The List- 2011 version

I should start by saying Happy New Year! I hope your year ahead is full fortune and happiness.

Over the Christmas period I spent some time thinking about what I might like to achieve with the time I have left in London. As after much thought I have decided to head home in May for some very special events later on in the year.

I also started thinking about things I could do keep me busy when I return to Sydney at the start of winter. Yes I am chasing winter's, which if you know me is a silly thing to do given I react so badly to the cold!

Naturally, all this thinking has lead me to write to another list, that fingers crossed, I will be able to complete.

So now I present to you the List for 2011:

1) Bake a cake from scratch (yes unbelievable but I have never done it properly, only ever from a packet)

2) Watch at least 6 classic movies (so far I have down Casablanca, Some Like it Hot and La Dolce Vita- I am open to more suggestions!)

3) Eat at the Tapas place near Kylie Minogue's house (if its good enough for Kylie then its definitely good enough for me)

4) See something at the Royal Albert Hall (I've viewed it from the outside but ive heard its a London must see)

5) Learn to drive (clearly something to do back in Australia! Less complicated and busy roads!)

6) Visit more vintage stores in London/ Check out Vivienne Westwood's store (after reading many biogs of well known fashion bloggers I have concluded I am missing out by not being involved in the world of vintage fashion)

7) Have an ice cream sundae at the 1950's parlour in Fortnum and Masons (it might be £15 but I have been assured it is worth it)

8) See a play at the Old Vic (again a London institution to itself)

9) Go clubbing in Soho (I have one friend who is perfect for this mission! You know who you are ;)

10) Do fashion high tea at the Berkeley (food treats designed by McQueen, Fendi, Louboutin- what girl could resist!)

11) Go up the London Eye (to see London in all its glory)

Things that I didn't get to do in 2010 that are staying on the List:

12) Visit Whisky Mist nightclub

13) Have traditional Fish and Chips

14) Go Disco Roller skating

15) Go to an old school bowling alley

16) Attend a UK Football game

17) Go to Ireland

18) Check out more of England eg/ Cornwall or Manchester or Cambridge

As always I am open to any suggestions that are imperative for the London list or for that matter the Sydney return list.

I will conclude this post by saying that my NYE resolution is to blog at least once a week so I plan to be a lot more reliable- promise!

Lots of Love

X

Final Summer day spent at Hampstead Heath

It just so happened that I probably picked one of the last proper London summer days to visit Hampstead Heath.

Word around town in Summer is that Hampstead Heath is the perfect place to have a picnic. I already knew that this area was special given its history, some quick internet reading informed me that it was registered in 986, further it is one of the highest points in London.

Walking through the Heath felt like I was walking through a mysterious part of old England. The bushes and paths made me think of BBC period dramas and it evoked this desire to dress up in a corseted dress and 'take a turn' with a potential suitor!

The open land spaces are lush and the foliage makes it feel a little chilly, like I was a bad character about to be discovered in a child's fable. I sat in one open area with a couple who had a dog and ate my lunch in the quiet- one could really get lost in their own thoughts in this tranquil atmosphere.

The park is so vast that after a few twists and turns I started to get concerned that perhaps I was getting lost and would get stuck (which I imagine would be quite scary at night!)

On my way out I discovered a huge patch of land which was obviously the main location where most people picnicked and playing games of cricket whilst drinking pimms in the peak of Summer.

Aside from the Heath itself the town of Hampstead is very quaint and quite posh when compared to its neighboring suburbs of Camden and Chalk Farm. There is the usual high street that runs through the centre of town but aside from the normal chains of shops there are boutiques, cute cafes and pubs. There are little side streets with vintage stores, ice cream stores, antique and independent coffee shops. Even on the walk from the main street to the Heath I passed a few old English pubs with friends and couples spilling out on to the streets in proper English style.

One of the other reasons for my visit was to have a coffee from my Timeout list at 'Ginger and White'. This tiny cafe served lovely homemade food and tasty looking treats. The coffee was smooth and my salad was delicious- I tried to savor every inch of my meal. The vibe of the establishment is organic, down to earth and family friendly.

I had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon at Hampstead and would love to go back with a group and spend a whole day and night taking in everything this lovely suburb has to offer in terms of food and entertainment.

x

A sunday musical treat

One of the main attractions of London for me was the fact that there are all walks of life here and no matter what interests you there is always someone else who shares your passion.

I have always loved the idea of having a few drinks whilst listening to Jazz music, Australia does have some Jazz music venues but it’s not a prominent music choice of a Rock loving nation.

I think I will accredit my interest in Jazz to my mother who used to play Harry Connick Jnr and Frank Sinatra around the house. Certain songs from the Red Hot and Blue Cole Porter tribute cd take me back to my childhood and evoke some great memories. At the end of the day I think Jazz is just so romantic and easy to listen to.

Upon my arrival in London I was so excited to read about all the legendary Jazz venues within the Soho area and I have been begging numerous people to come with me to any of them. I was in luck that one of my close friends agreed to come to a Sunday afternoon session at the one and only Ronnie Scotts.

The inside of the venue was exactly what I pictured a proper Jazz club was like. Dark, moody and sexy. The layout of the main area of the club is proper old school with allocated seating for couples (or in our case good friends!)and it is tiered so that we are all faced to the stage. Each tier is broken up with small red lamps indicating each table.

On a Sunday Ronnie Scotts runs a lunchtime session which varies its featured acts each week but our chosen week was Tony Bennett and Sinatra classics sung by Jeff Hooper.

Jeff is known as a big band singer who was for many years the featured vocalist with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra. For our performance he appeared with the John Horler Trio. The band and Jeff had fantastic chemistry, the banter was amusing and it was very entertaining to see older men still riling each other up!

Jeff had a fantastic smooth voice, he was a crooner and a crowd pleaser (he dedicated a beautiful track to a lady in the audience who was celebrating her 90th birthday!) Given that 90% of the audience was over the age of 40 and almost everyone was coupled up he was the perfect choice for a Sunday afternoon of love songs. The set was very intimate with the tiny stage allowing Jeff to walk around and sing close to people, this only added to the fantastic vibe of the concert.

My favourite tracks were played after the interval as the second session was dedicated to audience requests. Stand outs for me included ‘Fly me to the Moon’ and ‘It had to be you’- two sensational tracks that will forever stand the test of time in my mind.

Throughout the performance most of the guests treated themselves to a roast lunch (which looked delicious) as well as copious cocktails or glasses of wine.

I must say I was longing for more despite the fact we had been there for over 3 hours. It was very strange leaving at 4pm and re entering society whilst the sun was still up having consumed half a bottle of red wine- it made the tube journey home very entertaining!

I would go back to Ronnie Scott's in a second and I am happy to report that Frank has seen a few more replays on my ipod since!

X

2010- A summary

So I admit I haven't been the greatest with updates the last few months.

There are a few reasons, mostly normal complaints for people of my age- intense work loads, socialising and general lazyness.

However I have also been dedicating my time to the Fashion Marketing course at the London College of Fashion. This was a truly fantastic experience. I absolutely loved opening my eyes beyond the world of media and stepping back to see the marketing environment as a whole. Studying has totally revitalised my passion for my career and intensified my interest in fashion- so much so that I am embarking on an internship in 2011.

I have started a marketing role at up and coming fashion magazine, 1883. This is a high fashion title which focuses on introducing new talent in the world of fashion focusing on up and coming designers, photographers, stylists, make up artists- basically every up an coming creative mind.

I am super excited about this opportunity and about sharing this experience with you all.

Back to 2010, I feel I owe it to you to list the other adventures I had that I didn't get around to writing to about.

In short I got to:
- tour around the opulent Buckingham palace and its gardens
- have a fanastic night at Guilty pleasures at Koko Camden- I forgot how much fun cheesy 90's pop music is
- see some amazing exhibitions of fashion genuises: Vivienne Westwood, Hussein Chalayan, Matthew Williamson, Horricks fashion
- travel to some very interesting and unique places: York, Scotland and the beloved NYC!
- saw priscilla the musical: Alf I love you, Sydney I miss you and your quirky charms
- visit Manolo Blahnik in Chelsea: the one thing that started my travels, my desire to want more and see more and the reason I am interested in Fashion in the first place

I hope you have all enjoyed reading my blog and I promise I will be returning in 2011 to update you on more crazyness and hopefully provide you with some inspiration.

