I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat

On this day in 1940 Winston Churchill gave his first speech to the House after having been offered the King's commission as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the first year of World War II.

I would say to the House as I said to those who have joined this government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.

You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs — Victory in spite of all terror — Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.

I admire Churchill, people thought he was wrong about Hitler, when he constantly warned people about Germany rearming. In fact in his memoirs he refers to this time as the "wilderness years". People actually thought he was crazy, I think this happens to people who can see things for what they, who can cut through the smoke and mirrors and say it like it is.

So let's see how good you are at seeing beyond the propaganda and new speak that people generate about one another:

It is time to elect the world leader, and your vote counts. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates:

Which of these candidates would be your choice?


Candidate A associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day. 

Candidate B was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a half bottle of whisky every evening.

Candidate C is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn't had any extramarital affairs and gets up at 6am taking in a morning walk. 


The chances are you just voted for Candidate C - well done!

You just voted a genocidal Maniac into power :) I am sure your parents and HR are proud. You choose Hitler!

Now don't get me wrong I have worked with and met lots of people who are capable of having the wool well and truly pulled over there eyes, and it is a shame. It is a shame because they are the good people who stand by and do nothing, they are the "I'm alright Jack" crowd. The people who care about power and title not people and jobs and real lives. 

In case you are interested A is Roosevelt and B is Churchill.

So food for thought, how many judge on propaganda or what they hear whilst ignoring what there eyes can see? If you do that, then bare in mind you're the kind of person people like Hitler needs to get into power. You are the good people who stand by and do nothing, for that is all you need to do for evil to succeed.


People are always telling me I wear my heart on my sleeve so for a change today I am wearing it on my pockets :) I love the simple sweet home made feel of this skirt. The navy with the small white polka dots in a circle skirt with the contrasting heart pockets with little bows. The halterneck is sweet too, but the outfit is made by the pockets.

Skirt: Circle skirt with pockets Vivien of Holloway
Top: Halterneck in white by Vivien of Holloway
Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Mathematics, Beethoven and the patterns in nature

1824 – World premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Vienna, Austria. The performance is conducted by Michael Umlauf under the composer's supervision. The use of mathematical devices is deeply embedded in Beethoven's music. Therefore, this is one of the best places to dig for information on the relationship between mathematics and music. I'm not saying that other composers do not use mathematical devices. Practically every musical composition has mathematical underpinnings. However, Beethoven was able to extend these mathematical devices to the extreme. It is by analyzing these extreme cases that we can find more convincing evidence on what types of devices he used.

Mathematics, music, art and nature are all so intricately interconnected. Mathematics is a beautiful language with which to describe the world. 

The fibonacci series and the greek golden number and fractal patterns are all around us in everyday prints, nature and paintings. So as a method of appreciating the patterns of nature I thought I would wear my miami print dress. The cool crisp green and the life chiffon makes this a pretty spring dress and great for the sunshine. It is my magic monkey banana leaf dress.

Beethoven's 9th Symphony was one of my Dad's favourite pieces of music, I used to dance to this when I was little. My best friend Les like my Dad is a Mathematics teacher in Vienna, so the Vienna connection makes me think of all the fun I have had on my adventures in Austria. Pfirsichspritzer and pool, I am honoured to have been asked out to pool night on so many occasions. It is highly entertaining, opera singers and radio news readers and that's before we get to the mathematicians!,

Dress: Sarong wrap in Miami print by Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Aldo

Mad dogs and Englishmen..............

It's a beautiful day which makes a change for the Bank Holiday, personally though I am leaving the sunbathing to Boudi, who partially qualifies under the heading "dog", she is bonkers rather than mad but we wouldn't change her.

I am having a creative day today which is pleasant so I am wearing my what a catch shorts with a white halterneck by Vivien of Holloway. If you can't make it to the seaside you can always bring the seaside to you. All you need is the power of your imagination, today is a day to dream dreams, think big thoughts and wait for the dice to land.

Shorts: What a catch

Top: Halterneck in white Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Schuh

Happy Hawaii five 0 Day Caz!

