In light of my new positivity, it's Friday, it's the end of January, the sun is shining and there is fresh snow on the mountains - all good reasons to get happy, and the soundtrack to my good mood has to be Pharrell Williams' brilliant song "Happy" which is featured on the "Despicable Me 2" soundtrack and is highly likely to win the Oscar for Best Song on March 2nd.
It is just the most uplifting song and alongside the phenomenally cool Williams, the video features real people dancing and lip-synching, along with some celebrity cameos from the likes of Steve Carrell and Jamie Foxx and the odd minion (the little yellow guys from the movie.) Williams has created a genius website: 24hoursofhappy - the world's first 24 hour music video, which features a whopping 360 versions of the 4 minute song on a loop and allows users to choose whichever time segment they wish to view thanks to an interactive clock. You can never have too much of a good thing and it is incredibly catchy - I really could listen to it all day!
Williams appears 24 times, on the hour and he's quite the style king - has anyone ever looked cooler in shorts and skate shoes? (I wonder if I can persuade English Gent to sport a pair this summer....) He also rocks a good hat, which I like - the vintage Vivienne Westwood Mountie version he jauntily sported at the Grammy's last weekend caused such a stir it had its own Twitter account @Pharrellhat and 16,000 followers by the next day - that's fame for you.
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
So thanks Pharrell, for telling us all that happiness is the truth. I'm off to clap along - I defy you not to join in. Have a good weekend everyone.
Happy New Year. It's good to be blogging again and I hope that these early weeks of 2014 have proved a positive beginning, with the sense of hope and change that accompanies the start of a new year still resonating.
Photo: Pinterest
This year, I have decided that it's the small changes
that are going to make the biggest difference and I am using watchwords
rather than resolutions to keep myself on track: to be mindful, grateful
and that little bit braver.
Photo: Pinterest
One of the reasons I took a break from my blog at the end of last year was because the sadness that I was dealing with due to the loss of my much-missed father became a weight that I was constantly carrying around with me and I was simply concentrating on getting through the days, keeping going and hiding my emotions, without giving myself the time to process my feelings. If my blog is where I voice and share my thoughts, then I didn't want to go there - I preferred silence.
Photo: Pinterest
Meryl has a point, and I've realized that's precisely what I've not been doing - in trying to keep my emotions in, I've been closing myself off, which is no good for anyone, least of all me. But I've found that if I am mindful of the present and grateful for what I have, the
weight lifts a little and I feel more able to re-engage. This year I am determined to be happy, I want to take chances, accept the
challenges and be the best person I can be - as a mother, a wife, a
sister, a daughter, an aunt, a friend. Sounds simple, but it's so much harder in practice.
So whilst the sadness is still there, I think it's going to be OK - I can take it out, look at it, cry if I need to and then put it away, and get on with my life. Tennyson wrote a wonderful poem called 'Ring out Wild Bells' and it contains the lines: "Ring out the grief that saps the mind, For those that here we see no more." And it continues: "Ring out the old, ring in the new, ring happy bells, across the snow: the year is going, let him go..." So here's to letting go, to being happy, and to a new year full of promise. I look forward to sharing it with you.
Remember that classic moment in "When Harry met Sally" when Sally has a meltdown and utters the immortal words "And I'm gonna be 40!" to which Harry asks "When?" and she replies " Someday..... but it's there, it's just sitting there like this big dead end..."
Well last week I woke up and realized that I'm going to be 50 and not just someday, but ahem, in 3 years time - how on earth is that remotely possible? When did getting older sneak up and bite me on my (not nearly as perky as it once was) behind? I only just turned 40 - didn't I? OK, breathe, it's not a dead end, I've still got loads of time to grow old disgracefully (which I fully intend to) and whereas Sally was panicking about being single and childless, I'm happily on the other side of that fence. With the boys growing in confidence and independence and the battle of the menopausal vs t(w)eenage mood-swings still at arm's length, I've finally got a sliver of me time - between school runs.
Time to work out what I need to do to hold it all together (answer: write my blog), time to ask myself such soul-searching questions as 'does facial acupuncture actually work?' (answer: worth a try) and 'can I get away with buying (and wearing) a black leather biker jacket?' (answer: yes, and it's in my wardrobe.) Nothing new of course, only now it's got a name. Yes, dear readers, apparently according to "Mums Like Us" author Laura Kemp I'm on the verge of a Mummy mid-life crisis - who knew?
According to Kemp there are seven symptoms of the 'Mumopause' and on going through the list I have to admit I'm exhibiting enough of them to qualify:
1. Having a Radical Haircut
Once a long haired girl always a long haired girl, that's me. So why have I been drooling over pictures of Michelle Williams in the current Louis Vuitton campaign and wondering whether this style would suit me?
Michelle Williams for Louis Vuitton. Photo: Peter Lindbergh
2. Intense Exercise
I've written about my regular yoga class before and having taken it up 4 years ago it's now a fixed part of my weekly routine. I love the toning (body) and calming (mind) effects , (though heaven knows I will never have Gwyneth's "stripper's butt'') but that's not enough - suddenly I'm getting scarily drawn to rather whacky yoga leggings like these:
Onzie Galaxy yoga leggings
I even found myself a pair and absentmindedly did the school run in them post class - what was I thinking? Definitely crisis-worthy...