Love to you all

x

Amazing London Exhibitions

So I guess you can gather that Im a bit of a fan of exhibitions and given one of the reasons I came to London was to soak up the culture I dont like a weekend to go by without visiting an exhibition/gallery.

I have recently been to 3 very different exhibitons, all which have delighted and entertained me.

First up was the Deep Sea Exhibition at the Natural History museum. I have been wanting to go to this exhibit ever since it opened in late May. I know that some people find my fascination with the deep sea odd but the unknown and the strange creatures that survive at the depths of the ocean absolutely fascinate me!

I was lucky to meet someone at a friend's birthday who also shared this love so we went together one Sunday in late July.

The exhibition was damn cool. There was variations of fish, coral and flowers (believe it or not) on display that survive 1100 metres below earth. Some of the fish were just freaky looking with various tenticles, scales and ugly faces but the flowers were quite beautiful. A lot of the exhibits were copies however a few were real animals which made it a little scary!

The main feature of the exhibit was a full replica of the bones of a sperm whale. To be able to see its actual size in the sea really makes you think about the magnitude of the ocean and makes me love these gentle giants a little more! Other exhibits to note was the life size exhibit of a freaky giant spider crab and replica's of some of the oldest known 'fish' in the world.

Seeing this exhibition made me stop and think how vast the world is and how amazing the natural circle of life is.

The next exhibition I visited was centred on the fashion label Maison Martin Margelia and it was held at Somerset house. I really love this building/venue, it has a very old London feel and the permanent exhibition centre holds some fantastic artwork from Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, van Gogh and Picasso.

The Margelia exhibition was called '20' which stood for the last 20 years of their collections.

I knew nothing of the designer prior to attending the exhibit and I can say I left very informed and enlightened about inspiration behind fashion that I just don't understand.

It was amazing to have an explanation of what this designer tries to convey through their 'art' and to see how their vision has shaped the subsequent designs we see on the catwalk today, this seasons cape is a perfect example!

The way he used fashion to question and critic how we clothe ourselves and what we convey with clothing is fascinating. We were in the exhibit over 2 hours and that wasn't enough time to really capture the essence of this ground breaking brand.

The last and definitely not the least was the Picasso Mediterranean years exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery. Most of the work I have seen by this legendary artist I would describe as intense, moving and at times disturbing.

However this exhibition was full of light, colour and love. The pieces featured were from 1945- 1962 which was the time in his life that he spent with his children in the south of France.

The pieces were a reflection of the lifestyle of the Mediterranean area and were centred on bulls, beautiful women and a key focus on his children.

On display was a combination of paintings, drawings, sculpture and ceramics. The colours used were primarily bright and there was a lot of pastels- it was a delight.

I love Picasso for the depth in his work, for his inspirations and the way he viewed life. This exhibition merely wet my appetite and I want to see more of this genuis' work.

I'm sure there will be further updates on my exhibition travels but I hope you have enjoyed the above description

x

Soho Burlesque delights

I have been fascinated with the idea of Burlesque ever since Dita Von Teese came into the lime light. The way she oozes class whilst being practically naked in a champagne glass is phenomenal.

I had heard about a club called Madame Jo Jo's from a friend (or workmate- I can’t remember!) and they had recommended it not only as a fun night out in London for drinks but also a good venue for Burlesque entertainment.

I had met my friend (who came to Bath with me) for a drink one Sunday evening in Soho- really if you are going to be drinking on a Sunday night Soho is the place to go. The streets are packed with lively campness and pop music which is sure to ease anyone’s sundayitis.

Anyway after our drink we decided to go for a little walk and it was then that we stumbled across the actual venue for Madame Jo Jo's. We were checking out the leaflets at the door when a mad lady rushed in screaming 'when is the next Kitten Club?' We were intrigued asked what this is was, her reply 'oh the best Burlesque show ever’- we were sold.

A few weeks later we returned to the venue with our tickets (bought cheap on lastminute.com) and high expectations. We settled in our seats with a bottle of Vino and I can honestly say that it was the most fun I have had in a long time.

The show wasn't so focused on nudity, in fact you didn’t really see that much nudity, but really it was just pure entertainment.

They had a hilarious MC/magician who was goofy and completely likeable who came on stage between the acts. There were 3 girls who took it in turn to sing, recite poetry (whilst pestering audience members to help), dance with fire (yes that was scary) and of course perform an obligatory seductive strip tease.

Despite preparing to see gorgeous girls nude for 2 hours I actually left with my stomach hurting from laughing so much and a smile from ear to ear.

All in all a thoroughly enjoyable and fun evening- everyone should see the Kitten club!

X

Afternoon delight

I think one very quintessential thing on everyone's London's list is to have fancy afternoon tea at a key location.

I really wanted to go to The Ritz however the price was not so appealing so I started considering other options. I had been to the Wolseley for a work breakfast so I discounted that (although the breakfast is incredible and I’ve heard its one of the best in London- believe the hype!) and it seemed like every other hotel we considered (Dorchester, Park Lane) had similar prices, around £30, which seems like a lot for a few scones or sandwiches.

One of my dear friends suggested we go to Sketch bar. I have wanted to go to Sketch for a while as I had heard a lot of amazing reviews about the quirky decor and the great cocktails, it is one of the 'it' places to go in London so I was up for it.

The inside is just lush, velvet red walls and carpet, the place is separated into many different rooms which makes it cosy and intriguing. Despite the fact it was 3pm in the afternoon the whole place had a very funky ‘cool’ vibe.

The room we were sat in was part bar, part library and it had crazy chandeliers, birdcages and amazing wallpaper.

The food was phenomenal and the afternoon tea menu seemed to offer a different selection of treats than some of the other places we had considered.

To start with there was the assorted finger sandwiches and fruit scones which just oozed taste and decadence. The smoked salmon sandwiches were a stand out for me however the remaining selection was just as good- egg, ham etc.

The highlight of the meal for me were the four pastries- probably because I have a very sweet tooth! Firstly there was a raspberry macaroon that was filled with a creamy paste and had a pop of a jam like substance in the middle which was heaven in my mouth.

The berry tart was my next favourite, I’m not normally a fan of pastry/tart like desserts but this was damn tasty and the fruit was to die for. The friand was delightful and there was an interesting biscuit with a creamy savory top which the other girls didn't love but I liked the contrast in taste it bought compared to the other treats on the table.

We washed all this tasty food down with a tea of our choice- mine was an Asian Green tea and it was earthy and tasted delightful.

The whole experience wouldn't have been complete if we didn't visit the infamous toilets. I have no hesitation in saying it was like being transported into a Star Trek episode. The rooms were completely white and they were unisex. The toilets themselves were pods hanging from the ceiling and if that wasn't trippy enough once you get inside the pod there is a loudspeaker which plays sounds like you are in a spaceship about to takeoff- completely out there!!!

As there were 3 of us we all had to take turns using the restrooms and we were to discover an alternate set of toilets to the pods which were normal booths set up to be plush and posh. They matched the red décor of the rest of the hotel and they even had a mannequin covered in swarovski crystals sat outside the entrance. I have never seen anything like it.

I had such an fantastic time, probably also due to my lovely company, but if you want to have afternoon tea with a twist I would definitely recommend checking out Sketch- less stuffy and just damn fun.

X

A touch of Hollywood glamour

I had wanted to go to the Grace Kelly exhibition ever since it opened, I had tried a few times unsuccessfully and when one of my nearest and dearest friends moved over from Australia I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to attempt to go again.

I made sure we got there super early, around 10am, even then we were forced to wait half an hour until the next available session.

To say the exhibition was worth the wait is an understatement and it was even more special for me to share it with my friend who has a wealth of knowledge of fashion and about the technicalities of well made outfits- I learnt a lot!

Every piece of clothing was stunning and the way the exhibition was put together perfectly took you through Grace's life story from an actress to a Hollywood glamour superstar.

The exhibition started with the girly dresses of her youth and her courtship with Prince Rainer to the absolutely stunning dresses she wore to parties in her 50's right through to costumes from her films- mind blowing.

We started with outfits from the time when she first met Prince Rainier III of Monaco and were able to see the "easy to sew" dress she had made from the McCall Patterns. The fact that she could meet and woo a Prince in a self made outfit is a massive compliment to the way she could wear a dress.