Happy Hawaii five 0 day Caz! You are the best big little sister I could have asked for. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Hard as it is to believe on this day in 1963 my sister was born, and it was a momentous event. My big sister is truly tiny, she make me look ginormous which I kind of enjoy it isn't often that I get to be the biggest LOL Her tiny frame hides a huge heart and a large laugh. I have to confess most of the amusing family stories generally end up through series of unfortunate circumstances with my sister and I sharing a bed. 

You are a dedicated follower of Pandora, you have a PhD in Hope, so keep that box safe and remember that a bit of faith in a better tomorrow is all you need.

I'm lucky to have you, Love you loads Caz XxX.

 

Today you’re 50

No doubt, for lost youth you hunger

But remember these words of wisdom
“No wise woman ever wished to be younger.”
So put up with your old joints

While embracing your new wisdom

Five decades on, and you’re still ticking
Nowhere in sight is that bucket for kicking

 

Happy Hawaii 5 0 day :) Given the celebration of 50 glorious years of my big sister and the hawaiian theme I just had to wear my hawaiian ocean dress. I remember explaining it to Jo - "Yeah it's fab it's turquoise, it's got turtles and dolphins and fish and atolls and everything on it"..........She was a bit worried as I was wearing it to her friends wedding, but when you see it, it works. I love it, we call it my finding nemo frock (there are no clown fish on the hawaiian ocean print dress).

There are three songs i have to pick for today

1. The theme to Hawaii 5 0 because it is good to dance too

2. London Calling - The Clash because it is my sisters favourite

3. Fluorescent Adolescent - it wouldn't be a family do without it! 

Dress: Sarong wrap in Hawaiian Ocean print by Viven of Holloway

Shoes: Aldo

Please sponsor Marv - She is cycling for Combat Stress

Text

MCCS75

£1 or whatever amount up to £10

To

70070

Unfortunately, youth is no longer on your side
You’re most decidedly over the hill
But on the bright side, old age and treachery
Will always beat youth and skill.

Babycham - The drink of happiness!

Lazy day Sundays are the best, but I also like a Sunday afternoon filled with old movies when you get chance to reflect. I love the black and white movies, a time when the plot, the script and peoples acting ability mattered more than the special effects. It is a shame but we seem to live in a world where the superficial look of something can matter more than its substance. I much prefer substance.

When you are having an afternoon of indulgence, with the likes of Casablanca then you have to make the effort. I am a soft touch for floral prints, especially roses. They are pretty and feminine, apparently "floral prints are on trend" so I apologise for my "on trendness" in advance. Sometimes the fashionista's steal ideas from the people with style, you just have to remind yourself that actually when they copy  you it's a compliment. 

If you are indulging on a Sunday then you can't beat a babycham, it is the ultimate 50s drink and I like it because it comes in tiny bottles which suits me as I have little tolerance to alcohol and find half a pint challenging. 

Grandma (of sewing fame and Matriarchal Marv) has original babycham glasses, they say babycham in blue on base and they have the little deer on the glass. She was so kind and lent them to us so we could put htem on the blog.

I chose the dress to co-ordinate with the babycham bottle which is a lovely turquoise, powdery blue. It is "The drink of happiness" (that's the tag line). It is funny because babycham is really Perry which happens to be Marv's name too, which is also "Pear cider" LOL 

I do like the Vivien of Holloway dresses. I think the halterneck is one of the most flattering shapes for your shoulders and combined with a sweetheart neckline it is just pretty feminine and flattering. I love the way the tops are so fitted and the skirts so full. I must confess it is a skirt to twirl around in.

Dress: 1950s halterneck circle skirt in turquoise rose by Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Mary Janes in white by Bordello

Star Trek, Mission Impossible, The Untouchables and voice of audacity in the face of apathy

This was the blog I wanted to write:

 

I loved "I love Lucy when I was young" I thought Lucille Ball was brilliant. It also didn't hurt that Desilu her production company was responsible for Star Trek, Mission Impossible and The Untouchables. Desilu later became Paramount Television. Lucille Ball was one of the more popular and influential stars of her era and had one of the longest Hollywood careers. She died today in 1989

She also coined two of my favourite phrase:

Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead.

