. It was quite open and well lit, with very few bushes. The ground was soft and loose, covered with leaf litter while a few hills, streams and a little mud kept things interesting. In short, it was perfect.

Gabi explained that most of the countryside is state owned and the farmers rent the land for 99 years. There are some private properties, but it seems by and large that you can ride where you want. Having said that, Gabi then showed us a valuable lesson. After a fast-open section, he stopped and gathered us around. We rode slowly a little further and stopped at what appeared to be a small drop. In fact, what lay before us was a sheer drop of at least 30m!

A short road section through a traditional Romanian village led us to a fortified church on a hill. This was to be our lunch stop. A lot of the roads in this area are dirt and the drainage is by a ditch on either side. Don’t even think of lampposts and footpaths, as they don't exist. Nobody in these villages has cars, but there are one or two horse-drawn carts.

Everyone in the villages seemed pleased to see us. The old men sitting under the shade of the trees waved while the barefoot kids at the side of the road put their hands up for us to high five as we rode past.

We took off our riding gear, hung it up to dry and lay on the grass for 10 minutes to get our breath back while Gabi re-fuelled the bikes from containers he had previously dropped at the church. We were led into a traditionally decorated stone room within the restored fortified walls where a table was laid for our midday meal. All meals here are sit down three course aftairs. Soup, of course, traditional chicken stew, and cake, which seemed to be made from cheese and currants.

We set off again, this time at a more leisurely pace, and after about an hour one of the bikes seemed to be starting with a clutch problem. The bike had only done 150 miles from new, but Gabi decided rather than have a problem in a remote area we would wait in a village for a replacement bike. A quick phone call and 45 minutes later, his father-in-law arrived with a replacement bike in the back of a pickup. Gabi has designed each tour to incorporate as much varied terrain as possible. By this time, I was feeling more comfortable on the bike, getting used to the immediate power delivery, even in ‘soft' mode, which I was learning could get me out of trouble where my CRF would bog down and stall. Standing up on the pegs all day was taking its toll, however, and the shoulders and back were beginning to ache.

A lot of the soil in the Transylvanian Highlands is red clay. Even where it was dry, the farm tracks we encountered were slippery. In fact, when we came across deep, wet ruts (my nemesis) on an uphill section, it was almost a relief to gently fall otf, coming to rest in the bushes, which stopped me from rolling down a steep slope. I looked at my back wheel, which had turned into a clay coloured slick. No wonder. More mead- owland, wilderness, and farm tracks followed and at 9pm we emerged from the forest to arrive at our lodgings for the night in Sighisoara. This small town is dominated by an imposing castle on a hill that was once owned by Vlad Dracul or, as we know him, Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Drocu to. In these parts, he is known as a hero as he was al-leged to have persecuted only those ‘nobles' who were taking advantage of their position to thedetriment of the ‘peasants'.

We pushed the bikes into the courtyard of the little bed and breakfast we were to stay at. Once showered, we walked across the road to a traditional Romanian restaurant where we were shown to our table in the basement. Gabi interpret- ed the menu for us and, of course, there was soup. Andy was intrigued by a starter that Gabi described only as lard. Once it arrived, it turned out that it was indeed a small bowl of lord sprinkled with paprika! It came with a side salad, which he left. All the food was locally sourced and homemade. We left the restaurant just before midnight and it seemed fitting that Gabi gave us a guided tour of the castle.

The next morning, one of our group wasn't feeling well and decided to give it a miss. The rest of us set off back to the first night’s base via a different route, all off-road of course.

The previous evening, Gabi had asked us what kind of riding we wanted to do that day and one of the group had mentioned hills. “Ride across that field as fast as you can. By the time you hit the jump you need to be flat out in third gear, then enter the forest and keep going straight uphill”. Easier said than done... The best I managed was two thirds of the way up before stalling, falling oft and tumbling about torn before I could even stand up. Exhausted after my third attempt, I took the chicken run around the side of the hill. I was learning all the time. Choose your line, head up, weight forward and use your clutch. If I'd had the energy to go a fourth time, I might have made it.

The afternoon of the second day was what life's memories are all about and it was an afternoon I will remember for many years. Riding standing up, flat out across miles of undulating open meadow land with the forest on one side and the stunning snow-capped Carpathian Mountains on the other was bliss. It's hard to keep your eye on where you should be going with views like that.

We all loved riding in the forests and so that's where Gabi took us to finish off the second day, weaving in and out of the trees, up and down the hills and through the streams.

Every now and again we'd catch a glimpse of a deer as we startled it and it ran away. Fortunately, no brown bears though. The second day ended at the place where it all began; where we had been practising on the bikes when we first got them. We were back to Bio Haus for 6pm, where Emil was preparing that evening’s barbecue. We parked the bikes and collapsed on the sprawling porch overlooking the orchard, tired and aching, beer in hand. We had ridden 180 miles, all off-road. Had we enjoyed it? Well, as soon as we got home we booked to go back again in September. This time for three days instead of two. I’d better hit the gym.

The Transylvanian Highlands is a stunningly beautiful area, completely unspoiled. The riding can't be compared to anything we have in the UK. My green-laning experience, for example, is limited to rocky tracks in the Peak District and is completely unlike the open rolling countryside or the technical hilly forests we traveled through.

The whole area is steeped in history as, time after time, the country has been invaded and the various occupants have add- ed their traditions and culture. Tourism in this area seems to be in its infancy and the general thrust seems to be for skilled craftsmen to restore buildings using traditional materials and methods. There also seems to be conscious effort for the tour- ism to benefit the local towns and villages, and we'd implore you to see what its about. You won't regret it.

[head-like-a-steel-trap]

COUNTERFEIT (February 2020)

So I went on a tour this February to follow one of my favourite bands, Counterfeit, across the UK. They were opening for a band called Palaye Royale which I didn’t know before. It all started in Manchester at the O2 Ritz on 19 Feb 2020. It was a rainy Wednesday and I decided to take an early train there. I met up with my friend Angelica, whom I knew from the previous tour in December, and her friend Federica. They are both Italian. We booked a hotel room together close to the venue. We met up there, got ready for the show and waited until it was time to go to the VIP Meet&Greet with the band. The weather was horrible, so we were freezing outside for a solid half an hour, during which we saw Jamie and his brother Sam smoking outside. Then we were let in and I got to talk to Craig, the tour manager, who’s a sweetheart and at the point my favourite “member” of the band. He gave us posters and then he brought the band in. We all set down on the floor and did a Q&A. I asked about the meaning of 11:44’s title. Apparently it’s just the time they wrote the song! Simple as that.

Then we took pictures with the band and Craig let us stay inside the venue. I bought myself a hoodie from the merch stand and we decided to stand close to the stage from that point on. We got a nice 4th row right in the middle of the stage. We waited a bit and then Charming Liars started playing. They weren’t too bad. Then finally Counterfeit came on and the whole crowd got excited, cause they really know how to put on a good show. They played Paralyzed, Getting Over It, Alive, Lack of Oxygen, The New Insane, 11:44 and It Gets Better. New Insane was absolutely mental and Jamie jumped into the crowd during 11:44 and somehow ended up in front of me, so we got to sing it together. The show ended and I decided to buy another VIP ticket on the spot for London. I only had a GA for that show. We decided to stay for a couple of songs of Palaye Royale, when we saw Tristan, the Counterfeit guitarist, on the balcony. We went up there and as we were on our way to him I noticed Roland, another guitarist, and Jimmy, the drummer, standing right next to us. We decided to play it cool, because they had their girlfriends with them. So we watched another song or two from the balcony not looking at them. I turned around and suddenly Jamie and Sam are right behind us talking to the other guys. Surreal. Once again, we didn’t approach as we didn’t want to disturb them. Soon after Jamie and Sam left and we decided to go too. Angelica wanted to go out for a smoke and lo and behold, Jamie and Sam are in the smoking area talking to three German fans. We joined the conversation and spent a while talking to them, which was super lovely. Then we went back to the hotel.

