Life 5 Years after a Fashion Degree

In the 12 months that followed graduation from Nottingham Trent University I was in a complete state of denial. Denial that the fun party days were over and the 'real world' and all it's fun responsibility, financial woes and daily grind was beckoning. I even penned my woes in a column 'Life After A Fashion Degree' which was published in the university magazine, Platform. Clinging on despite now residing 135 miles away. With three friends still living the dream thanks to 4-year courses, MAs or having returned from a year in industry, I had the perfect base to relive a few wild nights. The silver lining? At least I could afford the shots I drunkenly ordered at 1am.

5 years on I am in the swing of my new 'grown up' bubble; a rewarding yet demanding job, domestic bliss with a man that I even enjoy doing the weekly food shop with and more nights in on the sofa than I care to admit. 

So take the 25 year old me and put her back in the scene of my 19 year old self in Nottingham's wild student days for a weekend, what will happen? I can't quite imagine sitting cross-legged on the floor of Oceana refusing to let the night be over, or throwing myself into the thick of a foam party in EQ (sorry Jumpin Jacks or whatever it is called this week) and let's hope there's no undignified call history the next morning. Meeting up with 3 of my housemates from the Fresher's heaven of Sandby Halls (the fact that current students won't even know 'Sandby' due to demolition possibly sets the tone for feeling old and nostalgic) to celebrate one of their 26th birthdays makes me think that if this weekend were a film, it might be a little similar to 'Last Vegas'. 

So whilst I ignore the scene of the midlands flying past whilst I sit on the train, I'm thinking off the top of my head a few things I want to do whilst reliving my student days this weekend!

1. Sit in the Orange Tree and remember all the hours and halloumi burgers consumed by project work over the course of 6 semesters. Also whilst missing the best barmaid to ever work there and her awesome Cosmopolitans!

2. Tour the key sights; the new SU, the library, student shop, Victoria Centre, Market Square, Lace Market, the Premier Inn, the Arboretum, the tram stop and the police station (don't ask). 

3. Cocktails with a view at Saltwater. 

4. See if we can still stomach the £1 glass of wine at the Blue Bell. 

5. Let the alcohol in my body demand a Big Mac meal without the guilt. 

6. Visit Nottingham Castle (shamefully it would be my first time)

7. Discover a secret room in Coco Tang with a bag full of refresher sweets as a reminder of the night. 

Thirty. One. Thirty-One.

January is often the month associated with empty pockets. Sound familiar? With the early pay day in December leaving us all gasping for the next and the present buying from that bigger-than-ever Christmas list weighing down on our credit card balance, we can be forced into a state of eating own-brand supermarket food and spending nights in front of the tele. Dry January - whether you've given up alcohol or not - is not the most likely time for extravagance and opulence. However, just before the month was out, the Letley Ladies had the perfect excuse to toast 30.01.15. 

Afternoon Tea at the Dorchester was a long-awaited treat for four granddaughters and their grandmother. The occasion was indeed even more special. Our beloved Grandfather, husband to my Gran for over 60 years, sadly passed away in November last year and on the 30th of January, what would have been his 84th birthday (in a place that was also the same age), the Letley Ladies celebrated in his honour. And a birthday celebration requires champagne to start. 

Cheers Grandad!

The waiter began the feast by serving a round of perfectly linear finger sandwiches; smoked salmon, roast chicken, egg & cress, tuna mayonnaise and cucumber & cream cheese. How funny it should be that with five options on our plates, each one of the five Letley ladies should all, by chance, pick a different sandwich to begin our tea!

"Thank goodness we are different enough not to have picked the same!"

As afternoon teas go, with a 2:1 ratio of sweet to savoury, the acceptance of another round of sandwiches was a greedy decision we all soon came to regret. With compliments from the chef, a little mint chocolate cup to refresh our palettes began the slip into sugary heaven. 

We should have known better. Before we knew it the tiered stands before us became slathered with sweet things. Scones and jam were about as far as I could go despite the eye-arousing display of mandarin macaroons, chocolate & raspberry roulade, beetroot & walnut loaf, coffee mousse and coconut & mango sponge. 

With a menu of nearly twenty teas, it varied across our party from 'The Dorchester' (the house tea which my Gran was delighted with), to the more traditional option Earl Grey (I may be predictable but it was more delicious than ever) to some more experimental requests for leaves from far-off shores that were rather tricky to pronounce! With a never-ending supply of our chosen tea, we were fed and watered like Queens!

Did I mention the sparkly icing?

With the ivory tiles twinkling in the background, the service was everything you would expect from such a prestigious establishment. Hats, tails and waistcoats galore, the fabulous pianist Sam even took requests - Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin" was a special request for my Gran. 

It will be our special request to repeat this new tradition on an annual basis to mark 30.01.1931. Thirty. One. Thirty-One. 

(And that's 364 days to burn off the calories consumed!)

Monday Morning

There are lots of things you can moan about on a Monday morning. They're universally disliked. The faces on the London Underground around me say it all; hate the rain, it's cold, I'm tired, why did the weekend go so quick?!

However I'm making a positive spin on this autumnal Monday morning, giving in to the oncoming festive season, with a retrospective on the last 12 hours. (Did I mention my Christmas shopping is well under way?)

