Amelia's Magazine: This Is The Kit

Amelia's Magazine:

1) Click HERE for my review of This Is The Kit.

Check out the illustrations to go with my piece too. By Kayleigh Bluck

daisy lane

Three things I have a fondness towards include: the great land mass that is Australia; the 60s and nature. Indeed I admit, these are enormous categories of fondage, and I don't love all aspects of these categories- in fact I dislike cockroaches, excessive plastic and certain parts where I have found myself terrified in Australia (I kid you not). 

However, right here I have found a combination of all of these wonderful things in Daisy Lane. An Australian collection by Allison Jones, inspired by the work of Sue Adams, who produced many greeting cards etc. in the 60s to 80s. I instantly recognized the work and have old 80s birthday cards with the large featured kids on the front of them - and Granny's kindly blurb of love and signature within. They remind me of innocence and light brown - this is how I see all my 80s memories, as we had a lot of brown tinted glass, very thick carpets and my Granny's house was extremely brown - dark brown. It's a nice shade. I also deeply wanted to BE one of the little girls. I definitely had the chubby cheeks and determined expression they beheld. 

The designs are back to rejoice in Sue Adams' card designs. With their comforting shades, they are gorgeous and singing - but be done with vintage nostalgia (esp. if you weren't even born) use it only as a background little ebb of joy, these are to be appreciated as new and great. Look at them and promise yourself to make sure your kids appreciate nature like these proud little characters. I love the pastel colours. 

Amelia's Magazine: Sea of Bees

What a marvelous magazine Amelia's Magazine is. Run by Amelia in London, its website is a collection of lovely arty bits, fashion, music and joy. Whilst the printed magazine, is a total collectable and comes with some fabulous accessories, like bag making kits and glittery front covers. This appeals to me on many levels and indeed it does to people of the world - immersed and awake to the beauty of inspiration and creativity.

I wrote this piece on the Sea of Bees, fronted by Julie Ann Bee (pictured) for Amelia's Magazine blog - check it out  Here

King of the Vagabonds

I think of myself as a maintenance cat,
I take care of the ladies...
I get a top notch hat.
This is beyond the birds and the bees,
This is basic, raw desire and need,
I don't want no kitties,
I don't need to plant my seed,
I already got 47 smaller mes,
Getting around, passing fleas.
I love 'em, don't get me wrong,
But when the 47th came out,
I ran on the 12 o'clock gong.
It was time for a new life,
I wanted some old cat style strife.

Now I look after the femme cats behind Grand Hall,
The siamese like the opera and ballet,
I prefer it behind the shopping mall.
I do like a bit of culture though me,
I frikkin' love David Bowie,
And that flute player down the alley.

If I like a lady a lot, I'll take her to Romanos
we'll share a mackeral and a Cinzano.
And if that day I catch a mouse or two,
maybe we'll even twos a tiramasu.

One day I'll stick with one cat,
We'll sit all day, and get all fat.

There is one I...
Every day I meow for her as I pass her mansion by...
When she's out she plays with me all day,
Until her gourmet mousse is lain on its tray.
When she goes, I just lay and lay.
I miss her light whiskers and sun ray.

But this is the life of me,
She's all tucked up in her house with a key.
I've got to keep happy all those femmes,
Bored all day, chasing around hems.
We'll see what will happen to me.
I have my hats from the proceeds,
of my bespoke company.
From the velvets to the tweeds,
I'm smoother than honey.

I call myself Bill,
One day you might see me on the hill,
Breathing in my fill.
Alone but buzzing like a bee,
Purring for me.

Quaint. J'adore.

Time

Since I have left retail, and I am now pursuing the job hunt, I have noticed a few things.
1) My ginger cat, Francois, is lazier than I presumed and literally does not move for entire days at a time.
2) I have urges to exercise like never before. Then upon leaving the flat get consumed with the idea of super fitness, getting mesmerized by the man in army gear shouting at lots of students and women on the downs.
3) The boy gets up incredibly early. 6.30- this should be me too...
3) Pilates, is the right course of action. Search for pilates in Bristol.
4) I have a strong desire for hair like Holly Willoughby - NO! I haven't watched This Morning
5) Badgering people all day can be hard work
6) I want to sponsor ALL charities. Mainly WWF and Coppafeel = wish had money
7) Tea is my friend and enemy
8) Lunch options are consuming- until give up and go for Cinnamon Crunch, my new obsession.
9) Many of 20 something friends in same position of cross roads
10) Think a lot about whether have over-pestered Editors etc.
11) The joy of the iMac - always

Sri Lankan Times - This February

The colonial styled, wrought iron and rusting, ‘off white’ chairs sit proudly on the lawn of the Icebear. The enormous German Shepherd patrols the area and fights his instinct to demolish one of the arrogant ducks mincing about the lawn. He’s so incredibly furry that dog, I wonder if the Swiss owner was craving some mountainous chilly thoughts when he purchased the hound and neglected to think of the Sri Lankan imposing heat. Perhaps when he ambles upstairs to his large wooden room, he flicks a switch and there begins an intense air conditioning system, and a fake fire. By the orange glow, he sits and contemplates his land, moose haired hat donning his head, his nose slowly turning pink. 

