Stockholm Tales.....

Oh this was such a long time coming.  I've just returned from a great week in Stockholm.  A lot has changed over there since I packed up my little flat in Bagarmossen and headed home to Brighton - marriages have happened, babies have been born, people have moved on and lovely Jonnah is no longer around.....but as soon as I made that trek through T-Centralen, it felt like I'd never been away.

I've stayed in a lot of apartments over the years in Stockholm, normally in Soder, but this time, we opted for a huge apartment further out in Farsta.  The only thing I knew about Farsta was that they had a shopping mall and it was one stop closer than my child-minding job in the woods at Farsta Strand.  To my swedish friends, Farsta was too far out but to us London folk who are used to travelling for an hour at a time, 17 mins to Soder was just fine.  Anyone heading to Stockholm (or anywhere come to that), I'd recommend www.airbnb.com for an apartment.  Ours was amazing - 2 bedrooms, a balcony, a bathtub (not always the case in Sweden) and a fridge/freezer full of food we could use if we wanted.  Thank you Irina for use of your beautiful home.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great in Stockholm in April so we didn't do a lot of going out at night.  Instead this was a relaxing holiday which we both needed.  So as not to ramble too much and bore the living daylights out of you, here's just an abbreviated version of what we did while we were there:

Day 1: Unpacking, eating, watching rubbish tv.

Day 2:  The sights of Sodermalm - Cake & chai latte at Louie Louie (http://louielouiesthlm.wordpress.com),  rummaging round the (cheaper than ours) vintage shops (http://www.lisalarssonsecondhand.com), lunch at my favourite Soder cafe' - Cafe' String (www.cafestring.com), coffee with Asa at Babylon, missing of happy hour at Vampire Lounge (www.vampirelounge.se) and sitting there with £10 cocktails just cos we could!,  Pear cider at Carmen, good tunes with Louise at Snottys, finishing up in the best bar in the world under Garlic & Shots (www.garlicandshots.com), where we looked at pretty rock & roll boys and listened to the likes of Siouxsie & the Banshees and surf music.

Day 3:  More eating, more coffee, more rubbish tv, more rummaging...then a night out with Louise & Sara in Mariatorget at Feca (great little italian) (www.feca.se), drinks at Marie Laveau (www.marielaveau.se), the beautiful Folk Opera bar (www.folkoperan.se) where we were lucky enough to see a performance by the Finnish Screaming Choir (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuVNo1R4VkE)...strange but totally amazing, finishing up at Soders Hjarta (www.sodershjarta.se) and a walk back to Slussen.

Day 4:  A bit of sightseeing round Soder - churches, crypts, Mosebacke Tor, the Katarinahissen bridge with it's gorgeous views over the water, probably more coffee & more food, great scenes in Soder on the day of Hammarby's first footie match of the season.  I've never seen anything like it - streets packed full of footie fans walking from Medis to the Hammarby Stadium, all cheering, setting off fireworks & firecrackers.  The streets were so full of smoke that it was hard to breathe but it was a pretty amazing sight.  I asked a boy if there would be football violence but he said "no, just beer".  Phew!!!!  We had our photo taken for god knows what as we we looked apparently "beautiful".  If anyone sees us in any publication looking "beautiful", please let us know!  Off to Thorildsplan after the football excitement, to catch up with old friends & stroke cats.  Thanks Helena, Liselott & Neil for a lovely afternoon of chatting, freshly baked scones, tea & Alfie/Morris love.

Day 5:  A day in the hood - the Farsta hood that is.  An unexpected lovely day of looking round the deceivingly big shopping mall 5 mins from our apartment, having yet another HUGE salad, eating cake of some description and looking at plastic things in Lagerhuset.  Stocking up on groceries at ICA that wouldn't make a proper meal but what the hell?  We like salty licquorice ice-cream, pastry-based products and other unknown stuff.  I've done pretty well with my swedish this trip but went into a panic when I read out the freezer label to Diane as "Birds".  For some stupid reason, I imagined freezers full of small wrens or blackbirds.....not chickens & turkeys.  Swedes:  It's Poultry, not Birds ok?  Oh how we laughed.  An evening of "great" swedish tv.....including a quiz show in swedish called "Vem Vet Mest?" (Who knows most...or something like that).  As it happened, we knew most....well 5 answers.  I read out the questions as best as I could, Diane answered.....the fun we had....ha!  We also saw wildlife outside the apartment.  For entertainment purposes, we thought it was a moose but in fact it was just a little roe deer foraging for food in the snow.

