Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. There are so many other, better reasons.

Hello my loves, happy Wednesday! Compared to last week, this week is flying by - can't complain about that, though. I've been on strike today, so not at work. Yesterday, I was working in our offices in Westminster because Nic and I had a very exciting evening planned. I don't miss commuting to London every day as I used to, but I am pleased to have the opportunity to work there more often. Our office is in the heart of Westminster, and the view is gorgeous from my team's corner of the office:

The view from my desk, round to the right is the Houses of Parliament

The view after work, on my walk to meet Nic

After a good work day, I met Nic for a drink before heading over the river to the BFI - we were going to an event celebrating the 30th anniversary of Cagney & Lacey - a talk given by Barney Rosensweig, Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly. We were lucky to get tickets - Nic was online as soon as they went on sale and they sold out within the day. When we got to BFI Southbank, there was already a considerable queue for standby tickets. It's a funny thing - Nic and I are both big Cagney & Lacey fans, and it's easy to imagine that you're the only one, but obviously this wonderful series has lots of dedicated fans. And they're not all middle-aged women, either - the crowd was totally mixed in terms of gender and age, which was awesome. Nic and I had time for a champagne cocktail in the bar before the event:

I had the violet and elderflower cocktail, Nic had a classic champagne cocktail - delicious!

Nic and his champagne - note his Sharon Gless badge!

When we were sitting in the bar, Sharon and Tyne walked through on their way to the green room. I was so excited when I smiled at Sharon Gless, and she smiled back! It was a total fangirl moment. The talk opened with a screening of the title sequence and it was so much fun to be in an audience full of excited Cagney & Lacey fans!

The stage

The talk was being chaired by Dame Jenni Murray, and was punctuated by some wonderful clips. We had amazing seats and it was really thrilling to be able to see the little looks that passed between Sharon and Tyne, and to hear them talk about the show with such humour. There was time for questions at the end, and I was able to ask one - I was nervous, but so thrilled to be able to put a question to some of my favourite TV stars! There was time afterwards to meet the stars and Barney, but sadly we had to skedaddle to catch a train back up to Leamington.
Today I've been feeling a bit under the weather and I've been taking it pretty easy, but I did finally book my flights home for Christmas which is majorly exciting. Nic and I took a wee turn in town to do some grocery shopping and buy some essentials (tights and moisturiser - payday is exciting in the Clackett household!) I also took some time to sort my wardrobe out and get ready for Dressember.

Last December a few of my fellow bloggers took part in the Dressember challenge, the challenge part being to wear a dress (or a skirt) each day in December and to document their progress. I loved reading all of the Dressember posts because you know me and dresses, but I decided not to take part because – well, you might have noticed, but I wear dresses all the time. So, I reasoned that part of it wasn’t going to be that much of a challenge for me. In fact, wearing anything other than dresses would be the challenge for me, and… no.

I’ve rethought it this year, though. It’s still not going to be a challenge to wear a dress a day, but I think I’m going to do it anyway. For one thing, I have a lot of dresses. A lot. It’s not like I’m that person who only wears a proportion of their wardrobe, either – all but my fanciest dresses get worn reasonably frequently. Still, though – I think it would be good to encourage me to mix it up a bit, and not keep falling back on a few favourites.

Taking an outfit photo every day is going to be a bit more of a challenge, especially as the evenings are so dark and the lighting isn’t brilliant in our wee flat. Blogging more frequently is probably going to be a bit of a challenge as well, and this is one of the reasons why I want to get involved.

I’ll be honest here, too. The “will blog for seal claps” bit of me enjoys the attention as well. I have a lot of lovely clothes – some of which I’ve made with my own fair hands – I’m looking forward to showing them off a bit more often. I’m vain, what can I say?!

Any of my lovely readers going to be taking part in Dressember this year? Let me know in the comments! As it's not such a challenge for me to wear a dress every day, I'm going to try to wear a different dress every day. I might not be able to manage this around Christmas as I'll be at home, and I only have limited hand luggage. But I'll do my best.