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.

 

I fail on the last part regarding lying about my age, there is no point. I am 38, and I agree whole heartedly with the comment on falling in love with a red head.

If Marilyn was the iconic blond, and Bettie Page the iconic dark haired beauty then for me Lucille Ball was the iconic red head of the 1950's, she was good at whatever she turned her hand to and she also appreciated the most important thing you can do is to love yourself. She was a model, comedienne, actress and entrepreneur. If you swap actress for dancer then we aren't that dissimilar.

 

This is what I feel compelled to say:

 

Hyundai apparently believe that showing a man trying to taking his own life in one of their cars is good marketing. It shows the pipe attached to the exhaust leading into the car, and the man sitting there waiting to die as he inhales the fumes.

 

A few moments later the garage lights come back on, and the man opens the garage door. The tag line is, “The New ix35 with 100% water emissions.”

 

Yes, very tasteful. Nothing like making fun of people with mental illness, is there Hyundai?

 

I can imagine some of the other ideas that Hyundai and Innocean are also discussing right now:

• A cancer patient is shown dying in a hospital bed, and asks for one last drink of water. They wheel them out to the ix35′s exhaust pipe and instruct them to drink away
• A family in a drought ridden country is shown holding their cupped hands under the ix35′s exhaust, dying for a drink of water.

Seeing such a vivid depiction of the end of a man’s life — to sell cars — is not just in poor taste. It is cold, callous, thoughtless, and even mean-spirited. As though human life is worth so little, we can demonstrate someone failing at taking their own life to help promote the attributes of this stupid pile of metal. A Hyundai.

It is distressing to anyone who has lost someone to suicide, I know it made me think of Adrian's last moments. I cannot imagine how it made people feel who had lost a loved one to this method.

My husband never drove a Hyundai  thanks to that advert neither will I! 

 

Today's dress is a circle skirt, because sometimes we have to come full circle. The print is called "city" and it depicts scenes of city life with greens, blues and purples overlaid. Imagine a creative way of depicting a cleaner city, perhaps due to lower car emissions  I don't need to say anything else about why I chose this dress today. 

Dress: 1950s halterneck circle skirt dress in City print in Green by Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Aldo

 

I Am Alive

By: Jeff Shuck

I may have lost my brother, my sister, my parent, my child, my spouse, my friend, but I am a survivor of the long dark night of unspeakable loss, the unbearable pain, of my own darkness... and I am alive.

 

I am unwilling to stand idly by and allow shame to defeat love, or silence to defeat action.

I stand for the enlightenment of a society that would hide from suicide, that would avoid, that would pretend... and I am alive.

 

I am unwilling for my perseverance to be in vain, 

unwilling for the passing of my loved one to be in shame. 

I loved them more than I loved myself and their life will have meaning in my action. I am resolved..., and I am alive.

 

In a world blinded by the pursuit of pleasure, I am here to say that people are in pain. 

In a world rushing to get ahead, I am here to say that people are being left behind.  

In a world obsessed with the value of the market, I am here to speak for the value of life..., and I am alive.

 

This will be no quiet fight, for I am the voice of audacity in the face of apathy.  

I am the spirit of bravery in a world of action.  I am a commitment to action in the face of neutrality. 

 

I am out of the darkness; I am into the light. And, I am alive.

My Promise

Someone I loved very much has ended their own life. I will never truly know 
all that was happening in their mind that brought them to that tragic choice.  However, there are things of which I can be reasonably certain... 

— If they were here, even they could not fully explain their mindset or answer all of my questions. 

— In their state of mind, they could not have fully comprehended the reality of their own death. 

— They could not have fully appreciated the devastating impact their suicide would have on the people in their life. 

As such, by their last act, they made their most tragic mistake, unknowingly 
creating unparalleled pain in the hearts of those whom they most loved. 
The person I lost is beyond my help now in every way but one: 
I can help them by working to ease the pain they have caused 
and by not allowing their most enduring legacy to be one of 
tragedy. 

