Sparkling Sunset by the Whitby Coast

Jul26

This blog is my final entry before I turn the big 30 and begin a new chapter, leaving behind my twenties. I am happy to announce that my boyfriend and I are now engaged – something I never thought I would get to experience and write about in a blog.

The other weekend my partner and I decided to go for a long weekend in Yorkshire and we happened to have some of the best weather so far this year – must be our weather magic.

We arrived on Friday in York and began by going on a haunted tour of the city. The guide really made this tour as he took us round to the Minster, Guy Fawkes birth place and the shrine to Margaret Clitherow – the martyr of the Roman Catholic Church. He involved different people including my other half in acting out being hung drawn and quartered. I think even the tour guide jumped though as we stood in the historic street ‘The Shambles’ where he explained butchers would hang up their meat and people emptied chamber pots so blood etc would make a river down the street, when someone pulled loudly shut a window above us.

We then met up with my friend and her other half for dinner in the Mumbai Lounge. Pregnancy is really suiting her. I predict it will be a baby girl – watch this space! That night we stayed at The Golden Fleece pub. This is the oldest Inn in York – mentioned in archives as far back as 1503 and is believed to be haunted. We stayed in Lady Peckett’s room. Lady Peckett’s husband owned the Golden Fleece around 1702 and some guests have reported seeing her ghost. The pub has great charm with its uneven floors – our bed had a block of wood under one leg to make it level. Whilst we didn’t see the ghost of Lady Peckett the waiter at breakfast, we joked, seemed almost ghost like!

We met up with my Mum and Dad the following day and visited York Railway museum for the 75^th anniversary of Mallard doing the fastest speed of a steam train in the world at 125.88 on July 3^rd 1938. Little did I know that when my other half and my Dad went somewhere for a quiet chat it was for my now fiancé to ask my Dads permission for his daughters hand in marriage.

That evening the two of us travelled on to Whitby and had a most enjoyable fish and chip tea in the famous Magpie Cafe. The building itself was built in around 1750 when it began a long association with fishing and shipping. It opened as a cafe in approximately 1939 and is widely considered the best place to get fish and chips in Yorkshire.

Full from our meal, my other half suggested a walk along the beach and then as the sun was setting, colouring the sky red, and the sea was rhythmically grazing the shore; he dropped down onto one knee and produced a stunning sapphire and diamond ring.

Engagement rings go back to the 13^th century in the Western World and are worn on the second finger on the left hand as this is believed to be the shortest distance to the heart. I was so stunned – the first thing I said was are you joking before giving an enthusiastic yes. It couldn’t have been a more romantic proposal given that our first date had been fish and chips on the beach in Broadstairs. We celebrated in Wetherspoons of all places with a bottle of champagne which the staff had to dust off!

Champagne was actually discovered by mistake when the cold winters halted the fermentation process only for it to start again in the spring creating a bi product of carbon dioxide which remained trapped in the wine. It is now generally seen as the drink of choice for celebrations and in a book I am reading that I was kindly bought as an engagement present ‘How to Wear White’ it is said that the UK spends over £5million a week on champagne! There is some suggestion however that the consumer trend this year is towards people buying Prosecco over champagne to celebrate with.

The following day was spent walking round the town, playing crazy golf (where I got a hole in one) and in arcades as well as going on a boat trip. I’m sure those cuddly toy machines are rigged! I couldn’t resist this gem of a satchel – so like the ones of the Cambridge Satchel Company but far cheaper, which I discovered on a market stall.

We had a fish and chip tea down on the beach again whilst the sun set and I dipped my toe into the cool sea.

We then finished our stay with a trip on the North Yorkshire Moors railway and a visit to Goathland where Heartbeat was filmed. On arrival back at Whitby, we grabbed some freshly baked doughnuts only to be dive bombed by seagulls!

We returned home to break the good news to both sets of parents. I still can not quite believe it has happened to me – the little girl who said no one would ever marry her. I cannot stop admiring my ring and feel like I am on cloud nine. This wonderful event also ticks another box on my bucket list, so I have achieved 4 out of 10 of the items – got engaged, been to India, done the Moonwalk and started riding lessons again. The others will be carried over to my new bucket list to do before 40.

We now have around a year to plan our special day and I can’t wait to get started. Look out for lots of wedding planning themed blogs over the next few months!

Horsing Around

Jul14

Royal Ascot is Ascots most prestigious race meeting and was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. The British love affair with horses dates back far further than this with the first believed horse race to have been in Yorkshire in 200AD. To this day horse racing remains the second most popular attended sport in Great Britain with Royal Ascot drawing around 300000. On Saturday 22^nd June myself and my Mum attended the last day of Royal Ascot. On arrival at Waterloo station, there was a rainbow display of hats and fascinators and women and men dressed to impress clutching picnic baskets with bottles of Champagne. We had our own bottle of wine but as we were in the main grandstand we were not allowed to take it in so we quickly downed it – hunched under an umbrella outside – so classy! It was a blustery and rather showery day but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits.

Ascot is of course renowned for its fashion as much as, if not more than its horses. I wore an Oasis dress and a red hat with nude stilettos and an oversized nude clutch. My Mum and I enjoyed a Pimms in the fashion bar whilst checking out the outfits of others. I was gutted to walk past someone in the same dress as me that I had thought quite unique – I am all for imitation being the most sincere form of flattery but at an event with such social standing it was rather gutting.

In total I placed 4 bets each way costing me a total of £16. I came away with £25.20 after Dandino romped in at 2^nd place and an outsider in Krypton Factor came in 4^th. As it was my other half who suggested Krypton Factor as he perused the race supplement in the morning’s paper – I treated him to a silk tie.

The Royal procession was quite wonderful and grand even if the queen was hidden under an umbrella. The procession takes place each day before races begin and the Royal Standard is raised. People were even placing bets with the bookmakers on what colour hat the queen would be wearing.

