LAKE DISTRICT MEET MR SHY YETI...Hello folks and folkettes,
...And so we reach the holiday that I've been looking forward to for the last few weeks... This is basically going to be a diary of what I got up to once I got to Keswick; what I saw and what and filmed and wrote about, but first I am also proud to be able to announce that during my week away we have passed the 10,000 hit mark on the MRSHYYETI Youtube profile... YAY!!!
Before we move on to my Lake District diary I promised to post the links to 3 old videos from 2008 that have previously only been available on Vimeo. They're still on that site, but most of my viewing traffic comes through Youtube these days, so I feel that these old poems need to find a home somewhere where they're more likely to be viewed, especially as some of the shorter pieces that I've loaded have ended up having some of the highest ratings. Sometimes people have only enough time for a bite-sized chunk of yeti poetics! That's fair enough...
Anyway, the poems that I have just loaded are DAREDEVIL, GOOD HUG and THINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE (PT 1):
DAREDEVIL which can be viewed on Youtube at: http://youtu.be/5K77B1OpCfs
GOOD HUG which can be viewed on Youtube at: http://youtu.be/IVUL8jzVrcY
THINGS AIN'T WHAT... (PT 1) which can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/58mvrbk5NlA
These three poems are especially daft verse from my 2002/2003 collection published on lulu.com as THIRD AND 4TH TIME LUCKY - a compilation of my 3rd and 4th books: available at lulu.com/content/212786, but due out soon in 10th anniversary editions. This video was recorded on Sunday 28th September 2008 and has only previously been available on Vimeo. Camera: Kirk R. The copyright of this poem and film belongs to Paul Chandler 2002-2012.
When I can find the original videos for the very first films that I put on Vimeo in Summer 2008 then I'll also make those available on Youtube. I'll get searching for those soon...
Wednesday 1st August:
I headed off to the Lake District today, but started by posting the Youtube version of my old poem LITTLE PIG, one of my favourites - with any luck this will give it a bit of a wider audience. Anyway, off I went and it all went pretty smoothly; I took an earlier connection to Basingstoke via Woking and changed with plenty of time in good ole Birmingham where I went to University back in the day; 1992-1995 at Uni and then another six months into 1996 for my first job. During the journey I wasn't really in the mood for writing or reading and was saved from utter boredom by catching up with some excellent podcast episodes from the awesome people at: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk Once I reached Penrith I caught the bus, passing through Keswick and finally reached my destination; the village of Braithwaite. Unfortunately by the time I arrived it was raining, but there was still time to pop to the local store and I took a few shots around the village, but wouldn't let the rain get the better of me - oh no! I set off for a little walk before dinner, my own master as my friends aren't due to arrive until Friday evening. I know the area well, having visited 5 or 6 times since the early 90s. Anyway, out I went and recorded a location version of EXIT PURSUED BY A YETI, even though it was rainy and muddy and I fell over! It was just great to be back and I took time to try and learn all the lines for this piece so I could read them directly to camera. Filming also featured a cameo by an old Sutton Park cast-member by way of a sub-plot; but you'll have to wait and see about that when the episodes are edited! It's really very silly...
This morning I released my 2008 video for the poem MY MOMENT IS NOW which used to only be on Vimeo, but is now on Youtube too. After that I headed out to film, around mid-morning, after a spot of editing and a little work on the forthcoming Mouse Of Commons short story collection. From Braithwaite I walked into Keswick and took the boat at around 1 out on Derwentwater to Lodore Falls where I did a bit of filming for one of the new SHY YETI ON LOCATION episodes. After this I walked around the lake quite a way, recording new poem THE BEAST OF FRIENDS which appears in my new scriptbook of the same name, due out next month. Whilst I walked I listened to more horror podcasts and then took the boat back from Low Brandelhow. Once back in Keswick I had some delicious icecream, Rhubarb and Custard flavour and a white chocolate and raspberry flavour with Oreo bits in it! Fancy, aye!?! There was a bit of a queue for the fish and chip shop - but I waited as one has to in these circumstances... Needs must! Anyway I achieved my goal eventually and then ate my dinner on the walk back to Braithwaite. Once home I went for a swim and then popped online to write this and once I return to Oak Cottage I plan to drink some nice Swedish fruit cider and watch a horror film! Yay!!!