They benefit from this help whether or not I perceive them as welcoming it, in the same way that we help the aggressor whenever we nurse his victim—by minimizing the damage he has caused. 

As a result, each and every day, I can help the person I lost by... 

...enjoying life. 
...smiling and laughing. 
...not dwelling in feelings of sadness or remorse. 
...loving others. 
...taking new steps in life toward positive new horizons. 
...helping those who feel their loss to do the same. 
...and, in short, not letting their mistake continue to create sorrow, neither in the world around me, nor in myself. 

I will try to picture my lost loved one asking me to do this every day—to please help undo the damage they caused in whatever little ways possible. And I promise that I will.

Here be dragons!

It is Saint George's day today, the patron saint of England, he is famous for killing dragons. Not something that I hold with personally!

 

So whilst every girl dreams of her knight in shining armour, I hope that when mine turns up he realises that killing the dragon isn't going to win me over, and is probably not the best way forwards. 

Rather than celebrate St George I am going to make a stand for Dragons! Like the one who lived down my plug hole and kept me safe from the wardrobe monsters when my Dad wasn't there. My Dad called him Grendall.

I remember the first time I went to Jo's house, it was already apparent how similar we were but yet at the same time different. When I walked into her conservatory it was amazing, we both collected Enchantica dragons! What were the chances of that? Our mutual love of dragons and randomness sealed out friendship, and as the saying goes "the rest is history"! So dragons have a very special place in my heart.

I love my Vivien of Holloway Sarong dresses, they are flattering and feminine and I love the colourful prints. This is one of my favourite ones, the blue reminds me of Lapis Lazuli, and the gold embossed dragons reminds me of the tiny flecks of gold you get in good quality lapis lazuli. 

No other country on earth has such rich dragon lore as the British Isles. Our tiny little homeland is crawling with legends of these beasts. Several species of dragon were said to dwell in Britain.

Dress: Sarong Dress in Dragon Print by Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Schuh

THE TRUE DRAGON

Also known as the heraldic dragon, or firedrake, this is the dragon par-excellence; the most well known of all dragon types, the most widespread, and the most powerful. The true dragon is a gigantic reptilian beast with four legs. It sports two leather, bat-like wings and is covered with armored scales. Its head is usually depicted with horns or a crest. It has a spined tail and savage teeth and claws. The true dragons main weapon, however, is its breath; its most famous attribute being the jets of flame that it spat from its jaws.

This was the ultimate challenge for a folk hero or knight. The true dragon was almost impossible to kill. It had only one vulnerable spot on its whole body, and this was usually well hidden. In many, although not all, legends these creatures protected a horde of treasure. They are also attributed magical powers such as invisibility and self healing. Dragons such as these often laid waste to vast areas and put whole communities under siege.

The true dragon occurs more often than any other type in British legend.

THE WORM

Sometimes rendered wyrm (from the Norse orm and the Germanic vurm) the worm runs a close second in its number of appearances in British legends. It is, in essence, a titanic snake. These limbless giants often grew from tiny innocuous looking serpents, a motif also found in the folklore of China and Scandinavia.

Worms did not breathe fire but spat venom or blew blasts of poisonous gas. A worm would often poison whole areas, withering crops. As well as its deadly bite and breath, the worm crushed its prey in monstrous coils like an outsized python or anaconda.

Worms also had some odd attributes. They seemed fond of milk (an odd diet for a reptile) and would often suckle from cows. Some were placated by being given troughs of milk. They were also known for being able to rejoin severed sections of their bodies, making them exceedingly hard to kill.

THE WYVERN

The wyvern resembles the true-dragon in many ways. It is a reptilian, winged monster that brings death and destruction. It fulfils the same roll in legends as its relative - a guardian of treasure, and an obstacle to be defeated by a hero. The main difference between the two creatures is that the wyvern has only two legs, as opposed to the dragons four. Many wyverns sport scorpion-like stings in their tails. They have a bats wings, and a snake-like head and neck. The legs are eagle-like, with curved-talons. Like the true dragon, the wyvern’s head is often furnished with horns or a crest. Wyverns were generally smaller than true dragons. Most wyverns flew, but some were earthbound and crawled despite having wings.

