Sunday links #7

1 WSH EWE WRE ERE
This is one of my favourite campaigns and it's finally hit the street. Using airport codes, Ogilvy have created a  really imaginative ad for Expedia. More here, and on your local tube station, bus stop and train station gates...

2 The pen is mightier...
I posted about these handwritten love letters last year on my Tumblr but couldn't resist mentioning a similar site, Letters of Note. Collator, Shaun Usher, gathers 'fascinating letters, letters, postcards, telegrams, memos and faxes' from all sorts of people - Anais Nin & Henry Miller, David Bowie to his future manager, Johnny to June... The book's being published in May.

3 Fatescapes
Pavel Maria Smejkel takes 'iconic photographs of moments that have shaped the course of human history and removes the human elements from them, leaving nothing but empty, haunting landscapes behind'. With Iwo Jima, Tiananmen Square, Nuremberg, and Munich amongst the many locations in the series, 'they offer an eerily prosaic look at the geographical plainness of sites that have been imbued with such enormous importance'.

4 Doing Delia
It may have been the start of British Summertime this weekend but the weather said otherwise. I decided to rustle up this family favourite from Delia (but switching venison for the pork variety!) Who says you can't make a boozy casserole in Spring?

5 April is the cruellest month
...according to T S Eliot. I studied The Wasteland when I was 17 and came across it again today (topically).   I admit that I'm not much of a poetry buff (which, given my ancestry, is rather shameful) but there's definitely something about Eliot that strikes the chord.

Home Sweet Home

Sunday links #6

  

1 Geographical fashion
French artist Elisabeth Lecourt has folded and fashioned by hand a line of dresses (and other items of clothing) out of vintage maps. Unfortunately, they can't be worn but I think they're gorgeous and I'd love to have several of them framed and hung on my gorgeous white walls in my fabulously converted townhouse - a girl can dream, right?

2 Soul Sunday
Most Sunday mornings, I put some soul on (and dream of my gorgeous white walls in my fabulously converted townhouse). Smokey's Tracks of My Tears is just beautiful.

3 I hereby make an anatomical gift
This NY Times article charts the evolution of the New York driver's licence. Originally issued to just chauffeurs, before being made compulsory for all drivers in 1924, the use of photographs comes and goes and the (slightly bizarre) organ donor wording is introduced around 1976.

4 Say What?
English graduate, copywriter, literature enthusiast...these quotation mark earrings should be mine.

5 Maddie
You've probably seen Maddie - the 'dog on things' - around. A leggy American coonhound, her owners photograph her on things, in things, around things, doing things...ridiculous.

What I'm Wearing This Weekend (WIWTW)

Having lived in London for almost six years now (jeez, how time flies) and shuttling down on the train to visit my friends and family fairly regularly, I'm slowly perfecting the art of packing. During uni, I used to heave massive suitcases around - having to practically throw them up and down the stairs at tube stations - and then I somehow managed to fit everything I needed for a weekend at home in a tote bag. Yes, really. This year, I've been doing just fine with a weekender from Zara Man (that looks a little like this, but was under a third of the price) that fits all my essentials (straighteners, shoes, coats, laptops and even bottles of wine, etc) around a capsule wardrobe.

This weekend, I'm heading home to see my parents, catch up with friends and meet a new baby. As always, I'm heading home straight from work today and heading straight back into work on Monday morning, and so I adapt my work-wear for weekend-wear to make things work for different occasions (work, cocktails, baby holding - you name it).

What I'm wearing today

I'm not a big trouser wearer - I bought my first pair of jeans in six years last year - but this week, on somewhat of a whim, I ended up buying four pairs of trousers, including these fab 'seven-eighths length' polka dot ones above (chilly ankles!). Today, I've teamed them with a black chiffon tshirt (from Zara, rather than the Topshop one shown above), my trusty boots (I don't wear flats anymore) and a camel blazer. My go-to Zara bag and many rings make their stalwart appearance, and I've been loving bright peach/coral lips this week. With my trademark smokey eyes and messy hair, I've been channelling Brigitte Bardot. (Outfit completed with Illamasqua's Fragile (my review here).)

What I'm wearing this weekend

I fell in love with another polka dot dress but wasn't so sure on the price tag. I picked up the one above this week and whilst it looks a little mumsy, the length definitely isn't, and as a fit it's a dupe for the smock. I plan to wear this tomorrow for previously-mentioned babyholding duties and then seeing my mum. Whilst weekends are definitely meant for relaxing, it doesn't mean my wardrobe has to - you won't be seeing any joggers here, I'm afraid!

Bloody and Blue

I've spent the weekend and the last couple of days lost in the world of the Hobbits and the Shire, brushing up on my French and the past historic tense. Having barely used the language since graduating almost two years ago, I'm pleasantly surprised at how quickly I got back into reading it.

It's not all been literature, though. Saturday night saw us dancing round our living room until the early hours. Sunday saw me fragile, but soothed by soul and all-day Bloody Marys at The Nelson's Head before settling down with the ever-so-slightly trashy but location-covetable Into The Blue. Yesterday was a busy day of work, work-outs and then my new favourite creation: warm roasted vegetable salad with sundried tomato croutons and grilled halloumi. And today I felt dramatic so I pulled on some big chunky-heeled boots, my housemate's cape and a slick of bright pink lipstick (sadly discontinued, but very much like Illamasqua's Immodest). Perfect.

