FLORAL CROCKERY SET AND MOCK-CATH-KIDSTON MUGS...

I needed some new crockery as the set I owned was more chipped than a street-fighter's teeth, so I was glad to find this twelve piece set going for just £7.50 in Wilkinsons.  I had one of those £5 Love To Shop vouchers, awarded to me for taking part in a survey regarding Newham, London (place of my birth and place of my current life) so I ended up paying just £2.50 for this little lot.  Result!

The set, as you can see, did not include cups, so I nipped over to Sainsbury's to pick up some lovely mugs I'd seen reduced in the sale, for either £1.50 or £1.75 each.  They had gorgeous red poppies and purple orchids splattered on them.

However, they only had the one mug left, and the colours didn't really go with the plate set (or my kitchen decor) anyway, so I was pleased to find four of these floral lovelies going for £1.25 each.

They are very Cath Kidston, aren't they?  I love that brand but it isn't cheap, although I'm not against shopping premium brands during the sales.

When I was buying my flat, I found some lovely, candy coloured, Cath Kidston stripy fabric that was ideal for my kitchen window, but I needed about four metres and they wanted £35 a metre for it!!!!

I was so pleased to source something very similar, albeit of lesser quality (well, that is to be expected) on Shepherd's Bush market for £1 per metre.

One day I will be rich- until that day, common sense applies! 

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA...

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I've ALWAYS wanted to see The Phantom of the Opera, ever since it was first released in 1986.  I've lived in London for 20 years, so can't actually believe that I left it this long.  I had some time spare so booked to visit the matinee performance yesterday, trudging through weather that resembled that of the tropics (think hot rain) and putting in an appearance at Her Majesty's Theatre in Haymarket looking like half-drowned rat.

This show lived up to the hype and then some, and did not disappoint.  I can certainly understand why it's still selling out nearly thirty years after opening.  The performances were exemplary in each and every way and the talents of the performers unmatched. Only the great get to perform in the West End and the singers/ dancers/ actors were all spellbinding and real experts in their field, as you would expect.

I've always steered a bit clear of musicals in general.  I find them too upbeat and zippedy-do-dah for me.  I don't want to listen to cheerful.  And I certainly don't want to see light, bright and trite.  Give me tragedy!  I'm a serious person- MOVE ME!  The only other musical I have seen is the fantastic Blood Brothers, which was suitably dark, and I suppose I'd better give Les Miserables a go in the future (the title of that one appeals to a gloomy cow like myself)...

As for Phantom, the music and the show itself sent shivers down my spine and I found the whole thing incredible moving.  I would certainly go to see it again and am looking forward to doing so.  The only anti-climax was the chandelier scene.  It was a real blink-and-you-miss it thing and I can't remember that much about it.  I don't even think the chandelier lights were on or flickering, it all seemed to happen that fast.  Mind, you, I was way up in the balcony, so was actually sitting higher that the chandelier when it was fully pulled above the stage, so that was no doubt why the impact of the fall and the swing was lost on me.  Next time, I'll go for a seat in the dress circle or stalls.

Swinging chandelier PDF

Lucky Sarah Brightman, having her husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber, so madly in love with her that he wrote a musical for her.  But strange that he should then leave her only a few years later.  Hmmm. 

As Graham Norton pointed out, on his show, to her, 'Andrew Lloyd Webber  is not the prettiest boy in the playground.'

She responded by saying, 'Ah, but he had the biggest willy!'

And I'm sure that you all feel better for being left with that thought in your minds!!!! 

THE LADY RISKS ALL by STEPHANIE LAURENS...

THE LADY RISKS ALL

BY STEPHANIE LAURENS

THE BLURB:-

Neville Roscoe, mysterious and enigmatic, lives resolutely outside society, bound only by his code of honour- until challenged by his desire for the one woman he cannot have.

Miranda Clifford is a lady imprisoned by rigid respectability- until tempted by a passion beyond her power to deny.

Flung together in peril, through danger and intrigue, they discover a love impossible to ignore...or keep.

Filled to the brim with glamour and breathtaking passion, discover the latest novel by the queen of historical romance.

THE REALITY:-

This was very Mills & Boon in its conception, with the idea of a dashing hero and a virginal, beautiful heroine. With bodice ripper written all over it, the novel certainly delivered, with a storyline of mystery and intrigue that was a page turner, as you strived to find out who the mysterious villain of the piece really was. I got this wrong- I thought it might be Wraxby, one of Miranda's suitors, but it turned out that it was someone introduced way into the novel. I won't spoil the surprise!

I'm glad that Miranda chose to turn her nose up at the (ridiculous to modern eyes and ears) conventions and proprieties that a young lady was supposed to follow and went with her heart and lustful body instead. This was a real Regency romp with some great characters, including Roscoe- seemingly advantageous, but in reality a true gent with a good heart and a duel persona.

My only criticism would be the length of the various bedroom scenes in the book. Reading one for the first time was erotic- enough for me to text my partner and tell him to have it hard for me later. By the second and third time, the writing had become long winded and a bit daft. One love scene was seven pages long and seemed to take forever to read, and that's with me skimming through it. Jesus, that's time enough for me to do the deed and have a quickie, wipe me fanny on the curtains and bugger off home!! 

