Cafe life

It's been ages since I last posted.

There was the usual school summer holiday fun, then a trip back home...then a return to a water burst and a ruined spare room. I won't go into details, it's not the nicest of things to read about, so instead I will start off with the blog posting that I thought about as I sat in a local cafe eating a toastie.

When I was in North Yorkshire I managed to get to the best cafe in the county - Java in Whitby. If you have never been, go there (it's at the bottom of Flowergate) have a coffee and a toffee danish. Or lunch from a brilliant menu. You will not regret it. You'll probably see my Mum and sister there....I think they should have a reserved table!

I forgot to take a photo so here's an old one from cosycoffeeshops.co.uk, click on the picture to take you to a page about this fabulous cafe

I was sitting in a local cafe in Pickering when I thought about this blog entry. We went for the day and decided to look for somewhere to eat. There are a few places on the main road, but just off the beaten track on Burgate, is a family run (at least I think it is) cafe called Poppies. It's small, it's slightly old fashioned and the menu isn't massive...but the food is prepared fresh and is delicious. They also cater for Gluten free diets. Why go to a generic eatery when there is somewhere simple but welcoming? We were the only people in there, so of course I was a bit wary, but as people popped in and out it seems that this is a place the locals know about and seems to be off the tourist radar. I'd recommend giving it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised. For the record I had a stilton and pear toastie...I must try making one of those at home.

Poppies Tea Room, Pickering

The last place we went to was back over the border in Stirling. An Italian restaurant/coffee house has just opened up in the old arcade in town. Once this was a bustling area, but now it seems quiet and only on the agenda if you are visiting one of the shops. Well, here is your chance..I missed the opening of a vintage shop there, but the cafe Cibo E Vino is a brilliant little place, run it seems by three young lads. The food is fresh, the banter is good but respectful and the prices are reasonable. They have a small menu, and although they were only open for breakfast and lunch when we were there, they should have their alcohol license by now and be open on an evening. They also have a take-away option too I think. Put it like this, we went twice, once for lunch and once for breakfast....darling daughter liked both and said the lunchtime pasta was the best she'd ever tasted and SHE made us go for breakfast!

The lunchtime pasta that she insisted on photographing..that was even better than mine!

So, there are three lovely little places. Do you have any places you like to eat that deserve a mention?
I like going to local businesses rather than national chains, let's keep people with a passion in business!

Regeneration...

Nearly two weeks ago now my daughter and I went along to a regeneration weekend at John O'Groats.

yes, its the John O Groats ferry

Many of you no doubt know it as just a name, bandied about when hardy souls venture from John O'Groats to Lands End or vice versa. It's the most Northerly part of the Mainland British Isles (well actually it isnt, that's Dunnet Head, but popular opinion is all that matters I suppose) and is frequently the end of the road for charitable persons, knackered but proud of their achievements with a smile and a photograph at the signpost.  As such it should be a special place....but at least for the last 12 years it has been a bit of an eyesore.

When I first came to Caithness in 1999 my father-in-law took me to JoG on a typical Caithness driech day, and I can remember a massive sense of disappointment as we drove into the car park. The old Hotel, with its octagonal tower, once a place of Victorian comfort and splendour, was derelict, standing near the harbour and a small complex of shops amid a huge car park. This is what all those people saw as they started or finished their gruelling journeys. The summer sunlight didn make it seem much better.

looking towards one of the little beachs

Over the years I've visited JoG often, gone for a wander into the little shops (one of my favourite local artists, David Body, has a lovely pottery shop there) and had a cuppa in the little cafe attached to a woollen mill shop. The view over to Stroma and the Orkneys is spectacular and it could actually be a lovely place if only it could be "done up". But the hotel has always loomed over the place like a ghost just waiting to be noticed. Reading about H.V. Morton's journey north and his stay at the hotel in the 1920s, it is such a shame that the hotel has been left for dead.