We then moved onto the belted shirtwaist dress which she wore for the official announcement of her engagement to Prince Rainier, this is totally something that I think Louis Vuitton has replicated in his A/W 10 collection and I could definitely see myself wearing it.

I loved the emerald green Givenchy wool dress with matching bolero jacket that she wore when she visited the White House for lunch with President and Mrs Kennedy, so chic and again something that has stood the test of time and could be worn today.

The outfits from High Society- the grey and pink silk chiffon dress embroidered with roses and a Grecian-style bathing robe absolutely took my breath away.

The Haute couture creations stood in the middle of the exhibition so they could be viewed on a 360 degree angle. Some of the highlights were outfits by Chanel and Balenciaga but the gorgeous Pucci like kaftan was my favourite of the whole collection, she had worn it with piles of jewels and her hair stacked high on her head- totally glamour.

As she aged her style became more eccentric. This was definitely reflected in this amazing head piece she wore to a ball that was made of hair and crystals that branched off her head almost like elegant eels- sounds strange but was stunning.

Of course it would be remiss of me to not mention the accessories, the copious amounts of very VB style prescription sunglasses and the one and only iconic Hermès "Kelly" bag- it crazy to see this bag in real life, probably the closest ill ever get to one!

I loved the whole exhibition, I felt really inspired about fashion and history when I left so much so that I had to go out the next day to buy, watch and totally enjoy High Society- makes me think my mother is onto something with the beauty of old movies and old school Hollywood glamour

x

Just another competition I won...

So this is not a post to brag but I even I will admit I have been through quite a lucky patch lately. I truly thought after the SATC2 premiere I was done but fortunately not so!

I happened to enter a competition at work to win tickets to the 2010 Wireless festival in London Hyde Park to see Jay Z and Lily Allen live. I was actually tossing around the idea of buying tickets when the email popped up in my inbox that I had won VIP tickets to the Sunday show!

I decided to take my new flatmate as a nice bonding session and I thought she deserved to get out and enjoy London!

We arrived in the afternoon and headed straight to the VIP area to check it out. Let me set the record straight right now, VIP does not include a special spot in front of the stage, nor does it guarantee not having to line up for drinks and the food/drinks are just as expensive as outside the area- there is just more fancy varieties.

The main benefit of the VIP area was that there were nice toilets with toilet paper and mirrors (at a festival yes believe it or not!!!) and there were plenty of hot hot people.

Once we picked our jaws off the ground we went out to check out Slash on the main stage. Slash is an amazing guitar player, one of the best in the world, however he isn't really a people person and he left the talking and crowd motivation to his main singer- who can I say sounds a lot like Axl Rose. To be honest it was hard to get into his solo stuff but it was super cool to hear some classic Guns N Roses- Sweet Child O'Mine and Paradise City!

We were really pumped to see Friendly Fires so we got drinks and found our positions in the crowd. For some reason our bladders decided this was a perfect time to play up and we spent the first 3 songs in the queue for the toilet. In the end their set got cut short as Slash had played over his allotted time so we only got to see 2 songs however they are a fantastic band and one of the highlights of the day in my mind.

We decided to get more drinks and some food (standard festival Cider and hot chips!) and head back to watch Lily Allen. As some of you may know I have a bit of a problem with Lily Allen. I think she is way too opinionated for someone who has been in the industry about 10 minutes. However that said she has a good catalogue of hit songs so the set was enjoyable and I did find myself singing along!

We got more drinks and settled to rock out to Jay Z- 5 ciders in I was in a very jolly mood and we were to discover the ladies behind us were also. This particular lady only knew about every 3 words to a song and decided to sing lalala in between to make sure she was singing every song. To say this became annoying is a massive understatement!

Jay Z is a brilliant artist and is an icon for our generation, he has so many amazing songs- 99 problems, Empire State of Mind, Show Me What You Got, Run This Town etc.

About an hour into the set we decided to leave, partly due to the company behind us but mostly as everyone knows festivals are a night mare to get home from.

I was glad I got the chance to go to a UK festival this year however I'm glad I didn’t pay to go to that one, I think maybe I am getting old when I start to whinge that I spend a lot of the time lining for the toilet and getting drinks. I do love a great concert though so this won’t be my last festival!

A big thanks to my lovely friend for coming, it was loads of fun with you and I'm glad we got to share that together

X

Did someone say Tennis?

Most of those who know me know that I don’t really like sport, in fact the majority of sports I hate. I don't understand games like Rugby where it seems to me the main goal of the game is to beat each other up. Alternatively I cannot stand cricket- it is literally like watching paint dry!

However I was intrigued to check out Wimbledon Tennis Championships, it is a bit of an institution here in London and with it being so close to my house it seemed a shame to not go and have that English experience.

We were a little late in booking tickets to a main game so we decided we would do the early morning line up- early morning is a little bit of an understatement.

I was informed by my friends in order to secure a spot for the day that I would have to be at Southfields tube station at 5.45am which required me getting out of bed at 4.45am- yes my friends I got out of bed at a ridiculous hour to watch sport- who would have thought that day would ever come!

We made it to the grounds by 6am and were given the 1500th line up ticket, I was told that they only ever allow a maximum of 6,000 people on the grounds every day so I was quite chuffed that we were one of the first (apart from the crazy people that and had camped overnight!)

We stayed in the slow moving queue until we were allowed into the grounds at 10.45am. I was quite surprised how fast that 4 hours went, in between reading newspapers, drinking coffee and listening to the Northerners behind us drawl about their boring lives it was all good fun.

Our plan once we got in the grounds was to pick one court and stay there all day (we were soon to find out that that wasn't possible, if you got up to go to the toilet you automatically lost your seat, this was a bit of a problem for me as everyone knows I have a very weak bladder!)

We lined up to enter through the gates that would lead us to the courts towards the back of the grounds were we had picked Court 18 to watch our first game.

There were about 100 people waiting to enter this area of the grounds and when they finally opened the gates at 11am it turned into a slight stampede/run to get to the best courts. In the mad rush I managed to tread on a poor ladies Haviana and it fell off her foot. I went to stop and pick it up but the crowd pushed me forward- it was ruthless!

We finally made it in and settled ourselves down with our food, mags and water- excited and basking in the morning heat. In the wait we happened to eaves drop on the conversation behind us, two people in their early 20’s (possibly Australian) were discussing the fact that they had been out for a big night the night before and how funny it was that they had decided at 4am to camp out at Wimbledon. They had stayed overnight with no blankets, tents etc and here they were actually sitting in a match on about 3 hours sleep- hilarious!

The first match of the day was ladies single's 4th round, a Chinese lady Na Li against a Polish lady Agnieszka Radwanska. From the get go you could tell Na Li really wanted to win and towards the end she became quite aggressive about it. It seemed to me about half way through the game Agnieszka started to give up and so you couldn't help but will Na Li on. The game was exciting and it wet my appetite for what was to come.

By this stage the heat was starting to get to us, it was one of those freak days in London where it had reached 28 degrees by midday and we were absolutely roasting. Determined not to lose our seats too quickly we stayed to watch the first 20 mins of the Gentlemen's singles 4th round between Tomas Berdych (Czech) and Daniel Brands (Germany). Men's singles games are ridiculously fast and don’t seem to have the same thought process that the previous ladies game had. I mean you barely have time to move your head let alone follow the ball, I didn’t find this game as entertaining as the last purely because there didn’t seem to be a specific tactic other than slamming the ball into the other person’s court so fast the other person didn’t have time to hit it back.

The heat got us in the end and we left (lucky we did as the game went on for about 4 or so hours- Tomas Berdych ended up being in the finals against Rafael Nadal but lost- still exciting I got to see him play).

We decided there was no better time than now to devour a gigantic Haagen Dazs ice cream and wander around the courts. The next game we settled on was a fellow Aussie, Samantha Stosur, in a ladies doubles, she was paired with Russian Nadia Petrova against Vania King (USA) and Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ).

The game was a tough one and the American lady was feisty, there was a hand slap or a word of encouragement with her partner after every round. That said there were many Aussie's in the seats screaming words of encouragement for Sam, it was almost like being back at home!

By this stage it was about 3pm and we were exhausted, so we decided to sit on the infamous hill at the back of the grounds and watch some of the centre court game between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova- amazing players.

