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Friday, 8 February 2013

Made in Mattel Heaven? When Plastic meets Fantastic..

Valeria Lukyanova and Justin Jedlica: When "Barbie meets Ken"... a match made in Mattel heaven?




Apparently not!!..or so the article in the Daily Mail proclaims.
Not that I think anyone really cares...in the grand scheme of things.

Where do I begin on this subject:....First of all this young man looks nothing like the "Ken" I knew back in the day so maybe this "Barbie" detected a fraud....or maybe this is simply asking too much from two people that have decided to be real life Mattel toys and succeeding  to attain this "status symbol". 

Apparently Miss Lukyanova has not resorted to plastic surgery but wears blue lenses on her green eyes to create this otherworldly look, lots of clever make up and hair extensions.  
Mr. Jedlica on the other hand has gone full hog and been under the knife....or isn't it obvious?

I loved my Barbie dolls,the clothes,the cars and all Mattel had to offer in order for me to lose myself for hours in my idea of heaven. I never sought to look like Barbie let alone marry a Ken look a like so I am baffled at the extent some people go to actually to look like these dolls. Has the need for perfection surpassed itself to such an extent that the ideals of some has crossed over from the sublime to the ridiculous?
Where is the harm,many would say? Other than to themselves? Because you have to have incredibly thick skin in order to deflect" the strings and arrows of outrageous fortune."
Then again Barbie and Ken are actually made of plastic and have survived decades of wear and tear,always smiling,always around. 

So what of these two? Just because they chose to look like their "idols" doesn't mean they have to necessarily like each other...as long as they love themselves,no?

Moral of the story: Plastic ain't always fantastic....

Monday, 4 February 2013

How to get your kid to eat his veggies...



We were invited to a "friendly drinks" evening  on Saturday night that started rather early...
when we showed up around 7.30pm the rest of the guests were doused , soused and sated with one rather entertaining guest running in and out demanding to listen to Gangnam style before dashing off again to puff merrily on her spliff...

There was a varied array of food ranging from the perenial cheese platter to homous and labne (a thick yogurt dip ),various breads, parma ham and freshly cut carrot sticks,cucumbers and tomato's.
We soon joined in the conversation,pecked at the food and drank gorgeous wine.

The dessert platter was placed before us with a colourful array of pastries as well as a box of Lebanese delicacies straight from the hostesses mother land. A little boy runs out and looks upon these sugary treats with dismay:

"Maman! Where are the carrots?"

Wow! I think...

The mother politely asks the hostess:

"Maya? Where are the carrot sticks..? My son would like some more!"

"They are in the kitchen...you do know that they are soaked in Whiskey?!.."

I thought they tasted rather good!!..attributing that to lemon juice and nothing else!

"Really? " replied the mom equally surprised. "Oh well...he's been at them all night...another one won't hurt!"

How to get your kids to keep their fingers out of the dessert platter and firmly around a carrot stick!!

"...CHEERS..to the freakin' weekend,
I'll drink to that..yeay yeay..
Let the Jameson sink in...yeay yeay!!






Friday, 1 February 2013

Spotted :Lily Van der Woodsen in Valbonne.



This is on the down lo...gorgeous actress Kelly Rutherford was spotted (by me!) coming out of the Cafe des Arcades in Valbonne this evening with her gorgeous kids in tow.

I was sitting outside nursing a beer,popping extremely salty and spicy olives into my mouth while waiting for our pizzas when out comes a gorgeous,tall blond haired woman,child in her arms,more trailing behind. She walks passed Titan, my Amstaff who immediately tugs his ways towards her :

She smiles at him while quietly saying : "Hello...Hello"then looks at me as I smile at her (for taking the time to acknowledge my dog )...when it suddenly hits me: it's Lily Van der Woodsen! 
From "Gossip Girl" to "Village Vixen"...low key,bare faced, hair pulled back and so utterly lovely ...I couldn't believe my eyes.

How far from Manhattan we are , no Chuck,no Serena..no paparazzi.
Small world,small town and yet celebrities walk amongst us. Made my evening!

Have a great weekend!

Monday, 28 January 2013

Bobbi Brown is in Town !

Yesssss!...

It is all hearts and flowers 'cos the news is good: Bobbi Brown is in Cannes! And on the rue D'Antibes naturally; a stone's throw from Sephora and next to Reminiscence...the tell tale turquoise awning is a dead give away. 
Everyone complains about the price of renting space here and yet...the big guns are sweeping out the locals and taking up residence: 
 MAC is across the road and.... Jo Malone further down and now 3 cheers for Bobbi Brown!...
Hey! you won't hear me complain, there is room enough for everyone....it is only time before Francois Nars squeezes himself in....want to bet?

Duelling make up brushes at dawn....