Sunday links #5

1 Graham Roumieu
Graham's simple looking illustrations are whimsical and well-observed. I love this ridiculously anthropomorphic cartoon above.

2 Scout Pare Phillips
From illustrations to photographs, Pare Phillips' work is sublime. My recent favourites are the Impressions series, where she's captured the marks left on the body by clothing. Sensual in some places, straightlaced in others, she brings 'parts of life' to life.

3 A Midsummer Night's Dream 
Ever since I was small (I've always been a big reader), I've loved Shakespeare. And having studied more than four plays in secondary school alone, I've got a lot of time for the big man. On a wander round London last year, we stumbled across the original Rose Theatre - the original home of Shakespeare's productions. Rediscovered fairly recently, it's looking for funding and awareness to bring it back to life - but you can visit the museum and see the very foundations (!!!) where it all started. Following a long, long dream, I've just booked some summer tickets to see A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Globe. As always, there's plenty of performances and plays - all from as little as £5 - so why not get lost in Shakespeare for an afternoon?

Cadbury Creme Egg Brownies

Now this is something that's been doing the rounds all morning, and both my housemate and my Dad separately posted links to this on my Facebook. I'm on a real healthy kick at the moment, but given that it's Easter weekend in less than 10 days, and I've been very good (and only eaten 48 Creme Eggs so far this year. Yes, I've counted.), I'm very tempted to make these incredible looking brownies.

You'll need

• 185g unsalted butter 
• 185g dark chocolate (get as best quality as you can!)
• 85g plain flour 
• 40g cocoa powder 
• 3 large eggs 
• 275g golden caster sugar
• 6 Cadbury’s creme eggs cut in half

How to

• Preheat the oven to 160C and grease a 20cm square baking tin. 
• Melt the butter and dark chocolate together either in the microwave or in a glass bowl over boiling water. Once melted, take off the heat to let it cool.
• Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in the sugar. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until they look thick and creamy, like a milkshake - if you've got one, use an electric mixer. The mixture will become really pale and about double its original volume.
• Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the egg and sugar mixture, and then gently fold together.
• Sift the cocoa powder and flour into the egg, sugar and chocolate and gently fold in to the mixture.
• Pour it into the baking tin and cook for 15 minutes. Then take the tin out of the oven and gently press the creme egg halves into the mix, spacing them apart evenly. Put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
• Leave to cool before removing the brownies from the tin and cutting into squares.

Motte and bailey

Sometimes the week goes so slowly you feel as if you've barely moved, and sometimes it flies by so fast you can hardly catch your breath. This week has been one of the latter: I don't think I've ever felt such relief and jubilation of it being a Friday than I did when I woke up this morning.

Like most weeks, I've had dozens of internal meetings, catch-ups on projects, catch-ups with friends, client calls, proposals to write, presentations to develop, amends to feedback, visuals to work on, copy to write... Unlike most weeks, I've had my 'work birthday', started the 30 Day Shred, had a 5am start and caught (what felt like) millions of trains. 

Being an Account Manager, I (obviously) spend time away from the office with clients. Meetings seem to come in bizarre patterns and sometimes there'll be weeks where the only time I leave the office is to grab a sandwich. Other weeks I'll almost forget what my desk even looks like; the variety of my job is great. This week, I've visited clients in Bristol, in a building teetering right near the Severn Bridge...and clients in Yorkshire, in a semi-castle. (They were yesterday.)

I was up at 5am, having not slept, with aching muscles from a combination of the icy cold and actual exercise (thanks, Jillian Michaels), for a 6.30am train to Leeds. The sunrise was beautiful and as we whizzed through (surprisingly flat) landscapes, the mist rose from the fields and everything looked really crisp. Three hours, another train, and another half an hour later, we were standing in a brilliantly sunny Yorkshire village, surrounded by the dales. That cliched 'countryside air' was incredible even if it was tinged with cow manure. We were up North for an all-day client workshop where we gather requirements to help us work our magic. It went well, requirements were gathered, magic shall be worked - and we managed to get an earlier (less pleasant) journey home.

Whilst I was standing in this tiny little village, sun blazing, birds singing (and all those other great cliches that you forget once you're in London but are instantly reminded of as soon as you go home - in my case to Sussex) I had an almost uncontrollable urge to 'do a Maria'. I wanted to fling myself onto the hills and spin around, arms outstretched, and just breathe. I didn't. Because that would have been embarrassing. But there was something about being in Yorkshire that was so nostalgic. I was born and raised (for a while) outside of Manchester, high high up in the Peak District (incidentally in the house where George Osborne currently lives), and something just felt...so familiar. It was nice.

As much as I love London, I think I've been taking home home for granted. I'm really looking forward to next weekend and being able to sit back and take stock of everything around me. In London, I'm always on-the-go, throwing frustrated looks at people who stop in appropriate places (read: everywhere), and rushing from place to place. Home (now Sussex) never changes. Although, I won't be able to redeem the 'complimentary massage' from Jo Malone in a sleepy little village - London, after all, does have its advantages...

