This blog post has been a wee while in coming…. but Scarlett Hearts’ Launch Party was a huge success!
Cute Jewellery, AMAZING cupcakes fromFancy Spoon Bakery and delicious cocktails as far as the eye could see.
Unfortunately I did forget to bring my camera along for the ride so all images are courtesy of Scarlett Hearts – thanks ladies!
Well done to the ladies over at Scarlett Hearts for such a fab night and goodie bags full of treats – including Vitamin Water and cute exclusive Scarlett Hearts pieces!!
Last Saturday I found myself being dragged to a Roller Disco over in Vauxhall. Oh God I cried – really?! But ever the trooper I put on a brave face in the name of my friend’s Birthday, donned my most suitable roller disco attire (sadly no neon or glitter) and drank a bottle of Lambrini (classy I know).
Don’t get me wrong there was once a time when I loved nothing more than roller skating BUT it’s another thing trying to do it years later…
I can’t say it’s an activity suitable for anyone under the influence of alcohol as my mates found out when they spent the majority of their night falling over in what can only be described as the best comedy ever, but it’s definitely a fantastic night out – cheesy 80′s music and disco balls as far as the eye can see. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to meet members of the opposite sex and play the damsel in distress as you wobble around on your skates…
If the roller disco isn’t for you then The Swan in Stockwell will most definitely be. This part of the night was somewhat hazy…
An Irish bar with a 6am license that plays Bewitched?! AMAZING. I can also report the cheeky Irish chaps are a lot more fun than those you’d find in other London bars, just what a single girl needs!
Now that the summer is on its way I’m starting to miss the beer gardens of Newcastle and I’ve been left with a hint of nostalgia for my favourite North East haunts and an ice-cold pint for my hand.
Sure London’s full of the hip and the happening but this tends to go with an absurdly high price tag… so I truly couldn’t believe my eyes when I stumbled across Electricity Showrooms over in Shoreditch!
Apparently in the 1920′s this place was the place that local Shoreditchsters popped in to get their toasters and other electrical goods (hence the name) but the place now serves fine ales, beers, wine and the odd cocktail and if you feel the need they also offer board games, darts, billiards and a light up dance floor. The flashing peacock on the wall had me sold never mind the revolving doors – I’m sure quite the drunken confusion can happen at 1am…But what more could a girl need?!
I’ve also heard a cheeky rumour that if you come back on a Wednesday there’s karaoke galore.
Pints are reasonably priced at £3.60ish and the food certainly had us drooling over the smells.
Looking forward to my next trip there and to get my chops ’round their ‘best chip butty in town’.
In recent months I have definitely been neglecting my blogging ways – which is part laziness (aka winter hibernation) and part lack of internet access…
To make up for it I’m going to sum up the past 5months via the medium of, not dance, but poorly taken photographs from my fair hand.
To start we had some lovely November Brick Lane sunshine
In December I got snowed in… in London!!!
Newcastle for Christmas and New Year
Several blurry images at gigs were taken back down in London
And with the help of some of my dearest friends the following items have been liberated from various places in the UK
I’ve been awfully naughty recently and have neglecting my blogging ways. I wish I had some sort of glamorous excuse such as having a busy social life but nay I’m just busy with work and freezing my arse off in London. I think it’s even effecting my hand coordination and the part of my brain I use for writing half decent prose. I never knew it got cold down south… After all it’s practically at the equator!
Another Northern myth then.
Even more depressingly I can’t quite afford to buy myself winter wears from local charity shops. This might be because I’ve spent an absolute fortune buying amazing wools from Prick your Finger. I can’t even bring myself to say out loud how much it’s cost poor unemployed me but it is totally worth it. Ahhhh warmth!
In other ways to distract me from the Arctic temperatures of the south I’ve kept myself busy by attending Tatty Devine’s Friday night party at their Brick Lane store of Nick Abraham’s The Stooges Doghouse exhibition.
This week Mama celebrated her birthday and as a gift/treat we were sent off to a Spa Day at Doxford Hall courtesy of Pops. A very nice way to spend a Sunday I’m sure you’ll agree.
Doxford Hall has gone through an extensive face lift in recent years and is now a place of luxury thanks to the new owners. It’s thanks to my Granny with all her rave reviews of the food that we stumbled across this idyllic retreat as it is just on her doorstep up in Northumberland and has been used as a place to celebrate family Birthdays and special treats for a few years now.
As my first experience of a Spa I was a tad concerned that it involved a mud wrap and all over moisturising massage. The head massage and exfoliation I could handle the thought of but letting someone I didn’t know touch me was a bit nerve-wracking…
But I was a brave girl and succumbed to all the ‘treats’ on offer and boy was it relaxing! I’m a sucker for a head rub/hair stroke at the best of times (just ask anyone) but in the hands of a professional it was exceptional! And as reluctant as I was I did thoroughly enjoy my exfoliation, mud wrap and massage - even if I was conscious that I was practically naked in front of a stranger. Even if I do think it’s slightly self-indulgent getting someone else to moisturise you I did enjoy it as a one-off treat.
I think I may now be hooked. I think next on the cards will be a hot stone massage – they look quite tempting!
Why is moving house the most tedious thing ever?! Ok I get a glamorous new location at the end of it etc etc but the act of packing up my things and putting them into boxes is driving me mad. I know people say it’s one of the most stressful thing you can do but it’s boring me senseless.
