Kate Middleton vs. Victoria Beckham

With less than a month to go until the biggest 'Big Day' we've had in England (And possibly worldwide.) for a while, it was to be expected that the souvenir market would go into over drive.

But forget the tacky mug that will fade after the first time it gets washed, or the plastic flag that will no doubt rip the moment the wind hits it and go for something a bit more retro, timeless and classic.

Yes, I'm talking...Royal Wedding Top Trumps!

For all those readers of  'a certain age' (Children of the seventies reveal yourself!) this will take you straight back to your child hood and the (no doubt) many school yard fights you had over whose car had the highest BHP or whose football player had the least red cards in a season!

With categories such as 'VIP Status' and 'Big Day Rating' this special edition of Top Trumps will certainly ingratiate the game back into the epicentre of popular culture. With debate heating up as to which designer Kate will wear and which famous faces will attend the wedding ceremony, the category of whether Kate is now a bigger 'Style Icon' than Victoria Beckham is obviously wholly relevant.

(Handy hint: For the purpose of this game she is!)

So in these current days of austerity, amidst the devastation of natural and human made disastesr, maybe this Royal Wedding and the tacky trappings of memorabilia that come with it, are exactly what we need to lift the mood, allow ourselves some space to breathe and reminisce of an all together more innocent era gone by.

William and Kate...I raise my faded souvenir mug and wave my ripped plastic flag at you, for the hope of the nation (And quite possibly the world.) lies on your shoulders. Good luck!

Be The Change You Want To See In The World

Being made redundant on New Years Eve last year may not seem like the ideal scenario to most people, but that's exactly what happened to me. A two fingered 'thank you and goodbye' from my previous employer, followed by our recent move cross country, has meant I've found myself in a new area without the usual assistance of the work place to meet new people and settle in.

Now don't get me wrong, I am loving our new home and village life, but it turns out that Hubby may be right after all. (Of course I am not going to admit that to him!) I am not cut out for the life of a professional bimbler. My grey matter requires an occasional squeeze and a mental work out that dog walking, gardening, coffee, cake and chat do not provide. (Though obviously coffee and cake comes close!)

And so to the new 'exercise' regime. 

The idea has been researched and seems solid. The business plan is being formulated. There is no more need for occasional business development consultancy that benefits other organisations. (Some of whom seem to have morals and principles that align closer to...well, let's just say that at least Dick Turpin wore a mask!) It's time for me to take my destiny into my own hands and create a role that offers that elusive balance between home and work; a job where even the hard graft is enjoyable because I'm dancing to the beat of my own drum, am at my own beck and call, working to principles and morals that I choose to live by.

So watch this space because I am going to be the change I want to see in this world.

Thanks for the advice Gandhi!

Five Minutes Of (Somewhat Limited) Fame!

I am really pleased to be this weeks featured 'creative' interview over at Art Muse Blog. Thanks Carol!

Please be sure to drop by and read not only the interview, but also the other content...there's always something of interest.

I'm off to crack open a bottle of champagne to celebrate...well maybe just some sparkling wine...it is only five minutes of fame after all! lol

Mother Earth Needs You!

Click the llightswitch above and show your support of WWF Earth Hour 2011.

If we all do our bit by turning off electric lights across the globe, maybe we can convince international governments that climate change needs to be higher on their priority list because future generations have a right to enjoy this planet as well.

Mother Earth needs you!

Grumpy Cow!

With Hubby in Germany on business, he has ensured that whilst I am on my own I have everything I need without the need to pop (Because pop is just not an option where we live now!) to the shops.

I have chocolate.
I have vodka.
I have coffee.
I have milk.
I have my monthly glossy mags.

And I have the new issue of Marie Claire UK, which he has reliably informed me was bought as an extra to my usual glossy mags because he knows how much I like 'Cowshed' products. With this month's mag is a freebie 'Cowshed' scented body lotion.

The scent he went for?

'Grumpy Cow'.

Just wait until he gets back...because I am now!

Wow! A Versatile Blogger Award

Those of you who know me personally, or read this blog regularly, will know that there are very few things that leave me speechless. However, after almost a week of neglecting writing this blog and reading the blogs I follow in order ro convince Hubby that the moving boxes were not an interior design 'feature' of the new house, (A week of heavy duty unpacking and sorting ensued!) I returned to find that the talented and inspirational blogger, Sulekha Rawat had bestowed upon me the honour of the Versatile Blogger Award.

Speechless? Moi?!
Well yes actually...and also a little bit bewildered.




