After my last blog post I was invited to the GoldenBoys launch party.
(Get in!)
I don’t go to many ‘London-y’ events. The last one was a CBS party celebrating NCIS at the Dorchester Hotel. There were cupcakes, champagne, wine and an actress from the show to chat to – a nice event, but a slightly stiff atmosphere.
Luckily the GoldenBoys event was a far more laid back affair. Held in Neo Bar, Barbican, the party was oh so generous with the complimentary cocktails (all renamed with a financial theme). I helped myself to ‘Millionare’s Martinis’ and checked out the site on the laptops set out across the bar. One of the key games on the site is all about gambling on the state of the market – whether it’ll be up or down once trading has ended at the end of the working day. Another is the ‘Millionaires’, another game based on world markets – but, in theory, more predictable than the lottery numbers.
I also got to meet site founder Martin Linham and caught up with PR Adam (who works for event organisers TopLine Communications alongside my sister, Charlotte). When he’s not in the office, he can often be found drumming for Glaswegian alternative rock act There Will Be Fireworks.
Photo of me, Adam and Martin by Sheri Selby
On another note, the event marked the second ‘official’ outing for my Urban Outfitter’s playsuit – a lovely garment in theory (and some might say ‘on-trend’ due the all-over pattern and wide legged pyjama trouser) – but bloody hazardous when out and about. It’s got a zip followed by back of buttons that means that I simply can’t redress myself post toilet-break. Thankfully my friend Sarina was on hand to help with the process!
If you won £1,000,000, how would you splash the cash?
That’s the question currently being posed by market traders’ betting site, GoldenBoys. They’re celebrating their launch with a massive competition that gives you the chance to live the life like a member of the financial elite, with a trip to London, 5 star accomodation, Michelin star dining, £1,000 spending money and West End tickets. Obviously, it’s a trip that only a lot of money can buy and, as time is of the essence, the prize also includes a chauffuer driven car (no Oyster card required).
Once the trip is over, the lucky winner will take home a chest packed full of gadgets and goodies to keep them living in luxury (despite a return to the day job).
The competition closes on the 1st May and can be entered here. Before then a lavish party on the 24th April is being thrown to celebrate the launch of GoldenBoys and the announcement of the winner. I’m desperate to blag an invite (hint, hint), although I don’t think I’d make enough of a convincing investment banker to make it past the bouncers…
Things are going up a notch in my search for a flat.
I’ve sold my shares to help with the deposit, saved as much as possible for the past year and I’ve even started a new Pinterest gallery with all the things I’d love to fill it with. Occasionally I’ll pay a visit to Ikea, Homesense or second hand charity shops to try and inspire myself to keep saving and get some ideas of what I’m working towards.
To be eligible for Shared Ownership properties you first need to register with First Steps. Then, provided you fit the criteria (savings, earning less than £60,000 pa etc), you can start hunting!
I’m absolutely, utterly addicted to hunting for places now. The only problem is, it can get a bit depressing! I work in Brentford (Zone 4 West, rubbish transport links) and currently live in Brent. A lot of properties have a criteria where you have to already live or work in the region. With the exception of Wembley, I can’t afford North West London (Kilburn etc), but can’t go further North because of the tricky commute to work. I also don’t want to live near Hounslow because it would kill my social life – getting to central to see friends, gigs etc would be very difficult.
As long as I can get to the district line or an overground line that goes to Gunnersbury, I’ll be happy. There are some fabulous, affordable places in Bow (and perfect for getting to the forthcoming Olympic Opening Ceremonies rehearsals). I definitely can’t afford Hackney or Stoke Newington – and if I could I’d be buying outright! Hopefully my new link to the area will help – and I did use to call Shoreditch home…
Last weekend my mum popped over to ‘Casa del Cool’ (aka my shared flat in Willesden Green) for a visit.
“I left Brent”, my mum said referring to her former home in Kingsbury as a teenager, “And now both my daughters have moved back here!”
