Song Of The Month November 2016

So I haven't managed to post a song of the month for the past couple of months (shame on me!) so it's about time I get round to eh?! Well, it's the end of November and December is just around the corner-can you actually believe it!?

Yesterday, marked 15 years since a certain gentleman belonging to a band whom I adore so much sadly passed. I was just a small child at the time and have no recollection of the day however I grew up to learn about this legend and his music as a member of two different bands and also a solo artist became an important of my life. It's sad to think that I'll never have the chance to see him perform live.

So that brings us to the Song of The Month: November 2016. 'What is it'? 'Who is it'? might you ask. Well, it's a true pleasure to tell you that the latest song of the month is (drum roll).................

'Here Comes The Moon' by George Harrison

You may not have heard this track before by former member of The Beatles and The Travelling Wilbury's. Considering George's musical catalogue across the years I had an endless choice of songs to choose from to share with you guys. But I decided to choose this more unusual track. Why?

I came across this track some time ago after discovering that George wrote this song with alongside the incredible Stevie Nicks. I suppose you could say it's a sequel to the Beatles track 'Here Comes The Sun' and refers to Stevie's love of the moon. It's a beautiful acoustic number that has both George and Stevie's names written all over it. 

So if you haven't heard this stunning piece of music make sure to click onto the YouTube video linked above and if you have why not have a listen once again and be sure to let me know what you think of it! 

Anyway sit back, relax and enjoy and I'll speak to you all next month. I can't quite believe it'll be the end of the year-what a scary thought! 

Have a good few weeks everyone!

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: Heading Out On A Fab Four Taxi Tour Part 2

So during the first part of my 'Fab Tour Taxi Tour' post I reminisced about my trip to Liverpool visiting Dingle, where Ringo Starr was born and grew up, Penny Lane, John Lennon's house from birth until he was five and the house where George Harrison celebrated his 21st Birthday. Ian, our driver stopped at a little café in Woolton which I believe is called 'Let's Eat' to get a quick refreshment and use the bathroom. It was great to have a short break and get a nice, cold drink! The staff in the café were really friendly and were interested to hear about our trip.

St Peter's Church

After our quick pit stop, we took a very short drive to St Peter's Church which is by far my very favourite location of the entire tour. The first time we visited, I fell completely in love with the village of Woolton, there's such a homely feel there! And not so coincidentally, I asked Mum if we could take the tour on the 6th July due to the significant event that took place on that date at St Peter's back in 1957. This was the 49th anniversary of the day that John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the very first time at the church's Summer fete. Being such a huge Beatles fan I wanted to visit the location that started it all on the anniversary of the day it took place.

The church yard

In the church yard we saw Eleanor Rigby's gravestone which allegedly inspired Paul McCartney to write the song however Paul has always denied this for understandable reasons. All of the facts surrounding the song do however add up to this particular gravestone being the source of inspiration considering that John and Paul used to hang around the graveyard as teens. There is also another grave stone with the name 'McKenzie' engraved on it which relates to the 'Father McKenzie' in the lyrics of the famous song.
Also, inside the church yard is the grave of John Lennon's Uncle George the husband of Aunt Mimi. Just beyond the church yard is what used to be a field where the Summer fete took place back in 1957 where Paul McCartney first noticed John Lennon performing with The Quarrymen. We were able to venture as far as the end of the church yard (pictured above) which was once apart of that very field. The remainder of the field has now been replaced with a school playground hence why there's no further pictures.

The church hall where John Lennon & Paul McCartney met

Standing outside the church hall pointing to plaque commemorating the historical meeting

Across the road is the church hall where John Lennon was waiting to perform later that day with The Quarrymen when Ivan Vaughn (a mutual friend of both Beatles) introduced him to Paul McCartney and the rest was history! Funnily enough this was where the stage I spoke about in a previous post was once situated-it's kinda surreal to say I've touched it (such a geek I know!). If you'd like to read more about it and see the pictures be sure to click here. When we visited last year, the hall was actually open due to something taking place inside which meant we could pop in for a look round. Unfortunately, it wasn't open on this occasion but it was still great to see the hall from the outside.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Next, we visited one of my Mum's favourite locations 'Strawberry Fields' which inspired the famous song by John Lennon. There's something so peaceful about Strawberry Fields and actually reminds me of an area in Alloway, the village where Robert Burns was born back home in Scotland. Strawberry Fields today, is pretty much an area of overgrown greenery and trees with a large red gate covered in Beatles fans' graffiti. However quite the contrary to its appearance today, it was once a Salvation Army home many moons ago. John Lennon as child was fascinated by the home and enjoyed sneaking in to play with the children and was often caught in the process I believe. Strangely enough, when you compare photographs of the Salvation Army home and the Dakota Building where John lived years later; the resemblance between both buildings is strikingly similar.

Recreating a photo of John Lennon outside Aunt Mimi's

After this we paid a visit to Mendips, John Lennon's Aunt Mimi's house in Woolton, just a short distance from Strawberry Fields. Today, it is owned by The National Trust and has been restored to look just as it did when John lived there. Fans can take a tour with the National Trust to see inside both John and Paul's former homes; something on my to-do list. When you hear John's childhood story particularly standing in front of his home where it all unfolded, it suddenly seems all the more real and extremely heart-breaking. He really didn't have an easy life!

