Fun,Fashion,Friendship & Flirting

what more could a girl ask for?.... this sums up Sex & the City 2 in one sentence.

Last night I saw the girls back on the silver screen after 2 years away ... was I disappointed... hell no! Ignoring all critics and reviews, it's pure escapism and indulgence. Bags of fun ( some very naughty one-liners!) Fashion to die for, including Halston Heritage., and Louboutins ( what SATC! did for Manolo's blue shoe... SATC2 will have you all craving a gold pair of Louboutins!)

Age has mellowed the girls, but this just enhances their relationship and you see a vulnerable side to them all, with the girls covering off everything from Men, Menopause & Marriage.... a pure romp!... Eye candy everywhere! Big, Aiden & Smith. all there to enhance the indulgent treat! and interiors to drool over.

Will I go and see it again......In the words of 'Big'... "AbsoF**kinglutely"

The Girls are back......

hoorah....

Guess where I'm off to tonight!..............

i'm soo excited........

Friday 5 ~ Cities....

no surprises on this one!....mmmm what could my favourite city be?....it is of course NEW YORK!
since writing my blog I have 31 posts of New York... please feel free to check them out!

So back to my 5.....
1.New York ~ so good they named it twice!... can't wait to go back for Christmas.
2.London ~ never thought I would commute into the City, but I love it, and quite often take myself off on random walks round London. an amazing city with soooo much history on the doorstep.
3.Paris ~ romantic, glamorous, and so very chic....and not forgetting macaroons to die for!... looking forward to our Ladies that Lunch Day in Paris....coming soon, the Montmartre, Sacre Coeur area is probably my fav part.
4.Rome ~ Culture, Couture & the Colosseum all in one city.... scooters & Italians I don't have to say anything else!
5.Washington DC ~ iconic and stunning.... loved the FBI trip... and was very lucky to see Bill Clinton running out onto the lawn to jump in his helicopter!

A little piece of Chelsea

has appeared in SW1.

Last night after popping into Harvey Nicks I headed down Sloane Street when I stumbled upon these window fronts......

 how gorgeous are these. All in homage to the Chelsea Flower Show.... a lovely treat...loving the ballerina pumps outside french sole... delightful

and the Sweet Peas in Lulu Guinness..... my favourite flower.

Lady that Lunches....

at Hix!... Today one of my team retired after 26 years in the big yellow store! I've worked with her for 4 years now and she has been my rock and right hand women. ..... unfortunately my workload has now doubled overnight until I find a replacement!To celebrate her last day, my boss took myself & Val to the new Hix Restaurant & Champagne bar in the store. The restaurant sits on a mezzanine level which overlooks the handbag hall.... a lady that lunches mecca!
Mark Hix prides himself on using seasonal products, so the menu changes frequently. I started with tomatoes on toast( which were yellow, green, red & black) with shavings of an amazing cheddar which was delicious. I then had fish fingers, chips & peas... which wasn't like anything captain birdseye would serve up!... absolutely yummy. Also served up to Val was lamb cutlets with a cucumber, onion and mint salad which was melt in the moment. Unfortunately we were too stuffed for dessert... going back for that another day!

Yesterday we hosted a little afternoon tea for Val. Of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a cake for her!... complete with an iced louboutin shoe!

We packed her off in a taxi tonight complete with a Hamper, Flowers and at least 4 big Selfridges bags of gifts, including a lovely blue bag from Tiffs! Best Wishes on your retirement..... you will be missed. x

Cupcakes & Crumpet......

mmmm where do I start, there has been so much that has made me smile today! (other than the sun shining!)

my lovely postman dropped this in the porch at 7.... Charlottes Cupcake apron as seen here 

how fab..... so I can now cook cupcakes just like a Sex in the City girl should!

so that's the cupcakes dealt with, now onto the crumpet..... apologies for the blatant drooling but Becks & Army in one go is just too much that a girl (rapidly approaching  her 40's )can take.. especially on a hot day.

I am of course referring to DB's trip out to our boys in Afghanistan. having met this guy last year I can't tell you what an amazing presence he has and what a fantastic morale boost our troops would of had on the back of this. Here is his video diary from his trip.... and all round nice guy and sooo beautiful he can leave a girl incapable of coherent speech for hours.!

Bolly bows out...

I am of course referring to the last episode of Ashes to Ashes, which was aired last night. I'm not going to give too much away, but what a fantastic end. It did not disappoint and lived up to all expectations par 1... I soo wanted Gene & Alex to get together! ( every girl deserves a happy ending!)
From Life on Mars through Ashes to Ashes, Philip Glennister has been outstanding, and has took us back through the politically incorrect 70's and the glamorous sexist 80's!.... and oh how we have loved him!
Last night he fired up the Quatro one last time and was a top Guv!
Favourite scene from season 3 has been this, I defy anyone who wasn't transported back to that school disco moment ( although don't think I ever at that stage told them to wait in the bedroom while I get rid of who was at the door!) with Spandau Ballet singing True.... For anyone still trying to get their head round the ending... here's a great article in today's press.... a fantastic romp through the early 80's!