After half an hour of rest we decided to end the day by watching the mixed double's game which featured a familiar face; Kim Clijsters. She was playing with Xavier Malisse (BEL) against Andy Ram (ISR)and Elena Vesnina (RUS). The game was a tough one and it was extremely interesting to see the mixture of style’s of women playing with and against men. We even started incorporating the hand slap ourselves after every round as a bit of fun! The day was concluded with consuming large amounts of Strawberries (although we didn't have cream and I had been carrying the fruit around all day so they weren’t in the greatest of conditions!) the Wimbledon experience was complete!

All I can say is what an enjoyable day, I am now a converted Tennis fan. I have since taken an active interest in the sport so much so that in the following days I found myself tuning into games on the TV and participating in conversations around the office.

A big thanks to the lovely couple with whom I shared the day with, I couldn't have picked better company

X

An apology for my absence

Hi All,

This is a HUGE apology for my absence. I recently started a new role at my work and it has been hugely challenging but very rewarding, however it has taken a lot of my time!

I am still working my way through the list and have so much to share so please stay tuned!

I thought this would be an apt time to reflect on what is left on the list, amend it to be a little more realistic and open it up to any more suggestions.

So here is the remaining experiences:

1) Disco roller skating
2) See Florence
3) See Rome
4) See Milan
5) See Ireland
6) Go to a proper jazz club
7) Visit Whisky Mist Night Club
8) Bowling at old school bowling lanes
9) Visit Buckingham palace
10) Go to a UK football game
11) Visit all good coffee shops in London – as voted by Timeout magazine
12) Visit Brown’s department store
13) Visit Versailles
14) Go to the Spanish near Kylie’s house
15) Visit more vintages stores in London
16) Have a picnic in Hampstead Heath
17) Visit the Dali universe museum
18) Have Traditional Fish and Chips
19) See something at Royal Albert Hall
20) Visit the Manolo Blahnik store in Chelsea

I would love to hear any more ideas to add to the list!

X

My new obsession- Photography exhibitions

I love a good photography exhibition- I admit sometimes I don’t get certain pieces of art photography, it goes beyond what I can conceptualise however I do make an effort to try and see as much photography as I can as I think it captures quite beautiful, real aspects of life.

There have been 2 exhibitions shown in London of late which have managed to intrigue and stun me with the beauty of the work.

The first was a show at a small gallery near Goodge street called Diemar Noble. The exhibition was titled 'Threads' and it focused on fashion photography from the beginning in the 20's through to the more controversial shots of the 70's and 80's. The exhibition featured shots by renowned photographers- Edward Steichen, Erwin Blumenfeld, Norman Parkinson, William Klein, Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton.

Norman Parkinson is fast becoming one of my favourite fashion photographers, his pictures are glamorous and elegant. He had such a wonderful way of showing fashion on ‘real’ women in the most beautiful settings. Much the same can be said for the work of Edward Steichen although I found his pictures were a little more focused on a woman's sexuality.

I loved William Klein's work purely as it was an excellent combination of fashion and art, he managed to capture real life in a fashionable way and I loved the fun vibe of the work, it made me smile.

It goes without saying that Helmet Newton was a genius and his work is an example of a futurist in vision and inspiration.

After leaving this stunning display I then stumbled across the London College of Fashion student exhibition in Carnaby street. The work which ended up impressing me the most was not the fashion itself but the visuals of make- up artistry.

The images these students can create with a splash of paint (or many 20 splashes!) are beyond one's imagination. To think that these are students and that they have yet to reach their full potential makes me really excited about the future of fashion and the way we will be able to view fantasy situations- makes me think a lot about the vision of the late Alexander McQueen. I can only begin to imagine what amazing visuals and ideas he had yet to share with the world.

In a few weeks time I too will be starting a course at the London College of Fashion in Fashion Marketing, to say that I am looking forward to this is a gross understatement. London has some of the most fantastic and quirky ideas about fashion and I can’t wait to soak it all up!

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Bath- Part 2- The food and the funny memories

Upon arriving in Bath we decided we would visit our B&B first before exploring the city.

A short walk from the train station and we were outside a lovely big house run by an older couple who were completely sweet and so enthusiastic.

Our room was quaint and strangely we had our own shower/sink in the room but no toilet, the shower was literally next to the bed!!!

In the morning the couple cooked full english breakfasts and fussed over coffees and offering advice on the days activities- anything which could keep them involved in our trip!

On the first day after the visiting tourist attractions we decided to have Afternoon tea and as I was on holiday I decided to indulge in a Chocolate slice- it was heaven.

Afterwards I was insistent on visiting the local fudge factory as it was noted as a key attraction for the town. As it was hot we were forced to gorge on rather large piece of very sweet fudge rather than saving it for a special occasion. This was not the usual chewy fudge you buy in the supermarket but rather a hardcore block of sugar.

We then decided to continue checking out the local vintage shops but unfortunately one of my friends, S, started feeling quite faint. After 20 minutes of sitting on a foot path and consuming loads of water S started to recover. I however started developing a rather persistent headache which I don’t think I helped as I continued my sugar attack by eating some very delicious sweets at Ye Old Sweet shop (definitely recommend a visit).

We decided perhaps after our large sugar rush it would be best to head home, however on the way our other friend, L, who is a trained beauty therapist wanted to stop in to a natural healing (hippy) store to purchase a few things for her home practice.

I started amusing myself by smelling the candles, incense and checking out the unusual jewellery. L looked like she was settled into stocking up for a rather large purchase so I moved onto smelling the body lotions and washes. Big mistake!

I stupidly popped open a jar of sticky body lotion and it literally spilt all the way down my hands, clothes, the carpet, over the bench and onto the special 'hippy' rugs- I was mortified. I tried to close the jar and was in the middle of hatching my escape when a sales person spotted my accident. Half an hour later I had given a million apologises, purchased a 'special' candle and feigned interest in buying the 'unusual' jewellery and we were finally ready to leave- in my eyes not a minute too soon!

We rested and changed at the hotel and headed out for a special dinner at Jamie Oliver's 'Jamie's Italian' restaurant in the centre of Bath. I was super excited about the meal after my fantastic birthday feast and I had talked up the food to L as she unfortunately had to miss the previous dinner.

Firstly our entree was great, big green olives stuffed with tuna, fried and coated with parmesan and herbs with a hot salsa- yummy!

Mains were a little controversial around the table. I had the Panzanella salad which is a Tuscan classic salad of multi coloured tomatoes, bread, capers, anchovies, peppers- it was delicious. S and L had the Scallop and Squid Ink Linguine whilst I am to believe the meal was tasty it was lacking in numbers of scallops which was disappointing.

After the day’s events we were adamant about not having dessert but upon reviewing the menu there was no way I couldn't have the brownie after how phenomenal the one was on my birthday. It was Chocolate Raspberry and Amaretto flavoured and it was heaven in my mouth. We also sampled the summer tiramasiu which was equally sensational. After a lovely bottle of sparkling wine we left ridiculously full and very satisfied after indulging our sweet tooths.

The next day I had convinced the girls into waiting for a table at Sally Lunn's famous bakery for a speciality Bath bun and boy was it different. The bun is so well know as it is a massive brioche type bun that you would usually find in France and it is served with condiments, savoury toppings, breakfast toppings, dinner toppings or just plain sweet. It was a taste delight- see picture for the evidence.

Bath has some great food and is definitely the place to indulge and treat yourself with history and fun.

A big thank you to S and L for giving me a fabulous weekend, for the funny memories and for putting up with my moods! But most of all for sharing this fantastic experience with me- I’ll never forget it!

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Dining at the infamous Tom Aiken

I have some pretty special friends back in my home country and it has baffled me that I have managed to stay such good friends with them despite the fact that we are miles apart from each other.

I think the biggest lesson I have learnt since leaving my country is the value of the amazing people I have in my life. No distance or time can change the bond that I have with these people. I know for a fact that they will always be a part of my life if I can help it!

For my birthday this year 3 of my special friends from home sent me a birthday voucher to a Michelin star restaurant in London- Tom Aiken. I was beyond excited with my gift and I was so touched at the thought that had gone into the purchase as they know all about ‘The List’ and the things I am trying to achieve.

