Six Months to Go...

I've just had a moment of panic. It's June and I have only crossed two things off my list. It's a little worrying, however I am totally on with some of them.

Last week my beautiful best friend, Beccy, and I went to the new Gaucho restaurant for dinner and it was just amazing. We were both a little worse for wear after an evening of debauchery the night before (and on a school night, ugh!), but we had lots to discuss after a pretty rotten couple of weeks, and our hangovers soon disappeared when our steaks arrived. We opted for the smallest ones, which was a good job because they were still huuuuge! So I'm definitely still on with the eating out somewhere different every month task!

Another slow-burner is learning to drive. I have now received my provisional licence and will be having my first lesson soon. Scary times, I will post the exact time when I know it, so you can all stay indoors.

On Wednesday I got a new tattoo at Ultimate Skin. It is script which runs around my ribs, and says 'what does not kill you makes you stronger'. I love it, it's a really beautiful mish mash of two different fonts. Emma took some amazing pictures!

This weekend will be a bit of a rollercoaster. Time with gorgeous Neetie and Amelia - we're driving up to Kettlewell to have lunch with our Nan & Poppa, before heading over to James & George's house for a BBQ and then on to the secret Shhhhhift Party. This time the secret location is Leeds Skate Park, which is a fab venue, and my old friend (as in, I've known him forever, not that he's really old) Dave Lochman will be DJing. Amazing chance for a catch up with a group of people I really don't see enough of.
Sunday is the memorial of Matthew Mckeown, who tragically died a couple of weeks ago. It hit everyone pretty hard, especially (and understandably) his lovely girlfriend, Lisa. We are all heading down to Oracle on Sunday night to give him a proper good send off, which I'm sure is what he would've wanted - gone way too soon though, goodbye, Matty x

xx

All Change...

Gosh. So I'm epic-ally shit at blogging. But it will get better, I promise. I think the last time I posted was February, and I was about to go snowboarding, start a new job and generally tick things off the all-important 'list'. Things never seem to go according to plan with me though - in fact, life has gone so spectacularly off course I'm wondering how to bring things back on track - and I reckon the only way now is to tick a couple of things off and crack on.
So, I learnt how to snowboard properly. I'm still rubbish, but I can do it with some degree of style, and as far as I'm concerned, one run followed by two beers in the bar (and the rest) is a pretty darned good way of going about things.
Unfortunately, Paul and I split not long after our holidays. It was sad, because he was a very sweet man, but not the one for me, and I reckon you just get to an age where you realise there's no point in wasting anyone's time any more - if it's not working then pack it up and move on. So now I have my gorgeous flat to myself, and me and Biggy (the bunny of joy) are loving it.
So all is quiet on the boy front, which is how I like it really - nobody to answer to - it's pretty amazing!
But back to the list. Glastonbury is a mere three weeks tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be able to get rid of one of my pesky challenges - to see 10 bands I have never even heard of. I have been doing some research, and cannot wait to see Chase and Status on the Friday night. It means Saturday will be a complete write off but I actually don't care. I heart Plan B - there's nothing more to it!
So here I am, back in the blogging game, and I promise to be more consistent... But for now, it's over and out. Big love xx

Snow-tastic!

Only one week to go until the snow holiday of joy - although it's sod's law that the sky is chucking down bucket loads of the white stuff like its life depended on it. If the weather here throws our flight on Saturday morning into jeopardy I will not be happy - it took many agonising hours of research to find the perfect destination - weather, don't fail us now.
So La Rosiere was finally chosen as the setting for our snowy antics - we managed to get a fab deal staying in a chalet close to the lifts. The bonus is that it's fully catered - although that could also prove to be the only downside, as we'll all come back like barrels (especially when I wrote 'cheese and wine' under the dietary requirements section).

Yesterday, I entered eight competitions - let's hope I can tick 'Win Something' off the list...

Long Live McQueen

I was saddened to hear about the death of Lee McQueen.