You see, I write this blog because I enjoy it. It is my way of relaxing, a type of therapy. When I was a teenager I had a diary. To a certain extent this has somewhat the same purpose for me. I would continue to write whether any one choose to stop by, read a post, leave a comment, share their thoughts with me, or not. So to realise that not only are people kind enough to do exactly that, but they also enjoy what they read and return to see what is going on through my lens on a regular basis.

Now down to the details...as a recipient of this award, the deal is that firstly I tell you 7 things about myself (that you may or may not already know) and then I nominate 7 fellow bloggers to receive this award aswell. Unfortunately, I can't re-nominate any blogger who has already received it, which means some of my favourite blogs are exempt from a mention, but here goes:

1) I once got stuck in a revolving door with Ivana Trump.
2) I have appeared in the audience in an episode of Ricky Lake.
3) I am full of ambitions, but they now evolve around my life with 'my boys' rather than around my career.
    It's true to say that circumstances have mellowed me during the past few years.
4) I fully believe that if you want to make changes in your life, you have to be your own catalyst.
5) I would love to be one of those 'make no effort at all, yet still be amazingly stylish' women, yet it seems I 
    am just missing that gene!
6) I am currently on a journey to set up my own business, finally able to mesh two past ideas into one 
    workable one that has really caught my imagination.
7) I am actually not a showy person and have really struggled with thinking of 7 things people may be
    remotely interested in hearing about!

And now the hard part...picking just 7 blogs of note to nominate:

1) Retro Chick is one of my favourite blogs, combining my love for all things vintage with my desire to be
    one of those 'make no effort at all, yet still be amazingly stylish' women I mentioned earlier!
2) Pixie Lashes blogs about beauty, those 'must have' make up buys and the latest wonder products. She's
    like The Oracle - let her try before you buy!
3) Sconch Textiles is a great new blog on the block about one girls adventures in textiles and crafting. I am
    not particularly creative, so always take solace in the fact that this blogger is, but still lets us share in her
    'shaky' moments.
4) Melissa at OneJohnChapterThree blogs very honestly about her life, her family and her struggles to be the
    best person she can. I really enjoy following her journey.
5) Girlfriends Are Like Shoes is a great little blog and all you girls reading this must agree with the sentiment;
    You can't have too many and will always cherish the good ones!
6) Blonde At Heart is a great read for those of you who just want 5 minutes of escapism, as Natalie amuses
    us with her rambles and details of her 'blonde' moments.
7) Finally, a Modern Girl's Guide is another blog that details the everyday life of the writer, Beki, as she
    moves into a new home and learns to balance her fashion and beauty needs, with her new found
    housekeeping and DIY requirements.

That's all I'm allowed to pick folks, but that's not to say there are not 1000's of great blogs worthy of your visit out there. So please, take the time, browse about and find the few that are right for you, then pop the kettle on, take 5 minutes and enjoy some 'you time'. For those of you who enjoy your 'you time' through Lucylastica's Lense, I thank you and always love hearing from you. It's good to know I'm not alone in my journey. x

Good Food. Good Company. Good Times.

Ever hopeful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it's been three whole weeks since we moved into our new home. 

On Friday we finally unpacked the last box and yesterday we had our first visitors over for Sunday lunch. Sam and Hugh brought over their three greyhounds, so whilst we tucked into roast beef in the dining room, four disgruntled (but ever optimistic!) doggies sat whining in the living room awaiting leftovers.

They had been hopeful from the moment the meat was carved...

On a personal note, I finally feel as though I 'live' here, which is actually quite a bitter sweet sensation for me. I mean, it's great that myself, Hubby and Tobes are settling in and enjoying our new life in the country, but bizarrely I feel guilty; as though I should be missing my old life more than I am. Don't get me wrong, I miss my Mum and old friends, but it actually feels like we've made the right decision.

For the first time in a while, I feel alive and I like it.

It's a Dog's (New) Life (In the Country)

Wake up sleepy head it's moving day!

Not sure what's happening but I'm staying put in this suitcase so you can't forget to take me with you!

On the look out for the removal men.

What do you think? Do I look like I've settled in?!

 

Tsunami Perspective - Comment Compulsory!

Not my usual post today, but you will all by now have seen the apocolyptic devastation in Japan left by the earthquake and resulting tsunami. 

As people there wake up today knowing they have to try to re build their lives, grieve for their losses and pray that any aftershocks and radiation leaks spare them future catastrophe, it seems like an appropriate moment for the rest of us to take stock of our own lives and express thanks for the simple things in life.

I would therefore like each person who reads this to take the time to comment and let me know what they are grateful for. Just one line to share a small thought that may raise a smile in a fellow reader.

Let's have at least one day of thanks - moan free.