One of my very close London buddies is leaving me shortly to return to our sunny home land- I know even now that I am going to miss her dearly so I decided what better person to take on this special dinner date as a personal goodbye memory.

This London Buddy has been with me from the start of my time here. She let me crash at her place when I arrived, helped me set up my life, supported me and cheered with me through many experiences here.

When I landed 2 years ago she had organized for us to go and see the Sex and The City movie (the first one) at the local cinema. It seemed fitting with the second one coming out to go again together at the same cinema. I decided it would be great to see the movie and have our special dinner afterwards, a perfect girly day.

When we turned up to the cinema we soon discovered that we were sat in the exact same screening room as the first movie, we had booked pretty much the same seats and it would have been 2 years exactly (in 2 days) to the day when we originally went 2 years ago- talk about an anniversary and just plain spooky!

After the movie (which my friend didn’t love but after some wine I talked her around!) we caught the bus to Chelsea and snuck in a cheeky cocktail at a quiet pub before heading to the restaurant.

My first impression of the restaurant was that it was very very formal. The music was so quiet that you could barely hear it and I don’t want to say that the atmosphere was stuffy but it was very proper and so were the other diners- I was glad I had worn my new Ted Baker dress for the occasion!

I had decided beforehand that I was going to skip the entrée and have a main and a dessert. After ordering our meals and a half bottle of very fancy French red wine we were offered a wide selection of breads. I don’t usually eat bread but with 8 varieties to choose from I couldn’t help myself. My friend and I shared a buttermilk, an olive and a rosemary roll- yum!

As with most ‘posh’ restaurants we were then treated with canapé type treats. I am never really a fan of these things as I find they are always a bizarre concoction of foods and the taste/textures are always odd. There was the standard tomato soup type thing, a special ham treat and this olive substance that literally looked like an eye ball! However the food was interesting and the canapés were a nice addition to the dining experience.

Both my friend and I ordered fish for main. I had the Sea Bass complimented with multiple varieties of tomato and topped with basil. The fish was tender and the tomato was amazing, I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. My friend had the Turbot in lemon thyme with gnocchi which was also amazing but I preferred my own- lucky!

After the mains with the wine going down well we were very much looking forward to dessert. In short I don’t think I have ever had a dessert like this in my life.

My dessert consisted of every version of chocolate you could think of: Chocolate Dacquoise, chocolate mousse, peanuts, chocolate pops and milk ice cream. It was delightful and such a taste sensation- please see photo to understand the amazingness of the dessert!

My friend ordered the Truffle and Vanilla Pannacotta with black pepper, white chocolate and truffle ice cream. I know she had said that the dessert would be mushroom based but part of me didn’t actually believe it- that was until I tasted the creation. Who would have thought to make mushroom sweet!!! Although it was interesting it definitely wasn’t my idea of a fantastic dessert. In order to reach that classification in the Lauren book dessert has to be sweet, sweet and even sweeter.

After gorging on our desserts we sat back in our chairs, content with the meal and happy to sit and continue chatting about life, love and London. But to our surprise our meal was not yet complete.

Next thing we know we are being served a delightful selection of chocolate truffles and a basket of friands/doughnuts/other yummy cakey treats. As you know I love sweet things so even though I was already bursting at the seams I managed to at least sample or eat all of the additional dessert we were given. They were unbelievable. The truffles in particular were amazing, like little pieces of heaven in my mouth

After 3 blissful hours we left the restaurant, fully satisfied, happy and a little tipsy.

I want to thank my friends once again for a fantastic experience and a beautiful present.

I also want to thank my London buddy, it was so lovely to spend such a huge amount of time together and I have cherished sharing my life with you in London.

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A little trip down memory lane..

The British library- not a place I expected to thoroughly enjoy. Actually everyone looked at me like I was kind of crazy when I mentioned I was going, but it was a recommendation in the Lonely Planet's guide to London so I decided to check it out.

I expected the building to be old but on the contrary it was very modern, inside though is a different story.

The space is rather large with an impressive staircase at the entrance which highlights the age of the space. As I wasn't there to read books as such I skipped most of the library section and went straight to the main exhibition.

'Treasures of the British Library' was full of sacred texts, historical, scientific, literal and musical pieces of history.

I was blown away with the Magna Carta, it’s so strange to stand in front of a piece of history that is so old! I think what continues to amaze me is how well kept pieces from history are around the world. Whether its art, buildings and even everyday items such as spoons and hair brushes- the novelty will never wear off!

It was phenomenal to see the original pieces of paper that the Beatles wrote their famous lyrics on, scrap pieces of paper is a better description, I guess this fits with the rock star image of constantly being on the go and having to scribble an idea at a moment’s notice.

It was fantastic to see some of the oldest bibles in existence, it reinforces how special religion has been in every form across the world throughout time.

The exhibition also features Leonardo notebooks and Shakespeare's First Folio.

A the moment they are running a special feature on the Alice in Wonderland text to coincide with the movie. These pieces provided an interesting insight into the inspiration and development of this well loved children's story and it was actually quite fascinating.

Once I had seen the Treasures I wandered through the History of stamps throughout the world, which was actually pretty cool. I will admit that I mostly looked at the first known stamps from my country which made me smile with pride.

If you have any interest in History and have a free lazy Sunday I would definitely recommend you visit the library.

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Bath- Part 1- The City

I was super excited to visit Bath- firstly because everyone had spoken so highly of the place but secondly because I was having a girls trip away. My fellow travelers were some of the first friends I made within weeks of moving to the UK and we have been close ever since.

My first impression of the city was how breathtaking and beautiful it was. Very picturesque and just quaint. There was lots of greenery, cute houses and the streets are made of cobble stone- so romantic.

The main strip in the centre of the town features the usual commercial high street shops but in the lane ways that lead off the strip there are cute vintage shops, antique shops, bookshops and independent clothes labels.

One of the first things we explored (aside from the shops!) was the Roman Baths. It really does blow one's mind to stand on grounds that are so old, it is so old that you almost don’t believe it!!! The story of how the hot springs continue to bubble is amazing and the remaining pillars, decorations and objects add to the mystery of the experience.

After the Baths we visited the Abbey (an Anglican Parish Church) which was breath taking. The church is substantially large and the stained glass windows are a stunning feature. Someone was playing the organ whilst we were there which intensified the religious atmosphere and brought tears to my eyes. Churches are definitely a key point of interest in all my travels and they never cease to amaze me.

On the second day there we visited the Fashion Museum. This museum is well worth a visit if you are interested in the history of fashion from Victorian times, through the 1960's to the present day. The museum is housed within the very impressive Assembly rooms which I wish I had taken the time to view- maybe next time!

Lastly I took in the Victoria Art Gallery which stands at the end of the infamous Pulteney Bridge.

This bridge has been classified as an English Heritage site as it's one of only four bridges in the world with shops across the full span on both sides. It is a lovely representation of life in the 1700's and the small shops on either side are just adorable.

The Art Gallery was not very large but its collection was impressive, there are works ranging from 15th century to the present day and the key focus of the collection is on British Oil Painting. Seeing these works only adds to the historical feel of visiting the city.

Bath is a great place to wander around and lose yourself in a quiet space outside of the rush of London. I’m so glad I took the time to visit the city which has been well preserved.

Anywhere else outside of London that you could suggest is a must see?

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The elusive Banksy

Banksy is an artist I knew absolutely nothing about until I came to London and it seems that this he has created quite a reputation for himself in this country.

I had seen many pictures at markets of his graffiti work but I had yet to see any on the streets. I was very curious to view this prestigious art work in 'the flesh'.

My first trip out to try and find his work went dismally. I went to 3 different locations between the Barbican and Old Street and either I was blind or the work had been painted over. I was very disappointed. What a waste of an hour and a half on what was a semi lovely day in London (that itself is a rarity!)

My next trip I vowed I would plan better and this time around I invited a friend to come and join me. I think I may have disillusioned my friend into thinking that we were going to an actual gallery to see an exhibition so I don't know how she really felt about trekking around in the heat looking for graffiti in not the nicest part of London.

Before setting off we went to one of the coffee shops on the Time Out list- Prufrock coffee served at 'Present'. This was not a coffee shop, it was a coffee machine in a trendy men’s clothing store. However the cappuccino was damn strong and tasty. I would definitely go back again if I was in the area.

