Wilderness

If you have chrome then you just HAVE to take a look at this amazing project by The Arcade Fire. http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

Just type in your location, set it running and watch. I particularly like the bit where you get to play with the 'Wilderness' font.

Day 31

I can not believe it is the last day of August, and the last day of the August Break. 
Where has the month gone? 


This morning I woke up at my parent's house after a late night. The trip to the hospital left my plans of returning to Leeds to prepare myself for work in tatters and so the day started an hr earlier than I had anticipated, but I got to see the sunrise from my old bedroom window, which I used to love. 


I've also loved the structure the August Break has given me, so I am hoping to participate in Miss B's next Souvenir Foto School Class - it's got an A-Z theme that I am really looking forwards to - you can read more about it here. {Although I am on my jollies at the end of the month and we have crazy internet access at the moment so it might be a case of uploading through the dial up, stealing the boys downstairs internet, or resorting to phone pics!}


I am off back to the hospital tonight so I shall say it now - it's been great meeting all of you August Breakers. Hope we meet again soon. 

Holgarama Link Love

From my Flickr

My super cool friends and the lovely nice people behind Holgarama – Phil and Katie - are running a superb competition at the moment to win a ‘Holga Super Kit’


I could paraphrase what the competition entails, but I think that Phil has done a pretty good job himself so here are the details on how you can enter -

Want to win a 120CFN/GCFN Super Kit? Simply by putting up a link to our site?

The super kit includes either a 120GCFN or 120CFN (your choice) two rolls of film, batteries electrical tape plus the colour, soft suround, and split image filter sets. All you need to do is put a link to http://www.holgarama.com up on a website that belongs to you, like a blog. It doesn’t have to be new, and it doesn’t have to be permanent (though obviously we would love it to be). It can be a text or an image link.

We will be giving away two Super Kits, there will be a random draw from everyone who enters, and also whoever’s link sends use the most unique visitors (according to Google Analytics) in the month of September will also win.

The Competition ends on the 1st October.

To Enter simply E-mail Us with the url of the page where you have put the link and your name, before the end of the month. As long as the link is there when we check (which could be anytime in september) you will be entered into the draw.

Please note, you have to own or run the site where you place the link, links on facebook/twitter/forums and other social networking sites won’t count. However blogs hosted on sites you don’t own are fine, eg blogspot, tumblr, etc. If you are unsure then ask us on twitter (@holgarama_co_uk) before you enter.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a website! There will be a competition in October that you can all enter.

You should all follow them on Twitter and Facebook too as they run some ace competitions throughout the year too and just generally spout some great Holga chat. 

P.s. Yes there is a link to their site on my site. If you like them, I'd pop up a link too. Share and share alike you know........

Day 30

Views from around the marina in the early morning. 

We left for the north again today.The journey back by car to my parents is 6 ½ hours. On a good day. Not a bank holiday.

Luckily we didn’t hit any big traffic jams but we did see one crash that had just just happened – scary stuff. A galloping cow. A whole bunch of Honda motorbikes pulling all variety of things – including a trailer with a dog in it and another pulling a caravan and a lost canoe.

The bank holiday traffic luckily didn’t hold us up as I got a call half way home from the boy’s neighbours saying the illness that had emerged shortly after his return from India and kept him from our friends stag do this weekend had got much worse and he had been admitted to the infectious diseases department of the hospital. I am so thankful they were there to look after him.

The doctors haven’t told him what it is and when I left the hospital he looked so forlorn. I just hope they let him out soon. 

Day 29

Not much chance for pic's today - What you can’t tell from the photo is the wind that gusted up to a force 7. The boat spent the majority of the day whilst we were sailing at an ever increasing angle which caused all the things in the boat to move – much to the dismay of my mum.

Whilst anchored for lunch though, we did see this unfortunate soul who had tried to cut the corner at a low-ish tide and ran aground on the mud. 

Day 28

I forget how much I love it on the boat and in Cornwall. 

Day 27

En-route to Plymouth for my weekend of sailing. 

Music {for Liz} Cool Cool Water - OCS

To the Sea

I'll be sailing for the bank holiday. 


I can not wait to get a little bit of time on the water and on the boat and {fingers crossed} in the sun. I am hoping for some sea life like last time, some tasty food at Castaways and some real Cornish ice cream and some little sails through my childhood holidays. 