I'll start...

I am grateful that I woke up this morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

Rock That Red Pump!

We all; well, females definitely, some males, probably, love our shoes. So how apt that an America based campaign to raise awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of females worldwide, have chosen to use a shoe - or more specifically, a pump - as their icon.

So I request that on March 10th you all - male or female -

'Rock the Red Pump'

The aim of the Red Pump Project is to get 500 bloggers to add the badge of support to their blogs within 50 days. The final day to take part, raise awareness and help them reach their goal is 10th March - TODAY - so you'll need to work quickly folks!

I've added the support badge to my blog and am now featured on their supporters list. Seems like a win/win situation to me. With very little effort on my behalf I've shown support for a fantastic cause and gained free publicity for my blog.

So get blogging and tweeting #500in50 or #RocktheRedPump and do your bit now.

For the first time ever I don't want to eat the biscuits!

A little brown package was delivered to my new home yesterday morning.

Don't you just love surprises?

I do.

As it turned out, this was one of the most exciting deliveries I'd had in a long time. 

(I say I, but it did actually contain a house warming gift for me and Hubby!) 

Every step of opening this package was dreamy; from the initial tearing off of the outer layer...

Anything labeled 'FRAGILE' has to be good right?!

...to the sight of the box that lay beneath... 

For any one who doesn't know me, I lived in New York for a while after Uni and will always hold a place in my heart for the city that never sleeps. Hubby and  are heading back there in a couple of months with the senders of the package, so you can appreciate the thought that has gone into this gift.

I'm sure you are all chomping at the bit to discover the contents now, right...well here goes...

Open the lid...

                                                           

Peel back the tissue paper...

Layer 1...

   

 Layer 2...

Layer 3...

 

 Can you believe these miniature works of art are actually biscuits?! 

Now remember where you were when you read this, as this is a moment that shall go down in history: 

I will not be eating these biscuits, they are just too pretty!

Now where did I put those digestives?

Any one interested in sending their own biscuity works of art can buy them here

I guarantee the recipient will love them!

For Fellow Fabulous Females Everywhere

Today is International Women's Day, so I thought it only polite to nod my head and doff my cap to all my fabulous fellow females, wherever they may be out there in the big wide world. 

But what, I wondered, would be a fitting tribute?

For those who fight humanitarian causes, I salute you and wish you support and courage in your endeavours.

For those who raise a family and juggle a career, I wish you calm at bedtimes and hope you always find your child's missing sports kit before it makes you late for work!

For those who live through tough times (whatever they may be), I wish you strength and a light at the end of the tunnel.

But for all women everywhere, I wish you the correct footwear.

Because if you give a woman the right pair of shoes, she really can conquer the world.

Fighting like cat and dog.

The morning began like any other.

The winter sun shone through the patio doors as I chilled with a coffee between unpacking boxes and Tobes bimbled about the garden.

Then suddenly the bimbling was no more as he shot past my chair, hurtled through the dining room - bubble wrap flying hither and thither - bolted into the living room, onto the chair, hit his head on the window and began barking furiously.

And there on the other side (Thank goodness!) of the windowsill sat a big fat ginger moggy. The barking and banging on the window continued to the point where I was worried there would be a Toby shaped hole in the glass in a matter of seconds.

Then down jumped the cat and with a flick of it's head and a look of contempt towards Tobes for disturbing the peace and quiet, away it sauntered and calm reigned once more.

I managed to grab my camera just as the cat wandered off...Can you spot it peeking between the palms as Tobes continues to steam up the window in a frenzy?

Whoever coined the phrase 'fighting like cat and dog' obviously had a dog like mine.

What do you call someone who lives in Suffolk any way?

Well - we've finally moved...and a week later we have internet access again. The peace and quiet of the countryside is all well and good, but a girl needs to know that civilisation is still out there should she ever need to make contact with, say, a shoe shop...or two!

I'm almost settled in my 'Suffolk pink' house in a beautiful picturesque village, with nothing but fields, Muntjac deer and grouse for as far as the eye can see. This morning's Sunday paper's required a six mile round trip into the next village to collect. Thank goodness that Hubby and the dog thought of this treck simply as an adventure, whilst I slumbered, oblivious to the mileage being covered in pursuit of my weekly Sunday reading ritual.

Note to self: Try to arrange delivery for next week!

This afternoon consists of hanging curtains, unpacking the few remaining boxes and cooking a roast dinner - which is probably the least I can do given the miles 'my boys' covered for me this morning.

I'm hardly into domestic goddess territory yet, but then I always have the local WI to teach me everything I am yet to learn. Now that could be a journey worth following!