Favourite Things

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SNOW!

January 19, 2013 in Seasonal | 5 comments

I really wasn’t going to do a snow blog, because my brain is bursting with other things to blog about at the moment and I know you can’t blink on twitter/instagram/facebook without seeing another photo or reference to the cold white stuff but… it’s just SO pretty! And I get the hype, it’s so rare that we get a decent depth of snow to roam around in that it just brings out the sparkly child in everyone and what’s not to like about that?

I’m very fortunate that Hampstead Heath is basically my back garden and after 18 months of living around the area, I know it’s nooks and crannies pretty well. I know the best tree to climb and the secret sledge runs and even the areas you can be guaranteed not to see another soul (not even a shifty character!) But I don’t think I’ve ever seen it looking more beautiful than today. Snow definitely suits the heath. The sky was as bright white as the ground, obviously full of more snow just waiting to fall again. This transformed the winter trees into spindly silhouettes and the hoards of sledgers on parliament hill took on a ghostly Lowry-esque quality.

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When people ask me what my favourite season is, I don’t really have a favourite. I just like proper seasons. I like my spring to be cherry blossom cardigan weather. I like my summer to have long balmy evenings drinking cider on a picnic blanket in the park. I like my autumn to burn through yellow orange and red colours and finally I desperately want my winter to dazzle me with Hollywood snow. So far winter has just been wet in London. Grey, wet, glum and with the occasional chilly night (always at the most inconvenient times when I’ve braved massive heels or left my woolly hat at work) so I knew it was vital to make the most of this fleeting snow day. Nick was a very willing companion as we bundled up in thermals and woollens and started a near-2 hour trek from one side to the other of the heath, stopping to do as much cheesy snow stuff as possible – snowballs, snow men with twig afros, snow angels, nearly falling into the frozen lake…

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I haven’t made many snow angels before and Nick had never ever made one (I think they are quite an American thing? I only learnt about them as a kid from watching Groundhog Day obsessively) so I gave him the patch of snow that didn’t have a single footprint on. I was at least smart enough to wait to the end of the walk to go rolling around in the snow as once you’ve angel-ed it manages to find it’s way in everywhere and suddenly I had damp patches and icy trickles everywhere, brrr! I really liked getting so cold though,  there’s no point being all adult and sensible in the snow.  We soon warmed up with a giant cup of tea and a big wedge of cheese & chutney on toast at home. We also finally finished True Blood season 4 – Did you watch it? What did you think? I have been a huge True Blood obsessive since season 1. I even have a Merlotte’s tee-shirt! I loved everything about it; the southern drawls, the incredible opening titles, the theme tune, the sultry Sookie, the vampires, the concept of true blood itself, Sam… In fact I thought season 3 was the best so far and was so excited for season 4 but wow. What a mess! Half way through the season I just couldn’t care less about any of the characters and the stories seemed to have gone off in a witchcraft weird tangent and there were constant wtf moments. I barely watch TV at the moment so when I do have a boxset feast I want it to be really good! I’ve never been so underwhelmed by a season finale and definitely won’t be watching season 5, I’ll probably just read the episode summaries on wikipedia and continue to be disappointed! The first one I looked up had the phrase “giant blood spraying vampire goddess” in it. Next up for boxset viewing for me is The Hour (which is a bit ridiculous I never started watching as I adore Mad Men and this is meant to be the UK attempt) and Community which my sister is desperate for me to watch and discuss and that’s a good enough reason for me. Ok, end of TV tangent…

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^By far the classiest photograph of me on the internet! Also Nick, despite being a first timer, is certified more angelic than me. We saw lots of sights on our snow mission; like a jack russell being pulled along on an old fashioned sledge, alot of questionable snowboot footwear oh and I absolutely loved creeping up to what I call Hansel & Gretel’s fairytale cabin which is actually the mens toilets (!!
but in typical Hampstead style, super stylish) and Nick thinks my obsession with it is ridiculous as he claims “if you’d visited them, and smelt them, in the height of summer you wouldn’t love it so much”! But look how cute it is…

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Finally, just to fashion up this blog a bit, here is my winter hat, glove and scarf combo. As you can see not a single item matches! Higgedlypiggeldy or what? The hat is long suffering bluey that I bought in San Francisco Urban Outfitters for $2 after arriving there and realising that my hotpants, vests and sunglasses were not going to fly in 7 degree fog (I just assumed it’s in California = it’s sunny. Wrong!) Then the scarf is a snood, I’ve recently discovered the wonder of the snood. I think I’ve avoided them because of the silly name but it’s just a giant extra toasty scarf without the long dangly bits that I always get caught in the tube door/any door. Finally my owl gloves. I know that animal covered knitwear is totally played out, and everyone owns a panda hat or hood with ears, but I quite like clothes that straddle costume/fancy dress so they still make me smile. These are the only version of animal knits I own though, they were a very welcome Christmas gift and I’ve barely taken them off since (except to roll snowballs!)