It was John's mother Julia who tragically died in this very street after being hit by car when John was just 14 years old, that encouraged his love of rock n' roll music. She taught him how to play banjo and bought John first guitar although his Aunt Mimi, his official guardian didn't approve of music, telling him 'the guitar's all very well, John, but you'll never make a living out of it'. As a youth, the only place he was actually allowed to practice guitar was in the front porch pictured below.

The porch where John Lennon practiced guitar

The house where John Lennon's mother lived until she sadly passed away

Leaving Mendips, Ian, our driver decided to take a detour to show us the house where Julia Lennon and her second husband whom she had two daughters with once lived. It was here where John was on the day his mother tragically died and where the devastating news was broken to him. For years John didn't know where Julia lived and as a child was told he couldn't visit her because she lived far away. He apparently presumed that his mother lived in Scotland because whenever he visited his relatives in Scotland his Mum was always there. It's tragic to think he believed that his Mum lived so far away yet as I saw for myself, in reality she lived just minutes away.

Next, we visited the home of my favourite Beatle-take a wild guess who that is?! Yep, you guessed it's Sir Paul McCartney. Paul, lived with his mother, father and brother Mike in numerous houses over the years but 20 Forthlin Road was where he spent his years as a teen until The Beatles rose to fame in the 60s. Sadly, like John, Paul experienced the tragic loss of his mother at a young age when she sadly passed away from breast cancer which presumably was one of the reasons why both Beatles had such a strong bond.

Outside Paul McCartney's house

I love visiting 20 Forthlin Road being such a huge Macca fan. It pretty cool seeing where one my all-time favourite singers lived when he was the same age as me and hearing some of the fascinating stories about his life. Ian even showed us some photographs that I'd never seen before taken of The Beatles in the back garden by Mike McCartney (Paul's brother). There was also a photo from the 90s when Paul revisited the street; a few residents spotted him and came flooding out to greet him. How cool must that have been?!

LIPA

Following this, we headed further into the city following the same route Paul and George would take on the bus to get to school every morning. Both George and Paul attended 'The Liverpool Institute For Boys' and ironically directly next door was 'The Liverpool College of Art', the very art school that both John Lennon, his future wife Cynthia and Stuart Sutcliffe once attended. Both schools are now owned by Paul McCartney who after seeing his former school getting into a state of disrepair decided to purchase it and founded 'LIPA' (Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts). In recent years, he also purchased John's old art school in order to expand LIPA and I believe the new expansion is due to open within the next few weeks. Outside both schools on Hope Street is a sculpture entitled 'A Case History' created by a gentleman named John King. Basically, it's a pile of suitcases and luggage, many of which are labelled with famous names related to Liverpool's history. It's actually a very inspiring piece of artwork in a very fitting location.

'A Case History'

A closer look

Moving on, Ian pointed out 'The Honeymoon Suite' as it's often referred to which was basically an apartment owned by Brian Epstein (The Beatles' manager) where Cynthia Lennon stayed on the evening of her wedding to John, ALONE. The wedding had to be low-key because of the image the band had to keep up and obviously one of the members being married wasn't the image that would sell their music. Following the wedding Brian whisked the boys away on business and gave Cynthia the keys to his apartment where she stayed for a numbers of months by herself whilst the band were on tour. No one can be certain that this is definitely the correct building as no official documents seem to exist, the only indication that this is in fact the correct building was in Cynthia's biography.

Brian Epstein's apartment where Cynthia stayed on the evening of her and John's wedding ALONE

The registry office where John and Cynthia got married

Just a short dive away we saw Mount Pleasant Registry Office where John and Cynthia married in 1962 with Brian Esptein as best man. Also in attendance was Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Cynthia's half brother accompanied by his wife. Ringo wasn't in attendance as he joined the band just days before and they wanted to keep the wedding a private affair (at that point Ringo in their eyes couldn't be trusted to keep the wedding a secret-poor Ringo!).

Sadly, this brought us to the end of tour and we said our goodbyes to Ian back at Albert Dock where he dropped us off. Yet again, we had a brilliant tour with The Fab Four Taxi Tours! It's the most amazing experience exploring Liverpool and seeing some of the sites that helped shaped one of the world's most legendary bands 'The Beatles'. If you want to find out more details about The Fab Four Taxi Tour click here! This is a MUST for any Beatles fan-I'd completely recommend taking this tour!

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: Heading Out On A Fab Four Taxi Tour Part 1

During our fourth and final day in Liverpool, Mum and I took the Fab Four Taxi Tour which as some of you may remember was on the agenda during our trip last year. As we had enjoyed it so much during our previous trip we decided to opt for a longer tour this time; the three hour 'Lennon' tour. We both had a brilliant day touring the sites in Liverpool that helped shape The Beatles and became the inspiration for some of their most famous songs. So sit back with a cup o' tea and relax whilst I take you on a magical mystery tour as I write about all of the places we visited during the Fab Four Taxi Tour.