After the coffee we walked in a bit of a circle before we found Cargo bar, a venue which hosts the infamous prints of 'The policeman' and 'The dog' - see picture attached. Cargo bar is a gritty well known music venue so it seems fitting that the art is found there. There are numerous other graffiti works around the bar which match the feel of the works.

After witnessing my first Banksy my friend was very keen to see her favourite 'The girl with the balloon', so we looked up the directions on her Iphone and set off chatting. As we hadn't seen each other in a little while we did get a little distracted and lost. One unpleasant interaction with a drug addict and a toilet pit stop at a local library and we were on a main road in Hackney.

We wondered up and down this very dodgy looking alley way in between two housing estate blocks for a good 15 minutes before we stopped and asked a local resident (who was having a christening BBQ) where the art work was.

We then discovered that it had been painted over, we were gutted.

Lucky a lovely lunch in the area of Angel at a small but delightful tapas bar cheered our spirits and saved the afternoon! A big thank you to my friend who took on the mission with me and never gave up!

I would love to see more of this secretive art work as it seems that its one of those exclusive pieces of history that will only be around for a short amount of time.

If you have any Banksy snaps please share them!

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Sex and The City 2 premiere- Greatest night of my life so far...

This was a totally unexpected event and one I will remember for the rest of my life.

As some of you may know I love entering a competition. I can’t exactly remember what triggered this obsession but I can say it started about 5 months ago and I’ve won some pretty cool stuff as a result. Obviously there was the trip to Turkey, I have also won tickets to an intimate Moby gig at the Hard Rock Cafe in London (there would have been no more than 100 people there) and a £20 voucher for HMV.

A few Saturday’s ago after a disappointing day scouting for Banksy art I came home to find an email telling me I had won a Grazia competition for myself and a friend to attend the premiere of the Sex and The City 2 movie. Not only that but we would have VIP access at the premiere and be professionally photographed to potentially appear in the magazine. As you can imagine I was beyond ecstatic and I believe so was my friend.

Having been to the Bounty Hunter premiere I kind of thought we would have our photo taken outside the cinema, perhaps get to have a drink in the roped off area where I had seen some UK celebs drinking previosuly and then have good seats for the first UK showing for the movie- boy was I wrong and in a very good way.

When we arrived at 4pm we were interviewed by a French fashion TV Channel(not planned by Grazia but they were there for the premiere and clearly wasting time) and treated to photos literally on the red carpet. I must make note that the red carpet wound all the way around a large tree in the middle of Leicester square and was very long. I believe for the photos they specifically cleared the red carpet especially for us!!!

Next my friend got the chance to meet Gok Wan and get her photo taken- which was a massive deal for her and we were then filmed in the background of his SATC2 TV special. For those of you outside of the UK Gok Wan is a very well know stylist who has multiple prime time TV shows. He is well known for giving women of all sizes the confidence to wear great clothes to suit their shape.

After the filming and photos we were put behind barriers on the red carpet positioned directly across from the paparazzi. We were then informed that we were going to be in the back of paparazzi photos of the celebrities attending the premiere- amazing!

If the opportunity arose we were allowed to talk to the celebrities and ask for autographs, photos etc- at this point I was very much kicking myself for not bringing a signing pen. How was I to know we would be positioned so close to them that we would be able to see the pores in their faces!

What was not so amazing was having to wait. We were all wearing the outfits we had posted online to win the competition (the competition entry requirement was to enter a photo of us on the Grazia facebook page in our most Sex and the City outfit. Lucky for me I had purchased a Patricia Field for M&S dress 2 years ago which was a replica of the white flower dress Carrie wears in the opening scene of the first movie and this was the winning outfit). As well as the dress I had decided to wear my very special Manolos- not so suitable for standing in the same spot for over 3.5 hours!

To say it was worth it in the end would be a massive understatement!

The first person we saw was Cynthia Nixon, she was much slimmer and taller in the flesh and her dress was stunning (royal green and not the blue colour that is shown in the photos).

The second person was Chris Noth (Mr Big for those of you who don’t know him) and I must say he is damn attractive in real life. Much to our dismay he walked straight up to my friend and I, asking how our night was going and he then informed us that he was going to stand in front of us so we would be in the back of his paparazzi shots- only if that was ok with us (hmmmm yes it most definitely was!!!!!!)

Next up was Kim Cattrall and she is just like what I imagine old screen goddess looked like, her composure is mesmerising and she is like a modern day Marilyn Monroe in the statueqise way she presents herself.

Sarah Jessica Parker looked stunning in her Alexander McQueen and she was super super sweet. She recognised all our outfits and addressed us as a group saying we looked great. And yes for those of you who are intrigued she is very very tiny and very musclely in real life.

Kirstin Davis was the one star who blew me away with her beauty and really with her physique. She is tiny and has just such a desirable figure, it’s not as curvy as the screen would portray, it’s the perfect match of curves with slenderness. She is also very sweet, she squealed with delight when she saw us all together in our outfits. She has a very American accent and it’s just damn endearing!

Together the girls seem to have a authentic bond and I could not sense any of the cattyness that is reported in the press. They seemed genuinely surprised by the turn out and interest in the film. They looked really happy to be sharing the experience together as friends.

We also got the chance to chat to the creator Michael Patrick King who took a real interest in the competition and the outfits we were wearing, he like Sarah Jessica Parker recognised key outfits (mine included) and both of them were really pleased that we had gone to such efforts to copy the movie/series!

Other stars from the movie we got to see included Samantha's yummy new love interests, Anthony (Charlotte's gay husband) and the new nanny (who was modesty covered for the premiere).

After the stars of the movie left the carpet we were treated to a bevvy of UK celebrities from models Daisy Lowe and Penny Lancaster, actress Emma Roberts, Singers Alexandra Burke and Emma Bunton, TV stars- Alan Carr and many which I didn’t know, general socialites- Peaches Geldoff etc and various WAGS.

By this stage it was almost 7.30pm and my feet wear KILLING, I was whinging to my friend that I thought we had seen the best of the best and that we should make our way in to watch the movie. Then the greatest moment of my life happened- I turned around to see Kylie Minogue standing right in front of me on the red carpet- my heart skipped a beat and I literally threw down everything I was holding in my hands minus my camera!

I then proceeded to literally become a crazy person in my determination to a) speak to her and b) have a photo with her.

She came over to 4 of us girls and pointed at each of us whilst saying 'you guys look amazing.' The word 'amazing' and final point of the 4 was at me! All I could say in response was 'I love you' before she turned around to have her photo taken.

CAN YOU BELIEVE KYLIE MINOGUE TOLD ME I LOOKED AMAZING!!!!! Well yes me and a few other people but I never thought the day would come where I would literally be face to face with my idol and there I was standing in my Manolos desperately telling her I loved her.

I have thought about what I would do if I met her one day and I always thought it would be a calm moment of me telling her how much her music has influenced me and how special she was in my life. Calm I was not, expressive, most definitely.

As my friend and I were positioned towards the start of the red carpet I then proceeded to push the other competition entrants out of the way (sorry ladies!!!!) in order to follow Kylie along the red carpet and hopefully get my photo taken with her.

Alas at this point in time my screaming was overshadowed by one Louie Spence. A brand new reality TV star in the UK famous for being on a show called 'Pineapple Dance Studios'. The show is a fly on the wall documentary focused on a well known dance studio located in Convent Garden- studios that Kylie had rehearsed at a long time ago!

Ever since the show has taken off in the UK Louie has done many interviews saying that he and Kylie were friends. Kylie recently did a radio interview and said that whilst they were Twitter friends she had never actually met him in the flesh.

So on the night of the premiere when they spotted each other it was an over the top and fabulous union. Louie has some trade mark poses that he pulled with Kylie and I could hear her telling him how much she loved him and how impressed she was with his rise to fame- glad to know it’s not just us every day people that are fascinated with other celebrities.

As a result of this hilarious union the paparazzi went crazy and I was in the back of many many photos the next day not only in the UK press but in my home country (friends and family informed me I made it onto the Australian news and the newspaper- how crazy!)

Meeting Kylie was everything I thought it would be, she is in person genuinely really sweet, bubbly and just stunning. Her skin is flawless and she is tiny tiny tiny. If I didn’t love her enough in the past I love her even more now for her charm and beautiful demeanor.