For at least as long as I have been in the county there has been talk of regeneration, but no matter how hard the locals have tried nothing has happened. The hotel has had absentee owners, and out of sight, out of mind really does ring true here. But things are finally moving.....cue the other weekend.

artwork created from local shells and a lobster pot looks over the Firth

Artists were invited to create a mini festival...the owners of the hotel have plans all ready to revamp the hotel and create self contained units...the regeneration ball has started rolling. It's a pity that there didn't seem to be any local artists involved (after all the county is full of artists), but there were problems with tenders and as I dont know much about it I wont comment, however there was a good atmosphere that weekend. An artist created 100 small wooden boats that were launched into the Pentland Firth (one has floated to Orkney), a potter created groatie buckies (little conch shells found at the beach on JoG) with the help of local school children (dtr couldnt find hers unfortnately) which would be launched into the harbour, there was storytelling and a number of other activities...and the hotel had been painted to be made into its own artwork.

Pottery shells on the harbour wall

I hope that this is the start of something good for the area. The sun was shining, there was no wind (usually the wind blowing off the Pentland Firth was knock you sideways) and there were lots of people smiling. The painted hotel brought a mixed reception...I personally didn't like it, I thought it made a mockery of what was once a beautiful building...but the paint will fade in about ten weeks so it isn't a permanent fixture. What is important is that something is finally happening. The locals are a friendly bunch but only so much can be done with good intentions, I hope this is the start of a real regeneration...with a happy ending.

The John O Groats hotel....once white, now multi-coloured

burning furniture falling out of the building

hmmmm. Circus tents anyone?

The Ghost.....

I’ve been immersed in old films lately. I have to admit that I very often find old films a lot more enjoyable than new ones, so armed with a birthday Amazon voucher I bought a few favourites…one of which is the first film I ever remember watching.

I can remember going to school in first year of primary and sitting in a room one day talking to my friends about tv. It’s one of those weird memories that stick for some reason…I can distinctly remember telling my friends that I was allowed to stay up and watch a scary film about a ghost. That film was The Ghost Goes West and ever since I’ve had a fondness for the film and its actor Robert Donat.

http://www.britishpictures.com

If you don’t know the film it’s a story of a Highlander, Murdoch, who liked the ladies but after dying a cowards death was doomed to roam the halls of his castle until he could clear his family’s name. Cue the “modern day” impoverished owner, Donald, surprisingly enough the spitting image of the ghost, desperate to sell the castle to pay off his debts. Add a pretty American heiress and her family and the scene is set.

http://filmsdefrance.com

It’s a brilliant film and if you haven’t seen it, and if you love classic films, then you really should get hold of a copy. The quality is quite bad now, but for a film that is nearly 80 years old I think you can forgive the odd scratch and sound fluctuations.

Released a year after one of Donat’s most famous film, the 39 Steps, this is the one that has stuck with me. Although Goodbye Mr Chips, for which he won a Best Actor Oscar, and where he ages fifty years throughout the film, is an absolute must for anyone in search of cinematic history.

Donat had chronic asthma and apparently had problems with confidence and self-doubt…I hope he finally realised what a great actor he was. Robert died in 1958 aged only 53 after completing his final film, another great, the Inn of the Sixth Happiness with Ingrid Bergman.

Funny how serendipity works…I also have a fascination with the work of the architect C.F.A. Voysey, and Donat’s first wife Ella Annesley Voysey was a niece of his. Plus Donat’s mother came from a Whitby family…were my family have settled. Hmmm. Cue some research I think J There are also a collection of his letters now housed at John Rylands University Library in Manchester. Oh how I’d love to sit and read through those!!

If you want to read more about his life and works, Wikipedia have a short biography, but I’d recommend reading the biographical history here at John Rylands.

They just don’t make gentlemen actors like him anymore.

deary deary me...

I've been very remiss....two weeks have gone by without a blog post, basically because of an unusual occurrence...two weeks work... together. Ahh the life of a freelancer, this at the moment isn't happening very often, so when it the work comes in things do go kind of haywire.

But while I've been working I've been wondering what to blog about...you see my work at the moment will send you all to sleep. So, instead I'm going to blog about Blip. Yes, my dear friends BugJemm and Life's Rich Tapestry (names hidden to protect the innocent), managed to drag me kicking and screaming over to Blipfoto nearly a month ago. I was very dubious, I subscribe to so many things I didn't need another place to visit, but they did tempt me with wild stories and chocolate (ok, that's a lie but if we lived nearer I know they would).

