Photo of the Day No.30 - Happy Engagement

Congratulations to our friends Alex and Dan on their engagement!!

(The end of the friendship....the beginning of something so much better)

Xmas No.1's in the UK

And interesting play list if I do say so myself, maybe one day when I am bored at Christmas i will download and have a listen....
http://sharemyplaylists.com/every-christmas-number-one-ever/

A week in the life

Ok prepare yourself, an example of my life, this is last week! Oh its not that exciting really! You will be snoring by Wednesday, so its good to read right before bed, as an alternative to counting sheep perhaps.

MONDAY

7.45am - drag myself out of bed, cram in a cup of tea, muesli, shower make up....etc

8.30am - out the door

8.40am - on the Northern line tube and reading standing up (change to District/Circle line for 2 stops)

9.15am - arrive at work, set up desk, get tea and start my workday

1.00pm - working through lunch, again, have soup from home

5.00pm - leave work, walk 15 minutes to Charing Cross station so only have to take one line home

6.00pm - check emails briefly, avoiding computer as have pulled a muscle, do a load of washing

7.15pm - off to Pilates class

8.30pm - dinner and TV, potter bits and bobs the usual

11.30pm - Bed

TUESDAY

7.45 - 9.15am - same as Monday

1.00pm - lunch (soup from home)

6pm - leave work and walk to Goodge street stopping via Tottenham Court Road to check out shops

7.30pm - Northern line home

8.00pm - home, TV, wash hair and late dinner with Mark

WEDNESDAY

7.45 - 9.15am - same as Monday

1.00pm - lunch (soup from canteen - root vegetables...mmm...(urgh Not!)

5.00pm - out the door

5.30pm - physio massage at Snow Hill, near St Pauls

7.00pm - mad dash back via Kentish Town and down to Camden to meet Mark

7.30pm - "Date Night" dinner at Andy's Taverna, mmm Greek food

9.00pm - "Couples Retreat" with Vince Vaughn at the Odeon - its ok, but only ok.

11.30pm - home at last...sleep time

THURSDAY

7.45 - 9.15am - same as Monday...bored yet!

1.30pm - quick trip tp M&S to see if they have the dress I need for next week (nope) but I got sushi for lunch, how I miss Sushi Train!!

6.00pm - out the door

6.20pm - meet Jade and Shauna at National Portrait Gallery for 60's Photography Exhibition - Beatles to Bowie (it was really good)

8.30pm - dinner in Covent Garden

11.00pm - home and missed Question Time, drat oh well 8 million others watched it

11.30pm - bed time....though it could have been later

FRIDAY

7.45 - 9.15am - same as Monday...bored still....but I did get a bacon sandwich

12.30pm - lunch at the A&E Pub with Rachael and Amy

2.00pm - back at work

5.30pm - out the door and straight home

6.45pm - walk to Gospel Oak to catch the train to West Hampstead

7.00pm - Red Lion pub for drinks with Matt and Cristina for their leaving do, then on to Alice Bar next door

1.00pm - home and crashed out, one cocktail too many

SATURDAY

10.30am - get up have a cup of tea, potter, bugger around do bits and bobs of tidying, shower, dress etc.

1.00pm - tube down to Waterloo, grab hot choccy then train to Clapham for shopping in TK Maxx (outlet store)

4.30pm - done, Mark has new jeans, work trouser, socks and undies. I got a new dress, handbag and leather gloves. All at bargain basement prices!

5.30pm - Oxford Street, just briefly when we realised the time, Marks work shoes will have to wait

6.30pm - back home getting ready to go out

7.00pm - tube to Oxford Circus and walk down to Club Bar and dinning in Soho

7.30pm - Dinner with the Ibarras and all the others

12.30am - miss the tube and walk to catch the night bus

1.00am - home at last.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

SUNDAY

10.30am - out of bed and cup of tea

11.00am - Mark makes breaky - bacon sandwiches

11.30am - shower, dress and out the door for the tube to WORK

12.30pm - at work...work...work....ah work

4.30pm - quick shop at Sainsbury's for dinner stuff, we have spagetti bol...