Of course horses and fashion don’t only collide at Ascot; equestrian influences on fashion are often revisited with trends such as tweed, jodhpurs, blazers and of course riding boots as well as horses often being used as props in fashion shoots. Autumn/Winter 2013 is no exception. I love these Dune riding boots, but it seems wrong to be thinking of winter when summer has only just arrived.

One of my bucket list items before hitting 30 was to take up horse riding lessons again. I learnt as a child on a pony and on a holiday in Zante, when I was 18, I went on a horse trek so I felt sure that although it would be my first time back on a horse for more than ten years that it would all come flooding back to me. How wrong I was. I arrived at Callum Park riding school to be confronted with a large white horse of 16 hands 2 – much larger than I had ever ridden before. After much struggle I got myself in the saddle. Walking around the paddock seemed fairly nice and relaxing but I had forgotten how physically demanding rising trot is. I managed a half hour lesson but ached like never before the following day, however I will be returning for a second lesson.

Did you also visit Ascot? What did you wear? Please share photos of your outfit. Until next time ……

Summer Time Blues

Apr28

With Easter behind us and the clocks now having moved forward an hour bringing us lighter evenings we can dare to hope that winter is finally over. The summer vibe is certainly evident on the high street and on the catwalks.

Tiffany blue is the colour to be seen in this season. Tiffany and Co established in 1837 as a stationery and fancy goods emporium, first used this blue colour on their catalogue in 1845; before its focus became jewellery in 1853. Tiffany now owns the copyright, meaning that no one knows the exact shade. Many designers have certainly been attempting to emulate it though including Oscar de la renta.

Oscar de la Renta dress

If your finances like mine don’t stretch to designer, never fear as the high street has been keen to get in on the act. Tiffany is seen as the epitome of luxury and as such often features on the silver screen. I hope wearing the colour will induce the same luxe effect and as such couldn’t resist this dress from Boohoo.

If you prefer to wear the colour more subtly, why not invest in a nail polish; Chanel do a beautiful one. Perhaps you would prefer to use the colour on your eyes; pictured shade is Mac Aquadisiac or just a flash of the colour with a fifties style pair of heels from LK Bennett.

Now whilst on the subject of Tiffany’s they collaborated with Catherine Martin to supply the jewellery for The Great Gatsby film, which is released in May. This Jazz age glamour collection allows us all to have a piece of the roaring twenties which I touched on in ‘memories of my Grandma’. The collection mainly contains pearls black onyx and my favourite the sapphire. I picture here a few of my favourites but visit their site to view the full collection.

http://www.tiffany.co.uk/Shopping/Category.aspx?cid=2605758&mcat=148206

So whether you have someone who lavishes jewellery on you or are less well off, we can all have a little something from Tiffany’s this season.

Happy shopping!

A Special Grandma

Apr6

In February I had the very sad news that my paternal Grandma had died. At 87 she had lived until a good age, however I somehow always thought she would make her 90s at least. We were extremely close, not least as I was born 8 days after her husband, my Granddad passed away. This blog is dedicated to her.

Grandma was born in 1925 when George VI was on the throne and Stanley Baldwin was prime minister. She was named Joyce and never was there a more appropriate name being that Joyce means cheerful or merry. My Grandma was always smiling and such a warm person. 1925 was of course a time of prosperity in the UK, a time of peace between the two world wars and the 1920’s are often referred to as the roaring 20’s. I am looking forward to the release of the Great Gatsby film in May which is set in 1922. Fashion then was very much the drop waisted flapper dress and long strings of pearls. Shoes suddenly earned more fashion status being that they were now being mass produced and dresses were shorter so they could be seen. T-bar or Mary Jane shoes were the shoes to be seen in. Vogue magazine came to Britain in 1916 and a quote from January 1925 read

“This year the mid-season collections are concerned with subtle changes of the slender silhouette. [The mode] is much given to introducing a fluttering movement – a flowering, feminine line. Waist-lines are low. Chéruit and Chanel are also bringing forth a newer, more feminine elegance. They have launched simultaneously the combination of black and flesh-pink in afternoon or evening frocks.”

These nineteen twenties-esque shoes are on my wish list from Oasis.

During her childhood years I recall my Grandma saying that she would see a dress in a shop, her Mum would go and look at it and then make her the same thing. I wish I had such dress making skills.

Grandma would have become a teenager just prior to the start of World War 2. Through the war years, many people in the UK struggled financially and rationing was brought in. Clothes were rationed from June 1941 until March 1949 due to shortages in materials. Women still however paid attention to fashion and those who could not get silk stockings from an American troop would stain their legs and draw a black line up the back for a seam to give the allusion they were wearing them. Tea dresses were the dress of choice and shoes were often the lace up variety as they were more practical.

Make do and mend was the motto and the reason for patches on elbows of jumpers becoming fashionable. Magazines would advise on how to update existing clothes for the new season. Square shouldered jackets were popular, emulating service uniform and because many women entered jobs previously done by men often trousers and dungarees and headscarves were worn as these were more practical. In occupied France, the Germans tried, unsuccessfully to move the fashion centre to Berlin causing many couture houses to close. Coco Chanel later benefited from having a Nazi lover. In the issue of vogue (front cover of which is seen below) there was an advert from Chanel informing readers of the absence of their scent until after the War but continued production of their lipstick and powder.

Vogue cover Aug 1943

The victory roll was a popular style for hair at the time and you can see Grandma with this in the below photo aged approximately 19. The government produced strict guidelines on clothes; skirts were shorter, waistlines higher and no pleats and minimal hems and fastenings. Patterns had to conform to this too. Red lipstick was also preferred by many women and women felt it was their duty to keep men’s spirits up by still looking their best.

Grandma aged 19 approx

Movie stars in 1940s were Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland and Ingrid Bergman. 1942 saw the release of Casablanca which was an immediate hit.

This is my Grandma in the 1960s. This style of dress with the gloves was the height of fashion at the time.

I have a very similar vintage handbag to the one in the picture only in black.

