This sunday: manchester to perth and beyond

Dear friends, leaf lovers and loiterers

I hope you are basking in the gorgeous glow of autumn, it’s taken me many years to appreciate this time of year (a long time for the back to school September dread to fade) but my love of it now was surely inspired by the quality of light, the colours are so vivid I’m sure something extra terrestrial was occurring over the rooftops last night, just stunning. It seems like a season of revelation; as leaves fall so do barriers and new vistas are revealed all across town. Have you seen what’s happening at the back of Cheethams or on Miller Street? Time travel indeed.

Massive thanks to Alan for his inspiring and inspired curating of the previous two first Sundays, any derive incorporating haunted houses, rose hips, and occult smoking paraphernalia has got to go down in LRM history as a rare treat. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for November. On a personal note I have relished the opportunity to take time out. Going away meant my heart could leap with joy coming home. I’ve been rekindling my love of music and sitting on trains and plotting some delightful new shenanigans (of which more soon). I’ve also discovered the joy of proper cider but that is another story.

Anyhow I promised an October triple whammy and now I break the one email a month rule to bring details of parts two and three, both collaborations which remind me there are myriad ways to walk the city and that kindred spirits abound, often loitering in unexpected places
The LRM have received a postcard from a friend which you can see at http://www.postcards4perth.org/ It reads "Hi Everyone, I'll be up in Manchester on the 18th. Can you pick me up from Piccalilly Station at 1pm? We cam make our way on foot from there, right? See you soon. x robyn."

Robyn (who made an excellent hunt sab during the fox hunt) elaborates “What do Manchester England and Perth Australia have to say to each other? You might be surprised. Come on homeward bound walk from the re-branded centre out to towards the protagonist's suburban Salford family history. This will be a walking conversation where the narrative flow has been dreamt up by a tourist, so who knows, you might become the guide...

This walk will form part of the research I'm conducting for my PhD project. I'm examining Perth's relationships to other cities within lived experience. I'd be delighted if the LRM or anyone interested would like to come along to share stories of their Manchester and co-construct this trans-urban journey” Please do join us on this continent crossing adventure, I for one am very excited.

Our comrades at The Escape Committee are plotting a minor cultural revolution on the last Sunday of every month; they want to banish boredom something The LRM wholeheartedly endorse. I actually find boredom really hard to empathise with as an adult: so many books and pavements and hills and songs to explore. Anyhow, they have invited us to join their crusade and we rarely turn down an invitation so here’s the plan (in the loosest sense of the word. No bullet points will be used)
Sunday October 25th we will be ensconced upstairs at The Britons Protection (aka my favourite pub in Manchester) from 4pm. An open invitation is extended to anyone who wants to find out more about The LRM, who we are and what we do. If we can procure a projector (can anyone help?) it would be splendid to show some films at this point too.

At 5pm there will be a short introduction to The LRM and psychogeography, no powerpoint I promise, and then an open discussion about future plans, so many inspiring people have half whispered ideas at the moment it would be splendid to see if collectively we can make them happen. Please don’t be shy, if you have been dreaming of a derive or some subversive shenanigans come along and share in a supportive space. At 7pm ish we’ll set off to explore the secrets of the city… all will be revealed on the night but it will be dark and probably daft.

NOTE: anyone being disparaging, lacking an open mind or blatantly ripping decent folk off during the roundtable will be dealt with. I am still reeling at the amount of ugly, nasty, narrow minded people who invaded our beloved city last week. They challenged my belief in the streets being a place for everyone: I don’t want fascists on the march anywhere and the LRM has a zero tolerance policy for racists, misogynists, homophobes and any fuckwit who seeks to curtail another’s freedom. I’m sorry if you think that conflicts with our treasured freedom to play where we choose and do what we wilt, maybe it does, but we are all contradictions and I am bloody angry that such evil exists.

Constructive ways to transform hurt into creative resistance are especially welcome, but so too is anyone who wants to help build the city of our dreams one step at a time or who just simply wants to play out and discover magic that thrives in the mancunian rain.

Please stay safe, look around you and enjoy the view. It can be a beautiful day

With love and pumpkin pie

morag xx