The second concert I went to was in London at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. It was Sam’s birthday. Angelica lives in London, New Malden so I spent three nights at her place. 2 out of the 3 nights Miriam, another Italian fan, also slept at Angelica’s and we all went to the show where we met again with Federica and the German fans. We got to the venue an hour before the M&G. They let us in and we saw Counterfeit sound checking Paralyzed. Then we went to this other room and as the band went in we all started singing Happy Birthday to Sam and they german fans brought him a cake. We did the Q&A again, but I didn’t ask anything this time. We went to Sam immediately after the Q&A to give him a present we bought him the day before in Camden Town - a silver guitar pick customized with his name on it and the number 26 - it was his 26th birthday. We took a picture and I asked for a funny face, but only Sam tried to do one. Jamie on the other hand smiled, which he never does in pictures. We call it his “Statue” face. They told us that we need to go outside of the venue again and join the normal queue. We managed to sneak in the O2 Priority lane, through a guy who brought us with him. They let us in at 7pm and we listened, once again, to the Charming Liars. Then Counterfeit came on and things got pretty rough. People were pushing so much. They did the same setlist as the night in Manchester. Jamie went into the crowd during 11:44 and I was really close, but not necessarily in front of him. When the show ended we hung around for a couple of Palaye Royale songs and went once again for a smoke hoping to meet the band outside. Angelica pointed out an older man standing about 30 meters away from us. It was Jamie and Sam’s dad. Soon after Sam appeared and hugged his dad and they both waited for Jamie who came out soon after. They all got into a car and we saw that their mum was inside and Sam’s girlfriend too. They all left, probably to go celebrate Sam’s birthday. We went back in for more songs and then decided to walk through central london before going back to Angelica’s.

The day before the last gig we got an email that the show in Birmingham was cancelled and so w naturally freaked out. After 4 hours of absolute mayhem, Counterfeit managed to secure another venue for themselves and they organized a free show for us, Counterfeit fans, at Mama Roux’s in Birmingham the next day. We were super excited, because we would get more songs. Basically a full setlist not just the shortened version as when they were just opening. We got to the venue in time and met Craig outside and talked to him for a bit. He then let us in, gave us free stickers and took us upstairs. I was hella nervous because I had and important question for the band. They came in, introduced themselves and I was the first one to raise a hand. “Hey, so in Manchester and London you talked about fear and anxiety a lot. How do you deal with it? Do you have any tips? Cause I’ve been struggling with it a lot recently.” and I expected just a short answer, what I got instead was a 10 minutes long answer from Jamie. He was looking at me the whole time and basically just talking to me about his experience and what he does to make it better. That made me super emotional and grateful. The Q&A’s are usually 20 minutes, so that means he spent literally half of it just talking to me. Then it was time to take the picture. I walked over to them and thanked them for answering my question in such a detail. I asked for a hug and they all hugged me, but especially Jamie - he squeezed me super tight. I stood in the middle and suddenly I hear Jamie’s voice “Do you want some chocolate?” which totally took me by surprise and I just looked at him and said:”uhhh, ok, I guess yeah. Thank you.” He turned around and reached for a box or chocolates, took one out and gave it to me. I said goodbye and went outside of the room. Sat on the stairs and started crying super hardcore. People were looking at me, but i didn’t care. We will get a refund for the cancelled Palaye Royale show, so we asked if we can give the money to Counterfeit. Craig told us that they weren’t taking donations but if we bought a shirt that the money would go to the band so I bought myself one. Talked to Craig and complimented him on his rings. He said that they are to remind him of his cat. Then we had to go out for a short while, but we were let back in very soon. I got the first row right in front of the mic, basically the best spot in the venue. There were only about 50 fans at the venue so it was super intimate. And i stood next to Leah, a girl which I met in Leeds on the last tour. Thee were 3 opening bands: Y!KES, The Uma and Lizzy Farrall. They were great. I took a selfie with Y!KEs’ drummer. He was super cute. Then finally Counterfeit went on stage. I was right in front of Jamie, literally 20 cm from him the whole show. We made long eye contact so many times and he was super happy during the show. They even did a twenty one pilots cover. They went into the crowd multiple times and played some old songs as well as the new ones from the unreleased record. The energy in the room was amazing. When the show finished, me and Leah hugged for a long time, crying and holding each other. Then I did the same with Angelica. We went outside and Jamie was there. He was talking to one of the german fans so we joined in and spoke to him for good 30 minutes. He said goodbye and went back into the venue, but he told us to wait, because the rest of the band would go see us too. Sam showed up shortly afterwards and we made jokes about how tall everyone in the band is and how short me and my friends were. I complimented him on his coat and he said he thrifted it for only £3. We said goodbye and waited a bit more. Saw Roland and Tristan loading the van with equipment and talked to Jimmy for a while, hugged him and went back to out hotel. I have so much respect and love for these boys. They are such nice, genuine and humble people. I miss them already, xx.

[thepersianslipper]

The Game is Now

1 - General Information

The who, the what, the why, the when, the where?

A. The who

Sherlock - The Game Is Now is an escape room designed by Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Time Run (responsible for a series of renowned Escape Rooms in London).

B. The what

The official site describes The Game Is Now as:

“The Official Sherlock Live Experience is a 100 minute immersive escape game for teams of 4-6 people.”

But then, if you scroll a bit further down, you get:

“Located in a secret venue in the heart of London, this 90-minute cinematic adventure combines the unique world of Sherlock with the very best of escape games.”

If you look at the article published online by the Evening Standard on 28/11/2018, you will read:

“Each team of four to six people goes to three “rooms” during the 60-minute game, solving mysteries to progress to the next stage. The nature of the “plot” is a secret, but one representative hinted that players will be more concerned with “saving themselves”, rather than other people. Teams get a 10-minute debrief at the end before moving on to an Arthur Conan Doyle bar for refreshments.” (...)“Tickets start at £54 a person, with the total experience taking 110 minutes.”

So, however long the Escape Room actually is, we can count on a “cinematic experience”, that will include original video and audio sequences from the cast of the show. There will also be live actors which I assume will give us our briefing and debriefing.

The actual plot is still a mystery, but the official site gives us a tease in form of a small introduction:

“London needs Sherlock. Instead it has you. Sherlock is absent. As a rash of break-ins ripple across the capital, one thing is clear: his brilliance is required. Mycroft Holmes has put out the call. The Network seeks recruits: volunteers with sharp eyes, keen wits and a hunger for adventure. Can you step into the shoes of the legendary detective? Good luck: The Game Is Now.”

And two actual videos, one where Mycroft himself makes “an appeal” for us to join The Network and another where Sherlock calls out The Network members to “put everything aside” and help him on “the greatest crisis” of his career. (but wasn’t he supposed to be missing?)

Something is fishy. We’ll discuss the videos on a later post.

C. The why

Here is another important question we still can’t answer for sure.

For shits and giggles? like @marcelock hypothesized

For the money?

To actually move the plot forward?

To set a trap and incarcerate all Johnlockers and TJCLers in the basement to keep Arwel company? as @thejohnlockoutlet warned us

Some people have posted several theories. Even Mark Gatiss had something to say in the interview aired by BBC London News on 28/11/2018, uploaded by @theconsultingtranslator and transcribed by @garkgatiss:

MG: Wait, wait, that is Series Five! [more laughter] It’s very meta. The entire cast and crew are trapped inside their own escape room, for three 90-minute episodes—

I have my own theory, which I will share when we look at the videos.