We were walking down to have lunch at The Chamberlayne in Kensal Rise with my sister, a Sudbury resident.
I’m currently considering selling some shares my late granddad had invested in for me and buying into a shared ownership flat in Kilburn so I needed to ask what they thought. Now, it seems I need to ask what you think, because we’re not entirely informed on the subject just yet.
Oh and apparently, I’m really Welsh. (My sister has been researching our family tree. My great grandma (cubed) got married in St Martin in the Fields. WHERE DID THAT MANSION GO TO, EH VICTORIAN ANCESTRY!?
Ahem.
Anyway, onto the fun stuff. My mum and I went down to Kensington on the 52 bus – according to Great Grandma Cubed it should’ve been a Rolls Royce but she clearly didn’t make sound investments in her Great Granddaughter Cubed No.2’s future. On the high street, we couldn’t resist the lure of the big Whole Foods Market.
A cakey wonderland!
We got pleasantly whacked in the face by a couple of chefs branding frying pans with melting parmesan (or rather our sense of smell did), before heading into the wondrous emporium of baked goods – every item luxurious and wholesome and clearly very, very good to eat. I picked up a cupcake with Sesame Street stylings for Martin (chocolate on the inside with a whipped cream sandwich concealed in the middle).
We also visited a stall hosted by the Fair Trade Borough Campaign for Kensington and Chelsea where not only did I discover how tasty apricot kernels are, but also that Brent is a Fair Trade Borough. Kensington and Chelsea is not, but the reasons appear to be bizarre – here is a wealthy, thriving area and yet priorities are focused away from helping others to help themselves. It’s capitalism at its most stereotypical. So do visit the link above and see if you can do your bit.
Fair Trade is an interesting topic because it’s rarely debated and mostly accepted as a ‘good thing’. The concept is. But the scheme and the people who run in must now go public with how they are regulated – and how they will regulate the industry. Otherwise it runs the risk of becoming a cynical marketing ploy. Non-fairtrade Kraft owns Cadbury’s (Fair Trade), for example – will they endeavour to make more products Fair Trade or decide to remove Fair Trade ingredients from the Cadbury’s range? The foundation is non-profit and audits the producers, but it’d be great to see a more detailed declaration of how the auditing process for producers and manufacturers works.
That is not to say, however, that Fair Trade isn’t fabulous, because it is! Find out how to take your ‘step’ towards a Fair Trade nation here.
After our Fair Trade talk and discreet munching on macaroons (taking photos of ourselves eating them on the busy street outside), we attempted to find the mysterious Kensington Roof Gardens my mum used to visit. “There’s flamingoes!” my mum exclaimed – and there were!
Hanging with my new best buddies
It’s in quite a discreet location, is Kensington Roof Gardens! We ended up around the corner from what used to be Bakers department store (now a bunch of shops) and facing a posh looking block of offices down a side street. A man in reception noticed us and I wondered if he knew what we were looking for. “Go in and ask!” my mum said, too scared to herself. Despite the fact that we nearly gave up there and then, I plucked up the courage to go in. The man on the reception was absolutely lovely. We signed in and went in a flashy lift that zoomed up onto the roof, taking us to a foyer for a posh restaurant. (HINT: I WANT TO GO TO THERE)
Originally conceived in the thirties, the amazing gardens are still thriving today. They’re currently owned by Virgin and you can even get married there… imagine having a flamingo for a ring bearer! (Nope, just me then!?) On Fridays and Saturdays the roof is taken over by a private member’s club with a dress code of ‘no effort, no entry’. I can only wonder at the drama – and imagine the swooshy floor length dress I’d don to blag my way in. If my Great Grandma Cubed were alive today, I think she’d be a regular.
What are your favourite hidden haunts of London? Where should I go to next?
I made it to Willesden Green station with seconds to spare. Despite his rather specific instructions, my friend (emphasis on the word friend please)Martin was not there. I imagined I could just walk to his instead. That, or he’d forgotten – he had text me rather late the previous evening. “Where are you?” I typed into my phone.
