Erin McGuire's adventures in blue

Last May I did a post about Erin Mcguire's work at the moment I found her blog and was spelled by her art.
I went back and was enchanted again and as it's always hard to chose two in a good collection I decided for these because I love blue.
At least there is a criterion not very orthodox but a criterion.
But notice that the "action" is not in blue. The cat and the boy with a book in his hand as a shadow and the light that comes from inside is amazing.

July already!

Gosh it's July already - where has the last six months gone?

In a couple of weeks I shall be going down to Devon for Helen’s wedding and with luck I shall shortly afterwards be travelling up North to the Hebrides to stay with GB for a while. I didn’t go up there last year and really missed it. It’s not just the holiday, the island scenery and being treated by my Big Brother but also the people. I’m dying to see everyone again. Unfortunately I must have communicated something of that feeling to my laptop and so it decided it was dying as well. Although it’s still functioning in some ways it won’t recognise anything on the USB ports. This means I can’t download the camera on to it. There is no way I can have a wedding and a holiday without taking a good few gigabytes of photos and whilst I could download them to GB’s laptop and probably network his to mine and so on and so forth I thought neither of us would be overly happy at having to do that. So I am investing in a new laptop. I cannot imagine what my Father would have thought of the way in which modern equipment has such a short life expectancy. He would have been horrified. And yet we have come to accept it. A five year old laptop is probably due for replacement anyway…
I was reminded of my father when I came across this quote in a book by David Dickinson – Youth is always at a premium in the House of Lords. You know, people who can stand up unaided, walk without sticks, eat with their own teeth, that sort of thing.

My father decided to have his teeth out and get dentures when he was about seventy. (I’d already had them for years by then). If I was asked I would happily admit to having false teeth but not Dad. He would say they were his own (but then he would sometimes point out that the reason they were his own was because he’d paid for them!)

Yeoman Warder at Tower Of London

Yeoman Warder Bill Callaghan

A Beefeater has become an internet hit after his politically incorrect jokes about the elderly and the French were posted on YouTube. Footage of Yeoman Warder Bill Callaghan giving his version of the history of the Tower of London has been seen by more than a million people. During a tour Mr Callaghan mocks his colleagues and tourists and tells children that Richard III will get them at bedtime.

A little bit of background on the guy, his name is Bill Callaghan and he is Irish. In addition to his job as a yeoman warder, he is also a life boatman for the RNLI, and in 2009 raised several thousand pounds for the charity by travelling the length of the River Thames with a friend, in a tandem kayak. (Over 200miles)

The video, made by a visitor, shows the former Sergeant Major asking elderly people on his tour to hurry up because they might not have long left to live. To roars of laughter, he says: "I don't care if you are limping. Catch up. Old people! It is an amazing fact that the elderly just do not realise how little time they may have left."



In the 12-minute clip Mr Callaghan states that the majority of the Yeoman Warders, the Queen's personal bodyguard, are ex-Army like him. "We do have four from the Royal Air Force, no one talks to them, and we also have two Royal Marines and these are instantly identifiable because they are usually holding hands," he adds.

He goes on to say that many tourists would be disappointed that he was not wearing the Beefeater ceremonial uniform of white ruffle, red and gold tunic and tights. "We only wear that in the presence of Her Majesty because she likes it," he says. "If you want men in skirts; Scotland. Although you can get that kind of action in Soho. I'm sure the Royal Marines will be happy to tell you where."



Moving onto the subject of Traitor's Gate, he jokes: "Mel Gibson should have been brought through these gates and given a really hefty slap over the colossally inaccurate comedy film Braveheart." Callaghan also tells a group of tourists: "History is nearly always written by the people who win. This explains all the empty pages in the French history books."

The footage of Mr Callaghan has earned him praise from hundreds of YouTube viewers. One said: "Brilliant, informative, entertaining, unique! Respect for his handling of the group - they will remember him for years and a lot more of his imparted detail as a result of his irreverent humour."



Tower of London spokeswoman Katrina Whenham said Mr Callaghan, who is on sick leave, had been spoken to but was not in trouble. She said: "He admitted he may have been slightly more sarcastic than usual on that particular tour ... he said that it was the last one of a long day. But Bill is a fantastic story-teller with his own unique interpretation of events at the Tower."