Day 6:  And I've realised my days are possibly back to front but hey, you get the gist!!!!  A rainy day in Gamla Stan where I got water in my shoes and we did the tourist thing for about 5 mins before needing coffee.  We found a brilliant little secret cafe' in a cellar, whose name I can't remember - Diane? - full of vintage furniture and little alcoves, and no-one there hardly.  Not a huge menu but a great little spot. More time in Soder, more time in Louie Louie, more time in String.  And we went to my favourite shop Sivletto (www.sivletto.com) - vintage clothes, a coffee bar, a vintage hairdressers, household items & records.  Hard to find but well worth it.

and with that, we had to come home.  Thank you Stockholm for the loveliest of weeks.  We'll return sooner than soon.  In the meantime, we'll miss your tiny pillows, your poor tv & your huge pasta salads.  Swedish friends, we'll obviously miss you too.

Back to England, back to rubbish customer service, back to things that don't work.....sigh.  I shouldn't complain, it's a beautiful day in my beautiful flat in beautiful Crouch End.

Ses snart Frock Fans! x

90 years young....and long lost relatives

It's been nearly a month since I've written anything blog-wise.  Things have been busy - very busy, and I got sick which meant no enthusiasm for rambling about food I've eaten or places I didn't get to due to our rubbish winter.

This winter has been long, vicious and depressing.  Tonight the clocks go forward which will hopefully mean things are looking up.  I want to put the ugly boots away for another year and give the fake fur coat a break.

Tomorrow is a very important day in our family - my lovely Gran who, I might add, has coped with things in her life I never could, reaches the grand age of 90. 

The past few months have been spent organising a family party for her - small in comparison to most of your family parties - but a lot of organising was needed nevertheless.  Food had to be catered for, cakes had to be ordered, invites had to be printed, non-tacky decorations had to be sourced but, most importantly, secrets had to be kept.  My cousins emigrated to the States over 25 years ago and Gran hasn't seem them for perhaps 12 years.  (25 in my case).  She never expected them to be able to come for her party but, behind the scenes, flights had been booked, passports had been got, and the village b&b had been sorted out.  Mrs Blabber Mouth here found it particularly hard not to let anything slip for the past couple of months, especially as said long-lost cousins were staying with me too.  I think Gran is perhaps still in shock about them turning up "out of the blue" in her house on the morning of the party but I know this was the best present anyone could have.

 I know my cousins are expecting me to write a blog about them visiting and yes, Heath & Scott, you were right but don't you worry, I won't mention the lap-dancing clubs or crazy nights out in Soho.  (We didn't do either of these things really).  For my cousins who hadn't been in the UK for so so long, coming back must have been some kind of a culture shock.  We're all grown up now and things aren't the same as when they left.  However, I knew in my heart that they would love being back and they did (didn't you guys?).  I took them to traditional London pubs, to Camden Market which they thought was the best place in the world EVER, we ate chinese, drank funny flavoured cider and I taught them the fine art of haggling with market traders.  They left with cases full of Monster Munch, Strongbow & some great gifts, along with hopefully some good memories.  I have a funny feeling that they will be back again....sometime in the future.  I hope so, there are more markets to explore.

So with that, I will sign off until I return from Stockholm.  I'M GOING ON A HOLIDAY AND I'M EXCITED!!!!!

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY GRAN - I LOVE YOU xx

Quick, hold my bag.....it's a stroller!

Spring has sprung....or at least it seems it has today.  Blue skies, sunshine, sight of Alexandra Palace in the distance.  This has surely been the longest, most vicious winter in a long time so here's hoping we've seen the last of it.

(Would actually help if I changed the first paragraph of my blog when I change the title or it doesn't make sense!!!)

