With a range of new events, deals and competitions the 2014 Ski and Snowboard show London is set to be bigger and better than ever! With the ski season in Scandinavia only a month away, we can’t wait to get a head start at Earls Court in London this week.
Continue reading → The Ski and Snowboard Show London October 30 to November 2
A crayfish party is a traditional summertime eating and drinking celebration in the Nordic countries, especially in Sweden. Come mid August and the delicacy crayfish comes back in season, it’s all the reasons you’ll need to have a party! Ocado together with LondonSwedes used the opportunity to share a bit of Swedish tradition in the heart of London last night, and we were invited to come along.
Continue reading → Crayfish party with LondonSwedes and Ocado in London
On our way through all the tempting offers at the Norwegian Christmas Market in the Norwegian Seaman’s Church in London today we stumbled upon a gorgeous paper art collection by Danish Norwegian designer Karen Bit Vejle. Although more known for her large scale clip art installations, the smaller Christmas decorations easily caught our attention too. Find out more about the design at papercutart.no
In the collection on display were hearts, stars, snowflakes and small fairytales for the Christmas tree. They would probably also look lovely on branches in a vase or hanging in the window. But the larger ones, especially a star was just beautiful and would any window stand out with a lovely Christmas feel. The attention to detail is just impressive, as the artist herself hand cuts each piece in the collection. This Scandinavian White Christmas decoration is a reason on its own to visit the Norwegian Christmas Market. Last day tomorrow -don’t miss it.
More of the beautiful paper art by Karen Bit Vejle and lots of Scandinavian White Christmas via Anniken Zahl Furunes
It’s the official cinnamon roll day tomorrow, Froday 4th October. And, yes of course the sweet and delicious pastry filled with butter, sugar and cinnamon has its own day, just like the waffle do.
So Friday 4th of October is the day to get hold of your Scandinavian style Cinnamon roll. There’s an excellent recipe that you might want to check out, at Little Scandinavian. Or even easier, now that the Scandinavian food is so accessible, is to pop in to one of the many and oh-so-lovely Nordic bakeries and shops in London to get hold of your sweet treat.
Continue reading → The Cinnamon Roll Day 2013 – Kanelbullens dag!
Recording Hedda gives a two-way mirror look at the psychological side of a modern woman, whose fictional character takes on her private persona. The production draws on Ibsen’s original play, Hedda Gabler.
The original plot evolves around the lead character, Hedda Gabler, the daughter of an aristocratic general. From an affluent background she’s turned into intrigues and manipulations to survive her boredom. When we meet her she’s just returned from her honeymoon, together with her young and aspiring new husband Mr Tesman. They are surrounded by a unscrupulous family friend, who is secretly in love with Hedda, Judge Brack. There’s also the aunt Juliana and the servant Bertha, that Hedda manipulates on a daily basis much to her own entertainment. It quickly becomes clear that Hedda has never loved her husband and that she married him only because she thinks her years of youth are over. It’s also suggested that she may be pregnant. On the other hand she seem to be quite taken by Tesman’s academic rival, Mr Lovborg, a talented man although quite a broken man. He’s now in a relationship with Hedda’s old school friend, Mrs Elvested, who’s married to another man. When he reappears in their lives Hedda’s marriage quickly deteriorates, there’s rivalry and jealousy, and in the end Hedda is slipping into total despair as her options narrow.
Recording Hedda captures you from the very beginning, when the light goes on and there’s an intense dialog between Hedda and Mrs Elvsted. The room is filled with Hedda’s intense manipulation which is met with Mrs Elvsted’s fragile and naive nature. Then the recording stops and you’re back in studio. Then the recording is on again. And as it goes on and off you feel the two stories gradually merging until it has become one story, one life drama, and you’ll find yourself emerged with Hedda’s final desperation.
Sarah Hand has played Hedda before, in Hedda Gabler at Riverside Studios back in 2010, given the critic “The tautness, the leanness, the unrelenting tension give this imaginative staging of Hedda Gabler the feel of a powerful and tragic chamber-opera.” There’s without doubt she knows her character well, and supported by a skilful cast, she carries the play from beginning to end.
Hedda Gabler is a play published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre. The entire performance of Recording Hedda brought the play to our century whilst at the same time being true to and honouring the original play. The raw talents on stage combined with the intensity created by the limitation of the theatre, shaped like a black box, together with music and visual effects made it an intense two hour drama, as relevant today as it was in 1890.
Recording Hedda is a collaboration between composer Kaja Bjørntvedt and director Terje Tveit, exploring the dynamic between text and sound. Cast includes Tricia Deighton, Tom Fava, Sarah Head, Matthew Hebden, Roseanne Lynch, Mark Moore and Matthew Rutherford. Now playing at the New Diorama, London, until 28th September. Tickets available at newdiorama.com
Top Drawer is a London based trade show where buyers can source a variety of brands and design-led gift and must haves for their shop. We’ll tag along too, see what’s new. And of course keep you posted with a report later on.
Buyers visiting the trade show includes Selfridges, Liberty, Fenwick, Harvey Nichols, Asos and Heal’s.
To find out more or to register yourself, head to topdrawer.co.uk