Seaside Shenanigans

Being out and about on a Saturday morning by 9am is a rarity and not to be recommended however this particular Saturday we were in Brighton and it was a lovely sunny day.

Usually I stick to the ‘Brighton’ end rather than Hove so have not really been able to appreciate the gorgeous beach huts that align the seafront looking oh so quaint and gorgeous.

We were also treated so a fantastic spread on arrival...it went from this

To this:

Homemade brownie cupcakes, yorkshire puds with a horseradish and beef filling

Smoked salmon blinis, tomato basil and mozzarella goodness

Following a day of wandering around the shoreline and having a lazy lunch it was time to get glam for an evening of cocktails and dancing the night away...what else??

Excellent camera work from S, and some seriously high shoes

Beaut

We somehow ended up crashing the cast of 'Take Me Out's' table 

From the ridiculous shoes I am wearing above are nothing compared to these bad boys! Probably the most awful shoes I've ever seen in my life.

A far more gorgeous pair were the ones S was wearing. I tried them on for a while. It's good being in a group of friends where we are all the same size.

Since shoes are a theme here...here are some gorgeous looking treats in Choccywoccydooda, a fantastic chocolate sculpting shop. They also produce some serious looking cakes.

Ahh I just love Brighton, until next time my old friend...

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The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town

Keep this to yourself, but I must tell you about a speakeasy I went to last night. Sunday nights in the city are pretty dead, as was the newly(ish) opened breakfast club in Spitalfields. However to those in the know there is a buzzy little place akin to the cocktail version of Narnia.

If you go into the Breakfast Club (only at Spitalfields, don't try this at another one...) and say "I'm here to see the mayor" nice and discreetly to one of the members of staff. You will be smuggled through the Smeg fridge downstairs to a fantastic little joint called The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town.

Now although it sounds like a wind up and you will slyly check out the fridge before asking, just trust me.

I unfortunately don't have any photos of inside...not very cool and a bit against the philosophy. I do recommend a trip to the bathroom though...fantastic 80s wall coverings of magazine nostalgia.

There are no bookings you just need to show up. However if there is a wait you can do so in the Breakfast Club, the food and cocktails in here are just as good. This is clearly between you and I...keep it to yourself yes?

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Domestic Sluttery

Domestic Sluttery...how to cheat your way to the good life, basically my new bible. An amazing coffee table book I discovered a week or so ago.

Split into four sections...Home, Style, Living and Food & Drink this book has everything the modern day working woman needs to survive. Straight talking advice and top tips.

I will of course be updating you when I try the amazing looking recipes but for now here are some of my favourite quips:

Home:

You don't need to be an interior designer to try our tips, you just need a little inspiration, a bit of style and a bottle of wine or two. The rest will come together on its own. For the days that it doesn't, that's what the wine is for.
If you give domestic sluts a choice, laundry and dishes would be the very last thing we did. So we don't always do it - and we don't feel guilty about that either.

Food & Drink:

Domestic Sluts are always thinking about food
Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but it's not the best (no meal that starts before 9am ever could be). The wonder that is brunch lets you sleep in on Sunday, eat a glorious mix of the best breakfast goodies AND steak, all while drinking cocktails? Brunch the Domestic Sluts salute you.

Style:

Domestic Sluts don't believe in saving things for best
Number 2 in 'The 10 Style Commandments' = thou shalt not listen to thine mother (sorry Mum, but it's true)

Living:

Regardless of how busy the Domestic Slut gets, we always do our best to remember to laugh. Usually at ourselves
Packing. Ugh
Shop for anything on your lunch break. 8am: Make sure you're looking your best. Rushed shopping can't be done with dry shampooed hair, rubbish shoes and a hungover head. At least start with doing your make up on the train. 11am: Start shopping online while your boss isn't looking

Hands up, who else is a Domestic Slut?
Buy your copy here No coffee table should be without one.