D. The when

This is a topic that has sparked some confusion. The Escape Room was originally set to open on the 23rd of October, but then was pushed to early December, as we can see in the trailers that came out so far. I haven’t found any information about the actual day, though.

The same Evening Standard article I mentioned says that December will be the “soft-lauch” and that tickets are already sold-out for that month. For those who don’t know (and I didn’t, either), a “soft-lauch” is a release of a product to a limited public before being available to the general public. During that time, the production team will gather feedback and make adjustments before doing the “hard-launch” (i.e. release it to the general public). I imagine they have made the tickets available for a smaller amount of people so they can practice and make sure everything is running smoothly before opening to the bigger public in January.

Tickets are still available from January until May. We still don’t know if there is going to be new dates after that.

I’ve been poking around the official site and the not-very-user-friendly ticket calendar. It shows that indeed December is fully booked. The the calendar will show you all the possible (free and booked) slots for every day, even those in November when we knew the Escape Room was still closed. What caught my eye is that there are a few closed days, like the 25th and 31st of December (for obvious reasons) but also the 3rd of December. Could that be the opening day? I would imagine they would want to throw a party or do a press release or something.

D. The where

The location of the room was secret for a long time, but it has been made public since 28/11/2018 when the official tweeter feed twitted:

The official site now also has the more detailed information:

In sum, the Escape Room entrance will be found in West 12 Shopping Centre in Shepherd’s Bush in the guise of Doyle’s Opticians.

So, this is what I gathered from my “research”. Please feel free to comment and add any info you think is relevant.

Back to the Masterpost

Part 2 - Sneak Peeks - Before 28/11/2018

Part 2 - Sneek Peeks - After 28/11/2018. Doyle’s Opticians

@sherlockedcarmilla @fellshish @thejohnlockoutlet @todaywearesoldiers @88thparallel @elldotsee @sarahthecoat @why-cant-people-just-think @shadowvim

EDIT: corrected the OP of the BBC clip, thank you @waitedforgarridebs and @mollydobby for the heads up!

[truecrimecrystals]

Pictured left: Riley Powell, age 18 (2017) Picture right: Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson, age 17 (2017)

Riley and Breezy met during the fall of 2017 and became a couple shortly thereafter. According to their family and friends, the two were in a loving relationship that appeared to bring positivity to both of their lives. Things moved fast for the teens—early into their relationship, Breezy moved in with Riley at his father’s home in Eureka, Utah. During the winter of 2017, Riley and Breezy were spending the holidays together for the first time. The couple had been spending time in Tooele, located roughly an hour away from Eureka, to celebrate the holidays with Breezy’s family. They decided to head back to Eureka for New Year’s Eve, and on December 30th, 2017, they left Tooele around 9am. Unfortunately, Breezy and Riley never made it home that day, nor did they show up to the New Year’s celebration the following day. After 72 hours with no sign of the couple, they were reported missing to the Juab County’s Sheriff Department.

While investigating the disappearance of the two teens, authorities found Facebook messages between Riley and a 34 year-old woman named Morgan Henderson that were exchanged on the day the couple vanished. When investigators interviewed Morgan, she told them that Riley and Breezy stopped by her home in Mammoth on their way back to Eureka. By her account, the two came over for marijuana, and they stayed for about 40 minutes before leaving. Investigators had no reason to doubt Morgan’s story, and at that time, they were still unsure if foul play was involved in Breezy and Riley’s disappearance.

On January 11th, 2018, members of the Juab County search and rescue team found Riley’s Jeep at the Cherry Creek Reservoir, located 14 miles away from the couple’s home in Eureka. The car was hidden in the bushes with the two back windows rolled down, and the two front tires slashed and deflated. By that point, investigators began to think that foul play did, in fact, play a role in the couple’s disappearance. Investigators turned their attention towards a man named Lee Shepherd, who happened to be the live-in boyfriend of Riley’s mother, Mistie Carlson. A witness claimed to have seen Riley’s Jeep being towed by a truck that matched the description of Lee’s truck on the day of the couple’s disappearance. Additionally, investigators found a portion of tow strap at Lee and Mistie’s home that looked close in “appearance and configuration” to another portion of a tow strap that was found attached Riley’s Jeep. Mistie denied any involvement in the disappearance of Riley and Breezy, and also stated that she did not believe that Lee was involved either. However, Lee apparently refused to be interviewed by the police. Many found this suspicious, as it seemed that Lee was hiding something. He was never officially named as a suspect, but due to his lack of cooperation, many believed he was involved in Riley and Breezy’s disappearance.

That changed on March 25th, 2018, when Morgan Henderson once again came into contact with the police. Oddly enough, it was initially unrelated to the investigation: she was pulled over for a routine traffic stop in SanPete County that resulted in her being arrested and charged as a felon with possession of controlled substances and dangerous weapons. While in police custody, Morgan confessed that her boyfriend, 41 year-old Jerrod Baum, had killed Riley and Breezy on the day they were last seen. She also told investigators where they could find their bodies: at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft, located 22 miles away from where Riley’s Jeep was found.

When investigators asked why Jerrod had done this, Morgan said that Jerrod had warned her not to have male guests over without getting his approval first. On December 30th, Jerrod became irate when he discovered that she was hanging out with Riley and Breezy “without his permission.” Fueled by rage, Jerrod bound the victims' hands and feet, duct-taped their mouths, and placed them in the back of Riley's Jeep. Then, according to Morgan, Jerrod drove her and the two teens to the abandoned mineshaft, where the murders took place. Court documents containing Morgan’s official claim state the following: “Breezy was forced to kneel near the open mine pit and witness the beating of her boyfriend Riley Powell, and his stabbing, before she had her throat cut and was also thrown into the open mine.”

Two days after Morgan’s arrest, investigators recovered both Breezy and Riley’s remains from the mineshaft. Jerrod, was who was already in jail on unrelated charges, was charged with aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping and abuse of dead human body. Morgan was charged with obstruction of justice in their case. Both are yet to enter a plea, but are due back in court later this year.

[wisconsinprelawland-blog]

Bush v. Gore: Ripeness, Justiciability And Repercussions

By Alex Pagel, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Class of 2021

May 29, 2020

The 2000 presidential election, contested between Democratic nominee, Al Gore, and Republican nominee, George W. Bush, was to be decided by the twenty-five electoral college votes from the state of Florida. After the popular vote was tallied in the Sunshine State, Bush was deemed to have won more votes than Gore. However, his margin of victory in the state was less than 0.5% of the entire votes cast which, according to a Florida statute, mandated a machine recount of the entire state’s votes. After said recount, it was determined that Bush had won the state by only 327 votes; roughly 1,400 less than was recorded by the first counting. This change made the narrow difference in votes even tighter and prompted the Florida Supreme Court to mandate a hand recount of all votes in four Florida counties where many ‘undervotes’ (those which were recorded as not selecting or not clearly selecting a candidate for the presidency) were abundant. These four counties had traditionally voted in favor of Democratic candidates, and because of the extremely close nature of the election, Bush became worried that he would be beaten after the hand recount was had. Thus, Bush petitioned the mandated recount to the U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds that it was unconstitutional, which halted the hand recount and began the Bush v. Gore case. 

After hearing the case, the nation’s High Court ruled in a 5-4 decision split along ideological lines that the Florida Supreme Court had mandated a recount which had violated Equal Protection and Due Process requirements necessary to maintain the fairness and validity required in collecting election votes. In its majority opinion, the Supreme Court stated that Florida’s “standards for accepting or rejecting contested ballots might vary not only from county to county but indeed within a single county from one recount team to another”, and “In addition, the recounts in these counties were not limited to so-called undervotes but extended to all of the ballots”1. The Court concluded from these findings that Florida had not shown that its mandated recount procedures included the necessary safeguards required in order to conduct a fair recount election. 

