A once a year visitor....

Dawn came to visit last weekend.  Dawn, now the proud owner of a Green Card and not likely to opt for London over NY again for the foreseeable future.  I remember writing my blog last year when she visited - the same comments apply this year.  The years pass by way too quickly but it always feels like she was here yesterday.

So......what did we do?  Wahaca on Saturday night.  My second visit and even more impressed with this one than the first.  We did discover that every veggie option practically involved courgette and cactus....but forget about that, it's amazing food overall.  Hybiscus Mojito to start with....a large one at that.  Slow roasted pork burrito to follow, and salty chocolate ice-cream to finish.  If you're looking for a nice, quiet (or romantic) meal, Wahaca is not for you!  It's crazy busy but the organisation is so good that you won't be waiting long for a table.  Cheap, cheerful but tasty.  I don't ask for much more really.  If you're courgette-hating veggie, check out the menu before you go perhaps!  Off to Trishas in Greek Street afterwards which was also, strangely, busy.  Love this place with a capital L...always great music and a nice atmosphere.  Probably the most vintage bar you are likely to find in Central London these days but as before, I'm not telling you how to find it.....it took me long enough!!!!

Sunday saw shopping in Oxford Street.  Not enjoyable on a Sunday or any other day probably.  My rule about Oxford Street (when visitors aren't here) is generally get there, get in shop you need to go in, shop FAST, get home FASTER.  If you can do this without becoming violent towards other shoppers, all well and good.   Strange state of affairs when the nicest things I saw were in BHS....obviously gone are the days when you'd avoid that shop like the plague due to it's naffness!

Plans for Greenwich and Mr O'Toole's vintage shop were replaced by Camden on Monday....due to the trek and various forms of transport required to get to South East London.  An early lunch in My Village on Chalk Farm Road, followed by a look round Camden Market.  Lesson for a Monday....all the good shops are shut.....and what DID happen to my favourite vintage shop that was once there?  If it's still there, I couldn't find it.  Also gone seem to be the two nice vintage shops on Chalk Farm Road, unless I was having a blonde moment and missed them too.  Camden Market must be heaven for teenage tourists.  I didn't hate it this time round (although I might say differently on a weekend) but there's not too much to tempt me to spend my money.  Not keen on joss sticks nor having my feet eaten by fish in public.

Bye Bye Dawn.  Hello Dear Catastrophe Waitress 90s Special.  Thanks to my lovely mod friends for trekking to North London especially.  A packed bar - unfortunately not always with punters we would like.  Anyone have any good tips on how to get townies to go elsewhere?  Still...a fun night with nice music and a couple of cheeky vodka & cranberries.

Finished off the week with a scrummy Sunday Roast and Eton Mess down the road.  This coming week brings some work, some meetings, and more importantly, a new hair colour for me.

Bye for now Frock Fans x

I'm just another Glory Boy.....

The title of today's ramblings obviously relates to Secret Affair.  I'm not a Glory Boy...whatever one of those might be.  The song though actually means a lot and takes me back to a time a long time ago, in a different place in the world than I am now.  Surely every teenager into the mod scene, stuck in the countryside with no means of escape, must have related to it.

Wednesday saw the launch night for Gary Bushell's "Time for Action" book, the title of which pretty much tells you what it's about - the Mod Revival.  I wish I could tell you how great (or otherwise) it is but I'm cheap and didn't buy a copy.  Lots of mod revival band folk in attendance although I wouldn't recognise too many of them these days.  I'll ramble about the mod revival instead......

I was only 14 or so when bands like The Chords, Secret Affair and the like appeared.  I was introduced to them by parka-wearing folk who went to school with me.  Through them, I started to go to "discos' at a very young age in my nearest little town - discos that were pretty much made for us - all two tone, mod revival & motown.  Older mods came from miles away and we had a nice little scene going for us.  I started buying up clothes from jumble sales & charity shops and was the only person in my village in ski-pants and anoraks!  I remember one time in particular when I had to get a lift home from a jumble sale as I had so many rubbish sacks full of suede coats, dresses etc.  Oh for those days again!  As I've mentioned many a time I'm sure, I went to see Secret Affair in Chippenham Golddiggers of all places and I guess the rest was history.....I progressed to "proper" mod clubs, bought a Lambretta, blah blah blah. 

For nostalgic reasons, I'm going to relive my teenage years again in November when Secret Affair and The Lambrettas play in town.  Concerned about the crowd and too much of "We are the Mods" but I'll sing along to every song, guaranteed.

Another nostalgia trip last night when we had a local night out and went to see Jaime Harding do an acoustic set in Muswell Hill.  Sigh - Jaime Harding - the once beautiful lead singer of Marion.  Drug problems and near death obviously take their toll but the voice is still there.  By the time he'd decided to do his set, we'd pretty much lost interest so didn't catch it all.  Good to see that he's getting better and doing gigs again.  I doubt Marion will ever reform but at least he's getting there.

Interested to see if my European readers will check in this weekend.  One day I'll write something they may be interested in......*wink*.  In the meantime, I'm off to give the Jeremy Kyle show a call.