To Move or not to move – that was the question?

Jan24

Back when the New Year dawned my husband and I decided that 2015 would be the year we moved. I was personally very happy in the house we had; a 1897 2 bed terrace on the aptly named road of Station Road, but he worried that if we didn’t move now then we might lose our opportunity. We began looking to get an idea of what was out there in our budget and were repeatedly disappointed when our offers were rejected as our house wasn’t on the market; so we went through the process sprucing up the house before getting valuations and photos taken.

Now everyone had told me how stressful moving can be and how it’s second only to divorce but initially our experience totally contradicted that. The day before our property was even released online we had a viewing and an offer for the asking price from a landlord. Then not more than a week or so later, we found what we thought was our perfect house; a 1930’s 3 bedroom semi on the very desirable road in Rainham, with a big garden but albeit no garage. We had to offer £10,000 over the asking price to secure it but that seems to be the way of things at the moment. So this was March and we were feeling pretty smug having sold our house and found our dream home inside of a month. I can report this was only the beginning and little did we know but much horror was to follow.

Come summer, the people in the house we were purchasing were still no nearer to finding a property for themselves and it began to dawn on us that these people weren’t really serious about moving so we decided that we should start to look again. We viewed numerous houses but none met our requirements or felt right and a few that did, we were outbid on. One of the worst properties we saw was a so called chalet bungalow that was in fact a bungalow with a loft conversion. As we took in the strange elevation of the garden the owner commented that she hoped she had picked up all the dogs mess from the lawn! The living room came complete with her slob of an ex-husband watching reruns of formula one! Definitely a firm no. I was beginning to doubt if there was the perfect house for us out there, perhaps we were looking for something that didn’t exist, and we were both of the opinion that we would just go along with things until we either lost our buyer or the sellers pulled out of theirs.

I can’t explain why but one day out of the blue, I found myself back on the Right Move site and there it was; a house even more perfect than the original one we had found that actually ticked all our boxes. It was a 1908 built, Victorian/Edwardian style house, detached, with 3 bedrooms, a huge garden and a garage. We got a viewing as soon as we could. As soon as we went in, it just felt right, I could see us living there and knew I wanted it. So we went in with an offer £10,000 over the asking price but still only the same offer as we had put on the semi and to our amazement it was accepted. The couple there were older and one was moving to Wales and the other a smaller property in the area.

Would you believe that as soon as we pulled out of the semi – it was back on the market for some £20,000 more and I have since heard that they have moved so maybe it was a ploy all along to get more money – who knows, but they did us a favour in the end as it turned out.

The problems didn’t stop there however. Our buyer was moving incredibly slow and it turned out struggling to get his buy to let mortgage. The estate agents advised us to go back on the market and assured us we would get another buyer in no time. Unfortunately they didn’t bother to inform the agents we were purchasing from and when they saw our house back online, the vendors panicked and put theirs back on too. We got another buyer that same day and she offered the full new asking price (£10,000 more than originally) but the agent would hear nothing of it and said viewings were already booked on our dream home. I was distraught. I don’t know how I got through work that day. I was in tears at one point, so I wrote a letter begging the vendors to reconsider and we put it through their door. It was an evening of nail biting but thankfully the following morning the agents rang to say the vendors had been in with our letter and they didn’t want to sell to anyone else.

Happy days you would think, but there was one final nasty surprise for us. The new buyer of ours pulled out about a week later. This time we were in direct contact with the vendors however and informed them straight away. They said they didn’t want to overreact like last time and would see how things went and they then rang and said they themselves would like to view our house. They offered straight away, albeit £2000 less than what the woman had offered but we were more than happy to accept as now it was a private sale and we would have no estate agents fees to pay. Would you believe both the landlord and the woman tried to win it back though – not that we were stupid enough to go there.

A moving date was set for early November and the packing began in earnest with much help from both our parents. It’s hard to believe just how much stuff we had between us and part of the process was going through and chucking stuff out. It’s just so hard when you find something you have kept for 20 years and somehow it seems wrong to throw it away when you have had it so long but the time had come to be ruthless. I still felt it could all fall through at any time and still wasn’t convinced even when we exchanged.

Moving day came around quickly and we still had much to do when we got the call saying we had completed at around 10am. Now it really was happening – I finally dared to believe it. We had decided not to use removal firms, partly due to cost but mainly as I didn’t want strangers knocking my possessions about. Dad hired a van and we were fortunate enough to have lots of family and friends muck in to help. Inevitably though it took as longer than the guy moving out of our new home; after all my large collection of shoes took time to pack up! He not only had removals but his wife had gone to Wales the day before so there was far less stuff to move. He then turned up at Station Road and had invited a Talk Talk engineer to fit his broadband. This added to the stress of rushing to get out. Then I came downstairs to find a strange woman in our dining room, who later turned out to be the new owners cleaner. That was it; I just lost it – it felt like our home was being invaded, even though it technically wasn’t ours anymore. My husband sent them away to leave us in peace and eventually the lorry was loaded. I didn’t even get a chance to say my good buys to the house as the new owner was knocking on the door. I realise I acted irrationally and hope that the new owner doesn’t hold it against me but I think all my emotions just suddenly flowed over.

As we drove off I felt a great deal of sadness. All my recent memories had been made in that house. It was the first house I had lived in other than the one I grew up in. We arrived at the new house and had the obligatory picture with the sold sign.

new home

We set about the important task of finding the kettle and then broke for some lunch before unloading the van. We were still unloading as darkness fell. The last items to come in were the sofas and they were the most challenging as they only just fitted through the front door.

We really had done it. We all went out for a meal to celebrate. The first night was strange and felt like staying in a hotel. Although the house was in reasonable condition it wasn’t as good as we had thought it was when we viewed it. The décor was also not to our taste. I know many of you will disagree with me as now apparently grey is in fashion but we found the abundance of grey walls rather depressing; as my husband aptly put it, it was like living in a black and white movie. Suddenly I think we both realised the magnitude of what we had done. We had gone from a house where everything was how we wanted it to a new project and it felt just a little overwhelming listing out all the changes we wanted to make.

Without a doubt it was the right decision to move and I will get used to it. The possibilities with this house are vast and I look forward to getting stuck into the projects. Check back to look at my renovations.

In conclusion I now realise why people say moving is stressful – I don’t know about it only being second to divorce but I know there were times when we were so stressed, we took it out on each other and we could have very easily have ended up experiencing both. Thankfully we are now out the other side and whilst I advise everyone to go for their dream home, I certainly will never be moving again, they can take me out of there in my box!

An Eastern Journey – Part 2

Jan17

Leaving Japan, I felt a bit sad, despite having seen all we aimed to apart from an Onsen, which is a traditional bath and a Geisha show. It had certainly been a whistle stop tour, as you can read in part 1 of this blog and I would dearly love to return.

Initial impressions of Hong Kong were not that favourable as it is such a stark contrast to Japan. Whereas Japan is ordered and exceptionally clean – Hong Kong is more like London with much hustle and bustle; after all it is the most densely populated metropolis in the world. I was however excited at the prospect of meeting up with our friends Pelham and Karina who had invited us here to celebrate their wedding – the away fixture as they called it – see previous blog of their English wedding

Hong Kong was under British rule for almost 155 years, until July 1997 when it was handed back to China (with the exception of about 4 years during WW11 when Japan occupied it). Hong Kong is on China’s South Coast and is split into three main regions – Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and the New Territories.

The name Hong Kong is believed to have its origins in a Cantonese phrase meaning ‘Fragrant Harbour’. This may be due to the fact that incense factories were all around the north coast of Kowloon and the produce was stored in Aberdeen Harbour for export, before Victoria Harbour had been developed. It is also nicknamed the Pearl of the Orient due to the way the skyscrapers in Victoria Harbour light up the night sky. Hong Kong has a kind of fusion culture which is a combination of both Chinese and British culture; however since its independence, their own unique culture is developing and people will proudly refer to themselves as Hongkongers. The official languages are both Cantonese and English.

We purchased an Octopus card which is by far the best thing to get on arrival in Hong Kong and is similar to the London Oyster card, in function but the similarities end there – the travel using it is incredibly cheap and the small initial outlay lasted us for our entire trip.

