June 23, 2011

23.06.11 | GLASTO




This weekend is Glastonbury Festival, and I don't need to be told twice that i am being a big fat baby about not going. Yes yes yes, i KNOW I have a beautiful new baby girl & that's the reason I am not there, and obviously I wouldn't trade my gorgeous little Indi in for a trip to Glasto (even if she gave me about 3 minutes kip last night) but I still feel sad that i'm not going to be a part of it this year. My love for this festival is HUGE and as a true Glasto regular i feel like my heart's been ripped out this weekend (dramatic? yes I am, deal with it.)
But, rather than get pissy every time I see one of the students from up my road walk past my window with their backpacks, tents & trendy wellies, i thought i'd channel my negative energy into a postive blog post instead...... far out man.

I've been going to Glasto since I was a little 8 year old in 1989. That's me in that photo up  there with my Ray Bans & my skinny ribs...



My mum took me, along with my baby brother & i'm going to be honest, i hated the place. I hated the fact that I couldn't watch TV, i hated sitting in a field being bored, i hated only being allowed to eat chips because they were cheap. I hated having to sit listening to some old hippy warbling away on the pyramid stage (that hippy was Donovan who I thought back then was crap, until my mum bare faced lied to me & said it was Jason Donovans dad! Apparently as soon as she did I sat and watched as mellow as yellow - probably dreaming of the day Jason & I would be thee wed.) Anyway I digress... as the years went on I started to quite like the place and by the time I was a teenager I was hooked -well & truely addicted to the magic of Worthy Farm! I've been with best friends, housemates, ex-boyfriends, even on my own once & it's always been amazing, but for me the fact that it's become our annual family reunion makes it all the more special. There are things we do every year, like send a postcard from the festival postcard tent, meet up on Thursday night at the cider bus, visit the stone circle on Sunday, watch the bands from the right speaker, take a photo outside Joe Banana's, have a massive row (!)..... i could go on, and on as I have so many happy memories of Glasto. I'd need the whole weekend to blog them all, so here are the few that spring to mind;
Firstly, it was the time me & my best mate Caz plucked up the courage to get some cider from the cider bus. It took us about an hour to get the confidence to go, £1 in hand and mumble the words "cider. please.1 pint. of it." only to be hit with a question "sweet or dry?" ...... shiiiiit! I dunno, sweet or dry/sweet or dry/sweet or dry.... arrrrrgh. Traumatised by my first cider buying experience, i opted for sweet which was rank & i have never consumed it again by choice. I am forever a dry cider drinker because of that moment!
Oh & then there was The Lemonheads scar! Whilst watching The Lemonheads (still love you Evan) in 1994, my arm got scratched by someones' bag zip & it bled. So, in my 14 year old wisdom, i kept picking the scab for weeks to come, so i could have a Lemonheads scar for life - which, err i don't have.
Then there was the crowd surfing moment, which i ended up doing alone as my then boyfriend lost his bottle & stayed put, with one of my wellies which he didn't think to bring with him when he came to get me from the front. It was a very cool experience & i *think* it was to Dodgy when they were playing 'Good Enough' - that was a good year for bands that year, all Brit-poppy and lovely.

I could go on & bore the bones of you with tales of Robbie Williams singing 'Angels' whilst the sun shone or listening to the crowd sing 'Little Saint Nick' on a blistering hot Sunday whilst Brian Wilson kind of sang along too. Or i could get excited remembering Crowded House doing the longest ever version of Weather with You with the whole crowd smiling & singing along. Then there was Dizzee Rascal literally taking me to dizzee new heights as he dueted with Florence. There was the year I was pregnant with Dexy & he danced around in my belly whilst The Thrills played an amazing set, and of course there was the year PAUL McARTNEY played Hey Jude - now that has to be my best Glasto moment. Being a massive Beatles fan I welled up as I never thought i'd get the chance to witness a Beatle singing one of my favourite songs of all time..... magical, magical, magical.
There have been rainy ones - i remember watching the world cup one year in torrential down pours, too wet to keep a ciggy lit (classy) and i remember the sunniest one where I'd bought some Spanish potion i thought was sunscreen from someone. Turns out it the main ingredient was olive oil & I was just frying my face. I looked lovely that year, Brit-abroad chic i like to call it.

I'm not sure whether this post has made me happy or sad but I miss you Glasto. I hope the sun shines on you for your 41st year and i'll see you again soon, probably as I start a new Glastonbury chapter in my life, one that involves sharing the experience with my own children :) I can't wait! In the meantime i'll stick the radio on, sit in the garden & drink some Brothers Strawberry cider & think of you.

Here's some pics from last years festival. Enjoy x

Glasto 2010

Family shot 2010

The Stone Circle

and one of the most magical views in the whole world!

June 18, 2011

HOME

One of my big passions is interior design. It all started when I studied set design as one of my modules at university and slowly over time it has evolved into homely interiors. I love browsing interior magazines and blogs & all the before & after shots you can find of peoples homes. Sometimes I find blogs which i  become crazily obsessed totally fall in love with and they really inspire me to search out little nik-naks for my own home which are a bit different. It's nice to find things that you hope are a one off,  instead of knowing that everyone down your street probably has the same Ikea Billy Bookcase as you!! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE ikea almost as much as i love my own children and have been known to spend literally hours zoned out with the new catalogue - but i'd much rather spend my hours rummaging around flea markets, car boot sales & cool little boutiques than trying to find a car parking space* at the big blue & yellow heaven. 
So, here are some pics of things I've collected over time. It's just a little selection of my favourite pieces right now - this would probably be a very different post tomorrow! I am so F.I.C.K.L.E!

my kitchen shelves

i had to include this, my 4th baby. I have wanted him since I was a little girl & we were finally blessed earlier this year. Ok, ok I *know* it is only a fridge. But it's a really cool one. Pun totally intended.

our kitchen wall where I write little reminders to the kiddos, shopping lists for the mister and mainly draw love hearts.

our hallway mirror. It seems to be made out of old batteries, but i don't think they are ones we have ever had over here in the UK. I picked this up in a gift shop in Port Issac for £1.25!

Hallway coat hooks which are only actually strong enough to hold keys. Fail.

Hallway pics. I have these polaroid photos up & down the hallway - i love them. They came in a pack of cards which i turned into framed piccies. People always think the little girl in the pink Hunters is 

This is a little corner of our lounge which is soon to be taken over by some decks & a shit load of vinyl - can't wait!! :)

AND.... here are some of my fave items.

slight obsession with russian dolls at the moment....

I adore my kitchen cannisters which the mister got me for Xmas last year from Bleubird vintages online shop 

and finally my Orla Kiely coffee pot.

ENJOY x

*oh & that should read "whilst I sit in the passenger seat screaming at other drivers whilst the mister trys to find a space". I do not drive, but I am a very very good & experienced back seat driver.

June 01, 2011

A PHOTO AN HOUR

I've seen this on a few blogs lately, so i thought i'd get in on the act. I've always wanted to do the 365 Project & some day soon i will, so i thought this is a good way to ease myself in & have fun practising!  The day i picked could have possibly been a little more eventful as it was a pretty dull & rainy bank holiday, but hey i didn't realise that when i started snapping in the dark at 6:30am! Next time it will be better, maybe i'll go to the moon or something....

So, here is my 30.05.2011 (from 6:30am to 8:30pm) in all it's Instagramming glory. Enjoy!