Fun with Freddie M - A Queen/Lucky Voice Photo Essay

Right, I've not done a photo essay in awhile so I thought I'd better pull my finger out and get on the case for you - and where better to start than the Queen party I went to at Lucky Voice this week.

A celebration of all things Freddie and Bohemian, with the most AMAZING performance from the uber-talented cast of We Will Rock You, we certainly were the champions.......

The evening started off with a Queen themed pub quiz, which I was spectacularly awful at, despite being a Fat Bottomed Girl. With questions such as "What Is Freddie Mercury's favourite Queen song" and "Which Frank Sinatra song did Queen cover?"  me and my colleague (the Conifer, remember her??) soon realised that, quite frankly, we were Under Pressure. And judging from this picture, everyone else seemed to think it would take A Kind of Magic to win....

However, with rounds such as `shoot the cardboard cut out of Justin Bieber`, it appeared that there were some Killer Queens out there....

However, the round that seemed to drive everyone Radio Ga Ga was the air guitar round....with substitutions,  contortions, health + safety violations, there was some real competition for this.....

Sadly, i was too busy with my new friend to record who actually won the quiz!!!

Then, I had to say to the conifer Don't Stop Me Now - lets have a quick karaoke sesh  (without Bieber - I think you'll agree that he's probably not Somebody to Love in these pictures) Sadly - or luckily for you people, there's no video evidence of our attempts at Meatloaf, Jessie J, Bonnie Tyler and Kings of Leon. I think this post was enough of me doing karaoke for you all :)

However right at the very end of the night, the AMAZING cast of We Will Rock You came along - straight from the show - to give us a little taste of the real thing - and boy were we rocked :)

It was a fab night - and I am very keen to go and see We Will Rock You now - I'll be sure to blog about it when I do. I'm also signing off the blog for couple of days as you might have noticed, if you follow me on Twitter, that I'm sick :( If I can squeeze in a post on sunday though, I will do.

Have a fabby weekend.

Thank you and goodnight

Stupidgirl has left the building

PS Random fact for you, my family's original russian surname is actually linked to a town in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. Perhaps I'm related to Freddie???

Becky's Book Review #4 - Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn

Book: Mistress of Rome
Author: Kate Quinn
Genre: Historical Fiction
Star Rating: 5/5

General Description:

If you are looking for a great read for your holidays this year, you've found it! I absolutely could not put this book down when I read it late last year and felt it deserved a glowing review on here.

Our heroine - Thea, a slave girl from Judaea, breaks all the rules in her quest for survival in Domitian's treacherous Rome!  Surving violence and squalor, only the gladiator Arius offers her a shred of tenderness in a brutal world. Sold on to cruel slave masters,Thea disappears - and in her place, the singer Athena arrives. Catching the eye of Domitian himself she begins to live a life of luxury by the emperor's side, but as threats begin to close in is Domitian aware that the very woman he trusts the most has the ability to betray him at all costs.

Pieces of Me - Top 10 things that define my style

Following on from WoTW this week, I wanted to do a top 10 linked to it. It's a little self indulgent but I just thought it would be fun - and kind of easy to do - as the (eeeep) lurgy seems to have reappeared this morning (coughing, sneezing, shivering - wtf!!). In case you're new to the blog, firstly HELLO! and WELCOME! and have some cake but secondly, here are a couple of links to the kind of drivel I write when I'm sick..... I hope this doesn't put you off reading this blog :)

Also, for regular readers and newbies, I know I've not been around much in the last week but look out for tomorrow's post which will be a little catch up (like this one) of what I've been up to. And, to ensure that I actually put some stuff on the blog this week, I have challenged myself to writing FIVE (yes FIVE) blog posts, in advance today (sunday) so that they will be ready for you during the week. I have been very remiss in not posting stuff or replying to comments - for which I hugely apologise and offer you all yet more virtual cake.

So anyway, here is the list - which is comprised of the top 10 things in my wardrobe, or that I own, that I feel are the essence of me/my look:

Top 10 Things That Define My Style


1) Angel Wing Earrings - I bought these about 5 years ago from Claires Accessories for a party. They're about an inch long and made of plastic in a off white with a mother of pearl sheen. And er, they're shaped like angel wings - one for each ear. I love them, I've never seen anyone else with them and I always (even now they're a bit battered) get compliments on them.

