http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:56:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com/halloween-chills-and-thrills.html http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com/halloween-chills-and-thrills.html#comments Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:07:59 +0000 admin http://www.nailaintan.co.cc/halloween-chills-and-thrills.html

Pumpkins, gory costumes, spiders and E-numbered-up kids hammering on your door. Are you ready for this year’s Halloween-fest? The supermarkets have been since the last Bank Holiday in August, so what’s it all about?

Many people exist quite happily without ever acknowledging Halloween. However, most of us surround ourselves with spooks, ghouls, demons, magic and spells, wizards and witches and the living dead every year because of an ancient pagan festival called Samhain and All Saints’ Day from the Christian calendar.

While we are munching on pumpkin pie and bobbing apples dressed as zombies we may want to remember the Celts who 2,000 years ago would have been throwing the bones of slaughtered livestock onto bonfires and wearing masks in order to calm evil spirits. This festival traditionally celebrated the end of harvest time and the beginning of the Celtic New Year on November 1.

In later years the Christian church began marking All Saints’ Day at the same time of year. Their belief was that souls were released from purgatory on All Hallow’s Eve, the night before All Saints’ Day, for 48 hours. This was parallel to the pagan belief that the spirits of the dead could spill into the land of the living on this particular night.

Over time, ideas from both festivals merged and became known as Hallowe’en in mainstream culture. The pagan and Christian religions continue to celebrate with their own separate events too.

Halloween is marked around the world in similar form, from Mexico’s Day of the Dead to China’s Ghost Festival, and increasingly as a result of the influence of American culture in areas such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe.

Since the Americans hijacked Halloween it has become an excuse for any kind of themed event for adults as well as kids: from Halloween club nights to midnight screenings of horror films at cinemas and spooky TV specials.

If you fancy a night of dastardly devilry, there are plenty of events on around the country. The All Hallow’s Eve Ball at The Crypt, near Chancery Lane in London, is being held in aid of UNICEF on Friday October 31. Food is being provided by The Bleeding Heart restaurants in the rooms where King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon feasted on their wedding day.

For those interested in exploring the pagan roots of Halloween, the Caduceus Pagan and Witchcraft Halloween Bash at Conway Hall, Holborn in London could be just the ticket. The changing seasons will be celebrated with dance, song, drama and ritual on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 October.

Nicely coinciding with school half term holidays, Bristol Zoo is running a series of family activities from October 24 to November 5. These include an interactive trail with residence witch, Ninny Noo; a pumpkin carving competition; and a Halloween Parade with prizes for the scariest costumes.

Along the country’s heritage railways, ghoulish ghost trains will be steaming ahead for a range of family and adult seasonal rides. Railways to search for include Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, Mid-Norfolk Railway, Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, South Tynedale Railway, Kent & East Sussex Railway, Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Foxfield Steam Railway and North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The Spooky Sleepover at the London Bridge Experience invites guests to join the Society of Paranormal Investigation and spend the night of Saturday November 15 soaking up the unexplained in a historic setting. This special event is in aid of St John Ambulance and is for over-18s only.

If you can’t face going out in public on All Hallow’s Eve, you can always get decorating and create your own haunted house. Put on your fangs and fake blood, get some Halloween spirit and enjoy a good old fashioned fancy dress knees up. You should frighten off the youth beating down your door at least.

]]> http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com/halloween-chills-and-thrills.html/feed 0 http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com/the-gift-of-wedding-videography.html http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com/the-gift-of-wedding-videography.html#comments Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:00:16 +0000 admin http://www.nailaintan.co.cc/the-gift-of-wedding-videography.html

Although weddings are not really about materialistic facets of life, gifts play an important role in making the couple even happier and one great way of offering something precious to the soon-to-be married pair is to capture every bit of detail of their union through the brilliance that is wedding videography.

You don’t have to be a professional videographer in order to wrap the wedding moments of a close family member or a long time friend you just have to pour your out and focus on the two individuals that are about to share the rest of their lives together. Keep one principle while you plan to make a production that will sweep watchers off their feet with. This is really to make things basic and simple.

When setting the lens of your camera on the best thing to focus at you don’t have to look further. Remember this is a wedding so just take as much shot of the bride and groom. It will also help if you got an idea of what they want so be vocal with the couple. Talk to them and ask them how they what the movie to go along. Also you have to realize that the movie will be truly remarkable if you catch all the intimate and priceless moment of the bride and groom no matter how minute the details are. You can also make the other people in the wedding and reception more involved in the production by allowing them to dish out messages of support and love to the bride and groom.

Another important aspect of the wedding film you have to consider is its accordance and cohesion with the wedding theme. You can take a shot of the things that can be associated with the wedding of the couple. The flowers, the birds in the skies, the greenery that is the trees and the grass or even an automobile or aircraft that is connected to the likes or careers of both individuals can be part of your very own wedding gift. You can also add shots of family members and friends that are in their most natural form no matter how candid it may be.