Around half past ten we arrived at the designated pick up point 'The Pumphouse' at Albert Dock where we met our tour guide, a gentleman named Ian. Each driver's cab is named after a Beatles song, Ian's was called 'Dear Prudence'-such a cool idea!

Due to my health and mobility accessing taxis minus a ramp is near impossible nowadays however we noticed on the company's website that some of the cabs have a swivel chair which allows people with mobility issues access the taxi from street level without any difficulty. And what a difference this made for me and Ian couldn't have been more helpful assisting me.

The house where Ringo was born

The first stop in the tour was a part of Liverpool named Dingle where Ringo Starr (then known as Richard Starkey) group up. No.9 Madryn Street pictured above is the house that Ringo Starr was born and lived there until the age of 5. Further down the Madryn Street at No.59 was also the home of Ringo's Grandparents. Every house on the street as far as I can remember had a sheet of lyrics from some of Ringo's songs attached to the window which was a special touch. Sadly, the street is currently inhabited besides one house as the residents who live there refuse to leave and to be honest I don't really blame them. I believe there has been doubts regarding the street's future however during our visit repair work was in progress right before our very eyes which is a positive sign.

A pic of The Empress Pub featured on Ringo's album 'Sentimental Journal' taken from inside of the taxi

Around the corner was 'The Empress Pub' pictured on Ringo's first solo album 'Sentimental Journey' where his family and friends spent a lot of time socialising when he was a young boy. Ringo recorded 'Sentimental Journey' for his Mother which was filled with covers of Ringo's Mother's favourite songs-another little fact for you all!

Ringo's home in Admiral Grove

Recreating a famous photo of Ringo

Ringo and his Mother moved to No.9 Admiral Grove (pictured above), a street almost directly adjacent to Madryn Street. The house in Admiral Grove is currently empty as the elderly lady who once lived there sadly passed away last year. We were able to have a peek through the window to get a glimpse of the interior as the rooms, fittings etc haven't changed since Ringo lived there all those years ago. Also pictured above is me recreating a photograph of Ringo leaving Admiral Grove for a Beatles gig in Liverpool on the very spot he once stood in (such a geek I am!).

The park where Julia Stanley met Alfred Lennon

Following this we visited Sefton Park where John Lennon's Mum Julia Stanley met his Dad Alfred Lennon at the boating lake (pictured above). The same park I believe was named in a song called 'In Liverpool' released by Ringo years later. Directly across the road was what is now a hotel named Blenheim Lakeside Hotel which was once home to Stuart Sutcliffe, a former member and the original bassist of The Beatles who like me was Scottish and sadly passed away in 1962. Stuart alongside his family once lived in apartment 1B situated on the right of the hotels front door. As you can see in the image below there's a plaque commemorating him outside of the hotel.

The apartment where original member of The Beatles Stuart Sutcliffe lived

Mum & I at the Penny Lane street sign

Through the speaker system inside the taxi one of my all-time favourite Beatles songs 'Penny Lane' began to play as we began to drive down the very street itself. First, we stopped off at the Penny Lane street sign where a photo was of course in order. As you can see the sign has been painted on the wall in place of the original street sign which like many other famous landmarks in Liverpool has unfortunately been obstructed or stolen by Beatles fan. Further along the road there is however an actual sign where most other Beatles tours take visitors to the city however the one we're photographed beside was in fact where the original sign had once been situated. That in my opinion is much more authentic in comparison to the new sign.

The famous Penny Lane barber shop

Listening to thefamous song once again, we headed further along the road to see a number of the very locations named in the song before our very eyes. This includes 'the shelter in the middle of the roundabout' where John and Paul used to meet to catch the bus, the bank, 'the barbershop showing photographs' formerly known as 'Bioletti's Barber Shop', now named 'Tony Slavin' as well as the fire station. For me, this one of my favourite parts of the tour; there's such a buzz listening to the lyrics of the song and actually seeing the exact locations that Paul McCartney visited which inspired him to write a song about it. Ian also pointed out various Beatles related locations within the proximity that's connections are rarely highlighted-being such a huge fan I loved seeing these unknown places.

The bus shelter in the middle of the roundabout

Barnardo's charity shop originally the photo studio owned by the gentleman who took The Beatles first professional photos

Pictured above, directly across from the famous bus shelter is what is now a 'Barnardo's' charity shop however what people don't know is that it once was a tiny photo studio owned by a gentleman who Brian Epstein asked to do The Beatles' first ever professional photoshoot in 1961. The shoot took place in 1961 and at the time Pete Best was the band's drummer. I believe the shoot consisted of thirty photos however only just sixteen survived as the rest were discarded due to certain bands members mucking around during the session. Just a few doors along the path is the location of what used to be the Woolworths store where John Lennon's first wife Cynthia once worked for a period of time back in the day.

The house John Lennon lived in from birth until 1945

Following this Ian showed us 9 Newcastle Road, Wavertree which was the first house John Lennon lived in from birth until 1945. In recent years the house was purchased by an American Beatles fan at an auction which took place in The Cavern Club in Mathew Street. You might not be able to see so well in the pictures but outside the front door; engraved into the steps are the words 'Imagine', 'Peace' and 'Wisdom' in tribute to John which is a fitting tribute.