Grandma was as my uncle said in his tribute ‘born to serve.’ She was of the generation of women who waited on their husband and children’s every need. In some respects however she was also a modern woman often holding down a job as well as bringing up a family.

Grandma loved her garden so I had a wreath made in the shape of a watering can. The number of people at the funeral was wonderful and showed just how loved a lady she was. I also read a tribute and the poem ‘do not stand at my grave and weep’ which Grandma had requested I read.

Grandma you were like a second Mum to me and I valued our relationship so much. You will be greatly missed. I hope you are now pain free and are with Granddad and your sister Gladys. Rest in Peace Joyce.

Reliving the 80’s and 90’s

Mar17

One of my close friends had an 80’s fancy dress party last month. I went as a Rubik cube whilst my partner went as the karate kid. The Rubik’s cube is a 3D combination puzzle originally invented in 1974 and sold to Rubik in 1980. Although the hey day of the cube was the 1980s it remains popular today and in January 2009 350 million had been sold worldwide. Often thought of as an impossible puzzle, the record for a single solving is 5.66 seconds! Solvers of the puzzle are often seen as highly intelligent hence it featuring in films in order to portray this trait in a character, for example Armageddon. Other costumes at the party included a storm trooper, Madonna, Jessica Rabbit, Prince and Disco divas. I often think of life as being a bit like a Rubik’s cube; just as one side falls into place another becomes a muddle.

I got thinking about what the 80’s mean to me. I was born in 1983 when the prime minister was Margaret Thatcher, ‘Wherever I Lay my Hat’ by Paul Young was No 1 in the singles chart, the rave culture was in full swing and a first class stamp cost less than 20p. There was still a £1 note in existence and the trains were the slam door variety. Newly released was the CD format for music as opposed to tapes. The 30 years of my life have seen a great many rapid changes not least the internet, DVDs and mobile phones. Growing up my favourite toys were the Sylvanian Families and my brothers were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The toy to have Christmas 1983 was the cabbage patch doll. I bought my niece her first Slyvanian’s this year, hoping she would get as much enjoyment out of them as I did when they first arrived in Britain in my local toy shop in 1988. Who can forget the TV shows we watched such as Rainbow, Raggy Dolls and Wacaday?

Fashion in the 80’s was a mixture of punk, neon, shoulder pads, leggings, leotards, leg warmers, perms and crimping. Many of these fashions have seen revivals and neon continues to be a trend for this coming spring season as well as hair crimping being seen on the Moschino catwalk.

I guess though the 90s left more of an imprint on me as I was only 6 at the end of the 80s. This year as my friends and I all turn 30, I suspect there will be lots of reminiscing back to the 80s.

Last month Britain saw its first flurries of snow for this winter and March has brought more still – I’m so grateful for my Ugg boots – this is not the weather for stilettos! Snow rarely has its imagined romance unless you are a child with a sledge; cold fingers and toes along with thwarted journeys are not pleasant. It is a good excuse however to showcase some of the wonderful woollies out there at the moment; I love the woollen headbands, perfect to wear out when I am doing my training walks for Moonwalk.

Definitely time to ditch that New Year diet and relax in front of the TV enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate topped with cream and marshmallows in your cosy onsie next to an open fire. Not quite sure why grown adults have started wearing hats with animal ears on though, can anyone shed any light on this?

My Cath Kidston knitting book and supplies arrived the other week so I will be teaching myself how to knit as per my bucket list and should have a nice warm scarf at the end of it. I’m hoping to add to my list learning to crochet so I can knit a lovely blanket for my partner’s sister’s new arrival. I may even move on to quilting – all great activities to do whilst it’s cold outside. Rufus the rabbit certainly enjoyed the snow; perhaps I should knit him an ear warmer!

Despite it feeling nothing like spring outside; I have been giving some thought to spring fashions. Talking of revivals, there seems to be somewhat of a 90s feel this season with scrunches being seen on the Ashish catwalk, a Bewitched style double denim resurgence and programmes such as My Mad Fat Diary and The Reunion. Monochrome appears to be big again and I love this dress from Boohoo which I will pair with a coral belt from New Look and coral shoes from last year to give it more of a spring feel. I also couldn’t resist this fun comic strip dress.

Last month was of course Valentines Day and my partner and I went for a lovely meal at The Barn restaurant near us.

http://www.thebarnrestaurant.co.uk/

Valentines always brings a surge on the market for underwear and perhaps as fashionistas we often ignore these largely unseen items. We should give it greater attention however as like a good pair of shoes – good underwear has the power to make us feel sexy and instantly lift our mood.

Anyway I shall sign off now. Just before I go though I want to share with you another DIY makeover – our dining room. When the ceiling fell down back in the summer due to being the old Victorian lathe and plaster, we were devastated but we turned it round to a positive by using it as an opportunity to install an open fire and redecorate.

After the ceiling fell down

We have gone for a North African theme whilst incorporating a traditional Victorian feel. The fireplace whilst not original to the house, we believe to be an original from the period and the kind of style that would have appeared in our house of our type. The companion set was a vintage find given as a Christmas present and the kettle was my maternal grandmothers. Besides the usual photos the mantel piece is also adorned with a camel picked up in Morocco and a souvenir pyramid from Egypt.

The light is a Moroccan lantern from Moroccan Bazaar and conjures up fond memories of the bustling souks in Marrakech. The main canvas was purchased during our trip to Egypt. There is also a piece of papyrus with my name in hieroglyphics which was picked up in Sharm El Sheik. The smaller canvases – two are shots my paternal grandfather who I never met took when he was posted out to Egypt with the army and the third is him washing up after Christmas dinner in Jamaica.

The red adds to the North African feel as well as adding warmth to the room. If my sewing skills improve I would also like to make a window seat.