Friday 3rd August:
I had a quiet morning in on Friday, the weather wasn't awful but it wasn't great either and so I worked on a couple of my book projects (ARE WE THERE, YETI!? and TALES FROM THE MCWHISKERS' ARCHIVE) and made sure that all my photos and films from the holiday so far were safely back up. I had planned to go walking after lunch, but my old school friend, Paul H, who was due later in the day called to say that he was a lot closer to Keswick than expected and so he'd be arriving around 2pm. This meant we had a lot more time to go out and about and so we took a little drive to three lakes - chiefly Loweswater where I recorded the first verse of my poem THE BLACK-EYED GROWL and then on to Borrowdale where I recorded the second and third verses. Paul H offered to take the camera and did a good job and then we headed on to Buttermere, however there was nowhere handy to film and so we drove on a bit further into the valley to record the final verse of that piece. I had to compete over a helicopter that was travelling from a farm in Buttermere to the top of a nearby mountain and back to drop off fencing materials (we think!) This meant having to film the verse quickly when it was furthest away from us or else it managed to drown me out! After this we headed home, went swimming, out for dinner and then I did a little more work on the edited of SHY YETI BOTTLES SUMMER once Paul H had turned in. All in all a pretty good day!
Saturday 4th August:
Paul H was staying up in Braithwaite until Sunday - so was still around on Saturday morning with the helpful addition of his car! Saturday was also the arrival day of another "cameraman" in the form of flatmate Calum! The weather in the morning was okay, although it would become rather changeable by the afternoon. Paul and I went off in the direction of the Bowderstone just outside Keswick where I read my poem I SHOULD NEVER up on the stone itself (eeeks!) and also another piece called YOU DON'T EXIST on the way back to the car park! We then headed off to Penrith to pick up Calum, but ended up having time to have a coffee and for me to read an old poem of mine called WHO CARES? in Penrith Castle grounds. After lunch (Mmmm steak sandwich!) we dropped Calum back in Braithwaite as he wasn't feeling well and then headed for Keswick. The weather wasn't so good by this stage, but I did endulge myself with a yummy ice cream (pink grapefruit sorbet and raspberry ripple!) Paul and I then headed for the lake, via a cup of tea and walked along the headland again back to Friar's Crag, which is where the photo above was taken. It suddenly became very quiet - which gave me another chance to read a poem at short notice and so I choose old favourite MY DOG IN A DRESS. On the way home we popped up to Castlerigg stone circle, which was too busy for reading a poem at, but I did film a few shots and a brief farewell speech to end this particular series! I'm not sure how many episodes I'll have enough footage for, as yet. After that a swim, delicious pizza at STRADA (but not the chain version!) back in Keswick, fruit cider at The Royal Oak opposite our cottage and... well, here I am! Time for bed soon, but perhaps a little editing before I retire... Of course!
Sunday 5th August:
Today was Paul H's last day up in the Lakes with us - but we still managed to get a lot done... I actually didn't sleep too well and after an early bath (where I got an idea for a story which I really must note down!) I was up and about on a walk around Braithwaite by about 7am, returning to a point that overlooks the village which I'd not had a chance to revisit yet on this visit. The weather was okay and there were some strangely low-floating clouds about - however it was very damp as it had been raining over night. All the same I still had time to record a poem, a new one called MR MOSQUITO. I returned home by about 7.45, cooked breakfast for the boys and we then went out to explore Ullswater, including an interesting trip up waterfall. Despite the rain I got some good photos and footage for one of the future Lake-themed episodes; at the moment it looks like I'm aiming for 3 or 4 episodes, not quite sure yet...
After lunch in Windermere we headed towards Grasmere and walked around Rydal Water by the lake where I managed to film one of my older poems, FURRY FROM THE DEEP, which has never had a video before. Paul H headed off after this, at around 4pm and I did a little editing work! I've been very carefully backing up everything I've filmed - so paws crossed everything should get home safely! Other than that I also continued editing - before bed and...
