mes amis,

after a hectic few weeks of helping with the new society and the forthcoming mancunian way walking tour, the next few posts will come haphazardly and from a variety of locations…we are motoring through france on route to the languedoc to stay on the edge of montpellier on bertie’s old boat.

forgive me then if they are more sporadic even than usual, being hasty reflections, vignettes and sketches of the journey and places spied along the way….

xxepn

dear loiterers, urbanists, bluestockings & boffins all,

ive been out & about the city lately rediscovering all thats exciting hidden in the nooks and crannies between the heady glitz and bravado of harvey nicks and the hilton sky bar! so no surprise that the diary reflects and describes some of those recent adventures. sadly the histories festival but i bet im not alone in calling for making this a regular feature...have a read about last saturdays brilliant mcr histories day here - http://diaryofabluestocking.blogspot.com/2009/03/manchester-histories-festival.html

in the meantime dont neglect to check out the fascinating walks and tours of the city going on at Urbis. i went on the suffragette city tour last wednesday, & you can read all about it here -
http://diaryofabluestocking.blogspot.com/2009/03/manchester-suffragette-city.html

as the weather tries its best to brighten & spring finally beckons, what better way to re-engage with the metropolis past & present! xxepn

dear bluestockings all,

who'd have thought a simple list of some barely remembered ladie of yore would have provoked such excitement!! how delightful. thank you for your interest and all the extra fabulous females that you added for our inspiration...

thought id end this revere (for now) by bringing us right up to date and closer to home. theres an iconic woman right now closer than you expect, on your doorstep waiting to be discovered...maybe she's YOU! read more here - http://diaryofabluestocking.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-praise-of-contemporary-bluestockings.html

with love and sisterliness as always xxepn xx

what a list!!! ...didn't know all of them ...would love to know more......Mmmm a little themed book Ms Nibloc?...Happy Women's day xx

miss niblock i've just had a look at the list and i agree totally that these r some of the most influential, beautiful and daring bluestockings of the past!!! i must say that u euphemia r a particular favourite of mine, u laugh in the face of danger, u have extreme beauty and grace and u never fail 2 make me laugh. happy womens day xxxxxxxxxx

dear bluestockings, friends, & moderns,
especially for international womens day, a list of just some of my favourite females. who are your inspirational women??http://diaryofabluestocking.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-praise-of-bluestockings-past-and.html

fellow bluestockings, boffins and curious minds,

britain it seems has never had much time for a 'clever clogs', the rampant anti intellectualism long discernible in the popular press slipping dangerously over to loathing when it is attributed to women. when i was a girl the term bluestocking was a universal pejorative with women not allowed to graduate from universities until early in the 20th century. such women were unnatural, a disgrace to their sex, scorned, unmarriagable and doomed to spinsterdom as a result, and whilst the term itself might be less prevalent in common parlance, the idea that a woman should be strive only to be decorative to the eye sadly is not…
so just what is it about a display of intelligence by a female of the species that still manages to provoke such apoplexy?

http://diaryofabluestocking.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-defence-of-bluestocking.html

lets celebrate learning, erudition and intellectual curiosity in all its manifestations, worriedly, epn

dear modernists, flaneurs, urbanists & cultural will o the wisps,

perhaps its the effects of blizzard britain with the heaviest snowfalls since 1991 paralysing much of the country this week, the transport system and road networks grinding to a halt and whole counties north and south snowed in and cut off in whats being called The Whiteout.

but for some of us (call us foolish romantics if you must) bemoaning the distinct lack of fluffy white stuff in our perpetually damp city, at least there are plenty of openings, exhibitions, events and cultural activities finally auguring in the new year. if we cant join the rest of the nation in frolicking about in cath kidston wellies building snowmen and sledging down hillsides on old teatrays then we can at least gather together in warm art galleries to admire the latest shows....and after the doldrums of january, god knows we need it.

see you around the city, epn xxxx

my dear scribblers, urbanites and ne'er-do-wells,

just a little word or two for the creative collective that is Skookum Boom.

they have a brand new issue available to enjoy, including a contribution of my own on the difference between a typical dawn on the edge of the city and from the edge of the etangs outside montpelier this summer...

thanks naill & all at sb for the opportunity to contribute...an honour!

to everyone else, nip online to find out more at http://www.skookumboom.co.uk/magazine.html or click on to their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2479036818,

yours in urbanity and flaneurieness xx epn

dear friends and urban enthusiasts,

just when it seems there simply cant be any sections of the city left to regenerate, that the looming recession might just be the accidental saving of the few remaining post-war architectural gems happily minding their own business and bringing harmless joy to some of us, worrying news pops up to the contrary...

the overgrown, hidden scultural wall opposite the old bt building on the edge of brunswick and Umist is at risk. this is a beautiful artwork and architectural feature. lets treasure it and support the proposal to list it...

my latest posting has a link to the 20th century society feature on this unique part of 60's history, hope you can find time to read it

xx epn