While the Court had legal justifications for making its decision, it clearly violated Constitutional provisions which dictate which cases it may review. One such provision is that of ripeness. A case is "ripe" for review when the facts of the case have matured into an existing substantial controversy warranting judicial intervention and in which the plaintiff in the case has already been harmed2. However, the mandated recount in Florida had not taken place when Bush filed suit and therefore it was impossible that he had been harmed by it at that time. The Court’s holding was that the Equal Protection clause would be violated if similar ballots in the recount were treated differently, but it could not be known if this violation had occurred until the ballots were counted, which at that time, they had not been3. Therefore, by hearing this case, the Supreme Court violated the Constitutional provision of ripeness and heard a case which it did not have the legal grounds to rule over. 

Additionally, by accepting the Bush case, the Court set a new standard for determining what cases it will consider justiciable and which ones it will not. As it is commonly referred to, the justiciability doctrine summarizes that federal courts will refuse to hear a case if they find that it presents an overtly political question. This doctrine suggests that some cases are so politically charged that federal courts, which are supposed to be the apolitical branch of government, should not hear the issue4. Per this understanding, it would’ve been well within the Court’s grasp to rule that a case involving the outcome of a presidential election, such as in the Bush case, was too politically charged to be considered justiciable. However, by choosing to rule over this case, the Court willingly ignored another of its own constitutional limitations. According to the Florida Bar journal, the Court willingly taking this case “undercut the notion that federal courts do not immerse themselves in the rough-and-tumble world of politics” and referred to this as “an amazing holding, and one likely to cause great mischief” moving forward5. In our judicial case law system, this decision set an extremely dangerous political precedent for future Courts to follow. By unconstitutionally ruling over an overtly political case, the Supreme Court violated the justiciability doctrine and may have opened the door for its further political involvement in the future.  

Moreover, by hearing this case and violating the constitutional provisions of ripeness and justiciability, the Supreme Court raised attention to the influence politics has on its decision making and hence has weakened its credibility as being apolitical. In describing this case, the University of Minnesota Law Review stated that “Bush v. Gore is the prime example of a politically-motivated court” and that “It is hard to argue that the case is anything other than political”6. While the Judicial Branch was intended to be a bipartisan check on the unmistakably political other branches of government, it seems, at times, to fall short of this goal. In the aftermath of Bush v. Gore, election litigation has greatly expanded as candidates have become increasingly comfortable using lawsuits to contest election outcomes and often expect to do so before the conclusion of their respective elections. This has resulted in state courts, which often consist of judges who are themselves selected through partisan elections, playing a progressively greater role in deciding who will win these elections7. As judges' political leanings seem to be impacting their decision making in cases more often, Americans must wonder whether the judicial branch is truly apolitical. This uncertainty surrounding the interplay between politics and the courts has undoubtedly increased since the Bush v Gore case and continues to weaken the court’s legitimacy in the eyes of the American public today. 

Perhaps the most damaging implication of this case was that it was entirely unnecessary in determining the election’s outcome. Regardless of the variations in counting methods and potential shortcoming of necessary election safeguards, the results of the proposed Florida recount would’ve almost inevitably found Bush the winner of the election. In a study which simulated the most likely ways in which a recount would’ve been conducted, Bush was still found to be the winner by 537, 884, and 1,665 votes, respectively8. This suggests that even if the recount mandated by the Florida Supreme Court had occurred, the results of the 2000 presidential election would not have changed. 

Considering the constitutional infringements it willingly engaged in by accepting this case and the fact that its ruling didn’t change the outcome of the election, the Supreme Court harmed its public image and damaged its apolitical reputation by making an unnecessary ruling in Bush v. Gore. Had the Court followed its institutional limitations and accepted the case as unripe and nonjusticiable, it would’ve avoided these implications and set a much more appropriate precedent for future courts. Unfortunately, the example displayed by the Bush case is that the Court is not apolitical and is willing to go beyond its constitutional restraints when it feels necessary to do so. As the appearance of legitimacy for the Supreme Court in the public eye is essential, the Court must be more prudent when deciding to accept similar cases in the future. In more closely abiding my it’s constitutional restraints and more vigilantly considering the implications of its decisions moving forward, the Court can avoid the consequences it brought upon itself in the Bush case and set a better example for jurisprudence in America moving forward. If it fails to do so, as Hamilton wrote in Federalist 81, “the errors and usurpations of the Supreme Court of the United States will be uncontrollable and remediless”9, leading to unknown legal catastrophes and consequences. However, only time will tell if the Court will act more sagaciously in the future.  

________________________________________________________________

[1] Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000). (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2020, from https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/531/98/ 

[2] Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). Ripe. Retrieved May 11, 2020, from https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/ripe 

[3] Chemerinsky, E., & American Constitution Society. (2015, December 11). Thinking Back on Bush v. Gore | ACS. Retrieved from https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/thinking-back-on-bush-v-gore/?utm_content=buffer0491b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer 

[4] Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. (n.d.-a). Political Question Doctrine. Retrieved May 11, 2020, from https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/political_question_doctrine 

[5] The Florida Bar. (2002). BUSH V. GORE: IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE FEDERAL COURT PRACTICE. The Florida Bar Journal, 76(10), 36. Retrieved from https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/bush-v-gore-implications-for-future-federal-court-practice/ 

[6] Brecheisen, J. (2018, April 1). Bush v. Gore. Retrieved from https://minnesotalawreview.org/2018/04/01/bush-v-gore/ 

[7] Shepherd, J., & Kang, M. (2018, August 21). Partisan Justice | ACS. Retrieved from https://www.acslaw.org/analysis/reports/partisan-justice/ 

[8] Ashland University. (2001, April 1). And the Winner Is...Still George Bush. Retrieved from https://ashbrook.org/publications/oped-alt-01-recount/ 

[9] Lillian Goldman Law Library. (n.d.). The Avalon Project : Federalist No 81. Retrieved May 1, 2020, from https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed81.asp 

[10] (Image) Rappeport, A., & The New York Times. (2014, December 13). On This Day: A Recount Ends. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2014/12/12/on-this-day-a-recount-ends/ 

[rucbarthatbowtiesarecooldw]

December 6th Christmas Devotional

Jeremiah 33:14-15

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

The First Noel

1. The first Noel the angel did say Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay, In fields where they lay keeping their sheep On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

(Chorus) Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel! Born is the King of Israel!

2. They looked up and saw a star Shining in the East beyond them far, And to the earth it gave great light, And so it continued both day and night.

A Christmas Adventure

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: “There is no Santa Claus,” she jeered. “Even dummies know that!”

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her “world-famous” cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so.

It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. “No Santa Claus?” She snorted….”Ridiculous! Don’t believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let’s go.”

“Go? Go where, Grandma?” I asked. I hadn’t even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun.

“Where” turned out to be Kerby’s General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars.

That was a bundle in those days. “Take this money,” she said, “and buy something for someone who needs it. I’ll wait for you in the car.” Then she turned and walked out of Kerby’s.

I was only eight years old. I’d often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself.

The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, and the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock’s grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn’t have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn’t have a cough; he didn’t have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

“Is this a Christmas present for someone?” the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied shyly. “It’s for Bobby.”

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn’t get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, “To Bobby, From Santa Claus” on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker’s house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa’s helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby’s house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.

Then Grandma gave me a nudge. “All right, Santa Claus,” she whispered, “get going.”

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven’t dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker’s bushes.

That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were – ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside it of $19.95.