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Where was I in 2012? Part i.

December 31, 2012 in 2012, Yearly Review | No comments

I can’t believe how quickly this year has sped by. My new year’s resolution was to take a photo every day and I stuck to it, which has made it so much easier when trying to cast my mulled-wine pickled brain back over the year to recap what I got up to; as I certainly wasn’t blogging about it. Sorry! It’s been a pretty grim year, one that makes you grit your teeth and fear answering the phone as you know it will be another piece of bad news. Sadly this has continued right into the festive season and so I’ll be very relieved tonight to toast the end of a rotten apple year and the start of 2013 which can surely only be better. That said though, I think it’s all too easy to write off a bad year and in fact there have been some sparkly moments of wonderful wanderings, experiences and memories that I wouldn’t swap for anything.

This turned into such an epic beast that I am blogging it in two parts, the first being January – June.

January

January

This was a walk that Nick & I took up Malham Cove with my parents. If you ever find yourself in Yorkshire then Malham is my absolute favourite place to visit and my top recommendation. Looking up at the cove itself  will leave you breathless and feeling very tiny indeed. We were so fortunate with the weather, as despite deep snow for miles around, the treacherous 400 stone steps that take you up to the top of the 260 foot cliff face were clear and could still be climbed in my £6 Primark brogues with no grips.

 February

February

One of the “how is this happening to me” moments that have peppered the most successful professional year in my career. Considering I still speak with such a broad Yorkshire accent I basically need subtitles, get ID’d every single time I purchase alcohol and still constantly get comments on my “quirky” fashion sense, I still struggle to remember I am actually a head of my own department and seem to be doing pretty well at this whole work thing. It feels like the 12 hour days are finally paying off (although maybe not for my health; see October) In February I was still working for a children’s media company and was invited to the Houses of Parliament to take part in a seminar on children’s welfare and charity work. It was such a privilege and something I know not many people will experience. I just wish I’d had more time to poke my nose around the incredible wooden chambers and rooms with vast ceilings and chandeliers. Instead I was ushered in for breakfast, where they had the most tempting looking Danish pastries but my stupid etiquette meant I was too embarrassed to eat one as they were too far for me to easily reach, so instead I just had to make do with a few bits of (extra posh) fruit salad and a super strong coffee.

 March

March

I didn’t go to many gigs this year because my main entertainment-indulgence money went on my monthly Cineworld card and spending hour after hour in the various West End cinemas (in total I saw 34 films this year!) Luckily it was quality over quantity and this gig, Future Islands at Scala, was my favourite. If you aren’t familiar with the band you should definitely download some, I’d recommend Before The Bridge, Inch of Dust and Balance. What I love about them is that the singer has this incredible theatrical voice but looks NOTHING like what you expect him to. He is probably the best showman I have ever encountered, as despite being at the end of a lengthy European tour he seemed to adore every moment, resulting in the audience storming the stage for the encore.

 April

April

The image sort of sums it up, but after 5 years working for the same company, I took a new job in April. It was scary as I had always worked in the same office, with the same people, for my whole London life but it was definitely what I needed and I haven’t regretted the decision once. The fact that regular trips to New York and Los Angeles are now part of my job kinda helps too!

 May

May

After a tequila-fuelled London celebration, Nick & I went to Dorset for an extended Birthday spoiling. There were so many highlights, but I think Swanage remains one of my favourite places in the UK. For many reasons (the beautiful twinkling lights as the sun sets, the boats in the harbour, the road into the sea, the ice cream and the beautiful Jurassic coastline) but mainly because we discovered Jurassic Park crazy golf there! Wildly flaunting a million copyright infringements this combination of two of my all-time favourite things (crazy golf + dinosaurs) was the perfect birthday present. We also went on a huge walk and spotted my first ever slow worm, which it turns out isn’t a snake but it still has a cool fork-y tongue.

 June


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I had been promising to go on holiday with my oldest school friend for about a decade but we’ve never had time or holiday budget that matched up. This year we finally got it together and after a few vetoed suggestions of destinations (Benidorm being one…) we settled on Ibiza. Given that I’m not exactly a clubber at the best of times, and that the music isn’t my cup of tea, I was a bit eye-rolly about the whole thing. The flight from Bradford to Ibiza isn’t one I’d want to repeat (just an aeroplane FULL of hammered northern men, 5 of whom were arrested before even leaving the airport!) but I enjoyed every second after that. We were away for the Jubilee weekend so decked our hotel balcony with chintzy union jack bunting and celebrated with carton after carton of 70cent Sangria.