Today I thought I'd get a headstart and wear a dress I haven't blogged yet. My darling Nic surprised me with this dress for my birthday:

Miso dress and Topshop shoes

I have to admit, it's not my usual style and it wrinkles like hell, but I think it's adorable. I love the collar and the bishop sleeves. It's too short for work, though, and I think you can see my slip peeping out the bottom, there! Still, with some thick tights on I think this works for a nice casual dress. The other thing I like about it is seeing what Nic would choose when left to his own devices, and it's interesting to me to see what direction his taste lies in.

Anyway, I'm feeling a bit better now than I was earlier, but I'm going to settle in this evening with veggie sausages and mash and a DVD. I'll be back tomorrow for my first day of Dressember, so see you all then.

I don't agree. We'd go to Legoland. BYE.

It's Sunday afternoon yet again, and I'm gearing up for a cosy evening with The Box of Delights, some mince pies and a pot of tea. What a rock and roll life I lead!

Nic and I had another busy week, and I honestly think it took me most of the week to recover from that ridiculous night in Leeds. Like I said, rock and roll! It was a good week, though. I've been working hard, and starting to make some decisions about work, which is a good feeling. I also had Nic join me in work again on Thursday, which was really lovely. He was doing some editorial work for my team, and I know this is going to sound well soppy, but I really enjoyed working alongside him, and showing him what my job entails. It was also good to spend time with him during the day, because we'd both been so busy during the evenings in the week.

On Wednesday night I was leading a crochet workshop at Sew Make Believe. I'd had a long and busy day at work, followed by leaving drinks for a colleague who is going off on maternity leave (during which, I accidentally kicked over a drink and got diet coke IN MY SHOE) so when I got home the last thing I wanted to do was go back out into the cold. Of course, I was really glad I did. We had a few totally new members who wanted to learn how to get started on crochet, and a few others who just wanted a bit of guidance. I taught the newbies, while Jo and Catherine looked after the others. It was enjoyable - all of my novice crocheteers went off with their own granny square - and it was good practice for next weekend. I'm going to be volunteering with the Craft Club and The UK Handknitting Association at the Clothes Show Live in the NEC, teaching yarn craft and talking about the Craft Club. The bonus is an exhibitor's pass to the Clothes Show as well, and I'm hoping to have fun at the Irregular Choice concession!

On Thursday evening Nic and I headed over to Warwick with Lauren to meet Louise at the Warwick Victorian evening. The town was absolutely crammed, but it was a lot of fun. Louise was dressed as Sherlock Holmes, and she looked fabulous. It was very enjoyable to potter around the shops, drink mulled wine and soak up the festive atmosphere. Aspire were open late and were offering a discount and free wine - and although there was no sign of wine, my darling Nic took advantage of the discount and treated me to a new dress! Photos to follow, but needless to say I felt very spoiled indeed. We finished the evening with a drink and a natter in a cafe, before heading home for a very late dinner.

After such a busy few weeks, a lazy weekend was what I wanted and that's what we've been up to over these past few days. I was working from home on Friday, which gave me the chance to catch up on work and to pop out during the day for a cup of tea with my lovely friend Lucy. We went to Stone Monkey, and on my way there I spotted this grafitti:

I know it's soppy that I stopped to take a photo of this, but whatever.

Later that afternoon I was able to catch up with Denise, before Nic and I headed out for a few drinks with Lysy, The Scientist and SJ at The Somerville. It was just one of those easy sociable days that was full of happiness and laughter. And some cake and gin, of course. Saturday was similar, with Nic and I doing little more than pottering in town and meeting Will and Viv for a drink in the afternoon before coming home to watch a film. We watched The Town, which I was sort of hoping would be like Gone Baby Gone, but with Jon Hamm in it. It wasn't, so much. It was very enjoyable but really silly - it didn't help that I found the central premise to be very silly, I suppose. It felt a bit underwritten, and Pete Poselthwaite's Northern Irish accent was truly, truly terrible, but the cast is good and it was very enjoyable. It was also good to see Jon Hamm outside of Don Draper, and he was pretty good - even if I'd really rather have had a bit more of Titus Welliver's character.

This morning I slept late, had sourdough toast and hazelnut coffee for breakfast, before heading out into the sunshine with Nic for a browse around the market. It's still very mild, even if it is a bit windy.

Louche Dale dress and Topshop sandals

It was warm enough for bare legs, but not bare arms - and this dress has a cut out back, so of course I wore one of my many cardigans.

This picture is SO TWEE. I don't even care, because this dress has pockets.