The idea is to post a picture a day, a week, or whenever you like. Its like a journal, your life told in pictures. See, there's another sticking point...I try to keep a diary every year, last around a month and then get bored. Once a week is about it for me, which is why I like the occasional blog. But, and here's the big but (no, not the American type, that has two Ts)...I do love my photography. Im not a brilliant photographer but I do enjoy taking lots of pictures. I have been taking lots of photos of clouds and stones and lichen recently for my photoshopping, but they dont make particularly rivetting pictures.

The upshot is...I have managed to post a picture a day for the last 30 days. I'm enjoying it immensely..I love carrying my camera around and wondering what I can capture next. In short. Im hooked.

So...here are a few photos from my Blipsite.....next week I'll try to blog something interesting :)

Hut

Orkney Ferry

Shoo Fly

Wheels

All photos on this blog (c) SJ Donaldson.

Pop along to my Blip to see more here or click on all the links in this blog. Go see the blogs of Those Who Will Not Be Named or pop along to Blip photo's main page and join up yourself :)

Note: I cannot be held responsible for any new addictions (although this one is actually fun).

about Caithness

Ok , it dawned on me when Christina commented on a posting that many of you will probably know very little about Caithness. Hell…when I moved up here I realised a lot of true born Scots know little about the County. It’s the lowlands beyond the Highlands, neither one thing nor the other. So…here’s a little potted tour (kind of)

Map of Caithness from Calder's History - an old book of the County

Caithness is at the very top of Scotland…all those idiots brave people who cycle, run or walk backwards to John O’Groats are coming to Caithness. Go any further North on the British Mainland and you end up in the sea. Although contrary to popular believe, it is actually Dunnet head that is the most northerly place on the Mainland…not John O’Groats.

There you go...Dunnet Head seen from my garden (its the cliff in the background, Thurso is the town you can see)

There are two roads in…yes TWO. One, the A9 goes up the east coast and is where most of the traffic comes, and the other goes up the West…and is a lot wilder. Although you go through some pretty spectacular scenery to get here, once you reach Caithness it is undulating rather than hilly, can be quite bleak and is bloody windy.

Dunnet beach seen from Castletown Harbour (the beach is brilliant and massive)

Here's the beach from the other end

The place is brilliant if you like rugged scenery, wide open places, beaches that are fabulous, bird watching, hunting, shooting and fishing. I honestly don’t understand how the place isn’t more well-known…but unlike Orkney, we are run by the Highland Council...who seem to think that the world ends at Inverness.

The scenery on the way into town from my humble abode looking inland

Oh, and if you like shopping…don’t bother.

However, there are loads of artists up here and, as mentioned in a previous post, there’s a world class glass-studio. In fact, there’s a thriving community of artists, performers, writers, craftsmen and women as well as a population that is extremely friendly and welcoming….but like Brigadoon we’re rarely seen or heard.

Down by Thurso River in the summer

We have castles too….the Queen Mother made her home here in the Castle of Mey, Keiss castle here is a ruin, but there’s one further up the coast that’s still lived in. Ackergill Tower is a posh hotel which is more of a home from home that you can hire, and we have loads of old ruined ones too.

Keiss Castle, taken by me donkeys years ago

Oh, and I forgot surfing. It’s one of the top international spots for surfers. Yes, they really rate the waves, even if the water is bloody freezing!

I’m sure I’ve left some interesting snippets out…I may remember them and post another day. But for now that’s your lot.

Oh yes, we have forests too...now this was taken by an old Pictish house...rain/dust droplets or "orbs", you decide!

If you want to see some more photos I put some up on my website gallery years ago, but as they’re on another computer you’re best viewing them here: http://www.caithnessroots.co.uk/gallery.htm

So…any questions, fire away

The waiting game...

I'm sitting here in a quandry. The curse of the freelancer has descended and as a deadline looms work has been halted...question now is should I forge ahead and hope no text has been changed, or do I take the weekend off, ignore the fact that the deadline is seriously close and enjoy life?

For those who dont know, amongst other things, I'm an indexer, I index books. You know when you pick up a book (imagine one of those seriously hefty tomes full of scholarly material that you have to wade through) and open up the final few pages to find just what you are looking for (or if you've been mentioned)...well that index isn't created by a computer...most of the time it is a finely crafted work of art created by a real person.