Uncharacteristically quickly I received a reply. He was round the corner.
In the space of 24 hours Martin’s car had breathed its last, yet had miraculously come back to life at the hands of a mechanic in time to come and pick me up. Handy that.
Later that night, despite having never ‘done dinner’ before, we ended up in the Little Bay in Kilburn, a place with unique ostentatious decor that has more restaurants in London and Belgrade (!?). Aside from having unusual ingredients such as pig cheeks on the menu, everything was really reasonably priced – and very, very tasty.
When we emerged from the restaurant, we remembered that we were opposite a rather magnificent looking chocolatier. Miraculously it was still open.
“We should go in… we should definitely go in.” I said, rather enthusiastically. “It’s like, totally Mother’s Day on Sunday.”
Bingo. (Martin loves his mum.)
And that’s how we ended up in The Cocoa Exchange, a Belgian chocolate emporium, full of the most decadent treats one usually only ever dreams of. Co-owned by Brendan and his wife, the shop offers tasting sessions and personalised boxes of luxury chocolates. We were asked what we’d eaten for dinner (sea bass and dijon mustard mash for me, lamb goulash for Martin) and the flavours we usually favour.
As Martin got to work picking out chocolates for his (lucky) mum, Brendan presented me with a serious of jars filled with different natural flavourings, asking me to smell each one and rate them from 1-10. Most of them rated rather high on my delectable scale, but the roses and cherries captured my senses somewhat, as did a surprisingly sweet pink peppercorn blend.
Brendan decided that my palate would be most suited to white and milk chocolate, and gifted me with a white chocolate square. One bite revealed a layer of milk chocolate ganache and a whole hazelnut hidden within, with tiny pieces of rice crisps to add texture. Needless to say it was scrummy.
When Martin finished selecting his truffles, I was given an extra treat as we left – a white chocolate drop. When I bit into it, it released an amazing cherry liquor (nothing sharp or cheap tasting – I’m not usually a chocolate/alcohol girl). Like I said, Martin’s mum is a lucky lady!
Chocolates handpicked by Martin at the Cocoa Exchange (apologies for the poor phone camera photo!)
After cocktails at the Windmill in Cricklewood we decided to call it a night, albeit a brilliant one. And one of the nicest surprises was that when I got home, Martin had hidden a special box of chocolates in my bag – sneakily chosen while I had my nose deep in a jar of spices!
The Cocoa Exchange can be found on Belsize Road, Kilburn. For more information call 0207 372 5552.
I took a day off on friday and headed off to the Sussex coast with a friend for fish, chips and a bit of fashion!
It’s been ages since I’ve properly rummaged through the racks of vintage shops, but think I’ve got the bug again after my Friday finds!
I picked up these shoes for an amazing £8 from the antiques/vintage bazaar place in the Lanes (anyone who’s been to Brighton will know the place). They’re by Bruno Magli and really beautifully made. I fell in love with them in the shop but I’m a bit worried I might have fallen in love and ignored the fact that they’re a tad too small for me! The mock croc handbag caught my eye because of the unusual bow clasp. Up close it looks less animal print and more like wood!?
Next, it was off to the Brighton Beyond Retro store where I picked up the maxi skirt and high waisted trousers in the photos above (teamed with a H&M blazer and Forever 21 necklace and lace top). The skirt is a heavy rayon material and moves dramatically when I walk (who doesn’t love a swishy entrance?) The trousers are from a Canadian label and I think are most likely to be from the late sixties/early seventies – I’m not an expert so opinions greatly appreciated here!
After we dropped off my latest wardrobe additions, we headed off to the Brighton Pier arcade. I used to love arcades – and still do – but the owners need to fix their machines or stick around to issue refunds when they swallow money for no return. Being frustratingly determined sometimes I was determined to get the claw to work. But claws are corrupt, shit things aren’t they? Luring you in, getting you excited when you perfectly manoeuvre the thing over the head of some cheap cuddly toy and then making you cry out with frustration when the thing opens up as it ascends again. And don’t get me started on the dance machines (one took money and gave no credit, the other had broken panels). The driving machines weren’t much better.