June

We stayed in Bossa Park which is the ‘up and coming’ area according to our hotel manager and I definitely felt like it had a cooler vibe than the hen/stag saturated San Antonio side of the island. It was fun to chat to the people selling tickets on the street and haggling deals. On our first night we ended up buying from a Scottish guy who kept flipping between heavy Glaswegian accented English into perfectly fluent Spanish and who led us through a quiet civilised fancy restaurant down some stairs into the most heaving secret basement bar I’ve ever seen where everything glowed UV, we drank free cocktails and danced to Rihanna with the locals. I can’t remember the last time I felt so young, and so free. It was such a glorious four days with tons of sun lounger reading, playing beach ball in the pool and stocking up on our grimy B&B breakfast to make it last the whole day.

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The daytime highlight was definitely an afternoon at Café Mambo watching the sunset which is as phenomenal as everyone says and is definitely something everyone should see once in their life. The night-time highlight was seeing Tiesto at Pacha (still can’t believe those words are coming out of my mouth, in the same way I can’t believe I since downloaded that Tonight We Are Youuuung song as it was played every third song anywhere we went). The clubbing was so easy to throw yourself in to, and I barely drank (mainly because even a bottle of water is 8 euros) but you don’t need to as the atmosphere itself is contagious and totally electric. It was like being at a really good music festival as everyone is so happy and just enjoying the experience. It wasn’t at all what I expected and we ended up making tons of friends with waifs and strays from all over Europe. My favourite clubs were definitely Pacha, Ibiza Rocks (for the pool alone, which everyone was drunkenly chucking each other into – it reminded me of the bad donkey island in Pinocchio!) and Es Paradis which has a stunning interior and played my kind of music rather than the mwam mwam mwam of everywhere else. I definitely have the fabled Ibiza-bug and would go back in a heartbeat.

June 2

I couldn’t re-cap this year without featuring this image that will forever be burnt into my retina! This view from the heady heights of the London Eye, where myself and my dear Craig got stuck for nearly an hour! The jaunt started happily enough, with my ticket being a generous birthday gift and thoughtfully planned to take in the sunset on the longest day of the year. We scuttled down to South Bank, devoured a pizza and a bottle of rose wine and were actually a bit tipsy as we boarded the Eye. As our little pod climbed towards the sky, we shoved our noses up against the glass and oohed and ahhed and it was brilliant. Then, at the just-before-the-top slot, we stopped. After 20 minutes a few people started asking why we were stopped and I reassured them that it was totally normal and just to give us a ‘good view’ (! which actually on reflection makes no sense as then the wheel would never move) after 30 minutes I started to feel a bit antsy with that sinking feeling that something’s gone array and I am stuck 135 metres in the sky in a glass capsule.

I only have one fear, and its claustrophobia, so the next half an hour were a massive test of my ability to keep a gigantic panic attack at bay. It helped that I had Craig at my side so we just spotted landmarks and took in the incredible view and laughed about the fact that a) this type of this ALWAYS happens to us and b) at least we got our moneys worth. An unhelpful recorded message reassured us that “due to unforeseen circumstances your rotation had been terminated, do not panic & do not be alarmed” (!) and they cranked up the air con so much I had to huddle with the rest of the tourists in a borrowed woolly hat for warmth. Eventually we got moving again and we never did find out why we got stuck but I was certainly relieved to get my feet back on solid London ground again as I had been envisioning helicopter rescues.  I have definitely had my fill of the London Eye for life now. Never again! Not even in one of the swish champagne VIP pods.

 

 

 

 

 

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Check Out Chime Hours…

May 15, 2012 in Music | 1 comment

 

There are certain times you hear a song for the first time and you know that the moment will be forever engrained on your memory, no matter if that artist/band turns into a flitting one hit wonder interest, or a firm forever favourite. In the middle of October last year there was a bizarre week in London which I refer to as fake-summer. Despite crinkly autumn leaves skittering around the place and the fact I already had to huddle into my faux fur coat, suddenly the sun shone and the temperatures soared and scorched in the late twenties. It was one of these days that I was lazing around in my (at the time) shiny-new boyfriend’s bedroom, and it was stuffy and sticky and a song came on his shuffle. It made me sit up and get that rare tingly twinkly feeling on the back of your neck that is physically impossible to recreate on demand. A combination of the singers voice, the urgent melody and the lyrics (Everybody wants to see all the lovers in the streets, I don’t know why, And everywhere we go leaving trails in the snow, I don’t know why we long to be…)

I was still in the stage where I didn’t want to look uncool (!) so really ummed and ahhed about whether I should ask him who the singer was, feeling sure it must be someone hugely massively popular that in my real-summer of hermit living I had somehow missed. As the song finished I took the plunge and asked, because I knew I couldn’t cope without being able to hear it again very very soon and download it for myself. I was really shocked with he told me that it was in fact his little brother singing, otherwise known as Chime Hours. Shocked, but also pleased, because now we have become friends and I get to say that I knew him before he was a huge, famous rock star. Alright! To recreate my spine tingly first listen, you can check it out here.