3. Getting Crafty
I've always been a fan of sewing a bit of bunting and making the odd lavender bag, but now thanks to the genius that is Pinterest, I'm nosily checking out everyone's interiors and holiday craft ideas and endlessly thinking I could make something similar if I had the time - which I would have, if I could just stop pinning. Hang on, I know I've got a pot of blackboard paint somewhere....
Photo: Pinterest
4. Hooked on Social Media
Friends you've never met? Checking for constant updates on the minutiae of other people's lives? I would like to say that I'm not suffering from this symptom as I'm one of the only people left on the planet who is NOF (Not On Facebook.) How on earth do I cope you may well ask? Well, I find Instagram does it for me people, and if someone I've never met likes my cupcake photo, it quite frankly makes my day. Guilty m'lord.
5. Watching the News
Now that the children are no longer glued to Peppa Pig, we 'Mumopausal' ladies are finally able to get back to grips with world news and current affairs. Knowing what's going on in the outside world again should be a good thing, though the news is regularly so depressing that I often find myself wishing I was still watching the former. However I have realized I can sneakily replace bearded Daddy Pig with the now rather gloriously bearded Jeremy Paxman - a perfect reason for my renewed interest in 'Newsnight'.
Jeremy Paxman Photo: BBC
6. Getting a dog
Hah - this is the one symptom I am definitely NOT exhibiting. Puppies are popping (or should that be pooping?) up all around me as other Mums I know succumb, but I am holding out - oh yes. I'm happy to have the house to myself once the boys have all left in the morning, I do not need a reason to go out for a walk in the freezing cold, no thank you. But I do think Bob will be making his way onto Captain Adorable's bed for Christmas - and no, he's not a real dog - ingenious eh?
www.snurkbeddengoed.nl
7. Caring about winter boots
Last winter it was all about my Sorel boots. That was my quest for the practical and stylish option (my 'crise' was obviously starting back then.) Now that's done I'm free to spend hours Googling slightly more frivolous footwear. I didn't know I needed a patent pair but as my favourite Fashion Editor Lisa Armstrong says - they go with everything - so now of course I do... I'm off to Zara tomorrow.
(L-R): Leather, £515, by Miu Miu, from net-a-porter.com , Block heel, £75, by Zara (zara.com) , Leather with ankle strap, £374.35, by Church's, from farfetch.com
And there you have it - I score 6.5 out of 7 - I think the 'Mummy mid-life crisis' Club would have me.
But wait, isn't there an 8th symptom out there - what about 'Getting a Tattoo'? Surely that's a sign? I've thought quite alot about it on and off - nothing very original I grant you: 2 stars on my wrist or the boys names in Sanskrit but so far I've resisted (perhaps subconsciously trying to keep my crisis at bay?) And then this week the 75 year old BBC TV presenter David Dimbleby revealed that he has recently had a scorpion tattooed on his back, which when I add that to David Beckham's current inking overload, I can safely say has knocked any desire I had to get a tattoo firmly on the head. Over, kaput, not for me.
Photo: BBC
Still happy to include a pic of Becks though in his new Christmas undies:
David Beckham for H&M
So, saved by the bell (well actually the scorpion), English Gent can sleep easy, safe in the knowledge that I'm not going to turn into the Tattooed Lady over night and I can get my required 8 hours as I reckon I'm holding off on my 'Mummy mid-life' crisis - for now. But it's definitely a slippery slope.... Are you holding out or joining the ranks? I'd love to know.
One minute it was all season of mists and mellow fruitfulness and suddenly, whether I like it or not, the Christmas countdown has begun.... However, before I go and get completely obsessed with what colour scheme my tree will be this year, I'm giving one last culinary gasp to Autumn. It definitely wouldn't win me Star Baker on "The Great British Bake Off" (a totally addictive BBC television baking competition for those who are not in the know) but this apple pie is a slam dunk winner around our kitchen table. Nothing makes me happier than seeing my boys out in the garden apple picking and then munching their way through the fruits of their labours a couple of hours later.
Photo: www.seasonal-love.tumblr.com
The recipe in question is Nigel Slater's " Bramley Apple Shortcake" which comes from his amazing Kitchen Diaries (the first and best one in my opinion). The pastry is crumbly and sweet - it can be fiddly to roll so you need to be patient, and if you do have to patch it, by the time it comes out of the oven all golden and burnished and beautiful, no-one will be any the wiser - trust me.
For the pastry:
butter- 150g
golden caster sugar- 150g
an egg
plain flour - 250g
1 tsp baking powder
a little milk and sugar to finish
For the filling:
1.2kg Bramley apples (if you can't get Bramleys, choose another tart apple eg Braeburn)
lemon juice
butter - 50g
a heaped tablespoon of caster sugar.
Photo: Andrea Jones
Lightly butter a 24cm shallow
metal pie plate.
Cream the butter and sugar in a food mixer until light and fluffy. Mix
in the egg, then gently add the flour and baking powder. Remove and roll into a ball on a heavily floured work surface.
