I got up at five o'clock, I made myself a cup of tea, I looked out of the window. Well, by then I was so worn out I had to come and have a sit-down.

I'm working in London today and have had another pretty naughty lunchtime. I'm getting paid tomorrow though so I'm not feeling too guilty! None of you will be surprised to hear that I paid a visit to the Fever shop on my lunch hour to spend some of my hard earned cash. Here's what I bought:


Artaban sundress
This is a nice basic dress. I don't think I would have paid full price for it, but as the sample was greatly reduced I thought I'd take the opportunity to add another red item of clothing to my wardrobe. The skirt is especially pretty.


Fez bolero
Not sure why this style is named 'fez' but this is another sample. It's a slightly darker shade of blue than on screen, but as I have been looking for a blue cardigan I was pleased to find this.


Jeanne maxi dress
The photo really does not do this dress justice, the colours are so vibrant and the cut is very flattering. I got this one using my discount, but I've had my eye on it for ages and today was the first time I'd seen it in the store. I'm very excited to wear it - I realised just how excited when I found myself talking to the dress in the changing room. What can I say, it's been a long time since I've had a holiday!

On that note, I'm off to get some work done so I can enjoy my long weekend with a clear conscience. Happy bank holiday weekend, everybody!

It must be love....holding hands when you're not even on your holidays

Just a short one this evening I'm afraid. I'm feeling a wee bit emotional after watching Short Circuit 2 with Nic. I don't know how many times I've seen this film now, I've loved it ever since I was a child. It doesn't matter how many times I see it either, it always makes me cry when Johnny Five gets smashed up (sorry for the spoiler, but as the film came out in 1988 I think I'm safe enough) Nic had never seen it, and I'm pleased that he liked it. The next childhood classic we have to watch together is Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory and maybe one day, if Nic is very good, we'll watch Nuns on The Run.

Anyway, I was working from home today so I didn't bother too much with hair or makeup. I still did an outfit shot though, because I do have an adoring public to think about:


Fever lily dress and IC Flick Flack shoes

Other than that, I don't have much craic. Mrs Z called round for a chat, which was really good. She brought her baby daughter with her, who was gurgling and smiling away. She also brought me round a dress pattern - for the pretty red pinafore she gave me a few months ago. I'm going to start on something a bit less complicated, but I'm excited about giving it a go when I get a bit more experienced.

I'm not going to be posting for a few days, because Nic and I are off to spend the long weekend with his parents in Kent. I'm really looking forward to having a paddle in the sea, and a change of scenery will do me good. Also, after work tomorrow I'm going to wander over to the Fever shop to see if there are any pretty dresses to catch my eye.

I'm off to watch an episode of Early Doors to make me laugh before it's time to go to bed. Night all!

Show her how much you love her Eddie, throw in a fish.

Now, this is going to be a reasonably short one because it's nearly 9:30pm and I haven't had my dinner yet. My tummy is really growling! Dinner has been so late because it's been a busy old day! I was working in Coventry today, and busy with essential but boring finance stuff. The day went by nice and quickly, though, so that was nice. One of my colleagues had a pair of shoes to give to me, and another one might be joining Sew Make Believe, which would be awesome. Her husband gave her a sewing machine for her birthday and she has been sewing up a storm ever since, which is lovely and very inspiring.

I was met at the station by Nic and Martha, which was just lovely. Coincidentally, Martha was also wearing red shoes so decided to get involved in my Ruby Shoesdays outfit shot:

I'm wearing my Fever Pansy Spot Dress and my new IC mermaid shoes. I don't know where Martha's outfits are from, but doesn't she look chic?


A close up of the shoes because you can't quite see them in the wee shaft of sunlight they're in!

Just while I'm at it, here are my new shoes:

No. 25 - Red suede court shoes
Admittedly, I might not have picked them out for myself but I was extremely pleased with them. They're very elegant on, I look forward to showing them off on a future Ruby Shoesday!

I changed into flats and Martha and I walked up to Sugar Plum's house for a cup of tea and a catch up, which was great. N was busy soldering away at some kind of circuit board and it was very companionable just to sit around in their sunny living room and chat. I left just before eight to meet Caroline and Kate in the Pump Room Gardens to go for a walk. We enjoyed a brisk walk through some parkland, past some beautiful houses and along the canal. We were walking at a fair pace, but not so fast that we couldn't have a good gossip on the way. It was brilliant and I look forward to doing it again soon.

Okay, my dinner is nearly ready so I'm away to eat it. Then maybe I'll watch some Lewis. Yes!