I probably can’t sum up Chime Hours any more accurately than his own official bio, which says “Chime Hours (aka Philip Horton) weaves tales of love and loss around a distinct combination of guitar, vocal loops, drum machine and anything else that makes a noise” but reasons for adoring certain music is always subjective so I have to add my two pence worth. I think the thing Chime Hours does that really strikes a cord (and is a running theme in most of my favourite artists) is that his lyrics are beautiful. I know beautiful is a totally overused word and if I could create a new word to describe how haunting and goosebump-inducing they are, then I would. Each song creates an entirely new world or character or emotion, that sucks you in from the first to last beat.

Chime Hours repertoire is completely varied too. I think this is aided by his extraordinary vocal range where he can seemingly switch from heights even a tiny dog probably couldn’t reach (well definitely not in such a graceful and tuneful manner) back to bottom bass that vibrates through you. Listening to a few songs in a row is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster as they can go from making you feel gut wrenchingly sad to smiley head-boppy in swift succession. To experience this first hand I recommend you plug some earphones in and head over to…

Chime Hours Sound Cloud

& listen to the other three songs there. Wanton will leave you a bit meloncholy and breathless, The Waiting List will make you feel nostaligc and a bit lost, and Ha Woo will make you want to put the song on a tape and sing along in your car with the windows down! (Do cars still have cassette tape decks? I haven’t driven for six years but I really really hope so)

Even better, if you are a London-er  (particularly South of the river) trot down to Streatham on Friday and catch Chime Hours live at the The White Lion on the High Rd. He is on around 7.30pm and entry is the best price – FREE.

Please go show a lil’ love and follow & like too.

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Everyone likes to be able to say they discovered someone before everyone else and I would place a hefty bet that this will be the case in pretty soon judging the hype so far.. But yknow,  feel free to buy me a drink at the gig on Friday in advance to thank me.

 

 

 

 

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Big Collar Addiction

March 12, 2012 in What I Wore Today | 1 comment

I definitely don’t count myself as any sort of fashionista and since the second most common comment when I interact with complete strangers (after you look like a vegetarian) is are you a student? I’m pretty certain the rest of the world agrees that my fashion ‘thing’ is generally being a bit higgeldy piggeldy and unpredictable. And permanently teenage. That bit is better.

But there is one thing that I adore, and will never ever stop adoring. And that is a BIG COLLAR.

Is there anything better?!

 

 

 

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Spotlight on French For Cupcake

November 6, 2010 in Spotlight | 5 comments

This months spotlight is on a truley terrific gal from Northern Ireland – Claire aka French For Cupcake. Claires blog basically consists of all my favourite things – LOTS of baking, lots of recipes and lots of pretty dresses. Now when I say that Claire can bake, I mean she can really bake.  She could easily live off her skills in the kitchen department, as the magical things she conjours up are out of this world and oh so professional. I wish I lived close enough to pop round for a cup of tea and baked good!            

It’s my absolutely pleasure to be able to feature this very talented lady and I advise you to instantly add her to your reader; she never fails to put a smile on my face by immersing me in her magical world.

1. When did you start your blog & why? I started my blog in January 2009. I have kept a livejournal since I was 14 but I liked to keep that quite private so I wanted to find a more public platform for sharing my photos and a blog seemed to be the best way.

2. What inspired you in terms of content/theme/appearence? I have always loved documenting things, probably mostly boring everyday things that nobody would be interested in really! I worried for a while that my blog had no unifying theme and tried to stick to either fashion or food but then I realised others were just posting what they wanted and loving it so I decided to do the same. The appearance of my blog is very simple although I am in the process of redesigning!

3. How would you describe your blog in three words? Oh gosh, that’s hard. Probably sweet, creative and eclectic.

4. What do you love (/if anything hate) about your blog? I love when I get comments and emails from other girls telling me I have inspired them to have self confidence and feel proud in their own skin. That’s a big thing for me. To learn that I have taught girls that they can be beautiful no matter what their size makes me feel really happy. I don’t really hate anything, one thing I dislike about blogger, at least compared to livejournal, is that it’s difficult to reply directly to comments and I don’t want readers to think I am ignoring them! If anyone can help me with this let me know!