The girls in Aspire said this dress has been selling really well, and I can see why - it's so lovely! Nic picked it up because he was drawn to the print, and I think that's my favourite thing about it. I'm going to try wearing it with my hair in a beehive and knee-high boots.

After a wander in town, Nic and I came home to do some lunch and some chores. While he made the lunch I tackled some mending. Last week I bought this dress in the Dolly Dagger sale, and it arrived on Friday. I needed to shorten the shoulder straps a bit to keep it up, which was fine, and the dress is very pretty but I'm not altogether pleased with it overall. It had a concealed side zip which was really difficult to zip up over the waistband seam. The dress fits - in fact, it's a size bigger than I would normally buy - and this is often the case with invisible zips and seams. I managed to get it to zip up to wear it to the pub on Friday night, but when I tried it again today the zip just burst. It's not a huge deal, but the dress is brand new and would have cost £100 at full price (not that I ever would have paid that) and I think the cheap, nasty zipper really lets the dress down. The fabric isn't even that bulky at the waistband seam. I took the broken zipper out, and replaced it with a non-concealed one which I handpicked, making the side zip lapped. It's much sturdier, obviously. If I hadn't been able to sew I would have been gutted, though. I know it's usually the case that mass-produced garments are finished with less care than hand-made ones, however this dress is from Dolly Dagger's own line, and I'm disappointed that, having spent my money with a small UK business, that the quality did not match my expectations. I don't want to moan, but I think it's a pity. Still, with the adjustments I will be able to wear the dress and it's certainly lovely, but I think the next time I want a dress in this style I'll just make my own.

Anyway, that's that sad and sorry tale out of the way. The next time I wear the dress I'll be sure to get a photo of it, but it's just something to be aware of if you decide to spring for one yourself! Now, Nic has just put the kettle on and there are some mince pies warming up in the oven - I'm going to leave you here and watch The Box of Delights. If I'm leaving you wanting more, however, you can find me over at a fabulous TV blog I've started contributing to, Set Top Box. Happy reading!

I Married A Blob From The Centre Of Mars

What's up, my nerds?!

So, I hope you're all having a fun Sunday and all is well. I'm pottering away while Nic watches Fritz Lang's Metropolis for a lecture he's giving tomorrow. I haven't watched this film since I studied it in my first year undergraduate and as background TV it's pretty bombastic. It's giving Nic the giggles, too - mainly because he keeps making comparisons between it and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Well, that and the protagonist's jodhpurs:

Like, seriously.

Anyway, much like last week, this week has been terrifically busy at work for both me and Nic. I had to go to Slough for a meeting on Monday morning, and it was an exhausting day. What with the travelling and the very thinky (technical term, there) nature of the meeting, I was knackered when I got home. Still, it's all good - I managed to clock up a day's worth of flexi time in my 15 hour day, so that will come in handy at a later date. And it was totally worth it, too - it was one of those times when my job is interesting.

I was able to finally finish my Colette Peony dress this week. It's not perfect - it still needs some work, and the bodice could have done with another toile, but I'm happy enough to live with the imperfections on this one. The next one I make will need to have the bodice shortened by about an inch, I think - the neckline comes up too high and wrinkles a bit as a result.

Floral Peony dress and yellow wedges

Immediately after finishing making this, I put it away for a few days because I just couldn't decide if I liked the fabric or not. Seeing it on, I think I do like it, although the print is quite busy. It's cotton lawn and I bought around 3 metres of it for £4 in the charity shop around the corner from my house. At first glance the fabric on the bodice looks upside down, but the print itself runs both ways.

Even with the necessary alterations, the pattern was a delight to sew from, and I think once I figure out the bodice fitting this is one that will work well for all sorts of customisation. It requires a very small amount of fabric and it's very easy. I have a lovely floral wool crepe which I'm going to use for my next Peony but it will need to be lined. I omitted the pockets in this one, and the fabric cummerbund. I'll put pockets into a future make but I might not bother with the cummerbund - they look great on the other makes I've seen out there, but I don't like fabric belts on me. I adore the shape of the sleeves and am looking forward to making the longer ones too. So, while I started out feeling a bit underwhelmed by this make, I can see lots of potential for future ones! And I will definitely wear this - it's pretty cute, and all of the colours in the fabric means it can fit well into my wardrobe. Today I went with the yellow accents:

I think it'll look good with pink tights and a pink cardigan, which is how I'll wear it when it gets colder. So, all in all this gets two thumbs up from me. Four Maurice McDaids out of five.