No-one can make you feel inferior without your consent

Since I decided to take part in the Basse Mode challenge, to wrote about real fashion, I have found lots of new blogs to read. One of them has been Kat's blog Tea and Feathers. I love the way her outfit shots are so artfully posed on her staircase! Recently she included a photo of herself without her makeup on and and I loved the accompanying post. She linked to this excellent article from Already Pretty, which attempts to debunk the myth at the heart of the beauty industry by asserting that there is nothing wrong with you.

This is a concept that is surprisingly difficult to get on board with, because we are constantly being told that there is something wrong with us. We internalise this and tell ourselves that there is something wrong with us. We're too fat, or too thin, or don't have shiny enough hair or clear enough skin or trendy enough clothes. If you stop to let it all in, it is really depressing.

Caroline blogged recently on the concept of writing a compliment slip to your friends to tell them the things that you love about the way they look. You can read her blog here, and you should. It's lovely. She suggested sending a compliment slip to yourself as well. I loved this concept and sent a few text messages and emails immediately after reading, and I was delighted and moved to get some in return. It helped me to remember that there is nothing wrong with me. I'm healthy, I'm happy. I have good friends, a loving family and a marvellous boyfriend. I have a job I enjoy and that I'm good at. I'm a good person and I'm quite attractive.

It isn't always easy to remember that, however. In fact, it's depressingly easy to slide into focusing only on the things to worry about, the things to feel bad about. For example, I can leave the house feeling good about my outfit or hairstyle or whatever, only for something to derail my mood. It might be catching my reflection in the window of the train (after running for the train) Or it might be something completely external like seeing someone else who looks really chic, which makes me feel like a massive frump by comparison. It's at times like these that I'd do well to remember that I'm fine as I am - there's nothing wrong with me. The same thing can be said about the less tangible things. Much as with my looks or my dress, I can be going about feeling pretty good about myself and then hear something negative, and temporarily lose all confidence. A bitchy comment, even from someone whose opinion means nothing to me, can throw me off balance and make me feel stressed and unhappy.

So, I'm going to make an effort to adhere to Eleanor Roosevelt's advice and remember that no-one can make me feel inferior without my consent. An unflattering reflection in a train window, a bitchy comment from an acquaintance: these things can only make me feel bad if I participate in them. And why would I? It doesn't make sense to allow something external or someone unimportant to hold so much sway over me, why would I consent to it? I'm tempted to put this on a wee flashcard, you know. There is nothing wrong with me.

Here I am. I'm all right, aren't I?

Living well is the best revenge

After a somewhat rubbish start to the week, with being very busy and then getting sick, I'm pleased to say that things picked up a fair old bit. I was home from work at a reasonable time on Wednesday, despite having been working in London. I tidied myself up and then went out to The White Horse to join the Sew Make Believe ladies for our book group. The book under discussion was The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. I had been very resistant to the idea of it, but found myself captivated by the novel when I read it a few months ago. The book group was really excellent - while we all enjoyed the novel we all had very different interpretations, which made for a fascinating conversation. Nic joined us towards the end, after having spent his evening in the Somerville, and the night ended very happily with Caroline and Lauren popping up to our flat to borrow a book. It was a really lovely evening and I am already excited about the next book group.

Happily on Thursday I didn't have to go to London, as we were having an all staff event in our offices in Coventry. As it wasn't starting until 10 I had a positively decadent lie-in until 8:30 (just as well really, as I'd had a couple of glasses of wine the night before) The day itself wasn't hugely exciting. It was nice to be in the Coventry office (I found myself really looking forward to being based there permanently after the end of June) and it was really good to work with colleagues from across the organisation. Also, I got to spend some time chatting with Louise's lovely hubby. I have him to thank for our friendship and he is a very lovely and funny man. The best thing about the day, however, was the fact that we finished at four so I was back in Leamington well before five. The weather was glorious, so Nic and I walked over to the Saxon Mill to enjoy a drink in the sunshine. After that we wandered up to the churchyard at Old Milverton and spent some time there. I love churchyards - one of my favourite places in the world is the churchyard behind St. James's Church of Ireland Church in Aughnacloy. The church at Old Milverton is also called St James's, and the churchyard is just as beautiful. I had been feeling a bit fuzzy after a day spent indoors, but the peace and beauty of the countryside brought me back to myself. We walked back through the village and then spent a quiet evening in - it was bliss.