Thursday, 24 January 2013

WT...Book!!!!

I simply haven't had much luck with books recently; I have just thrown down another dud in a fit of anger, this would be my 5th in a row.
My fear is: have I lost my "page turner mojo"? Or am I simply throwing good money after bad in my amazon book finding frenzy?

The downward spiral started with: "The Mistress's Revenge" by Tamar Cohen. My sister lent me her latest book : "The War of the Wives" which was terrific..the classic case of polygamy gone wrong when the "loving"husband dies and 2 families come to the funeral.
You can't fault me for being seduced by the author,in my eyes she could do no wrong until I tried to read "The Mistress's Revenge", hating the mistress the lover and sorry...even the author herself.
Dump in pile for Oxfam bookstore on Marylebone High Street.

Next:"In the Kingdom of Men" by Kim Barnes...I am always seduced by "foreigners" writing novels based in Saudi Arabia, either because they were married to a Saudi and lived there or they were brought up in a compound while their father worked there. I have no idea why Kim Barnes wrote this book based in Aramco...but what I do know is that it bored me senseless. I was hands down seduced by " a body that washes up...and a husband that may or may not have killed a woman..."what I didn't sign up for was; boring characters, an all over the place plot that simply didn't keep me interested enough to even get to the death/murder....
 Enough said...dumped in pile.


I was super excited  to find out that Anjali Joseph who wrote the fabulous "Saraswati Park" had a new book out. I cracked it open a few days ago.....and read it every evening at bed time solely because it would lull me into  a stupor thanks to the incredibly annoying, pain in the ass "Leela",the main character in this lacklustre book. Last night the soporific qualities of this book wore off!! WT....? No longer sleep inducing, this book held no other quality in my eyes other than joining the pile of "dump" books. 

NEXTTTTTT....The supposed "page turner": "The Good Father" by Noah Hawley....NOTTTTT!!

A leading neurosurgeon's son( from his first marriage) has just been arrested for murdering a popular presidential candidate. Try as he might he cannot believe that his son is capable of such a heinous crime...Guess what sunshine?: he is,he did...and this book ain't worth trying to find the whys or wherefores...
Really Not Bothered!!

Of course I am now scared stiff of the next book on my "Must read"pile...Fingers crossed.

Stay tuned.

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Livin' La Vida Local part 2


I have officially become the village Grinch... wearing my American Vintage sweater bought only last week in the sales that has bobbled beyond reason nor recognition...and the worst part of it all? ....I don't care! I am wearing it! I love the colour!!!



"Your sweater looks like a rag..."my sister told me while we were in airport lounge.
"I know....believe it or not...I bought this yesterday..."

Last year in the sales I bought a grey,softer than soft cardigan during the American Vintage sales...and after wearing it once,the thing looked like it had gone through the Boer wars. I took it back,handed them my receipt and told them how appalled I was at the quality for something that wasn't particularly cheap. The manageress did not kick off ...knowing full well by now that the quality wasn't always up to par....
Fast forward a year later and what have I become? A shell of my former fashion rebellious self...or have I simply gone grunge in shapeless clothes?
Thankfully I have not abandoned all reason....my Nike High Dunks still give me my daily "lift"!..if only to be able to reach higher up on the supermarket shelves....
...which was embarrassing a few months ago when an old aged pensioner,considerably taller than I, offered to help me reach up and get down a six pack of water.... 
"No no no Monsieur..let me help you!" I replied.
"Mais non,Madame!...You obviously can't reach!!"

The milk of human kindness at the supermarket ...."...a village life for me for me...a village life for meeeee...."



Did I mention that the toilets have backed up....? Due to the freak weather conditions???
Out come the Hunter wellies and the rubber stopper.....


Yipeeeee!!!

Tuesday, 22 January 2013

New Eateries in Chelsea,London.



L'Eto has now opened it's doors in Belgravia at :10 West Halkin Street, a stone's throw from Waitrose.

What a pleasure it is to have another eaterie in that corner of Belgravia and I can tell you from what I saw on display ...the food looked divine.

L'Eto first opened in Soho back in February 2011 and not only serves up gorgeous pastries but does serve light lunch in the form of amazing looking salads.

I haven't tried it yet....but the pleasure was in the looking and salivating.... for now.


Colbert has opened on Sloane Square....taking the place of the once eponymous Oriel where it was trendy to meet and hang out back in my day. It soon became a tired watering hole that seemed to hang on for posterity's sake in the end. Obviously the grip loosened and it has now been replaced rather grandiously by this lovely brasserie.

We did attempt lunch there but the Asian lady at reception had a cold...thereby deciding that on that particular Saturday she would literally give us a frigid greeting followed by the cold shoulder.

Reserve! Walk ins may be greeted with attitude....