Uggs are out

Uggs are so last year! With the rain and cold setting in, us Brits must ensure we have good grip in these slippy times, and boots are the answer. Why not mix it up, and splash out on one of these pairs of boots, it certainly makes a change from the sea of water-absorbent shoes usually noticeable this time of year.

These suede combat boots by Kickers are sure to give good grip this icy season, and at £39.99, they don't break the bank. Available at TK Maxx.

For those days when it rains, it pours, why not ensure you retain atleast dry feet if you can control nothing else. These  Freedon Unique wellington boots have a bird print on and are from Wedge Welly. They are available at Debenhams for £40

These Vivienne Westwood For Mellissa cute blue boots with  bow and small heel are available at ASOS for £150.  

Why not go back to the basics and invest in some sturdy Dr Martens, these soft leather purple shimmer boots are £110 on their website, and due to their durability are easily a worthwhile buy

These Star Lily biker boots by CJG are available at Topshop for £165, with antique rose gold studding and natural colouring they match most colours.

Winter Book Pick

Chilly Reads
The nights are drawing in sooner, the temperature has dropped, and 'going out' must now stumble over the obstacle of 'staying in' which has a cache of weapons including: blankets, slipper socks, cups of tea, and re runs of all the E4 classics. So it is no wonder going out is losing miserably. If you fancy a bit of an adventure in the confines of your own home, why not buy The Tiger by John Vaillant. This non-fictional masterpiece follows the relationship between a man-eating Amur tiger and the inhabitants of a village in Primorye, Russia. But this isn't a man-eating tiger in the usual predatory sense, this is a vengeful man-eating tiger with shockingly human emotion, a lithe muscular frame, an unnerving perseverance, topped off with a picturesque backdrop. The story in itself is riveting, but combined with Vaillant's writing style it is an awe-inspiring account. Available online for as little as £1.46 it is a must have this Christmas.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tiger-True-Story-Vengeance-Survival/dp/0340962585

Dragon Wash

‘Dragon Wash’ an ancient Tibetan conception that consists of a brass basin filled with water, and when the edges are rubbed in the correct manner the vibration causes the water to jump about in a way that really needs to be seen to be believed. Have a look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivYUb4ldlHs

Rings are in!

Our pick of this weeks best....

RINGS

Gold tone twisted leaf ring

£6

River Island

                         

Vintage Delft Ring 

$12

from MaejeanVINTAGE

Catseye Cross Two Finger Ring

£8.50

Topshop

Ted Baker Rocking Horse Ring£39.00
Asos

Thunderbird Ring By Jen's Pirate Booty
$28.00
Threadsence

Get your skates on!

It's a lovely morning over here in the South of England, and a perfect time for a bit of roller skating!

Roller History
Roller skates have been around for centuries, it's thought they were first used in the 1760's by John Merlin in London, but he had rather a nasty fall on them and put the idea on the back burner. It wasn't until 1819 in Paris when they were first patented by Monsieur Petitbled. At this time they were a fairly primitive concept, with between 2 and 6 wheels attached to a piece of wood. The more modern concept is attributed to James Leonard Plimpton, revered as the "father of modern roller skating" he patented the 4 wheeled skate in 1863.
After that we had various remodels; some that clamped on, others that arranged their wheel in a linear fashion, toe stops appeared and evolved.

Recreational roller
Roller skating formed part of the leisure industry, particularly taking off from the 1950's, with many roller rinks cropping up. Roller discos and parties became a mainstay for the British and American youth. They remained popular right through the 1980s, but began to decline soon after, with much fewer people being interested in the activity, possibly because of the new technology available to entertain.

Bringing back skating
That was, until the 21st century, when roller skating is on the rise. Many communities have built skate parks and rinks to encourage children to spend more time away from computers, but in a safe place. They also appeal to the older generation who come to the nostalgic discos. But that's not all, they have diffused into the sporting world, we now have roller hockey, roller dancing, speed skating.