In fact it’s soul destroyingly boring. I wonder if I could get away with setting it all alight? Nah I couldn’t bring myself to do that to my clothes. I suppose I’m just going to have to get on with it. I’ve also got my fingers crossed I won’t unearth any creepy crawlies or spiders ’cause it’ll just set me back in the 1 week deadline.
Anyone fancy doing it for me? Nah didn’t think so.
I think a little more procrastination is in order… firing up the iTunes and trawling the web of exciting London-based things will have to suffice.
Apparently it’s a fancy pants word for Graduate. Personally I just thought the ex-Poly were dumb enough to misspell Graduate… Whoops! So much for the English degree.
The past 4 years of Uni have flown by and seeing everyone I’ve spent pretty much the best part of this time with all grown up with their Motar Boards brought a tear to the eye. Lots of gorgeous dresses and shoes and smart suits as far as the eye could see. And thankfully we all managed to avoid tripping/slipping on the stage and made it in one piece back to our seats without getting our robes caught on passers-by and other chairs. End of an era. Pleased to say all the hard work and hangovers paid off for us all.
Pan Haggerty’s was the family destination for some tasty treats. Carrot and Ginger Soup with chive oil and croutons (pictured), Chicken Liver Pate with Pear and Celery Chutney, Minute Steak and Red Onion Salad, Beer Battered Fish and chips (pictured), Haddock and Kedgeree (pictured), Apple, Pear and Berry Crumble, Eton Messes galore and topped of with the nicest bottle of vin rouge ever. I could quite possibly have stayed there all night – the food was some of the best I’ve ever had. BEAUTIFUL.
My feet are glad to be back home and resting in preparation for my beloved Jenna’s Graduation tomorrow and tearing up the town.
Now what on earth do I do with an English and Art History BA(Hons)?!?
Yet another amazing set of photographs by The Big Picture (Am gonna guess it’s Alan Taylor again… apologies if I’m wrong). Here’s just a few of my favourites…
Well it turned out to be quite the scorcher down in old Somerset for Glasto’s 40th birthday, which my snake-skin arm is certainly a victim…
Let’s start with the positives.
1. Water was £1.50 – we were super amazed by this as from previous experiences teeny tiny bottles of water are £2 onwards but to get a litre for this was possibly the highlight of the festival!
2. Rolf Harris – the headline acts had nothing on this man – 80 years old and can still get the crowd going. I’m going to put it out there – Rolfie was the highlight for me.
3. Burger vans were hard to find. This was absolutely amazing – instead of getting the usual festival bloatedness from eating shit there was actually a variety of tasty foods on offer! We hit the Aussie stalls for a bit of Croc and Ostrich, Japanese. Mexican, Veggie and Caribbean stalls – the possibilities were endless!
4. Shangri-La – freaks and spectacles galore! It was amazing to hang out there late of a night to see the performers – truly talented bunch.
5. Stone Circle late at night – spent many a late night sitting up in the spiritual Stone Circle surrounded by candles and lanterns being set off. Beautiful.
6. The bands themselves. Not only did I get to see the legend that is Stevie Wonder and many of my other all time favourites but I saw a lot of new music which I’m definitely going to stalk and keep up to date with. I got to tick off seeing Snoop, Slash, Blood Red Shoes, Mystery Jets, Imogen Heap, Coheed and Cambria, Lightening Seeds, MGMT, Candi Staton, Editors, Rolf Harris, Faithless, Reef, Mariachi El Bronx, Reverend & the Makers and of course Florence and the Machine (sadly Flo was somewhat of a let down).
7. I was tickled pink by the American performers who continually called Glasto ‘Glaston-berry’.
(Sick of idiots waking by and calling the RIBBON TOWER a Helter Skelter)
The Downside…
The blumin’ distance to get to BBC Introducing stage and the John Peel stage! It was a proper nightmare trying to get past the pill-heads over at the Dance stages so in the end I gave up. Shame really as there was a hell of a lot of acts I wanted to see on both the BBC Introducing and John Peel stages as well as the Dance arena. But the acts I did get to see compensated for this loss.
As much as I thoroughly enjoyed myself I do feel the whole experience was let down and ruined by the 4 hour wait in a field to get in to the wristband area. I just don’t comprehend as to why they weren’t prepared for 10,000 people would turn up on one day – how dare anyone want to make the most of their £200 ticket ey! As badly as I got burnt and felt sorry for myself (luckily when I burn it goes mahogany brown the next day) I felt truly sorry for those with small children having to stand out in the heat of the day with no shade or water for the little mites. Thankfully 3 hours into the queue someone (quite probably Jesus himself) ordered the steward monkeys to go around and hand out bottles of water before we all dropped. The length and the wait time of the queue was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before in my life – either at festivals or anywhere else for that matter! But I did try to not let this ruin the whole experience… Although if I’m honest it put me in one foul mood which was thoroughly taken out on the man later on that night when I saw him and he continued to slap my burnt shoulders.
We’ve also come to the conclusion that Southerners are hideously rude (I’m yet to be proven otherwise) and were quite possibly worse than the unbearable heat… Although I would like to be proven otherwise please! I did thoroughly enjoy the rage of others that ensued for 5 further days about the lack of shade to sit in – mainly from those who’ve never stepped foot in the countryside before – NEWSFLASH you don’t get trees in the middle of a field.
Ok so not everything was perfect 100% of the time but would that put me off going again? Hell no! Me and the baby brother are already fighting over who gets first dibs on the tent for next year! Oh and as a reminder to myself – never share a tent with the man – it hots up too much!
Oh and a quick P.S. those interested in how the flash mob turned out – she said yes!
