I was away.

But now I'm back. Ready to cocktail my way to the end of 2012.

let's fly away.

William Egglestone. Untitled (Glass in Airplane)

amen.

Source unknown. Found via Phoenix

father's day.

Happy Father's day to Father Harding.
I love him very much and I am of the firm belief he is one of the funniest people alive. And one of the best cooks. My sister talks about him in a far more amusing way than I do. She's one of the other funniest people alive.
I just post pretty pictures.

 

the "hideously expensive leather jacket" conundrum.

A lot of people have been there at some point in their clothes buying life. You spend ages (in my case, years) looking for something perfect, determined to not buy anything until the one comes along.You don't want to settle for a series of cheap mediocre items that amount to the price you would have paid for one expensive version you would keep forever (this is how I feel about T-shirts but that's a whole different story for a whole different post).
I have spent years looking for the perfect leather jacket. I found it. It was named, aptly, Perfecto. It was by Joseph. It was £945. Yikes.

 

 So when, one day, driving down the King's Road, I spied a similar shape, with gold zips peering out of a leather shop window, I got a little more excited. Maybe it's cheap! Maybe it's just as beautiful! Maybe they'll give it to me because they can see no one will love it like I love it!

I thought about going back for a few months. Yesterday I went back. It wasn't cheap. It was less than half the price of the Joseph number but still by no means cheap. So I did the proper thing and sat down with a coffee and made a list.

 

Only went and bloody well bought it didn't I?

 

I regret nothing. Though I am now not buying anything other than food and tickets to Batman for a long time.

 

 

late breakfast

I'm starting to discover what I actually enjoy for breakfast. Sliced Nectarines and pork liver pate on Ryvitas is a winner so far.
But only when my best friend isn't in the flat. The sight and smell of pate makes him feel very nauseated.
All I need to add is a delicious coffee.

 

polished.

I'm not really a wearer of nail polish. I do a job that involves a lot lifting and moving and general movement that isn't the best of friends with a manicure.
But I couldn't resist a 3 for £12 deal at Model's Own. And this colour combo is so very pleasing to me!

 

the need for green.

I felt a little blue yesterday. I decided it's because the only landscape I'm seeing at the moment is my phone wallpaper. A trip to the Lake District is due I think.

breakfast.

Work is calming down a lot now which means I have time to eat breakfast at my own pace and actually talk to my best friend. I find breakfast to be the most romantic meal of the day.

upwards.

I feel an itching to climb. I've never done it properly. Photos like this inspire me to start. I have no idea who took it and I can't remember where I found it. But ain't it beautiful?

cos.

The deisgn team at Cos need to be investiagted.
Every season I feel like they've crawled into my head and extracted every fashion fetish I have. Including ones I had no idea I had (Neoprene, I'm looking at you)
I have never bought anything in there, partly because of the (I believe wholly justified) price but mainly because it's very difficult to wrap and pack an entire shop's worth of clothing into bags and carry it home on the tube.
But after an accidental, yet highly successful, shopping trip on Friday, I brought home my 3 new favourite items. Two tops and a beautifully simple clear sphere necklace.

 

Now I just need to try and show some restraint and not buy the rest of the shop.

 

flat lining.

When I was seventeen, I wore four inch heels to college a few times. They were brown suede and gold leather peep toe sling backs. A Topshop idea of retro really. I still have them. Along with just over 10 more pairs of heels that range from a modest two and a half inches to a (sadly, not that absurd) six inches. The collection includes these £5 beauties.

They're for decoration, certainly not for wearing. I get the feeling they were never designed for walking.
But the place in my heart that used to spring alive at the sight of a platform pair of heels has gone.
I am a dedicated follower of flats. And a born again Nike Air addict.

Maybe it's because I spend almost all my time walking and running around. Maybe it's because the "I don't give a fuck" cool of a pair of trainers or Dr Martens or a well loved brogue out trumps the slow, uncomfortable clomp of a pair of a-little-too-high-for-comfort stilettos. And maybe it's because at that back of my mind, I'm always thinking "What if the Zombie Apocalypse started RIGHT NOW?" and I don't want to be the silly bitch caught out running in bare feet, shoes dangling from her hand.
Whatever the reason (zombies mainly) I'm a flats fanatic.
I shall leave you with the wise words of Caitlin Moran.

"If I'm going to spunk £500 on a pair of designer shoes, it's going to be a pair that I can a) dance to 'Bad Romance' in, and b) will allow me to run away from a murderer, should one suddenly decide to give chance. That's the minimum I ask from my footwear. To be able to dance in it, and for it not to get me murdered."

From How To Be A Woman by Caitlin Moran

lovely words.

lovely words.

Photo by TC (Flickr)

less hotties more funnies.

Barcelona is gloriously free of advertising. The girls are salty haired with trainers on their feet, riding skateboards, long boards and old bikes with a can of beer in hand. Back in London I feel surrounded by photoshopped, glassy eyed pretty things. Everyone is wearing uncomfortable looking shoes and too much make up.
Oh please lets have less of everyone dressing up like they're going to get papped and more people with a good, honest, sense of humour.

 

I don't know where this picture is from so if anyone knows, pass that info on!

 

hola.

I had my first big chunk of time off in nearly a year. Aside from Christmas (can I count driving from London to the Lake District with a slight hangover as actually being hard work? Yeah? Thanks.)
A close friend got 10 days off and we hopped it to Barcelona. I have never been. I will return. Hopefully when the weather is so hot all we can bare to do is roll in and out of the sea all day drinking cold beer and eating tapas.

pieces of recently.

As usual, work took over my life recently. But now I have three long weeks of nothing before my next job. This three weeks will definitely be filled with finally spending some time with the best friend, a holiday to Barcelona and eating. A massive amount of eating.
But on my first proper day to relax, here are some images of my life recently.

The last photo is a collection of wrap gifts from the film I just worked on. It was an amazing job with amazing people. I'm totally going to be working the CND t-shirt and leggings combo on holiday. Most likely as PJs rather than in public

food.

I've eaten a lot of good food recently.

 

The last three photos are from my best friend and my favourite restraunt, La Petite Auberge on Upper Street in Islington.

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. 

sunshine shoes.

I'm not really an impulse shoe buyer these days.
But how how could I resist taupe and acid yellow?!

it's the thought that counts.

My best friend is concerned that I'm losing weight because of work. So today he made me a packed lunch full of home made cakes and sausage rolls. And a sweet message for afters.

who run the world...

It's International Women's Day. And I am a feminist. Not in the old fashioned bra burning hairy legs way but in the new way so many of us embody the ideas of feminism. I am determined, limitless and very very lucky. Thousands of women all over the world are not as lucky as I have been to be born in a country where women can be independent human beings and achieve whatever they like be that owning their own business, creating, being a devoted mother, even driving a car. Yes the world is a much better place for women, but there's still a long way to go.
My sister is a far more articulate person so I will direct you towards this amazing blog post from her.
As for me, here are some of my favourite women and those that inspire me, for many different reasons.

 

Hetty Bower. Peace Campaigner.

One of the founding members of the CND.

At 106 years old she still marches for peace.

 

Grace Coddington.

Fashion is insane, stupid and often damaging.

But it's about beauty and play and Grace Coddington has never forgotten that.

 

Elizabeth I.

I need to read more on her. I've been fascinated by her since primary school.

  Kirsten Wiig.

Comedy is difficult. Comedy as a woman is even more difficult.

Kirsten Wiig is just plain hilarious.

These are by no means the most incredible women in history. I just really really like them.