For lots of reasons, which no doubt I'll be rambling about after they've happened, March & April are going to be crazy months.  Crazy good....but crazy busy.  I no longer have any spare time as far as work is concerned, and there are social things that need attending to!  I'm catching up on here now....incase I don't have time later.

There's a new kid on the block - well new-ish.  The Crouch End Record Club.  Run by Michelle, Jim & Tim, the Record Club runs every Sunday afternoon from 1pm til 6pm, downstairs at the Kings Head.  In a lovely cosy venue, mostly known for the comedy nights, it's a vinyl only affair!  Bring your old (or new) records and have free reins of the decks for 20 mins.  No music rules - expect everything from The Housemartins to My Bloody Valentine (and everything inbetween).  If you don't want to play your own records, go along and listen to someone else's, and catch up on the Sunday papers or old music mags at the venue.  Although I can't make it along every weekend, you should all give it a go.  It's a great thing for Crouch End, and a lovely relaxed afternoon/early evening to finish off the weekend.  Please support it - they deserve it!  Crouch End Record Club

Still music-related, our club "Dear Catastrophe Waitress" took place again in February.  After being snowed off in January, we were determined that this one should happen, regardless of any stupid weather conditions!  Along with Darren, our djs this time were Nick Nyro & Samantha Veal.  A packed night, some great tunes, great mojitos and some interesting clientele.  Liam Gallagher & Gem Archer, along with Tamsin Outhwaite & some other local actor type folk were out en force, making it an enjoyable night, which hopefully gained us some new customers who appreciated our musical tastes!  Here's a flyer for our next night.  Who knows who might turn up?

A lovely day was had yesterday, making the most of Crouch End's eating & drinking establishments.  Beginning with a cappuccino in The Railway Tavern and a donated cupcake from a random couple who obviously thought we looked like we needed one, nachos & frozen daiquiri at Monkey Nuts (a place I'd never been but will return to for sure) and then over to the Music Palace (before it's turned into a cinema pretty darn sharpish) for the Red Hot & Rockin' charity rockabilly day.  Such a nice afternoon watching people dance & really enjoy the music.  Not having come from that scene, it was another world to me, but I appreciated the tunes and the effort people had made to dress up (most of them!).  I find the jiving & strolling fascinating, and if I had the room to practice in my flat, I probably would!  I'll include a video here so you can see what I mean! HERE! Finishing off with a cheeky "Indulgence' cocktail at Kiss The Sky (vanilla vodka, cream and god knows what else), our day was done.

Bye for now Frock Fans (or cocktail fans, as I don't think I've mentioned a frock in ages!) x

A Winter's Tale......

Has it really been over a month since I wrote anything blog-wise?  Yes dear friends, it has indeed....due to lots of work (a good thing though) and silly weather which stopped play, cancelled our club, and meant me getting cabin fever after being stuck in the house for days on end....well 3 but that's long enough. 

So January was dreary, pretty much fun-less (is that a word?) and snow-ridden.  February will be better.  Work is looking interesting, my finances are looking better, and there are things to do that don't involve risking life & limb on the icy Crouch End streets and facing my ice-phobia.

This weekend saw a day out in Brixton.  I hadn't had much experience of Brixton since the late 80s/early 90s.  Firstly visiting a friend from back home who had a nanny job there (& little naive me walking the streets of Brixton past lots of unsavouries early in the morning), and then during my dreadlock period when an associate (I won't call her a friend) lived in a squat and I stayed there many a time.  The squat was actually a lovely house, with lovely big rooms, electric & people that looked after it for years before they were finally evicted.

The Brixton of 2013 is pretty much unrecognisable from those days I mention above.  Gone seem to be the drug dealers on Coldharbour Lane and not being able to walk 2 foot out of the tube station without being offered something illegal, and instead in comes Brixton Village (previously Brixton Market) with its great places to eat & drink, and quirky little independent stores.  Some locals might not have improved of the big change but it had to happen.  It now feels a warm, friendly place, with a touch of Shoreditch about it.  We had lunch in a tapas bar called 7 Brixton & I loved it - Tortilla, King Prawns & Tomato Bread, washed down with a Rhubarb cocktail and a Mojito...Jake Bugg playing in the background.  Thanks to kindly Miss Warren, two vintage dresses purchased in a little boutique for £10 each, and the biggest piece of mango cake you've ever seen from Sponge & Cream.  We've all said we will be back to continue our gastro mission, when it's warmer!