The Beefeater's top quips

On the film Braveheart: "Never a day goes by without some demented Scot, I'm not saying you're all demented, just the ones I meet, demanding to know 'Where did you keep William Wallace? He was my father, check out my blue face and the family resemblance'. That's just the women."

After telling how little Princes Edward V and his brother Richard were suffocated in their beds and buried beneath a stairwell: "Now I'd like you children, especially you young children, to think about that at bedtime. Your mummies and daddies are going to tell you that was all a long time ago and that's true.

They're going to tell you there are no more bad men. That's a lie. There are bad men, then there are very, very bad men. They're not always out there though, sometimes they're under your bed. They wait for you to go to sleep and that's when they strike. Sweet dreams kids."



As he prepares to take the visitors through the Bloody Gate at the Tower: "We are about to charge through it. Charge is a military term. It means to move rapidly to engage in eager combat with an enemy. So let's not have the Italians at the front."

Runway Report: Paris Menswear Fashion Week 2012: Lanvin

Urban Warrior!

Security Guard Chic: Lanvin Menswear Spring/Summer 2012

Lanvin Creative Director Alber Elbaz and Menswear Designer Lucas Ossendrijver began with the idea of creating a uniform for the "everyman". "Nothing is sexier than a Man in uniform" stated Elbaz and I couldn't agree with him more! Could you imagine the TSA Agents dressed in these ensembles!! Now that would keep me alert at the airport!

But being that the uniform theme was just the jumping off point, these outfits are really meant to inspire the man on the street and that is something I definitely think we will be seeing especially in the Chic boroughs of Paris and New York. I'm loving the Suit Jacket with shorts ensemble above!

Colored Crew: Lanvin Menswear Spring/Summer 2012

The middle section of the show gave us some great colored suits (a definite Spring 2012 Trend!) in interesting fabrications that weren't your basic menswear tropical wools. Loving the nipped in waists and slim cropped trousers (another Trend Alert!)

Military Mash-up: Lanvin Menswear Spring/Summer 2012

And finally, the show closed with a mix of military tailoring and Boho Chic prints that had the perfect balance of structure and fluid ease. Bravo! This is definitely a collection that will be an inspiration in menswear for seasons to come.

Click Below for an edited video of the Lanvin Menswear Spring/Summer 2012 Collection:

Friday Inspiration: Mowie Kay Magazine

Wow I have died and gone to heaven. Excuse my ignorance but I only recently discovered Mowie kay and his deliciously mouth watering blog, Mowielicious. Wow a food stylist and photographer whose stunning pictures I can literally just stare at all day. Growing up in a family of bakers, his passion for food and photography developed and aren't we so grateful that it did?! What's even more exciting, he has just launched his first online digital magazine, Mowiekay and 'wow' it is fabulous indeed. This is just non stop eye candy at its finest. I couldn't stop oohing and ahing, it is simply divine. 

What also surprised me was a styling feature by Holly Becker herself (pg 61-71). She styled, photographed and wrote the article herself and it was definitely a stunning feature. I mean seriously is there any stopping this woman, whatever she touches turns into magic :)

Therefore, I leave you some tasteful and definitely inspiring images from the magazine! Perfect for a Friday inspiration, enjoy and have a fabulous weekend my lovelies :)

The above feature is by Holly Becker. I was simply blown away at her stylishly styled table setting. Isn't it lovely? So feminine and just totally delicately exquisite.

  Mowie Kay not only styles food but also flowers and he sure isn't too bad in that department either, simply stunning!

To think he styles and photographs everything is pretty impressive. Simply talented he is and a real inspiration.

Images from Mowie Kay Magazine.

Royal Fashion Minute: Charlotte Casiraghi of Monaco in Gucci Equestrian

Fancy Riding...

Gucci Perfect: Charlotte Casiraghi, daughter of Princess Caroline of Hanover, Global Champion Tour 2011 Monte Carlo Monaco

For the second year in a row, the Italian Fashion House of Gucci and its Creative Director/Designer Frida Giannini has announced a collaboration with Princess Caroline of Hanover's model-GORGEOUS 24-year-old daughter, Charlotte Casiraghi.

Rider Chic: Charlotte Casiraghi in Gucci equestrian ensemble

This last week, she showed off her new Gucci ensembles at the Global Champion Tour 2011 in Monte Carlo Monaco--a week before her Uncle, Prince Albert's nuptials. Mommy--Princess Caroline of Hanover--was there to support her beautiful daughter.