Look out for my next home feature and wrap up warm. Until next time………

Happy New Year

Jan6

Happy New Year! So another new year dawned, surrounded by the usual celebrations despite it being 2013 – unlucky for some; I wonder if wedding venues have felt the pinch with superstitious brides?! For more on why 13 is seen as unlucky see my previous blog ‘Friggatriskaidekaphobia’

https://blahnikgirl.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/friggatriskaidekaphobia-fear-of-friday-13th/

Apologies for the long gap between this and my last post but December was a difficult month for me with my eye condition flaring up again for nearly 2 weeks. I have however still managed to fit in quite a lot, along with shopping for the party season and had an enjoyable Christmas despite everything. Here are my favourite purchases.

Baroque dress from Oasis

Lace dress from Jane Norman

Shoes from Oasis

Early December saw my friend’s baby boy christened. He wore a beautiful gown that was a family heirloom. I always think choosing an outfit as a guest at a christening can be difficult. It sort of requires a dressed down, wedding attire look with an avoidance of black, being that it is a joyous occasion. This is fine in the summer but being winter and tights being required made it more difficult. In the end I opted for this navy dress with butterflies and red cardigan and shoes, all from New Look.

Viva Forever, a new musical written by Jennifer Saunders and produced by Judy Craymer with the music of the Spice Girls opened in the West End on 11^th December and in spite of poor reviews by critics, I dragged my boyfriend along to see it. He wasn’t the only man present but they were a definite minority. Having followed the Spice Girls closely as a young teenager, I found the musical most enjoyable regardless of the weak plot; especially during the last song when the whole audience danced and sang to ‘Stop Right Now’.

I don’t know about everyone else but it took me quite a while to feel Christmassy this year for some reason, with my cards being written out hastily to meet the last posting date and me hanging on tender hooks hoping my online purchased gifts would arrive in time. It probably didn’t help that we had few decorations due to the dining room being half finished. What really got me in the mood though was when I was making my Christmas cake a few days before Christmas; the house was filled with sticky sweet aromas whilst Christmas songs filled our ears and there was the distant sound of a steam engine whistle. We looked out the front and sure enough a steam train was pulling into the station. This must have been a common sound in 1898 when our terraced house was built but nowadays I think always produces a kind of romance.

My Christmas Cake I made

Christmas Eve was spent at home in my cosy PJs on the sofa. Fashion articles often neglect nightwear but I think it is just as important being that many of us girls put our PJs on as soon as we get home. Fabulous magazine did however do a small spread on mixing textures. I went for checked fleecy bottoms with a white cotton vest and a lovely knitted cardigan from Oasis and then for a touch of glam I added pearls.

My partner and I decided to do a tree present each on Christmas Eve. Excitement bubbled and butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I picked up a small, square, neatly wrapped box – could this be the long awaited engagement ring? Alas no, it was in fact a box of dinner party ice breakers! My partner was quickly forgiven the following morning though when I ripped the paper off my main present of my much longed for Ugg boots. I was very spoilt by all with lovely presents but thought a couple of my friends gifts deserved a mention being that they were unusual tree decorations – a felt owl which was very in keeping with the 2012 fashion trend and a bauble from Verona.

Over the Christmas period I spent some much needed time with family which was very nice; especially having my brother, his fiancé and my niece join us for Christmas dinner. I couldn’t resist buying my niece more shoes and these silver ones from Monsoon went down a treat – she wanted them on straight away and wore them to every other event over the period too. My partner and I hosted a New Year’s Eve dinner party with our respective parents which was fun and an opportunity to air the dinner party ice breakers starting with the worst first date each of us had had. As Big Ben chimed we toasted over champagne and had party poppers whilst mumbling the verses of Auld Lang Syne. This year I haven’t made any resolutions as such as my bucket list of things to do before 30 sort of covers it (see previous blog).

https://blahnikgirl.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/when-you-realise-that-you-are-all-grown-up/

Talking of the bucket list, the weight has started to come off albeit slowly with my 5:2 diet. I think I could probably lose far more however if I ate normally on the other 5 days rather than gorging myself on cakes and biscuits. Having signed up for the half MoonWalk London which raises money for breast cancer research; I now need to get in to training. My parents bought me some trainers as despite someone offering to double the money raised if I walk it in 4 inch heels – I think this would be suicide even for me. My fundraising page is now live. I understand money is probably tight at this time of year but it would be great if you could even just sponsor a small amount. My company will match the amount I raise and donate it to their charity Action for Children so you will be helping two charities in one go – great if your new years resolution was to support good causes. Please pledge via the below link.

http://www.walkthewalkfundraising.org/christina_baines

As a year comes to a close it is a good time to reflect on achievements of the previous year and mine and my partners has to be our garden and drive which was completed with much help from my Dad and Uncle. Check out the before and after pictures. Look out for more home improvement in future blogs.

Our garden early on in the project

Yesterday we took my partners niece and nephew to see their first pantomime – Peter Pan at the Churchill Bromley. The tradition of a pantomime at Christmas dates back at least to early 1800s however the “traditional” pantomime is constantly evolving in order to maintain its popularity. We greatly enjoyed it although being the penultimate performance signals Christmas well and truly being over for another year. Guess January blues set in now – let me know how you are combating them.

Until next time ……………………………

The 4 C’s – Cauldrons, Charity, Christmas and Clutches

Nov26

Halloween, Guy Fawkes, Remembrance Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas; there are many festivals to be celebrated now that the colder months are upon us.

The Halloween spirit (pardon the pun) was started by a guy at work bringing in themed cupcakes to raise money for charity. I threw a Halloween party which was great fun and dressed as a skeleton whilst my partner was a vampire. We decorated the house with pumpkins, spider webs and various other bits and bobs to create a kind of haunted mansion. The kids loved the cauldron full of sweets which also contained the odd rubber eye ball (not to be confused with a gob stopper!) I really liked the plates I chose especially when they appeared in the ‘Fabulous Magazine Lustlist’ after I had purchased them!

Rufus even got in the Halloween Mood!

