Music for March - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

A few weeks back I heard the song Jubilee Street by Nick Cave on Radio 6 and really loved it. The album Push The Sky Away, which features the song was released on the 11th Feb. So here it is, still getting my head around the rest of the album, but still enjoying this track.

A Cold Ale And Diana Vreeland

I watched the Diana Vreeland documentary, The Eye Has To Travel on Lovefilm last night along with a lovely glass of ice cold Bengal Lancer ale. I love girly nights now and then. She was quite a scary lady but said some great and insightful things.

Topshop Unique at AW13 LFW

As one of the high street's most fashion forward retailers, Topshop Unique is always one to watch at London Fashion Week for a peek into the future trends which we will all be buying into later in the year. For AW13, it looks like it's all about texture. With shiny PVC, leather, fur, satin and sequins, tactility is the name of the game. Colour-wise, nothing drastic really, camel, nudey pink, black, bluebell and tomato reds. One of the most interesting themes was the loose, fluid fits on tops, trousers, skirts and jackets and the midi-length which has already emerged as a definite trend for 2013.

Murad

I was so excited to find out that you can now buy Murad products at Marks and Spencers. After trawling online for their amazing Vitamin C Cleanser, I resented paying another £5 for postage on an item which at £34 was pretty pricey anyway. So I headed over to M&S at Cribbs Causeway yesterday and was actually very surprised to find the they now have an extensive range of great skincare brands (including Nuxe and Ren). I have used a sample of this cleanser before and it really was fabulous, leaving my skin feeling super clean and smooth. I would definitely recommend it and although it seems like an expensive buy, it should last a very long time.

Bowling Fun

Last night we had a staff night out at the Hollywood Bowl in Bristol. I think my bowling skills need a little practise, that's all I can say.

What A Yummy Valentines Day

I was very treated this Valentines Day and felt I had to post some pics of the amazing meal Chris made for me. Asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon with a truffle infused hollandaise sauce, poached duck egg and Gruyere cheese crisp. For pudding, a gooey chocolate souffle with creme-brule ice-cream. Absolutely delicious it was.

Silly Saturdays

Last Saturday was fun, I headed off for a girls night out and Chris went to a Dressage night with show ponies and sexy stable boys theme!

Pancakes!

I LOVE PANCAKES!

Last night, I returned home after a tiring day out in London for work, visiting Pure and Stitch Trade Shows. We saw some pretty cool things there and tons of stuff I'd quite like for myself. The perfect ending to the day was having the most delicious pancake dinner with Chris and Soph.

It was a yummy, Chinese, pancake fusion! Chinese vegetables stuffed into a pancake served with rice vermicelli and pan seared sea bass with a drizzle of sweet, five spice sauce. Pancakes should come more than once a year in my opinion.

2013 Summer Trends

Taking a day out of the office on Friday, I was on a comp shop mission. A mission to find out exactly what was going on, on the high street. The most obvious trend of all was Monochrome, with many a shop window and entrance facing display boldly flaunting the classic, minimalist look. Using block colour, stripes, spots and hearts, it was pretty much apparent in all the major high street stores. Mark Jacobs set the trend in the SS'13 New York Fashion Week last year.

       

Another popular trend was Pastels. With the likes of Antonio Marras using these muted colours in his SS'13 collection, the cute, girly ice cream shades are always a nice move on from the dark, starkness of the Winter months.

        

In contrast to the black and white Monochrome, many stores had a bright, pop colour to add a touch of interest, freshness and pazazz to the ranges. This appeared in the form of vivid chartreuse, fluoro coral, cobalt blue and neon pink. Proenza Schouler highlighted this SS'13 trend.

     

Other trends which were very much evident were the collegiate, varsity trend and grungey 90's look which was brought back to life in the form of velvet fabrications, smiley faces, dip dye, cropped skinny tees, distressed denim, cosmic prints and patterned gypsy dresses.

       

These final two trends definitely seem to be inspired by celebrity culture and music, with the likes of Rhianna Rita Ora and such like being hugely influencial on high street trends.

Beth Jeans Houghton And The Hooves Of Destiny

Continuing to keep up one of my new years resolutions - to buy one new piece of music a month - February's choice was Beth Jeans Houghton And The Hooves Of Destiny, with the debut album Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose. I have to say it really is amazing, I love her distinctive voice, which sometimes reaches operatic echelons and is enriched with dreamy violins and harmonies. Chris and I were lucky enough to catch her performing live at the Louisiana in Bristol last year which is a tiny venue and felt very intimate and low key, the best way to see live music in my opinion. Here is a great song, Dodechahedron from the album.

   

Homewood Park, A Fabulous Treat

We were very lucky to have a spontaneous Sunday lunch at the delightful Homewood Park just outside Bath last weekend. Entering the hotel via a quaint old, windy drive and being greeted by some lovely welcoming staff, it wasn't long before we were quaffing a glass of lovely Champagne and making some tough decisions from a hugely tempting menu. As I don't eat meat, I opted for a smoked haddock rarebit with chowder to start, followed by pan fried sea bream with Nicoise vegetables. For dessert (I simply couldn't resist), I had an utterly divine pecan pie with honey marshmallow covered in cocoa nibs and home made caramel ice-cream. Yum yum! Every dish was totally delicious and inspiring, including the freshly made, still warm bread served up on a slate and the cute petite fours which consisted of macaroons, truffles and jellies. I also had to post a couple of photo's of my dining companions choices too, to show the perfect roast beef and trio of rhubarb desserts. An experience to cherish. I hope to return again soon.

Art Deco Darling

I picked up this really cute Art Deco inspired necklace at H&M over the weekend which happily rested on my coffee table like it was just always meant to be. It also looks rather good with a nice cosy jumper too.

Daffodils

Daffodils are great, all bright and cheery. They make me long for fresh Spring days and dazzling sunshine.

Glittery Nails

Armed with a £2 off voucher for Essie nail polish, I headed to Boots this weekend where this glittery, glimmering silver nail polish took my fancy. Essie have some great shades which they are constantly updating with the latest seasonal trends. Definitely one to keep an eye on.

Fish And Chips

A celebratory meal last week meant beer battered hake and chips at The Mud Dock and very nice it was too!