Charlotte Casiraghi and Frida Giannini Creative Director of Gucci, 2010

Gucci, as you may know, has a long and very strong heritage of designing luxurious horse riding wear and so it makes sense. One of their iconic insignias are in fact the horse riding bits, which can be seen on many a Gucci shoe, purse, belt, and tie. Last year was the first year Giannini and Gucci collaborated with Casiraghi, using her as a style muse. Gucci riding pants, Gucci shirts and of course, Gucci riding boots.

So what does Charlotte think of the collection which was designed just for her? “I loved riding in the collection that Frida designed for me last year and I love this new wardrobe even more. It’s the best of sport and style.”

Blue sky of Malaysia

Let's end the month with shades of blue of Malaysian sky. Photo by kymioflario.

Maria Sharapova continues to perfom at Wimbledon 2011

 

 Maria Sharapova getting ready for her game.

Maria Sharapova cheers at her point score. (Getty)

Maria Sharapova cool and focus look. (Getty)

Maria Sharapova happily waving to the crowd.

Maria Sharapova beautiful signature gesture to the crowd.

Sabine Lisicki roar.

Victoria Azarenka going for the ball.

Maria Sharapova being the most veteran and considerably the most successful player compared to the rest continues to perform and she made it to the semi-finals with great skills and confidence. At this juncture, we must be thinking whether is this the time for Maria Sharapova to shine again? I mean of course she has been shining but shining as a World No. 1 player she used to be at the courts. She is always known to have really strong shots but recently she did not seems to be winning any more grand slam titles or even major tournament titles. 

She did however managed to reach to the final of some of these tournaments. In this year's Wimbledon, one of the most highly regarded grand slam, she has managed to reach to the semi-finals and she will be meeting Germany's Sabine Lisicki, a player that seems to be rising up in ranks. Can Maria Sharapova be her in true form again? The champion that we all remembered her before? 

In today's match we will know the answer. Victoria Azarenka is also another player who has been reaching to finals of tournaments and she will be in the semi-finals to pit for a place in the final.

Amsterdam: Van Holland House

We were lucky enough to find a lovely Bed and Breakfast for our weekend in Amsterdam. What's even more funny was that my husband had booked this lovely place not knowing where the Meet The Blogger event was being held. Well it must have been fate because I was literally across the road from it. We stayed in this charming luxury B&B called Van Holland House. It was so pretty, stylishly decorated, clean, great breakfast and the guy who owned it was the sweetest man ever. So here are a few images of where we stayed, we truly had a lovely time in Amsterdam and this was probably one of the reasons as to why. If you ever are looking for a great place to stay at reasonable prices and bang in the centre of the city then definitely take note of this place. I just cant wait to go back...

 Images via Van Holland House.

A Thursday Rush by a Busy Bee

Haven’t time to ramble aimlessly (or should thast be mindlessly) as usual; today I'm all of a rush… I’m trying to do ten things at once.

1) Prepare for Helen’s wedding (Hopefully now all finished apart from haircut which in my case is a simple affair, unlike Jo’s which has involved weeks of agonising about who to go to. Her usual hairdresser is on maternity leave and changing hairdressers is a major undertaking. If my barber isn’t available I walk along to the next one. Mind you, I’ve a lot less hair!)
2) Prepare for holiday in the Hebrides. (Haven’t started that and probably won’t until about twenty four hours beforehand. I have packing for holidays down to a fine art and apart from ensuring in advance that I have enough medicines it’s an easy task).
3) Gardening – a never ending job which I enjoy when not under pressure or when the task isn’t too big but sorting all the things I want to do before going away is pressure!
4) Planning the garden. This is a different task to actually working in the garden. This is creating a diary of things to do over the next twelve months. I am forever finding that I meant to move a plant or prune it or do something else to it that now can’t be done because the season isn’t right. I make a mental note to do it in November – or whenever – and then the next June I realise once more I failed to do it. So I’m creating an advance diary.
5) Circulating my book around publishers. Perhaps it would be easier to run off a whole load of letters in advance of the next rejection but that seems rather a defeatist approach to life!
6) Writing my next book. I’m up to Chapter 9 (which is probably about a quarter of the way) of the first draft.
7) Introducing a new laptop to the household. Hopefully I’ll be getting it tomorrow and then |I’ll have to pouty all my favourite programmes on it and add all my pictures, music, etc. to its 640 Gb memory. I recall when the Computer Manager at my old job told me I’d never need as much as 16 Mb for home use. He said 8Mb would be more than adequate.
8) Writing blog posts.
9) Updating my natural history and garden photo files.
10) Editing my latest photos.
11) Have my quarterly medical check-up.
12) Do all the boring things like eat, sleep, cook, do the dishes, vacuum, dust, wash clothes and, yuckiest of them all, do the ironing.