 5. What makes you the most happy and most sad? I am a girl of simple pleasures, the things that make me happy are films, a good cup of tea and or a night of dancing with my friends. What makes me sad? When my expectations of people are let down, I hate that.

 6. Who is behind French For Cupcake? Well I’m Claire, a 22 year old Masters student from Belfast in Northern Ireland. I love films (obviously) particularly French New Wave, and my focus of research is on gender theory within films, representations of women etc. I’m a true feminist and my academic writing tends to reflect that. I love folk and alternative music, my parents were complete hippies and I have been given their record collection (lucky me!). I particularly love Tori Amos, Edith Piaf, Martha and Rufus Wainwright, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, Carole King and Laura Marling.

   
 
7. What is the best fact you know? Oh god, I don’t know what the best one is! I giggled when I read about penguin prostitutes.
 
8. Which others blogs do you feast on? I have hundreds of blogs added to my google reader, but these are some of my favorites:

Messy Carla
Ulrikah
WishWishWish
LLYMLRS
Elinkan

9. What is your all time favourite outfit? My taste is constantly changing, at the moment I’ll pick this one; because I love the shape of the dress and how it flatters my curves. I got it in  A-wear, I wish they would make the same dress in all colours!
 
10. What is your blogging soundtrack? Right now it is a mix of Robyn (I love her) and Alessi’s Ark. I like to listen to cheerful music when I blog!

    

   

11. What are your plans both fashion and otherwise to survive the predicted snowy winter? Lots of tea, hot water bottles, dvds, books, scarves, boots gloves and my trusty panda hat!

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Spotlight on Fur Coat, No Knickers

October 12, 2010 in Spotlight | 3 comments

This months blogger spotlight is someone I get a little starstruck by and am chuffed to bits that she agreed to feature for me. She’s a force to be reckoned with and a serious head girl of all things fashion and style. If you don’t have Rachael aka Fur Coat, No Knickers on your reader-list then you are missing a trick and a treat!

From her run-downs of latest designer catwalks to items she’s currently coveting, to her AMAZING Friday Afternoon Disco Spotify playlists (my ultimate favourite being the Doo-wop classics week!) and from her own super duper personal style to her pug and norwegian heavy metal obsession (and shared girlcrush – Isabel Lucas hello!)- every post is unique and unexpected and a delight to behold. & So is her interview…

1. When did you start your blog & why?
I have been blogging in one way or another since the dawn of internet time. My brother is a massive computer geek, so we had the internet from a very early date. I started with a Geocities site about NOFX, and have pretty much worked my way up from there. I can’t remember when my blog in its current format really began – I know I registered the domain when I was at university to use as an online portfolio, so probably about six years ago – although I moved to WordPress this year because it’s so much easier to handle. I guess I started my blog because I love the internet and have to be involved in all aspects of it, but also to serve as a kind of scrapbook of all the things I love. Also, as a journalist by trade, it’s good to have somewhere online where potential employees can scout you out!

2. What inspired you in terms of content/theme/appearence?
I did a fashion degree, then did a fashion journalism masters. Somehow after that, I fell in to hair and beauty journalism – which is what I do now for a living. I love my job, but I am still obsessed with fashion, so it’s really just somewhere to keep that side of my brain occupied. In terms of appearance… it’s a bit of a work in progress. I am quite fanatical about how blogs look, but I’m not quite sure where I want mine to be at the moment. It’s the constant recurring battle that I have in my life between chic minimalism and complete OTT naffness – I wish I could be sophisticated and just have a lovely white background, but I think have to face facts and accept I am not that way inclined at heart! Same with fashion – sigh.

3. How would you describe your blog in three words?
Shit I like? Hah! It really does cover a bit of everything though, from literature and music to fashion and beauty.

4. What do you love (/if anything hate) about your blog?
I love the fact I’m getting to do loads of fun projects with it – considering it’s really just a hobby outside The Day Job, I’ve been really lucky to do some fun things, with lots more exciting projects to come. I hate the fact that I don’t have time to update as much as I would like – despite being obsessed with the WordPress app on my iPhone.

5. What makes you the most happy and most sad?

I’m a fairly simple being, so it doesn’t take much to make me happy. Pugs, reading the Guardian in bed on a Saturday morning with spaghetti on toast, napping, gin… Not much makes me sad. It’s something which constantly annoys people in my office. I am that irritating, eternal optimist person. Not being able to afford these shoes?