People often assume that Halloween is more of an American festival but in fact it was the UK that introduced the custom to the United States during the mass Irish and Scottish immigration during the 19^th century. The actual origins of Halloween are disputed. Some suggest it has its roots in Paganism with influences of Western European harvest festivals and festivals of the dead whilst others argue it has Christian roots. Those following the first line of thought, link Halloween to the Celtic festival of Samhain which marked the start of winter and the end of the harvest season. It was a time to prepare for the winter and there were various rituals and bonfires. People believed that it was a time when souls of the dead and other mythical beings could come into our world. Some of these beings were thought to be harmful and it may be that people dressed up and carved turnip lanterns to ward them off hence today’s customs of dressing up and jack-o-lanterns. The American’s changed turnips to pumpkins as it was a native vegetable and easier to carve (not sure I agree with that last point though – put it this way the power tools were on standby!!). At Samhain youths would also go door to door collecting food and if a household gave food, they could expect good fortune for the winter which may be where the trick or treating tradition may come from. Those who believe Halloween has Christian origins link it to the holy day on 1^st November, All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows. They saw it as a time to pray for those recently deceased who had not reached heaven as well as honouring the saints. Those of this belief sight the origins of trick or treating as the practice of ‘souling’ where poor children would collect soul cakes door to door as a symbol of praying for those in purgatory. It was believed that the dead could seek vengeance on their enemies until all saints day when they moved into the next world and that was the reason that people dressed up and made jack-o-lanterns, to protect themselves from these souls.

Due to Catholic connotations, during Reformation Protestants were against celebrating Halloween and after the 1605 gunpowder plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, popularity for Halloween declined in Britain, with far more emphasis being placed on Guy Fawkes Night. Being that I held the party between Halloween and Guy Fawkes, we also had sparklers.

This month I signed up to the Moonwalk London to raise money for breast cancer research which takes place next May. The walk was started by a lady called Nina Barough who along with 12 other women took part in the New York marathon in a decorated bra to raise money for breast cancer back in 1996. After that first walk, Nina herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 1997 a team of girls entered the London Marathon for the cause. In 1998, such was the response for a team to walk in the London Marathon for a second time that a separate walk was created for the eve of the marathon. From then onwards, the moonwalk has been an event in its own right with popularity growing year after year. Having never done anything remotely physically challenging, I went for the half moon walk which is 13.1 miles; I better get myself in training not to mention purchase some trainers – I think I would struggle to do it in heels! I can’t wait to start designing my bra. Please sponsor me for this excellent cause; details of my fundraising page to follow in a future blog.

Last week when I was at the hairdressers I read a very interesting article regarding a new diet called 5:2. Basically you can eat normally for 5 days of the week and for 2 days you fast, eating just 600 calories. (Some internet sites suggest for women this is reduced to 500). This diet was popularised by Dr Michael J. Mosley when he was on ‘Eat, Fast and Live Longer’ documentary in August 2012. There has been research suggesting that not only does the diet work; it can also reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and Cancer. Conversely though there is some research suggesting it could cause eating disorders. I’m always on the look out for a quick and easy fix to losing weight so I have decided to give it a go. I will let you know the progress weight wise but I have done it for a week now and I must admit the fasting days are difficult and it really opens your eyes to the amount of calories in everything which does make you think twice about what you eat even on the normal days.

A couple of weeks back was Remembrance Sunday and I wore my poppy with pride as well as observing the 2 minutes silence. I am sure poppy sales greatly increased on 1^st November – London Poppy Day when my day was brightened by some very handsome young soldiers coming into the office selling them! The total raised on this day for the appeal was £772,211. Armistice Day is on 11^th Nov and commemorates the end of World War One and the signing of the armistice at 11am which ended the war for the Western front. In 1939, the two minutes silence was held on Remembrance Sunday on the first Sunday after Armistice Day in case Armistice Day fell on a week day and interrupted war productions. After World War Two, most events moved to Remembrance Sunday. Both days are now celebrated in the UK. The poppy became the symbol of Armistice Day in 1921 and was inspired by a poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ which refers to poppies being the first thing to grow in the earth of the soldiers graves. The British Legions poppy appeal raises money for those who are serving in wars or have served and their dependants. As a child my Grandma would always take me down to Orpington War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday where there would be parades by the armed forces and Brownies, Guides etc. I remember always wishing my Brownie pack was in Orpington so that I too could have taken part.

As we all begin the preparations for Christmas, lets remember those children who are living in poverty and give something back. November is the Operation Christmas Child shoe box appeal time. Imagine the joy on a child’s face on Christmas day when they receive a gift of your lovingly put together shoe box. This year I did mine for a girl between the ages of 5 and 9. Check out my blog last year for the history of the shoebox appeal and visit their website for more information.

http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/

Before the Christmas parties begin in earnest, I have a few 30^th birthday parties to attend over the coming weeks and I just couldn’t resist this unusual 70’s vintage style magazine clutch by Paparazzi. I will wear it with a plain black dress so that it stands out and takes all the glory! Carrie is seen with a magazine clutch in Sex and the City ‘Where there is smoke’ and I have wanted one ever since. Another great style blog which mentions this clutch is http://5inchandup.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/1970s-magazine-clutch.html

Only 28 days until Christmas so it’s time to start that shopping! Nero’s have released their special Christmas coffees; an amaretto latte and a praline latte so when your feet are sore from dragging round looking for a present for that awkward person to buy for, pop in to take the weight off and indulge. Until next time….

Fünfzig Schattierungen von Berlin (50 Shades of Berlin)

Oct29

Life is full of contrasts and contradictions which is what makes it interesting. As summer becomes a distant memory – grey has become en vogue. By that I am not simply referring to the sky but the latest cult trilogy which has overshadowed Twilight – that is ‘50 Shades’. Everywhere women are discussing it. I have now finally read the first book, mainly to see what all the fuss has been about. How can I sum it up? Christian grey is a man of contradictions which is interesting as grey tends to be used to imply uncertainty or a mixture of good and bad. Grey often symbolises boredom but paradoxically the book is very colourful despite the use of grey in the title.

