The big bad BBQ

Hello!

I'm so sorry for my lack of activity in here lately, I have been so busy with work and after spending at least ten hours a day staring at a computer the last thing I want to do is come home and stare at another one, even if it is for fun!!

Anyway, not much to report really - had some exciting meetings with some great clients this week involving anti-bacterial cleaning products and cake mixes (yes, really) but you probably don't really want to know about that do you?!

Desperate to take advantage of the proper summer weather we have had this week my housemates and I decided to have an impromptu BBQ last Sunday. It was the kind of day that requires little planning but with some effort everything just comes together. The sun was shining, we bought a shed load of food, made punch, put some speakers outside and hooked them up to my iPod so I could spin some of my best tunes. A few of our neighbours popped over throughout the afternoon and the whole event had a lovely community, 'block' party kind of feel. Aren't those just the best types of shin digs?

Anyhoo, we had a great time and I enjoyed the opportunity to bond more with my roomies!

What have you all been up to? Are you having fun in the sun this weekend?

L x

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INTransit 2012, Portobello Road and CAKE

Hello!

It's been a long and busy week, I can't believe it was last Friday when I last posted in here, how remiss of me!!

I do hope you've all had a lovely week filled with fun and frolics, feel free to tell me what you've been up to!

Last weekend I had the rare treat of going into London for the day. Now, I live about a 30-40 minute train ride from the big smoke so really I should make an effort to go more often but train tickets are excessively overpriced in my opinion so I don't go as often as I'd like.

I try to write about the more interesting events that happen in local area in this blog in an attempt to show that there is culture, fun and excitement to be had in suburban and rural areas but sadly (in my mind) nothing beats London for the sheer choice of art, shopping, food, music and cultural activities to participate in.

INTransit is a good example of this, I blogged about it last week so won't bore you too much with the details but there were visual and performance art installations (including 3D street art, a giant inflatable crustacean on wheels called 'Lobster A La Carte' and a mechanical wooden caravan driven by automated skeletons which played peculiar music and blew bubbles - my favourite bit!!). I also took a wander around the famous Portobello Market, picked up some second hand Doc Marten boots for a tenner from a vintage stall and feasted on a kangaroo burger from one of the many weird and wonderful food outlets there.

I took some photos:

On Sunday I went to my local National Trust site, Hughenden Manor, with the fabulous Miss Simmonds for a spot of tea and cake (or squash in my case). We went for a little traipse around the manor itself, former residence of Benjamin Disraeli no less!

This weekend I am planning to find local ways to entertain myself and seeing as the weather is set to improve considerably my housemates and I are planning a BBQ - I could not be more excited about this!!

In short, I love London and all that it has to offer but there really is no place like home.

Ta ta for now.

L x

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Extra-curricular activities: Home and Away.

Happy Friday people!!

I for one am SO pleased it is the end of the week. I have been exceptionally busy and stressed out at work (I really do adore my job but sometimes it challenges me!!) so I am most looking forward to heading home on time tonight, making myself a delectable dinner and relaxing with a Swedish cider or two.

Hopefully I will be heading into London tomorrow for InTRANSIT - a festival of arts in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. It's mostly for work purposes but it should be rather interesting and enjoyable nevertheless. I will make sure I take plenty of photos!

I have also tasked myself with kicking off a home decor project this weekend. As some of you may know I recently moved house and realised today that I have been living there for nearly a month and a half. How time flies!!

Anyway, I have decided that my little bedroom is in much need of personalisation. Currently the walls are a pale duck egg blue and unadorned. I have decided I'd like to make one of the walls almost like a collage or 'moodboard' with postcards, photos, posters and other assorted media, and on another of the walls I'd like to hang some photos in frames.

I've been having a look on Pinterest for some inspiration and below are some of the ideas I like best:

I like the idea of mixing different sizes and colours of frames - especially brightly coloured ones - and just blue tacking things to the wall or attaching to string with paperclips.