6. Who is behind Fur Coat, No Knickers?
Just me, Rachael – despite the fact people keep emailing and asking if they can have a job?! I write about hair for a living, which is a very nice way to make your money. I live in New Cross, south east London, although I am a northerner really – from Sheffield. My musical tastes are pretty firmly pre-2000 because I’m a miserable old bastard, with favourite genres being heavy metal/punk/surf/general alternative stuff. I love anything touched by the hand of Phil Spector too, mostly Beach Boys and all the wonderful girl groups of the 50s and 60s. I love reading, and am currently going through a 1920s ‘thing’ which has now lasted about two years… Fitzgerald, Waugh, and obviously Wodehouse are all favourites, although I have also read a hlof of biographies of people from the era – everything from the Mitfords to Brilliant Chang. I love pizza, Henry Rollins, and have an inordinate knowledge of celebrity gossip.

7. What is the best fact you know?
The London Eye has 32 pods – one to represent each of the London boroughs. FACT!

8. Which others blogs do you feast on?
Anything in my link list comes with a big thumbs up, but my Google reader contains about a million more! IRL pals with blogs I love include my Twin, Iso, Sofie and Alex. Some recent discoveries are Hanneli, Beckerman Bite Plate, So Much To Tell You – and of course, Anna Della Russo’s blog, which is nuts.


9. What is your all time favourite outfit?
It’s not glamorous, but it would have to be The Hangover Outfit. I actually don’t have a picture of it, but it consists of the XXL Guns n Roses t-shirt I’ve had since I was about 11, and a paisley print maxi skirt. If it’s winter, add my Levis denim waistcoat and a grey marl American Apparel hoodie on the top. It’s the comfiest outfit ever, and it’s become so synonymous with me being hungover that on the odd occasion I wear it for a ‘normal’ day, my friends ask me what I did last night.

10. What is your blogging soundtrack?
OMG, good question. I don’t have a set soundtrack, just a huge Spotify collection, but at the moment I’m listening to a lot of Parliament/Mandrill/Funkadelic. I have an embarrassing love for the era. One of the hairdressers I interviewed recently used to be a DJ and he scribbled down loads of rare funk for me to purchase – although I am struggling to read his scrawled drunken napkin notes in the cold light of day!

11. What are your plans, fashion and otherwise, to survive the predicted snowy winter? The big furry coats from Next I blogged about recently, an attempt at sensible shoes – probably from ASOS, this hat, and the New Look Parka of Dreams layered over one million cardigans. And my Slanket, which was kindly sent to me by a PR last year. Best. Gift. Ever.

Isn’t she just awesome? I was nodding my head with every answer. So go check out her blog now now now!

[Previous spotlights= Blair On A Budget and Earth Vs The Wildheart]

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Hotel World

August 5, 2010 in Weekend Escapes | 7 comments

Hotels are one of my favourite things, EVER. Growing up in a big family, hotels just did not feature on the radar of life. All holidays consisted of being crammed into log cabins or country cottages or youth hostels. I don’t think I stayed in a hotel for the first time until I was 15, on a school trip to London! To most people this is probably ridiculous but this period of denial means that hotels = Christmas to me. Growing up and seeing them in movies (Witches! Home Alone!) they seemed like this unobtainable dream that only really wealthy or proper grown up people got to experience.

Even first discovering Premier Inns was a joy, so cheap yet you still get a little kettle and sachets of hot chocolate and a TV and sheets you don’t have to wash yourself. Now I have stayed in a few hotels with work and weddings and other things like that, the excitement still doesn’t go away. However I have started getting more of a refined taste; understanding that paying just 10 or 20 pounds more to stay in a non-chain or more boutique hotel can bring joys like a ROBE! and a nice big bath, or being able to order chips at 3am if you want to.

I think I love the anonymity. The idea that thousands have people have stayed in your very room. Who were they? What were they doing? Were they happy? I guess the prospect of staying in a bed that has been slept (er and more maybe!) in by other people every night might gross alot of people out but it fascinates me and my over active imagination. There is something so peaceful and nicely lonely about hotel rooms. I have a collection of hotel photographs which I will save for another day, as they are part of a shh secret project… soon to be revealed.

Today I am in the Abode Hotel . This hotel is a double winner because my work are picking up the bill, as I’m here on business (love saying that, it still sounds ricidulous that someone would pay me to do any kind of business. Adulthood is mighty stealthy).

My room is beautiful. Green vintage tiled walls, pink button tiled bathroom, free BURTS crisps! and a ginormous bed that I don’t even take up 1/4 of.