You wouldnt believe the amount of times in general conversation when the "What do you do for a living?" question comes up, when the word Indexer is mentioned eyes glaze over. Other people are genuinely surprised that people make indexes and it's a real life profession. Well, yes, its a real job, a very complicated one and it takes training and patience to become an indexer. We are the people who get a book last and have to wade through it, pick out the relevant bits and put them back into such a form that everyone can find just what they are looking for in the shortest possible time and with the greatest amount of accuracy. You have to not only understand a great deal of information, you have to be able to dissect a text quickly, understand what the reader will find relevant and then put it back in list form. And the deadlines can be tight...very tight. Being the last in the line usually means you have to work your arse off if the deadline has become more serious when other areas of the publishing have taken longer than expected. It's no ones fault, thats life, but it can make for a lot of 12 hour days and unsociable hours.

Freelancing can be great, work from home, tons of coffee and cake, the ability to do the school run and grocery shopping when you want. But it can also be a pain...isolation (thank GOD for Twitter) and lack of work being the main problems. The constant search for work can be soul destroying when work is thin on the ground, and as the publishing industry is changing so is the work load. Who knows...it may be time to diverisfy (into what I dont know...answers on a postcard please)

So..I'm sitting here, still in a quandry. I'm very lucky that these clients are lovely and I know that if the deadline gets way too scary they know they'll have to extend it. But I think I'll split the difference...I'll do what I can, keep my fingers crossed...then take time out to watch the Monaco Grand Prix Qualifiers. 

After all....it's the weekend :)

It's been raining...

Ok, so this not the most exciting thing in the world, but up here “on the Edge” its been raining on and off for a few weeks. We get some lovely rainbows but the rain is never off long enough to let the sun shine through and do his thing of drying the ground off nicely. While this isn’t unusual in Caithness, at this time of the year it is a bit of a pain. You see, as a result, I haven’t managed to get out and mow the lawn…..yes ladies and gentle-beans…we now have a jungle in the Far North.

yes, this really is part of my garden!

As a matter of fact, our “lawn” is so high the EBC (that’s Evil Black Cat) has been using it for stalking practice. One minute she’s there, the next she’s gone….until she tries to move stealthily through the undergrowth, finds she can’t and ends up jumping to try to get through the long grass. She startled one of our daft collies the other day….he *knew* something was there but couldn’t see what it was…until she jumped out at him. Comical, and I wish I’d had my camera...£200 would be winging my way from “You’ve been Framed”.

I knew that something had to be done about the grass when, amongst all the usual junk mail, I found a forlorn home-made “business card” (tiny piece of business-card sized printed matter on a piece of paper…v. professional!) offering specialist grass-cutting services. And here’s me thinking that our hedge shielded the mess from the outside world!

While there is a lot of grass there are a few pretty flowers

So today there was a break in the rain and hubby and I broke the lawn-mower out of the garage. The poor thing needed a good dose of WD40 to get it moving and she did try admirably to cope with two-foot high grass and creeping buttercup (the bane of my existence in the garden), but we only managed to make two paths through.

Sod it…if anyone asks, until the weather gets better, I’m cultivating a wild-flower meadow

Doesn't time fly!

I had a thought this morning...ok, I know...that's unusual!

Anyway....I've spent the last few days playing with Photoshop Elements, a trial version that I am actually going to fork out for once the trial has finished (oh how I wish I could afford the full Photoshop creative suit with Illustrator!). I usually use The Gimp for editing my fractals (did you know I do fractals?) and photos. Now Gimp is free and lovely, but opening up Photoshop was like using my Ultra Fractal program and Gimp put together. OK, so I can't create fractals on it, but its moved on since the PS version I owned way back when, and I just love playing with it. So much so that I had a horrible realisation.

If fractal programs and Photoshop had existed when I was at school, I might have actually got up the gumption to go to art school!

"Split", one of my fractals from last year.

It's the one thing Ive regretted. I'm crap at drawing, but my batik for my Higher Project was apparently brilliant (no false modesty here), it was a complicated design of a cobra sitting on a pile of coins in grassland...unfortunately it "went missing" at school when it went off to be assessed and I never got it back. Now, if I had bumped my backside into gear I may have made a portfolio way back then, but I wanted to do archaeology, didn't get one of my highers and ended up with second best. Typical bloody teenager!