2) My Cowboy Boots - Also from around 3-4 years ago, these were from Faith and cost about £50. They go with  EVERYTHING I OWN. I've worn them to parties, the pub, work, client meetings (informal ones), drinks, dinner, the library, shopping....everywhere. I love them. They have about a 2.5  cuban heel and full detailing and they're awesome. They are however falling apart now....so I am sharing my allegiance with a pair of flat, knee high, black riding boots with 2 silver buckles that also go with everything.

3) Chanel No.5 - I've worn this perfume for 15 years now. It's sometimes seen as a bit of an old lady perfume - especially when you're 16, but I love it. The smell is totally addictive - and smells completely different on everyone. It always makes me feel utterly glamorous - and I love wearing something that I know Marilyn Monroe wore also. I bought my first bottle in Henry Bendel in New York when I was 15 or so.

Going In And Out - Word of the Week

(Style n: a mode of living, as with respect to expense or display. Etym. from L. stilus "stake, instrument for writing, manner of writing, mode of expression," Meaning "mode or fashion of life" is from 1770; that of "mode of dress" is from 1814.")

So, in case you'd not guessed, I'll be turning 30 in July. And this whole, leaving my 20's, officially being a grown up with a job and a mortgage and a husband and broody feelings and a blog and (thinks what else makes me grown up....er, nope, nothing)anyway yes, it made me think about how much I've changed in the last 5, 10, 15, 20 years. And that made me look at a bunch of photos - and I realised how I've kind of, grown into myself  and started to develop my own style a lot.

Style is something that over the years - decades, centuries - is something that appears to be dictated to us. Every single magazine or paper or website or blog sometimes, even, seems to contain the ideas that although, on the one hand, style is something that is intrinsic to a person but yet, on the other, if you buy just the right dress/shirt/shoes/lipstick/perfume you'll be stylish. Or so the marketing gurus would have us believe.

And yes, I do believe there are style icons out there - people who take clothes and wear them in ways, that although they aren't always outlandish and exciting, just carry off something ordinary with a great deal of panache. What they wear, how they look, how they carry themselves becomes their defining style. I can list off the top of my head, several such women - Audrey Hepburn, Coco Chanel, Jackie Kennedy, Ava Gardner, Clara Bow, Cleopatra and so on. Currently, we have Madonna, Lady Gaga, Vivienne Westwood, Erin O'Connor, Liv Tyler, Zooey Deschanel and so on.

30 Day Book Challenge Part : Days 14-30

After friday's post on the 30 Day Book Challenge, I thought I'd be very lazy tonight and do the the follow up post. I know you were all expecting my top 10 favourite words but that'll probably come tomorrow or next sunday - apologies for the delay. I've no idea why I'm so tired today - I had an unheard of 12 hours sleep and everything.

I had a chilled weekend - for the fashionistas out there, yesterday I picked up a couple of bargains at RagTradePopUp, and tried on a £1000 dress from Helmut Lang (priced at considerably less in the sale) but decided not to buy it. I went to the sale with @AliaMcK who also picked up some beautiful bits - so I'll definitely be blogging about it (with pictures) later this month. We then had a nice dinner at a friend house. Today has involved sleeping, eating, chores and surfing t'interweb and deciding on the plans for my 30th bday later this year

So, here it is, part two of my list - hope you enjoy it - and plan to do your own!

Day 14: Book whose main character you want to marry - Mark Darcy, Bridget Jones. Cringingly embarrassing but he had me at "I like you very much. Just the way you are". It might help that Colin Firth is divine in the film....

Day 15: First “chapter book” you can remember reading as a child Any of the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton I think.
Day 16: Longest book you’ve read er, probably Voyager by Diana Gabaldon at an incredible 1059 pages.
Day 17: Shortest book you’ve read As an adult? I guess Bonjour Tristesse is pretty short. It's a fabulous book too
Day 18: Book you’re most embarrassed to say you like Probably Bridget Jones' Diary. No one else seems to like it anymore but I love Bridge and her support knickers.
Day 19: Book that turned you on - The Bride Stripped Bare, Anonymous and anything by Anais Nin.

To reveal why is far too personal - after all, my mother reads this blog!!!

Day 20: Book you’ve read the most number of times I know this is going to sound very odd but I've read American Psycho *at least* 10 times. I just get a deeper understanding each time. I feel that the book says something very fundamental about our society but I can't quite put my fingers on what...
Day 21: Favorite picture book from childhood Where The Wild Things Are (ps check out my blog post on my fave kids books here)