Have you got any suggestions for me? How do you like to display your art/photos/paraphernalia?

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Toodle pip.

L x

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Thursday Fives

Hello there!

Now, I know for sure that I have five friendly people who read my witterings in this blog and I am very pleased about that. I also like to read what they have to say for themselves.

However now that I plan to be a lot more active in this blog I feel it is time to expand my reading list and my followers so I have a task for you.

Yes you.

You lovely people!

Please can you each recommend five blogs that you think I'll enjoy reading, as varied on subject matter as possible is appreciated - I love art, interiors, photography, fashion, food, travel and music so I'm happy to read about any of that.

And please can you recommend my blog to five people who follow you in the hope that I can rack up a few more nice people commenting on my little stories?

Thanks so much in advance!! Looking forward to making new blog acquaintances.

L x

Update: Whoops, I have just noticed that I've accrued a new follower so I now have six lovely people following me!! Please do feel free to recommend blogs for me to read though and recommend me to others.

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Vintage/Wilderness Festival

Hi there,

As many of you will know, I have been working in my spare time as an Ambassador for this year's Vintage Festival. Due to take place at the beautiful Boughton House in Northamptonshire this weekend I had been looking forward to it (and panicking over what to wear) for quite some time now.

So it was with great dismay that I read a text from Clare of Miss Simmonds Says fame while I was away last week stating that Vintage 2012 had been cancelled.

"WHAT? CANCELLED?!" I yelped, a familiar sinking feeling in my stomach that can only be disappointment over something you're really truly looking forward to suddenly being snatched out from under your nose.

But then, another text message. All was not lost, Vintage 2012 have managed to get themselves a guest spot at another fabulous festival - that I had been considering attending anyway - called Wilderness. This will be taking place in Oxfordshire which is much nearer to my home, and in August which means we may (although I have my fingers crossed as I type this so as not to jinx it, which is no mean feat I tell you!!) have better weather and therefore I won't have to spend the entire weekend in waterproof clothing. Here's hoping, mackintoshes are not particularly glam and can be such a drag.

Now, if it is in fact possible I am even more excited that Vintage will be guesting at this years Wilderness Festival than I was about it's original incarnation. This is the festival that plays host to the Secret Garden Party which has a yearly theme - this year's is 'Rise of the Tribes'. I am rather hoping for a less murderous Lord Of The Flies experience, running and dancing with wild abandonment through the forest and dining by firelight.

There will also be Future Cinema - a dress up, live action experience of Bugsy Malone; a Lakeside Spa with treatments on offer and relaxed seating and lounging areas provided by Toast; theatre from the Petersham Playhouse; food by Yottam Ottolenghi, Fergus Henderson & St John and Valentine Warner amongst others and much much more!!

Have I sold it to you yet?

I know I'm impressed!!!!

I will be dancing to the Temper Trap and Rodrigo Y Gabriela and generally having a jolly old time. And with all the added excitement that Wayne Hemingway's team at Vintage can bring to the table too. What's not to love?

Roll on August I say, I'll be waiting with my bags packed!!!

L x

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Summer (?) jaunts and general busy-ness

Well hello there!

Sorry for my lack of posting and commenting recently, I went away for a few days (more to come on that in a separate post) and was then struck down with a particularly nasty stomach bug on the day I returned so the remainder of my week off has involved lying in bed, watching films, reading the paper, making incredibly good progress with the book I am reading (The Slap by Christos Tsolkias if anyone's interested) and I managed to summon the energy to venture out for my friend's birthday dinner on Saturday night, but sadly failed to eat all of my pizza - something which prompted much incredulity from my chums. I also managed to drag myself out to do some food shopping yesterday and baked a cake in the afternoon so it wasn't all bad.

Tonight I am off to the House of Commons with work for a debate on whether or not sexualised imagery in advertising needs to be controlled by statutory regulation. I am rather excited and will try to take some photos as I have never been inside the Houses of Parliament before!!

Toodle pip for now.

L xx

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