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Sonar So-good

June 22, 2010 in Holiday, Music | 9 comments

I have never been to Sonar before. I have actually never been to a music festival outside of Britain before, but after 10 years of soggy camping, over-priced van food and harrowing when-weather-goes-bad experiences I had enough of hearing myself inevitabley bleat with the amount I’ve spent at 3 days of festival going in the UK, I could have paid for a holiday abroad! and decided to put it to the test.

There were alot of things that appealed to me about Sonar 2010. The fact it was in Barcelona – a city I had only visited briefly when I was 14 and well below Sangria slurping age or the age to really appreciate anything other than the fact I was away from home for the first time with boys from the YEAR ABOVE shocker! Also the fact Sonar is a non-camping festival which means you hook yourself up with a nifty little appartment and have somewhere nice to wake up, BATHE and prance around in pretty dresses (speaking as someone whos favourite teadress got washed away in the Bestival 2008 monsoon, this is of upmost importance!) It also means you can buy the amazingly cheap local Cava (two euros fifty a bottle) and freeload it in your appartment before leaving to start partyng at night; thus avoiding buying the not-amazingly cheap beer at Sonar – 3 euros for HALF a pint. Oucho.

I went to Sonar with a gaggle of 3 girls and we rented an adorable appartment in the El Born region. The appartment had teacup tiles on the wall and a roof terrace that we could spy over Barcelona from and laze around in the sun, munching food from the local food market like jamon, queso and la sandía. We arrived a day before Sonar kicked off, so we could have a beach bum day and get cracking into some Estrella daytime drinking whilst getting our bearings.

 

 

Sonar is great because it runs Day and Night. Sonar by Day is held at MACBA which is an amazing venue, packed with exhibitons – the key one being all about robotsa! and two stages. My favourite was Sonar Village, which is covered in faux grass (think butchers windows) and had a constant flurry of DJs playing amazing tunes. One of the absolute highpoints was when Lemonade did a DJ set on the Friday afternoon at about 5pm. We danced, beers in hand, sun beating down as they played amazing reggae and summery tracks. We danced until our calves hurt and when they dropped in All That She Wants by Ace of Base we witnessed a stampede as everyone around us hurtled towards the stage to dance too. I’ve never seen so many happy smiley faces, I guess Ace of Base really are internationally adored and so uncool they are cool or something?

 

 

After a midnight rooftop party, we knew we had to get in some serious siesta in order to last a night of raging. We also had learnt that teeny tiny tapas is no stomach-lining material and this lead me to discovering Maoz for the first time. Or should I say MMmmaoz! Super cheap falafal pittas stuffed with salad and hummous with all-you-can-eat access to a buffet bar of extra toppings including giant sundried tomatoes, fried cauliflower and jalapenos. My pitta was actually bigger than my entire head and probably one of the nicest things I’ve ever eaten. Luckily I found out they have a chain in London, phew, who wants to go?

 

 

I can’t possibly list all the incredible things and reasons why this festival was the best five days of my year, possibly life! Sonar at Night is held at an old aircraft hanger type set up, sprawling and with plenty of space for dancing crowds. The stages are inside and outside and it’s so warm you don’t realise when you are walking between one and the other. Dancing to Hot Chip under twinkling stars, dancing to LCD Soundsysem as slices of sun start to crack through the night sky at 5am. Bare leg weather through the night. Branded plastic beer beakers. Ghost balloons. Even loving crazed Dizzee Rascal (I challenge anyone not to shake a leg to Bonkers!) Dodgems. Twirling around our kitchen eating crisp feasts and making lemon fanta shandies. Singing so loudly (ahem, badly) to A Little Respect in the that taxi the driver almost turned around and took us home. 7am trip to A&E after my festival buddy fell during a poorly executed flying-high-five and tore her ankle ligaments (true story!) Bocadillo vending machines.

Sunday was a sad day, and even the beautiful care bear clouds on the flight home and being treated like P Diddy on arrival at Gatwick because of Susies broken foot (private lift and mini bus arriving to the plane to whisk us off and through security in .5 seconds!) can’t shake my back to work blues.  I would recommend. Heck I would BEG anyone with a foreign festival itch to scratch it next year and head to Sonar next year. I’m already counting down the days.

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If you go down to the woods today…

May 6, 2010 in Day Tripping | 2 comments

I’ve escaped London for the rest of the week to hide at home in Yorkshire. Being a ratrace-face is starting to give me burn out so there was only one option, hit the woods and walk and walk until I was hopelessly lost.