On our first night, the guys from England headed out drinking with Pelham whilst the girls visited ATUM; a dessert restaurant, with Karina. The restaurant was located in Causeway Bay and we boarded a tram to travel there from our friend’s hotel. The tram is an icon of Hong Kong, running since 1904 and the largest fleet in the world to be exclusively double decker trams. Once inside the restaurant we were bought an appetiser drink in a test tube. Then began the business of having a dessert designed in front of us. It was an absolutely amazing experience to watch the art works being created, especially when they made ice-cream with liquid nitrogen. Eating it all was even more enjoyable. We then joined the boys in a roof top bar on the IFC mall, overlooking the harbour.

IMG_1538_2

The following day, Karina’s uncle had arranged a busy day of sightseeing. It was fantastic to have a local to show us the highlights of the city and he certainly was a character. First stop was Nan Lian gardens in Kowloon. These were stunning gardens with koi ponds and I was able to capture the picture that had been used to illustrate the Hong Kong Lonely Planet guide – a golden pagoda! We then had lunch in the Chi Lin Vegetarian restaurant there that had a beautiful waterfall cascading down the outside of the building.

Golden Pagoda

We boarded the private mini bus, he had arranged and headed to the New Territories and Lam Tsuen wishing tree. The wishing tree is where you tie your wish to an orange and throw the orange into the tree – if it stays in the tree, your wish will come true. The old tree is now too unstable after a branch fell down in 2005, so there is a new tree and only plastic oranges are used, which can be bought from sellers on site. You can also buy a plastic lily pad with a candle, attach a wish and float it on a pond. There were statues of all the twelve Chinese zodiac animals nearby the tree, which was a great photo opportunity.

Next we visited Che Kung temple. The temple is dedicated to Che Kung, a military commander whom legend has it, ridded Sha Tin of the plague. There is a golden windmill by the giant golden statue of Che Kung which people believe spinning the sails of, brings good luck. I had my fortune read there, from a piece of paper selected by which stick falls out of the pot when you shake it, whilst telling Che Kung your wish and one of Karina’s friends kindly translated for me. I felt much better about the impending move after this when he said it would be a safe and secure home but wouldn’t bring us great fortune.

Our final stop was Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island, at 552m – what a view from the viewing stations and even better from the Peak Tower. Sadly we didn’t have time to ride the 125 year old funicular railway, so were taken up and down by mini bus.

Dinner that night was a marvellous experience that I will never forget. The Jumbo Kingdom restaurant is a floating restaurant, moored in Aberdeen Harbour which you travel the short ride to by boat from Aberdeen Promenade. There was an opportunity to dress up as a Chinese Emperor and his wife and have your photos taken which was great fun. The banquet meal was delicious although I declined to sample the thousand year old egg! This is a Chinese delicacy and whilst not literally a thousand years old, it is a chicken, duck or quail egg, preserved for several weeks or months in a mixture of either ash, salt, quicklime, clay and rice hulls depending on the method used. It certainly looks rotten as it is a dark brown colour.

The next day we had a much needed lazy day in the hotel before leisurely getting ready to catch a taxi over to the W Hotel for Pelham and Karina’s wedding banquet. I had selected my Oasis dress in V&A Appleby print as I felt that it had a sort of oriental feel and accessorized with gold sandals and a gold clutch.

Outfit at wedding

On arrival at the hotel, we were greeted by life sized cardboard cut-outs of Karina and Pelham. We were also able to peruse the album of their English wedding.

A red envelope was given to us which custom has it you place money in for the bride and groom. The red symbolises good luck. Opinion on the amount of money to be placed inside is divided; some say it should be digits that end in an even number as odd numbers are seen as bad luck whilst others suggest amounts ending in odd numbers are more favourable because they are harder to divide, hence meaning the marriage should be stronger. The figure should also not include the number 4 as this number is seen as unlucky due to it sounding similar to the word for death; interestingly lots of buildings don’t have a fourth floor because of this. When the bride and groom arrived in Chinese dress – they performed a tea ceremony welcoming their respective in laws.

Following the ceremony we all found our seats for the banquet. In each place was a square purple box with a photo of their English wedding on the front. The colour theme for both weddings was purple. There was much debate about what the contents of the box was, with many people suggesting that it might be soap, but it was in fact tea.

There was a lovely slide show of Karina and Pelham growing up, followed by photos of them together. Karina and Pelham both changed into their outfits from the English wedding. Karina sang a beautiful song to her parents, as well as singing with her Mum when she had changed into a cerise pink gown. There was an opportunity for karaoke and we all went up and ‘helped’ Pelham with a song. The banquet was delicious and seemingly never ending – course after course, after course was brought out. Karina had a final outfit change into a beautiful layered pinky peach taffeta dress.

The banquet ended at 11 so I, my husband, Pelham, Karina and other guests from the UK made our way to nearby Ozone Bar. This is the highest bar in the world at 484 metres on top of the International Commerce Centre. Inside is very futuristic with refractive glass.

On Wednesday following a walk in Kowloon park where we saw turtles and flamingos along with people practising taichi, we decided to add another country to our list and took a boat trip over to Macau. This is a peninsula of China, to the west of Hong Kong and is often referred to as Asian Las Vegas as it is the only legal place which the Chinese can go to in order to gamble. The country has Portuguese roots as it was a colony of theirs from mid-16^th century until 1999 and it is the most densely populated region in the world. It has its own currency of Pataca but Hong Kong dollars can also be spent there. I was most upset that immigration in general appears to have dispensed with the rubber stamp method on entering the country. For Japan, Hong Kong and Macau I simply received a tiny piece of paper (called a landing slip) like a receipt placed loose in my passport. I like my passport to document where I have been and having googled it since, I see no reason why I cannot staple these into my passport as a souvenir.

A local speciality associated with Macau is a Portuguese egg tart; naturally I had to try one from one of the many food stalls. This is an egg custard filled pastry case and I really liked it.

Egg tart

The main site to see in Macau aside from the neon lit casinos is the ruins of St Paul’s cathedral. Only the façade of the 17^th century church remains following a fire in 1835.

After exploring this and Monte Fort which ironically has a cannon pointing at Grand Lisboa Cascino as if it disapproves; we checked out Na Tcha Temple, built in 1888 and a tiny temple behind the ruins of St Paul’s; before indulging in some shopping. My husband bought my Christmas present which was a Pandora bracelet which although it is readily available in the UK came with a charm that is exclusive to Asia. We finished our trip with noodles at Cheong Kei, which is Michelin recommended.

Our return journey from Macau was far from plain sailing. We had to give up on finding the bus back to the port and get a taxi. Little known to us, we had been booked on a set ferry back and we struggled with the language barrier to explain our predicament to the officials. In the end we were forced to pay for a full price first class ticket if we wanted travel when we did. We did get a free meal out of it though.

We rose early the next day to travel on the metro to Tung Chung where we picked up the first departure of the day on Ngong Ping cable car over to Lantau Island. The cable car was officially opened in November 2006 but there was a soft opening that preceded this on 18^th September where only 1688 tickets, each priced at HK$88 were sold as the numbers were considered lucky in Feng Shui tradition. It is a 5.7km long bi-cable ropeway, the first of its kind in Hong Kong and offers 360 degree views of Lantau Island on its 25 minute journey.

The sights of the green mountains are truly beautiful but by far the best sight is of the Tian Tan or big Buddha, emerging from the trees and standing tall, watching over the Island. Upon disembarking the cable car, we took the short walk to the bottom of the 268 steps and climbed part of the way up to the Buddha which is a bronze statue, completed in 1993, weighing 202 tonne and the largest seated bronze Buddha in the world. It really is an impressive sight.

On our return to the cable car we stopped into some of the shops in Ngong Ping cultural village and I couldn’t resist this beautiful dress.

Chinese dress

Our next stop was one of the highlights of our time in Hong Kong as I am still a big kid at heart. We visited Disneyland. The park is small in comparison to Euro Disney but there is a lot of magic packed into a very small area. Even the MTR train that takes you there is decorated with Mickey.

We began by taking the little train around the perimeter of the park before having lunch and I couldn’t resist Mickey themed waffles for afters.

Next I purchased a pair of mini mouse ears before we assembled on Main Street for the parade.

We tried a few gentle rides as my husband is not big on scary rides. We both really liked the Buzz Lightyear ride where you competed against each other to score points for shooting Zurg (which I won) and afterwards had our picture taken with Buzz himself.

Buzz

disney castle

We watched the Lion King show which was fantastic. Before we left we checked out the gift stores and watched the evening light parade on Main Street.