All those years ago (my GOD I sound ancient) there were no home computer graphics programs, and even if there were it wouldnt have been seen as art...lets admit it, a lot of people still don't think digital art is art that has time, energy and passion put into it. But now...if I was a teenager now I'd probably do a digital arts course in a bonfide art school and get my degree (if I was good enough, there are some brilliant digital artists out there!). As it is I play at making fractals and photomanipulation artwork, but the play is becoming more serious. Yesterday I even went in for a t-shirt design competition.

So what is all this waffle for? Well no reason, apart from it struck me like a hammer...in twenty years we've gone from digital art being only for the likes of moviemakers and special effects folk, to being able to knock up a digital piece of art at home on a home computer. A computer that twenty years ago was unheard of in a domestic setting.

"No Escape", one I did a few days ago

 

Bloody hell I feel ancient! So much has happened in the last twenty years..I blame alien technology ;)

If you are ever bored and fancy having a look at any of my "artwork" you can find it
here:  http://genuinegenie.deviantart.com/ 
or here: http://elviratsquirrel.redbubble.com/

Inspired by glass...

On Thursday evening I had the privilege to be among a small audience as four artists in residence from Northlands Creative Glass told us of their journey as glass workers and how they have spent their time in Caithness.

As each speaker had a different take on glass and what it meant to them, so each piece that we were shown fit into their work as an artist in an individual way. The one thing that struck me was that each of the four glass-makers had travelled the globe in the search for knowledge, working with other makers and sharing techniques, and will probably continue to do so. Glass is definitely not a lonely pursuit.

During a question and answer session there was a very interesting comparison made. Glass working was likened to modern day alchemy and in order to understand glass and allow its creative properties to be unleashed, the artist has to perfectly balance the four elements. Without all the elements being finely balanced the glass can be unstable and brittle.

The four artists were Veronika Beckh, Holly Grace, Clayton Hufford and Edison Osorio Zapata.

Veronika makes amazing glass, working with light and form that is captivating. 

(c) Veronika Beckh

http://veronikabeckh.com/works/

Holly takes inspiration from her surroundings and has created some lovely bottle canvases

(c) Holly Grace

http://www.hollygrace.com/

Clayton uses his glass in a very technical way, taking everyday items and creating them in glass.

(c) Clayton Hufford

http://claytonhufford.com/home.html 

Edison specialises in installations, his glass rod creations are amazing and his fluency in many languages is transformed by glass rollers.

(c) Edison Osorio Zapata

 http://www.edisonzapata.com/zapata/contents/home/?language=english

I am fascinated by glass, but have only managed to make it a few times. I would love to make more, but so far I’ve only managed a fish and a glass block, although I must admit that I enjoyed the block making immensely and am proud of the result…even if I have no way of displaying it (it’s been stuck in a kitchen drawer since I made it two years ago!)

(c) Sara Donaldson

 Yes, I know...this is my attempt, but at least I tried ;)

These amazing people, through a talk that lasted less than two hours, have inspired me to do more artistic stuff. Although I have a love/hate relationship with Caithness, seeing it through the eyes of others has made me realise that I tend to take the landscape for granted. Caithness is blessed with Northlands, an internationally acclaimed glass centre that attracts amazing artists from all over the world, one day I’ll get to go on another course.

Ok, I could wax lyrical forever. I love glass, it is tactile, neither completely solid nor liquid and can be made into virtually any form. What do you think about this wonderful material?

Why not visit these websites and have a look at the work of these brilliant people.

 

http://veronikabeckh.com/works/

http://www.hollygrace.com/

http://claytonhufford.com/zoom/984x588/1423632.html

http://www.edisonzapata.com/zapata/contents/home/?language=english

http://www.northlandsglass.com/

The Royal Wedding...

Hurrah…they’ve done it. William and Kate are now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, all grown up and married-like.

The television has been on since eight this morning…I’m a sucker for Pomp and Ceremony, so there I sat with my little Union Flag, my cup of Tetley and my cucumber sandwiches (crusts off naturally). My favourite bit of a Royal “do” is frock watching…who’s stylish, who’s tried too hard, and who looks like they should fire their stylist. Unfortunately today it’s the Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice who fall into the latter category. Who ever stood in front of them and said they had made the right choice should be sent to the dog-house. Bless them, they obviously have Fashion Dysmorphia too, but they should also have honest friends and family members to guide them.