Brian Epstein's childhood home

We also saw Brian Epstein's childhood family home located at 127 Queen's Drive in the area of Childwall as well as the house at 137 Gateacre Park Drive that John Lennon purchased for his Aunt and Uncle who took care of John's sisters after their mother Julia sadly passed away. This was the very house that John, Yoko and family visited amidst the recording of the 'Abbey Road' album in 1969 whilst on route for a tour of the Scottish Highlands where John spent many holidays visiting family as a child. It was during the same trip they got into a car accident in the narrow highland roads cutting their trip short.

137 Gateacre Park Drive where John, Yoko & children visited family on route for a tour of the Scottish highlands in 1969

George Harrison's family home from 1962-65 where he celebrated his 21st Birthday

We also visited the family home of George Harrison at 174 Markets Lane where he lived from 1962 until the year 1965 when George bought his parent a new house located in Warrington. This was also the home where he celebrated his 21st birthday at which Ian, our guide showed us some photographs of the local postmen delivering crates to the house filled with cards and letters to George from hundreds of fans wishing him a 'Happy Birthday'. In the image above you can see me sitting on the wall outside George's old house probably on the very spot where many Beatles fans would find themselves hoping to catch a glimpse of George back in 60s. Sadly, I'm just a few decades too late to meet George!
Well, as suspected this post is turning out to be a long one so I've decided to write about my trip round Liverpool exploring all of the Beatles related sites in two parts. There's so much to write about, I could easily go on forever! I hope you enjoyed Part 1 and be sure to keep an eye out for Part 2! If you want to find out more about The Fab Four Taxi Tours be sure to visit their website on the following link: http://fab4tours.co.uk/. I can't recommend this tour enough, it's totally worth it!

Song Of The Month July 2016

Well that's us at the end of July already I'm afraid and next month (August) we'll head back to school or home tutoring in my case. Looking at the brighter side of the situation, at least I'll be starting my final year of school! A slightly frightening thought I must admit!

Anyway, seeing as it's the end of the month I better pick out July's 'Song of the Month'. And some of you might be able to guess what band it's by considering where I ventured earlier this month. So my song choice this month is........

'Penny Lane' by The Beatles

As you all probably know by now, I visited Liverpool earlier in the month and during my trip visited a lot of famous Beatles related sites on 'The Fab Four Taxi Tour'. And well, Penny Lane just so happened to be one of them. I love the buzz of driving into Penny Lane listening to the famous song of the same name penned by one of my very favourite musicians Sir Paul McCartney about some of the places he visited in Liverpool throughout his youth. I love how simple, everyday things inspired him to write such a classic song loved by people all over the world and brings thousands of fans like myself to a visit a certain street in his hometown. It fascinates me to be honest.

Penny Lane is up there as one of my all-time favourite Beatles songs so considering that and the fact that I visited the very location of the song just a few weeks ago it only felt right to pick it as my 'Song of the Month'. I hope you enjoy listening to this cheery number and be sure to pay close attention to the lyrics where Paul describes his observation of a street he visited on a daily basis. Love, love, love it!

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: I Touched A Piece of Beatles History!

Well hello out there from another day (well evening!) here in Liverpool. Today, we've literally been here, there and everywhere fitting in as much as we possibly could. Liverpool was absolutely buzzing, there was so much happening absolutely everywhere we ventured! I wish we lived somewhere like that where there's constantly something happening and so much to see. However, I'll just have to enjoy it whilst I'm here!

We had breakfast once again at Bill's this morning because it's seriously too good not to! It's definitely worth paying a visit to if you ever get the chance, I believe there's various branches up and down the country. I am so unadventurous when it comes to food in the present day so once again I ordered a cooked breakfast with all the usual suspects included. When I was younger I used to be up for trying absolutely anything when it came to food nowadays I tend to opt for things that I'm familiar with. But just like yesterday, Bill's lived up to our high expectations and delivered yet another delicious meal!

Both Laurel and Mum had various shops in mind that they wanted to visit particularly the department stores that sell makeup such as Debenhams and Harvey Nichols. The shops down here a much bigger selection of makeup brands so we were in our element having a browse. Mum and Laurel made a few purchases buying some new goodies however I refrained from doing so as I'd been saving my cash for a splurge in one of The Beatles Stores-it's got be done!

Mum and I left Laurel at the Nars counter in Harvey Nichols whilst a member of staff matched her up for a new foundation whilst we headed outside to wait on her. As we waited our eyes fell upon an elderly gentleman wearing rollerblades whilst setting up a speaker system. Before long music filled the surroundings as he began roller-skating round the square zipping in and out of tables and benches in the process. I couldn't quite believe my eyes! He even started skating to 'Rockin' All Over The World' by Status Quo which seemed to gather an audience. I noticed a sign which said that he was seventy eight years old and that he is nicknamed 'Quick Silver'. What an incredible gentleman, I'd honestly never seen anything quite like it before!