After briefly stopping off at hotel we made our way to the nearby Temple Street night market. This bustling street bazaar sells all manner of trinkets, clothes and other wares and has often featured as a backdrop in movies. There are often impromptu opera performances and fortune tellers however we arrived too late to enjoy those. I did purchase a lovely set of chop sticks and a fake Jade bangle as well as a very cheap fake bag of a very sought after make. Jade is considered by the people of Hong Kong to have mystical qualities. What was even more fun was the haggling with the vendors. When we had had our fill of the pushing and shoving, we ducked into one of the many noodle bars and enjoyed a large meal, washed down with a local beer.

Our final day in Hong Kong had dawned. We headed out to see 10000 Buddha Monastery on Po Fook Hill in the New Territories. It was a very hot day and the hike from the nearest station up 431 steps which are lined with 500 life-size gilded Arhan statues was a very tiring one. Eventually we reached the temple which is decorated with some 13000 gold miniature Buddha’s. There are several other temples and a nine storey pagoda. On our descent from the Monastery we were met by two monks who put bracelets and necklaces on us and blessed us before asking for money; we declined and gave them back the things they had adorned us with.

We travelled back to check out and leave our cases before making our way down to the Victoria Harbour area, named after Queen Victoria. We decided to sample the famous afternoon tea at the Lobby of the Peninsula Hotel. We had to queue for about an hour to be seated and were lucky that they decided we met the dress code as we were casually dressed in preparation for the night flight home that evening. The Peninsula Hotel opened its doors in 1928 and is a bit like Hong Kong’s version of The Ritz. It is a mix of oriental glamour and traditional colonial Britain with beautiful white pillars, embellished with gold. The tea was called Peninsula in Pink and raises awareness of breast cancer and donates to local breast cancer charities for the month of October. There were some pink cakes and we also received a pin badge commemorating it. Whilst we ate we were serenaded by a string quartet.

Our bellies suitably full, we looked for the Avenue of the Stars but unfortunately it was closed. We walked past the Former KCR Clock Tower, a 44m clock tower which was once part of the Southern Railway terminus and onto the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry concourse where we decided to take a cruise on the Star Ferry.

The boat tours all the harbour’s stops and means you get a great view of the Hong Kong skyline, with the Bank of China Tower and the huge HSBC building being two of the sites. The HSBC building is a British designed building which was finished in 1985 and was at the time one of the worlds most expensive buildings. The original star ferry which takes passengers between Kowloon to Hong Kong Island which started passenger services in mid-late 1870’s, still runs and is still a very cheap way of seeing the Harbour.

We then walked back to our hotel via the Rosary Church, the oldest Catholic Church in Kowloon which was consecrated in 1905 and remained in tack during WW11. Since 2010 it has been a grade 1 historic building. Although the mass was all in Cantonese, you could still work out what bit of the service they were performing.

We killed some time over coffee in Starbucks before getting our transport to the airport. I will never fly the late flight again as the airport was so boring with all the shops closing up. As on the way out – I slept for most of the flight home.

I really enjoyed our stay in Hong Kong, despite initial first impressions, but feel I have probably seen most of what I wanted to see there – except for the pink dolphins. It has however aroused my interest further in a trip to mainland China. I really felt blessed to be able to celebrate Pelham and Karina’s marriage with them and wish them many happy years together. Karina’s family couldn’t have made us more welcome and her uncle was a fabulous tour guide. It was also lovely to meet their other friends and family from the UK who were able to make the journey too and I look forward to a reunion with them in London at the end of January.

An Eastern Journey

Jan3

Continuing with my bucket list of countries I want to see, this year in October our travels took us to Japan and Hong Kong. The long flight was not something I was particularly looking forward to, however a couple of films and a meal and I slept most of the remaining time to Hong Kong, where we were to transfer; much to my husband’s disgust as he was too uncomfortable to sleep!

The first part of this blog will describe Japan whilst the second will deal with Hong Kong.
We arrived late in Tokyo; so on arrival at our hotel, spent the evening pawing over the maps having extensively devoured the Lonely Planet guide on the connecting flight from Hong Kong. Japan is somewhat of an enigmatic destination that many people desire to investigate. It is a paradoxical country with the latest in gadgets juxtaposed with centuries of culture and tradition. As is usual we found ourselves wanting to do far more than our 5 full days allowed and so ensued many long days of rushing from sight to sight, wanting to experience each of the wonderful attractions.

We feared that food may be a problem and we weren’t far wrong. Neither of us fancied the idea of raw fish and my husband is quite particular about what he will and won’t eat. We were however saved, due to the arms of globalisation reaching right around the world – there was a TGI Fridays, McDonalds and many a Starbucks! My idea of being forced to lose weight clearly faltered despite the desire for the perfect body being all the more great, seeing the beautiful, skinny Japanese women.

The first day we began with what may seem to some as a rather strange; we visited a cat café. I had read in the Evening Standard that one was soon to be opened in London and knew that the idea, which originated in Taiwan, had blossomed in Japan. The popularity is due to cramped living conditions in Japan which often makes owning pets difficult. You pay an hourly charge to sit and enjoy the company of cats. Drinks are extra as is food to feed the cats. It was a very pleasant and relaxing experience and I was really impressed with the hygiene standards of the place. All I can say is don’t knock it until you have tried it.

Continuing with the gentle start to the day we then visited the Shinjuku-gyoen, a park where there was a beautiful pagoda and a greenhouse full of traditional plants. The autumn colours were truly beautiful – with the green leaves slowly turning a rich golden colour. We were lucky enough to get a sighting of the cherry blossom – a rarity in this season but an icon of Japan.

We then spent most of the afternoon, trekking halfway across the city looking for the designated pick-up point for the tour we had booked the next day without success; however we did go up the Metropolitan Government Offices building for some views of the Tokyo skyline over some much needed refreshments.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA We ended up returning to our hotel room and changing the pick up to somewhere more recognisable.

Shibuya was our next stop. Coming out of the metro, it reminded me very much of Piccadilly Circus with its lit up billboards. Two must see sights are the famous Hachiko dog statue outside the station and the well-known crossing.

Hachiko was owned by a professor who commuted to and from Shibuya station. Every evening the dog would wait at the station for his master. One day his master didn’t return as he had died. The dog however continued to return each day to meet what had been the master’s train until his own death some 9 years later. If you ever needed proof of what loyal animals dogs are, there you have it.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA The crossing is an intersection of pedestrian crossings that has to be seen to be believed; you have never seen so many people and yet none collide with each other. The best place to observe this crossing was from a Starbucks that overlooked it.

I then dragged my reluctant husband into some of the shops in the area and found a stunning pair of shoes but unfortunately they were too small despite supposedly being my size. I guess all Japanese people have nice narrow feet, sadly a quality I don’t possess.
Once darkness fell we headed to the Tokyo Tower, which bears a great resemblance to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, from which it took inspiration when built in 1958; however it stands taller than its muse by 13m, at 333m.

The following day was an early start to assemble at the bus station for our pre booked Viator tour pick up. After an extensive bus journey, the first stop was a traditional Japanese lunch. I opted for vegetarian to be safe but my husband didn’t and I was proud of him that he actually tried the raw fish. To be honest I was left with egg on my face as the vegetarian wasn’t that appetising either, tofu anyone? Guess it’s an acquired taste.

Next stop was a ropeway ride up Mt Kachi Kachi. The mountain has been made famous by a Japanese children’s book called Kachi-Kachi Yama in which a rabbit triumphs over a Tanuki in avenging the Tanuki’s past wrong doings. There are statues depicting the story and also rabbit shrines.

After this we began our ascent of Mount Fuji – the main point of the tour. They stopped the coach on the way up to allow us to photograph the brief glimpse of the summit we got as the cloud momentarily cleared. Once we arrived at the 5th station – the cloud or mist never cleared again so this first sighting was the best we got. The temperature up Fuji was markedly cooler than those we had so far experienced in Japan. The trip finished with a short cruise on Lake Ashi as the sun set.

On our return to Tokyo the coach dropped us by the Sanrio store, a mecca for all Hello Kitty fans. I couldn’t resist a photo with the giant statues outside and of course had to purchase a souvenir. Japan’s obsession with the Hello Kitty character even extends to using them on road work barriers!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Our final stop of the day was the Tokyo sky tree which opened in 2012 and has now severely reduced the viability of keeping the Tokyo tower open to the public. We went up to the viewing gallery but not to the highest point you can.