Wyverns were believed to be disease carriers, spreading pestilence wherever they appeared. Plague outbreaks and illnesses of both humans and livestock were blamed upon them. Some wyverns breathed fire in the fashion of true-dragons, while others spewed forth a noxious poison gas.

THE BASILISK OR COCKATRICE

 Of all the British dragons the basilisk was the smallest, most being only a few feet long at their maximum. It was believed that occasionally - in old age - a rooster could lay an egg. If such an uncommon egg were to be incubated by a snake or toad, and successfully hatch, then a basilisk would emerge.

What the basilisk lacked in size it made up for in deadliness. Its death-dealing powers came not from fiery-breath or tooth and claw but from its withering glare. Any creature that caught the eyes of the basilisk would fall dead. The one exception to this was the weasel. It was believed that God never created a bane without creating some cure for it, like the stinging nettle and the dock-leaf. The dragons own gaze was as lethal to itself as to any other creature. Hence, its own reflection would kill it stone-dead! Equally, for some cryptic reason, the sound of a cock crowing at dawn would also kill the basilisk.

The basilisk usually took the form of a small snake with a crest resembling a rooster’s comb, or a crown. In later stories, they looked like a horned rooster with the tail of a snake. In this form it was referred to as a cockatrice.

THE GWIBER

The gwiber is a legless winged serpent. In appearance it is half way between the wyvern and the worm. The word gwiber is a corruption of viper. Most of the British winged serpent stories come from Wales. In Wales, gwibers actually outnumber the more familiar type of dragon that we see even today on the Welsh flag. Gwibers did not usually breathe fire, but they had a highly venomous bite.

The Welsh had some strange folklore pertaining to the genesis of the gwiber. It was believed that serpents loved milk, and would - given the chance - suckle from cows. Women’s milk was favoured even more, but if an ordinary snake drank the milk of a woman it would grow into a gwiber. Nursing-women had to be careful not to let any of their milk fall to the floor where a snake might lap it up, or to fall asleep on the ground where a snake might reach their breasts.

Another strange quirk of Welsh gwiber tales is that they are never killed by a knight or any sort of nobleman. It is always a shepherd, farm hand, or some other peasant-lad who puts paid to the gwiber with his wits.

The things my Father said

In memory of my Dad:

My Dad Loved maths it was his passion.

Dad often remarked it wasn't that he didn't believe in god, just that the odds of his existence were vanishingly small and tended so close to zero as to not be significantly different. He also reckoned there was statistically speaking there was a greater chance that Jesus was the son of an alien than the son of god. I have wondered over the last 9 years whether my Dad was surprised at the end? All I know is this, if my Dad got a surprise then his maker got a shock!

People often said my Dad was one in a million, but my Dad was far more one in a million.

He was one in all the people are are, that have been as well as those that yet may be, my Dad was 1 in 13.5 Billion (give or take 10 million) and it is of comfort to me that as the time passes my Dad gets more unique.

My Dad was the height of a discontinued line, a one off and it was his view of life that made him so special.

If we were to view life as a journey then many would say that it is not where you start but where you finish that counts.

My Dad however, saw the world a little differently; he saw the world through his special tinted mathematics glasses. He believed it was how you got from A to B that mattered, the start and the finish were not as important as the path you took between the two.

He often said "The path from A to B is rarely a straight line love, (takes a smoke of his pipe, and wiggles his feet)......except in GCSE Maths, but that's a special case!".

It was my Dad's certain knowledge that there were multiple solutions or routes that you could take, that gave him the eyes to see the potential in everyone; He knew there was always more than one way of getting there and that most of them were valid. That is why my Dad always supported us whichever path we took.

My Dad saw maths everywhere and he lived his life by it, he:

Added to friendship and understanding

Subtracted sorrow and pain

Multiplied joy and happiness

and always left love undivided

After all as he always said, we are here to add what we can to life, not to take (or subtract) from it.

My Dads life lasted three hundred and sixty four million, fifteen thousand eight hundred and forty minutes and for me that number is by no means large enough, but perfect numbers like perfect men are hard to find!