I thought Camilla looked lovely, as did the Mother of the Bride. I just can’t help but feel that the ceremony had a big elephant in the room… “you know who” who was absent. Still, the show must go on. Madge looked fabulous in yellow I thought, rocking the block colour theme of the season and Philip behaved himself.

(c)Sodacan

I was disappointed though by Samantha Cameron, hatless among a sea of wedding goers. Again, perhaps, a case of throwing David in the dog-house for forgetting Court etiquette.

But Kate looked amazing. I am SO glad that it was a McQueen dress…even if the great man himself wasn’t around to see it. Sarah Burton will now be the most courted designer in the land, and will no doubt see her career go from strength to strength. The Grace Kelly inspired frock deserves a standing ovation – simple, yet stylish making sure the Bride was the centre of attention for all the right reasons. I thought a couple of times that William was going to burst out into fits of giggles, but he held himself together very well. And the bridesmaids and pageboys…well, too sweet for words.

I think the real stars of the day though were Harry and Pippa. He was obviously nervous and looked a little swamped in his dress uniform, but incredibly handsome, and Pippa looked gorgeous in her dress (even if I did want to scream “EAT” at the tv). They both carried out their roles immaculately and I think they should be rightly proud of the part they played. I think they’ll be letting their hair down a LOT tonight!

So the balcony kiss happened not once, but twice. The crowds have dispersed to carry on the festivities at locations around the Capital and soon there will be a few right Royal knees-ups going on. I didn’t bake any cakes or prepare a special lunch – hubby was working and darling daughter had to go to school. A Big BOO HISS to the local council, and the High School Head who didn’t get into the celebratory vibe and allow the kids a day off (or even the chance to celebrate)…when the happy couple were tying the knot, my daughter was learning fractions.

Tonight I’ll raise a glass to the Happy Couple and wish them a very happy and long life together. The country may be full of old cynics, but hopefully this wedding has also fired a bit of good old-fashioned British pride!


In the interests of copyright I havent copied any photos of the big day...but pop along to the British Monarchy's Flikr site here for some fab photos...and also images of Eugenie & Beatrice's outfits!

I missed them...again

I missed them! HOW could I miss them???

Who? The surfers of course!

Every year around the 2nd week in April the O’Neill Coldwater Classic descends on Thurso. Its been happening for a good few years now, and every year I tell myself I will go and sit by the shore to watch the surfers…and every year I manage to only watch them streaming live on my computer. For Heaven’s Sake… if I take my binoculars to the front window I can see them from my living room!

Go visit the website, HERE!

This year was going to be different…this year the weather was fine, the surf was fine and I had no work on. Did I get there? Nope.

I spoke to the O’Neill guys on twitter ( @ONeillCWC ) so I had no excuse not to go…I knew where they’d be. Heck…if you wander around town when the surf dudes are here you can easily find out when the next heat is, and where.  Darling daughter and her friends wanted to go and watch “the hot surfers” (excuse ME, since when did thirteen year olds find dudes HOT?), so knowing that they are actually just at the giggly “he’s cute” stage I agreed to take them to Thurso East to see the competition and thought I’d secrete myself somewhere nearby (on hand taxi person and keeping a sly eye out for them). It rained.

That was that…we never managed to get those two miles to the beach.

So….now I have to wait until next year. Again. Next year I WILL go and see the Coldwater Classic, I WILL marvel at the skill of the surfers and I WILL get down to the beach.

Until then….here’s a video of the finals.

Visit the Coldwater Classic Thurso page here: http://www.oneill.com/cwc/Scotland.html

Decades of colour

As I’m sitting down with darling daughter to watch the start of the film “Grown Ups” I turned to her and said “they got the colours right at least, that is SO 70s” and it got me to thinking…

Each decade is probably attached to a few colours that predominate; when you think of a decade colours spring to mind. So this is my take on the colours of the decades...

The Sixties…psychedelic man. Swirls of colour, the brighter the better, sunny and bright in a positive fashion

The Seventies are definitely brown and orange. No need to elucidate

My take on the decade... Escape from the 70s

I’d say the 80s were blue and white, with a teeny bit of red thrown in for good measure…there was a hell of a lot of denim going round (but let’s not forget black & chrome I suppose). The New Romantics were around with their white floaty numbers and I LOVED the Athena prints…I had this one on my wall by the amazing Syd Brak.