Our final day in Tokyo took in some of the more cultural aspects of the modern city. We rose early to visit the Tsukiji fish market. It was a photographers dream with the fish on display for shops and restaurants to purchase all fresh. I never realised quite how big a tuna was before this visit.

We had read that this market was the best place to eat sushi and so we decided to give it a proper go. I have to say it was nowhere near as bad as I imagined but by the same token, I don’t think I will rush to eat it again.

We visited Senso-ji, one of the most popular temples in Tokyo which has wonderful stalls leading up to it, selling all manor of Japanese crafts and trinkets as well having a five story pagoda in its grounds. At temples and shrines you can get your paper fortune for a small fee. You pay the fee, and then shake the silver box until a stick falls out which has a number on it. You then look for the drawer with your number on it and retrieve your paper fortune. If it is bad, you can tie it to the rack and pray to the Gods for better luck next time. Mine said moving was a very bad idea which was poignant as we were moving less than 2 weeks after returning from holiday.

We quickly visited the Meiji-jingu Shinto shrine, built from Taiwanese Cyprus, which is the grandest shrine in Tokyo.

We then took a taxi to Tokyo central station where we picked up a bullet train to take us to Osaka. We were just congratulating ourselves at how well we had navigated the public transport systems when a guard came along checking tickets and told us that our Japan Rail pass wasn’t valid on this particular high speed train (no we hadn’t read the terms and conditions) and so he put us off at the next stop. Thankfully we didn’t have long to wait for another train that we were allowed on and upon arrival at Osaka found that their subway system was just as easy to navigate as Tokyo’s had been.

Too tired and stressed out to venture far we ate in our hotel that night in a marvellous Teppanyaki restaurant where we had a personal chef who grilled all our food in front of us. We sampled an Osaka delicacy called Okonomiyaki, a type of savoury pancake, garnished with Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise and dried bonito flakes.

The following morning we headed back on the bullet train into Kyoto. This was an absolutely stunning city and really made you appreciate the rich culture of Japan; apparently even the Japanese visit here to learn about their culture. I would go as far to say that this was the highlight of the Japan trip for me.

Upon arrival, the station is a marvel of modern architecture, larger than most London stations and spread over numerous floors, which is in direct contrast to the city, which is heaped in tradition and was at one time the capital city. The tourist information centre was a life saver and we were given a local map and purchased a city day bus pass which took us round some of the sites and the rest were reached by local train.

Kinkaku-ji, otherwise known as the golden pavilion was an amazing sight, its gold leaf glistening in the sun and reflecting off the water around it.

Next we travelled to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. The path through is lined continuously with bamboo canes and the sunlight through the canes gives the walk a kind of magical feel which a photo cannot possibly capture.

On the way to the entrance to the grove we passed a place, which dressed me in a traditional kimono and allowed us to take photos for a fee. It was a stunning outfit that proved far more difficult to put on than you might imagine.

Fushimi-Inari Taisha shrine complex was the next site we ticked off. This is a collection of five shrines with the most awe inspired being the corridor of bright orange shrines.

Our final stop was a Japanese tea ceremony at Camellia tea experience. It is really quite amazing to watch the intricacies of the ceremony that are all performed with precision. We then got to do part of the ceremony ourselves and try the tea.

We travelled back to Osaka and went out for dinner locally in Dotombori, a lively nightspot by a canal of the same name, which is lit up by billboards. The most famous of these billboards is the running man, originally installed in 1935, which is an advert for Glico candy. This is the sixth version of the sign, now with LED’s.

The next day we headed on the bullet train to Hiroshima and travelled by tram to the Atomic Dome. This was such a moving experience. The dome of the building, originally built in 1915 stands restored to the condition it was left in directly after the atomic bomb in 1945. It’s very eerie and I of course signed a petition to ban the use of nuclear weapons. We walked through the memorial park to the main feature which is the cenotaph, listing the names of all those killed. At the cenotaph, you can see the dome through the middle. There is a flame of peace that will burn until there are no more nuclear weapons in the world.

Following a train ride and a short boat trip, we arrived on the small island of Miyajima. The island has lots of deer – happy to eat anything – it was really funny to see a man being chased by one. The most photographed site of Japan is here, a shrine gate, which appears as if it is floating at high tide. Unfortunately it was low tide whilst we were there.

The final site of Japan that I wanted to tick off our list, meant paying for a faster bullet train to Himeji to see one of Japan’s finest castles. It is set on a hill and its white plastered walls can be seen for miles. Built in 1580, it is one of the few remaining original castles in Japan.

We had dinner in restaurant near the Umeda area of Osaka that was recommended in the Lonely Planet guide, called Robatayaki Isaribi. You sat on semi circle shared tables with a chef grilling to order and passing dishes to you on a large paddle. It was a lovely evening and on the way back to the hotel we looked at the Umeda Sky building; built by the same architect as Kyoto station and consisting of twin towers, linked by an observation deck. It is supposedly one of the world’s top 20 buildings.

The following morning marked our departure from Japan. It had been a hectic week but a really enjoyable one. Japan is such a vast country with so many wonderful sites and some truly welcoming people. I absolutely love the order of Japan with people neatly queuing to get on the Subway trains. Before we went everyone said how expensive it was out there but we found it comparable to Britain although that maybe because the pound is strong against the yen at the moment. I would definitely love to visit again but if I don’t get the opportunity, at least I can say I have seen as much as was humanly possible in the time we had.

Look out for part two of this holiday blog, which will take you through Hong Kong.

Something Old, Something New

Nov11

Nothing can beat that feeling of holding a new baby in your arms, so small but perfect in every way; their whole life in front of them with endless possibilities. I was fortunate enough to have this experience again at the end of September when my new niece was born – the beautiful Georgia Alyssia, sister to Emilia Rose. I couldn’t resist this cute little outfit for her.

Once again as I looked down at her beautiful face, my feelings of broodiness returned. In October two of my friends gave birth to little boys. My best friend is due to give birth to her son later this month. There seems to be something in the water lately but I guess that’s what happens when you get into your thirties – everyone’s life course is changing. Cocktails are swapped for nappies and bottles. I have to ask myself am I ready for that change? On the one hand, I have always wanted a baby and the biological clock is ticking. On the other hand though, I am enjoying seeing the world and splashing out on the latest fashions, especially enhancing my shoe collection! There is no doubt that having a baby changes your life and your priorities. Suddenly that little bundle is all that matters, they come first and your needs are pushed to the back of the queue. Do I feel I have done all I want to do with my life and am I ready to hand over to children for the next 18 years? It is a massive commitment and one which one should not enter into lightly, however if you wait until you are ready, is one ever ready? There is of course another issue; we all take for granted that we will be able to have children – that is of course by no means a certainty and until you start trying, you won’t know.

Anyway I guess you are wondering, what the old is that I refer to in the title of this post? Also at the end of September, I had my first experience of a lunar cinema. This is an outdoor screening of a film – I guess kind of like an American drive through but without the cars. Rochester castle was the venue. Rochester castle is a stunning medieval keep which is 125 feet tall. The historic town of Rochester has a fascinating history and was a favourite of Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers and Great Expectations have references to the town. The castle – lit up against the night sky provided the perfect backdrop for the screening. They were showing the much acclaimed 1986 film, Top Gun. I love this film and have seen it many times but never on the big screen. Tom Cruise for me was in his prime at the time of this and Cocktail, pre scientology. We laid out a blanket to mark our spot on the grass and as the film opening credits were rolling, opened our bottle of rose Prosecco. Despite it being fairly warm still in September I can report that it was pretty cold as the night drew in and I was glad of my new blanket wrap, an autumn trend, which I bought from Jane Norman. Another trend seen on autumn’s Prada catwalk was the Prada ponytail which I also tried out for this occasion. Essentially the hair is pulled into a high ponytail and a piece of hair wrapped around to hide the hairband. The ponytail is then clipped to the side with a pretty barrette. After the film we warmed ourselves up with a curry.

Prada pony

Prada ponytail

Whilst we are on the subject of old and new we should be moving house tomorrow so unfortunately blogging will have to take a bit of a back seat as I concentrate on packing and unpacking boxes.

I would love to know which autumn/winter fashions you are loving as well as any advice on the should I, should I not baby question. Until next time……….