Another thing that's really stuck out at me over the past couple of days is that there's a bunch of pianos scattered across the main shopping thoroughfare and anyone can use them to play a tune or two. I've seen some really talented people over the past couple of days and love hearing music wherever we go, why can't we have that back home!? There was also a choir of school children performing and playing large tin drums so we stopped off to listen and they were absolutely brilliant! They performed a range of Beatles numbers which immediately caught my attention accompanied by various other well known hits from the present day and the audience they'd accumulated were lovin' it! We even got speaking to a gentleman who was extremely passionate about art so it was great to sit and chat with him for a little whilst we listened to the children perform. That's one of the many reasons I love Liverpool because everyone is so friendly and interesting!

Initially, we'd planned to return to The Beatles Story however we soon discovered the lift was still broken so unfortunately, it was a no-goer. However, Mum and Dad let me loose it the shop which is like a Beatles fan's heaven. They have everything you could ever imagine. So understandably, I managed to spend a few pounds picking up a few goodies for myself in the process. Oh and let's not forget the soundtrack of Beatles songs in the background which I happily sang along to as I paraded round the shop deliberating what to buy. I felt like a kid in a candy store!

We left the shop with a bag of merch in hand and made our way to the Maritime Museum which was just a short walk away. Laurel and I studied the Titanic in Primary school and have been fascinated with the ill-fated ship ever since. I read online somewhere that the museum is currently playing host to a Titanic exhibit so it was only right to pay it a visit whilst we were there and to top it off, it was absolutely free!
The exhibition was extremely interesting and had been designed to suit all age groups. It was filled with lots of interactive exhibits for younger visitors although I actually quite enjoyed those parts myself I must admit, artefacts from both the ship itself as well as The White Star Line company who's headquarters I believe were located in Liverpool. Not only that, there was also a few pieces of memorabilia from the famous 1997 'Titanic' film starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet which I'm a huge fan of.

We then paid the Museum of Liverpool at Pier Head a brief visit as it was drawing near to closing time. During out Beatles tour last year our guide told us that the museum was host to the very stage that was in St Peter's Hall where John and Paul met in front of the steps whilst John was waited to go on stage to perform with his band 'The Quarrymen'. Naturally, I was desperate to see it so it became part of the agenda for our trip! We stumbled across an exhibit based round the sport, music and entertainment scene in Liverpool where there was a display based round The Beatles yet no sign of the stage. Mum decided to approach a nearby member of the museum staff who said she'd take us to see it. Normally, as far as I'm aware, it's only open to the public at certain times however, she kindly allowed me access into the specific room to view it! She even said I could touch it and take photos which is normally a big 'no, no' when it comes to these sort of things! I was just a tad excited-okay perhaps a little more than that being the geek that I am!

By the time we walked out of the museum doors it was around five o'clock or in other words; dinner time! And guess where we returned to after having such an amazing meal last night? Jamie's Italian restaurant of course! And guessed who ordered a steak once again because she enjoyed it so much the night before? Yep, you guessed it me! Me! Laurel ordered some seafood pasta dish which I could barely look at because it had bits of octopus and squid in it which completely freaked me out and gave me the shivers, how she ate it I'll never know! She's a brave one that's for sure!

Just like I said in my previous post, the staff are an absolute credit to the Jamie's Italian franchise and like Mum and I were saying the restaurant and staff are basically an extension of Jamie Oliver himself. The staff are so friendly and knowledgeable and generally make the entire experience one to remember!

After dinner Dad headed back to the hotel as he was tired and wanted to chill so stayed behind at the Liverpool One Centre and did a little bit of shopping as we had a couple of things in mind that we wanted to pick up for Birthday and Christmas presents. We liked to prepared as far in advance as humanely possible! Even though, it was the early evening the shopping centre was still buzzing with life with people coming and going from all angles. It's definitely a great city to do a bit of people watching that's for sure!

Back at the hotel later in the evening I made at start on transferring my camera files onto my laptop to organise properly when I get home and have some time on my hands. Besides that I did a little bit of window watching (my favourite hobby) and enjoyed leisurely gazing out at the docklands below taking in the stunning view. It's very relaxing for soul!

Anyway, it's getting late and I've got to get up early as tomorrow we're off on The Fab Four taxi tour for a trip round Liverpool and I'm extremely excited to do some exploring and seeing some significant sites in The Beatles world. So there'll be another exciting post coming very soon-promise!

To read Day 1 in my 'Liverpool Adventures' series click here!
or
To read Day 2 in my 'Liverpool Adventures' series click here!

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: First Time Playing Drums

First time playing drums

I woke up this morning with a notification of my iPod from around 5am; a text or iMessage (whatever you want to call) from Laurel who's cuddled up in her bed at the other side of the room 'is Dad keeping you awake with his snoring?'. Well, not quite considering I hadn't received the text until after 8am. He was however, snoring rather loudly before I nodded off after finishing writing yesterday's post around 1am yet somehow I still managed to fall asleep.