OK so that’s twelve things at once and I forget to mention it’s Wimbledon Finals week-end but you get the idea. Busy, busy, busy. So busy my wings are a blur….

Splitscreen; A Love Story.

This is here for no better reason than I think it is really great short. It was shot entirely on the Nokia N8 mobile phone and is the winner of the Nokia Shorts competition 2011. The fact it was shot on two Metros is another plus, obviously! For the anoraks among you they are Metro de Paris and MTA, New York with shots of Gare de Nord and Grand Central although the clip ends in London.

Splitscreen: A Love Story from JW Griffiths on Vimeo.

Director: JW Griffiths
Producer: Kurban Kassam
Director of Photography: Christopher Moon
Editor: Marianne Kuopanportti
Sound Design: Mauricio d'Orey
Music composed by: Lennert Busch

For more “Splitscreen” shorts by J W Griifith see;

http://vimeo.com/jwgriffiths

Many thanks to my Good Bloggy Buddy, Ingrid for the heads up on this. The Girl has a great eye;

http://www.thegirlinthecafe.com/


The Girl in the Cafe

Runway Report: Paris Menswear Fashion Week Spring 2012: John Galliano

Galliano Without Galliano...

Swashbuckling Boys: John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012

Last week, The Fashion House of John Galliano showed the first Menswear Collection done without the name behind the brand. Galliano, in fact, was in court--in Paris--around the same time trying to give his version of what happened that fateful night and well, give his excuses for why he said the terrible things he said. In emotional testimony, Galliano blamed pressures of a pitiless industry for pushing him off the brink and into prescription drugs and alcohol addictions.

But the House that is owned by Dior President and CEO Sydney Toledano wanted none of that. Instead, the focus was on the collection designed by Galliano longtime collaborator Bill Gaytten, who has been with the company for over 20 years and in fact is still part of the Dior Design Team. Here's the ironic part of the Galliano Menswear Spring 2012 Collection: A lot of it looked as if it was an Ode to Galliano himself; one entire section seemed very "Galliano as The Muse": The Dandy hats with feathers, the open vests under bare torsos, the swashbuckling stylings, all of it. In fact, at the end, it was as if most of the Models were serious John Galliano doppelgangers--apologetically.

There were 4 distinct categories of the show: The John Galliano Bohemian Swashbuckler, The Effeminate School Boy, The Hipster in Silk PJ's and The Toreador Rocker Bad Boy.

Glee Chic: John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012

This section of the "Geek-Chic School Boys" was great. I loved the color combination (not a surprise) and the soft pastels. Great ties as well. It was VERY "Harry Potter" meets "Glee".

Hipsters in PJ's: John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012

This was the weakest section to me. It was almost like they decided "Hey, we need to sell some John Galliano Underwear to keep this House in the black, so send some guys down the runway in their skivvies". Some look almost saggy, like they'd been washed one too many times. But I guess, after seeing those silk pajama pants at D&G, it's now officially a "Menswear Spring 2012" Trend. Boys: Go get some silk printed pajama pants ASAP!

Bullfighter Rock-On: John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012

To me this was the strongest section. I loved the mix of Toreador chic and cool Rocker Boy. Skinny pants, pointed shoes, strong boxy jackets, lots of Toreador-like embellishments. I felt the new designer's voice was most apparent here and since this was the close of the show maybe it was to demonstrate the "new" House of John Galliano...without Galliano.

