Hello all!!!
Hope you're all good and having a good weekend.
I am as busy as a busy bee, but I also make sure that I find time to play. And played I did today, as I visited my favourite charity shop in London. And what did I buy? Would you believe it, I got myself three boys. Let me introduce you to the new men in my life:
First one is the "hard one", and of course, naked. How else???
This one I have been ogling for a while now and I have finally laid my grubby mitts on him: Isn't he gorgeous? And of course, the fact that he lost one boot in space, adds to the charm.
And,... this little beauty is pure marvel. I love it that this is sold to little girls and boys as toys. Click on the images to enlarge and check out those shoes. I know many a boy and a girl who would kill for them.
And here is how they look on my book shelf:
And I URGE you to watch this video and listen to the words carefully. I promise it will make your day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4gPZPKJc0s
Have a fab rest of the weekend (I am off to watch something called "Black Elvis" (??!!). See you all soon.
Red xx
Hello all,
I rarely go to Oxford Street, however, I needed to buy a few things in good old John Lewis and so I braved the crowds the other day and headed for the Mecca of high street shopping.
I took lots of interesting pictures, mainly shop windows adorned in Christmas attire which I will share with you in the next few days. For now, I am posting the tacky lights from Regent Street and Oxford Street in Central London.
Firstly, this was my view from the bus, on the way to the shops. The sky was dramatic and so one of my favourite buildings in London looks even better than usual. I've lived in London for over 20 years and I passed by this building probably a million times at least, but I have to admit, the architecture and the grandeur of it still amazes me. I know, it is a touristy place, but for some reason, it doesn't seem to matter. The building seems to be untouched by the tackiness of the stuff around or the going ons inside the house. See what you think (click to enlarge the pictures):
Yep, you got it, it is the beautiful Houses of Parliament. Years ago, I promised myself that whenever I pass by this building (my bus that takes me to Central London goes by), I will look up from my book and look at this historical building. And, I always do. In a small way, it still gives me a thrill when I see it.
Up to road, just before you turn into Regent Street, you will see this amazingly tacky sight in Piccadilly Circus:
Yes, we are getting ready for the Olympics next year. The most obvious sign is that every, and I mean EVERY road in London has some kind of repairs going on. The traffic is slow, new buildings are springing up, all the roads are dug up,... looking at it, you wouldn't think that recession is going on. Lots of money spent on every corner. Many people I know get very annoyed by it. As for me, I don't worry about it - it'll pass. There are other more important things in the world to think and worry about.
And once you've turned the corner, it's Christmas lights galore. Now, don't get me wrong - I love the superficial side of Christmas as the next person, but even I think that it's too early for the lights to go on. They switched them on, on the 1st November. That's at least a month too early, in my humble opinion.
As you can see, there's that obligatory advertisement from one of the Christmas season's movies. The amount of electricity and money spent on this,... the mind boggles. Oh, well, I suppose, it at least brightens up the area (got to find the positives in everything :-), or do I?
The next decoration installment comes from one of my favourite places in Central London. It is the divine St Christopher's Place. I've been coming here for years and years; shopping, browsing around or having a coffee in one of the outside cafes. It is just off Oxford Street and it is a safe haven from the bustle of the shopping madness. And their decoration is more stylish and modest. More my style, I think.
And on the other end of Oxford Street, Bond Street end that is, a bright, shinning, slightly vulgar star:
And an umbrella, of course. What else????!!!
And what did I buy, I hear you ask. Well, I am not the biggest fan of H & M, although I don't mind it. I am more of a boutique kind of girl, but I quite liked this dress and thought, after braving the crowds, I deserve something brown :-)
Don't you, in particular, love the light switch in the background? I already worn it to a party, and can I just say, it is comfy!!! (I didn't wear the light switch, but the dress. Although, there's an idea!!)
Also, spot the use of the word tacky in this post. My wow words have escaped me today - I don't seem to describe this Christmas bonanza with anything but tacky!
I hope you have enjoyed this virtual tour of Central London and this season's Christmas lights. I was being a bit cheeky looking down on it, but in all fairness, it is not that bad. It is nice to see London bright, sparkly and ready to celebrate. It can often be so gray, I need to be more appreciative of the light coming in!!
Hope your streets are bright and you are ready to celebrate too!!!
