The artist And Vintage Mondays

Last week for a special pre birthday treat, hubby took me to see The Artist. I was so excited! I'd wanted to see this film since I first saw the trailer. A double super thrill was that he was taking me to see it at the Little Theatre in Bath for one of their Vintage Monday showings!

Creative Bath write up
Bath’s Little Theatre Cinema will shortly be inviting the public to take part in a time travel experiment. Although we’ll be showing the same brand new films as usual, we’ll be turning the clocks back around the cinema, back to a time of gentility and refinement. Staff in old-fashioned uniforms, ice cream tray sales, intermissions – you thought these were things of the past, but on Monday nights from 16th January, the Little is bringing them back and resurrecting the truly great days of cinema.

Martin Jennings-Wright, manager of the Little, said: Lots of our customers miss the days when a trip to the cinema was a real event, and we are delighted to revive that atmosphere. We hope we can jog a few older memories, and perhaps open a few younger eyes to how cinemas used to be, at the same time as playing the latest films via state of the art digital projection.

Customers turning up in 1940s or thereabouts costume will be treated to free refreshments on the night!

Little Theatre Website

Usherettes, ice cream trays, the sound of the wurlitzer... every Monday from 16 January, come along to the Little for what made cinemaging in the 1940s and '50s so great.
You can even spend the intermission enjoying an in-cinema cigarette (of the sweet variety).
We'll be showing the same line-up of films as during the rest of the week, but all done with nostalgic flourish.
Do come in your best period outfits - if we like the cut of your jib there'll be ices or refreshing drinks on the house.

When we arrived, we were very pleased with the entrace - red carpet no less!! But unfortunately  thats where the magic stopped for us...

All the props were there but there was no feeling or sparkle.  Maybe we'd hyped it up in our heads too much? Maybe it was just the service that was lacking. To me there was no atmosphere of the 40s, Noone make the evening feel special, I had too call the usherette back for my order because they didn't ask our row, and repeat my choice twice to her before I got it. And no, even though we were head to toe in authentic and reproduction 1940s garb we did not receive it free! The cinema itself was very comfy and the building was cute. But I don't think we'll return unless its the only place showing a film I like. We'll be heading back to the westway in frome for our Independant Cinema fim watching. 

The Film was AMAZING and eclectic ephemera has done a great review here you can read. I loved every minute of it and really really hope they make more of this type of film.

Lazy Sunday

Today has been  ever so nice and relaxed, some baking, some listening to music....

You'll all know I'm a big fan of top chap,  Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer. When we went to see him last month FromeTV were there with cameras. The resulting film has now surfaced and I've popped it here for you all to enjoy! and Yes I am just in it for a milli-second! LOL. 

Tickets for his upcoming gig in Swindon have gone on sale this weekend too, pick some up here.



Mr B Gentleman Rhymer brings 'Chap Hop' to Frome from Frome.tv on Vimeo.

{Catch-Up} Trains, Chains and Mince Pies!!

Sorry for the lack of posting this week, the school holidays are here and I can't get anywhere near the computer!!!


We've been busy little bees though...

 

Christmas shopping in Frome

 Making paper chains

Melting vinyl records

Making Mince Pies

Visiting Local Railway Stations!!

What have you been up to? I hope you are all enjoying the run up to Christmas as much as we are!!

Normal service will be resumed shortly...

A weekend in Frome!

Part Two {Sunday}

I don't know why I ever complained there was nothing to do here, I think it was just the matter of going to the first thing - one event inevitably leads to more!!!

I've been meaning to go to to one of the Markets 'on the hill' ever since I saw the first poster for it in a Catherine Hill Shop window, even pre-vintage me was sorely tempted! And with gorgeous posters like this who wouldn't be....

 

Held monthly throughout the warmer months and with special one-offs at christmas etc, I always seemwed to be busy when they were on. But as the season has now slowed Sunday Morning we took ourselves off to Frome.

We parked in the town centre and wound our leisurly way through the 'Frome Flea' before we started our ascent on the hill!!

Lots of lovelies on sale at the flea, but I'm always so nervous to blatantly take photos of stalls!!! Here's a couple I managed to snap discreetly...

 

I couldn't help but snap this Coffee Bar in an old Citroen Van

 

This lady set her stall out so sweetly with twine bundled books, Hubby had his eye on the train for a while!!

I loved all these mirrrors set out, and if we had our 1930s pad, I'd had bought a couple I'm sure!

The Hill was absolutely packed! So we hardly had a chance to see any stalls on the way up!! I've looked at some other photos from past fairs and I'm sure this was an exception to the norm so I shan't be put off going again!!

So we battled past the crowds until we found refuge in Poot! Ah good old Poot! Aparently we'd just missed Mr B perusing their rails earlier - what good taste he has!! They'd rung in the week to say they had a grey 40s suit in, in Hubby's size and would we like to come in and try it? Don't you just love shops like that? Although when you walk in and they call you by name, a little voice does question 'just how often do you 'pop in!'' Don't stop it though Hayley, I love it!! So, anyhoo, the he passed on the suit but bought a pair of 40s trousers and an original CC41 shirt! Grr how does hubby find all these gems not me!!

On our exit, I found a darling stall selling felt brooches and  bought myself a nice red one to compliment my new  Heyday Mary dress next weekend :)

Cheap Street seemed quite deserted in comparison!!!

As the weather was unseasonable mild for December I also took it as a last chance to wear a summer dress I had bought this cardi to go with!!

Lovely Tweedyness and An Evening of Chap Hop!!!

Did you ever notice that as soon as you stop looking, everything eventualy comes to you? This week has kinda been one of those!!

After the end of 'the season' and a little lull in our vintage activities this weekend was cram packed full of lovely goodness! To break up a potentially picture heavy post, I'll break it up into two posts!

Part One {Saturday}

First off we found a couple of lovely things in the shop in the village, a scarf for hubby and a 'can bung it on to keep me warm on the school run - without the kids getting too embarrassed' hat for me!!

 Luckily these both suited our outfit requirements for the evening as we had tickets to see the rather dapper Mr B Gentleman Rhymer performing in  his rather brilliant style of Chap Hop.

For those not in the know,  Wiki describes Chap Hop as ' a variety of music originating from England that mixes the hip hop genre with elements from the steampunk subculture and stereotypical English obsessions such as cricket, tea and the weather.'  but it is oh so much more than that!!  

The invite proclaimed .....

On a one-man mission to introduce Hip-Hop to the Queen's English, Mr. B is delighted to present Chap-Hop.

Having spent the best part of a decade bringing some manners back to popular culture, this dopest of fellows will entertain and amuse you with his ingenious stylings.Aiming to dazzle with dignity, Mr. B takes to the stage with his Banjolele and stiff upper lip to perform ditties of pipe-smoking, high society, Cricket and sexual misadventure, as well as some more well-known pieces from the world of Hip-Hop, re-worked in true Chap-Hop fashion.

A side note of  Tweed jackets/flat caps and false moustaches welcome, we donned our tweed and headed to Frome!!!

Gosh, you really don't want to know how many outfits I tried on before I chose this one!!!


The night itself was absolutely fantastic! And it wasn't just the man himself we were also treated to some super support acts, Frome's finest poet "Muriel Lavender", and some of our favourite Burlesque girls Dulcie Demure and Lola Pinch! As well as a rather spiffing new band from Frome, Indigo Children.


Thinking we'd seen the last of him for the evening we had a rather nice surprise of Mr B as Dulcie's 'Diet Coke Break' Bloke!!!

Luckily I think he's in both Bristol and Swindon soon, so we shan't have to wait too long to see him again!!!

Pip Pip!!