On the subject of grey skies, this month saw the 25^th anniversary of the hurricane in the UK or the great storm as many refer to it; when Michael Fish became a household name saying ‘there will not be a hurricane’. Is anyone else finding it impossible to get up in the mornings now that it is dark and often drizzly? Well the clocks went back this weekend so it should be a bit lighter in the mornings for a few weeks.

Before you all slip in to a grey depression, every cloud has a silver lining and there are some beautiful leaf colours at this time of year making a truly beautiful landscape, almost like a watercolour.

Image Courtesy of Google Images

Fashion has certainly taken somewhat of a lead from nature. Coloured denim is as big as it was in the summer but we move away from brights and pastels to more muted darks such as these burgundy jeans which I couldn’t resist from New Look.

Another transient trend has been birds but more specifically this season owls. This top was a bargain purchase again from New Look. I teamed it with a grey Oasis boucle mini and a light grey cardigan but it will look equally good with my burgundy jeans and my leather biker with knitted sleeves to give more of an edgy rock look.

Nails have also gone back to nature with nude colours. I love a Rimmel brown called ‘Beige Babe’. Whilst on the subject of nails – Nails Inc have produced a couture range where you are able to design the bottle and personalise it and the box – what a great idea for Christmas presents and naturally I thought I would treat myself to one first. Meet my new shade ‘cosmopolitan’.

I find the biggest fashion challenge of autumn/winter is finding the perfect pair of boots rather than the perfect coat as many fashion writers suggest. I may well follow their suggestion however that the solution is not to try and nail it down to one but have a variety. My favourite boots have seen better days; they were a cheap faux suede, black knee high pair from Primark. I treated myself to these biker style boots but foresee myself also getting a pair of Uggs and some dainty high heeled ones too!

A few weeks back I went to Cheryl’s million lights tour at the O2 which was fantastic and I eagerly await the Girl’s Aloud reunion next year. I have a very varied taste in music from Led Zeppelin and Stereophonics to current pop – another ambiguity.

Last weekend I surprised my other half for his birthday with a long weekend in Berlin. Berlin is steeped in history – unfortunately most of it dark with WWII and the Berlin Wall. They have acknowledged this past however as something to learn from and around it developed a modern, buzzing, cosmopolitan city especially at Potsdamer Platz which was the centre for the Festival of Light which took place whilst we were there. Art and advertising was projected onto buildings and coloured lights are placed beneath the trees which create a magical feel.

The most poignant place we visited for me was Gleis 17 at Grunewald station. This is a disused platform nowadays but it was once where many Jews boarded trains to concentration camps during the war. It is now a memorial to them. Along the platform edge are the number of Jews deported each day and it really is horrifying. 1000 to Auschwitz, 1700 to Theresienstadt….. Now it is peaceful and serene with only the sound of the wind in the trees to interrupt your thoughts and prayers.

Other sites we saw were the Topography of Terror which is the sight of the Gestapo and SS headquarters but is now a records centre for the atrocities and takes you through how Hitler got his hold on the German people. Something I didn’t know however was that concentration camps existed long before the outbreak of the war as early as 1933, where people who opposed the Nazi political party were sent. We also visited the site of Hitler’s bunker which now has flats built on it – not sure I would want to occupy one of those flats!!

In some ways the wall and its history had more of an impact on me because it was in my lifetime and therefore easier to identify with. I knew very little of the history before the trip. The wall was erected in 1961 by the GDR to separate East Berlin and the rest of East Germany from West Berlin as it was believed that the West had not been fully de-Nazified. Families were separated and in the East there were strict communism rules imposed by the Soviets including censorship of media materials. The West was being built up and saw great economic growth whilst the East lagged behind. Many East German people tried to escape to West Germany (estimates suggest 3.5 million) either through border houses, over the wall or by tunnelling and many were killed. There is a photo memorial to them by the strip in Bernauerstrasse and a further memorial by the Reichstag. On 9^th November 1989 the GDR announced the border reopened and in 1990 the physical wall was removed. There are two long stretches of the wall left, the first at Bernauerstrasse where they have also uncovered the foundations of the border houses and one by the topography of terrors on Niederkirchnerstrasse. It is unbelievable that this occurred in recent history. When the wall came down in 1990, many gathered at the Brandenburg gate. This iconic structure was also lit up as part of the Festival of Light.

One of Berlin’s more modern structures is the Fernsehturm or TV tower, built between 1965 and 1969 and the countries tallest building at 368 metres. The lift reached the top in 40 seconds, making my ears pop. At the top we were treated to 360 degree views of Berlin. I enjoyed a cocktail appropriately named 360º whilst we were up there.

The weekend we went happened to also be Oktoberfest and at Alexanderplatz there was a traditional German market and plenty of beer on offer. We warmed ourselves with a Jagermeister shot too. I’m not normally a beer drinker but I must confess I quite enjoyed a Berliner and the Rothaus brewery beer Tannenzäpfle or Fir Cone (a beer from the Black Forest).

Berlin had so much to offer, we could have done with a bit longer there but we crammed in the highlights and on the last day, as a bit of light relief from all the history, we visited Berlin Zoo. This has the largest collection of animals due to the fact that when the city was divided, there were two zoos and they have now been combined into the one. I can honestly say it is the best zoo I have ever visited because they have really given thought to the layout with low bars so you can get excellent photos. Of course the elephants were the highlight for me!

On the way home, the sky looked beautiful as we approached Schőnefeld airport, with the sun just coming up. At the airport my partner treated me to some perfume as a thank you – Daisy eau so fresh by Marc Jacobs.

Image Courtesy of Google Images

With X Factor live shows now well under way – the countdown to Christmas has truly begun – only 57 days until Christmas day! Before that though we have Halloween approaching and make sure you visit the cinema to see the new Bond film – Skyfall, released this week – we went today and I must admit I have never been a great Bond fan but I thoroughly enjoyed it and now want to see all of them and Adele has smashed the theme tune. Can’t believe this film marks 50 years of Bond and it’s still as popular today as when the first film was released.

Have any of you got memories of Berlin you would like to share? What are you doing to cheer yourself up on these grey days?