{but the 5 1/2 train ride down to Cornwall is not exciting me - hoping there is a bit of internet access on the train so I can catch up on some blogs and some 4OD shows} 

Day 26

Moules
{Iphone Hipstmatic photo}

Day 25

New Moo!

Day 24

I love England in the summer. 

Day 23

This is a little house gift for the flat from the tuktuk shopping trip the boy did on his last day in India.  
How stunning is it. 

Day 22

He's back and it was soooooooo nice to see him even if it was just briefly. 
But I am so spoilt. The boy returned from India with so many treats for me. 

Day 21

6pm Jager

8pm Champers

9pm Cocktails in Fruits

The boys sisters hen-do took place in Manchester. 

I wont lie. There were quite a few drinks. 

And a couple were served in fruits. 

Amazing. 

Day 20

A little bit of baking for tomorrow's hen do. 
The wedding will be bright pink and white so I thought I would try and make some cakes along that theme. 
The bright pink food colouring works a dream. 

Day 19

This is one of my dad's favourite drinks. 
He's been drinking it for as long as I can remember. 


What is it? 
Simple. It's Ribena and Milk. 


Yep, that's right - Ribena milkshake. Yummy. 
My dad is addicted to Ribena, I think if he was told he could only drink one thing for the rest of his life it might be Ribena. 


So, without further ado, here is the recipe; 
Step 1: Pour just a little more Ribena in a glass than you would if you were diluting it with water. 
Step 2: Pour in milk. It used to be full fat milk we used when I was little. Now I say Semi-skimmed would be a better choice. My dad uses Soya milk these days - I say don't. It's not good. 
Step 3: Stir. Maybe with one of those little electric frothing things you get for Christmas. But a spoon works just as well.  


You're now free to enjoy your milkshake.  


{And it sounds gross - I always get rolled eyes and pulled faces when I mention it, but in reality it's super tasty and you should go out and yet some.  NOW.}

Day 18

Misguided Nectarine Icecream - with just a little freezer burn. 
I bought too many nectarines and thought this would be a good use of them - it tastes yummy, but it's just frozen so hard - even using the trusty ice cream machine didn't churn it enough to not freeze it too hard. 

Day 17

Orange Lillies. 

Even now they are fading and dying they're pretty. 

Day 16

I have a slightly unhealthy addiction to The Gaslight Anthem.

The new album 'American Slang' is pretty good, but it's never going to hold a candle to 'The 59 Sound' I don't think. But then again 'The 59 Sound' has a special place in my heart from the early days with the boy!

{if you don't have a Spotify account and would like one and live in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, France, Spain or The Netherlands let me know because I have a bunch of them and you really should be on it! - If you don't live in those countries, I don't think they have it there yet - sorry!

If you do have it you can check out my truly awful music tastes here - but please remember some of these playlists are ones we've created at work - the really bad ones though are mine!}

Can-i-do a Ban-do?

via Emma Fisher on Pinterest

Ever since Lizzie and I stumbled across a super cute little store {somewhere in London - I forget, it's all so big} selling feather headbands have been looking for something similar for a friends wedding to go with a beautiful navy silk dress i have rediscovered {read: can fit into again}

This one in the ban-do sale has already been snapped up - for the $25 sale price tag I probably would have shelled out but since that isn't an option, i have decided to try and fashion my own. it can't be THAT hard can it? I think with a bit of patience and a lot of no more nails I'll be sorted.

And I am thinking discard the green beading in my plans - although I think I am now in love with that colour combo - and just use some navy ribbon to fasten the feathers to the headband. For one, it looks like it might take a bit of time unless I can find some pre-strung beads, and I think maybe the green might make it less wedding-y.

Now to find a navy headband and some navy feathers. hmmmmmmmm. this might be the tricky bit.

Day 15

{photo from a misguided night in the crown earlier this year}

And day 9 sans boy - I've really missed him today.

I can not wait to see him again next Sunday - even if it will be for just one evening.

Day 14

{photo from 2007 - it's the earliest one there is online of Lu & I - which might be best, this pics of us in our university days are a bit shocking}

A busy Saturday consisting of lunchtime drinks and a wedding makeup trial with the boys sister at the Chanel counter in HN.

And then a wonderful evening of dinner and many, many, many drinks with Lucie and Sam in Chapel A.