I was working from home on Friday and took advantage of the sunshine to get out and have lunch in the Pump Room Gardens. In the evening Nic and I headed out to The Somerville Arms to meet Caroline, Lauren, Alysa, Rich, Paul and Viv. As always, we had a perfectly lovely time and kept poor Paul B, the landlord, up late. As we were all at a loose end the following day, we decided to take Viv up on his offer of a walk to Hunningham to have lunch in the Red Lion. Caroline has written about it in more detail over on her blog, and you can see her gorgeous photos there too. Martha joined us and the walk was stunning - we walked up through Newbold Comyn and across the countryside to Offchurch, and then down along the road to Hunningham. It took us a few hours, and it was very companionable to walk along in the sunshine and chat. I had been warned to wear flat shoes, so I got my faithful Birkenstocks out for the walk:
In my Fever Maisy sundress and birkenstocks

The food was excellent at the Red Lion and I felt very happy and relaxed. I feel very lucky to have stumbled into friendship with the Sew Make Believe ladies, and yesterday was one of the nicest days I've had for a very long time.

Nic and I had been invited to a party yesterday evening but it had completely slipped my mind until I ran into a mutual friend in Tesco. After such a long walk and a large lunch I wasn't in the party mood, so instead I curled up on the sofa with a DVD and the blanket I am crocheting for a friend who is expecting a baby. I had taken a bit too much sun and wouldn't have been much company and for various reasons I'm very glad Nic and I had a quiet night in.

I have no such exciting adventures planned for this afternoon as I have a mountain of ironing to do, but I did have time to have a quick coffee and a browse in the shops with Martha this morning. I didn't buy anything, although I did pick up some free books from the Bookcrossing shelf in the coffee shop -The Best of Friends and The Rector's Wife by Joanna Trollope and The Long View by Elizabeth Jane Howard. I tried on a few dresses in Lilac Rose, but as I have been especially profligate in my spending this month, I decided against buying anything. My steely (!) resolve was helped along by the fact that I won a dress this morning on eBay. It's a dress by Ruby Belle, the sister company of Fever and, annoyingly, I can't find a picture of it to put on here. It's called the Photograph dress, and it's orange with a tropical print over it - I'll no doubt post it up here when it arrives! I wore my Bertie Sardinia Shoes, number 1 in my Shoeperwoman's Shoe Challenge:
Bertie Sardinia shoes, Fever Cuba dress

I've also another pair of shoes to add, as my Irregular Choice Mermaids arrived on Thursday:

24. Irregular Choice Mermaid shoes in red
The picture doesn't do them much justice, but I plan to wear them for Ruby Shoesday very soon! Thursday was a good day for red shoes, actually. The mermaids arrived, obviously. Also, while I was at the whole staff event one of my colleagues told me she had a pair of red suede heels to give to me as they don't fit her any more - again, I'll put up a photo when they arrive!

I found out this week that I'll be getting a bonus in my April paycheque. I had already planned to spend some of it on the trip to Paris that Nic and I are planning for June, and after some discussion with Louise I have decided to spend the rest on a sewing machine. I went to a sewing evening class last year and really did not enjoy it, and it put me off attempting to do much sewing myself. I've also been wary of it because, well, I've seen how there is a certain smugness to it. However, I have been so inspired by Kate's quilting and the talents of my other Sew Make Believe colleagues that I've decided to stop worrying about it and give it a go. I'm going to cheat a little by practising with this Rob Ryan design Cloth Kits skirt, which will go to Martha if it functions as a skirt in any way! I'm looking forward to the challenge, so when I get paid I'm going to ring Sewing Machines Direct and see what they recommend in my price range.

Okay, that pile of ironing really is VERY big so I'm going to go and attend to it. Then perhaps it's time for some cake. But I'm going to leave you with this video of Rizzo from Grease. I'm not a huge fan of the movie, but I love this song, and I think Stockard Channing is brilliant:

It may be an unwise man who doesn't learn from his own mistakes, but it's an absolute idiot that doesn't learn from other people's.

I'm a poor sad wee thing today, as I'm at home with the lurgy. As I write this I'm in my warm clothes, under a blanket on the sofa. It feels like someone has scooped out my brain and replaced with with cotton wool. Yuck. Luckily for me, Nic is very kind and good at taking care of me and I'm sure I'll be fit for work in the morning.

Moan, moan moan...but I do have a more upbeat blog post, which I'm sure will cheer me up. On Friday night, fuelled by wine and giddy in the knowledge that I didn't have to get up for work in the morning, Nic and I spent some time watching the title sequences of some of our favourite TV programmes. It got me thinking about what a sucker I am for a good theme tune and what it can bring to a show. So here, for your delight, are some of my favourite theme tunes and the reasons why I think they're excellent.