Bill's

We headed out this morning for breakfast at 'Bill's' where we ate during our visit here last year. I absolutely love the rustic, shabby chic décor in this cute little restaurant. There wasn't much question over what I was going to order, a good old cooked breakfast of course! Dad had the same, Laurel had blueberry buttermilk pancakes and Mum ordered the bread basket which was filled with a toast, croissants and pan au chocolat. My breakfast was absolutely delicious as was everyone else's. As we were eating 'Rhiannon' by Fleetwood Mac began to play which topped it all off, my day was already made!

My Breakfast

Unfortunately, my SD card for my camera had broken and would no longer slot into my camera so I really needed to replace and soon at that because I've been vlogging our trip here and I didn't want to miss out on any potential footage so I had everyone on a hunt for WHSmith. Eventually, we did come across one-thank goodness for that! So I was quite happy once I bought a new SD card as a replacement. Following this Laurel's eyes fell upon one of her very favourite shops 'Lush' so we ended up having a browse in there too. And of course Laurel was able to stock up on some new goodies to take back home.

After we found Dad again we set off back to Albert Dock to The Beatles Story museum however the lift was broken and they had called the engineers out to fix it so we couldn't go into the first part until the lift was fixed. However, we did get to go to the second part located at Pier Head where we visited last night to see The Beatles statues; just a short walk away from Albert Dock. The Pier Head part of the museum had an exhibition on the British Invasion in America, there was a variety of memorabilia from legendary British and American artists including BB King, James Brown, The Supremes and even Keith Moon's drum kit!
As you can see in picture at the top of the page, I had my very first drum lesson at the museum curtesy of the one and only Ringo Starr (by a pre-recorded video). I'd always wanted to have a go at playing drums and finally I got a chance! Needless to say I was absolutely rubbish at it-I think I'll stick to bass for now hehe! Mum however, was probably a little relieved that I wouldn't be taking up a new hobby and subjecting the house to a lot of noise! But what a claim to fame eh? I had my first drum lesson from Ringo! Too bad it wasn't in person though!

Keith Moon's drum kit

There was also a photographic exhibition title 'George, Eric and Me' which was basically a collection of photographs by Patti Boyd taken over the years of herself, George Harrison and Eric Clapton as well as a few other famous faces from the music world. There was some amazing photos in there I have to say-definitely worth going to the museum just to see that! I also had a browse in the Fab Four store however decided to refrain from buying anything and instead go to the other store at The Beatles Story, Albert Dock as the selection of merch there was amazing last time!

Another pic of a display inside The Beatles Story, Pier Head

We did a little shopping at the Liverpool One centre again, there is seriously so many great shops there! You could easily spend hours wandering around. Laurel in particular was delighted to see that Liverpool's Forever 21 branch is still open as the Glasgow store shut it's door just a few weeks ago. So we enjoyed having a browse in there and I may have even treated myself to a new top. We also paid a visit to Ed's Diner for a milkshake to keep us going and oh my goodness are they delicious! Besides the amazing milkshakes, I also love Ed's because they play a soundtrack of 50's music which I enjoy bopping around to. My favourite though would have to be 'Hey Baby' by Bruce Chanel, I remember hearing that song as a little girl and still love it just as much today. As we were sitting in Ed's a family walked in with a little boy probably around four maybe five at push in a wheelchair and I just had this feeling straight away and I was right. The little boy had an ilizarov frame on his leg which I at the exact same age when I underwent surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital. It was a little strange seeing someone else with one as you don't usually see anything like that outwith London; a little bit of deja vu to be honest. Part of me wanted to go say 'hello' but I know how it felt as a little girl when people mentioned it to me particularly when I didn't know them so didn't want to overstep myself. But what a brave little boy, I truly admire him!

As we wandered through one of the shopping malls which was filled with a lot of designer shops a torrential rain shower began to fall and everyone was flocking inside for shelter. I think the bad weather had followed us from Scotland. There's no escaping it that's for sure! Although it was funny hearing some of the guys running the market stalls trying to sell umbrellas to everybody and anybody that would listen to them. Great for business I'm sure!

Dinner at Jamie's Italian

We ate dinner at Jamie's Italian restaurant located within the shopping centre proximity and the standards was amazing! The restaurant itself is very chilled and the décor again, is very quirky in it's own way. The staff were extremely friend and VERY knowledgeable about each item on the menu which was extremely impressive! They were an absolute credit to the franchise and would definitely encourage you to return again in future. The food itself was impeccable, I ordered steak with garlic butter and spicy fries and it was seriously one of the best things I'd eaten in a LONG time! I seriously enjoyed every single bite! I also had chocolate ice-cream for dessert which was equally as delicious-mmm! Take me back please!

Such big kids in the Disney Store!

After dinner we had a browse in a couple of other shops like Topshop and Laurel and I decided to pay a visit to The Disney Store. We're such big kids but honestly who doesn't love Disney!? I get so excited in the Disney store, it makes me so happy wandering around seeing all of my favourite characters and hearing those much loved Disney classics playing in the background. I may even have got a photo taken with a statue of Elsa from 'Frozen'-I just couldn't help myself! Yes, I'm one of the few people on earth who still love 'Frozen' and have grown sick of hearing 'Let It Go' and I'm not afraid to admit it haha! 