Friday 5 ~ Comfort Food

mmmmm  it makes me hungry thinking about this! and too many favs to pick just 5 but here goes;

• Sausage & Mash.... one of my favs, with fluffy buttery potatoes (preferably roosters) with pork sausages from the butchers with red onions & gravy.... and fresh runner beans.
• Blackberry & Apple Pie ~ no one else makes this as well as my nan, she made the most amazing pastry and we used to pick the blackberries from Gramps's allotment and make pies!






• Chunky Monkey ice cream - comfort food is incomplete without ice cream --- especially for those Bridget Jones moments.. also a great accompaniment to cupcakes!


• Beef Stew with Dumplings - homemade of course!... you can tell that I grew up with my nan, all her comfort food recipes have been passed down and really bring that feeling of home, perfect for a cold winter night.


• Loaded Jacket potatoes.... all fluffy inside with crunch skins, stuffed with bacon & mushrooms and Cornish cheddar! yum yum perfect for a Saturday night on the sofa!

Thanks to Caroline for a great Friday 5.... looking forward to next week.... what's your comfort foods?.... I'm off now to cook up a treat!

Good Enough to eat....

recently I opted into a blog swap. The theme was "Good enough to Eat". As a girl that is usually always thinking  of food this wasn't difficult! The swap had to include something homemade and a fairtrade item. I was partnered with Caroline, who sent me these fabulous goodies..... do you think that she knew I liked cupcakes!

Included in my goodie box was Clipper Hot choc which is one of my favs, a lovely cupcake mug, a fabulous recipe for Chocolate cake, napkins, air-freshener shaped as a cupcake and some gorgeous pampering treats for face & feet! accompanied by a lovely handmade cupcake card and knitted cupcake pin cushion.... how cute!

So a big thankyou to Caroline... Caroline blogs the Friday 5, which i've started, however this week's was embarrassing moments... i opted out as mine are too bad to share!

Here is what I sent Caroline, along with this decorated shopping list book, card & recipe for Apple & Blackberry pie..... mmmm

Oxfam Curiosity Shop

Last Thursday saw the launch of Oxfam Curiosity shop at Selfridges (located in the lower ground floor opposite the yellow cafe) this is being managed by Annie Lennox and helped by a host of celebrities. There are some amazing items at really affordable prices. The curiosity shop is only open until Thursday so if you are passing I urge you to pop in.

Alongside the shop there is an auction online to raise monies with some amazing pieces being sold off. Check out the auction here.

Tonight I popped in on my way home and bagged a few goodies for £25:

Marina Rinaldi tweed bag - £8

Vintage loves with brown trim - £3

Vintage look satin clutch - £4

Wombles hardback book (1975) £2

Cartier Ink £1

Vintage Ink wells (pair) £7.50

Here is an interview with Annie whilst she is rummaging through her clothes!

Twickenham here we come.....

Today I travelled to Northampton to watch Saracens play Northampton Saints in the Guinness Championship Semi Final. Northampton have a fierce reputation and up until 2 weeks ago had unbeaten home record in excess of 18months. Sarries beat them 28/27 so much hostility was built around this match!

I am overjoyed to report that we've done it again! and are in the Guinness Premiership Cup Final at Twickenham in 2 weeks time!A great game with Sarries clinching the win 3 minutes from time with a try and conversion..... oh my word how long were those last 3 minutes... So I'm off to Twickenham in 2 weeks time to see Saracens take on Leicester......

London,Paris,NewYork & Rome ...

I'm very excited to post that I will be spending time in each of these 4 destinations as part of my 40 things to do in my 40th Year. At the beginning of the year I wrote myself a little list of things I wanted to see, do etc in my 40th Year, I know it's indulgent but hey after the last few years I think I can be a little indulgent!
I sooooo don't want to be 40 and my friends are aware of this so any 'surprises' or 'parties' would be the worst thing they could do ( i know that the thought is there but i would be mortified) I have a wide range of friends that each want to do something with me so i'm spreading it out over the year! I also have a twin to add to the equation!
So my 2 pals (J & K) who are also 40 this year will be accompanying me to Paris for Lunch .... I will be spending my birthday in Rome, Christmas in New York, and in between treats in London!
The planning has started, as you know I waxed lyrically about Suzy Gershmann's Born to Shop New York book, so how excited to pick up one for Paris, Italy & London..... apologies in advance that I am going to bore you all silly now!.... if you have any recommendations then please let me know... Tx

you can take the girl out of the 80's!

or can you?....  last night BBC 2 kicked off it's 80's season with 90 minutes of Top of the Pop's from the 80's. I know that it's sad and it's wrong but I do love it!

This year is my 40th year, along with my 2 'best' pals J & K who also hit the fabulous 40!... we spent the 80's together as teenagers, so we were completely unaware of the political unrest, greed in the financial world and all the things that make the 80's disliked ( I'm not quite sure what has changed in this decade!) great times had by all. The 80's revival season brings us so much nostalgia.