New Tricks - It's Alright


The obvious Dennis Waterman theme tune to go for is I Could Be So Good For You from Minder, because it is much more famous. It is a good one (so good, in fact, that I own it on vinyl. I'm just that cool) However, I don't have all that much to say about it because I'm not too familiar with Minder as a show. I've written about New Tricks before, so I'll try not to repeat myself too much. For one thing, I think the fact that it is Dennis Waterman singing the theme tune makes this excellent. One of the chief pleasures the show offers is the nostalgia value, and the theme tune fits right into this conceit. The lyrics are pretty silly but, pleasingly, they include some of the show's ideas. You can teach an old dog a brand new trick. It helps that it's good fun to sing along with this one, and maybe one day they'll get around to releasing it as a single.

Neighbours/Home and Away/Sons and Daughters
I'm running these three together because I think the Australians got it right on this one: you ought to have a rather hysterical theme tune for your soap operas. I know Eastenders is meant to be all gritty and naturalist and everything (although. really? I think in its own way it's even more ridiculous than Sunset Beach or Passions) but I for one think that it would be vastly improved by a theme tune. With lyrics. Perhaps they could take in meditations on life in the east end of London as well as the wider ideas of relationships and feelings and shit like that. Anyway, with these Australian soaps the theme tunes all do just that. Of the three I've mentioned, I think Sons and Daughters does this in the most satisfying way with its frankly rather mad lyrics:
Love can happen now like it happened then
Wondered at the time what love really meant
When it came, it came from nowhere
When it came, it altered our lives...

Absolutely brilliant. It was also released as a single!

The Wire - Way Down in the Hole and The Fall
Damn, I bet you never thought you'd find The Wire and Sons and Daughters being written about in the same piece, did you? I love the theme from The Wire, all of its iterations (although I think my favourite is the Season 4 version). I wanted to write about it, partly to prove that it doesn't have to be silly or jolly to get my attention. In each season of The Wire the theme tune cues you in, and it's an essential part of each episode. I don't think I can say anything about The Wire that hasn't already been said better elsewhere on the internet, so I won't waffle on now. I've also mentioned the end theme, because its melancholy abstractness is very special.

Doctor Who

I'd like to do a spot of RTD-bashing again. I bloody hate the way the theme in the new Doctor Who episodes is orchestrated. It sounds shit. The original theme, by Ron Grainer and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and arranged by Delia Derbyshire is amazing, however. It was one of the first TV themes to be produced using entirely electronic means and rather than using instruments, Grainer and the Radiophonic Workshop used magnetic tape loops and feedback and it sounds completely weird and unearthly. I always think how eerie it must have been to be watching An Unearthly Child in 1963. Of course, it makes perfect sense for a science fiction show to have such a weird theme tune. I confess, this is another one that I enjoy singing along with. I've never made up lyrics or anything, but I do enjoy a bit of singing "Oooooooh oooh, ooooooh oooooh oooooh" and, do you know what? I'm not one bit ashamed of that.

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads - What Happened to You?

I'm sorry - I couldn't find a YouTube video of just the theme tune, this video also has part of an episode.
The theme tune from Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads was written by Ian La Frenais and Mike Hugg from Manfred Mann, and I like it because it is another theme tune that totally encapsulates the underlying melancholy of the show. Certainly it's a comedy, but it's also about the passage of time and about the ways in which we become unrecognisable to ourselves as we get older. It is aided by the title sequence, which combines photos from The Likely Lads with shots of a rapidly changing North East, and shots of Terry and Bob that show how they have moved in different directions. For viewers now, the theme tune has an added layer of meaning - what Terry and Bob were looking forward to was worse than the past, it was Britain in the 80s.

Of course, there are lots more theme tunes that I love, but this blog post could become very long so I'm going to stop here. I'll write about more in the future, however!

Well, I haven't left the house today so I haven't participated in Ruby Shoesdays this week, and I'm not going to put up an outfit shot - but I do have a new pair of red shoes coming in the post, so I'll have a nice wee blog post about it next week.

Remember Tommy Dickfingers? They found him in a wheelie bin, with snooker balls for eyes.

After a very long week, I have been having a really lovely weekend. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were very intensive at work as on each day, we had a meeting lasting from 9am to 6pm, making the necessary changes to the Mathematics questions that will be used for this year's tests. It was extremely tiring but very satisfying work, and I felt very proud with the contribution I had made.

I was on the 6:30 train out of London and Nic met me at the station in Leamington. We walked up through Jephson Gardens as the sun was setting and got some chips from the Lansdowne Fish Bar, which was a very exciting treat! On the way up I bought a bottle of wine, and we had a very pleasant evening of watching a DVD and enjoying the fact that I didn't have to get up for work the following morning! I did get up reasonably early, however, as I had arranged to meet my a friend for breakfast at Cafe Corleone. We sat by an open window to enjoy the sunshine, and had a very delicious breakfast - I had a crepe with banana and nutella and she had scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, which looked great! We pottered around in some of the shops afterwards, and I found Pair of Shoes No. 23 in Oxfam:

I also found a copy of Rani and Sukh by Bali Rai in a charity shop, which I decided Mrs Z must read, so I'll be interested to see what she thinks of it when she has time to read it.