Wired for Sound (c) Syd Brak

Personally I think the 90s were a little non-descript, with no particular palette and a miriad of boy bands jumping around. But there were a lot of neon brights. The colours of the nineties were in yer face and loud - a bit like the Spice Girls, who to me epitomised the colours of the decade.

The naughties well..Id say that was gold. Bling everywhere, this bikini kind of sums up the whole decade. £2000 for a crystal clad bikini…ok its not gold…but you get my drift.

The 2000s…well back to a multitude of hues, but in blocks of colour. Colours were rich though, designers like Matthew Williamson and Alexander McQueen will sum up this decade. The 2000s were bright but rarely garish… unless you liked your world to make a statement…this decade I think will be remembered for jewel colours.

Alexander McQueen 2003, photograph (c) Nylon Magazine

And now? Double denim & back to blue anyone?? I wonder how we'll remember the colours of this decade?

So what are your thoughts? are your colours the same as mine??

Fashion Dysmorphia and me

So I’m sitting in my lounge, cuppa to hand and a copy of my favourite fashion magazine nestling in my lap. I won’t lie, it hasn’t been the best of days, so a flick through to see what the gorgeous people are wearing should brighten my day right up.

Its spring (well it’s supposed to be) and jumping out from the pages are lithe young lovelies wearing blocks of bright colour, floaty florals and stripes galore, all accessorised to within an inch of their lives. It makes me smile….but as I drool over the latest gorgeous handbag and some fabulous Ash Buckle hi-tops (if I had the disposable they would be mine) I happen to look down.

Yet again I’m wearing my old faithful washed out denim flares, olive and black striped top that’s at least 15 years old (hey, at least stripes are in again) and my converse. Well at least I’ve more or less ditched my staple DMs for something softer and *ahem* more feminine.

As I lovingly gaze at the models I know that I will never, ever look that good – for goodness sake I’m twice their age – but I have also come to realise that I have Fashion Dysmorphia. I have a room full of clothes and nothing matches. I can casually fling on an assortment of garments, look in the mirror, flick my hair in a fashionista way (well what’s left of it, but that’s a whole different story) and think…. “ hmmm…not too shabby”. Then a few hours later I realise that Worzel Gummidge had more fashion-sense and better hair.

When I worked amongst “people” I managed to look not too mis-matched, even though I did like my mini-skirts and Doc Marten boots, or sky-scraper heels. Now, over ten years later, I have taken a step backwards rather than an older and wiser, more fashionably clad, step forwards. Working at home, behind a computer screen, is a fashion killer. Why get dressed up when you have nowhere to go and jeans are comfy? But again, I’m straying from the point.

Give me free reign in one of the top fashion houses (just for an afternoon mind you, I’m not greedy), and I would still emerge looking like I had just stepped out of the sale rails at Primark. There is something that happens between the light travelling from the mirror to my eyes that shifts the particles and I don’t see what everyone else sees… I see a perfectly presentable mother/wife/chauffeur (albeit a little on the unusual side) and they see a scarecrow. Perhaps Brian Cox could help me sort out the realities of this in some way? And yes, before you ask…when I look in the mirror I am wearing my spectacles.

Be afraid...be very afraid

One case in point is the outfit for my brother’s recent wedding. Imagine.. I trawl through the shops in Inverness…three hours to find the perfect outfit with daughter in tow. As usual I end up in M&S, Per Una is usually a life saver, but nothing catches my eye. However, I’m in a retro vibe at the moment and a lovely 50s style linen shift dress beckons me from the rails (I know!! Linen, the Devil’s material…which I make a rule never to wear!!) The clock is ticking…I team it with a red jacket and shoe boots…and don’t look too shabby. Until I see the wedding photos! How on earth can something that looks good on the models (even if they are a few stone lighter) look so wrong? When I gazed into the changing room mirror on that fateful day I saw a woman in a smart outfit; it suited me and would be formal enough for a wedding. I even check and double check to make sure it’s the right size and everything ….the photos strangely enough show our dear old friend Worzel.

So, I have come to the conclusion I have Fashion Dysmorphia, it is a non-life threatening affliction caused by the inability to see how fashion translates onto one’s body. When a sufferer looks in the mirror they see a distorted image … they see a fabulously put together ensemble, while the world around them weeps.