On Thursday evening Nic went to Leeds, as he was giving a paper at the Thought Bubble festival on Friday. I was working on Friday but came up and joined him in the evening so we could spend Saturday in Leeds. I arrived at about half six, and after checking into our hotel we went out on the town. First stop was the Electric Press for some drinks in Epernay. I have a weakness for champagne cocktails, as you might have gathered from previous posts, and Epernay did not disappoint. I had a Lavender Darling, which was champagne, lavender gin and lemon, while Nic had one with champagne and blue curacao which was called a Ritz Fizz. I followed my Lavender Darling with a Take it Sloe, Honey - it had champagne, sloe gin, honey and fresh strawberries. Nic had a Tatanka Royale, which had Zubrowka bison vokda, apple juice, fresh green apple and champage. It was all delicious and the bar was a delight.

Lavender Darling and Ritz Fizz
"My only regret in life is that I didn't drink enough champage" - John Maynard Keynes

Fortified by champagne, we went off for dinner and from there to the Fab Cafe. This was mainly because Nic wanted to show me how cool it is, but we ended up staying a while and having a grand old time, and a good old dance as well. The Fab Cafe is so cool - it's a cult tv and movie themed bar, and it's pretty much the perfect venue for a pair of geeks like me and Nic. I'm going to love any bar that has its own Dalek, and when we weren't dancing Nic and I were having fun looking at all of the cool memorabilia scattered around the bar.

I'm not sure who these feet belong to

Slimer! Is it just me, or does he look a lot like Ned Beatty, here?

I loved these Geordi LaForge and Data action figures

SPACE INVADERS! These were only 20p. They're as good as I remembered, but the updated packaging doesn't have the comic strip, which is a shame.

Hans Solo in carbonite. Nic.

Yes. More Metropolis.

WHO 1

The DJ booth was shaped like a spaceship, and the DJ played a weird and wonderful mix of tunes. One of the highlights was watching a dancefloor full of hipsters dancing to Nine to Five by Dolly Parton. If I lived in Leeds I'd be at Fab Cafe all the time.

Tired and happy we took ourselves back to our hotel. Now, this was the only downside to our time in Leeds. It was a well known budget hotel and it was full of teenagers and pissheads. I'm not exaggerating when I say we didn't manage more than an hour's uninterrupted sleep. I complained to reception about the girls in the room next to us and, at 5 am we had to go out and lay down the law to a group of lads a few doors down who were playing loud music and lounging around in the corridor IN THEIR TINY LITTLE PANTS. My inner teacher came out, and I was a wee bit stern but fair enough, they turned the music off and took themselves into their room.

I was fully expecting to feel like crap, then, on Saturday morning but I was okay. Nic and I got up and out nice and early and went to the Corn Exchange in search of breakfast. We were rewarded with Primo's Gourmet Hotdogs. I'll admit, that doesn't sound like somewhere that would have breakfast food for two vegetarians, but it was excellent. Nic had a veggie hot dog with gherkins, monterey jack and jalapenos, and a banana milkshake. I had a toasted bagel and a nutella cappuccino.

Me in Primo's

If you're in Leeds, run, don't walk, to Primo's. It's ace. The Corn Exchange is beautiful, and it was lovely to wander around and enjoy the atmosphere. The Christmas decorations were up and it all felt very festive indeed.

Corn Exchange, Leeds

I really enjoyed myself in Leeds. I'd been twice before, for work, but never had the chance to see the city. There are loads of vintage shops, and although most of them seem to be more towards the hipster end of the scale, I saw lots of gorgeous things. In my sleep deprived state, I was too sleepy to think about shopping, but it was pleasant all the same. In the afternoon, we headed to Leeds City Library and Art Gallery for tea in the tiled hall cafe and to get a bit of culture before catching the train back to Leamington. I really enjoyed my little jaunt to God's Own Country, and I'm already looking forward to visiting Leeds again at some point in the future.