I should add that we didn't just go all the way to Brixton for tapas.  We had infact done the trek to see Taboo at the Brixton Clubhouse.  I'd seen Taboo in the West End many a moon ago but it was still fun to see it again with a new cast.  The venue was tiny but, as before, done out in the style of a sleazy old nightclub (as it should be) with the cast sitting around.  After googling on my return home, I find that lots of the cast have literally just left stage school which is pretty amazing as their talent is immense.  Big things in store for all of them I'm sure.  "Philip Sallon" looked so much like the real thing that my friend asked if it was actually him, "Leigh Bowery" was amazing, and we all fell in love a bit with "Marilyn".  If you go and see the show (currently extended until the end of March), be warned you may well get picked on and, god forbid, get dragged up on stage!  We luckily managed to avoid eye contact and humiliation for the entire show....but you may not!!!!  RIP Leigh Bowery.

Weekend's fun done....roll on the next one where I shall hopefully be going to an exhibition and the new Crouch End Record Club.  I will report back on both!

Say Hello, Wave Goodbye...

Hello 2013.  Goodbye 2012.  Happy New Year Frock Fans & welcome to my "very much condensed" review of the past twelve months.

Exhibitions I liked:
Strange Face Project
We are All Prostitutes
Lloyd Johnson:  The Modern Outfitter
Another London
Sebastian Horsley at Viktor Wynd

Book Launches I liked:
We can be Heroes
Time for Action
The Great Rolling Stones Drug Bust
Punks Dead
Vice Cream
A to Z of Mod

Other things of note:
Adam Ant (particularly in Swindon of all places)
Secret Affair & The Lambrettas
Carnaby Street "Discount" Nights
The end of year party at The Golden Bee where we drank cocktails and danced to "proper" disco music
Extra work in The King of Soho
The relaunch of The Inner Sanctum Film Club (previously Society Film Club)
Northern Soul - the Victoria Melody play
Dear Catastrophe Waitress
The Jubilee (loved it all, you haters!)
The Olympics (see above)

Good times in the Quays (Surrey, not Florida)

So, this past year has been "interesting".  I've worked my wotsits off to get my business properly off the ground and am (touch wood) winning.  Onwards & upwards, and here's to not having to do a 9 to 5 job or go to Xmas parties you don't want to go to, ever again!  I've enjoyed good times at my new favourite place, Trishas, lots of cocktails, dyeing my hair orange, going to lots of private views/launches and playing out South of the River! 

I'm not making any resolutions for 2013, other than to have a blinking good holiday in Stockholm (at least one) and growing my business to a point where I can be the lady wot lunches that I'd hoped to be.

Cheers everyone.  Here's to a good New Year x

December doings....

I'm currently in deepest, darkest Wiltshire where I have consumed cheese straws for breakfast & chocolate eclairs for lunch. Yep, that's how I roll.  The Slimfast police are probably en route but I care not.

So...what's been happening? 

I took a trip back to the seaside.  Ah, Brighton, my home for over a decade.  Nothing much changes.  A few new things appear here & there - Tiger on North Street (I'm easily pleased) and Peter Andre's coffee shop (!!!!).....and a fairly new (for me) pub called The North Laine in Gloucester Place, previously The Gloucester.  Pretty impressive as far as space and music go - plenty of room and Northern Soul.  Maybe not quite so impressive as far as service goes - VERY slow and not great choice if I'm honest.  I'm a bit spoilt I guess but it was a nice enough lunch, and good to catch up with the Brighton ladies (and Andy)....and the mulled cider was a winner.  Too dreary to wander round the shops for long so we just had a quick trip to the Heart & Hand instead....no longer the pub that I used to be excited about visiting...but ok for old time's sake.  I'm old and fussy perhaps.