May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care…

[louisupdates]

Louis Tomlinson Revisits Past Challenges, Celebrates Hard-Won Success in ‘All of Those Voices’ Documentary

Here are six key takeaways from the documentary film that finds the former One Direction singer exploring grief, self-worth, and parenthood

BY LARISHA PAUL | MARCH 22, 2023

BACKSTAGE IN LONDON at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Louis Tomlinson threw his hands into the center of a huddle with his bandmates before the show. There was a familiarity to the moment, which was captured in December 2022 and opens the new documentary All of Those Voices, directed by Charlie Lightning [sic]. The only differences? He was surrounded by five other bandmates instead of four, and the 2,000-capacity venue was a fraction of the size of the stadiums he had grown accustomed to playing with One Direction — or the still-major rooms of 10,000 or more that he’ll be playing this summer on tour in support of his second solo album, Faith in the Future, his second tour of that size.

For a while after One Direction ended in December 2015, Tomlinson wasn’t certain he would ever be able to perform in front of an audience of any size again. When he reassured fans that same month that the band wouldn’t be gone for longer than a year and a half, he didn’t realize that the break would actually be a full stop. The confusion was compounded by the fact that — as he reveals in the new film — he had only found his place in the band a few years earlier, falling in as a songwriter where he couldn’t initially make his mark as a lead vocalist. Tomlinson was starting from scratch, or as much as he could be with a holdover of fans from his time in the biggest boy band in the world.

But as soon as he could pick himself up to rebuild his sense of artistic self-worth, he was knocked down — first by the death of his mother days before his debut solo television performance, and then by the death of his younger sister less than two years later. Throughout All of Those Voices, narration from Tomlinson is paired with archival footage from the past 12 years as he navigates grief, parenthood, and relighting his creative spark after the smoke cleared. Here are six key takeaways from the film, now playing in theaters.

• Tomlinson didn’t know his vocals were cut from One Direction’s earliest singles.

One Direction fans launched a number of campaigns throughout the time the band was together. They once tried to crowdsource money to buy the band out of their management contract, and they famously attempted to promote “No Control” as a single without the help of the band or their label. In the earliest days, they loudly campaigned for Tomlinson and Niall Horan to get more solo vocals. Behind the scenes, Tomlinson was fighting for that, too.

“I didn’t know at the start who I was within One Direction,” he says in the new film. “I can remember singing a couple of different verses on the first single [‘What Makes You Beautiful’] — there’s a lot of pressure on this. I remember the first time we listened to it and I wasn’t on it. So then when we got a song that we thought could be our second single, I went in with a producer. “All I want is to sing a bit of this next song, and we’re just going to stay here until I get it right.” Tomlinson recalls spending hours in the studio, only to listen to the song and hear Harry Styles’ voice on the verse where he had expected to hear his own.

“There was an element of me feeling that it doesn’t matter what I do, I’m not really in control here and I don’t see where I fit within this band,” he continues. That feeling lasted for the first two and a half years of 1D; the solos would eventually come later, but by then he found his place as a songwriter. Across four albums, he racked up more than 35 writing credits that include underrated cuts like “No Control,” “Better Than Words,” and “What a Feeling.”

“That was the first moment in my One Direction career that I felt ownership in what we were doing,” he says in the film. “It almost felt more powerful than I might have felt had I sang that verse on that single back in the day… When I think about how proud I am of One Direction, I think of us as a collective. But if I think about what makes me the most proud as me, as an individual in that band, it’s definitely having the most writing credits.”

• Tomlinson felt unprepared when One Direction ended.

One Direction delivered their final performance on stage at The X Factor, right back where they started. It was December 2015, about a month after they released their fifth album in as many years. But unlike their prior albums, there was no world tour on the horizon to keep the cycle going. Instead, they would be embarking on a much-needed hiatus. “Let’s give it 18 months,” Tomlinson said on Alan Carr’s Chatty Man a few days before that performance. It’s been more than seven years now, but he seems to have genuinely believed it was only a break at the time.

“Even right up until we went on the break, there was still really no closure on that idea,” Tomlinson says in the documentary. “You didn’t really, or at least I didn’t, understand what it was going to be. I think the feeling I remember the most is a little bit of anger, because I didn’t want to go on a break. It didn’t just upset me, it shocked me. I wasn’t prepared for it. I thought for me, it was the band or nothing.”

Zayn Malik released his first solo album within a year of leaving the band earlier in 2015. Styles and Horan both followed in 2017, then Liam Payne in 2019. Tomlinson was the last to unveil a debut solo record, with Walls arriving in 2020.

“It was not as if in the five years I was in the band that I’d ever dreamt about being a solo artist,” he says. “Not once, because I was so obsessed with us moving as a unit and being part of this team. I’ve spent all my years doing this, I don’t really see myself doing anything else … It was very easy for me to imagine Harry having a solo career, Liam having a solo career. It was harder for me to imagine myself doing that. It was like, what the fuck am I going to do?”

• Watching his One Direction bandmates perform solo felt like an “out-of-body” experience.

At this point, One Direction have been broken up for longer than they were together. Still, the spirit of the band lives on, not just in its everlasting fandom, but also through the members themselves. On tour, Tomlinson works their 2014 single “Night Changes” into his setlist with a guitar-heavy rock twist. Horan often opts to revamp “Fools Gold” or “Drag Me Down,” while Payne’s earliest solo appearances featured the Ed Sheeran-penned single “Little Things” — and even Styles won’t end a show without having played their first hit, “What Makes You Beautiful.”

In September 2019, Tomlinson and Payne were both booked a night apart from each other at the CCME Festival in Madrid. “I didn’t actually know he was going to do some One Direction songs,” Tomlinson recalls in the film. “When it came to my part that he was singing [in ‘Little Things’], it just left me feeling a mixture of proud — because normally I’d been part of that song and part of that experience, and I’d be stood next to Liam. And there was an element, I’m sure when I listened back to it, like, ‘Can we not just rewind the clock and get back in that band and carry on singing as we were?’”

Tomlinson came close to that reunion when he was linked up with Horan at a festival in Mexico later that year to soundcheck “Little Black Dress,” though they didn’t actually end up sharing the stage together during either of their actual sets. “It’s only weird when it comes to life and I’m stood side of the stage [watching a One Direction song],” Tomlinson told Horan backstage. “That’s when it’s weird. It’s like, fucking, out-of-body or something.”

• The resilience that Tomlinson learned from his mother kept him from stalling his career.

The only thing Tomlinson can remember coming even close to the news that he had been invited to audition in-person for The X Factor in 2010 was when he auditioned for a production of Grease at his high school in Doncaster, England. At that time, he had been resolved not to show up, but his mother, Johannah Deakin, drove him there herself. “I’d be allowed to feel sorry for myself, but not in such a way where I’d bury my head in the sand,” Tomlinson says in the film of her approach to parenting. Then he landed the lead role of Danny Zuko. “That was the moment that maybe I allowed myself to start dreaming.”

In December 2016, Tomlinson took the stage at The X Factor final for his debut solo television performance. There was a mix of uncertainty and nerves in his voice as he ran through “Just Hold On” with Steve Aoki. Three days prior, Deakin had died from cancer at the age of 43. “The bottom line is, I didn’t want me mum feeling like what happened to her was going to jeopardize my career,” he recalls. “I had just got this feeling from her and the things that she was saying that I was just to keep doing what I’m doing, trying to keep strong. I got up on that day for her more than I did me.”

Tomlinson’s sister Lottie, now 24, echoes that sentiment: “She would not have allowed us to kind of sit and let stuff take over our life or let anything ruin our life,” she says in the film. “She brought us up to be strong and she brought us up to look after each other and just to get on with things.” Even his two youngest siblings, twins Daisy and Phoebe, now 18, knew “there was no chance he wasn’t doing that performance,” even if they couldn’t wrap their minds around where he found the strength to get through it.