Roller Derby
And of course, we cannot overlook the ever increasing acclaim of Roller Derby. The contact sport took off in the 1930's, but by 2000 it had evolved into a female dominated field, with powerful women at the helm it has become a beacon of feminism in a male dominated sporting world. With rules like these:

PENALTIES & RULES

• No tripping
• No back blocking (pushing from behind)
• No deliberate falling in front of another skater
• When using arms for blocking, the arm must be bent, not extended full length
• No use of elbows as a weapon to the chest or face
• No blocking 20 feet ahead of or behind the pack
• No grabbing or pulling a skater from the ground
• It is illegal to GRAB, HOLD or PULL an opposing player 

It is no wonder the full on sport has taken off in a culture so tense and uptight, it allows you vent your stress in a fun but serious environment. Check out London Roller Girls website for more information  http://www.londonrollergirls.com

Skates are available online, vary in different style, colour, and price range. These retro disco boots caught our eye in particular.  

For those of you itching to learn more, there is even a museum, based in Nebraska, USA:
http://www.rollerskatingmuseum.com/sotm.html

Weird Christmas Gift do's and do not's

How to deal with the crushing disappointment of terrible Christmas presents

Christmas presents are hard to choose, and even harder to get right. Research suggests that last year we received 2.4 billion pounds worth of Christmas presents that we did not want and have not used.

Unwanted gifts

We’ve all been there; you open up Aunty Mavis’ poorly wrapped gift and pull out a scarf the hue of green that even the incredible hulk would smirk at, or Mum’s bought you a blender even though the only kind of soup you’re capable of cooking comes in a tin.

Ok, so we might not have been precisely THERE, but we all get weird and wonderful -often just plain weird- presents from time to time.

The thing to do in these situations is smile, politely say “thank-you!”to the offending relative or friend, and remember; it could be worse!

Spare a thought

Spare a thought for these weird Christmas gifts:

The Statue of Liberty –weighing in at 225 tons, and measuring 46.5 metres tall, it is officially the world’s largest gift, given by France to the US in 1886. Shipped in pieces, I think we can all be a little more grateful that we haven’t had to find room for 5 metre long hands and other giant anatomy parts somewhere in the garden.

A glass pickle – In Germany it is traditional to hide an ornamental glass pickle deep within the Christmas tree, the first child that finds it on Christmas morning is supposed to have good luck throughout the year, but in reality they actually possess a glass pickle, and a face full of pine needles.

A severed ear – Van Gogh cut off the lower half of his left ear on 23^rd December 1888, wrapped it in cloth, and then handed it to a prostitute named Rachel. It is not known precisely why he did this, though many continue to theorise, but either way, it doesn’t make for much of a Christmas present.

Diamonds are forever

Don’t fret, nestled alongside the terrible gifts, are the amazing gifts, bear in mind ladies, more diamonds are bought at Christmas than at any other time of the year.

Dealing with unwanted gifts

But, if you are one of the unlucky ones this year (and obviously it is important to be grateful you are so fortunate as to have presents at all), what are your options?

1) Keep it, put it up in the loft, and try and repress the memories that your partner of 5 years thought it a good idea to buy you a life-size replica of Thor.

2) Keep it, and look out for an opportunity to offload it on someone else as a gift.

3) Take it back (tact necessary if asking for gift receipts so you can return an item).

4) Sell it on ebay, no one will be any the wiser, hopefully…

5) Swap it, www.swapshop.co.uk is a brilliant way to get the things you really wanted.

6) Give it to charity, if you’re feeling particularly philanthropic after what is often a fairly materialistic holiday why not give it away to help raise money for a good cause.

Swap ice cream for soup

Ice creams out and warm food is in

We are nearly halfway through November, and so the chilly frosty mornings have set in, and all the summer associated food has been packed into the bottom shelves of the freezer. Gone are the sun cream clad public with their sandy handed request for a '99, ice cream is being swapped instead for warming soup and the like.

So dump the whippy...