While you "cool kids" (a'hem) did other things that night, a few of us went to see Quadrophenia at the (now) Inner Sanctum Film Club (once Society Film Club at The Sanctum Hotel).  Yes, Yes, Yes.....we all know you've seen it a million times (so have I) and we all know there are blatantly obvious inconsistencies in the film but in my mind, it's a classic and admit it or not, it was the reason so many of us got into the mod scene in the first place.  Even if you think the film itself is a bit cheesy (and yes Leslie Ash makes a chronically bad mod girl and Sting is a rubbish dancer), you surely cannot fault the soundtrack.  I still get goose-bumps when it starts.

This month has somehow managed to whizz by at a rate of knotts.  Struggling to fit everything and everyone in.  I took a short trip to Newbury this week, where I was born all those years ago, and where my Mum still lives.  I obviously havn't been for a mighty long time - no more traffic in the town centre, La Tasca, and Peacocks - what on earth?????  Unfortunately I happened to visit on probably the wettest, windiest day ever known to man but I still managed to go to the majority of the hundreds of charity shops that are there - nothing to be found except a full length fake fur coat (for a mere £12!) that was too big, and a gorgeous pair of Clarks shoes that were too small.  Such is life.  I will return on a sunnier day where I will raid those charity shops within an inch of their lives!

and with that....I shall get back to Bargain Hunt and country life.

Movember goings on.....

Greetings Frock Fans!

I havn't grown a moustache for Movember but well done to those that have.  I saw a particularly spiffing example at work the other day.  I would've taken a photo for the blog but thought it a tad rude!

This month seems to have flown by - with me working hard but then playing hard to make up for that.

Last Thursday saw another "Carnaby Street Discount Night".  Yes folks, you know the one - where everyone goes and spends their money on things they don't really need.  As I've mentioned before, if truth be known, everyone actually goes to see what they can get for free....well that's what we did anyway.  Champagne in the Levi Store, Beer in Ben Sherman, more champagne in the Levi Store, and red wine thanks to lovely Andy Lewis (old friend, musician, dj, and he of Paul Weller band fame).  We listened to some good music courtesy of said friend in the Pretty Green shop, tried to avoid the midget handing out sweets in a suspicious manner, and went into shops we wouldn't normally go in to get more free things! A trip to new favourite place, Trisha's, afterwards, where alsorts of interesting folk were out.....definite gangsters, definite prostitutes, and us.  Never a dull moment in Trishas.  Finishing up in Bar Italia for coffee & cake, a fun Thursday had been had.....and not a single penny spent.

A disappointing Saturday in Crouch End at a couple of "pop up markets".  I'm allowed to complain after having gone to vintage markets for many a moon and having earnt my "vintage stripes".  Firstly to a pop up craft market which consisted of 3 stalls.  This is not good Crouch End.  I've also noticed being back in North London that there is no sense of urgency by stall-holders at these markets - if something is meant to start at a certain time, everything should be ready at that time.....I can't be doing with late comers - things to do, people to see....and in the 15 mins you're late, you've lost out on my custom & my money.  Next to a vintage fair over the road, in a basement of a pub which was so dark that you couldn't see anything.  I found one dress that I could figure out was yellow (in the darkness), took it upstairs and found it was covered in stains.  This just isn't good enough guys.  Sort it out or people like me will be advertising your rubbish-ness on social media sites.

Finally, on this week's social calendar - a nostalgic night out to see The Lambrettas and Secret Affair.  I think I must have been out when The Lambrettas were around in the mod revival years or else I've got a mental block on their records - I only remember two of them!  As anyone who knows me or reads this knows, Secret Affair were the first band I ever saw....in 1980 or so at Chippenham Gold-diggers....they were the start of my mod years.....thanks to them I donned ski-pants & anoraks for many a moon!!!!  Good to hear all the old stuff again, plus a few covers....have a dance & a cider or two.  The gig was ruined a bit however by old bald annoyances who insisted on pushing and shoving when "Time for Action" came on.  Dear old baldies - you are no longer 16 & if you knock me over...ever....you will require new testicles.  Consider this your warning.  Love Cath.  I can't be doing with all the "We are the Mods" stuff either but I knew it would happen.  Anyways, a good night and "Glory Boys" still sends shivers down my spine - memories of a time past.

Bye for now Frock Fans.  Only another 5 days of moustache growing and then you can shave it off again!

xx