BEACH EAST, QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK, STRATFORD...

A beach in the heart of east London?  No, I'm not on drugs and it wasn't a mirage!

I visited Beach East the other day and was very impressed- well, it's only up the road from me so I thought, why not give it a go?  Southend and Brighton are both easily accessible from London train stations and can be completed as a day trip (done that, many times) but this is even more local to me.

Setting a beach up in London is a fantastic idea.  With white sand, a paddling pool, funfair and a bar for the adults (featuring some lovely cocktails!) this is great fun and it's something that all ages can enjoy.

It was also nice to take a stroll around the Olympic park for the first time.  It seemed so clean and modern.

I've been up the Orbit (a freebie thanks to Newham council) but have yet to venture into the stadium (currently being re-modelled) or the Aquatics centre.  I will certainly make it my business to check out the latter soon.

SILVER MESH RHINESTONE SHOES...

I bought these as a little belated Birthday pressie to myself.  They are silver mesh and rhinestone and I NEEDED a pair of shoes that were dressy but not too high (walking around on 5 inches can be hard work sometimes!!!!)  At 3 and a quarter inches, these are child's play.

They were £24, reduced from either £44 or £49 (I can't remember which) and were from a department store in Ilford called Bodgers.

It's nice to see a good, old-fashioned independent (or at least I think it's independent!) department store like this still going, in a world that's made up of chain stores and conglomerates.  The store needs a lick of paint and their name is truly awful, but you can find some really individual and quirky pieces there.

TAKE THIS WOMAN by JOSEPHINE COX.

TAKE THIS WOMEN

BY JOSEPHINE COX

THE BLURB:-

Blackburn, 1947.

In a tiny front parlour fourteen-year old Laura Blake watches her beloved father die. But not before he tells her she will make something of her life. Laura never forgets his words. Yet her path to success proves to be a rocky one. Forced to trundle a cart around the back streets, selling other folk's cast-offs to support her family, Laura learns enough to start work in her uncle's furniture shop.

But then fate deals another cruel blow when she is brutally raped. Bearing the child of her attacker in secret, she vows to make the world pay for its injustice towards her.

As she grows older her beauty blossoms, and her new toughness helps her forge a career in the antiques business. But it is in affairs of the heart that Laura stumbles, and before she can find fulfilment, she must learn to put the past behind her, and give as well as take.

THE REALITY:-

This was one long tome of a read, along the lines of A Woman Of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford, which is probably my favourite book and certainly the most inspirational I have ever read. Indeed, I'm sure Josephine Cox has read it too- the concept of trapping your enemy by making him a much-needed loan that he has no way of paying back, as he is dissipate, and making him attach the deeds to his business and house featured in that book, as it does here.

But I'm not going to accuse the writer of plagiarism- this novel was just too bloody good for such accusations and I'm sure that all the best ideas get recycled (as a mass market fashion designer, I know this to be true!)

Tough and gritty and a real rags-to-riches story, this book is very keen and honest in its emotions. I loved the character of Laura and how she triumphed over adversity. It's obvious that some people do seem to have a lot more bad luck than others and I like the fact that she managed to turn her life around, drawing from her true friends, and smite her enemies.

It was horrible that she got breast cancer towards the end- that particular affliction has reared its ugly head in my family. Let's just put it this way- I wouldn't dream of skimping on the monthly self-checks. I'm glad she survived and managed to rid herself of her scumbag of a husband and fell into the arms of her true love.

Very truthfully written with a good mix of likeable and hateful characters, it's quite a long and intense read, but a worthwhile one.  

THE KISSING GARDEN by CHARLOTTE BINGHAM

THE KISSING GARDEN

BY CHARLOTTE BINGHAM

THE BLURB:-

As children, George Dashwood and Amelia Dennison loved to roam the Sussex Downs and, just as their two very different families were friends, so were they, until they are caught in a thunderstorm. Sheltering from the elements, George realizes that the way he feels about Amelia has changed. But it is 1914 and the declaration of war cuts across any romantic plans that the two might have.

George is away at the front for four years, but when the miracle happens and he returns home safely Amelia finds that the boy she loved has gone. Although they marry it seems that George does so from a sense of duty. It is only when they discover and old priory with a magical atmosphere that their chance for happiness becomes a reality.

THE REALITY:-

It took me a while to get into this one- the first few chapters were predictable and dragged, so I ended up speed reading the next hundred or so pages. But I forced myself to go back and start again and the story naturally became more interesting and made more sense.

The idea of an enchanted garden is a very lovely one but there were times when the story became almost too fey and whimsical. By the time the book got to Gwendolyn's illness and subsequent recovery you had to question whether the author was in some way...touched and soft in the head. I pressed on. The idea of a kind of magic from long ago purposely affecting a future place in time was nice, as were the sections from The Noble One and Longbeard.

But by the time George was becoming involved in politics the writing, although historically interesting, was long-winded and I yearned for the end! It was nice that the story started in exactly the same way as it began, with a shell shocked hero returning from war.

And that word sums up this work- nice. But nothing exceptional.