It was drawing closer to 8pm so we began heading back to the hotel for the night as everyone I think were feeling pretty shattered from walking around all day. So it was rather nice to get back to the comfort of hotel, chill out and get some rest to recharge our batteries. I did the usual transferring files from my camera and iPod to my laptop and external drive so I'd have more memory to take more photos and videos tomorrow to look back on at a later date and share with you all. Anyway, it's almost 1am and I'm actually tired for once so I'm going to head to my bed and get a goodnight's sleep.

Goodnight to you all!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

To read the first post in my 'Liverpool Adventures' series and here all about what I got up to during my first day in Liverpool click here!

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: Finding The Beatles!

At long last I'm finally back in one of the most amazing cities I've ever been to, Liverpool of course. Some of you may remember me visiting Liverpool for the first time last year when I attended Paul McCartney's gig at The Echo Arena in May. We loved the city so much and felt so at home there so decided to return this Summer. So here I am sitting with my laptop chilling out in our hotel room looking over the docks which by the way is absolutely stunning.

Nine o'clock this morning, we set off from our home in Scotland on a road trip down south. I have a slight obsession with road trips, I just love the buzz of it all! And I quite enjoy stopping off at service stations on route-I'm a strange one that's for sure!

Tebay Service Station

Having passed the English border I thought I'd attempt an English accent to pass some time and see how long I'd could keep it going for. I'm not too bad at the accent although I did struggle saying Laurel's name. Unfortunately, it only lasted until we pulled into Tebay Services which I believe is located in the Penrith area. I was far too occupied munching on my lunch to put the effort into concentrating on my accent any longer. Following lunch we all nipped inside for a bathroom stop and Mum and Dad had a nosy in the farm shop whilst Laurel and I stood outside glued to our phones using the free Wi-Fi-might as well take full advantage of it!

Back on the road again we set off on our way to Liverpool listening to a little bit of Fleetwood Mac to keep us going. It had been a pretty smooth journey up until then that was until we hit some heavy traffic which set us back a little. Eventually, we did make it to the other side and soon enough the traffic seemed to flow at much quicker pace.

The view of Albert Dock from the hotel window

Around three o'clock (I think) we reached our destination of 'Liverpool' and found a space at Albert Dock to park the car for an hour which would give us just enough time to check into the hotel, drop off our luggage and move the car to the multi-story carpark at The Echo Arena. Growing more and more hungry we headed into the Liverpool One centre. It was here that we became frequent visitors to during our last trip. We spent a little while wandering round trying to remember how to get to Pizza Hut for a much needed bite to eat.

Pepsi!

Most of the shops had closed for the evening as it was after five already but the eateries on the upper floor were buzzing with activity. Unlike last time where we spent ages waiting on a table as it was Friday night, we were seated almost immediately which was great. Before long we'd ordered our pizzas, paid a visit to the salad bar and were munching away on some rather delicious food. It had been a while since I last dined in Pizza Hut and you can now go and get your own soft drinks and what's even better is the fact that it's unlimited! Great for someone like me who's always thirsty!

My lovely sister Laurel & I

Laurel kept us all entertained whilst snapping pictures of Mum and Dad using the Snapchat filters, the slice of toast filter was absolutely hilarious might I add!

Leisurely, we strolled back to the docklands enjoying the sunshine which seems to be avoiding Scotland since that recent warm spell a couple of weeks ago. It was rather refreshing to see it again and not downpours of rain and grey, cloudy skies. The docks are beautiful anyway but are all the more stunning in nice weather!

The beautiful docklands

We headed down past the Pumphouse and Maritime Museum, where Laurel and I stopped at one the cute retro ice-cream vans for an ice-cream and ice-lolly in my instance. The only problem was the chocolate on mine kept falling off it whilst I attempted to eat as Mum pushed me in my wheelchair-it certainly kept me on my toes! We crossed one of the bridges past the museum, in direction of Pier Head next to the Liver Building (pictured below). I also managed to find the newly unveiled Beatles statues which I had hoped to see at some point during our trip and snapped a geeky photograph (or two!) beside them. Although, I did feel rather small standing next to it-not that it would be difficult as I'm rather short! But I'm glad I got to see it!

The Liver Building

It was around here we decided to turn back in direction of Albert Dock and head back to the hotel to chill for the remainder of the evening. Wandering round Albert Dock we had a nosy at the shop windows and admired the breath-taking architecture of the buildings as well as the interiors within the various shops and restaurants. It seriously such a quirky area where I could happily spend ages wandering around, taking in the views and enjoying the atmosphere. I love it so much!

Back at the hotel we spent the evening chilling out and in my instance pestering everyone with the constant tapping sound of my fingers on the keyboard of my laptop as I happily type away here on my blog. I thought I would write a post each night and upload them all on some sort of scheduled basis once I return home to Scotland, so keep an eye out for them all over the next little while. So anyway, I better go get ready for bed and attempt to get some sleep so I'm up bright and breezy tomorrow morning for another busy day in Liverpool.

