No Time to be Bored

It may be February.  It may be FREEZING outside, it may be dark and gloomy and your bank account might still be feeling the effects of a pre-Christmas/Christmas sale splurge.  But that is NOT an excuse to hunker down and hibernate until the un-genetically modified daffodils start arriving.  Why?  Because for the first time in a long time, Aberdeen has two very cool and interesting things going on!  About time too!

Aberdeen Chocolate Fair

Hint: Valentines Day = 14th February

I mentioned this in February's Wish List. (Okay, I say 'mentioned' - I tried to write the best recommendation while stifling fits of glee.) Aberdeen is having a chocolate fair!! Prepare to take out those expandable Christmas dinner waistbands again, and get ready to sample and buy your weight in chocolate.  The Chocolate Fair is happening in Aberdeen THIS weekend (9th + 10th February 2013) at the Jury's Inn on Guild Street (you know, the one just off Union Square). At the event, you can sample chocolate from the very best chocolate makers, like Hotel Chocolat (yum) and Iain Burnett's The Highland Chocolatier.  There'll be other lesser-known chocolate vendors and, by way of mentioning, there will be a company there called Cup Cakes and Pops.  Ideal for children, or those who act like children.  And for all of you who like baking and cooking with chocolate, (as if eating it straight from the wrapper isn't enough), award-winning chefs who create award-winning dishes will be giving demos and master-classes throughout Saturday and Sunday.  You MUST book tickets before you arrive because when something is this good, there are never tickets at the door.  The Chocolate Fair creators have clearly got their heads screwed on the right way round, because students get in for 75p.  It does not count, real people, if you produce a student card from the '80s.  You have to pay the price for working and cough up the dear price of a £1. (Although you do need to pay about £20 for a ticket to the master-classes.) This, my friends, is going to be one brilliant event.  Purchase your tickets and enter Aberdeen's own Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.  

Info: http://www.aberdeenchocolatefair.com/default.html

Tickets: http://www.aberdeenchocolatefair.com/Purchase-Tickets.html

(On their website there are three key phrases: 'Chocolate Fountain', 'Wine & Chocolate', and 'Purchase Tickets')

Selling Dreams: 100 Years of Fashion Photography

I always scream like this when I'm on a bike.

Vogue has come to town - and not in the form of a glossy magazine with Cara Delevingne plastered over the front.  This is real, authentic and classy Vogue photography.  The exhibition is part of a tour which has nestled in the Granite City until the 20th April, and which celebrates the talents of fashion photographers including David Bailey and Irving Penn.  And there aren't just pictures - there's even a film!  Does the name Cecil Beaton mean anything to you? That absolute genius of fashion photography?  Well he's hanging out in Aberdeen. Almost. Okay, in film form.  The photos document beautiful women and ground-breaking fashion throughout the past century.  Cast your mind back to history lessons of old and think about both wars, the roaring '20s, the swinging '60s, and the positively cringey '90s. That's a whole lot of fashion, encapsulated in 60 photos.  (And can I just say, if you are a non-fashion appreciating guy reading this, fashion is not just about dresses.)  These photos are of beautiful women who had life and dreams and who were the face of British design for years.  The had vigour, attitude, a decent hair-cut and a whole lot of gumption. Even if they were a size 4.  This exhibition demonstrates not only well-tailored outfits, but the skill and talent of some of the worlds greatest photographers. I recommend it whole-heartedly. 

Info: http://www.aagm.co.uk/Exhibitions/Current/Selling-Dreams-100-years-of-fashion-photography.aspx