I sit on one of the hard chairs and ponder the landscape. The sea engulfs my vision and the sun, my clarity, as spots appear and then I am blind. A gate and fence cordons off the Icebear from the rest of the beach. Children sit on the cemented fence roots and mess around, whilst a woman offers her banana leaf wraps on the beach. (On our last day we are to sample one of these, our money spent and our stomachs growling- delicious. We also taste one of the van sellers bhajis and resolve we can not eat at our favourite Sri Lankan haunt back home for at least a year. They are not the same.) There are eccentric sculptures entwined in the garden, hidden unless you look twice, and the waxy plants ferociously beam their breast for the sun to see and the energy takes them higher. Such a lush country, Sri Lanka is brim full of vegetation and wildlife. The chickens stare at the ducks, and then at the dog.

This our last night, the Icebear is the most luxurious place we have stayed whilst in Sri Lanka. We started here on our second night after a confusing first night staying in a collapsing, insect ridden, overpriced venue. Despite my 14 months traveling at 19, now at 25 and at four in the morning, I was unable to convey my desires and directions to the airport taxi driver and we ended up in a place of his pocket’s choosing. The shame! I resolved to stay somewhere better for our second night and so we came to the Icebear. With classical music playing instead of street shouts, it was a sensational place, simple, relaxing and very European. 

Terrible! We had to leave after this one night, and experience this country at least as much as one can in two weeks. 

So, we boarded a broken seated, shiny and all worshipping bus to the mountains. Although the seats were made for smaller people and the driving was beyond frightening, I was convinced that we were gaining a ‘real’ travel experience. So, seven hours later and sweating we dismounted the bus at Kandy and hiked up to Forest Glen. Here we were met with kindness and smiles. They were waxing the floor, which housed a piano, a computer and many books. It seemed like a gigantic space. We took off our shoes. The older lady took us to our room upstairs where we fought the urge to sleep for ions of time and instead explored the city of Kandy. 

Here we ate at the Muslim Hotel an establishment rammed with Sri Lankan men. We sat down and vaguely pointed at the menu. A small child was sick on the floor on the table next to us. Cardboard was placed over the mess and the parents shortly left without a blink. Our food was a monstrosity of fried pancake, meat, vegetables and bread. It was utterly amazing. We finished it off with a local biscuit that tasted like super sweet shortbread. 

At breakfast the next day, the lady at Forest Glen told us that it is actually a school as well as a hostel. She rushed about making us eggs and apologized for leaving without chatting too much as she had to open the school. Of course this was fine, but I would have liked to have chatted to her more, as she seemed so gentle and wise. We saw the kids turn up as we trundled past to go to the train station. Dressed in white shirts, blue shorts and caps, they were proud of their smart appearance. 

From Kandy we went up to Adam’s Peak, the holy mountain with thousands of steps. We climbed this with hundreds of people, including the elderly and disabled at 2am, for the spectacular sunrise. It was freezing up there, but humbling and worth every step. Jelly legs ensued on our descent.

We then travelled across to Ella, deep in the mountain region. We stayed at a beautiful place with a bearded man who invited us to be part of his huge family and taught us his philosophies on life as well as games like Cur-rum. We also visited tea plantations and I indulged in many helpings of buffalo curd and honey. The journey back south, through the mountains was full of green, rain, natural heaven and danger. The trains move ferociously! We snacked on the food that the train snack sellers were offering, all fried, it filled our bellies. I, having drank so much tea, had to constantly use the hole in the train floor toilet and was nearly decapitated by the window falling down. However if sat by the gaping open door, the sights and smells were only epic.

I never thought I would see leopards, but we saw six on safari in Yala National Park. Our two excitable drivers sped us around until we saw the leopard family reclining in the trees and then stretching out before us. As well as the big cats, we saw elephants and reptiles trying to down bunny rabbits. A sobering moment was seeing the monument for the victims of the Tsunami. No animals were injured but over 20 people died. The monument is the same height as the waves were that boxing day. They didn’t stand a chance.

The next week was spent in colonial cities like the Dutch, Galle and British, Columbia. The latter involved staying with a successful older gentleman with two Doctor children living abroad and a travel enthusiast wife. He has been everywhere it seems, and his calmness and persona was so modest and inspirational. The week was also spent surfing in Midigama, a road, a beach, a collection of shacks. Together with a French surf instructor and a renowned surf spot. Travelers stayed there for months and months.

Wish List Concoctions

I'm sitting here with a blanket round my shoulders, trying to find the will to hunt out my sheepskin slippers and relinquish them from their summer hibernation. My birthday has just passed (26-eek!) which can only mean one thing: Autumn is definitely here.

Now I've been making some dodgy choices of late - cracking out the knitwear, capes and boots, and nearly collapsing in a state of overheated mania. Equally today I nearly froze walking around the city- getting lost didn't help my chilled bones. My over-exuberant sheep wearing is a symbol of my love of Autumnal clothing however, who doesn't enjoy flaunting the berry and brown tones, the long leather boots and the wool accessories? Luscious. And oh, how just a few years ago I SERIOUSLY craved winter essentials whilst stuck in the outback of Australia- working in a bar and only able to sleep at 5am for 2 solid hours before it got too hot to breathe again. Admittedly I could return to that heat again right now - for a boost- but hey HO!

I'm afraid to say that I am like many other girls and always find that Topshop have a delicious mix of clothes for the new season. Old Phillip Green always tempts me. I particularly like these pieces:

Oh I love this ALL.