5.30pm - home, put a wash on, tidy, watch some Meerkat Manor

6.30pm - put on dinner and chill with Mark watching TopGear and Emma

11.30pm - early night...lights out!

Dad does London...first days...

Us at Tower Bridge

Paddington Station with Paddington Bear

Dad at St Pauls Cathedral

Dad and Lisa at Buckingham Palace

At Wellington Arch

Dad at very top of St Pauls Cathedral, with view to East London City and the Gerkin

Fish and Chips on Brighton Beach...mmm

Our first tube ride in from Heathrow
First ride in a London Cab
Me and Dad outside Dominion Theatre where we saw We Will Rock you - amazing

At Covent Garden before dinner at GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen)

An amazing voice!

You have to watch this video...she don't look for much but she has a lovely voice, brought a tear to my eye and Simon Cowells too!! HaHaha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg

Dozing on the couch

That is what Mark is currently doing, its nearly 11pm and he plonked himself there at about 8pm tonight, so I thought to entertain myself by writing a few blogs. I have only got one done so far, as you can see and looking back on my last lot of blogs its clear that I am a bit behind again.

This weekend we headed over the the Natural History Museum for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, its one of my favourite ones and I missed it last year.

This little one was my favourite, though its hard to pick and the ones that won were certainly not the ones I would have picked as the best.

Thus we have started embarking on our ever lapsing cultural expeditions, but there will be no more of that now, winter is over, the sun is coming out and staying out longer, hibernation time is done with. That and the countdown is on - 11 months and counting.

Last week I armed myself with a Time Out London magazine, grabbed the Saturday papers and poured through them for inspiration on where to go and what to do. That also makes it a bit trickier as whilst on a daily basis my only clue as to London's hidden activities (they are as if you don't look for them you won't know they are on) are the posters in the tube escalators, having such in depth guidance only adds to the confusion, as my god there is just far to much on.

Alas, it must be done, as there are only so many times you can see the posters for Carmen, Chicago and We Will Rock You and after a while you start to think that maybe you did see them...(no doubt I haven't but all 3 now must be added to the never ending, and never to be completed - such is life - things "To do in London" list.

Starting us off will be next week seeing Sneaky Sound system in Shepard's Bush (good ol' Shepard's bush....used to be very Australian but now a very large Polish community), but I have complied a short list for my own amusement of things I really would like to see this year....and in no particular order;

The Australian Film Festival to see Cactus...(recommendations welcome)

We Will Rock You

Chicago

The 39 Steps

London Fashion Week (I just missed it this weekend)

La Clique

Hats - An Anthology (V&A)

Le Corbusier at Barbican

Babylon - British Museum

Museum of Docklands

Kew Gardens

Fabric (night club - though seriously getting too old for this...)

Burlesque....not sure who or where

Three Days of Rain (play)

Summer movies in Regents Park

Mamma Mia! (again)

Priscilla Queen of the Desert (the Musical with Jason Donovan...got to be hilarious)

The Paper Cinema - not sure myself but has good reviews

Billy Elliot

Taming of the Shrew

Les Miserable ....just because I cannot believe I have not seen it yet

Jack the Ripper walking tour (and several others actually)

I think that is all for now...but I will review the posters in the tube again tomorrow...quality reading :-)

La Cage Aux Folle - The BirdCage

You may remember this one from the hilarious film that stared Robin Williams, it - La Cage Aux Folle - was a very successful French play and movie before they made the English movie version - The Bird Cage.
I was long overdue a catch up with my friend Julie and rather than just have a dinner we caught a show too. This one I had been eyeing off to see for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity.

The show itself is about a gay couple who own a cabaret nightclub in the South of France, in Nice, where Georges is the ever suffering "man" and MD of the show and Albin is the "girl" slash drag queen/transvestite/companion/lover, who is the long time, now aging star of the show "Zsa Zsa".