Red xx
Hello all,
as promised in the last post, here are few more pictures of stylish people in Camden:
Faces are bit blurred, but the coat is great!
I love this vintage jacket. The colour is beautiful.
Stylish or funny? What do you think?
I like the hat, just not sure if I'd wear it.
Shorts are very in this season on London's high streets.
A mish mash of colour and furry hats.
And by far my favourite people I spotted that day in Camden Market. They look fabulous, funky, stylish and that pink coat is to die for!
So, there goes the tour of stylish Camden Market. Whatever people in Paris, Milan or Rome think, in my humble opinion, Londoners are the most stylish people, at least in Europe if not in the world. We don't follow rules when it comes to clothes, eclectic and colourful is the name of the game.
Hope you are all having a stylish weekend too.
Red xx
Hello all!!
I haven't even noticed that I have been away for two weeks from the blogging land. I have been visiting blogs daily, but just haven't had the time to post my own. So, here is a backlog of things I snapped in the last few weeks and this time it comes from Camden Market.
20 years ago, I used to adore Camden Market. I spent all my time there. I worked in the shops selling shoes and other things, did hair wraps on the bridge for one summer season, went out to gigs and small cafes and bars,... And then,... I stopped. Over the years, the market turned into something else. It lost its charm, big chains moved in, and I rarely went to visit.
However, I went back two weeks ago and although it is not what it used to be, I have to admit that it was nice browsing through again. The fashions have changed, new people moved in, lots of food stalls found their home there, but tourists still come as well as a Londoner or two.
So, here are a few people looking stylish on the streets of Camden Town.
I was trying to get a picture of a girl in the hat, but ended up snapping this stylish guy. I think he is a better model:
Funky hair guy!
Cool guy, cool girl in green!
Two cute girls celebrating a birthday.
And if in moment of madness you purchase one of these "beauties", please note that there will be no refund. You are stuck with the unfortunate purchase.
So, this is my first installment of the Camden Market style. There will be more stylish people to come very soon.
Hope the autumn is treating you well and you are stylish in your own unique way.
Red xx
Hello all!!
The clocks have gone back one hour here in the UK and I used that extra hour to look at my old albums. There is no doubt that the digital age have afforded us to experiment with photography (in particular us amateurs), to take as many pictures as we want to; to delete at our will and still have lots of space on the memory card. Remember the days when you had to be choosy as to what you take a picture of as the films were expensive and developing of the images was even more dear? And then, there was always the fear that if you exposed film without realising it, your developed pictures will all come out the same - black.
So, here is to the digital era! But,... there is always a but!!! Pictures that we take on our digital cameras are rarely developed and the images stay on our computers. We look at them once, maybe twice and that's about it. So, I've decided to remedy that situation and go back and look at the pictures I have taken over the years and see what captured my eye then, 3-4-5 years ago.
And so I stumbled upon an album of pictures I took in September 2007. This was very exciting time for me. I have made one of the biggest decisions in my life; I left a job I've been in for almost 8 years, took a big loan and was about to start my Masters in performance at our one of the best drama schools in Europe. Scary and exciting at the same time. And to start off the new adventure in my life, I took a holiday to Marrakech, Morocco with my best friend. Here are a few pictures of that exciting time in my life. I hope you'll enjoy the trip down the memory lane as much as I have (as always, click on the image to enlarge).
We went to Morocco at the time of Ramadan and so it is only fitting to start the album with the biggest mosque in Marrakech, Koutoubia (1184 - 1199). It means "librarian" in Arabic as the area was surrounded by the sellers of religious manuscripts at the time it was built. It is a beautiful and majestic building.
Right next to the mosque we found a wonderful cafe that even though it was Ramadan, was serving the best cakes and ice creams throughout the day. Of course, if you showed up at 7pm, just as the fast ended for the day, they would totally ignore you while they broke the fast and had their food inside the cafe. We would patiently sit outside in the garden and dream of the ice creams we were to have. There was something magical and unspoken in this agreement. People who worked there, served us food when they themselves couldn't eat. They did it with a smile on their face, without any judgement that we tourists, foreigners are not following their customs. The same went for when we were ignored while it was their time to eat. We understood that it was now their time to nourish their body and soul and we gave our respect by patiently waiting. Of all things I have seen and experienced in Morocco, I think this unspoken respect and acceptance of each other is what moved me the most.