Now let’s continue and dig into the technical matters of your shoot. This is where the talk with the couple can really help because it helps to get as much information about the wedding as possible. It is a must to get really comfortable and familiar with the place of the wedding and the reception since most of the time these two events are done in different vicinities. It is significant to get the right place for your shoot and to capture each image in its appropriate angle. You also have to be well equipped with information regarding the people attending the wedding so as to know what to expect and get a proper perspective of what is to expect from these guests.

Finally and I say this with much conviction don’t forget why you are doing this. This is your gift to the bride and groom so with the little skills and knowledge you have of wedding videography persevere hard in order to add extra smiles and laughs to the heart of the unified couple.

See also The Sights And Sounds Of Wedding Videography

]]> http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com/the-gift-of-wedding-videography.html/feed 0 http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com/choosing-the-right-tent-2.html http://www.leadbellybluesfestival.com/choosing-the-right-tent-2.html#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:22:17 +0000 admin http://www.nailaintan.co.cc/choosing-the-right-tent.html

When you’re camping, your tent is the most important piece of equipment. Without a tent, you are nothing! You need one that will keep you dry and warm (but not too warm). There are a huge huge range ot there on the market and it can be difficult deciding what to buy but here are a few tips to help you on your way.

There are so many different tents oit there on the market that it may be difficult to know where to start. from a simple one person tent which will fit easily into your rucksack, right up to an eight berth monster, with all mod cons including spa pool and massage table ok, perhaps that’s a bit far but you get the idea!). As with everything camping related, your tent needs to fit the purpose that you’ll be using it for. If you will be carrying the tent in a rucksack, then the weight and dimensions when packed are very important. If you are camping with the family, you may want something with seperate bedroom areas for privasy. All of these details can be found within the information of the packaging or from the shop when you buy your tent.

Tents will be labelled ‘one person’, ‘two person’ etc, but you should always check the actual dimensions as classifications can differ between manufacturers. You should also pay attention to how much space there is in the living area and what the height of the tent is (ie, can you stand up). Below is a summary of the different types of tents you might choose.

Frame Tents: These have the best headroom and are useful for families, and those who plan to cook inside the tent. The disadvantage of frame tents is that they are havy and difficult to carry, so only suitable if you are travelling by car (and have a few people to hep you put it up). Frame tents are becoming less popular in favour of the more fashioable and lightweight Dome Tents.

Ridge Tent: This is a triangular shaped tent, the more tradiditonal one that you are used to seeing. You rarely see this around nowadays, and again have given way to the more modern dome tents.

Dome Tents: A dome shaped tent, very simple to erect and very lightweight. The flexible poles thread through the tent fabric criss corssing in the middle. The poles are normally made of reinforced plastic or a metal alloy. Dome tents can range from a very compact one or two man right up to a family sized tent with room to stand. They are relatively inexpensive and due to the compact size when packed they are very easy to transport. higher dome tents are more vulnerable in high winds than a frame tent so care should be taken in poor weather.

Hoop Tents: These are a cross betwen a ridge and dome tent. They are strong with room inside, they can be multiple hoop, also known as a tunnel tent, or single hoop which is lighter weight and easier to carry. Hoop tents are often favoured by mountain climbers because of their strngth in high winds and extreme conditions.

Geodesic Tents: A geodesic tent is similar to a Dome tent, but with a slightly different structure which gives them greater strength in high winds. Often slightly more expensive than a standard dome tent.

Vis-a-vis: Tents with sleeping areas on either side of the main central area. These are genrally dome style noeadays but you do ocassionally see a ridge style vis-a-vis tent.

Touring Tents: Touring tents can be extended ridge tents or extended dome tents. They normally have a porch area, which is very useful for cooking, (although goking in tents should only be done if it is safe to do so, and you should consult the manufacturr if you aren’t sure). Touring tents often have windows and are the tent of choice for people who spend long periods camping.

Most tents have 2 layers. The first a breathable ‘inner’ providing warmth and keeping the insects off, while the ‘outer’ fysheet or ’skin’ is the waterproof layer that goes on the outside. Having a two layer structure also prevents moisture and condensation building up. These layers can be made from a wide range of materials, the higher end of the price range tends to be the best insulated, most breathable and best quality and would be advised for extreme weather conditions. The higher price ranges will also be home to tents with the best quality seams and zips as these are often the first things to go.

The strength of the poles is an important factor if you want your tent to last. Modern tents are extremely lightweight but you can often tell the difference between poor quality and good quality poles. As a rule, you generally get what you pay for. If you are using your tent to go to a festival and don’t tend to do much else with it, then you can pick up a 2 man tent from about £25. If you are looking for something that you can use a few times of year in all conditinos, then prices can go up to about £500 for the top quality tents.

Whatever your choice, remember to allow anough space for your stuff. A 2 man tent is often big enough for 2 people but if you both have big rucksacks or equipment, you might be better thinking about a larger tent to allow for this

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