...and try our soup of the week:

Brussel Sprout and Bacon

This may sound a little strange, and certainly if you don't like the infamous brussel sprout, it's probably not for you, but otherwise, have a go. This is Geoffrey Verhulst's recipe from http://www.theydrawandcook.com/

How to deal with stress

Dealing with Stress

‘Under Pressure’, even Queen and David Bowie feel it; ‘These are the days, when it rains it pours’. Stress affects almost all of us as at some point in our lives!
Are you stressed?
Stress can be caused by all sorts of things, from the predictable: work/relationships/moving house scenarios, to the more unusual: my cake won’t rise/I can’t find my favourite underwear/there isn’t anymore cheese in the fridge.It affects us all in different ways and to different extents. Maybe you feel a little tired, or a bit down, or you might be one of the unlucky ones that experience nosebleeds and vomiting due to stress.
Autumn blues
Autumn and its somber offerings of cold wet weather and man flu is in full swing so it is the prime time to experience those down days. Getting out of bed feels like a cruel necessity inflicted by an unforgiving overlord (your boss), and you send spiteful looks at them accordingly as you pour over the neverending stream of paperwork.
Stress statistics
How to help: take a moment, and look around you. Does your work colleague look a little down in the mouth? Is your friend prone to crying? Is your partner more snappy than usual? There may be alternative reasons for these symptoms, but surveys have suggested around 45 million working days are lost every year through stress and anxiety related conditions, with about 12 million adults seeking doctors help with mental illnesses each year, most of which are stress related.
Motivational or hindrance?
Sometimes stress can motivate us, making us start the essay we've been putting off, or ask the girl out on the tube we've seen looking at us intermittently for the last 3 weeks. But often, it is not motivational, it is unpleasant.
So why not make your aim for November to be identifying which colleagues are looking a little worse for wear, and bake a cake for your co-worker, or give them a hug (if they are willing), organise a surprise meal for your partner, offer to babysit for your friend.
RAOK
Or if you are feeling super sociable, how about an RAOK- a Random Act of Kindness. Tell a stranger you love what they are wearing, or randomly give someone a bunch of flowers. Then, when you end up feeling a little stressed yourself, some kind person may return the favour and your faith in humanity will be restored.
Relax!
If you suffer from stress yourself, try having a nap (work permitting), making more time for hobbies like drawing, painting, baking, whatever it is that makes you stop and slow down. Sing along to the radio at full volume, be silly, daydream! In the words of the late journalist Sydney J Harris: “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it”. Make time to deal with stress this year.



For mild cases of stress, we recommend cups of tea and drawing on stuff (if allowed):

Recommended read

If the reality programmes that swamp our television channels is causing you to reach for the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, in the sheer hope that inundating your brain with polysyllabic words will push out all the other useless information it has gleaned from 10 minutes of TOWIE, why not turn the TV off, step away from the dictionary (it should only be used as a point of reference, attempting to read the dictionary like a novel will make for an banal and concerning read) and pick up one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's lesser knowns: The Complete Brigadier Gerard. Available at any good bookstore, but for those of us with little time, available on amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Brigadier-Stories-Canongate-Classics/dp/1847679196/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353172081&sr=1-3

Hopefully, the Brigadier's motto will rub off on you:

Autumnal motivation

In the bleak autumnal months it is often difficult to find the motivation to even get out of bed, but here is a series of photos that illustrate what we go to work for. Afterall, work means money, money means escaping into tropical climes and living the dream. So spring out of bed, gallavant to the kitchen, heartily chomp your porridge, and think of that bucket list you are compiling to get you through the day, which if it doesn't already, should include these paradise found destinations:

The rice fields of Bali

James Bond Island, Ao Phang Nga National Park, Thailand

Railay Island, near Krabi, Thailand

Stumbling across an unplanned tangent

Welcome to an unplanned tangent! You didn't know it existed, but now you do, you won't be able to stay away. Here are your first few distractions; a series of thoughts, quotes, photographs, and articles!
All hoping to add a little pezaz into days that often drift from one to another. When you're feeling numb from the monotonous day at the office, drift over here and take a look at the potential spice of life.