Luckily, Brighton has so much to offer that it needn’t rely on amusement arcades like other, more tired seaside destinations, but I’d still like to return in the Summer and emerge, victorious, with a crappy stuffed bear…
Where’s your favourite place to uncover hidden treasures? And is Brighton safe from the fate of other British coastal resorts?
Surely this would have had to be part of my contract with the Student Loans Company to be effective?
Even if it did not effect me, but future generations (with higher student debts) then it’s still sickening. To date I believe I have paid off £880 of my debt. It now stands at over £19,500. This will take me the best part of two decades to pay off – unless I occasionally choose to volunteer an extra payment or two.
I was always sensible at uni. I worked when I could, spent my spare time doing work experience and guaranteed myself a job before I graduated. I got myself out of my overdraft and left myself with just the loan to pay off. A noticeable proportion of what I earn now is deducted toward this (plus tax, but that effects all of us so I deal with it!). Why should I have to pay a fine as well as the interest?
What shocks me is that this hasn’t properly warranted headlines until the news that it’s probably not going to take effect (phew) and it’s due to the Conservatives deciding that this plan (attributed to the Lib Dems) is unnecessary.
Although Tom & co are supporting their next release with the help of Pledge Music, Moshi Moshi have been providing solid support for the band of late, providing them with a juicy support slot alongside Sweet Baboo and Spector at Slow Club’s recent Shepherd’s Bush Empire gig. With a new album on the horizon and a brooding, upbeat single, My Bones, receiving regular airplay on BBC 6 Music, it’s a gig I’m especially looking forward to.
Joining the band on the lineup are Two Wounded Birds, Fiction and Becoming Real. Don’t miss it.
I left Newcastle less than a week before Huw Stephen’s curated an epic lineup featuring Let’s Buy Happiness and Grandfather Birds (I was SERIOUSLY gutted to miss it), so I’m properly chuffed to get to go to one of his nights at last. Worried about spending the commonly dreaded V-Day with a partner in the fear of typical cheesy activities? Surely a gig is the only way to go… As for single little me, I’m going to dress up for me and the music. In Vinyl Jacket’s case, judging by brilliant new single Red Light, this should involve a Hawaiian shirt with a neon flower print.
Fran’s been working with Mick Ross of Frankie & the Heartstrings on a new EP, Childhood. The first single release from it, A Footnote to Love (part one) has just been made available on Bandcamp and is being released by the Heartstring’s Pop Sex Ltd imprint.
Mr Ross is known for his ability to bring the best out of the acts he works with, be it Waiting for Winter or Let’s Buy Happiness so I’ll be waiting for the rest of the recordings with a haughty impatience… or at least heightened anticipation anyway.
I’ve seen Fran play many times, in multiple environments. From the darkness of the Cluny 2, to the intimacy of Osbourne Valley’s Blank Studios. He’s always mesmerising. The elevated, occasionally stuffy, always sticky Bull & Gate venue will be a new challenge. I wonder if it’ll be just Fran and his guitar and keys or if he’ll be trying to bring others again like he did in the above performance for the Roundhouse Rising festival. The Bull & Gate is a venue that I’ve seen work for some bands (Shields and Holy Mammoth worked the stage like pros, but their supports didn’t necessarily fare so well), but as a solo artist Fran will need to stun the room into silence for everyone to appreciate his delicate material. But I’m not worried. It’s what Fran does best.
As always, share your gig tips with me on Twitter!
My favourite EP of last year was, without a doubt, Cut(s) by London trio Ex Libras.
I’ve played this to all and sundry, taken the CD on road trips, linked to it on Spotify and popped it on in my room for guests. The reaction is unanimous: people love them.
Cut(s), a five track EP (six if you include a cello interlude), reworks tracks from Ex Libras’s debut LP, Suite(s).