I have my Dad to thank for many things, including my mind thanks to you I am neither left nor right brained, my eccentricity as well as my sense of style. I miss your waistcoats and pocket watches, your Inverness cape and deerstalker! I miss your hats. The chink of your pipe on the ash tray, the knotting of handkerchiefs, the furious foot wiggling when you were solving a problems. I miss the maths scribbled over graph paper, your raucous belly laugh which was bigger than heart. Most of all though I just miss you.

My Dad loved music. He used to listen to in and conduct it in the dark as he puzzled maths questions. When I was little I used to dance, leap and swril around the house to his music and I remember him laughing at me as Dad's do at the spontaneity of children. He was a big man but light on his feet and an amazing dancer. I remember how he could never resist the twist at families do and still went all the way down well into his 50s! 

Given his eccentric style and his love of big bands I thought it would be fun to wear my Telstar band print dress. My Dad would have enjoyed the tailoring and the quirky print!

Dress: Halterneck circle dress in Telstar print by Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Afternoon infusions

As you know I am a huge fan of the 1940's style Tea Dress, if only because you can probably do an assault course in this dress thanks to the wrap over effect of the skirt. They really did think of everything - look good whilst running to the air raid shelter! This design is in my opinion the The best tom boy in disguise dress ever

I love the femininity of the simple design combined with a beautiful floral print. It has a pretty sweetheart neckline with straight sides which acts to draw attention to your face. The sleeves are wrap over too and so have interest when viewed side on. The little pleat at the waist just finishes the design off.

I'm not a tea drinker, tea is poison to monkey's. YAK. In fact if I inadvertently find that I have been unfortunate enough to consume tea, then it has me running for the nearest sink whilst I try to block out Mother saying "A lady never spits"...... I mentally caveat this with except when it is tea. I do like herbal infusions or tissanes though and this is an ideal dress to indulge in Afternoon Tea, though preferably with Champagne.

Dress: 1940 tea dress in Marguerite print by Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Cheeky Tiki

I love Tiki dresses, Hawaii became a US state in 1959 and Tiki style carvings and bold Hawaiian prints were highly fashionable in the 1950's. I love bold, colourful prints and have done since I was a child. I think my love of prints is what first got me into pattern recognition.

 

Prints are like a quick pick me up. They just make you smile and feel happy it is like they bring the sunshine with them. I love turquoise blues so the background colour of the print reminds me of the skies in summer. The hibiscus flowers are just lovely, what is there not to like about hibiscus? I love hibiscus cordial like they serve in Egypt it is refreshing and a beautiful sumptuous color. The white, pink and golden yellows blend beautifully on this classic style tiki dress. You really would be amazed at the things this dress goes with I know I am!

 

Dress: Sarong Wrap in Hawaiian print by Vivien of Holoway

Shoes: Mary Janes in white by bordello

Twice in a Blue Moon

I adore the print on this dress because it has lilac roses on it. I was only young when I first remember seeing the rose "Blue Moon" and fell in love with it almost straight away, a pale silvery lilac rose. The shame is they are not prolific flowerers in fact it is not uncommon to only get a single rose from a bush. So blue moon really did happen once in a blue moon. Fryer's (one of my favourite breeders of roses) solved this problem with the improved "Twice in a Blue Moon". The flowers are on a long stem, and are pefect for cutting and the fragrane is strong.

I can't help mself when it comes to roses, I think I will end up like Ms Threadgoode in Fried Green Tomato's with picture of roses stuck all over my walls. I love the delicate flowers, the colours, the smell and strangely I love the thorns. There is nothing more amazing than the heady smell of roses just after a thunderstorm in a hot summer. It might be a while until the roses start to flower, but they will :)

Dress: Sarong Wrap in Floral Noir by Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Cinders shall go to the masquerade ball

This dress was a birthday present from Jo, I love it. Marv put's a lot of thought into things and as ever there is definite method in her madness. 

I adore the idea of Masquerade balls and have always wanted to go to the one in Venice. The idea of dressing up in a ballgown and hiding your face with a beautifully ornate mask appeals to me, it is the enchanting and seductive nature of a baroque party I guess where you are allegedly in cognito. It is a place that fires my imagination.