After Mrs Z headed home, I paid a visit to Web of Wool to buy some crochet hooks - all of mine have been dispersed among my various friends and family! I had some reservations about the shop because I'd had a weird shopping experience in there previously, but it couldn't have been more different this time and I left feeling very satisfied with my ergonomic crochet hook and also a beautiful wooden one. I've photographed them here alongside another new acquisition, my owl handbag:


I walked down to join Nic in the park to take in some of the sunshine, and shortly after Tom and Sugar Plum came along. I felt very happy to feel the grass under my feet, and to be able to spend time with the people I love. Sugar Plum and I went off into town to do a little bit of shopping and to catch up, and before I knew it, it was 5:30 - it's amazing how quickly time goes by when Sugar Plum and I are nattering away to one another. Nic and I had made plans to go to Tom's house to watch the new episode of Doctor Who, and we had some time before it started to sit out on the roof terrace and enjoy the end of the sunshine. I had many reservations about the episode - I wasn't convinced by the first episode of the new series, and I really hate the RTD era of Who. However, I loved this episode. It helped that it had been written by Mark Gatiss, who pitched the Daleks just right. He even included one of my favourite ever Daleks, the Tea Tray Dalek from the first Dalek serial. I think that Matt Smith is really excellent as the Doctor, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the episode with Nic and Tom. Our evening was great craic - we drank wine, ate pizza and watched this episode of Frasier and some Laurel and Hardy. Although I was very tired by the time we walked home, I felt happy and completely relaxed. I have truly wonderful friends, and spending time with them is a tonic.

Today Nic and I spent some time in the park, and I broke in my new shoes:

The first time I've worn my Laura Lees dress this year.

We had lunch in the park and then decided to come home, and our plan this evening is to watch It Happened One Night. I have to rest up for the very busy week I have ahead of me. If I don't get enough rest, I'll end up looking like this:

That wouldn't be ideal at all.

Bigger, better, faster, stronger, rising out of the ashes. A superclub, a King of clubs only this time we'll have it all. A restaurant, a bistro.

Well, this week work has gone mad. I'm working 14 hour days and I will be next week as well. I haven't got a great deal of time for blogging or doing anything right now except for coming home, having my dinner and going to bed - boo! It isn't forever, though, so I'm trying to stay cheery. And Amber is right, when it gets tough it's time to bust out the lists.

1. As I said above, work is mental and I'm trying hard to keep my spirits up. One of the things that's been helping me to do this is the fact that I have learned so much. I'm working on Mathematics exams, and that's by no means my subject, but I have learned a great deal over the past few months. This has meant that I have been able to make a proper contribution to the construction of the papers, and this is very satisfying.

2. Right now I am finding it impossible to dress appropriately for the temperature - it's cold when I leave the house in the morning, and when I'm on the train. It's bloody tropical in the office in London, especially as the meeting rooms I'm working in have a very eccentric heating system. By the time I'm getting on the tube to come home I'm like a menopausal woman.

3. My friends are awesome. I don't think I need to say much more than that - but, you guys - you rock.

4. When my mind wanders in meetings it's because I'm thinking about buying red shoes. I hold Caroline partly responsible for this, but as I'm a bad influence on her I think this is only fair.

5. I'm reading An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym, which I was delighted to find in Oxfam Books last week. It is excellent.

6. I've been rewatching Phoenix Nights and I love Ray Von:
Shabba!

7. Also, we've been watching Lewis and it's surprisingly excellent.

8. Hotmail stole the idea Dave and I came up with for our workout DVD The World Is My Chin-Up Bar:

Adornment is never anything except a reflection of the heart.

A very quick post, although I'm plotting away at one - it's being written up in my notebook first. Just to update you on a few challenges.

My first official Shoeperwoman's Shoe Challenge outfit, which I wore on Monday 12th April:

Number 9. Irregular Choice Little Miss Oh shoes. I wore these with a dress from Pop Boutique, which Martha gave to me, and a cardigan from New Look.

And as today was Ruby Shoesday, I wore:


The red shoes are from Tammy, and I'm wearing the Maisy sundress by Fever and my red Kobe jacket, also from Fever. Nic took these photos of me on York Walk, after meeting me off my train from London. I'll write more when I have a bit more time, but my dinner is ready now!

You got a lot of morons in your family? Because that could be genetic.

Another in my series of blog posts on totally uncool stuff I like. This is my Cop Show Edition.