I Believe in Pink

Aug8

One sunny Saturday in July, my Mum and I visited the National Portrait Gallery in London to see an Audrey Hepburn exhibition. Audrey was a fashion and film star and according to People’s magazine one of the top 50 most beautiful women in the world. Perhaps what made her so beautiful was her innocence, shyness and vulnerability; she never saw herself as beautiful.

Audrey Hepburn by Bud Fraker, for ‘Sabrina’, Paramount Pictures, 1954

The exhibition documents the film stars life through more than 70 images, many previously unseen – consisting of photographs, film stills and vintage magazine covers. Also displayed are a pair of her leather ballet shoes.

Audrey Hepburn on location in Africa for The Nun’s Story by Leo Fuchs, 1958 ©Leo Fuchs

Audrey died in 1993 in Switzerland with her two sons and partner by her side. Now, over 20 years later – she still remains an incredible icon; as an actress, a fasionista and a humanitarian for her work with UNICEF which she became a special ambassador of in 1988. She is a truly inspirational woman and a positive role model for women everywhere. After her death, Italian shoe designer, Salvatore Ferrugamo created a ballet pump style shoe named after her.

Audrey was born in 1929 in Belgium, although through her father she was a British Citizen. She was an accomplished ballet dancer who was dancing by the age of 5, however her ballet teachers deemed her too tall to make a profession of it.

Dance recital photograph by Manon van Suchtelen, 1942 ©Reserved

Her father abandoned the family when she was young and he and her mother later divorced in 1935. In 1937 Audrey and her mother moved to Kent where she attended a small private school in Eltham. Upon the breakout of World War 2, Audrey and her mother fled to her mother’s native country, the Netherlands; falsely believing that they would be safer there. Audrey adopted a Dutch name so as to not stand out. They lived in Arnhem which I myself have visited and seen the bridge that was the centre of the battle of Arnhem; see previous blog. Audrey danced to raise money for the Dutch resistance and couriered letters for them. Times were hard with problems with supplies getting through and Audrey suffered malnutrition as well as depression. This perhaps inspired her later work with UNICEF. After the war they moved to Amsterdam. She then travelled to London where she continued with her study of ballet and also did some modelling. In 1948 she became a chorus girl in London’s West End.

She had numerous small film roles during the early 50’s as well as becoming the face of Lux soap. The first thing people probably remember her for was her performance in Gigi on Broadway in 1951. In 1953 she landed the lead role in a film called Roman Holiday for which she received numerous awards and this could be said to have launched her career.

For me one of her most famous roles was as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s which was at the height of Audrey’s career in 1961. There were people that thought her taking this role was risky due to the characters loose morals. The film is about transformation and the American dream and of course Audrey’s own life can be seen to have followed a Cinderella theme as did many of her film roles.

Image courtesy of The Daily Mail

Her relationship with Givenchy, the Parisian courtier began with the film Sabrina, when pre-production in 1953 she visited him in Paris and used some of his samples for her character in the film. He was never given credit for Sabrina but Audrey made sure his name was always mentioned on her future films. She had a unique style and knew what features she wanted to emphasis; as Chanel says ‘Fashion changes, but style endures’. What began as a business relationship became much more than that and they remained friends right up until her death. She often described him as her psychiatrist. My favourite picture from the exhibition was this one of her in a pink Givenchy dress.

Audrey Hepburn photographed wearing Givenchy by Norman Parkinson, 1955 © Norman Parkinson Ltd/Courtesy Norman Parkinson Archive

For this day I wore a pair of wide leg trousers from Oasis. These form part of their current collection which is a collaboration with the V&A museum (a museum close to my heart since the Alexander McQueen exhibition and Shoes: Pleasure and Pain ). The museum gave Oasis some historical prints from its archives for them to bring to life in a new collection. This particular print is an 18^th century print by London-based designer, William Kilburn. I coordinated this with a simple pink vest top from Oasis as I wanted the trousers to be the stand out piece of the outfit. For shoes I matched the background navy colour with these navy, suede Mary Janes which my Mum kindly treated me to in M&S on one of our shopping trips. I like to match shoes and bag and this navy Hobo, also from Oasis is stylish as well as practical – with room for all your bits and bobs. The outfit was finished off with my tribute to Audrey Hepburn – a small tiara like the one Holly wears in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Unfortunately I didn’t quite master the beehive to match.

I wanted to also share my Mum’s outfit of the day as I thought that she looked great too. She wore some beautiful LK Bennett shoes with an M&S blue broderie anglaise dress and accessorized with a LK Bennett clutch bag.

After the exhibition; we continued the glamour and got a black cab to Doubletree by Hilton, Westminster hotel where we enjoyed a pink afternoon tea. We were greeted with pink champagne and our tea was then brought out in a wooden box which didn’t really have the same appeal as the tiered cake stands which are usually provided. Unfortunately this was not one of my favourite teas – being somewhat of an afternoon tea queen as there were only a few sandwiches and the cakes were not really to my taste. The pink theme was consistent however, as along with the usual assortment of sandwiches and scones, there was a pink cone with cream in it, a tart with a pink macaroon on and a champagne truffle sprinkled with pink sugar. I have to admit it was good value for money given that it was under £30 for the two of us.

All in all we had a lovely day as we always do when we get together.

There are many famous quotes from Audrey, my favourite being ‘nothing is impossible, even the word says I’m possible.’ My inspiration for the title of this blog came from the quote ‘I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.’ If this quote isn’t a mantra for all women to live their lives by then I don’t know what is.

The Audrey exhibition runs until 18^th October and is definitely worth a visit.

Shoes Pleasure and Pain

Aug2

On American Independence day, I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London with my friend to see the Shoes: Pleasure and Pain exhibition. I had been looking forward to this for weeks as it is certainly an exhibition made for me; my idea of heaven.

HN_Nadja_Fashion_Dolce__Gabbana_American_Vogue_Monte_Carlo_1995_high_and_mighty_Auermann

High & Mighty shoot, American Vogue February 1995 (model: Nadja Auermann) Dolce & Gabbana suit, Summer 1995 © Estate of Helmut Newton / Maconochie Photography Image courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London

I’m sure women everywhere can identify with the fine line between pleasure and pain that shoes often occupy. How many times have we worn a fab pair of heels dancing and ended up crippled by the end of the night and sometimes even walked home in bare feet? So why do we do it? Shoes have the power to make us feel differently about ourselves, that’s why.

Status is often implied by the shoes we wear – when we see a flash of a red soled Louboutin – we know the person has not only class but money. History also supports shoes as symbols of status with royalty wearing heels to tower above their subjects and geisha shoes with their huge platforms that elevate the geisha to quite a height so that they were in the eye line of men and above other women. Talking of platform shoes, on display at the exhibition were the famous Vivienne Westwood blue mock-croc platforms which Naomi Campbell fell over on the catwalk in during a Paris fashion show in 1993.

9._Installation_view_of_Shoes_Pleasure_and_Pain_13_June_2015_-_31_January_2016_c_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum_London

Installation view of Shoes: Pleasure and Pain 13 June 2015 – 31 January 2016 Christian Louboutin ‘Pigalle’ pump Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Heels make us walk differently – they thrust our hips forward and elongate our legs which is seen as attractive to men, hence shoes often being seen as fetish objects.

An entire outfit can be changed by the choice of shoes – how many times have we borrowed a pair of heels in a dress shop in order to get a true impression of the dress?

Personally I feel that heels make my silhouette appear to be thinner and therefore I feel more self-confident. There is the added bonus that once we reach adulthood our feet don’t change size so they always fit however many chocolates you have eaten! I have often been shopping and resolved to buy nothing, having had my self-confidence shattered by the mirrors in the changing rooms to only then purchase a pair of shoes to cheer myself up.

I felt as though I should wear some nice shoes for the exhibition, which gave me an excuse to purchase a new pair! (Not that I need an excuse). I had read an interview in Look magazine with Kat Maconie, a British shoe designer who launched in 2009, and I was inspired to check out her collection. I purchased these stylish black sandals with chain ankle strap and the must have block heel. I wore them with an embroidered playsuit from Boohoo. I must admit I am a convert to the playsuit trend since purchasing this one. In the past I have found them not to suit my build particularly well but thought I would try again since stars such as Ella Henderson look fab in them without being stick thin. I am so pleased I did as this black one complements my curves and the embroidery is so pretty and unusual. I used my red quilted bag from Fashion Union to complement the red embroidery.

