Spring has sprung!

Yes - it's true! Spring has finally arrived. We are setting the clocks for BST (British Summer Time) this Sunday, there are daffodils everywhere and Pimms have started their marketing season - so it must be spring, right?
Loving the GIANT deckchair they commissioned for Bournemouth beach. Very clever way to get exposure in a below-the-line way...

The charms of music

Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak." William Congreve

Two of the songs that are on the soundtrack of this weekend are -

Gotye and "Somebody as I Used to Know"

http://youtu.be/8UVNT4wvIGY

It's appealing to my prevailing morbidity...
AND
My bestie got married this weekend - and now the next song will forever remind me of her exchange of vows in Bournemouth (I am sadly missing the wedding in Thailand!)
http://youtu.be/c__noWWtdZg

A resounding cover by James Vincent McMorrow of a Steve Winwood song "Higher Love". It brought tears to my eyes during the ceremony. 
Congratulations again, Mr and Mrs Kirby. 
Perhaps love does win out in the end, eh?
xx
P.S. There is no ONE song that describes the other events during the weekend. How do you sum up a drag queen hating your taste in shooters, with a mere song? Will give it some thought. Good times, ya'll...

Gifts from Venice

a.k.a My-friend-went-to-Venice-and-all-I-got-was-this-lousy-pasta
I dream of visiting Venice one day... A romantic trip down a canal (preferably in colder weather so there is less of a "natural" aroma accompanying my watery journey), some shopping and perhaps even an impromptu Venetian masked ball thrown in. Ahhhhh, a girl can dream. 
Speaking of dreams - mine were pleasantly shattered recently. The most-gorgeous-mechanic went to Venice with her Fiance for a weekend, and promised me a gift upon her return. My mind immediately shifted to anything Murano (well, not anything - I am obsessed with Murano rings. What would I do with a freakin' vase anyway?)

My imagination certainly got the better of me, and it took every ounce of grace for me to cheerfully accept the "actual" gift that was...

Penis shaped pasta! The packaging it came in was less obvious than the image in this posting (the Venetian pasta seller claimed that it was "traditional pasta, not sexy" but still. It was distinctly phallic. The exact shape in the picture above...)
Well, it turned out to be the best gift ever* as it made for a lovely lunch with basil pesto, grilled artichokes and a bottle of yummy Pinot Noir that we shared while watching Young Adult (cringe-cringe-cringe; an "is that me in 5 years time?" kinda movie) and the Descendants (cringe - is that really how one would react to the fatal accident of one's mother?? Oscar? Schmosker!!).

So, if any of you lovelies go to Venice in the future, please note that while I am most appreciative of any gifts (esp. carbs), I yearn for something MURANO in future. M-U-R-A-N-O. 
If one doesn't ask, one doesn't get. Innit. 
x


*during the weekend of the 2nd March 2012

Goooooolllldd!

Lurving metallic nail polish - am rocking dark gold this weekend - ooooh, yeah!

*a stunt nail double may have been used for this post

Cool abroad

Bwa ha ha ha ha - have just had the MOST pleasant, humourous TV-watching experience that I have had in a long time :-)

I am officially loving "An Idiot Abroad"

Is funny, funny, funny! Karl Pilkington, the ultimate reluctant traveller, is egged on by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (who sit in comfort in a non-exotic location) and give him "bucket list" style challenges like bungee jumping, plane riding and sh*t. Loves it...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Idiot_Abroad

Scarf crush #2

I am finally emerging from my snood fetish... And you know the only way to get over one neck-warming accessory, is to get another!

I am loving Marc Jacobs' inspired scarves from his latest Fall/Winter 2012/13 collection - thank goodness for long winters and short summers eh?

Leap yah!

Hello darlings, 

I have finally emerged from what can only be described as a distrissed, catatonic state; thought to be induced by the mulch and faux-mance of Valentines day... Bah, Humbug! 
I would like to stress that I don't think it's "un-cool" in any way - it just sucks ass when you're single. As I scanned the tube last Tuesday, and saw the soppy expressions as people rushed home to give or receive overpriced flowers and/or chocolates; I simply glowered in the corner. WHERE WERE MY OVERPRICED FLOWERS AND/OR CHOCOLATES, dammit!

The thing that has allowed me to shrug off my morbidness - has been the Hendriks Gin campaign! Hurrah!

Clever, clever, clever! They are using the leap year as a platform to get traffic to their site. Traditionally (as I am sure you all know), the leap year, and in modern times specifically the 29th Feb, is the only time that a lady can propose to a man. If he refused, back in the day, he would have to give compensation - for example, as per Wiki: "if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow".


Over the last few weeks they have been cunningly posting adverts in the free morning newspapers classified section - one addressed to ladies calling them to the website to give them ideas on how to propose, and the other to men (as example shows):

Their campaign piqued my curiousity, and I found myself visiting their amusing, well illustrated website!

and I am really enjoying their lesson's in nuptial conquest... http://unusualtimes.net/hendricks-presents-the-ladies-school-of-nuptial-conquest-lesson-4-glove/


Who knows eh - watch your backs batchelors! The 29th approacheth! <--- I am not alluding to a recently developed speech impediment, but rather to a historical way of speaking as the concept is all rather old-fashioned...

The success of my proposal may not be based on getting a "yes" as I rather fancy this silk dress from Roberto Cavalli -

 Heartbreak, shmartbreak. Give a girl a dress - problem solved.