Whilst the three of us were ruining our livers with Jager in the bars {never again people} my housemate was on the smoking terrace being chatted up by an ex footballer and recent bad reality TV 'star'. We use the term star loosely as the shows in question were 'Celebrity Love Island' and 'Dancing on Ice'. He is now asking for a date. She is slightly bemused having had pictures of this guy on her walls at the age of 15!

I have sent the boy to India with my p&s so I took the holga out for the night. I need to finish the film. But can't wait to see the BAD pics that will no doubt come back.

Day 13

Cocktails and free drinks at Oracle with the housemate.

Tans and bad fashion all round, but a lovely pineapple-y cocktail and a delicious BBQ got us through.

Moving {again}

The housemate {yes, the one I moved in with about 6 weeks ago} has announced she is going travelling in March/April. And it appears that she has been planning this for some time - definitely since before we started looking for our flat.

Annoying hu? Not only because it means I am more than likely going to have to move again, but because it would have been nice to have known before - it might have shaped my decisions on the move differently.

But it is done now. She needs to do this, and she needed to leave her expensive flat to afford the travelling so I guess this is the best situation for her at least. But in a few months I need to start looking for either a new flat mate or a new house..........

It does however mean that with 6-7 months in the flat we can't do things like get a phone line, or broadband without me being left to pick up the bill when she goes - does anyone have any ideas about cost effective shorter term internet? I am not sure I can get through the next few months without it.........

Day 12

I woke up to an almighty rukus outside of my window. Pigeons fighting........

My parents came over tonight and took me for dinner at sukothai - it was amazing. i wish i had taken some pics of the fishermans basket we had, but i hate getting my camera out in posh places.....

Dinner was lovely though, and it was great to see my parents and show them my little flat.

Day 11

Cake baking equipment.

There are a few baking projects coming up.

One for the housemate includes this amazing mould.

One for the boy's sister includes the orchids. And the bright pink cases.

Day 10

{phone cam pic!}

Yes. Icecream. Raspberry ripple to be exact.

With chocolate sauce {unfortunately, not the sort of chocolate sauce that goes hard when it gets cold – which yes, you can still buy in morrisons. Trust me. My dad and I had some not so long ago.}

And before you say anything I ate 2 salads today.

Day 9

Urg. Migraine.

Bed. Darkness. Please.

I have nothing more to say on this topic.

Day 8

In a bid to entertain myself on a totally free Sunday I completed a little project I started a few weeks ago.

Frames we bought, complete with dodgy watercolour prints for £3 from a charity shop {you can just see the gold peeking through in the 2nd image}. Wilco’s own brand Plastikote was applied and they were left to dry.

Last weekend I ventured with a horrific hangover to the haberdashery in John Lewis for some pretty fabric.

This weekend I {badly} covered cheap pin boards with said pretty fabric and made a mishmash attempt at stuffing them in the frames. One pinboard is laced with turquoise divine twine so I can peg things to it {pictured} the other is a straight up pretty fabric covered pinboard.

Day 7

There are so many blackberries and raspberries growing wild just minutes from the flat. Would it be wrong to pick them when they ripen?

In a Dizzzeeeeee styleeeeeeee "c-c-c-c-c-c-c-onkers"

C. A Park

The world's most lethal beer at 'Further North'. North Bar's other venue.

THE cutest organic store.

The old police station.

There is an old grave yard sort of near me - nature is having it's own way and reclaiming the land - 
the gardeners cut back the grass but i love that they leave the plants to their own accord........

.....because this beautiful rose is growing wild in the graveyard

Day 7 of the August Break. Day 1 of a weekend sans boy.

Since plans got cancelled I have been left with a super unexpected FREE weekend. And I never have free weekends. I am totally unsure what to do with myself.

I woke up to a text from Mumbai airport, and then later had an account of the 6hours layover and the little excursion the boy was able to take - sounds a little crazy, but I think definitely what he needs to break him in to India.

And Sam called so we went for lunch at Primo's with Paul - topics for discussion were the state of Leeds now {as a bunch of ex-Leeds Guide employees, we feel this is our job - I am sure more will follow on this topic}, new jobs, old jobs, relationships {of course} and the hotdogs!

Then with a pretty free afternoon I took a little photo tour of the area by my house. I thought you might like to have a little glimpse......