The exhibition contains around 250 pairs of shoes and looks at the history of shoes, the basics of making them, the fairy-tale quality of shoes, shoes as tools of seduction as well as our obsession with them and contains a sample of some shoe collectors hoards, as well as many shoes from the museums archives. There is a pair of Imelda Marcos’s shoes – she infamously had a collection of some three thousand pairs. It has been suggested that her obsession may have been born out of the denial of shoes when she lived in a garage with her ailing mother as a child. Interestingly the collections were not all of designer shoes and one in particular contained lots of high street labels.

There was a video running shots of shoes from movies and my favourite scene of Big proposing to Carrie with the blue Manolo’s I wore for my wedding was amongst them, although I was disappointed that the shoe itself was not part of the exhibition There were however a few pairs of Manolo’s there and also a Jimmy Choo shoe which Carrie wore in an episode of Sex and the City. There was also a pair of white stilettos worn by Marilyn Monroe.

My Manolo Blahnik wedding shoes

Installation view of Shoes: Pleasure and Pain 13 June 2015 – 31 January 2016 Manolo Blahnik ‘Tendola’ sandal, 2014 Victoria and Albert Museum, London

There is no doubt that shoes have power over our emotions but in fairy tales their magical qualities have been explored. At the exhibition were the red ballet shoe worn in the film, The Red Shoes, released in 1948. In this film a young ballerina joins an established ballet company and is chosen for the lead role in the ballet called The Red Shoes which is based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale first published in 1845 about the red ballet shoes that danced by themselves. In the film the girl is torn between her love of ballet and her romantic love, which when she chooses the man, she dies wearing the red shoes.

4._Freed_of_London_founded_in_1929_red_ballet_shoes_made_for_Victoria_Page_Moira_Shearer_in_The_Red_Shoes_1948_silk_satin_braid_and_leather_England_1948_Northampton_Museums_and_Art_Gallery

Red ballet shoes made for Victoria Page (Moira Shearer) in The Red Shoes (1948), silk satin, braid and leather, England 1948 Freed of London (founded in 1929), Photograph reproduced with the kind permission of Northampton Museums and Art Gallery

Another fairy tale shoe on display was the glass slipper from this year’s Cinderella film – you can read more about this shoe on a previous blog about the Cinderella Exhibition

I thought I knew all there was to know about shoes but I did learn something; the height of Louboutin shoes varies according to the size of the shoe. This keeps the silhouette of the shoe the same and avoids some unwearable angles.

Anyway, enough from me, who better to tell you about the exhibition than the curator herself, Helen who I was lucky enough to be able to put my questions to.

What inspired you to do this particular exhibition?

The idea of this exhibition came about 5 years ago when I came across drawers in one of the V&A stores filled with heavily embroidered Indian shoes with long curly toes made out of rich and colourful materials, embroidery with iridescent green beetle wings, silk, spangles and gold. These were unpractical, beautiful shoes for the Indian elite. I then realised that this was, and is, happening in many other cultures and historical periods such as ancient Egypt China, Renaissance Italy, Manchu China etc… and of course nowadays.

How many pairs of shoes were originally identified to be included and how did you narrow it down?

From the start of this project we always knew we would have around 250 pairs of shoes in the exhibition but choosing the final selection of around 250 pairs of shoes has been one of the most challenging aspects of my job. The V&A holds an extensive footwear collection, both Western and Asian, encompassing over 2000 pairs spanning 3000 years of history. I have also explored several private and public collections worldwide. Choosing the right pair of shoes has not always been easy. I wanted thought to convey a specific message and tell a story, I have consequently chosen shoes that could help me follow the narrative. I also chose pairs and shoes that were beautiful, sculptural and in a good conservative condition.

How long did the exhibition take to pull together?

Full time has been about 2 years but the original idea came about 5 years ago

Do the curators have a favourite shoe?

The favourite shoe changes from day to day – but to be able to include the Cinderella slipper from Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella movie was quite spectacular!

What’s the most outrageous shoe on display?

Perhaps the shoes for bound feet from China, as people find this practice particularly gruesome and painful. But the history of foot-binding is incredibly complex, and there is not one story but many as the practice and meanings of foot-binding evolved and changed over time. In the beginning foot-binding was an elite urban fashion, not so different in a way from stiletto-clad westerners, achieving what was culturally conceived to be a sexy walk and to give the impression of small feet. And to be seen as wealthy and belonging to a privileged and exclusive circle.

All shoes have their own story behind them but is there a story you found particularly inspiring and if so what?

A pair of boots from 1943 were made by a local shoe maker in Kensington, London from the client’s old coats (one red leather coat, one ozelot fur coat). During the Second World War, the design of shoes was dictated both by a lack of materials and sensibility about what was appropriate. But these beautifully made boots circumvented wartime rationing. They push the boundaries of the acceptable, with scene-stealing red leather platforms and 10 cm high heels. The boots document the human desire for new and beautiful things, even in the midst of war. They show creativity, innovation and coping in adversity.

The exhibition runs until 31^st January 2016 and is a must for all you shoe lovers out there.

Season’s Greetings

Jan2

Happy New Year Readers, let’s hope 2015 is a good year for all. I was rather sad to say goodbye to 2014 being that it was the year my husband and I got married and it’s going to be hard to top that with anything this year – but perhaps a new home may be on the horizon.

I find myself once again considering New Years Resolutions despite the fact that a study in 2007 found that 88% fail at their resolutions. I only really have one and it’s one I set every year and that is to lose weight. I have managed to put on nearly all of the weight I lost for my wedding and am really quite disappointed in myself. I am however going to start the diet on 12^th January so as I have time to finish off all the Christmas goodies in the house. I am sharing this resolution with you all as the same study also found that women succeed 10% more if they share their goals with friends and family. Better enjoy the chocolate and nuts whilst I still can!

My homemade Christmas cake and chocolate log

So another Christmas is over and done with again and the reality of going back to work is looming. This year my husband and I got into the Christmas spirit by visiting Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London on 21^st Dec. We visited the ice kingdom there, which took over two weeks to create by over 50 artists and is the largest exhibition of its type in the world. Of course it is even more of an attraction with the current popularity of the Disney film Frozen (the DVD of which was one of my Christmas presents). The kingdom is kept at -8 degrees and it really was cold – we purchased a hot chocolate from the bar made of ice in order to warm up after posing on the ice thrones. The exhibition also included a large magic mirror of ice which you could pose behind – I had to do this as it was a nice reminder of our fairy tale wedding theme. We also browsed the stalls in Hyde Park and couldn’t resist a new addition for our Christmas tree.

Christmas day was very different for me this year as it was the first time in my life that I didn’t spend it with my parents; they were invited over to my brother’s family. After the initial childish reaction I felt to the news, I finally came to the conclusion that it may be quite nice to spend our first Christmas married, just the two of us; and it was although it felt as though most of the day was spent in the kitchen. Cooking Christmas dinner is hard work I discovered and I was happy to relax on Boxing Day at Mum’s with a second Christmas dinner!

Christmas Day

I was fortunate enough to receive most things that had been on my Christmas list – including The Great Gatsby DVD, a Luigi purse and an Urban Decay eyeshadow palette but my husband also surprised me with a Pandora charm bracelet which was totally unexpected and a lovely thought – he also picked a charm meaning passion for it. A novelty present I received was a personalized wine glass with small glass, large glass and Krissy’s glass printed on it. All my presents from my husband were wrapped in shoe paper – he knows me so well.

My parents bought me some Biba homeware. Biba as I have previously mentioned were a big fashion label in the sixties with a store in Kensington. They have had somewhat of a revival and are celebrating 50 years this year. Their homeware has quite an Art Deco air about it. I dressed the table with it for our New Year’s Eve dinner party with my parents and the in laws.

I also treated myself to a little Christmas present. Everyone who knows me, will tell you I am a shoe addict as well as an avid Sex and the City fan so you can understand why I couldn’t resist these shoes, designed by none other than Sarah Jessica Parker and named after her character, Carrie.

January is historically known as the most depressing month and the return to work certainly makes me inclined to agree – the fun of Christmas is behind us for another year but a new year also provides an opportunity for some great new fashion trends. So what fashion delights will 2015 see? It seems that the 1990’s nostalgia will continue as will the nod to the 1970’s. Red is also going to be the colour of the season so looks as though I purchased wisely with the above SJP shoes.

Enjoy the sales and keep an eye out for those new trends. Once again happy new year and good luck with your resolutions – I give mine until February at best!