• Tomlinson saw being an older brother as a crash course in fatherhood.

In 2016, Tomlinson became the first One Direction member to welcome a child. His son Freddie, born that January, now resides in California full-time with his mother, but the singer felt prepared to be a parent as the older brother to four sisters. “I’ve never feared being a dad,” he says in the documentary. “I kind of played that role anyway as big brother. And then once me mum passed, between me and me grandparents, we kind of sit in this hybrid as parents to my sisters.”

Less than two years after the death of his mother, Tomlinson’s younger sister Félicité died at 18 from an accidental drug overdose. “We did a lot, me and Louis, working together to try and help Fizz,” Lottie says in the documentary. “Obviously, it didn’t work. I felt that, kind of, how could we not get her out of this? I can only imagine how he felt. I’m sure it was heightened, one because he’s a brother and two because he probably felt the responsibility from our mum.”

“Life always throws shit at you,” Tomlinson says. “Yes, I’ve had maybe more to deal with than most people my age. But then when the natural things happen in life, where things weren’t going my way, I couldn’t deal with it. It was like, but I’ve already had so much to deal with. When am I going to start winning?”

• Tomlinson feels indebted to his audience for giving him a second chance.

Two albums in, Tomlinson’s solo career is beginning to recall some of the pandemonium of One Direction. Some fans camp out for months at a time for a good spot at his shows, particularly when he plays South America. They hold up signs that say “You Saved Me” and photoshop his face onto Jesus. They write letters begging their parents to allow them to sleep on the street to see him up close. They show up in droves to shows that promoters told him he couldn’t sell out. When he stands on barricades, they pull at his shirt, ears, and whatever else they can get their hands on.

“Those are the kinds of things that I’ve had to digest because I feel the importance of those shows to some people,” Tomlinson says in the film. “Just the idea of finally getting to what I worked for, it just eliminated any doubt. I’m like, I can definitely do this. I’m supposed to do this. All these people are here to see me.” In those instances, he adds, he needs the fans just as much as they need him.

“When you’re ambitious, you’re always thinking about the next thing and it means you don’t always have time to actually take everything in,” Tomlinson adds. “I’ve had it taken away a few times in me career, as well … but I’m really enjoying this momentum at the moment.” His options are to keep it going or risk losing it — so when one tour ends, work on the next album begins. He’s back in the cycle One Direction spent their entire career locked in, only with a healthier mindset and a new set of bandmates.

“That’s all I’ve been waiting for really, to have these moments — and it does kind of feel like finally the stars might be aligning for me,” he says. “Now if I told myself five years ago that I was going to play 80-plus shows globally, bigger venues than I’ve ever imagined, I swear I wouldn’t believe you. That’s where I feel like in the last 12 months, I finally feel worthy of where I am, what I’m doing, and the success that I’m having throughout this … I do feel like I deserve this, and that’s probably the first time I’ve said that out loud.”

[hldailyupdate]

Doors are open for Louis' show at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Not long now until the show starts! 💙

Louis Tomlinson: Live from O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. (14 December 2022)

x

[keepthingslocal]

Hammersmith Homes To Buy: Horton and Garton - A Christmas Reflection

Why Horton and Garton gives back to the community… John Horton ‘Since opening in 2008, we’ve always supported local charities and schools, arts groups, residents’ associations and churches,’ says John Horton. ‘It is extremely important to us as a successful independent, family-owned business, especially at Christmas time. ‘Why? As a Hammersmith resident and the founder of Horton and Garton, I believe more businesses should help out in the communities they serve. At a time of ever-increasing austerity and cuts to essential services, Horton and Garton is proud to go the extra mile, not only for our clients, but for the community at large. ‘Here are just a few of the charities, fine causes and organisations that we know and love and currently support. Their positive work actively improves the lives of people in Hammersmith and Shepherds Bush. West London Action for Children (WLAC)

‘This charity promotes the wellbeing of local children in need, working with them, their families and carers to achieve positive change. ‘This Christmas, WLAC has put together a cookbook of delicious recipes. These come from celebrity kitchens, including pop stars, actors, authors, restaurant owners and even our MP! The WLAC mission is to help children and that’s why we’ve sponsored this year’s cookbook and purchased more than 100 copies to support the charity. Some lucky elves in Hammersmith may just find a copy in their stocking…’ https://www.wlac.org.uk/ Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank

‘I have seen first-hand the huge demand for the local Foodbank. We have helped spread the word about the service and included it in our regular appeals. In 2019, it’s unacceptable that families in our community should be unable to feed themselves or their children. ‘The Foodbank provides three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to people who are referred in a crisis. It is part of a network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, that works to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.’ https://hammersmithfulham.foodbank.org.uk/ The Addison Singers

‘Founded more than 30 years ago, this West London group consists of three different singing classes and four choirs for singers of all ages, abilities and musical interests. David Wordsworth has served as Musical Director since 1995. See and hear them perform The Gravity of Kindness on Saturday 7 December at 7.30pm at St. Peter’s Church, Acton Green W4.’ https://www.addisonsingers.com/ Grove Neighbourhood Centre

‘The Centre provides a social centre for local people, a drop-in support service and premises for a wide variety of groups and practitioners in Brackenbury Village. It was launched in 1973 from a house in Overstone Road – and has been at the heart of Brackenbury ever since. Horton and Garton helps sponsor its seasonal fundraisers as well as special events that draw in the community to this vital hub.’ http://www.groveneighbours.org.uk/ Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council Christmas Lunch

‘Residents aged 60 and over who aren’t having lunch with anyone on Christmas Day are invited to enjoy some festive cheer at Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s annual Christmas Day Lunch. ‘I have volunteered and attended on Christmas Day and helped serve food and drink. It’s a great way to meet new people and hear some great stories. I see a lot of people every day in Hammersmith and it’s always nice to put a name to a face.’

‘Held this year at the Novotel Hotel on Hammersmith Broadway, guests will enjoy a hearty Christmas lunch, music and dancing. Door-to-door transport, qualified carers and a team of volunteers ensures guests are well looked after. RSVP by 5 December.’ https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/xmaslunch Petros Singers

‘The Hammersmith-based Petros Singers is one of London’s leading amateur chamber choirs. They give three or four concerts each year in London and sometimes further afield. ‘Our sponsorship of the Petros Singers has enabled the choir to create two bursary places to help coach new singers and push the choir’s singing forward. See and hear them at A Festival of Christmas on Saturday 7 December at 7.30pm at St Peter's, Black Lion Lane, W6.’ http://www.petrossingers.com/ The Upper Room

‘The Upper Room in Shepherds Bush has been helping the homeless since 1990 and it recently moved back to St Saviour’s Church in Wendell Park after a year-long renovation. ‘Horton and Garton has helped raise funds which will allow the charity to expand its work. It provides inter-linked services that focus on giving the socially disadvantaged the tools and skills they need to restore their dignity, reduce their risk of homelessness and help them to become economically independent. ‘In the autumn, my team and I attended The Upper Room’s fundraising curry lunch at Indian Zing in King Street and donated cash and prizes to their auction. On the day, £2,300 was raised!’ https://www.theupperroom.org.uk/ GIVING IS THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS

‘The Christmas Present Tree appeal at St Peter’s Church collects new Christmas presents for local children in need. Horton and Garton are long-time sponsors of St Peter's as it is close to my heart. It’s my local church, I am a parishioner and it’s where my two sons were christened. ‘If you can help with the Christmas appeal, just take a tag (with gender/age of child) from the tree in the Hammersmith church and return it with a wrapped present + tag attached. The deadline for presents is Sunday 8 December. For more details or a list of suggested gifts, visit https://stpetersw6.org/

‘If we can lend a hand, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.’