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xxx

My 17th Birthday!

Last Tuesday, the 15th of September just so happened to be 17th birthday! To be honest, it only feels like yesterday since I turned 16-this past year has seriously flown in! So I thought in my next blog post I'd write about what I got up to for my birthday last week. So here it goes.......

Like every weekday morning I got up at around 7:30am (or thereabouts) to open my presents and cards with my family before my Dad went to work and my sister went to school. I was a bit sleepy headed I must admit, I am by far more of a night owl rather than a morning person. However, I received some lovely cards and presents including a Beatles t-shirt, hoodie, purse and lanyard that I'd picked out in Liverpool back in May, jewellery, Cathy Cassidy's Looking-Glass Girl book, a new hat (of course!), chocolates and some money from my family and close family friends which I'm going to put towards purchasing a new camera that I've been saving up for. So a huge thank-you to everyone for their kind gifts of money! I am extremely excited to buy my new camera which I'll be able to use to take photos for my blog, for personal photography and I also hope to experiment with the film features in order to create a YouTube channel. I received some truly lovely gifts and my Mum even managed to find wrapping paper with my all-time favourite fictional character Peter Pan printed on it! How cool was that!? Yes, I get excited about the simplest of things in life!

After Mum and I dropped my sister Laurel off at school that morning, my Grandparents came down to visit with my birthday card/present. I had music tutoring in the afternoon meaning that time would be too tight if we decided to go out for lunch so instead we went out for a birthday breakfast, which was lovely! My music tutor arrived at around 2pm like he does every Tuesday afternoon for my bass lessons. I know not everyone would be too chuffed about having education of any sort on their birthday but I for one was actually quite happy! My music tuition is never something I dread as I enjoy it so much and like I said before I am now learning to play songs rather than learning the basics like I started off with. Now, if I remember right last week I was learning to play the bass line to Band on the Run by Wings which was great! As you all know by now, I am a huge Paul McCartney fan so actually learning to play one of his songs is absolutely amazing! All I'm waiting for now is that all-important phone call from Paul himself inviting me to come perform live on stage with him! One can dream right?!

Anyway, after Mum and I picked my sister Laurel up from school, it was a mad rush back home to make dinner because just a short while later I would be heading out to The Gaiety Theatre to see a Beatles tribute band. For dinner, Mum made me probably one of my very favourite meals; roast chicken, mashed potatoes and vegtables-mmmmm! It makes me seriously hungry even just to think about it!


Me and my birthday cake (please excuse the bad lighting!)

And of course it wouldn't be a real birthday without a cake; or at least not in my world! Ever since I was little I have always had a major obsession with birthday cake. As weird as it may sound to some, I think that there's something really exciting about birthday cake; always have and probably always will! So of course everyone sang Happy Birthday to me, took a few photographs (which I'll try and add to this post in the editing stages), made a wish and then I attempted to blow the candles out but there's always that one that chooses to be difficult and takes a couple of attempts to finally blow out! But we always catch it out in the end!

After blowing out the candles, we soon realised that time was ticking on and that I needed to leave the house soon or I'd be late! So it was kind of rush round the house as I flung everything I needed into my bag, popped on a coat and hat and tied up the laces to my Dr Marten boots. Thankfully, we made it to the Gaiety Theatre in time for 7pm for me to meet my friend Heather. Once we met up, Heather and I went inside out of the cold (typical Scottish weather!). Thankfully, the doors to the actual theatre itself were soon opened meaning that we were able to find our seats in plenty of time before the show began at 7:30pm. It looked like the theatre was almost a full house so fortunately, when Mum and I had booked the just tickets a few weeks earlier there were a couple of seats remaining in the second row which of course we snaffled up meaning that we had a great view of the stage! The show itself was absolutely brilliant! Both Heather and I couldn't get over how a like the gentleman playing John Lennon looked in comparison to the real thing-it was unbelievable! If you closed your eyes, it could easily have been the real band performing right there in front of you. Overall, both Heather and I really enjoyed the show and would definitely go again if they were to come back in future! If you'd like to read more about the Cavern Beatles show click here to be directed to the review link on my music blog.

 

After the show, Mum picked us up and gave Heather a lift back home on route to our house. Heather had surprised me with a lovely card and gift which I opened when I arrived home. I don't know how she managed it but a few weeks ago when we went shopping together and popped into the town's new record shop, I'd been eyeing up a Beatles record and unbeknown to me as I later discovered Heather bought it for me as surprise for my birthday! I was absolutely delighted about that! Thank-you so much Heather! To finish off my special day I tucked into a delicious slice of birthday cake before heading to bed just a short while later.

Before I go I just want to say a huge thank-you to all my friends and family for the lovely cards and kind presents that you kindly gave me for my birthday! I really appreciate it! I also want to say a huge thank-you to everyone for the sweet birthday wishes you sent me across my social media sites; it was so lovely to read them all! Here's to a great year as a 17 year old-I wonder what adventures it'll bring!?

Anyway, I shall love you and leave you all for now!

Sending you love, peace & Best Wishes,

Rob, The Hat Hippie xxx