Props Etc

The past week has been super hectic! Spent the weekend generating holiday/house moving funds doing a bit of running for the Beeb. A combination of early starts, late finishes, and generous libations of booze have left me shattered.

The first shoot I have worked on that was entirely indoors- luxury.

Though a bit creepy. There are miles of underground tunnels, and more than a few ghost stories.

Props galore.

Making props.

Even more props

Fancy a cup of Maggots love?

Tea Break.

C19th Mobile phone.

car crash and earthquake set.

Earthquake set

I can't wait to get into the new flat, and all unpacked and what not. Then chill out and relax, and take stock. Feel like everything has been a bit non stop recently.

xXx

Plastic Fantastic.

Got the disposable placcy camera developed the other day and, as promised, here is a lovely photo glut. Can't remember when I got it- August maybe? Well it was hot enough to wear shorts and t-shirts so I'm going to hazard a guess at August, with a cheeky bit of September for good measure.

Baking Cookies.

The 'fruits' of our labors.

Boozy Beach Days.

Yes another photo of the old pier.

Fish, Chips, Mushy Peas, and Summer Beer.

The Classics Crew.

Sunday Afternoon

Can't believe it was this hot!

 

Seem to be forever in the kitchen. Whats that about?!

These last two remind me of the photos you find of your parents. Little bit 70s perhaps?...

xXx

Fresh and Bright with a Tipple.

An attempt to capture the beautiful cold, sunny and fresh feeling in Brighton at the mo.

Happy Feets!

Leisurely Lunch.

My life a the mo- Packing! Yes the bags are the same size as me. No idea how we will heft the bastards to the 5th floor...

And so it continues. Managed to 'have a fall' over all my stuff. where did it all come from?!

Went for a quick pint at the Dover Castle with Nat. (Shes 1/2 French, can you tell?...)

xXx

Departure From The Norm

As the title suggests, today's post is a departure from the norm. I recently watched Cherry Healey's Body Dilemma, and it got me thinking. There are heaps and heaps and heaps of blogs devoted to body image, especially women's body images and, more often than not, the awkward relationship people have with their bodies.

Cherry weighs herself daily. This is something I do too. it didn't occur to me, until I watched the programme, that this is an odd (and frankly tedious) thing to do. Regular followers of my blog will know that I recently spent a week in Birmingham. The 'lovely' Ibis hotel did not come equipped with scales. So it was with some trepidation that I stepped onto the scales on my return. To my surprise (and though I'm slightly ashamed to admit it, joy) I had actually lost weight. All of this lead me to thinking that the habitual daily weigh in needs to stop!

Sadly this has proved harder than I thought it would be. Why? This is a question I can't answer. Cherry said that for her it was like safe guard. I agree, those digits are like a statement that tells you (if the read-out is agreeable) that you are acceptable. This is ridiculous.

Featured on the programme was a girl named Kirsty. A girl who has decided to accept herself as she is, embrace the word fat as merely an adjective, and sever it from it's negative connotations. How she has achieved this is a mystery to me. If I ever find out I'll let you know.

Some blame the media for the body image obsession that so many labor under. To a degree I agree, but there has to be more to it than this?... Being confident has a physical effect on the way you present yourself (we have all had fat days when nothing seems to look right, and generally this has an effect on our behavior). Similarly looking healthy usually equates being attractive. Somewhere along the lines we seem to have lost our way and in place of confidence and health we get skinny V Fat. With the former usually being considered attractive and the latter not so.

People are different sizes, some bigger, some smaller all of which are attractive. But too big, and too small are not healthy, and striving to make yourself something you are not is exhausting, and boring. Yet still we strive on.

Personally I have a maximum weight and a minimum weight. So long as I am somewhere between these two I don't worry about it too much. Still, I am more comfortable in myself at the lower end- even if its only temporary (the result of a stressful week, or a wild weekend) and in-spite of the fact that at these points I am generally more than a little peckish.

P.S. An Interesting article on the evolution of female body image over the last 600 years.

xXx

Birmingham to Brighton

Hello!

Just got back from Birmingham, very pleased to be back. Lovely to sit on my bed, in my room, drink tea from a mug, and generally relax.

I'm afraid that snaps aren't up to much (all taken on the phone) and to be honest the Birmingham International Ibis vistas weren't up to much...

A Room With A View- the mono rail & the NCP car park, Beautiful!

Quite tricky to take photos with phone and mirror.

Felt rather under dressed, many women in heels, heaps of slap, and various dresses & jewels.

The perks of the job- a couple of moleskin notes books (soon to be filled with doodles and musings)

More exciting posts to follow (hopefully). Watch this space...

Mathmatical Dressing

Hello Lovelies,

Those of you who follow Phee's blog will already know that we are soon to depart Grimmauld Place for pastures new. In our case Hove, to a flat, affectionately referred to as 'The Penthouse'. Obviously this is extremely exciting. It is also a little daunting, aside from the general nause of paper work and what not, there is the added rent to adjust to. So the purse strings are firmly tied this month (and look set to remain so for the next couple of months).

Illustration by Nicola L Robinson.

 With this in mind it was with great pleasure that I noted several bright young things wearing leggings, whilst I was in the Big Smoke the other day. Even better most of them were dressed for business (notoriously expensive) in leggings simple dresses, and jackets. Grey, Black, and Navy were the order of the day. I reckon Burgundy and Green would work well too, and you can never go wrong with good old Camel. Admittedly shoes and jackets/coats can be pricey but are well worth the investment if you choose wisely.

Leggings £5.99
Vest £3.99
Racer-back Dress £5.99

Jacket, Topshop £99 (Not cheap but I bought it when I was about 16 and its still going strong)
Boots, Hush Puppies £30

 
So: Leggings £5.99 + Dress £5.99 + Vest £3.99 X 4 outfits - Shoes/Jacket = 4 outfits for £6.49 per outfit. Not too shabby. I try and buy boots early (or late depending on how you look at it) to pick up a bargain whilst they're out of season.And shop around, things are usually cheaper on-line.

Pretty relaxed look today, as I am in the office all day. Another brilliant thing about the leggings look, is that it can be dressed up & down.

Still sans camera so apologies for the rubbish quality of the snaps. Took a few to give you a rough idea of the whole outfit.

Leggings, Topshop,Vest (masquerading as a dress), H&M, £3.99

Am trying to grow my hair out but at the mo its that annoying 'no-length' length.

I wanted to wear ballet pumps and a pretty cardi, but the cold made me opt for a hoody. Can't remember how much it was, but its an H&M purchase so I reckon around £10 max.

Another money saving tip is to buy items that can be worn with your existing wardrobe. I know this seems obvious but its so easy, when faced with beautiful things, to go a bit wild and splash out only to find you have bought something you can't easily wear without buying more!

I had forgotten how great Leggings/Shift dresses are! Comfy, versatile, and best of all Cheap as chips! H&M have a 'Basics' sale on at the mo- where pretty much everything in their 'Basics' range is around £3-£6.

Love to all xXx

P.S. I am off to Birmingham with work so Shan't be posting till next week. having said this lack of camera + old school film = less frequent posts anyway so perhaps no one will notice. On the topic the film roll is nearly used up so a lovely, picture full, post is in the offing.