Torrential rain overnight whilst laying in bed getting inspired by interior decor ideas on Pinterest cosily under a duvet watching...

Boxsets. Orange is the New Black to be specific. The first of many series to be watched during the dark evenings drawing in...

With the central heating chugging away for the first time in months. Tootsies being warmed on the underfloor heating whilst my hands are...

Cradling a mug of something hot and sweet. A great lure out of bed along with the fleece dressing gown and slippers. Both getting reacquainted with the morning ritual before opening the doors to...

The winter wardrobe. So pleased to have said goodbye to the dress and sandal season. Goodbye pasty legs. Goodbye bingo wings, you're now safely under wraps. Hello boots / socks under boots / thermals, you'll help me... 

Battle the elements. Bring on the winter coat and fur scarf. Snug as a bug in a rug. 

 

Afternoon Bubbles

The Jones Family Project, Shoreditch

Had an amazing Wednesday afternoon meeting with my uber-cool East London design agency. And what better environment to talk creative than a creative edgy one such as The Jones Fanily Project. It ticked all the Shoreditch boxes; exposed brick, eclectic menu, mismatching chairs, sparkly lights in your indoor tree(!) and fantastic selection of kitsch art scattering the walls. 

Over a feast of the best appetisers - Cornish Crab, Quinoa Fritters, Fillet Steak Tartare, Truffled Mac'n'Cheese, Corn Bread, Feta Cheese, Watermelon & Melon Salad - the energy levels were stoked. This place had a great atmosphere; a place where working peeps came to chat and be slowly transitioned by the dimming lights and forgotten 90s tunes turning up on the sound system into a relaxed Friday night vibe. On a Wednesday. 

Now with most places, it's estimation can with go up or down depending on the ladies powder room. Marked by a big red lipstick mark over the door, the quirks continued. The best was this...

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

And loving the Aesop products - hand exfoliating wash = genius!!

Would love to go back to this place. Suitable for colleagues, friends, family. As they claim, "food, drink and great times". Great times indeed. 

www.jonesfamilyproject.co.uk/ 

That 'back to school' feeling

The post-holiday blues were kicking in this morning. A combination of this year's holiday coming to an end, a winter chill in the air and having to call on the trusty black tights, I am definitely experiencing a delayed first day of term vibe. Felt myself compelled to wear my shiniest black patent pumps for the occasion and adopt a skirt/shirt combo, all I'm missing is plaited hair and purse belt, *poof* I'm 13 years old again. Only instead of packing my summer holiday homework and fearing I'd forgotten something, I was dreading my over-flowing inbox.

However, with the energy levels restoked, I've got that geeky busy-bee, must-be-super-organised buzz to see to (the kind that applying sticky-back plastic to new school books would have sorted in Year 7). Instead, the 25 year old me is wanting to organise the kitchen, clear out my increasingly-too-small wardrobe and buy a day planner! (The Happiness Project has a lot to answer for when the aforementioned was largely suggested to me by my boyfriend who's 3 chapters in!) 
 
Though the other thing that comes with this time of year is the lurgy. *Cue Berocca fizzing on my desk* From the 30 degree heat of Italy, long lay-ins and naps upon a sunlounger, I rudely found myself in the midst of a contamination frenzy upon London's Underground. How lovely that the coughing choir was out today to welcome me back to my daily commute. Thank goodness for the last few pages of my holiday book, Nicholas Sparks is a literary genius, and I'm completed submerged in Message in a Bottle. Only 4 hours and 22 minutes until I can get back to that world...

I miss blogging.

Or, more accurately, I miss having the time to blog. To indulge in whatever fanciful thing catches my eye or weird and wonderful experience in my day to day life I want to share with the www.

Having dreamt of becoming (a slightly more thrifty and lucky in love) Carrie Bradshaw, it's sad to see how far I have let that dream slip (although I do proudly own my very own pair of Manolo Blahniks!) Whilst I've been chained to my desk, my fingers have been ferociously typing about artwork artwork artwork (full of acronyms of course like a "proper" working professional) until the cows come home, by which time my hands are weary and my mind is foggy. Not conducive to further hours spent behind a laptop screen.

So to make myself feel better, whilst I've escaped from a claustrophobic feeling office this Wednesday lunchtime to sit in the sunshine of a nearby park, I have listed all the weird and wonderful things that have happened to me recently...

*Done my best impression of Julia Roberts and flitted over to Bali for 3 weeks of treatments, yoga, sunbathing, trekking (up a volcano no less) and exploring.

*Actually reading Eat, Pray, Love too!

*Cooked a breakfast on said volcano's steam hole watching sunrise. 

*Been my mother's +1 at a gay wedding in New York.

*Bought my first designer handbag (knocking Jaegar off the top spot with Ralph Lauren). Thank you Macys. 

*Got accepted onto a marketing scheme for young managers (starts Sept)

*Been to the theatre countless times; Book of Mormon being the best

*Discovered Gossip Girl

*Started Bikram Yoga

*Unfortunately put the 'handles' into 'Love Handles'

But most importantly...

Fallen in love.