Crimping I Miss You...in all your forms

That's right I miss crimping.

I miss crimped hair.

I do have a pair of crimping irons (thanks Barbarella) but being away and working makes me miss what I can't do, crimp my hair and paint my nails. I'm really complex like that*.

I also miss Mighty Boosh crimps....just as much in fact.

I want to crimp my hair and watch this live and then I'll be happy. Is that really too much to ask!?

*Sarcasm not to be mistaken for self-importance

"Ooh, ooh, ohh
I did a twistie
Ooh, ooh, ohh
A tiny twistie"

-The Mighty Boosh

It's Finished Possums!

Remember a month or so ago I blogged about buying Possum Yarn from that lovely Manchester yarn shop Purl City Yarns? Well I finished my first project with it and am bursting with pride.

It's a gorgeous colour, I love the pattern and it feels sooooo snuggly!

80% Merino 20% Possum - yup Possum.

I have enough yarn left over to eventually knit up some matching fingerless gloves but not until the hat I'm knitting for The Big One is finished....

“Be yourself, don't take anyone's shit, and never let them take you alive.” 

-Gerard Way

How Predictable

So the first week of rehearsals is over. We had drinks - we all got drunk.

The next day I went into town for a wander and to refresh my memory of Belfast city. I was hungover and stupid so I found myself in Urban Outfitters on the sale floor. Now I am a proper broke actor and I have no regular job to go to after this job so I need to save my dosh. 

Knowing this, I bought a skirt. A very pretty skirt...in the sale.

£20 reduced from £48

So there we go that was stupid....and predictable. One of these days, after the first week of rehearsals I am going to blow my mind and not drink and not shop.

Next time...

"Changes are not only possible and predictable, but to deny them is to be an accomplice to one's own unnecessary vegetation."

- Gail Sheehy

Guerrilla Knitting

On my way back from rehearsals today I spotted this

It's commonly known as yarn bombing and it means that there's a knitting community here in Belfast which means....wool shop! Last time I was here there was a teeny tiny little yarn shop which doubled as a souvenir shop too and was closing down.

I shall start the hunt tomorrow after rehearsals...


Yarn bombing, yarnbombing, yarnstorming, guerrilla knitting, or graffiti knitting is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk.

Classic Hollywood Doppelganger

I just watched Affair With A Stranger, a 1953 film directed by Roy Rowland, starring the lovely Jean Simmons and Victor Mature.... or Chris Noth, I could barely tell the difference!

Victor Mature above, Chris Noth below...in case you're having trouble too!

"Exhaust the little moment. Soon it dies. And be it gash or gold it will not come Again in this identical guise" 

- Gwendolyn Brooks 

I Heart Heather Morris

Back in Belfast

Well Belfast, I have arrived, and you are looking gorgeous!

I am back in Belfast to do a beautiful play, I was in the original production here in early 2010.  It was snowing then and freezing cold. I had a great time, made some fantastic friends and so I was delighted to be asked back.

This time it's summer and it's roasting. Belfast looks so lush and green! 

My view as I reach rehearsals

I arrived yesterday morning and went straight to the meet and greet. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces and I'm so excited to be a part of this great production once again.

Last night after unpacking I met up with a great chum of mine, Spaghetti Arms. He was also in the original production but is waaaay busy doing telly and all sorts now. It was so brilliant to see him, we've kept in touch since 2010 and he's now a member of my extended family.

We had a delicious dinner in one of my favourite restaurants here, Barking Dog. It was divine, the company, the food, the vino. Awesome-ness!

So I'm in rehearsals for the next few weeks, hanging out with Spaghetti Arms when he's about and HawkandFallow is coming over in a couple of weeks to rehearse and perform in the same theatre I'm at. 

Big grins all round - best Belfast return ever!

"Never look back unless you are planning to go that way." 

- Henry David Thoreau 

Queen of Camden

Graffiti image of Amy which appeared in Camden on Monday

I feel it would be wrong to not mention Amy Winehouse but at the same time I don't really know what I could say that hasn't already been said (and said beautifully) in the last few days. If you haven't read Russell Brand's post For Amy, do. It is a beautifully written and important piece.