 

 

 

As well as a good fish & chips and a good cup o’ tea, I really miss WOODS. Where are the woods in London? I don’t understand. There are plenty of good parks, yes I can vouch for that. Granted; there’s lovely heaths, there’s a pretty awesome river and riverbank. There’s boating lakes, there’s urban farms and there’s some super hills (Primrose Hill is the place I run to the second the sun puts its hat on). All these things are fine and dandy but I want treeeeees. I want dense fairy tale forest with moss and gnarled roots reaching for your feet as you wander through. I googled London Woods and it produced quite a lowely list of 15, most of which on further inspection contain the words small, former or previous and so I guess don’t actually really exist anymore. I think the best option looks to be Queens Wood particularly appreciating this line in the review …the wood has no park or playing fields but does sport a children’s adventure playground built on top of the plague pit. (!) so I might venture out there when I’m back in the smokey city.

 

 

To satisfy my lack of woodland woe I ventured out to Hardcastle Craggs near Hebden Bridge. I arrived at about 11am and it had been raining all morning, that constant drizzle that makes your face and hair all dewy. Luckily I was really protected by the canopy of new leaves for most of my walk so could just enjoy the beautiful freshgreen rainy smell and use it as an excuse to don my wellies and jump around in the river. It also meant I could take some photos without the sky giving my camera a shower. The walk was about two miles and I only bumped into two other people and a giddy spaniel! I saw lots of unseasonal robins, a tree-creeper, a dipper, a beautiful yellow wagtail and a bunch of ants eating bilberries. My favourite spot of all was this little chap. He looked extremely happy mooching along the damp bark.

I love the eerie mist that hangs around deep inside woods and the mysterious way that everywhere you look can shift and sway and look the same as the place you’ve just come from. I think everything can be put in perspective by getting deep down into nature and listening to the peace and quiet ♥

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Paper Aeroplanes

April 14, 2010 in Music | 1 comment

About five years ago now, a friend made me a mix CD. And somewhere lurking at the very end was a track called Linen by a band called Halflight. It was the most beautiful song I had heard for years, and it quickly became #1 on my itunes most played list. It carried me through lonely Leeds winters and was like a hidden gem, shared and whispered between friends and family that I made future mix CDs for and always put this track first. I never really investigated anymore about the haunting voice behind the song and it just existed like a single perfect entity. And then something happened. My prehistoric desktop computer died after five years of moving house more often than getting a hair cut and being dropped in puddles on numerous occasions in the process (!) and with it my entire itunes and my music folder vanished.

Now it is 2010 and I am a different girl in a different place, and when lurking in the ailes of Rough Trade my eyes glinted at the site of the record artwork above. The photography was so breath-taking that I just had to know more (& I know, I know… never judge a book by it’s cover etc). A few clicks of spotify later and Paper Aeroplanes were lilting out of my monster headphones. After a couple of tracks I began to get that hot itchy feeling of recognising something but not knowing where from. Cogs in my brain whirred and the frustration nagged at me until I had the ! moment when I finally dredged the information from the back of my brain. The voice was the same as the one I had been completely enchanted by on the track Linen. From the very little information I could surf on the net, I could confirm that Paper Aeroplanes are indeed Halflight, with a fantastic new name!

It just seemed so odd that this band have suddenly made a comeback into my life, and through such a random discovery of just completely adoring the artwork on a random sleeve. I think this band are my soulmate? Or something! Even down to the fact that spiffy singer Sarah Howells wearing a dress on the cover that I used to own in bottle green but ripped beyond repair on a deserted-building break in (in the name of photography, not robbery. Honest guv)

Paper Aeroplanes are the most exciting musical discovery I have made this year. It makes it even sweeter that they are UK based and therefore hopefully easily enough to track down and see live sharpish! They have quickly become the soundtrack to my summer, my age and everything that is happening right now. Anyway luckily for me, aside from some amazing EPs and bits and pieces floating around, they have just released a whole entire new album called The Day We Ran Into The Sea which I have been gorging on. My favourite tracks are Lifelight and Newport Beach. Coming from Wales means the themes in the music are beaches, and love, and they are relatable. It makes a change from the American and Australian domination in my playlists. And my ultimate favourite track is Dance All Night which I cannot imagine ever tiring of. Although it is an up-tempo, chirpy number that will have you swaying your hips, the lyrics so accurately describe that heartbreak of clashing and grating against someone you love and it’s just unbearable. Sarah’s voice is just so absolutely sincere and everytime I hear this track, my heart cracks a little bit.

But I’d go dancing every night, if it made everything alright

Do you think that we’d still fight? When we’re dancing, dancing.

Because everything’s not black and white, when we’re dancing every night.

Maybe we’d forget to fight,? When we’re dancing, dancing.

I can’t wait to own a physical copy of this CD as soon as I have some pennies in the bank. The lack of information about them on the internet makes me frown and worry they aren’t getting the hype or recognition they deserve? Which would be tragic.

You can listen here
You can buy here

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