The rather grand Library

These little fellows were to be seen all over Leeds, even in the Christmas decorations

Tiles in the tiled hall

Dusk over Yorkshire

When we got back to Leamington, Nic and I were fit for nothing more than a few episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (comfort viewing), dinner, and a bath before bed. I slept well last night!

I'm not too sure what is coming up for me this week but no doubt I'll be back before long. I'm going to leave you here, because that pile of ironing won't do itself. And, if I've learned anything from this blog post, it's that doing laundry is a good way of ensuring that I have clean clothes to wear.

Great story. I'll remember that the next time I'm in a knife fight.

Evening, folks. I hope you're all having a pleasant Sunday evening. I'm curled up with a blanket, watching The Box of Delights with Nic. We don't have time to watch them one a week before Christmas, but we're going to make sure to get them all in before then. It's lovely comfort viewing on these dark nights, maybe we'll even watch the BBC version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as well.

I've had a wonderful, and very tiring weekend. I was working from home on Friday and finished nice and early so was able to go out for a walk with Nic before it got dark. There's a new coffee shop opened on Warwick Street that I wanted to try, and we also accidentally found ourselves at the opening of a new vintage shop called Braderie. I didn't buy anything, but it's a lovely shop - I hope they do well. They stock a variety of vintage and new clothes, accessories and homewares. The prices seemed reasonable and I thought the layout and design of the shop was really charming and welcoming. I took a few photos on my phone:

Some of the racks of dresses ... there were lots of 60s evening dresses

I loved this bar set up by the door

It had a cocktail boat!

I would never have thought of orange as a good colour for cabinets, but I loved these

A box of sewing patterns... mostly 80s, sadly. Still, it was nice to have a rummage through

I liked Braderie. They also stock Emily and Fin dresses and accessories by Disaster Designs - not the only shop locally to do so, but pretty things nonetheless. If you're in Leamington it's worth popping in! I can only hope that the presence of a decently priced vintage shop two doors down might make our local Oxfam rethink its ridiculous pricing. Well, one can only hope.

After a quick dinner on Friday night I got myself gussied up and headed out. It was my dear Lauren's birthday this weekend and we were celebrating that. Firstly it was drinks in the Jug and Jester, which was fab. Lots of double gin and tonics and chats, before going for a bit of a dance in the Assembly. The last few times I've been there have been on a Saturday night and the music has been disappointing, but Friday nights are 60s, 70s and 80s. It's an older crowd, but the music was good and we were hardly off the dancefloor, and a particular highlight was dancing to Love Shack by the B52's (this was the first single I ever bought on vinyl. Not my first ever single, but my first on vinyl.) I was disappointed that the DJ didn't respond to my request for Wuthering Heights, but in fairness it would have cleared the dancefloor. It was late enough when we got home, and I had to be up quite early (well, early-ish) in the morning, but it was one of the best nights out I've had in a long time. Happy birthday, Lauren!

The reason I had to get up early on Saturday was because I'd made plans to visit the Vintage Fair in Coventry with Louise and her husband, Peter. I have to make a confession though. I'm not that arsed about vintage fairs. I like clothes, I like vintage clothes, but I rarely buy anything at them. Still, I had a lovely day. Sweet lady gin had been kind to me again and I wasn't too hungover (although, being bounced around on the bus over to Coventry wasn't terribly enjoyable with a bit of a ginhead on me) and I enjoyed rummaging around. Louise struck lucky with a beautiful dress, Peter picked up some nice threads too, and I just enjoyed the atmosphere. Afterwards we headed over to Coventry Transport Musuem for a craft fair, before stopping for coffee and a good old chat. After a potter around town with Louise's mum, I came back to Leamington to prepare for our second night out. Our good friends in Noke were having their album launch party in The Prince of Wales, so off we went to that. It was a really cool, relaxed gig and a good venue too. From the outside, the Prince of Wales looks like the kind of bar I usually hate (complete with wanky Banksy prints on the walls) but it's well laid out for a gig and the atmosphere was really good. Sadly we were both quite danced out from the previous night, so I couldn't really get my groove on as much as I would have liked. Really, I'm getting too old for two nights out on the trot but sometimes it just has to be done.