Fashion through the decades

Jan1

November began uncharacteristically mild and the first, saw my husband and I visit Whitstable; me with a vintage SLR camera given to me by my father to capture some shots. The first seaside town south of London, Whitstable is long known for its oysters; harvesting here dates back to Roman times. We visited the famous oyster fishery company house for a fish and chip lunch and sampled a local oyster each as a starter. Now how can I describe it? They were brought over on a tray of ice and to me resembled a slug curled up in a shell. I tentatively put a miniscule amount on my fork whilst my husband threw it down in one, thus setting the bar higher so that I had to do the same. They are very salty, almost like drinking seawater. Neither of us liked the texture and we will not be repeating the experience! We then popped into the converted old Oxford cinema which is now a Wetherspoons for a pint of Whitstable Bay shandy. The Art Deco style which the cinema reopened with in 1936 has been recreated in the pub.

Inside Wetherspoons Whitstable

November of course is famous for Armistice Day. This year took on an extra poignant significance as it marked the centenary of WW1. In order to mark the anniversary – volunteers installed 888,246 hand-made ceramic poppies by an artist from Derbyshire, in the moat around the Tower of London. Each poppy represented a British/commonwealth soldier killed in WW1. The poppies were then sold for £25 each. The installation proved such a massive tourist draw that parts of it remained open for the whole of November, instead of it finishing on 11^th as originally planned. Sadly I didn’t get chance to visit it but on Remembrance Sunday my husband and I walked up to the local war memorial and observed the 2 minutes silence; my husband took with him some WW1 medals that belong to his family.

The First World War greatly influenced fashion. When the war broke out, Britain was coming to the end of the Edwardian era and one of great opulence. More women began to work so fashion needed to become more practical. Skirts rose from floor length to above the ankle and waistlines dropped to the more natural waist rather than under the bust. Darker colours became the norm due to the number of people mourning lost soldiers and the general sobriety of the time. People had less ability to be extravagant, with funds being put towards the war effort and due to this, Chanel created costume jewellery.

Winter fashion this year is influenced by a number of decades with plaid miniskirts, polo neck fitted jumpers and pastel shades especially baby pink, which are a nod to the 60’s as well as a revival of 1990’s fashion influenced by the film Clueless which is 20 years old next year – I know the 90’s still feel like they were only yesterday – remember butterfly clips, Bon Bleu tracksuits, snap bracelets and tamagotchi’s! Match that plaid skirt with over the knee socks, white shirt and matching plaid jacket for a true Cher look. I purchased this plaid skirt and pale pink bow back jumper from Oasis and with its 60’s feel; it was great to wear to the musical Made in Dagenham which is all about the Ford Machinists strike in 1968 which was a precursor to the Equal Pay Act of 1970.

The 70’s have quite a strong influence in the fashion world at the moment with camel coloured suede, flares and A-line skirts. I loved this denim button through A line from Miss Selfridge which I paired with a festive snowflake jumper from Oasis.

An iconic clutch from the 1970’s was the magazine clutch. I bought a Paparazzi version some time back and mentioned it in this blog after seeing the episode ‘The Big Time’ of Sex and the City where Carrie accessorises with one; but thanks to my Mum’s friend in New York I now have two genuine vintage ones which were her mother- in- law’s. I gave one of them its first outing at Afternoon tea and cocktails at Browns for my friend’s birthday. The outfit I wore was leather look leggings from New Look paired with this chiffon floral shirt and Jane Norman shoe boots.

November finished much colder than it started and before we knew it Christmas was upon us – look out for my Christmas themed blog to follow shortly.

New Season Trends

Oct12

In September I attended London Fashion Weekend at Somerset House with a friend. It was the second year I had been and is a great opportunity for anyone to experience the excitement of the exclusive fashion week that proceeds it, attended by over 5000 press and buyers. There are trend and designer catwalk shows. We attended the trend show which was presented by Angela Scanlon, the presenter, fashion writer and stylist. The trend show was styled by the outnet.com, founded in 2009 by the NET-A-PORTER group and selling over 250 designers at up to 75% off. We arrived early to join the queue and managed to get second row seats for the catwalk show. The first trend was ‘One and Only’ and this trend explores wearing colour head to toe and mixing textures such as velvet and leather.

Then it was ‘Candy Crush’ – no longer do pastel shades have to be exclusive to summer – this trend shows how to work it into your autumn/winter wardrobe.

Next up was ‘Jungle Fever’ embracing all sorts of animal prints, some more subtle than others and earthy tones.

The final trend was probably my favourite ‘Fairytale’. Designers have taken inspiration from their favourite fairytales and experimented with chiffon, lace and embellishment. The cape seems to be the coat to go for again this winter. The show closed with a stunning red dress by Oscar de la Renta.

Oscar de la Renta

Hair for the show was styled by Toni&Guy and Make up was by Maybelline. The hair trend was the slick backed ponytail.

Lulu Guinness who was presented an OBE in 2006; celebrates 25 years of design this year so it seemed fitting that the free tote bag this year was designed by her. Lips have long been her trade mark with a special edition silver lips clutch being released for her anniversary but this year it’s all about hands. The bag was full of some great goodies including an Essie nail varnish and a Maybelline mascara.

Speaking of the fairytale theme – I couldn’t resist these cinderella pyjamas – they were simply made for me.

Some of my first autumn purchases took inspiration from both one and only and fairytale – a burgundy lace dress from New Look and some burgundy suede shoes also from New Look.

Now the weather is getting cooler it will soon be time to invest in some cosy knitwear and possibly a new coat. Don’t you just love a new season? Happy shopping!

To the Honeymoon and Back

Sep14

They say that ‘travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer’ and I whole heartedly agree. With the wedding day over, it was time for the honeymoon. The honeymoon was traditionally a time when newlyweds got to know each other in a secluded and intimate environment. Some suggest that the term was used to represent the sweetness of the beginning of marriage (honey) and the waning of love, like the waning of the moon. The term dates back to the sixteenth century. Nowadays a honeymoon for most Westerners is an exotic holiday. Ours was the trip of a lifetime and any homesickness we felt was quickly eased by a trip to Starbucks – we found one in every country we visited, that’s globalisation for you!

Our round the world trip began in Singapore. We arrived to a humid temperature and got a cab to our hotel. After a quick freshen up, we headed out to Singapore Zoo. For the first time since a child I saw a panda in captivity and more than one. A 2007 study suggested that there were only 27 pandas living in captivity outside China so a rare sight. They are magnificent, endangered animals and were well worth a visit to the zoo to see.

There was also an elephant show which showed just how talented and versatile this huge mammal is; with their trunks they can lift anything from a blade of grass to a heavy log – or even the hat of its keeper! At the end of the show I got to feed one fruit and vegetables which was a highlight for me as elephants are my favourite animal.

That evening we went to Raffles Hotel, opened in 1887 and named after Stamford Raffles the founder of modern Singapore. I wore my Biba dress which I got in the sale and reminds me of the blue dress Carrie wears to Charlotte’s baby shower in the first Sex and the City movie. Raffles is an icon of Singapore opened in 1887 which oozes glamour and sophistication with its white marble colonnades. The Hotel has been immortalised by many writers and as I sipped my Singapore Sling I could only imagine what it might be like to stay in such luxury and history. Unfortunately the famous Long Bar was closed for a private function so we sat in the courtyard bar. From there we got a rickshaw into China town. The poor man could barely move faster than a walking pace, so it was certainly a hair raising experience with the traffic of modern Singapore. We feasted in Chinatown before returning for a well earned sleep.

The following day we walked around Fort Canning Park to immerse ourselves in some of the country’s history and then onto the museum of Singapore. We took lunch in the Chimes district. We then had a leisurely boat tour from Clarke Quay which passed the famous merlion – a mascot and national personification of Singapore with the lion symbolising Singapore’s original name which meant ‘lion city’ and the fish symbolises Singapore’s origins as a fishing village.

We then took a taxi to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel to meet a friend who Phil worked with some years ago and he now works at the landmark hotel. He gave us a guided tour including the observation deck; if Raffles is colonial luxury, this is modern day luxury and to think we could have had a friend’s rate room had we not already booked our accommodation in Singapore. Any fans of formula one will recognise the hotel from the TV – it has 3 distinctly imposing towers with what looks like a surfboard on the top. There are many high end shops inside and the mall even has a small river running through the middle. We watched a light show and enjoyed dinner at one of the hotel restaurants. It was then time to catch a late night flight onto Sydney.