Sunday sees Worried about the Boy which is the story of Culture Club which has a great cast,

Friday also sees the penultimate episode in Ashes to Ashes which just gets even more puzzling but fantastic... Alex Drakes wardrobe could have been picked from mine! and her flat is modeled on J's bedroom!... how can this not make us smile! Gene Hunt singing Uptown Girl!So to make me feel 15 again... here are a number of things planned for this year!...... 80's Rewind festival,

The A Team, and Flashdance the Musical.

(Bradley Cooper as Face...

what other reason do I need to go!)

Keep Calm ...

after a challenging week at work last week (which did involve a mini meltdown!) a night out and a peaceful weekend was much needed. A friends husband celebrated his birthday thursday which saw a lovely meal out at Smiths which is not too far from us in Ongar. This brasserie comes highly recommended and booking is a must (especially since Ray Winstone waxed lyrically about it on the Johnathon Ross show!)  The restaurant was almost full on a thursday night which was surprising. The meal and service was superb... I will be going back.

My weekend was chilled which is a rarity for me, with some catching up on some much needed sleep.

My soiree to the shops bought some cupcake treats with a little parcel awaiting me in the porch from Jenny & Aaron over at Everyday is a holiday when I got back........ never a truer word said, than this bag & bookmark this week....

Friday 5 - Childhood books

I've recently been partnered with Caroline over at "What's happening at my House" in a swap so have been popping onto her blog to get ideas and have avidly followed her Friday 5.
Each Friday she posts 5 things on a mutual topic. This weeks topic is Childhood Books..... what better way to start than post my 5 fav books from my childhood, as an avid reader from an early age this was very difficult to just pick 5!
1. The Wishing Chair & Magic Faraway Tree series - Enid Blyton. I could of quite easily filled my list with  4 of Enid Blyton's series but have restrained with 2. I loved these books, I would curl up on my Gramps lap in his old rocking chair and we would transport ourselves away to a far away land with Molly & Peter and Chinky the pixie.
2. Pollyanna - Eleanor H Porter - a nickname that stuck from my grandparents all their life... heavily influenced by my obsession with always having my head in this book from a young age usually sitting on the backstep in the garden. It still sits in my top 5 films and will always be known as my 'Glad book', stemming from an orphaned girl sent to live with her stuffy aunt in a repressed town, where she teaches them the Glad game.
3. Secret Seven Series - Enid Blyton, Oh I so wanted to live with these guys and be part of their adventures, these 7 started my investigative nature which obviously led to the famous 5 and then into my love of all CSI now!.... it just makes you want to drink lashings of ginger beer and jam sandwiches!.... many a night with a torch under the bed sheet to finish the last chapter!
4. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm - Kate Douglas Wiggin - large family of siblings sent to live with two maiden aunts on a farm,a heartwarming tale where Rebecca's joy for life inspires the aunts (eventually)... spending summers in the country in Suffolk gave me a feel of life in the country and this book as always my reading book of choice here.
5. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - This is the book that took me through childhood into teens, as the character association changes dependant on what age you read it! and a book that I still read now.... from a family of strong women this book was always going to figure in my top 5.

The day is finally here

when we all get the chance to put a big X in a box!... I am quite fed up with all of the election coverage and will be glad when it's all over. Why can't it be as glamourous as the elections in America!.... however I will pop in the polling station on my way to work. (I have Nick Griffin targetting the MP seat in my district, so I must use my right to vote)

If you are planning on staying up all night to watch the seats declared then an all nighter cannot be complete without the following

Cupcakes,

 Ice-cream

& Crisps!

Reasons why....

1. I should never just pop in the supermarket for Milk on the way home from work.

The milk run, saw me picking up these cupcake treats, all for less than £10!... The cupcake bowls & plates are malamine so will be great for the summer.

And

2. Read Kelly's blog at lunchtime, as that causes me to shop also on the way home!...

I will post in another blog why these little goodies have been purchased!...

Goodies purchased from Tesco & Accessorize...

The girls are back ....

and ticket is booked for opening day!

This weekend I pre-booked my ticket to see the much awaited Sex & the City2 movie. (I am sure that I will not see this film once, so friends don't panic I haven't left you off the invite list.)
As always the hype is huge for this movie, with guarded secret plot lines and clothes to die for!.... Carrie's white vintage Halston is much coveted as is Charlotte's cupcake apron!.... and it's a welcome back to some old faces!!

only 4 weeks to wait!..... cupcakes & cocktails being planned!

A Saturday of Style & Shopping

unfortunately not as glamorous as the title suggests!........... supermarket shopping and a dash round the shopping centre will be some of my day. I cannot put it off any longer, the cupboards are bare, and the breakfast cereal suplies hav now all gone, so food shopping is a must!

and then an evening in front of the TV watching the gorgeous Mr Draper in Mad Men.

Last night I caught up on the last episode of Season 3, which was fantastic.  This has got me wanting to go back to the beginning of Season 1 to watch it all again.
For those of you not familiar series is set in the late 50's early 60's in an advertising agancy in New York. It has the complete package of style & glamour and a very naughty man!... Donald Draper .... In a former life I so very nearly became Mrs Draper!... don't think I would have been the runaway bride if this guy was standing at the end of the aisle!....

have a fab bank holiday weekend....Tx