NYPD Blue
This one is not 'uncool' as such, it's more that it's not really our generation's TV show. NYPD Blue aired in the 90s, when I was too little to watch it, but I was introduced to it in the past few years by Nic and Tom's love for it. Sadly, only seasons 1-4 are currently available on DVD and I don't think that it gets repeated on UK TV very often. I'm especially keen on seasons 2-4, after David Caruso got a bit too big for his boots and left, to be replaced by Jimmy 'Jimmy Fits' Smits. I've written before about how much I enjoy ensemble drama and this is no exception. The main cast of NYPD Blue is cracking. The central partnership of Detective Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Detective Bobby Simone (Smits) is amazing, and one of the ways that the show rewards continuous viewing is the way in which the partnership develops. Andy is an angry recovering alcoholic who is extremely resistant to change. He was devoted to his previous partner John Kelly (Caruso) and is very suspicious of Simone, who has risen up through the ranks after driving the police commissioner. Simone is a good cop, and the pair quickly tighten up, despite their different attitudes. Sipowicz is my favourite character but he can be difficult to like.
Yeah, I heard the term 'mutual respect'. Have you heard the term 'kiss my ass?'
Andy is belligerent and angry and he holds some racist views, which brings him into conflict with Simone and with the squad's commander, Lieutenant Arthur Fancy. He is also caring, suprisingly tender and very loyal, and he's an incredibly engaging character.
The show fits firmly into the 'police procedural' genre, but NYPD Blue does much more than conform to its genre. One of the things that I like so much about it is the way that comedy is integrated so well into the main action. Detectives Greg Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) and James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) are especially adept at this, although their characters are more than just comic relief. In fact, I'm always amazed that Nicholas Turturro hasn't done more since, because he is so good in NYPD Blue. There are also some fantastic and interesting female characters. The squad's PAA, Donna Abandando (Gail O'Grady) is a good example of this. She has integrity and manners and brains, and there are so many fine moments where the camera cuts to her reacting to something that is going on in the squadroom, and it lends an extra depth to the drama.
Gail O'Grady as Donna Abandando
NYPD Blue is what you might call 'gritty' a lot of the time, but it has a great deal of heart and I think it has stood the test of time. Finally, the Mike Post theme tune is amazing - look it up on YouTube if you don't believe me!

Cagney and Lacey
I have a massive emotional connection with Cagney and Lacey. I became a fan of the show when I was doing my A-levels and, when Nic and I were first falling in love I confessed my geeky love of the show only to discover that he loved it too! Only a small number of episodes are available on DVD, but the entire run of the show is available for download from iTunes.
Sharon Gless as Detective Sergeant Christine Cagney and Tyne Daly as Detective Mary Beth Lacey

I could probably write for days and days about how much I love Cagney and Lacey, or I could just flash you my Cagney and Lacey keyring so you could see first-hand what a huge fan girl I am. Again, the show has a cracking cast. I can't find a good enough picture of all of the main cast, but like NYPD Blue, the show works very well as an ensemble drama. At the beginning one of the thrusts of the show was how these two female detectives could fit into a male-dominated profession, but as the show develops it becomes more about how the team of detectives in the 14th precinct work together.
For me, the most interesting thing about Cagney and Lacey is its portrayal of women. It was created by two women, Barbara Avedon and Barbara Corday, and the crew included female directors, producers and writers. Chris and Mary Beth are intelligent, hard-working and dedicated detectives and, while they do their jobs as well as, or better than the men in their precinct, they bring their own beliefs, feelings and ethics to their jobs. They represent different sides of the feminist agenda as well. Chris is intensely ambitious and dreams of becoming the first female police commissioner. She is wealthy, intelligent and cultured and she leads a single lifestyle that Samantha Jones would admire. Mary Beth is no less intelligent, but for her policing is her job, rather than something that defines her. She is happily married to Harvey Lacey (I LOVE Harvey Lacey) and is a working mother trying to make ends meet. She is liberal and open-minded, and she is also the more outspoken feminist of the pair.
Like NYPD Blue, Cagney and Lacey is fairly gritty and it doesn't shy away from issues. And like NYPD Blue, the show has a lot of heart, and it has a brilliant title sequence as well, which you can check out here. Cagney and Lacey still stands up today, and is well worth watching.