After she left the red carpet I was quite shaken up and beyond elated. We moved off the carpet and into the cinema where we were treated to mini bottle of Moet, water and special SATC2 magazines.

The SATC girls then came on the screen (broadcasted from the special celebrity cinema- we were in a different cinema, I'm guessing for security reasons) and they introduced the film. I was in such a haze from the events of evening that I didn’t take the whole movie in (I actually went back and saw it twice more within the week- obsessed a little!) but I can say that I loved loved loved it.

Please ignore the reviews, the movie is fun and it centre’s on the friendships of the girls which is what I loved the most about the TV series. The movie addresses some key issues about marriages and having children in a way that moves the characters forward in their lives from the TV show and the first movie.

The fashion is outrageous and some of the script is crazy but overall it’s a thoroughly enjoyable movie and makes me miss my own SATC girls in Australia

The one piece of advice I would give from this whole experience is never give up on your dream and enter competitions people- it’s the only way to win anything!

x

p.s I have attached a photo of Kylie and Louie and you can see me in the background!

Amazing photography exhibitions

Recently I have indulged in my love of photography and treated myself to two exhibitions.

The first was at Proud galleries in Chelsea and it was a small exhibition of work by Paul Joyce. The photos were examples of his work from the 1960's till present and the majority of the images were rock photography. Key subjects included the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan. I was fascinated by the youth in the images of well known artists that I have come to recognise from their older age, Bob Dylan was actually really attractive back in his day!

I think the beauty of rock photography is that when its done well it can really capture the essence of what music means to the artist and conveys the power of music in relation to particular moments in time.

The second exhibition was the Irving Penn feature at the National Portrait Gallery and his photography can only be described as phenomonal!

The way he was able to evoke emotions from very famous and sometimes private figures was fascinating. There were no stage sets for the photos and when he did use props he used them as a way to bring out personalities in the subjects. The beauty of the photos were that they were simple and stripped back the bare roots of the subjects. The photo of Edith Path perfectly conveyed her despearation whilst the photo of Grace Kelly perfectly demonstrated her beauty.

The other significant portraits for me were of Truman Capote, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, Christian Dior, T.S. Eliot, Alfred Hitchcock, Al Pacino, Nicole Kidman- the list goes on.

The one portrait I found most amusing was the one that featured the family that were the inspiration for the Adams Family TV show- the real life family were just as spooky as the show, im not kidding.

I have attached my favourite image from the exhibition- enjoy the beauty

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A few tasty delights...

There are a few things in London that are so much fun to do that I have been back multiple times to experience them again.

The first is sampling cupcakes at Hummingbird Bakery. Established in 2004 it's London's answer to Magnolia Bakery in NYC. The flavours of the cupcakes don't vary massively, chocolate, vanilla or red velvet but they are damn tasty and the icing is to die for. As well as cupcakes they do amazing slices, cakes and brownies and some fairly good coffee. If you are ever in London I would definitely recommend you put it on your own list- a necessary indulgence!

The second adventure must is Borough markets, this place is alive on Saturday’s with food, drink, music and sweat! These markets are so well known they are often very very full and hard to maneuver yourself around but the tasty treats make it so worthwhile. Anything your taste buds desire you can find it there. Fresh strawberries the size of your palm- check, giant olives- check, massive meringues and other assorted cakes- check, cheese literally melted from a stick onto bread- check. The list goes on with meat, seafood, fresh fruit and vegetables, pate, dips, vegetarian delights and meat pies. Recently I was excited to discover they had a Turkish food area where I proceeded to make myself sick by eating multitudes of Turkish Delight and reminiscing about my recently holiday to Turkey. I topped this indulgence off with a delicious prosecco and strawberry liqueur refreshment- yum yum yum!

The most recent adventure that I am keen to try again is sampling gelato at Gelato Mio. I must mention here that once the weather is above 18 degrees Londoners love indulging in ice cream, having been here for 2 years now I can understand this obsession as there aren't many days that qualify as ice cream weather.

A Gelato Mio opened near our house in the last few weeks and this I feel is a dangerous addition to our area. The store sells specialty Gelato flavours based on well known foods around the world, this can evolve into some very interesting combinations. Examples include Hockey Pokey for NZ, Peanut Butter for the USA, Olive for Italy and Vegemite for Australia. The minute I read about this store in TNT (a magazine that is written especially for antipodeans giving them advice of things to do in London, places to travel around the world and all the gossip from our home countries) I knew I had to try it. I can happily report that this treat was quite tasty. The flavour is what I imagine the cheese and Vegemite spread tastes like (I believe this spread has been released in Australia since I was there last but I have yet to try it) and you will be surprised to read that I think I would go back and try it again.

If you have any other food suggestions for me to try please send them through!

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Just a little trip to Michelangelo’s world

On the eve of my birthday celebrations I thought it would be a good idea to wonder around and take in some art to satisfy my cultural mind.

I started the day off with a trip to one of the coffee shops on the list, Milk Bar, which is located in the heart of Soho. I always enjoy wandering around this area of London to check out all the quirky food and drink places- now I just need to find a perfect gay husband to enjoy the walk with! The coffee itself was fantastic but the service was less than enthusiastic, clearly to the barrister his IT magazine was way more interesting than my money!

Caffeinated up I decided to walk to Somerset house however along the way mother nature called so I decided on a pit stop at the National Portrait Gallery. On my way out I spotted an exhibition by two Indian twins which was based on their mixed lives of westernized culture and Indian heritage.

A little background as to why I thought I would look at this exhibition, I am currently reading a book called 'Shantaram' which is just short of amazing. It’s a true story about an Australian man who escapes from prison for armed robbery and finds a new life in India. The book is rich in detail describing day to day life in India, the passion of the people and the crazy adventures that the author gets up to. It’s witty, thoroughly entertaining and just mesmerizing. This book has made me a little obsessed with India and I want to soak up all the information I can about this country.

Hence the pull to wander into this exhibition and I was not disappointed. The artistic ability of these women, the Singh Twins, was phenomenal and the way they paint their traditional art forms is fascinating. This exhibition fueled my obsession with this country and culture just a little more!

I then moved onto the Michelangelo exhibition which was centered on ‘The Dream’ drawings he made for his ‘lover’ (I assume it was his lover) Tommaso de' Cavalieri. The amazing detail and talent of this artist absolutely blew my mind away, not to mention the fact that these original drawings have been preserved from the 1400’s- amazing! When comparing the original’s with the replication drawings by artists who were inspired by his work you get a sense of the legend that is behind his artistic reputation.

I absolutely adored the fact that Michelangelo was so keen to impress Tommaso that he drew and redrew these images to his lovers satisfaction- can you imagine responding to Michelangelo’s letters and telling him that his first attempt just wasn’t good enough!

This exhibition has made me so hungry to visit Italy which I hope to do early next year. I am so keen to see more of Michelangelo's work and understand the full scale of his raw and dedicated talent.

Any artists that have blown you away?

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Rihanna- An impressive concert

I had been to concerts on my own before. The first time was abroad, I was visiting NY (my first trip outside of Australia) and decided to see a gig whilst I was there. Lucky for me one of my favourite artists of all time, Christina Aguilera, was playing nearby- nearby being a slight understatement as I had no idea that Long Island is considered almost a completely different state to NYC.

The experience of going alone was exhilerating and I thoroughly enjoyed letting my inhabitutions go. I danced and sung as crazy as I wanted.

Getting home was not so much fun, taxi's absolutely refused to go as far as NYC so my only option was to car lift with 6 other random girls (that had also attended the concert) to the nearby train station and wait on the platform at midnight for a train alone, scared and in a foreign country. Needless to say I will never forget that journey home for the rest of my life!!!!

The second time I went alone was to see Kylie Minogue at her first concert in Sydney after her remission from breast cancer. There was no way I was going to miss this concert and lucky for me there was one seat available two rows from the front on opening night (my original tickets that I had held onto for two years were now valid for the second night of the tour, I had to see the first concert, as well as the second, fourth and sixth!!!) The concert was emotional, uplifting, fun and pure pop entertainment.

I was sat next to a lovely gay guy who was also alone and together we stalked down William Baker (Kylie's stylist) in the interval. I was so star struck when we approached him that the only thing I could say were how much I liked Kylie's leopard print boots that she wore in the show! Im sure I made a great impression as he excused himself thereafter!