The album, more guitar heavy and loaded with angst and experimental affectations, has been broken down into menacing loops and ambient riffs for the EP. It’s haunting and beautiful – the vocals soar and the tense-sounding bass wraps you up, while choral vocals and sprinkling of piano seem to follow you around even after you’ve finished listening. It’s an addictive record – so obviously I can’t help returning to it. Live, it’s just as I’d hoped.
The above video is for Teenage Eyes from Cuts(s). I’m rather hoping they’ll be playing this when they return to London’s Cargo on the 15th March. On a past visit they were recorded performing tracks from the original release. Here’s Underachiever, a track that was reworked as renamed as ‘I Am Home’ for the EP.
This video from Cargo looks so flipping’ epic I can’t wait for March now!
I remember once when I worked for Amazing Radio we did a prerecorded interview for Amazing Afternoons and both the presenter and I didn’t hit the record button… whoops. I think it was Amit from the band who we spoke to and he was ever so nice when I called back and asked if we could do it all over again! They’re such nice, thoughtful people! (And clearly very patient). Plus they record in a converted shed. Kudos.
‘Agh it’s the worst month of the year, and this is the worst week of it!’
The words nearly flew out of my mouth as I stood at a bus stop in Finsbury Park on Saturday night. I’d had an uncharacteristic spat with a fellow passenger on a bus, forgotten my phone, broken a heel and got off of a bus, only to find out I was on the right route to my friend’s house after all.
This was packed into an hour. A hour! Yet, that hour was just an example of eight days of pathetic activities and miserable occurrences.
The previous Saturday I was getting ready for my ‘London-based birthday’ and decided to use a Lush shower scrub as a treat. I’ve used them before and have never had any problems, but when I got out of the shower I noticed I had big red scratches wherever I had used the product. Nightmare! After applications of sudocreme and a few days it had all but faded – no harm done, but depressing nonetheless.
A few days later a signal failure on the Richmond Overground line meant needing to find an alternative route to work, via zones my travel card didn’t cover. It also meant that I was an hour later into work than usual. Luckily my manager was fine with it, but I still decided to get in touch with Overground customer service to see if they could help me. I was also resolved to sent an email to Lush and make sure that my experience with the scrub didn’t happen to anyone else.
Although this week hasn’t got off to a flying start (I’m writing this with a mug of lemsip by my side) things looked up when I got pleasant replies from both the Overground and Lush.
The Overground sent a letter of apology and a voucher for £1.50, which covered my expenditure to get to work earlier that week – small, but very much appreciated. (No giggles at the back! I’m not tight, it’s a matter of principle and the fact I spent hundreds of pounds on a Zone 2-3 travel card!)
Lush, however, lived up to the friendly, personable customer service I’ve always found in the countless number of stores I’ve visited.
Butterball bath bomb, Pop in the Bath bubble bar, Olive Branch shower gel, Honey I Washed the Kids soap
After we’d exchanged a couple of emails, Jamie from Lush Customer Care offered to send me a few products to make up for my experience with the sugar scrub. Of course, I happily accepted and yesterday picked up a box of lovely Lush goodies from the post office (see above!) Honey I Washed the Kids soap is my favourite Lush product – the first I bought and the present I bought for all of my friends when I was 14 for Christmas. It smells and feels divine.
The goodies join my Christmas haul!
My bathroom is already stocked with Lush stuff that I received for Christmas (see some of it in the picture above), and I hope to continue receiving and buying it. All of the packaging is recyclable, the provenance is respectable and the results, (bar that one aforementioned experience), brilliant. I also love the fact that I can pop into a Lush store and have a enthusiastic conversation about the products on sale or have one of the staff recommend me cosmetics that suit my tastes and needs.
So tomorrow, when I’m scrubbing away in the shower (if the hot water decides to work), I shall try a bit of positive thinking and face the day with a smile on my face!
In your opinion, who provides you with the best customer service?
Get Frank 