I dressed up in a masquerade outfit for the Millenium! I wore a green and gold sari with a sash and a mask that had been made from leather and painted. 

I might not get to go to a masquerade ball but I can have lots of fun dancing around in this dress imagining myself at Harry' bar, sipping Bellini avoiding Casanova.

I like bright colourful complicated prints. It appeals to my inner programmer, it's the pattern recognition. The print on this dress is so cheerful and bright and has every colour in it. I love the sweetheart neckline and the halterneck and the big twirly skirt just finishes it off. I will say this were it not for Marv I would have never ventured into circle skirts, so it is lovely that this dress has one.

Dress: 1950s Circle dress in Masquerade print by Vivien of Holloway
Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Malibu and I don't mean Barbie or and Coke

I wanted a happy dress today :) so I went for one of my favourite designs which is the sarong wrap by Vivien of Holloway, this particular print is called Malibu. Malibu always makes me think of two things the last scene in the Addams Family Values when Debbie is about to electrocute them all and she declares she is not "Malibu Barbie", it also makes me think of Malibu and coca-cola. A trip back to my younger days!!

 

I think the colours in this print are unusual, I like the off beat blues and pinks and they work suprisingly well with my skin and hair colouring. It is a reminder that spring is in the air :) Or it will be soon.

 

Dress: Sarong Wrap by Vivine of Holloway in Malibu print

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

 

 

 

The Enduring house of Pele

Those on the Big Island of Hawaii can listen to the heartbeat of two volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kilauea.

The eruption of Mauna Kea on this day in 1867 caused the largest earthquake in Hawaii, registering the equivalent of 8 on the Richter Scale. Mauna Loa ("Long Mountain") rises just over 13,600 feet above sea level.

The majestic wonder has erupted 39 times since 1832. The last eruption ended in 1984. Volcanologist Thomas Augustus Jaggar, Jr. (1871–1953) lobbied fiercely until the Volcano Observatory was built in 1912 on the lip of Kilauea, the most active volcano on earth. Jaggar believed a scientist living near a live volcano "will learn more in an hour than he ever dreamt of in years at the university."

Kilauea rests at the southeastern tail of the islands and its current eruption (called Pu`u `O`o) has flowed continuously since 1983. Inside Kilauea is the 1.2-mile wide vent of Halemaumau Crater, called the "Enduring House of Pele," where the legendary Hawaiian volcano goddess lives.

Hawaiian legend credits Pele with causing volcanic eruptions and directing the course of her lava flows. Offerings of alcohol, flowers, or sacred berries are still left to appease her fiery wrath.

So inspired by the polynesian style dance, a relative of bellydancing I am having an Hawaiian moment.

Dress: Sarong Wrap in Hawaiian Print by Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Muffin top? More like a cake shop!

It is Mother's Day today. So Happy Mother's Day to all the Mum's out there. I was really lucky to have got the parents that I did and my Mum might be in her late 70's but she still has a sense of humour though on occasion it might take her a while to get the concepts!

Today we were laughing about the muffin top explanation (we were at a hafla) explaining the concept of the muffin top to Mother, it took her a while but we knew she grasped it when she said "Muffin top! Chance would be a fine thing, I've got a cake shop". LOL The Grand Matriarch of Clan Merv, she is very special. She is the lady who taught me what family means, and what unconditional love is, and to just keep going because it will get better. One of the only people who can say "I know love" and you know that they do. 

What makes "Mummy Merv" so special is she realised very early on that the universe doesn't always get your family right first time, which  explains her impressive propensity to acquire new family members. Family comes in all shapes and it is how you make them :)

So just to keep Mum's cake shop well stocked LOL we had afternoon cake whilst watching war movies (she likes that). So it had to be an Afternoon tea dress, this is one of my favourite designs because it is so practical and feminine and you have to love a dress you can actually hurdle in. 


Dress: Afternoon Tea in Autumn Berries Vivien of Holloway
Shoes: Courtesy of the extensive collection of Marvellous Marv the Hardware Hippo