I must also note in the second half of the show there was a moment were Kylie looked straight at me (my new gay friend even noticed) and that memory will forever be etched in my mind.

Anyway I digress, when I found out Rihanna was touring London there was no doubt in my mind that I had to go. I have loved her songs since her beginnings with Pon De Replay and I knew I wasn't going to be able to talk anyone into coming with me so I decided to go alone.

Once at the venue I was sat between an 'older' couple (they were in there late 50's and the gentleman sat with his hands over his ears for the entire concert) and two men who I couldn't decide if they were gay (they sang all the songs, got up to dance for their favourites and drank cider- i'll let you decide for yourself!)

The concert was a visual feast of inhibitions, sexual innuendos and war. Her sense of strength and determination was evident, her break up with Chris Brown has made her a fighter and this shows in the confident way she presents herself.

Her voice is solid and unique and her stage presence is mesmerising. Some of the hits transpired really well, I love when I fall for a song at a gig I previously didn't really think twice about, in this instance Take A Bow was the inspirational song for me and by the sound of the crowd for many other women in the UK.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I now consider her to be an artist with true raw talent. I cannot wait to see her grow and I am also excited about my next solo concert, im starting to think this is the the way forward to fully experience a gig!

Any concerts you have seen on your own?

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My Birthday- London Celebrations- Jamie Oliver Restaurant + Jazz Club

It was a no brainer that for my birthday that I wanted to dine at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant. I have been following his work since I entered my early 20's and started learning to cook like a proper adult! Perfecting his risotto recipe has taught me the rewards of being patient when cooking but it has also provided me with a fail safe recipe to impress friends at dinner parties.

I love his passion for food and for his determination to make a difference around the world through cooking- for this reason he is my favourite chef.

Unfortunately I was late to my own birthday dinner, one thing you come to learn very quickly in London is how unreliable the public transport is, often tube lines are down, running late or just plain slow. On this particular occasion some idiot had left their bag on a tube sparking a security alert that it might be holding a bomb (this is one my favourite tube disruptions reasons, another is 'delays due to a person under a tube' I was shocked the first time I heard this announcement over the loud speaker, surely there is a more PC way of saying this!)

Not only was I and most of my guests late but one of my friends couldn't get to the restaurant for at least another hour so she had to cancel!

A glass of wine later and we were all in a better and jolly mood. Upon reviewing the menu we all decided to have the risotto for main, most of us ordered the seafood option and two others decided to try the vegetable option.

We ordered starter sizes and thank goodness we did as the portions were more than fair and very satisfying, I would like to say that my version of risotto is better but I think I would be foolish to make that claim!!! Either way our main meals were damn tasty!

As you are now aware I have a sweet tooth and so ordering dessert was a given. I chose the Jamie Oliver special brownie and I was not disappointed, hands down the best brownie I have ever had. Other guests had the panna cotta or an afagato, which had equal reports of deliciousness.

As you can imagine a famous restaurant like this was packed out and even though I called more than 6 weeks in advance the only time we could book dinner for was 6pm! Laughing at the fact that I was now 'older' we were out of the restaurant by 8.15pm (a time one usually goes out to dinner!) and so to keep the night going I had planned for us to go to after dinner drinks at a nearby restaurant/bar that we knew would have a jazz band playing.

Lena's is situated just near Old Street tube and the downstairs bar has a lovely cosy atmosphere and large couch/booth type areas for groups to sit in. This was a perfect setting for us to enjoy cocktails/proseco and enjoy classic jazz songs sung by an amateur jazz band.

After a night of heavy eating and drinking I was happy to head home at the stroke of midnight. I had a lovely birthday evening that I would do over again in a heart beat.

Any special birthday celebrations that you hold dear to your heart?

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Getting my Shakespeare on

There are some things that are quintessentially British and I am under the impression Shakespeare is one of them.

I had already visited the Shakespeare’s Globe for a tour when my best friend came to visit me in London last year so I had already marveled at the age and the structure of the building. However since I arrived in London I have been keen to get the full experience and actually see a production.

Lucky for me this season there was a production of a show that I had heard of and was interested in seeing- A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

On the night we went it was not particularly warm in London (although at least it wasn’t raining!) and im guessing it was 8-10 degrees. However they cater for this by offering hot drinks and blankets to purchase. Nb/ for those of you who aren’t aware the Globe is completely open and has no roof on it.

The price of the tickets to see the shows vary but we chose to sit so we paid £20 but you can pay £5 and stand (like the peasants in the old days) in front of the stage for the duration of the almost 3 hour show. A lot of people did stand and the venue was sold out which is a huge indication of its ongoing popularity.

The show was quite a spectacle. I had quickly wiki’ed the story before I left work that day and I was glad I did! You do forget how complex the language is and how elaborate Shakespeare was with not only describing situations/feelings but also in the storylines he wrote. The way the script had been adapted was so great that you didn’t feel bogged down in the words and you could enjoy the occasional joke.

The actors were fantastic. They were so well trained to switch from one character to another that you almost forgot who was playing who. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the actress who played Puck was sensational, I was amazed with her acting skills, enthusiasm, dancing and singing skills.

I would definitely go back to watch another production and im sad I didn’t book in earlier so I could have seen some of the classics they had done in previous years- every other Londoner out there learn from my mistake!

This experience was a good reminder of how much I love the theatre and how talented some people are, definitely inspiring.

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My Birthday- it was an eventful one

So in theory a birthday abroad is everyones dream: no work, sun, cocktails and total relaxation. I wouldnt exactly say my birthday went down like this!

Firstly we signed up to one day trip out of the resort which I saved for my birthday. I must note here that I am the type of person who always likes to be busy and occupied, to be honest this holiday was strange for me because I hardly ever let myself relax for more than 2 hours if that!

So for my special day we signed up to a trip out which included a river cruise, followed by some time at the Meditarian sea, Lunch on the cruise boat, a trip out to an 'amazing' waterfall and to conclude the day we would go to the famous markets.

The day started off well- although we did have to wake at 6am in order to be ready to leave at 8am! I commenced the day gorging myself on pancakes/pastries/turkish delight and after breakfast the sun came out from behind the clouds and it was hot.

It all went downhill from there, the bus was 20 mins late (precious sleeping time) the bus journey out to the cruise was tedious but a saving grace was the humour of our tour operator (quote: i dont get why people say airspace, it is just space no?).

In reality the fantastic sounding cruise was really boring. There was no scenery as the part of Turkey we were in was surrounded by desert looking land- everything was so vast. And the cruise felt like it went on forever.

Once we got to the beach we only had about 30 mins to hang out so not really enough time to lay out and enjoy it. Plus the beach itself was quite lack lustre compared to the beach near our resort.

Back on the boat lunch was very lame compared to the feasts we had been having at the resort. The salad and fish looked like it had sat out in the sun for quite a while!

After another 30 mins on the cruise boat back to the bus and an additional 20 mins on a bus we reached the amazing 'waterfall'. Im not sure you could call it a waterfall, really it was a stream of water, a river, it was so small it was ridiculous.

Lucky the markets were the savior of the day. It was very strange having to haggle prices of the goods. I had never haggled before and I disliked the whole process, I dont like to think I am ripping people off, but one must remember they are actually ripping you off! I managed to pick up a two lovely pashminas (one for me one for my mum for mothers day) and a nice fake designer handbag. My friend scored an amazing Louis Vittion nag that honestly looks real (I actually think its real leather!). I bought a less real looking Dolce and Gabbana bag that is simple but nice, black with lettering falling down the side- for the hefty price of 35 euros!!!!! And of course I had to purchase samples of Turkish Nougat to take home.

We had some time spare after shopping so i managed to sample a Turkish coffee which was super sweet and strong at the same time! My dream coffee (see attached photo!) To make it even better it was prepared by an old Turkish lady who took 10 mins to make it which meant that it was an authentic experience!

Back at the hotel my 'special' birthday dinner was lovely. We booked into the traditional Turkish restarant instead of the Italian one and the waiter had set up the table to look particularly romantic.

We had lentil soup to start, homous and other dips for seconds, spicy chicken and vegetables for main and then special birthday baklava for dessert.

After dinner we relaxed by the bar, finishing probably my 4th glass of wine and dragging my older body to bed at 10pm!

I must say at least it was an interesting birthday experience that I will remember for a long time to come!

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