Editors, Brixton Academy

Lisa gets Coutured.....at the V&A

Saturday was a bit of a decent day, so I really wanted to be out and about in London. First and most importantly I finally got around to putting the Spain holiday films in at my favourite photo developer in Covent Garden. I didn't hang around there, just too chaotic. But still for something to do I was going to suggest some window shopping on Kensington High street.

That would have required money, something that pay day must bring me....grrr. However, my decision was helped by the fact that neither the District or Circle lines were running on the weekend, and I would have had to walk there from South Kensington.

So when stranded by the Piccadilly line on a school holiday weekend...(ugh)....in the museum district and the fancy French part of London, no less, do as a fancy French person would do and.... go to a Museum. Not just any museum, the V&A, the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they were having an exhibition for The Golden Age of Couture:Paris and London 1947 - 1957.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1486_couture/index.php

I had no idea this would be so popular, I got there at 3pm and managed to get the last ticket for the 4:30pm opening. I got to wander around the Museum for a while, exploring British culture through the years and different periods, like Georgian and Baroque. How some of these exquisite pieces of clothing, tapestries, jewellery, silverware, and fine china make it from around the 1600's till now in one piece I will never know!!

At 4'ish I was ready for couture and snuck in early....shhh... It was absolutely packed, but fortunately, as with the British, orderly queues formed around the various exhibition cases. So it was more meaningful when you finally got to see such beautiful clothing up close. Oh I believe, with my tiny waist and curvy hips, that was soooo my period.

I should have been obscenely wealthy around that time, everything would have fitted like a dream. They even had videos showing them putting on their waist cinching corsets...and then padding up their hips, can you believe it....no girl would pad out their hips these days. Then it was all about the curves, tiny waist, and the curves over the hips, with lots of flowey fabrics. It wasn't all Marilyn girls though, the models in the videos they showed of fashion shows back then were still sticks....sticks wearing super tight corsets to make them look curvey.

The dresses were so well preserved and beautiful, many from the private collections of wealthy London and Parisian ladies. There were suits, jackets, shoes....they just never date..., corsetry, day dresses, hats, gloves, ball gowns and more. Lots of Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Hardy Aimes, Viver, and Balenciaga....they also showed a bit of Audrey Hepburn after all in a few of her movies she was wearing some of these clothes.

It was well worth going and its just a pitty that...I may never own such beautiful clothes... and if I did I would wear them to death, no museum for them.... hahahaaa....

Winter becomes us

Well its getting colder, slowly does it, and its not too bad. It's really nice to know that it really is cold and you do have to dress for it properly, rather than it being sort of warm/cool and not really knowing what warmth level you need to dress for, i.e. Spring coat with a scarf, Winter coat but without scarf, short coat with scarf and gloves..... ah the dilemmas. Then having to strip it all off when you get on the tube so you don't melt on the way to work....

I actually got my winter coat out the other day and while it was required on Thursday because it was quite cold when I left home, around 3-4, and with a chilly wind, Saturday I forgot it was going to be warmer and proceed to roast myself in it whilst wandering around Covent Garden and South Kensington. In the end I carried it...Oh well.

But it was nice and cosy having a day in today with DVD's and books to read, Bridget Jones got another watch, as did The Devil Wears Prada *sigh*....I have no idea where my interest in clothes came from, but I am pretty sure I wasn't this obsessed before I came to London....damn this place!!

Haaa hahha, I would not give up having been here, being here and the rest of my stay here for the world. I truely do love it here, it has so much to offer and its a shame that so many people I know don't realise what a fabulous city that they live in or near. Or they live too far away (Australia) to come visit me so I can show them around.

I would love to play tour guide and drag people around to all my favourite spots...like; the view of St Pauls from the Tate, Southbank, Borough Markets, Tower Bridge (I work right near it now - i still love the view from here), Hampstead Heath, Primrose Hill, Marylebone High street, Battersea Park, my own street, Hampstead, Belsize village, Trafalgar Square, Regent Street, Brick lane, The National Gallery, the view from London Bridge, the London Eye, the houses of Parliament, Kensington High street, Selfridges, Portobello Road markets, Camden Markets, Harrods, St James Park, the V&A, Canary Wharf and so much more.

The best thing about these places, is that most of them are free to see and you get a good taste of what London has to offer without paying a cent. So if your reading this and want to come to London....I will happily show you around and hopefully you'd love it as much as I do.

Notting Hill Carnival 2007

Anne was visiting London and we were having such beautiful weather so we decided to head over to Notting Hill for the the festival. While I went last year, Anne hadn't been in years.


It was Childrens Day, which is the Sunday (its the August long weekend and Monday is the proper parade day - but seriously you wouldn't know its extremely busy and chaotic whatever day you choose to go). Childrens day is a bit different as the parade is soley made up of children dressed up, and its a bit more of a casual day.


We wandered along against the parade as it takes ages if you just stand in the one place, at least 3 hours, and there is so much more atmosphere if you move around and go along the various streets for the live bands and all the food. There are always coconut drinks, random people dressed up (not actually in the carnival), Red Stripe beer and my favourite Jerk Chicken...yummy with rice. It's spicy chicken legs and a Parade must have (pity we'd already had lunch!) and it is Jamaican festival after all.

After a while wandering around squeezing through the crowds, we decided to make the most of the summery weather and head with a newspaper over to Kensington Gardens nearby for a lie down in the sun and a bit of a read...ah bliss..









It was so loud, but he was out to it! Cute.
Keeping the peace!



Rest time....

Sunrise from my flat..

A chilly Autumn morning, pink light streaming in the windows, having the courage to open the window *burrrr* and vwah-la a picturesque sunrise right outside my window.

It was very beautiful, there has to be some bonus about the sun getting up at 7am!!

Enjoy...

Rugby World Cup 2007 - Australia vs England

Well it was the game of the season and you had to watch...though in the end it was cringingly as Australia played so poorly and let England, well Jonny Wilkinson, walk all over them...by 2 points - 10-12 to England.

Lisa shows Skippy how its done.













Was such fun at the Marylebone Tup, Marylebone with Jethro, Teresa, Ching, Sophie, Maddy and some others too. Lots of Aussies in their Australian jerseys, and Teresa in her jersey. Seriously I think the English are sore losers (though I knew this from the Football world Cup last year) and thought they would lose, either that they are too tight to part with a proper jersey to support their team. There was not one other person wearing and England jersey!!

Even though we lost I proudly wore my top for the rest of the day, even with Teresa gloating non-stop for the rest of the afternoon, at the next pub, then out at dinner in China town in Soho.

Was a fun afternoon and had a great time, and well we were geared up after that to watch France beat England....but we stayed in to watch this one...as England, sorry Jonny, came through again.!! A whole other story, now stay tuned till the final while we await South Africa, to hopefully beat England. No team has won two in a row, and frankly my ear drums are nearly bleeding from Teresa's screaming so I could not bere for them to win!! Ahhaaa LOL

The TUP..
The Pub
Skippy having a blast!
Teresa very happily being a grinner winner
And Ching joins in to celebrate with her..
Jethro gives Skippy a hug
Maddie and Teresa
Teresa spreading the lovvvvee
But after all we still love each other ahhhh...

Anne's Girly Birthday Lunch

Last Sunday on 30th September it was Annes birthday, so I went down to visit her for the day, to have lunch with all her girlfriends at a lovely pub at Shoreham by Sea. It was a gorgeous day for it too.
The Birthday Girl...



View from the Pub...it was so sunny and bright...a bit chilly out in the wind though..