What a week!

Having officially taken over my duties as Copy Editor of GEM magazine on Monday, there followed a whole week of functions and events I was required to take part in.

So I have spent the entire week in the style of a Gadabout, of a Woman Around Town. To be honest it was mostly work, getting to know my fellow workers at GEM magazine, making contacts, meeting the people who are the city's movers and shakers, but that's not to say I didn't have fun too. In fact there was almost a common theme to the events...there was a drawing together of the past and the future in a way that made me really reflect.

The events began with an invitation  to attend  The Walk of Heroes and Walk of Stars hosted by Westside BID [Business Improvement District]. Moving speeches delivered by The Mayor of Birmingham and Professor Carl Chinn, commemorated four soldiers from the Birmingham area who had stepped beyond the bravery shown by every member of our armed forces, to something truly unique, displaying a valour in the midst of battle that went above and beyond the call of duty.

The soldiers had served in wars as varied as the Anglo-Zulu War and World War I and yet there was a commonality to their valour, a desire to help others at the sake of their own lives. I can only imagine the terror of their individual situations and I hope that the world does not keep having to sacrifice such brave and noble individuals to the folly of battle!

But there was a lighter side too, with the presentation by Jasper Carrott of a granite star for actor Ian Lavender,  for his accomplishments on screen during his illustrious career.  I laughed alongside Jasper and Ian as they talked about Mr Lavender's recollections of his childhood in Birmingham. Both men were funny, witty and erudite and displayed manners which have been all but lost in the mists of time. So just in case you missed it before, here is my picture with Jasper [who I have to say, didn't look a day over fifty!].

 





My next function to attend was the Super Sonic car event, hosted by business accountancy firm Moore Stephens. Here I met Richard Noble and learned about the World Land Speed Record, looking at vintage films of previous attempts and successes.

Now I have to admit to being ignorant about all things motorised... but I was fascinated! The idea that a car can go from 0 to 1000 mph in less than a minute - well that takes your breath away, doesn't it?

I was almost thinking that if they could just make one with enough room for me, my kids, dogs and luggage then the annual trip to Glasgow wouldn't be so bad after all... Joking aside, this project may seem impractical when you look at our roads and current driving conditions, but what is going on here is the forerunner of future transport. Richard and his team are not pushing the boundaries of what is possible, they are breaking them into splinters, smashing them to smithereens and rebuilding them in their own image.

The project is not only about revolutionising future transport, it is about revolutionising our economy and our education system and our future workers, for without engineers of the future, no further progress will be made! That's why Richard's team is working closely with schools, to encourage young people into this field.

My next two events were more social. Praza on the Hagley Road is divine, take it from me. I had never been there before, so was a little unprepared for the gorgeous food [I actually had seconds!] and the great atmosphere. As I was driving, I can't attest to the cocktails but the people around me were all 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over them, so I assume they were as exquisite as the food.

And the Burlington - goodness me how I love this building and its staff. I was treated to an indoor barbeque, with little mini burgers and mouth-watering salads and desserts and games on the 'lawn'. This time I took the train and thoroughly enjoyed myself!

But lest you think its all play and no work, I must tell you that I spent the whole of Saturday hacking down the triffids in my new garden. My legs, hands and arms are sliced up like I have been in battle with the alien from Predator and the garden looks worse if that's even possible, with huge piles of cut vegetation that I have no idea how I am going to dispose of!

So for now, folks that's it! Don't forget Split Decision launches on the 4th of July and you can still help Thunderclap it [see previous post]. More to follow on the paperback launch.

N.B. The tickets for my first talk at Lord Morton's Tea Rooms are now sold out, but a further date has been agreed.

Happy Reading!

Carmen.

Macdonald Burlington Hotel

A few days ago, I was invited to an evening event at the Macdonald Burlington hotel, which I accepted with alacrity.

This was actually my second visit to this exquisite hotel and yet I was as entranced by the venue as I had been on my previous visit.

The Burlington is truly a sight to behold; polished marbled walls and floors lead the eye towards towering marble pillars which support high ceilings decorated with sparkling chandeliers, whilst gleaming dark wooden balustrades lead upwards to the equally sumptuous floors above.

At the vestibule entrance, the legend 'Macdonald Burlington Hotel' is picked out in shining brass letters and the hotel's emblem is proudly displayed. It is this same pride in their establishment which is reflected in the attitude of the staff,  who seem to take pains to provide everything their guests could possible require, in both a courteous and timely fashion.

I was welcomed with canapés of feta cheese squares in dark chocolate baskets. It may sound a strange combination but the blended flavours worked really well, the sweetness of the chocolate offset just a little by the sharp tanginess of the cheese. The chocolate martini I was served alongside it, did an excellent job of warming my throat and getting me into the mood and by this time I was beginning to see a theme. Chocolate! The entire menu was infused with elements of chocolate!

For your delectation I shall list the menu here and my thoughts on it.