His iconic creations are the reason I live and breathe fashion, and to lose him in such a tragic way and at such an early age is heartbreaking. Many people think suicide to be a selfish act, and in some ways you have to agree - but it was also desperately courageous. Anyone who has lost someone close to them knows the feeling of heart-wrenching emptiness, combine this with manic depression and maybe it's easier to understand why he felt like he had no choice.

I hope that wherever he is now, he is happy.

It does begs the question about what Gucci will now do with the brand - can Alexander McQueen carry on without the man who made it? I have no doubt that he inspired many proteges, but he is irreplaceable - they would need to have a complete change in direction and focus in order to avoid rolling out sub-standard creations.

Long Live McQueen. xx

Rubbish Blogger

I have been so lazy this week. No blog, no Twitter and not much Facebook either - although that's only due to a massive Blackberry fail. The rest is the result of a stinking cold, which I'm blaming on the detox. I have decided to abandon the juice part of the detox in favour of merely eliminating alcohol for a month, which has proved successful so far, although next week will be the big test, with leaving do's galore. I can't believe I've completed my final full week at Harvey Nichols - it's so strange - everyone's asking me if I'm excited, but I just can't be until I feel comfortable that everything's done. There's still so much to do though, aaaargh!
I took a giant leap towards learning to snowboard (No.5) on Friday with a three-hour lesson at Xscape. I was pretty impressed with how much I had remembered and how surprisingly confident I was considering it's two years since our gorgeous trip to Avoriaz. I was on t'big slope in no time, and was feeling pretty cocky until I decked it in a huge way. Still, it was mildly less embarrassing than when I got my jacket/pants/both caught on the button lift and I got yanked up the slope backwards by my arse.
Emma and I have decided to enrol in a military fitness class at Roundhay Park. I'm not quite sure what it is about being yelled at by some huge army dude that appeals (erm.. nothing), but we both want to tone up for Glastonbury (all paid for - whoop!) and figure if we're both doing it then there's more chance we'll stick with it. Anyway, what could be more fun at 9am on a Saturday than sprinting around a muggy, freezing park with scaffolding chained to your ankles. That was clearly a retorical question - even having needles pushed down my fingernails sounds like a slightly more tempting option. But committed we are - you never know, I could end up ticking off No.3...

Do you want the truth or something beautiful?

...I know I spoilt my actual birthday surprise, but Paul and I went to The Wardrobe last night for some super-tasty food and a lovely bottle of Chilean Merlot and when we got home, I somehow managed to persuade him that it would be a good idea if I opened my birthday presents two days early. My first gift, a Lomo Diana F camera, is amazing! It's in silver and has this huge flash on it, like a proper paparazzi, and comes with these cool light filters you slip in to created coloured pictures. I love it! It took me about an hour to load the film (an old school 1200) though - damn you, digital age! My second gift was even more unexpected - I'd said before Christmas how much I wanted the new collectors Prada Book and there it was in all its fashiony glory. It's insanely heavy and full of the most beautiful photogaphs and images. Lastly was an envelope with the words 'Do you want the truth or something beautiful?' on the envelope - whooooooop! We're going to see the mega-talented Paloma Faith in March - she's playing a set to open the sparkly new Harvey Nichols Fourth Floor in Knightsbridge which I was gutted to be missing, so this gift is perfect! How spoilt am I?!

Three Days to Go...

Just three days to go until the official start of 'The List' and I'm already thinking about how I can be one step ahead of the game. I've booked a three-hour snowboarding lesson on Friday, which should go somewhere towards learning to snowboard properly, and have spent a good hour comparing juicers. The detox is due to start on Monday 1st Feb (it was ambitious to even contemplate starting in January) for four weeks, finishing in time for fun and frolics in the snow at a yet-to-be-decided location. Here's a picture of the view from our apartment on our last jaunt, to Avoriaz.

In other news, I now have less than three weeks left at Harvey Nichols which is a bit alarming considering the mountain of work I have to get through before I go. Can't wait to start at Clearsilver now though - had birthday drinks with MD Louise at trendy watering hole The Wardrobe on Friday night - they're all nuts so I think I'll fit right in...