Inspector Morse
If you've been reading my blog over the past few weeks and months, you've probably noticed that I've been watching rather a lot of Morse recently. I used to mock Nic for liking it, but when we watched an episode as part of a Detectives Day that we had with Tom and Paul, I realised that I actually liked it a lot. I don't think anyone is really going to criticise the quality of Inspector Morse, so I won't get into defending it. Instead I'll tell you some of the things I like about it. Of course, one of the main things is John Thaw as Morse:

I love the fact that he is so grumpy, and that he sometimes gets it wrong. There is something very attractive about Morse as well, it might be the grumpiness. Like all the best TV detectives, Morse is a cat that walks by himself. He's never risen past Chief Inspector because he's unwilling to grease the wheels, and he frequently clashes with Superintendent Strange (James Grout, who is just brilliant in the role) as a result. His relationship with Sergeant Lewis has more than a little of the Holmes-Watson dynamic about it - Morse affects to see Lewis as a bit of a plodder, but really he depends on him. Kevin Whately is truly excellent as Lewis. I've written about this before, but he is very quietly charismatic, and he has such an eloquent face.

There are lots of other wonderful things about Inspector Morse like the Oxford setting, and the many and varied guest stars. Some episodes are better written than others, but you can always get stuck into trying to solve the mystery, and I like that. And again, the theme tune is marvellous.

New Tricks
I LOVE New Tricks. I love it so much that the theme tune is the ring tone for my phone. I actually downloaded it as a joke, initally. I was pretty amused to think that probably the only two people in the country who had it were me and Dennis Waterman, but I liked it so I kept it (although I am considering replacing it with the Inspector Morse theme when I get a new phone later in the year.) New Tricks is a funny one, because it is quite silly in comparison with something like Morse. However, it is (usually) well-written and the writers really know how to play to the strengths of the show. The key strength of the show is the premise and the cast. The premise is that the Metropolitan Police have set up UCOS - the Unsolved Crime and Open case Squad, using the expertise of retired detectives to clear up old cases:
The UCOS squad
The fact the the main cast are well-loved character actors is something that the writers draw on very skilfully. For example, Dennis Waterman's character, Gerry Standing, seems in many ways to be a logical evolution of DS Carter from The Sweeney and Minder's Terry McCann. James Bolam's character, Jack Halford, is a bit of a grumpy outsider like Terry Collier of The Likely Lads. The chemistry between the cast is very visible and the writers build on this in a very satisfying way.
The boys are led by Superintendent Sandra Pullman, played by Amanda Redman. She's a good female character in the mould of Christine Cagney; motivated, ambitious and very talented. Episodes frequently include a moment where Pullman's by-the-book attitude has to give way to the boys' more old-fashioned techniques, but she is clearly in charge:

New Tricks is good entertainment, and I think it is very rewarding to watch. This is why I have it on DVD and have the theme tune as my ring tone. It's not just because I am an enormous nerd, right?

Shoeperwoman's Shoe Challenge

I'm a wee bit late to the party on this one folks, but I'm going to join it anyway. Earlier this year, Amber, also known as Shoeperwoman set herself the challenge of wearing every one of her pairs of shoes this year. Any that she doesn't wear she's going to bin or give to charity. Lauren is doing the same thing. Over the past few years I have kind of neglected shoe buying in favour of dress buying, so I don't have anywhere near the amount of shoes that these good ladies have. However, I do have a fair number, so I'm joining in with this challenge too. And here is my shoe collection, in no particular order (I haven't included my one pair of Converse or my two pairs of Birkenstocks)

1. Bertie Sardinia shoes: I bought these ones last week in House of Fraser. They were a complete impulse purchase but I have been wanting to buy a nude/neutral pair for a while, so I'm going to try to wear them a fair bit.

2. Clarks Surf Mark sandals: these are the only flat shoes in the whole list!

3. Dune slingback wedges

4. Faith green wedges: I love these shoes but have only worn them about twice because they are a wee bit too big. I need to sort it out, they're much too pretty to give away.

5. Faith purple ruffle shoes: my birthday shoes!

6. Firetrap Desire shoes: A Christmas present from my bro, thinking about getting these in red like Caroline.

7. Irregular Choice Belle shoes: these ones are getting a bit old now, and the black lining makes my feet filthy when I wear them. I do love them all the same.

8. Irregular Choice Flick Flack shoes

9. Irregular Choice Little Miss Oh shoes: these come up a little bit big on me and the colourway makes them not the easiest to match to things. However, they were an amazing bargain from Amazon - £20!

10. Irregular Choice Matronix shoes: Another good Amazon bargain.

11. Irregular Choice Mermaid shoes

12. Irregular Choice t-bar shoes: My first Irregular Choice shoes! These need to be reheeled as they are very old - bought for my graduation, in fact.

13. Kurt Geiger 'Camara' shoes.: I bought these a few years ago in the Selfridges' sale - I always regret not buying two pairs because they were ridiculously reduced. I always get lots of compliments when I wear these - they look so elegant on.