I wasn't a die hard fan, but I was a fan. I doubt there was anyone who wasn't blown away by her voice, her lyrics, her musicality, her style and her down to earth nature in interviews. She was an incredible musician and I think it's fair to say London was proud to call her one of their own.

She had an immense talent and she appeared to be a lovely, loving, funny, bubbly girl, a much loved daughter, sister, godmother, the waste of it all is simply depressing. 

27 is no age to die, whatever the reasons, it's too young.

"I'm of the school of thought where, if you can't sort something out for yourself, no one can help you. Rehab is great for some people but not others."
 - Amy Winehouse 

Fall 2011 RTW: 3.1 Phillip Lim

My regular readers will be more then aware of my undying love for 3.1 Phillip Lim and his Ready-To-Wear Fall 2011 collection has not made that adoration and awe falter in any way.

Here's a small selection of the collection courtesy of Style.com where you can see it all.

LOVE this green

So easy, so elegant

"Art produces ugly things which frequently become more beautiful with time. Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time."

- Jean Cocteau

Bambi & Manson

Shorty Shorts anyone? Customised shorts made especially for you, one of a kind bespoke all the way denim hotness?

Most likely a big YES! So you will definitely want to check out the hot new design label Bambi&Manson.  London and Berlin based and they supply the hot gals with the most amazing dip-dyed, studded, ripped shorts you have ever seen!

Because I've got the hook ups I can show you a sneak peek of their debut collection. All shorts and orders are available online 

They also have a limited range of tees...

Whatever size, colour, stylings you want, they can do it. Everything is personally sourced and customised by hand.

Keep up to date with all the celebs who are wearing them by following @Bambi_andManson on Twitter.

As soon as I decide on what I want on mine I shall share them with you and I expect you to do the same with me!

"I.like.making.short.shorts.for.hot.girls"

-Bambi & Manson

Sozzles!

I sincerely apologise for my lack of blog action in the last two weeks. I got home after 2 months away in Manchester and just got BUSY! I did so much house admin! You know those big jobs you never have time to do, the incredibly dull ones like sorting and filing all your bills and general paperwork, cleaning out that spare room which has become a junk room. FINALLY delivering that pile of clothes to the dry cleaners. Organising and clearing out your wardrobe. Getting to B & Q for all the stupid home DIY things you need to actually get the job done. 

Well that's what I did.

As well as clean the house, wash a lot of clothes, tidy my overgrown garden, bake a lot of cakes, cook a lot of dinners, see family members and friends who I won't see for another 7 weeks. Paint furniture, plant roses and poppies and do some temp work.

And FORGOT TO CALL MY DAD ON HIS BIRTHDAY!! Note to self, never be so busy you don't know what day or date it is. The shame is still burning.

What have you been up to?

I transformed this

to this!

So tomorrow The Big One and I are off to his parent's house in France for 1 week's holiday together then I head straight off to my next show in Belfast. From there we transfer to Scotland and then to London so I shall be home in September...hoorah!

See you in France!

"Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane

Don't know when I'll be back again

Oh Baby, I hate to go"

-John Denver

V is a V Good Baker

One of the actress' I have been lucky enough to work with here is a superb cook. I am blog-naming her V and she treated the cast to some of her beautiful cupcakes the other day. They were as delicious as they look.

Then yesterday she invited a bunch of us round to her lovely flat for a divine lunch. Homemade onion tart, tomato salad, green salad and gorgeous little roasted potatoes. She even made the mayonnaise (show off). For pud she presented us each with the most delightful treat.

Isn't that the prettiest dessert you ever saw! Ice cream with summer fruits and warm chocolate sauce. I LOVED it, so simple but so beautifully presented!

It was one of the best meals I have had the whole time I've been here.

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."

~George Bernard Shaw

The Language Up North

While being here in Manchester, working with various northern actors I have been introduced to a new vocabulary. Mainly Cumbrian, the words are lovely so I thought I'd share them.

To Ratch - To search for or To find a fine woman

Ladgeful - To be embarrassed

Flaite - To be scared

Mithered - To be persistently bothered

Radge - To be angry or mad

"Language forces us to perceive the world as man presents it to us." 

~Julia Penelope