Starter : Pan seared wood pigeon with celeriac puree finished with white chocolate, balsamic and port reduction and roasted shallots.

Now I had a real dilemma with this course. As you may know, I rescue injured pigeons. And now there was one on my plate! I wrestled with the moral dilemma for a while and it was only resolved when I  thought about the hens I used to have as pets. I loved these birds and cared deeply for them but I still went to the supermarket every week and bought a fresh chicken to roast. 

You may think me a hypocrite, but for me, the swaying point was also that the pigeons were not battery reared or force fed but instead had lived a very natural life. Conversely, it would have been hypocritical of me, I believe, to have turned my nose up at the meat and then gone on to eat pheasant or some other bird. Had I been presented with veal or pate foie gras I would have refused as I consider these to be cruelly produced, but neither of these were on the menu.

The dish was beautifully presented, everything laid out so precisely it was almost a work of art. The meat was juicy and tender and the  sauce was truly divine. I enjoyed every morsel. So far, so good. 

And so onto the main course: Roast loin of venison with pickled red cabbage, roasted baby beetroot, sprouting tender stem broccoli with roasting liquor jus finished with 70% cocoa.

Now this course was sublime! I could have eaten two or three helpings. Each bite was different, the combination of ingredients contrasting and complimenting each other beautifully; each forkful tender and delicious, a crazy,  heady fusion of flavours which  pirouetted and danced an arabesque around my tongue!

Lastly the dessert : A taste of chocolate to include chocolate brownie, chocolate crème Brulee and vanilla ice cream.

The ice cream was tantalisingly smooth, whilst the brownie was sweet, warm and deliciously moist. I did not care for the Brulee but then it was made of white chocolate, which I don't enjoy. Technically I can state however, that the Brulee was well made, rich and creamy.

Although by now I was pretty full, coffee and little chocolates followed.

But the Burlington experience was not yet done. Having sated my appetite, it now teased my brain, treating me to a chocolate tasting session where a learned chocolatier informed me where the different cocoa beans come from and how they are used [more on this in another post]. Finally, I was shown how to make my own little chocolate truffles and given these in a bag to take home. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

So what impressed me the most? The beautiful surroundings of the hotel itself? The warm effusive welcome from the staff? Or the exquisite food? In truth it was all of the above. It seems that its all just part of the Burlington experience. 

Sitting right in the centre of the city, literally across the street from the train station, the Burlington is exceptionally well placed. This beautiful old hotel is steeped in history and I was informed that Winston Churchill once stayed there. Indeed it was easy to imagine his heavy footfalls as he ascended the magnificent staircase, perhaps thinking about his time in the War Cabinet Rooms or pondering decisions that had had to be made in times of duress.

Since those days, the fine traditional architecture has been updated with modern soft furnishings and fashionable décor but the building has lost none of its charm and this is reflected in how people react to it.

I looked wondrously at the people around me. In truth many of the guests seemed oblivious to the splendour of their surroundings, but what I did notice was that none of them seemed unaffected by the influence of the place - voices were softly raised in laughter and conversation was muted, as if a little of that old-time elegance had rubbed off after all. It was not hard to imagine ladies in flapper dresses and gents in tuxedos in these rooms, 'making eyes' at one another and perhaps because of this, an essence of olde worlde romanticism almost imbues the atmosphere with a sense guilty pleasure.

I never got to see the bedrooms but I gather these are equally sumptuous with all the modern conveniences we seem to require nowadays. Perhaps its just as well I never saw these rooms - as a writer my days are spent shaping characters and chapters into exciting circumstances - who could say where my fevered imagination might have led...

Even now, days later, a warm smile plays on my lips when I think back to that exceptionally enjoyable evening.

So should you decide to check in to the Macdonald Burlington Hotel, be sure to tell them Carmen sent you. 

Until then - Happy Reading!

Today I am writing. And as usual when I am writing, I am eating chocolate. But this time it's not just any old chocolate, it's a very special chocolate that came from the wonderful MacDonald Burlington Hotel, which I attended for an event last night [more to follow later].

So here is a little peak at what I have just written :-

It seemed to take a long time before they got to the edge of the trees and with every step his heart thudded harder in his chest, obscenely loud in the quiet night.

They entered the dense undergrowth which grew below the soaring trees, full of trepidation and without a real plan, bunching close together, wary of ambush.

The forest seemed unnaturally quiet. No owls hooted or birds cooed. The only sounds were the brittle cracks of unseen twigs which littered the forest floor.

The almost preternatural silence was deafening. A solid wall of muteness seemed to surround them, so that the only noises were the ones they made themselves.

Taylor wished with all his heart that he had somehow made Matilda stay behind, that he had managed to convince her that the risk of their people losing her was too great… But to Matilda’s ears they would merely have been words and words could be no substitute for action.

 

These characters are heading for trouble and Matilda is destined to be in the thick of it. Why won't that woman ever listen? Now who is it she reminds me of...

 

Happy Reading!

 

Carmen.