John Horton

Read the full article

[megamikethomson]

Why is stephen’s day called boxing day? 12 xmas questions spoke back

what is christmas? The short solution is that it’s a christian festival that celebrates the delivery of jesus. According to the nativity tale, mary and joseph travelled from their home in nazareth (in what's now israel) to bethlehem (in what is now the west bank) to participate in a census. Months in advance, mary had been visited by the angel gabriel and advised she would provide start to a boy who she could call jesus, and who would be the son of god. The kid turned into added in a strong. Shepherds and clever guys introduced birthday items. The bible does now not specify the date of jesus’s birth. A few humans have cautioned it became in the spring because of the custom of sending sheep into the fields at that time of year. “and within the identical place there had been some shepherds staying out inside the fields, and preserving watch over their flock with the aid of night time.” (luke 2:eight)

so how did it come to fall on december 25th? Inside the fourth century, pope julius i chose december 25th as the date of the banquet of the nativity. It took a while to seize on. Christmas didn’t reach northern europe till the give up of the eighth century, and xmas day didn’t end up a federal excursion within the us until 1870. December 25th is the day that the roman catholic and protestant churches rejoice christmas, but many orthodox christians use the julian calendar, which runs 13 days in the back of the usual global gregorian calendar, for religious fairs. Christmas is widely known by using orthodox christians on january 7th in russia, ukraine, serbia, belarus, egypt, ethiopia, georgia, kazakhstan, macedonia, moldova and montenegro. The three clever guys are stated to have delivered the toddler jesus gifts on the 12th day of christmas. Picture: istock the 3 clever men are said to have introduced the infant jesus items at the twelfth day of christmas. Image: istock so there has been no excursion season earlier than the birth of jesus?

Now not as a pageant to rejoice the nativity, glaringly. But the cause why pope julius i picked december 25th was to appropriate pagan midwinter gala's and remodel them right into a christian event. In scandinavia, the norse celebrated jul (yule) from the winter solstice (december 21st) for as long because it took for large logs to burn out, usually about 12 days. There has been plenty of meat as animals have been slaughtered in order that they wouldn’t need feeding over the iciness, and domestic-brewed wine and beer became equipped for consuming at xmas. In rome, saturnalia – honouring saturn, the god of agriculture – commenced just before the iciness solstice and persisted for seven days. Guys dressed as girls, masters dressed as servants, and there has been much feasting and rowdy behaviour. Inside the british isles, druids reduce and blessed mistletoe to mark the wintry weather solstice. And it’s been “always christmastime” ever on the grounds that? Not quite. Whilst oliver cromwell and his puritan forces took over england, christmas changed into banned. Noting that the date of jesus’s delivery isn't within the bible, the puritans decided it become all a just a pseudo-christian gloss for the earlier pagan festivals. In 1644, christmas became outlawed – no decorations, no mince pies and certainly no decadence. An ordinance for abolishing of gala's turned into passed via parliament in june 1647 banning christmas, easter and whitsun. In the us, wherein the puritans have been even greater, well, puritan, each person showing a piece of christmas spirit in boston faced a hefty nice of 5 shillings. A few noted christmas as “foolstide”. Prince albert added the first christmas tree from germany to victoria and the royal family within the 1840s prince albert brought the primary christmas tree from germany to victoria and the royal family inside the 1840s

together with the monarchy in britain, the festival turned into soon restored, and it became the victorians who virtually shaped christmas as we know it today. They instituted carol singing, adorning bushes and the change of cards. The first christmas tree became delivered from germany through prince albert to the british royal family in the 1840s. In recent times, about seven million real timber are sold inside the uk every 12 months, and as many as 30 million in the us. Spending on christmas items reached a peak in 2014, at a median of €670 consistent with household within the united kingdom. Ordinary monthly family spending inside the united kingdom on meals increases by means of 20 according to cent in december, and alcohol purchases growth via 30 in keeping with cent. So it’s extra of a capitalist extravaganza than a christian pageant now? Perhaps, however christmas is also a increase time for churches, with many human beings attending mass over the vacation even though they don’t don't forget themselves to be believers. Even a few hardened atheists find candle-lit nighttime mass on christmas eve or a youngsters’s nativity provider difficult to face up to. What about non-christians – those of other faiths, or of no faith?

Certainly, there are a number of them. In place of being resentful of a christian competition, muslims frequently commit to extra charity paintings over the christmas period, and a few mosques hold special lectures approximately jesus, who's taken into consideration in islam to be a prophet. The pageant of eid al-fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of ramadan, is every so often known as (with the aid of non-muslims) the muslim equal of christmas in as a ways as it's far a time spent with family and while gifts are exchanged. The subsequent time eid al-fitr and xmas coincide is 2033. The word “satisfied holidays” has emerge as common in lots of elements as a capture-interested by christmas, hanukkah (the jewish competition which falls close to christmas), and the non-religious. Where inside the call of jesus did mince pies come from? These days, they're spherical and candy, but they was once rectangular and savoury. Mince pies date again to the 13th century, after they have been known as mutton, minched, shrid or christmas pies, and contained principally meat together with suet, fruit and spices. The victorians made them sweeter, although suet remained part of the “mincemeat” recipe until meals businesses tuned into the needs of vegetarians and vegans. Few people make their very own from

scratch nowadays, and why would you whilst you could pick out from chocolate and cherry mince pies, gin mince pies, salted caramel mince pies, chocolate orange mince pies …? Mince pies: once packed with mutton, they’re now commonly vegetarian, except the occasional inclusion of suet mince pies: as soon as filled with mutton, they’re now generally vegetarian, except the occasional inclusion of suet what approximately turkeys? Nicely, goose, pheasant, swan and peacocks were the roast birds of choice for the christmas dinner desk for hundreds of years. King henry viii turned into recognized to eat turkey at christmas soon after the chicken changed into brought to england in 1526, but it didn’t turn out to be large until the fifties.

Peacocks have been once the meat of desire for the royal christmas dinner desk. Photo: istock peacocks have been as soon as the beef of preference for the royal christmas dinner table. Picture: istock who's santa claus? Aka santy, father christmas and st nicholas. Nicholas turned into a fourth-century bishop, a wealthy man who secretly gave items to the bad. One beneficiary changed into a man with 3 daughters who could not have enough money dowries to marry them off. Nicholas dropped a bag of gold down the man’s chimney which fell into a stocking that were hung up to dry. The bishop turned into persecuted, exiled and imprisoned for his faith. After his demise on december sixth, the date have become an occasion on which youngsters have been given small items in his memory and, in a few international locations, kids nevertheless open gives on st nicholas’s eve, december 5th. Later, st nicholas became usurped in famous subculture by father christmas, santy or santa claus. In keeping with legend, he travels thru the sky on a sledge pulled via 8 reindeer decorated with jingle bells to slide down chimneys and deposit affords via the fire. St nicholas: a 4th-century bishop who secretly gave items to the bad.               boxing day

boxing day

Photoraph: istock st nicholas: a 4th-century bishop who secretly gave gifts to the poor. Photoraph: istock why is st stephen’s day called boxing day? The call, generally used in the uk for december twenty sixth, refers to a christmas box traditionally given to servants and tradespeople, containing money, a gift and now and again leftover meals. But christmas doesn’t cease there. In concept, the christmas pageant lasts 12 days, until january sixth, the day whilst the three sensible guys turned up in bethlehem with items of gold, frankincense and myrrh for infant jesus. Traditionally, the celebrations maintain and the decorations remain in location until twelfth night, also known as epiphany. The track the 12 days of christmas, which started out existence as an 18th-century rhyme before being set to song by way of frederic austin in 1909, logs all of the items given to the singer through his or her true love, starting from a partridge in a pear tree to 12 drummers drumming. One uk financial offerings organization estimates the cost of the items this year at more than €33,000. How do you pay for a maid-a-milking? It’s now not clean.