Until next time………………………

When you realise that you are all grown up

Sep30

A few weeks ago I attended the wedding of one of my very close friends. It was held at St Benedict’s Ealing Abbey which was a fantastic choice of venue; very grand which made it feel like a royal wedding. My partner and I were unfortunately late due to appalling traffic and it was most embarrassing as people turned around when we entered the church and I tried to tiptoe to a seat as quietly as possible in my gold stilettos; not an easy task I assure you!

The service was lovely and the bride looked stunning in her white, one shoulder, fish tail dress with jewel encrusted bust and floor length veil. The tradition of Western brides wearing white was popularised when Queen Victoria wore a white dress in 1840. During the middle ages when weddings were less about love and more a union of two families, brides wore rich colours, the latest styles and often prized materials such as fur in order that they may display their wealth to the other family. Poorer brides would wear their Sunday best.

The bridesmaids wore cream and gold Coast dresses with red satin shoes. I wore a red dress I ordered online from a site called Persun who customised it to my size. I accessorised with a toucan clutch from River Island.

Following pictures on the steps of the abbey, we then travelled to the Richmond Gate Hotel. A drinks reception met us with something I hadn’t tried before – cranberry with champagne and very nice it was too. The sun was shining for a change so we could relax in the hotel garden and have some informal photos. Now already my feet were hurting but luckily my best friend was better prepared than I was and lent me some flip flops so I could rest my feet on and off!

The tables were beautifully decorated with flowers and diamonds – after all diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Each table also had a box of London quiz questions which I thought was a rather innovative idea. The favours were boxes shaped like roses with chocolates inside for the girls and a Mario shaped box filled with jelly beans for the boys. Wedding favours were originally called bonbonnieres and began in Europe where the rich gave them as a sign of their wealth. The boxes would have been made of gold or porcelain or precious stones and it would contain sugar as this was a rare commodity then. As sugar became more plentiful, this evolved into almonds and then sugared almonds in the thirteenth century. The common favour for weddings became 5 white sugared almonds in some pretty coloured netting or a box. The 5 almonds were to signify fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness. The contrast of a sweet coating and a bitter almond symbolises the bitter sweetness of marriage. Nowadays many different things are given as favours to show the bride and grooms appreciation and as a souvenir of the day.

The wedding breakfast was delicious with smoked salmon to start, chicken for main and a lemon torte for afters. The best mans speech was great fun as he devised a game of bingo where he held up pictures of the groom growing up and you ticked off the ones you had. The cake was then cut and the couple had their first dance.

With the formal part of the day over, the party got started with a mixture of Irish music and popular beats. It was a wonderful day of catching up with friends and partying into the night. My partner and I stayed over at the hotel as it would have been a long journey back and I certainly made paying for breakfast worthwhile, filling up on cocoa pops (I know I should have outgrown them by now, lol), a full English and cinnamon whirl!

Over the last few years I have seen many of my friends get married, buy houses and become parents and I guess as we head at lightning speed to the end of our twenties this is no great surprise. As I sat down to the wedding breakfast I suddenly felt quite behind everyone, with our table consisting of one couple with a three week old son, one couple recently married in July (see previous blog ‘Cultural Celebrations’) and the other couple who married some years ago and have a gorgeous 8 month old little girl. Despite the joy of the day and the happiness I felt for the wonderful couple; a little sadness also washed over me – was I being left behind my peers? A quick Google found many attempts at lists of things to do before you hit 30 (the so called bucket lists) and there was a comedy drama made in 2005 entitled ‘Things to do before you’re 30’. There are also lists of things to give up by 30 such as not using night buses, not getting tattoos or piercing etc and of course Margaret Thatcher famously said if you are on a bus over 30, you have failed. The lists vary wildly, however there are some common themes. Most lists have learning to drive which I can tick off as I eventually passed my test on A Level results day after 5 previous failed attempts – proof perseverance pays off! There are also things such as moving out of home, getting a proper job and falling in love, all of which I can tick. I once did a vision/mood board; an idea from the cult book of a few years back ‘The Secret’ and it is interesting to look at what I have achieved off there. I did indeed start dancing lessons and I live in a Victorian terrace just like I pictured. Sadly I never did make it to become an air hostess although I did get offered the job as one – I just decided I couldn’t survive on the wages. Here I have put together my own list of things I still want to do before I hit 30, some big and some small and now I have 10 months to tick off as many as possible.

Get married – this one is now highly unlikely to happen before my milestone birthday but hopefully I might get engaged before it
Bought a high end designer pair of shoes – the closest I have come is LK Bennett at the moment but I am saving hard for a pair on Manolo Blahnik’s
See India – hopefully going in April, fingers crossed
Do basic motorcycle training and get a Vespa/Lambretta – unlikely I feel but hey at least I have the VW Beetle I always wanted and as my Dad once said, I’m a danger on 4 wheels, what would I be like on 2?
Learn to knit – knitting is once again cool with clubs all over the country
Have some horse riding lessons again
Do the Breast Cancer Moonwalk
Finally start that diet
Possibly still fancy butterfly tattoo on my hip but I am a big scaredy cat – once got all the way to the shop and backed out!

Anyway to end on I wish the lovely couple every happiness for the future and thank them for being such great friends. I also want to congratulate my other friend on attending the wedding and looking fantastic, only 3 weeks after having given birth.

Finally I want to share my latest purchase in keeping with the bird print trend of the summer as I’m not quite ready to let go of those warm days yet. I will team this with my black skinny jeans and some black flats.

Until next time…

‘The Greatest Show on Earth’

Aug29

You would be forgiven for thinking that I was referring to the Olympics but actually I am talking about a far more important celebration – my birthday that just happened to fall on the same day as the opening ceremony. So nice of the whole country to join in my celebrations! Lol! I haven’t seen the opening ceremony but by all accounts it did our country proud and Team GB did very well with 29 gold medals, 17 silver and 19 bronze, putting us 3rd in the medal table. Go Team GB! I did watch the closing ceremony which was fantastic and I especially enjoyed the Spice Girls which took me back to my early teens when I was mad on them and the girl power they stood for. I must admit this is the first year I have taken an interest in the Olympics. I even got my rabbit Rufus into the spirit with a Team GB football! Tomorrow marks the start of the Paralympics.