It starts to get silly when Georges son turns up announcing that he is to marry Anne, whose mother and father they are to meet. However, Anne's father, a prominent politician and staunch supporter of a morality and family party, who well don't see "gays" fondly.

Albin is supposed to disappear for a night and Jean-Michele's real mother is supposed to visit and play happy families with Georges...only catch is she doesn't actually show up.

So Albin, miffed at having been dismissed as "not Jean-Michele's real mother", decides to steal the show and play mummy rather than Uncle. This has hilarious results and ends up with Anne's mother and father being smuggled out of the cabaret in Nice, by having to play transvestite dancers in the show...Hilarious.

Both Julie and I loved it and are considering seeing it again, next time with Graham Norton, who is a very popular and funny English television comedian!

Everyday I love them more & more, the Kaiser Chiefs

Last night was my fourth time seeing one of my favourite bands, the Kaiser Chiefs and well they still rock. The first time I saw them was at the Reading Festival in 2006 where they headlined on the friday night of the festival and I was a newbie to English rock bands outside of Oasis. This was followed by seeing them at Rock Werchter 2007 (in Belgium), then at Earls Court in December 2007 (where I was right at the barriers of a very jammed and massive venue) and last night at the tiny venue called the Forum in Kentish Town in North London (almost Camden, so as famous as Koko in Camden).



The Kaiser's have a new album out, in fact it was just released on the day of the concert so perfect timing. It seems most of my favourite bands are bringing out new albums at the moment, Keane, Snow Patrol, Razorlight, the Kings of Leon (a new favourite, I have not been a fan of their music previously) and the Killers (who I love). So my visits HMV may have to increase, whilst my bank balance dwindles just a bit more. That and new albums mean new concerts - poor bank account again - for which most are sold out. Though that doesn't mean I won't go, it just means I get tickets closer to the date when they are cheaper on eBay, either that I score some from the touts on the night. Though experience tells me it won't be necessary to get them from the touts.



Anyway, I went along to the concert with Michael, Kerry and Mark, all seasoned festival/concert goers with a hearty preliminary dinner at both KFC and McDonalds - yes we are that awful to have eaten that rubbish - we were geared to enjoy the show. We had intended to have a couple of drinks at the concert, but with my bladder all but bursting minutes before showtime, only one was the go. I simply could not chance it. Also when your jumping around at the front of the stage you don't get much chance to drink, more like have a bath really. I didn't really care, I was already a drowned rat from the pouring rain that was dumped on London yesterday evening. Michael would be familiar with the warm beer experience as after all, he wore a beer about halfway into the concert.



Well they were just brilliant, Ricky Wilson (lead singer...and a God) kicked off with an oldie (I cannot remember with what he started with exactly....have no idea why), before diving into the new songs including "Never Miss a Beat" which is a great song in general, but one that completely goes off at a concert. "Ruby" got a mention (my favourite) as did "Modern Way". The played a few new ones, we sang Happy Birthday to the drummer and they also played a few others including "Everyday I love you less and less", "Oh my god", "Heat dies down", "The Angry mob", "Thank you very much", "Na Na Na Na Na", and they finished off the encore with "I predict a Riot", which predictable almost caused a riot!



Ricky was totally into the crowd, and being up the front enabled me to get pretty close to him. Firstly he was leaning way over the barriers and I got right in ther for that, right up close. Then a bit later he got all the crowd at the front to part - not unlike the red sea (lets say in this case the "Ruby" sea) - and he ran down through us so he could climb up to the bottom of the balcony.



Of course, the enthusiastic crowd including myself hindered his way within moments (he got there eventually) , BUT ....huge BUT.....before he finished making his way through the crowd, I got to touch him. Touch him.....his neck in fact, i was estatic. It now sounds so silly to re-call, but I have not had a crush on a musician before so to see him AND touch him all in one night was just too exciting. He also did some crowd surfing, for which Michael was over joyed to have him pass over the top of him. I got a couple of great shots of that.