Click Below for the Full Runway Video of John Galliano Menswear Spring 2012:

Miami Beach police caught on tape killing Afro-American and threatening eyewitness

After watching this video I keep hearing Narces Benoit, the eyewitness who taped on his cell-phone and put the smart card in his mouth, saying:

"They're gonna kill this man, Oh my God"/ "They're gonna kill this man."/ "Oh My God, He gotta be dead." "He's dead?" ..."He's dead... bro.' "They killed this man...Oh My God!"/... "he is dead."

Miami Beach police celebrating memorial day.
The "nigga", that was the most important crime of all in this story: they are all "niggas", and we know that "niggas" are not citizens in the eyes of many people, who was killed with the immunity of the badge was Raymond Herisse.
No trial, no "you have the right to remain in silence, the right to an attorney".
This man was executed.
Narces Benoit narration in his tape predicting and witnessing the murder shows that he is used to this kind of crime and he feels the pain for this murder and all the others that he has heard of. Why would he put the smart card in his mouth if he was confident in the scrupulousness of the policemen? These are the Americans cops?
According to many comments at sites where the video is exposed yes, this is the way American cops behave in many states in America, the democratic America.
This is an example:

Matt Wilemon 2 days ago in reply to alvaro

"Police kill people with immunity in the US. It is sad but way too common in this country, Even though there is video evidence to prove those cops were out of their mind by shooting that many bullets into a suspects car nothing will happen to those cops. Look at the guy who executed Oscar Grant in Oakland for no reason other than he is a rabid, bloodthirsty murderer with a badge. He is already out of prison. And that guy is one of the few to actually get convicted even if it wasn't for murder. That's how "innocent until proven guilty" works in the "land of the free" Cops dump hundred of bullets into somebody they even have yet to apprehend and charge with a crime (for our protection, of course) and worry about it later. Police brutality is a serious problem everywhere and it only gets worse. Cops are tasing old people who get attitudes with them, little kids, shooting at minorities they think are suspicious. They are the ones who are out of control and now we are the ones who go to jail when we catch them committing crimes? NWA was right. F@#$ the police!""

We want justice, not executions. It's hard to be fair when the president of the country invades another nation and executes a terrorist. Yes, Osama was a terrorist but this is not how justice is done and being applauded and considered a hero for that is a bad example that induces authorities keep abusing their power. There is a lot to be changed also in about human rights in America.

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Royal Fashion Minute: Princess Beatrice Hires Stylist

Beatrice The Fashionista...

Beatrice and The Hat, at William and Kate's Royal Wedding-pre-stylist

It was just announced that our dear Princess Beatrice--yes, the one of THE famous Philip Treacy hat at the William & Kate Royal Wedding has hired a stylist!! According to the Daily Mail, she has hired Charlie Anderson, who is represented by Naked Artists (and they confirmed the news by the way) Not sure why--personally, I think she was doing just fine. Supposedly, it had a lot to do with "The Hat" incident, but to tell you the truth A) I LOVED the hat and B) I think she looked FAB in that Valentino Haute Couture coat-dress ensemble. I think she "stole the show" that day (besides Pippa of course!). So, I'm at a loss as to why she would need to hire one. Also, she doesn't really work, so how can she afford to....hire a stylist? And one who charges 1,500 Pounds ($2,400) a day. Her father, Prince Andrew is footing the bill, one assumes.

Gown Perfect: Princesses Beatrice (left) and Eugenie (right) with mom, Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York, White Tie And Tiara Ball

Anderson happens to be actress Emma Watson's stylist (as well as others) and is very connected with all the top fashion designers. One of her first assignments was to style Beatrice for the White Tie And Tiara Ball hosted by Sir Elton John.

$117,000 Perfection: Princess Beatrice in Elie Saab Spring 2011 Haute Couture

The Princess wore a blush-colored, completely hand-beaded gown from Elie Saab Haute Couture Spring 2011 Collection priced at 73,000 Pounds--approximately $117,000 (yes kids, THAT'S what a COUTURE Gown costs!!). As you tell from the above, the gown was probably THE actual Runway sample (look how LONG it is on Beatrice!) since designers don't really make several samples of their Haute Couture gowns that cost over $100,000.

Beatrice's Elie Saab Spring 2011 Haute Couture Gown--on the runway

It will be interesting to see how much more of a "Fashion Gal" Princess Beatrice will be now that she has hired a stylist...Time and more Red Carpet events, will tell...

It's not that hard to say... guess what?

SmoothCriminal_photos's album / Confessions