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The Queen of Falafel

I love falafel, and hummus. I am also trying to be healthy as a) I am running and b) I am going on holiday soon, the bikini kind - not the ski suit kind. As you may know from previously I'm pretty good at being good until late afternoon. One place I love but don't work near anymore, is Pilpel. An unassuming joint that quite simply serves falafel and hummus.

Yesterday I hopped on a bus. The bus driver almost won the award for best driver ever by 'poo-pooing' the actual stop in favour of dropping me off exactly where I wanted to go, but spectacularly lost this title by hollering at me as I exited the (thankfully empty) bus; 'buy some winter clothes'. Cheek I know, but I didn't realise last night when I packed my bag after a lovely sunny weekend the heavens were going to open. Some may argue my floral mini was completely appropriate for May, but anyway, I digress...

The end of this bus ride was One New Change for a bit of holiday shopping. It was also the home of Pilpel. Check out this bad boy. I had to wait to get back to the office to tackle as you Can. Not. Eat. On. The. Move. I had mine with everything including extra chili and pickle. It was immense and amazingly healthy. Loads of veg, chickpeas and brown yet fluffy bread. A-mazing. (Is it just me or does the top picture look like the Rolling Stones icon? No...just me? OK then)

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New Photo App: Cinemagram

I'm not a big 'downloader' of apps. I like what I like and have not in anyway got into 'Draw Something', total waste of time. Some apps I have a lot of time for are photography. I am addicted to Instagram and tend to think the treatment on here makes me a professional photographer. A new one which could either go crazy or disappear is Cinemagram. I started off thinking the former, I was kind of addicted instantly trying to think of things to do-this is where I kind of fell down.

Cinemagram is an iPhone app that lets you take a short video (literally a couple of seconds) then animate only a small part of this, giving the impression of something that shouldn't be happening. Turns out this is a difficult concept to describe to someone in the pub, as the point is it shouldn't be any bit of video you could just take-it needs to be reality suspending.

Some great examples I've seen use shadows and mirrors...you get the idea. My attempts have been pretty futile. As you can see...I'm using the limited resources at my disposal...

I unfortunately don't have loads of photography time being at work all day, so you make do. I intend to do more interesting things - but in the meantime go to the app store and download while it's still free and before everyone else buys it and whacks the price tag up...I promise I'll work on something more exciting.

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What Should We Call Social Media?

I came across this Tumblr this week, what is that feeling you get when you discover something absolutely awesome?

Yes this image should give you an idea of what this blog has. It is a number of small facts all of which are 100% accurate. Just read it, bookmark it and read it again in a couple of days. If you are into social media you will not be disappointed. My personal favourites (I won't spoil the fun be sharing the gif)

WHEN SOMEONE USES A HASHTAG ON FACEBOOK.
WHEN SOMEONE ASKS WHAT #FF STANDS FOR.
WHEN YOU POST ABOUT MASHABLE, AND THEN MASHABLE POSTS ABOUT YOU.
WHEN FACEBOOK WON’T LET YOU TAG AN EVENT/PAGE - OK I can't NOT share this gif, it is just too perfect

http://whatshouldwecallsocialmedia.tumblr.com/

You're welcome!

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Beach Blanket Babylon

What are Bank Holiday's for...if not wandering around East London and drinking cocktails? These also aren't any cocktails, we were at Beach Blanket Babylon in Shoreditch for some seriously good concoctions. I opted first off for one of their specialities, a porn star martini, served with a shot of champagne on the site (for sipping rather than downing, behave this is a civilised place...) I then went for a purple blanket. Take a look at the menu and see what you fancy...

My companion plumped for a BBB Bramble and a Diablo Beach, which was fairly lethal for a Monday... Tequila = not my best friend. The decor in BBB is also gorgeous, very sumptuous and decadent without being over bearing. I love the huge clock (although it wasn't working)

Ready to grab a seat at the bar? Do it. Find them here. 

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