This morning we had a long lie in before getting out into the beautiful sunshine. I can't get over how mild it is - I'm sure that when the weather turns very cold it's going to be a shock to the system - but for now I am very grateful for these beautiful days when I don't have to be totally rugged up. Nic and I had a wander through Jephson Gardens, which really comes into its own in the autumn.

River Island dress, Vivienne Westwood for Melissa Ultragirl shoes and vintage vinyl handbag

I got this dress a few weeks ago on ebay - I'm not ashamed to say that I'm hunting down these lovely River Island frocks because they're just so wearable. This one was scandalously cheap! My Ultragirl shoes came from ebay too. I'm not normally one for flats, as I'm sure you've realised, but I thought that it'd be practical to have a pair for the colder weather and these are just the ticket. I loved this outfit. I've been really ambivalent about my outfits and my photos recently, but I like this, and I like the photos too.

Look at those beautiful autumn leaves!


This autumn breeze will strip the trees, and freeze me to the bone...


Saved as part of my Shoeper Shoe Challenge!

We had coffee with Lysy and The Scientist before coming home to do some work and some chores. And now my darling Nic has got dinner bubbling away on the stove, and we're about to settle in to watch The Bourne Ultimatum. It's not exactly a cosy Sunday evening film, but he's teaching it this week. I like Matt Damon, though, so no complaints from me on that score. I hope you've all been having a lovely weekend, mind yourselves and I'll catch you later.

So, you were in space when you had your heart attack?

Afternoon all, my dears. Remember me? I'm that woman who used to update this blog a wee bit more frequently? Heh. Let's just say that I've had a busy week or two, mostly because of work. Last week really, really sucked. This week was better, but just as busy and just as intense. I prefer that - I got to use my brain this week, which is how it was an improvement on the one that went before. Still, I don't want to spend too much time moaning about work, because this week has been better. I think I've just reached that point in the job now where I have to decide what I'm going to do next, and it's hard to make decisions without having time to make them.

ANYWAY. Yes. That's what's happening on the work front. Personally speaking the rest of the time has been quiet. Nic was away for some of last weekend at a conference, so after a particularly crappy Friday at work, I had a quiet evening to myself in which to sew, crochet, watch DVDs and drink cava. Well, I didn't actually get around to that last bit, but it was nice. And I spent the first part of Saturday doing the same thing. It's rare enough that I have a free Saturday, and the sun was shining, and it was lovely. Nic got back earlier than I was expecting, which was just as well because that night I became quite unwell and needed some fussing, which he was happy to provide. Thankfully I was feeling better on Sunday, so it sort of felt like I'd gained a day. It was cool, but not cold... and I think I was trying to deny November to myself:

Emily and Fin Lucy dress, cardigan from H&M and Next wedges

I think you can tell from my shiny wee face here that I'm still not feeling great! Sunday wasn't the last day I was able to go bare-legged, it's still been pretty mild here. But yeah, I have to face facts. It's definitely winter here now. I've got my (admittedly very pretty) winter coat out of the wardrobe and everything.

Anyway, the rest of the week has passed in a bit of a blur, and I'm looking forward to a weekend of fun - dancing, drinking, going to a vintage fair, hopefully finally finishing my Colette Peony dress and nursing the inevitable post drinking and dancing hangover. I have to be up at some utterly uncivilised hour on Monday to go to a meeting in Slough, so I'm going to try to make the most of the weekend.

I'm short on inspiration at the moment - as I say, it's been a long week - so I'm going to leave you with a few photos, and I'll be back soon.

This came in the post for me this morning - my best friend is getting married at Christmas. Now I have all the excitement of thinking about what to wear, or what to make to wear!

Lindt chocolate bears - waiting for me when I got home on Monday

... as were these beautiful Orange roses. Good old Nic knows me well

New (to me) shoes. Call me shallow, but they cheered me up. Especially as I had to throw two pairs out this week.

We're drinking to life, we're drinking to death, we're drinking til none of our livers are left...

Hello my dear ones! When I last wrote, I was dashing off to the second part of my fun weekend. As part of my birthday present, my darling Nic had bought me tickets to see one of my favourite bands - The Divine Comedy - playing at the RSC. Stratford isn't far from Leamington but to make an event of it (and to save us from having to dash for the last bus home) we decided to stay over and booked a hotel in Stratford for Sunday night. It made the end of the weekend feel like a holiday.