I awoke as we began our descent into Sydney. Once in Sydney we made our way by train to the hotel. We began by walking around to get our bearings and then went on a boat trip to Manly Beach. The beach was everything you imagine an Australian beach to be; white sand and warm sea and the guide book suggested this was more worthy of a visit rather than its better known counterpart Bondi. Whilst in Sydney we climbed the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was a fantastic experience and we got a lovely view of the famous opera house. We later also went up one of the towers of the bridge for another great view of the city.

Now I kept shopping to a minimum for my husband’s sake but walking down the main street, what should I spot but a Kookai. Kookai was the brand I loved from about the age of 14 that has now all but disappeared from British high streets. Of course I had to have a look around and it just so happened that they had 30% off footwear and I couldn’t resist these black suede boots.

We visited Taronga Zoo, which is reached by boat and got to have a photo with the koalas and feed some little penguins with fish. What a sight it was to see Giraffes against the backdrop the city of Sydney.

We also took a coach trip out to the Blue Mountains and saw the three sister’s landmark. The predominant natural vegetation is eucalyptus forest which gives off a distinct odour. It was an absolutely beautiful area of Australia that words just cannot give justice to; which we viewed from Scenic World
which consists of a cable way, Skyway and a railway. The railway is the steepest incline railway in the world at 52 degrees and you ride through the rainforest setting and into Jamison Valley. It opened in 1945 and I have to say the modern carriages feel much safer than what they rode in then! The day ended with a trip to Featherdale Wildlife Park (yes we were all zooed out by the end of the trip!) and we got to stroke a koala and hand feed kangaroos.

Other attractions included the Westfield Tower for more views and a bar called Orbit which revolves whilst you enjoy your cocktails at 47 floors above the street level. This also gave us a perfect view of Vivid – the Sydney festival of light. The opera house looked amazing as intricate patterns and pictures were projected on it in light.

From Sydney our next stop was Ayres Rock where we were given a bottle of champagne on arrival to celebrate our marriage. The temperature was very high and it was a dry heat with lots of pesky flies. Our first site of Ayres Rock or (Uluru as the aborigines call it) and the lesser known Kata Tjuta came on a morning camel hike. Each time I go on a camel it doesn’t get anymore comfortable but it was beautiful to see the sunrise over the rock whilst travelling a traditional way and our camel was a cutie called Muriel. When we returned from the ride we were given traditional billy tea (tea made in a billy can and baked beer bread (damper) with quandong jam (outback native fruit). The billy symbolises the spirit of exploration of the outback. Seeing the rock change colour with the sun was truly remarkable. The rock is sacred to the aboriginories and the stories that go with it are truly awe inspiring as are the bits of original artwork that remain on it in places. Whilst at the resort we also did a sunset trip out to the rocks and enjoyed champagne as the sun went down.

We tried a traditional Aussie BBQ whilst we were in Ayers Rock; where you ordered your raw meat and then cooked it yourselves. I sampled kangaroo (quite nice) and crocodile which was rather chewy. As our plane took off – I watched as Uluru gradually got smaller and smaller until I could no longer see it.

Next stop was Melbourne. In some ways I preferred Melbourne to Sydney as it is more like London with nice green spaces. This hotel was by far the nicest hotel we stayed in for the whole trip and again we were welcomed with champagne. Our first visit was to the famous Victoria market where we picked up a few bargains. There is a free tram which goes around the main bits of the city which we went on.

No trip to Melbourne would be complete without doing the Neighbours Tour. I haven’t watched Neighbours for years but grew up on it so was keen to see the famous Ramsey Street. Real people live in Ramsey Street and it is called something else so was a bit of a let down to be handed the Ramsey Street sign from the mini bus to pose for pictures. We met a star from the show – Toadie’s cousin, Stingray (not that I could have told you who he was although he was cute!)

There is a prison in Melbourne which you can visit and this is quite an experience as you are met at the entrance by an actor dressed as a police officer and treated how the thousands of prisoners who went there until 1994 were treated.

The best trip we did in Melbourne was a trip out to Phillip Island one evening. Crowds gather on the beach and wait for the penguins to return from their days fishing and make their way up the beach to their homes. The first ‘penguin parade’ was in the 1920s when residents began taking tourists out to the beach by torchlight.

Next stop was Cairns. We arrived to rain and were taken straight out to Port Douglas. We stayed in a resort with chalets which was very nice and were welcomed with a bottle of wine. A mini bus ferried you into the town and we managed to eat in a different restaurant each evening. We had a booked trip out to the barrier reef which was amazing. We went in a glass bottom boat and saw a turtle and I did snorkelling and saw various beautiful fish.

Port Douglas is home of the 4 mile beach and it consists of beautiful sand, shaded by palm trees and a wonderful warm blue sea. We hired a car which is fairly easy to drive as they drive on the same side of the road as us. We went on the Kuranda mountain railway and saw amazing waterfalls on our climb up to the village. We visited a Koala sanctuary and I actually got to hold one which was amazing, they are really soft like a teddy bear but have sharp claws. We also drove to Cairns zoo for a night safari. It was great seeing the crocodiles being fed and afterwards we got to participate in billy tea and then traditional musical entertainment including the wobble board!

We were taken out to the Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation; ironically it rained in the rain forest. This was an area of outstanding natural beauty with emerald green foliage and beautiful waterways. Whilst there we went on a boat trip in search of crocodiles and got quite up close and personal with them; it was a river you definitely wouldn’t want to fall in to!

At the airport I couldn’t resist a souvenir purchase of some new Ugg Boots. They are probably fakes as there are so many on sale in Australia that are but they look the part and say Ugg on them so I am happy.

We waved a fond farewell to Australia and jetted off to Auckland in New Zealand. We only had a couple of days stop here and essentially it is a city like any other and not a way to get a true picture of the wonders of New Zealand. We were given a sneak peak though with a trip out to Waihieke Island. Mount Eden was a wonderful site to behold and we also wandered up to One Tree Hill – in no way related to the series One Tree Hill I was disappointed to discover. We had a lovely meal in the Sky Tower revolving restaurant whilst we were there too. I discovered that the reasons New Zealanders are referred to as Kiwi’s is because a bird that originates there is called a Kiwi – there was me thinking it was because of kiwi fruit! I had a further blonde moment when I asked why there were so many souvenirs relating to sheep – of course the famous New Zealand lamb!

Mount Eden with Auckland city in the background

Enjoying Waihieke Island

Our final destination was San Francisco. The flight to here was the hardest given we took off from New Zealand on Saturday night and arrived in San Francisco on Saturday lunchtime. The weather was warm but with a cold sea breeze and we both ironically got sunburnt here rather than in Australia. Pier 39 is the hub of the bay with many restaurants, shops, street performers and a lovely old carousel.

You can also see the sea lions that have made their home here which is fascinating – you will hear and smell them before you spot them! We went on an urban safari which was basically a jeep ride around some of the sights, including a close up of the famous Golden Gate Bridge although the view was obscured by the thick fog which covers it most of the day.

The afternoon of this day was spent at Alcatraz Island. The prison began as a military prison and was a federal prison from 1933-1963. It was a very sobering experience and is brought to life by the staff and exhibitions. One escape attempt in 1962, immortalised in the movie Escape from Alcatraz remains an unsolved FBI case which certainly fires the imagination.

Alcatraz, view from the bay

We did the big bus tour and we sat up top in the open whilst it travelled over the Golden Gate Bridge which was certainly an experience – it felt as though your face was being ripped off in the cold wind! Lombard Street is the most twisted street in the world and we watched as cars made their way down there – which has since been banned.

The cable cars are a prominent feature of San Francisco and holding on to the outside as they make their way up and down the hilled streets is certainly an exhilarating experience not to be missed.

I managed to seek out the Mrs Doubtfire House, we saw the painted ladies which are old victorian houses which are beautifully painted and we also took a wander through china town which was huge with a beautiful gate at the entrance and shops selling traditional Chinese vegetables such a bok choy.

I got a policeman to pose for a picture with me and boy was he tall!

I loved the city, it had a great vibe to it. As the famous song says, I left my heart in San Francisco!

The trip all too soon came to an end and we made our way back to good old Blighty. Settling back into work after all that time off certainly was a struggle. I’m already thinking about the next holiday.

blahnikgirl

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