14. Marks and Spencers mary jane shoes: not very exciting or sexy, but comfortable and practical for work.

15. New Look evening sandals: I bought these to wear to Sugar Plum's wedding, and they cut my toes! I'll persevere and wear them again, I hope.

16. Office Cowboy boots: These are in need of a polish, but are very cool.

17. Red shoes from Tammy : These are actually from a children's clothing shop, but their shoes go up as far as a size 5. They're getting a bit battered now, as they have been well-loved.

18. Solea Snap shoes: I'd like to get some more Solea shoes, these are very comfortable and pretty.

19. Topshop grey court shoes: I've lost count of the amount of times I have had these re-heeled, so maybe it's time for them to go. They're ever so pretty though.

20. Topshop teal shoes: Look how old these wee things are. They're going to be mended today, I love these shoes too much to part with them just yet.

22. Topshop suede bow courts: These are 'bloody stupid shoes', according to an old lady in Coventry Indoor Market. I think they're pretty nice, though, and Nic bought them for me!

That's it for now - I have fewer pairs than I thought. This is good, because it means I won't feel so bad for buying some more shoes over the next few months!

Lady don't fall backwards

Happy sunny weekend everyone! I think I'm on a bit of a sugar high because I've just eaten a bar of Fry's Peppermint Cream, after successfully wrestling the cover back onto the sofa. It's all go here, isn't it?!

I'm in the middle of planning another non-diary blog entry but until then, here's what I've been up to. On Friday I worked in the office in Coventry. I had a stressful morning because I had made plans to meet Louise for lunch, and I thought I'd have to cancel them because a meeting I had to go to was rescheduled to lunchtime. Luckily Louise was very flexible, so I was still able to meet up with her. The meeting stressed me out enormously because it became clear that my plan of taking the first week of May off to go home and see my family (who I haven't seen since Christmas) was going to be scuppered, because work is going to continue to be mentally busy. I phoned Nic after the meeting, while I was walking to Inspire to meet Louise, and had a good old rant to him. This made me feel better, and having lunch with Louise was so much fun that I walked back to the office feeling totally revived.

I caught the train home and Nic met me at the station. It's only a ten minute journey from Coventry to Leamington, but it's always very romantic to be met on the platform with a kiss. We came home and got ready to go out to the Saxon Mill to celebrate Sugar Plum's birthday. Lauren and Ben were already there and had bagged us a table outside by the water. Sugar Plum looked beautiful in her new maxi dress and it was excellent to sit out by the water and have a chat and a drink with friends.

The weather was beautiful on Saturday so Nic and I decided to spend the day in Stratford. It was extremely busy, as it always is on a sunny day, but it was very beautiful. Even the bus journey there was good fun - the bus went through Barford and Wellesbourne and past Charlecote Park, which is going to be our next day out. We didn't do anything madly exciting in Stratford, just pottered around. Of course, we took some silly photos:






Despite spending some time in Aspire I was very good and didn't buy any more dresses. I did try on these Irregular Choice shoes, however, and fell a little bit in love. Maybe in May?

I did buy some shoes, though. I've been looking for a pair of sandals, so bought these from Clarks:

Annoyingly, the little thing to slip the strap into after you've buckled it is broken on one of these, and the Leamington branch don't carry this style for me to exchange them, but I'll take them to the nice man in Timpson's in Leamington to fix. They're very comfortable on and even have a little bit of a heel, hurrah!

I think I took a wee bit too much sun yesterday though, and felt a bit under the weather when we got home, so Nic and I had a lovely quiet evening in watching an episode of Lewis. I've been surprised by how much I like it and by how good it is. I'm very taken by just how good Kevin Whateley is, and of course all of the landscape shots of Oxford help as well. The only minor gripe I have is that the theme tune kind of sucks, and it sucks even harder in comparison to the Morse theme tune. Still, the box set was well worth buying.

We've had a pretty quiet Sunday so far - just a bit of pottering around town and doing some groceries. Lovely Tom called round though, bearing some AMAZING gifts of Dalek-shaped cupcakes! These were much more impressive than the Dalek-shaped cake I made him for his birthday:



Tom bought them for us from Leamington's new cupcake and sweet shop, Tobey Jack's. It's on Chandos Street, and it also supplied me with the sugar-high Fry's bar I ate before starting to write this entry. It's definitely worth a visit, for any of you Leamington dwellers reading this blog.

I'm off now to watch Four Weddings and a Funeral, bought for 20p from the Scope shop this afternoon. Nic has never seen it, and while I have reservations about Richard Curtis (Notting Hill = BOKE) I have many fond feelings for this movie. So if any of you out there are judging me, whatevs. I love Kristin Scott-Thomas and Simon Callow and David Haig and all of the great people in this movie, so I'm going to enjoy my Sunday evening!