I know, it is a stereotype, but when you think of Morocco, you think colour. And colour we definitely found in there. Here are a few images that popped out as I was leafing through the images:
The colours are being prepared to dye the shoes, slippers, bags to sell in the market; hard working man, making orange juice under the glaring sun every day; a street seller offering magic potions made of grinded bones, different herbs and who know what else; my friend and I breaking the fast with the locals in the El Jeffna square; the original peoples of Morocco, the Berbers, coming down to the city; the sweet delicacies to sample after a savoury meal. Full of colour, full of tradition, full of new ad exciting things for us to explore.
I didn't realise that this post was going to be this long, so an impulse decision - I will come back with the second installment on Morocco adventure in the next post. I suppose I have many more memories and images that I want to share, so won't cram it all in now.
Without planning, this trip down the memory lane is bringing me peace I am need of these days. Hope it has inspired you too, or at least reminded you of the happy times you have had on one of your trips around this wonderful, colourful, strange and beautiful world.
Hope you all have a lovely week, and see you all very soon.
Red xx
Hello all!!
I've been taking it easy in the last few days (luckily I could as I have a week off work).
I went for a long walk in the rain yesterday, which was just divine, then did a bit of shopping (two jumpers and a cheap, pink, plastic watch) and went to the cinema.
And I spotted a few things a long the way (as always, click on the image to enlarge):
Brixton Town Hall, red bus, grey sky and rain. I think, beautiful.
Walking through Brixton Village, I spotted some colour.
Beautifully arranged grapes by one of the grocery sellers.
And then, I went to see this film.
I read We Need to Talk About Kevin book some years ago and it had quite an impact on me. It asked a lot of questions on what it means being "evil". Is it nature or nurture? I don't believe in that concept, so I find the themes in the book very challenging. I am happy to say that the film didn't disappoint. In fact, it is a faithful adaptation of the book and Tilda Swinton is captivating, devastating and heart breaking in the film.
The story and the themes are dark and heavy but if you are the kind of person that likes to be tackled and challenged, then I strongly recommend it.
I hope you are all having a good week and people and things around you are challenging you in the best way possible.
Red xx
Hello all!!
It's been a while since I last posted. Last few weeks have been eventful, full of surprises (good and not so good), emotional ups and downs. This past weekend was full of good and bad. I have been very lucky to have spent it with people I love and like, caring and gentle even if they didn't know me that well. Strangers sometimes surprise you and show their caring side more than people you think are your friends. So I now need order, calm, gentleness and peace.
I find these much needed things in the pictures below:
I know, strange mixture of images and you are probably wondering how is this bringing calm into my life. I don't know, the composition of things and objects in the pictures, the colours and the nature's way of ordering things in her own way seem to be doing the trick.
I have never posted music here, but I have been listening to this song the whole day and it seems to be soothing my soul. Hope you enjoy it too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qemWRToNYJY
Hope you are peaceful and calm wherever you are.
Red xx
Hello all!!
I have been feeling pretty good lately, but I am also very restless these days. Can't sleep, can't eat. So, I took a stroll down to my favourite place and this is what I found:
I bumped into a very good friend of mine on my way to the market. He was waiting for a large delivery of ginger beer from the guy from the corner shop. They shook on the transaction gone well. Spot the clothes my friend is wearing. Yes, it was that warm in London yesterday.
Brixton is a welcoming place, as the sign says: Be Our Guest!
And now for a bit of window shopping. This little bird is on sale. Any takers?
This is a fairly new shop. It sells cloths for men, and it also doubles up as a barber shop.
Some time ago, Brixton got its own currency so the money spent here, stays here. It contributes to the local economy. And who do we have on one of the bank notes? The legendary David Bowie. It is very fitting, he is also from Brixton.
Look who I spotted hiding under the table!! The fabulous Betty Boop.
As I mentioned before, you can find everything in Brixton market. And isn't this a fabulous service and a wonderful poster? Long eyelashes anyone? Yes, please.
And just as I was leaving the market, I spotted a very cool guy. I pretended I was taking pictures of his surroundings, but I think he knew I was snapping him, so he posed a little. I love this shot!
And as I was about to walk up the hill to go home, I took a shot of the cafe in front of the Ritzy. The weather was so beautiful, no wonder so many people were sitting outside.
I hope your weekend was peaceful and you had a good weather. Have a great week.
Red xx