You may’t call them maids any greater, and maximum milking is performed by system. What next? Easter! That is the christian festival marking the crucifixion and resurrection of jesus. The gap between christmas and easter varies among 3 and four months, and in 2019 it’s at the outer edge of that variety with easter falling on the 0. 33 weekend of april. Or, for the resolutely non-christian, there’s the spring equinox on march twenty first. Until then, merry christmas. Studying listthe bible – the nativity story is advised inside the books of matthew and lukea christmas carol – charles dickensthe snowman – raymond briggsthe night time earlier than christmas – clement c moorechristmas: a biography – judith flanderspigín yule – kathleen watkinschristmas on a finances - what to do if yo

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The Antique Market for Chinese Exports - Post-War London

The lion’s documented journey begins with its acquisition, along with several others, on the 5th December 1949 from Williams Antique Shop, London. It was purchased by one of the museum’s biggest contributors, Sir Charles Edmund Hardinge. The museum has the original logbook which Sir Charles meticulously kept, to track his collection; the lion was purchased for £9.50 (nine pounds and ten shillings), quite a considerable sum at the time. It is known that Sir Charles began his collection of Chinese art and artefacts after suffering an injury, possibly during active combat in the first World War. Antique shops were a daily escape from his rehabilitation routine, and he amassed a substantial collection during this time. He donated a large proportion of his collection to the Durham University Oriental Museum when, due to illness, he was forced to retire to a care home.  

 Questions: What draws collectors to Chinese objects? How do collectors choose which objects to collect? Is there anything significant about the period in which the jade was bought in terms of Chinese exports?

 Collectors as people have always fascinated me. What motivates them? Are they answering the call of some sort of higher power or does it just provide them with pleasure to gaze upon their full vitrines creating some sort of exotic escape route out of the quotidian? Collecting also appears to be an eternal labour of love, only ending, like Sir Charles, with ill health or death. Only then is a collection finished and often passed on, so why did he give such an immensely valuable collection to the museum rather than family members? Many of these questions I am sure only Sir Charles could answer for me, but I am going to try to investigate at least some of them. I have used historical records to try and reconstruct the story of Sir Charles and the lion. 

It was a cold Monday in December when Sir Charles left his house and made his way to one of his regular haunts Williams Antique Shop. After receiving an injury during active service in World War One, he was meant to exercise regularly by taking long walks but had taken to escaping into nearby antique shops where he would sit for hours a day drinking cups of tea with the owner and discussing collections. This is how he had started as a collector of Asian artefacts and years later what, in 1917 had started as a small act of defiance against being made to exercise, at 71 years of age was now a regular part of his weekly routine. 1949 was quite a mild Winter, mostly dry with temperatures of around 6.4oc, the mild weather and lack of rain may have been a deciding factor for Sir Charles to head out as he pulled on his Winter coat and stepped out into the streets of London. Today, however, he had purpose, he was going to expand his collection with a substantial purchase of jades, worth nearly £100 (£3665.18 in today’s money). A huge amount of money considering Britain was still in economic crisis: it had only been in the April of this year, four years after the war had finished that the lights had finally been turned back on in London and war time rationing legislation was slowly beginning to be relaxed. 

Whilst Britain was sluggishly recovering and rebuilding in these post war years, China was in the midst of civil war. The defeat of Japan in World War Two had reignited tensions between the two main parties in China, the People’s Republic and the Communist Party. This tension had incorporated two of the world’s largest superpowers of the time, America and Russia; known as the Cold War period. To halt the spread of communism in the East, the United States had joined forces with the Republican army whilst the Soviets supported the communist movement, in one of many proxy wars which characterises this conflict. 1949 was also the year that the NATO agreement was signed between North America and Europe, a pact of mutual protection against communist powers.

The UK had not been left unscathed in the Chinese conflict; a British navy ship the HMS Amethyst had been severely damaged by communist forces in China. Its triumphant return into Britain on 1st November 1949 was still fresh in the mind of Sir Charles who had read about it in his morning newspaper only a month earlier. As a collector however, this new accessibility to the East through allied forces and the ‘roaring forties’ great circle route which linked Britain, China, Australia and the USA in a complex economic chain (Blainey 1966) had significantly increased the amount of new Chinese exports now flooding into Britain. It’s entirely possible that an opportunistic member of the HMS Amethyst crew which had docked in Plymouth the month before had bought a number of jades and other small Chinese artefacts which were easy to carry from allied Chinese provinces in order to make a profit back on British soil. Supporting this theory is the vast amount of purchases Sir Charles made during the month of December 1949. This may have however, just been coincidence.

Although Rachel Barclay had informed me during our meeting that Williams Antique’s no longer existed (I think to try and save me a bit of research time/heartache). I searched through old company records to try and get an idea of the area of London that Sir Charles frequented since available biographical information suggests that the shops were in walking distance from his house. I found a Williams Antique Shop on the Leeds University antique dealership directory. It was active in the 1940’s and specialised in ‘Early Japanese and Chinese works of art and antiques’ from 1928, the interwar period when Sir Charles began to collect. The location of this antique shop was in Shepherds Bush Market. Searching through archived photos from the area, shows the area described as ‘a pleasant little old-fashioned district of lanes, paved ways and shops’, the perfect place to get lost in for the day when you are trying to avoid your nurse! 

From the first time you encounter an object you begin to tell a story, becoming part of its story. On the day that Sir Charles and the lion first met each other, he may have walked through these streets on a winter’s day, excited about making yet another purchase for his beloved collection. The lion’s journey had already seen it being exchanged through numerous owners from its creation c. 600 - 900 years prior. It had now travelled nearly 5000 miles, through numerous ports, surviving sea journeys and possibly war on its way to London. Sir Charles perhaps spent a full day at this shop, smoking pipes (a favoured vice of the 1940’s) and drinking cups of tea whilst he examined each new purchase individually, possibly updating his logbook in the shop over a cup of tea whilst HE discussed each piece with the owner. De Waal describes the log as ‘recording their love affair, their own secret history of touch’. On the 5th December 1949, the lion became a part of Sir Charles love affair.

The lion spent 10 years in the care of Sir Charles Hardinge. De Waal believes objects add something to a collector’s way of living. Vitrines, become part of the performance of collections, suspending the objects, framing them, creating a Wunderkammer (trans: world of things or chamber of wonders), made for digressive conversation, for distraction. The connection to everyday life, albeit exotic everyday life, providing escapism. Unlike museum glass cases, vitrines can be opened. Objects which were designed to be touched make collections highly sensual. Western collectors appreciate this quality in Asian artefacts, many also convey witty themes, they make you smile.  

There are, however, many critiques of such collections. Western art critics took an instant dislike to Asian forms of art in the 18th and 19th Centuries, vilifying the aesthetic qualities as a sign of complete cultural degradation. The resulting chinoiserie trend has been accused of stripping prevailing images of Chinese culture of their aura of dignity in the name of exotic charm. Porter (1999), believes that there was no substance to such a vision and indeed no desire for substance; the entire movement was a rejection of the very principle of substantiality.  Collectors such as Sir Charles have been accused of transforming symbols of awe-inspiring cultural achievement into a motley collection of exotic ornamental motifs.

At the age of 81, no longer able to fully care for himself, Sir Charles collection was still one of his primary concerns. Rachel told me that the museum had received very last-minute orders in 1959 to go and collect Sir Charles’ anthology which included over 2000 jade carvings including the Lion. The museum was due to open its doors in 1960, so the donation came at a very welcome time. Apparently, the sheer volume of the collection posed staff with a real storage issue. Most of the objects from the collection are still in storage and not on display. Sir Charles died in 1968 at the age of 90.