Alice in the Autumn Sun

It was a nice sunny day yesterday, so I thought I’d take a detour to the beach on my way to the gym. I often take for granted the fact that I live by the sea- which may have something to do with living in Australia by an amazing beach for a year- but I want to start appreciating our coast a bit more. The sky was clear and the sun was beaming, so I took a few snaps on my phone. I really need to start whipping out my camera more often, it’s just so heavy and a pain to carry around. Maybe when I’ve been blogging for a bit longer I’ll try and feature some better quality photos.

I’d heard that there were going to be illuminations in Roker Park with an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ theme. I was intrigued, so headed from the beach through the park. Again, I took a few phone snaps- the light designs were really good. I didn’t get a chance to head down to the switch on last night, but I feel like I should go and see them all lit up in the dark at some point.

Lamplight Film Club @ Holmeside Coffee

My cousin kindly invited me to Lamplight Film Club last night and I jumped at the opportunity. I'd never even heard of the club before-or the venue for that matter- but I am fairly sure that I'll become a regular.

The Venue

Holmeside coffee is based in the city centre, just below Independent. When I first walked in it struck me as the kind of establishment that wouldn't be out of place in cities such as Leeds, Manchester and London that are brimming with independent coffee places. It's so refreshing to see somewhere like this open in Sunderland, and I was immediately charmed by the quirky atmosphere and friendly staff. And they serve peanut butter hot chocolate- need I say more?

The Club

Lamplight Film Club meet on the last Wednesday of every month after 6pm at Holmeside coffee. They screen a film and then engage everyone in a discussion about the movie. All the while, coffee and alcohol is flowing providing a relaxed atmosphere to listen to people's ideas and share your own thoughts. The club (from what I gathered on my first and only visit) attracts a mixture of ages, and welcomes anyone. And did I mention the club is free? The drinks, as you would expect, are not- but who would begrudge paying a small price for such a delicious mouth party?

The Film

Last night we watched Milk, a movie about American gay rights activist Harvey Milk. I'd never seen the film before, so was really keen to watch it. I love films based on true stories, so I enjoyed this film very much. There were some great performances from a stellar cast including Sean Penn (as Harvey Milk) and Emile Hirsch (as Cleve Jones). During the subsequent discussion of the film, people mentioned that they enjoyed the mixture of real footage with the film's material. It really reinforced the fact that the story was true and these events actually occurred. I was pleased to see at the end of the film that it told you what happened to all of the real-life characters. I hate it when 'based-on-a-true-story' films don't do that- it leaves me so deflated! All in all, a good film that I would highly recommend.

Well I never would have guessed that Sunderland would offer something like this.  Hopefully I'll be able to attend more of these film club screenings (although maybe not the next one, as it's halloween themed and I hate scary films!). Holmeside coffee also put on a writer's club and a book club. I must say, I am extremely impressed.

Back home

I'm relatively new to the whole blogging scene, so there's a high chance that my first few posts may be a load of sh*t. But I'm going to write them anyway, as writing is something that I like to do. I've recently graduated from Leeds uni, and have reluctantly moved back home to Sunderland. I say 'reluctantly' as there's not a great deal I like about this city. At least at the moment there isn't. I feel like it's overshadowed by Newcastle, not particularly easy on the eye and has a lack of entertaining things to do.

However, these opinions may be subject to change, as I'm setting myself the challenge to discover the good in this city. I plan on trying new things that Sunderland has to offer and looking at it in a different light- and hopefully I will grow to love where I'm from. And if not, well at least I might have some fun along the way.

But this blog won't be all about Sunderland. I'll hopefully get a chance to write about things that I love, such as films, TV, travelling, music, books, theatre and best of all- FOOD!