Though in all I did not get too many photos; seriously I was way too busy enjoying being right at the front, in the thick of it. The joys after the show - alas which was too short - of course amounted to mosh pit like queues for coats to sticky wet clothing, which is a mixture of sweat and beer - joy!

I had tickets to the Kaisers for both the Monday and the Tuesday night, but I sold my Tuesday tickets to Jade, so I am hoping she has a good time as I did, which I am sure she will. I was tempted to go twice - almost - but after the experience which shall be now ever known as "touching Ricky....." *sigh*, well I wasn't going to beat that. I will see them again in March next year, when they do their major show at the O2 venue in North Greenwich, so until then....

Time on my hands

So I have been reading, and its a great way to let your mind wander away, well my mind. Though I am sure that some of you would agree my mind well wanders away enough on its own and probably clearly needs parental supervision anyway...

Here is what I have been reading over the past couple of weeks -

Mary Reilly - Valerie Martin

The Chocolate Run - Dorothy Koomson

Going Dutch - Katie Fforde

Cents & Sensibility - Maggie Alderson

Those Faraday Girls - Monica McInerney

And currently, but not for much longer...

How to Kill your Husband - Kathy Lette

What..! I mean nothing, its Kathy and she is damn hilarious, so there!

Movie World Premiere - The Accidental Husband

WOW! Its all I can say, just WOW. Tonight I was catching up with Toni at Okawari for a fantastic sushi dinner (thank heavens for Yvey and Dix's parents to create such a wonder), but we both got a little sidetracked being near Leicester Square we got caught up in the movie world premiere for The Accidental Husband.

Everyone wants to feel a little bit of the sparkle and glamour that comes from a movie premiere, just once...or maybe more. However, the Metro paper this morning and last night was advertising the premiere of the movie with Uma Thurman and Colin Firth, so we had to go, of course. Well I know Colin is old enough to be my Dad, but I am 31 and have a school girl crush on him that I never had for anyone (no Laura - NKOTB was your crush!) when I was a school girl. It was perfect timing as like I said Toni and I were planning to be a street away, so why not go!

We waited for ages, and we were not even standing together (we arrived seperately and kinda didn't find each other at all), for me it was around 2 hours waiting and waiting to see Colin Firth. Sad - well you may think so, but I am a little bit impressed with myself right now... just a little. I ended up talking to a couple of random people in the crowd, which to be quite honest was not too bad a friendly bunch and not a huge amount of people.

Random B celebs to Z celebs (damn that Jade Goody) arrived, then Uma arrived, in a firetruck with lots of firemen - damn she is hot. She is so skinny, but absolutely gorgeous. No fab frock, just a dressy top and black pants, but she was pretty crowd friendly and wandered around for about 20 minutes or so, talking and signing autographs.

Then finally when my feet could almost no longer stand being frozen any longer (I was wearing heels straight from work) Colin casually strolled in, ran in onto the red (white - its a wedding movie) carpet. So casually in fact, lots of whispers echoed around the crowd, is that him, no cannot be, yes it is, no it isn't. Till finally I got a glimpse of his profile and my word, whew...nearly melted into the floor. I had finally seen in person, in the flesh, the one man who makes me weak at the knees, Mr Darcy, Mark Darcy - well Colin Firth. Ah Bliss, ah bless.

Well that must be the hightlight of the year so far...after all that excitement, Toni and I finally met up and nattered away in Okawari for a much deserved dinner of awesome sushi.

Enjoy the pics!

In preparation, getting the white carpet ready
Billboards
A celeb...I think...she signed autographs
Cher and well not sure...fake celebs, there was Robbie Williams, Lionel Richie and Frank Sinatra too
A Girl Band....
All the girls...who??
Another Celeb... sorry am really crap at this...and didn't have my glasses on either
Uma arrives in a firetruck
Oh Uma - she was lovely
Zoomed in Uma
Uma close up, she was so close
First glimpse of Colin Firth
Colin with Uma
Toni at Okawari
Okawari on Lisle St - Soho
Lisa eating Sushi - Yummo

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....

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....