Monday 6th August:
...First thing when I woke up too... The weather didn't look too promising today at first, but Calum and I took a track that I've walked before that starts in Braithwaite and just goes up to an old mine workings and back; you can go further but I never have. The clouds were low and it wasn't ideal - but I managed to read my old poem "IT", which is another collected from my SHY YETI RULES OK compilation.
In the afternoon I filmed some inserts to resolve the odd subplot about the puppet and the green blobby monster that I had started earlier in the week and then we headed up on of the hills; by which point the weather was much better. It rather looks like I'll have enough footage for 4 episodes set in the Lakes and so I finished the third episode and began the 4th by reading a piece called THE KING OF RHYME, the first of two poems that I plan to read which are poems about poets or poetry.
We decided against the round walk as it was pretty steep and came back the same way that we'd come. I did a similar walk to this on one of my other trips up here, although I'm not quite sure which one it was now - sometime in the late 90s or early 00s. After a swim Calum and I headed out for dinner to the Coledale Inn http://www.coledale-inn.co.uk/ and ate probably the best meal I had all week; garlic mushrooms (loads of them!) and a yummy pork steak with peppercorn sauces and vegetables. A good way to end a day... Although we did also pop to The Royal Oak opposite our cottage and I did a little more editing before sleeps.
Tuesday 7th August:
Another day of busy filming - our last full day up here. After a little editing over breakfast Calum and I headed back to Keswick - pretty much doing similar things to when I explored Keswick last Thursday. We took the boat around the lake again, but this time disembarked at High Brandelhow where I ate my lunch and fed the ducks and one cute seagull who I rather took a shine to. We then walked between High Brandelhow and Nichol End and I recorded videos for NEVER TRUST A SKINNY FISH AND CHIP MAN and JOHN, I'M ONLY RHYMING before catching the boat back to Keswick.
Back in the town we had ice cream - this time I choose Pistachio and Lemon Merigne. We also stopped for a pint of Unicorn (!) and I completed the only poem that I've really worked on in any detail during this trip - one inspired by my niece which is entitled SHAVING WEREWOLVES, which I think I might keep aside for Halloween.
Having finished this Calum and I had fish and chips and ate it on the same fallen tree trunk as I did back on Thursday. Between Portinscale village and Braithwaite, Calum took over as cameraman and filmed me reading another recent poem, MURDERING THAT SONG - which will probably end up being the last poem in the video. The last main bit of filming today was done in the swimming pool at Braitwaite when nobody was around and is basically me doing some links for one of the four episodes filmed up here, including some kind of bizarre pool-based yeti dance... underwater. Well, almost. I expect I'll do a little editing before bed and in the morning, well - there won't be time for much at all, I'm afraid! It's been a great trip... So good to be back in the Keswick area after more than five years. I'll be back. Oh yes... And today when I checked the MRSHYYETI Youtube account we'd hit 10,033 views! So, thank you everyone!
Wednesday 8th August:
I only had time for a quick mention that we were leaving and to do a link that will probably lead into MURDERING THAT SONG appearing on screen, even though it was actually filmed the previous day! The journey home went fine and all the footage was safely backed up - I'm expecting to reach these episodes about late September / early October as I am currently focusing on 3 other episodes that are already filmed, including SHY YETI BOTTLES SUMMER 1 - the other two episodes being THE EPISODE WITHOUT A THEME and BOTTLES SUMMER 2, but I'm not completely sure when I'll be editing those last two. There'll be another live show in early September and one other in mid November - not to mention hopefully two European jaunts - 1 in early October and 1 over my birthday the following month . More details on those when I have more news; still - that makes plenty of films for me to work on between now and Christmas. I'm still aiming to post another three Vimeo videos before the end of the holiday, not to mention the "lost" Hollywood episode which is all ready to be posted as soon as I'm back from holiday.
That's it now about the Lake District trip, but I can definitely promise plenty of photo galleries coming up from this trip once I start editing the episodes themselves, but you'll have to wait a while yet... Next week we will cover the period from my return from the Lakes, through my visit to Broadstairs for the folk festival where I'll hopefully get a chance to make another video and to read open-mike at some stage, until my return home again on Wednesday 15th August.
So... There we go! I hope you enjoyed this week's post - more soon!
Yeti hugs,
Paul xx
This post and its contents are Copyright Paul Chandler 2012.
