Butterflies and Hurricanes

Black and White KINKIness

When flying back from Switzerland, I picked up a fantastic (but not in English) magazine called KINKI. These are some of my favourite picture from the magazine. I especially like the photograph of the guy's face having been rubbed out.

And I am seriously wanting the big wooly jumper of the girl sitting by the window.

And here's a rather plinky track from Faithless. Enjoy :)

Music for My Love

Inspiration Needed!

Ok - seeing as how all but one of my exams are over (yay!) I have realised that I need a humungous injection of culture in my life! With the closest cinema about 30 mins away by train/walking, and over a week until I go to see Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco in Liverpool, I need to do something creative :)

I have already written and wrapped a parcel for my sister, but I wanted to make my boyfriend a music CD.

I need ideas of songs to put on! Along the lines of Faithless, Tiesto...but also wanted to put chilled out stuff on like Chicane. Any input of must-have tunes would be greatly appreciated! I will post up the final track list once I have completed it.

And whilst on the topic of music - check out Rose of Jerico by BT. I especially love the video.

Shop Till you Drop - then have an Ice-Cream

La Di Da

40 Silver Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset

Bridal wear, fabric and haberdashery

Ginger Beer

12 Broad Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset

Outdoor living - garden equipment from a sepia era

Susie Cole

15 Broad Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset

Lacey, pearly, crammed full of girly goodness

Local is Best

When I went back home for Easter, I had momentarily forgotten how quaint and unique Lyme is. There are some truly cute shops which allow you to rummage and look for yourself to come across an absolute gem. The best bit is, that all of these shops are one-offs and therefore you are more likely to have a totally individual style if you buy from places like this.

It's far better than the high street shops.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed the irony that New Look produces, but on the window in Bangor it has the phrase 'Be the Trend'. How, New Look, can everyone 'be the trend' if we all buy from your nation-wide store? We'd all look the same!

Charity shops, thrift stores and vintage all the way - mixed in of course with car boot finds and staple goods that are going to last rather than become yesterdays fashion today.

Time for Tea

(Stuart Kolakovic)

Fancy a Brew?

On plodding around the Web, I stumbled across a gorgeous variety of tea towels. I know that teat towels seem like an odd thing to get excited about - but just check them out! I especially like the French designs created by Darling Clementine and the Eastern European influenced ones created by Stuart Kolakovic. If you go onto To Dry For and have a root around, there are some other fantastic designers who's illustration are great inspiration (I feel a big of a rhyme coming along!) To Dry For also have their own blog which you can find here.

It's certainly cheered me up finding such wonderful tea towels, and makes me want to have a cup of tea and some tasty flapjacks before settling down for some revision (honestly - who wants to learn about radon when you could be finding out about tea towels!?)

Tasty Revision Flapjacks to go with a cup of Tea :)

You will need:

2 tbsp golden syrup

4 tbsp runny honey

150g butter

150g porridge oats

100g dessicated coconut (optional - but I strongly suggest it!)

150g dried fruit of your choice - apricots and raisins are a good choice

Flaked almonds for topping - or you could use these rather than the coconut

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Get a baking tin and grease (a 'brownie' style baking tray is good - or whatever you can find!)

2) In a pan on low(ish) heat, put the golden syrup, honey and butter and melt and stir until combined, then remove from the heat.

3) Mix in the dry ingredients - oats, coconut, dried fruit and put the mixture in the greased pan once thoroughly combined.

4) Put in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

5) Cut whilst still in tin and leave to cool. Then eat :)

You can kid yourself that they are vaguely healthy due to the dried fruit, but they are certainly a good snack to break up revision, and much better than a chocolate bar - not quite the same as brownies though!

Pink Fluffy Clouds

Orbs of Colour

I adore Springtime.

It's fleeting.

Blink and you miss it.

Crisp blue skies, with giant blocks of colour popping up from everywhere.

Everything emerging from its winter hiding places.

The anticipation of summer in the air.

Metro Love

Underground Colour Splurge

Wow - it's been a while - at long last all of my work has been handed in - time for revision!

But first - a glimpse back at my fleeting Parisian visit back over the Easter period (which seems a life time ago) since when I have also been to Switzerland - a girl needs to travel you know!

These are some of my favourite photos of Paris' metro system. A conglomeration of coloured tiles, entertaining posters, and funky steel pillars. J'adore the underground systems of countries (the U.S.A, Ireland, England and especially Berlin). It's the beautifully grimy underworld that keeps the country running, taking people from place to place. Music fills the catacombs, whilst there are dark characters lurking around every corner (which we most certainly discovered in Paris) producing a map of the cities under core, like the Beast Within.