I was feeling grand when I woke up on Sunday morning but I think I must have had one of those slow-releasing hangovers, because by the time we got to Stratford I was feeling a bit rough. So, the very first mission was to head to McKechnies for a coffee and a vegetarian sausage sandwich. All of those champagne cocktails were taking their revenge on the bumpy bus journey through the Warwickshire countryside, but after some caffeine I was grand. After that we checked into our hotel and went for a wee dander round Stratford town centre. It was a good day for it too - bright and sunny, but a wee bit cold so we didn't have to fight through the usual hordes of tourists. Nic and I both know Stratford well (in fact our first date was in Stratford!) so it wasn't so much exploring as it was a lazy wander, but it was a very enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I had a poke around in the antiques market on Ely Street, and we went to the library too:

Some lovely cameras for sale

We had a walk along the river as dusk was dropping, which was lovely (even though I got bitten by some kind of marauding insect!) and, while Stratford wouldn't be my favourite town I have to admit that it is beautiful at twilight.

Nic on the riverThe Shakespeare memorial and Bancroft Gardens. Nic took this photo.

Lots of restaurants do pre-theatre menus, but after looking at lots of them we decided that all we wanted for our pre-gig dinner was chips and pickled onions from Barnaby's. I know, I am dead, DEAD classy.

I would, genuinely, seriously love to have this poster in my house. FOR REALS.

Then it was time to head to the theatre for the gig itself. We had collected our tickets earlier in the day, which left me lots of time to explore the theatre and generally work myself up into a frenzy of excitement about the gig. The theatre is beautiful. I have to say, I didn't like the look of the refurbishments from the outside (but I think that's more to do with the fact that Bancroft Gardens are now quite ugly) but the theatre is spectacular inside. I also, fool that I am, totally loved the gift shop. With the exception of some tacky Romeo and Juliet t-shirts (Team Capulet or Team Montague. Seriously. I would judge someone SO HARD if I saw them wearing either of those in the street)I loved all of the merchandise. I was good, and didn't buy anything but I was very tempted by a mug with this quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream on it:
Also, this Henry VIII t-shirt was pretty rad
Of course, once I saw these masks I couldn't resist dicking around a bit:

I was beyond excited about the gig. The Divine Comedy have been one of my favourite bands since I was 13 or 14, and although I have seen them live before the last time was about ten years ago. In fact, my first ever gig was The Divine Comedy, in 1997. Of course, the beautiful venue was a bonus, as was the fact that this was Neil Hannon playing solo. We had fantastic seats, and I couldn't wait for it to get started. So that turned me into a little bit of a geek...

The tickets and flyer. I might still have a crush on Neil HannonYeah. The woman in the cloakroom thought I was a bit mad...

Nic and I had got ourselves nice and dressed up for the occasion:

Nic in his tweeds

Stop Staring Delicious dress and Vivienne Westwood for Melissa Lady Dragon shoes

We were far from the most dressed up, though - there were people there in actual Shakespearean costume! Neil included - for his first set he came out dressed as Richard III, complete with hunchback! The layout of the theatre, and the fact that it was just Neil, made the gig feel so intimate and I feel so lucky to have been able to be there. Neil played a good mix of old stuff and new stuff, bantered loads with the audience, took requests and was generally highly entertaining. He opened with one of my favourite songs, Bath, and there was even a bit of audience participation later in the evening with singalongs to Songs of Love, National Express and My Lovely Horse! It was a really moving evening for me, especially when he took to his acoustic guitar for A Lady of a Certain Age, and particularly with the end of the second set, when he played the last four songs from Promenade - Neptune's Daughter, A Drinking Song, Ten Seconds to Midnight and Tonight We Fly. Neptune's Daughter moved me to tears, it's a song that's always had a special meaning for me and hearing it being played in front of me was incredible. Walking back to our hotel, and seeing the lights reflected on the river, I felt perfectly happy. It was a beautiful evening.

We had a lazy start to Monday before heading back to Leamington. Having Monday as a holiday felt really luxurious and I spent the day in total laziness, just reading and listening to music and thinking over my marvellous weekend! I have a super busy work week ahead of me, so a fun weekend was just what I needed. I'm going to leave you now - bed, my book and a hot water bottle are calling. I'll leave you with a little taste of Sunday night's gig...