Knead the dough for a minute or two until it it is smooth and soft (it
will be quite soft, be warned).
Cut
the pastry in half, roll out one half and use it to line the pie tin.
Wrap the remaining pastry in greaseproof paper and refrigerate it with
the lined tin for 20 minutes or so. It won't hurt if you leave it a bit longer. Set the oven at
180c/Gas 4. Peel the apples, remove their cores and slice them thickly, as you would for apple pie.
Drop them in cold water to which you have added a squeeze of lemon
juice to stop them discolouring.
Melt
the butter in a non-stick frying pan when it
sizzles, add the apples. You want them to colour here and there and
soften somewhat, but without breaking up. Scatter the sugar over them and continue cooking until they are very lightly
caramelised. As soon as they show signs of frothing remove from the heat.
Place
a baking sheet in the oven to heat up, use the juice from the apples to
brush the edges of the lined pastry case. Fill the tin with the cooked
apples, then roll out the second half of the pastry and carefully lay
it on top of the fruit. Press the pastry edges together and patch where necessary. Brush the pastry crust tenderly with milk
and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until pastry is
golden and crumbly. Leave to cool briefly, then sugar again before
cutting.
I love the way Nige (as he's my constant kitchen companion I like to think we're on first name terms by now) advises 'tenderly' brushing the pastry crust with milk, but he's absolutely right. The warm apples make the pastry very soft so you have to go gently or you risk breaking the pastry top.
I kid you not, this is one of the most life-affirming, uplifting mouthfuls of apple you will ever taste - I urge you to give it a go. As they say on the GBBO "On your marks, get set, bake!"
Yves Saint Laurent has a lot to answer for in my book. Ever since he launched 'Le Smoking' - the bold, sophisticated tuxedo for women - way back in 1966 (a vintage year though I say it myself), the perfect black trouser (suit) has been out there, and yet it remains incredibly elusive. Which got me wondering why should such a classic item be so hard for us mere mortals to pin down?
Photo: Helmut Newton
Back in the 90's when I was living my London life, a pair of black trousers from Joseph on the Fulham Road were the nec plus ultra of office attire. Squeezing yourself into a pair of the signature low-cut, narrow-leg pants however was another matter entirely, and I didn't seem to be the right shape back then to be a Joseph girl, regardless of whether I could afford them.... But oh, did they represent a level of chic and modernity that we all aspired to - I was not going to give up my quest.
Joseph AW13
I knew that designer definitely beat high street as regards the tailored trouser, and after some more sleuthing finally found a pair from Anna Sui in The Harvey Nicks sale: flat fronted, boot cut and beautifully made, they fitted the bill and went with everything. I hauled them out of mothballs the other day and tried them on. How fickle the fashion years are - where once they looked so right, now they just seemed frumpy and unflattering - a classic item maybe, but as the years have passed, seemingly not classic enough.
Le Smoking 1966
Yet the black trouser, with or without its jacket, remains a perennial favourite on the catwalk, and both Raf Simons at Dior and Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent (he's dropped the Yves) have reinvented it for the 21st Century in a way that just makes me lust after a pair all over again. Simons has combined them with the Dior Bar jacket for his tux redux, whilst Slimane has produced them in both wool and buttersoft leather that I am coveting (in my dreams). Further down the rock chick scale Isabel Marant has her own boho version but it is the classic slimcut wool version that will stand the test of time.
Raf Simons for Dior Haute Couture A/W 2012
Dior Ready to Wear S/S 2013
Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent S/S 2013
Pre Fall 2013 Saint Laurent
Isabel Marant in her own design for S/S 2014
If the French fashion houses are where to find the perfect pair, then it is to les Françaises we need to look for the best way to wear them. From Catherine Deneuve to Inès de la Fressange, from Charlotte Rampling (I know she's English but she is peerless in her French dress sense) to Emanuelle Alt they all wear a black trouser or full tux with consummate ease, dressing it up or down with that Gallic insouciance that I find so seductive (and know that I will never master). As Deneuve herself once commented: “The thing about a tuxedo is that it is virile and feminine at the same time.” In other words - gentlemen, watch out.
Catherine Deneuve with Yves Saint Laurent in the original 'Le Smoking'
Ines de la Fressange - Paris Fashion Week S/S 2014
Charlotte Rampling - Photo: girlsinsuits.tumblr.com
Emanuelle Alt Paris Fashion Week S/S 2014
Of course the high street has come a long way in the past 20 years and there are now a myriad lower price point versions of the black trouser (suit) to choose from. I keep trying the odd pair on, in the vain hope that they might do the trick, yet they remain unable to deliver on their promise, so back on the rail they go and my quest continues. Couture truly is a cut above in this instance and Yves Saint Laurent's Le Smoking remains as alluring today as it first did 47 years ago, offering a glamour and sophistication that the high street just can't match. To quote the great man himself “For a woman, Le Smoking is an indispensable garment with which she
finds herself continually in fashion, because it is about style, not
fashion. Fashions come and go, but style is forever.” Never a truer word said.
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