The origins of the Olympics go back to ancient Greece in 8^th Century BC. The first games held in the UK were in 1908 when such sports as Tug of War were included. We came top of the medal table that year with 56 gold medals!

So another year passes and sadly this will be the last year of my twenties. I don’t feel a day over 21 though! Where have those years gone? Guess I feel a little behind my peers at times given my lack of career path; however numerology does say that those with a birth date of 27 tend to be late bloomers, taking their time to choose a profession. It also says we are creative so perhaps there is some hope for a writing career still.

Being that my birthday fell on a Friday this year I decided to stretch the festivities over the whole weekend. On the day we had a family trip to West Wittering beach. I chose here as despite being some distance away, the place holds good childhood memories. You can park up virtually on the beach and picnic. The sand stretches for miles whilst the tide is out and there is a lot of shallow water making it ideal for children. The car park has been run commercially since the 1920s and in 1952 the local residents bought it to prevent a Butlin’s (or similar) holiday camp being built on it. Check out their website for further details.

http://www.westwitteringbeach.co.uk/

We had a lovely cooked breakfast on arrival cooked on a camping gaz and a picnic lunch, followed by a mouth watering coffee and walnut birthday cake that my Mum made. The history of the birthday cake is quite an interesting one. Since the middle of the 19^th century it has been an important part of celebrating birthdays in the West, however there is evidence of the custom going back to Roman times. Putting candles on the cake is believed to go back to 18^th century Germany. Singing happy birthday became popular in the early 1900s and it was then that the words happy birthday started to appear on cakes.

We had great fun playing tennis and rounders on the sand. When I was batting in rounders, I was so excited to have hit the ball I forgot all about running! I had a bit of a swim and we built sandcastles with my beautiful baby niece who at 13 months is already very cultured; eating olives and feta cheese. Not sure who enjoyed the sandcastles more – her or me and my partner, lol! There is nothing more relaxing than the warm sun beating down on you with the soft sand beneath you, water gently lapping and a slight salty taste in your mouth.

I wore my denim skirt dungarees with a white t-shirt and my bikini underneath. To finish the look off I wore my healed glitter jelly shoes. Now these PVC plastic shoes were hugely popular in 1980s but have had a revival a number of times. People have guessed at their origins with some suggesting that it goes back to just after WW2 when there was a leather shortage in Europe so a French shoe maker developed them. Many people think they are a big no no or only suitable for children but how else can you wear heels to the beach?!

We finished the day with a fish and chip supper and a very pleasant bottle of wine and all returned home rather sunburnt with numerous mosquito bites!

Saturday morning my partner gave me his presents to open and brought me breakfast in bed. That evening I went for a curry where I used to live with many of my friends. I stuck with my resolve to try different dishes and had Malayan Chicken. It was a lovely evening and time flew past meaning that we missed the last train and had to sheepishly knock at Mum and Dad’s door. I wore a butterfly maxi dress from Jane Norman for the occasion.

Sunday was another meal out, this time with my partner’s family and I was lucky enough to be showered with more gorgeous gifts.

I want to use this platform to thank family, friends and my partner for making it another wonderful birthday and at time of posting I am still dragging out my birthday. One of my partners presents has yet to arrive and two weeks after my birthday another one of my boyfriends arrived – a gorgeous mosaic bistro set which will set the garden off lovely when it’s all finished.

I also couldn’t resist these thank you cards from Zazzle, so me don’t you think?

The other weekend my friend and I met up in London as she was away for my birthday. We spent a very pleasant few hours wandering round Harvey Nichols and other shops in Knightsbridge looking at all the lovely things we can’t afford. I especially enjoyed the Louboutin boutique in Harvey Nichols where the assistant informed us that on his crystal encrusted shoes, each crystal is applied separately by hand and so they can take at least a day to make one pair – now I understand the price tag! Being adventurous and keen to try anything a bit quirky, I couldn’t resist trying out Bubbleology – a concession that sells bubble tea within Harvey Nichols. The stall looked more like a science lab, with the staff wearing white coats saying bubbleologist on the back. Bubble tea was invented in Taiwan in the eighties. Bubble tea is fundamentally green, black, white or red tea and it can then be infused with milk or fruit and drunk hot or cold. Small bubbles are formed on the top in the process of making the tea as it is shock vigorously, hence the name. In the bottom are small balls of tapioca. I quite enjoyed it; it’s certainly worth experiencing!

We finished off the day in Harrods for afternoon tea in their Georgian restaurant with a glass of champagne included. Now as much as I enjoyed catching up with my friend and sampling some delicious sandwiches and scones and a nice glass of champagne, whilst the piano played itself; Harrods itself was some what of a let down for me. The gold leaf on the plates was faded, the silver tea pots were tarnished and the décor looked tired. My other complaint at the risk of sounding like Samantha in Sex and the City, was the amount of children there. Now don’t get me wrong I love children but I’m not sure they should be attending a luxury afternoon tea plus isn’t it a waste of money for their parents?

To end on, I must share with you one of my presents, a book that must have been written for me, lol! Mum kindly bought me Manolo Blahnik – The Elves and the Shoe Maker. This book combines the old fairy tale with the story of the designer and is illustrated with drawings from the designer. The author also wrote another of my bibles ‘How to Walk in High Heels.’ This has interesting tips on such things as how to change a light bulb.

I also received from a few friends, gorgeous scarves, two with butterflies and one with dragonflies which I will be brightening up my work attire with.

That’s all for this time. Do let me know any beaches you recommend or indeed what your feelings on jelly shoes are. I’m now off to enjoy another of my presents – Champagne with black Raspberry Chambord; kindly bought by a friend to remind me of our trip to London Fashion Week.