If at first you don't succeed...

Today's my first birthday. It's been a year to the day since I started my current job and I couldn't be happier. As an Arts graduate (French and Comparative Literature to be precise), jobs can be few and far between. Whilst other professions like medicine and law are still hugely competitive, at least there's still a sense of 'direction' - with an Arts based degree, you can (almost) throw yourself into anything...but is there a benefit in being a jack of all trades but a master of none?

I graduated in 2011. And decided to move home. A four year course straight from sixth form saw me determined to have a year out, and to settle the wanderlust. I moved home, I worked full-time in hospitality and saved. I'd arranged my year-long working holiday visa for Australia, booked my one way flight to Thailand (to coincide with my sister's wedding) and had practically packed. What I hadn't factored in so much was meeting someone - someone who I then went on to fall madly in love with. I still went away for the wedding but whilst I was sunning myself on a glorious sandy beach, I started to put things into perspective - I was dangerously into my overdraft, pretty lonely already, and at 22 (a year older than most 'normal' graduates) worried that I was going to slip even further behind in the working world.

So I cut my losses. I came back. And whilst there's definitely moments (normally rainy, cold, miserable moments) where I am suddenly struck with regret, I think it was the best decision I could've made.

I came back and threw myself at recruitment agencies whilst applying for dozens of jobs a day. I needed anything - so applied for anything. I started getting interviews and would travel up to London several times a week, suited and booted, to shake many hands and fill out many forms. I'd have eight meetings scheduled in my diary each week and would end up crashing on old housemates' floors to save on the extortionate train fares. I temped at Zaggora, I temped at TNS...before getting a fully paid three month internship at creative design agency, Imano. There I was thrown into all sorts of situations and when my time was up, I felt a lot more confident about what I wanted from my career.

Where previously, I'd happily considered anything in any industry, I was this time resolute that I needed to be 'creative'. Having always been an Arts-y type person, I could see that ending up in a corporate environment just wouldn't work for me (although maybe the money would have).

I applied for my current job, was put forward for it straight away, met two members of the team one day, then the rest a few days later...and waited. Waited for that joyous phone call of acceptance. I've now been here a year - based in Soho, I get to travel all over the country, establish and develop great relationships with all our clients and be part of a lively team. I was promoted and given two payrises and honestly love coming into work each day (even if I do have a 6.30am train for a four hour journey this week).

If you'd asked me where I'd be two years ago, I wouldn't have dreamed of the opportunities I've been given. Whilst sunning myself around the world is a very tempting prospect, I'm well on my way to a great career - and can still beach it up, this time with the bigger budget.

Sunday links #4

1 Where is Matt Damon?
This great story of how the author managed to stalk down Matt Damon in a Moroccan village, 'just because', told through (many) tweets is laugh-out-loud brilliant.

2 Arthouse
My bedroom walls in London are pretty bare. I managed to stick up some old records in their sleeves for a while before they ceremoniously leapt from their blu-tac and landed on my head. In the middle of the night. I'm looking for the perfect world map but stumbled across this - what's not to love about cats and geography?

3 Feeling Fred
To celebrate its 60 years birthday, esteemed brand Fred Perry commissioned creative types to reinterpret the iconic t-shirt. Jalouse magazine and Sister and Sibling gave it very feminine takes whilst Michael Lau went completely off-the-wall. I think my favourite is agency Mother's (above) - what's yours?

4 100 books
If your life was a book, what would you call it? Protagonist asks 'Are you the main character in a trashy romance, or playing a minor role in a tense crime thriller? If you wrote the story of your life in London, what would you call it?'
Submit your title here and if its chosen, you'll star alongside other 100 other Londoners, aged 1 to 100, in a portrait of the city. You'll also be invited to a special outdoor screening of the film.

5 Order of the day
Artist Ursus Wehrli sees the order in the chaos...and photographs it. He's just released a new book - The Art of Clean Up: Life Made Neat and Tidy - showcasing his compelling need to organise. On a similar (but less recent) theme, Ikea produced a cookery book with an equally novel approach to the photography.

Bilbon Sacquet

If you were to ask any of my friends what they thought my favourite film was, they'd say Lord of the Rings. And they'd be right. I first read Tolkien's Hobbit in prep school, and moved swiftly on to its big brother, the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was in Year 6. Yes, I was that precocious 10 year old bringing a 1000-page novel into school.

I read and reread my parents' much-loved copy, borrowed a brand new one from the local library...and when the films were released, repeated the whole process. I can quote along with all three and have an inordinate amount of related trivia that comes in handy in every situation, naturally.

This week, in an attempt to get back into French (I studied it as half of my degree) I decided to combine my loves and buy French copies. So far, so good - and so my adventures with Monsieur Bilbon Sacquet de Cul-de-Sac begins!

Barrio Central

After our lobster feast on Tuesday night, the only logical thing to do was to stay out for another drink. We headed to Barrio Central (the Soho sister of Barrio East, last week's bar of choice) and settled ourselves in the downstairs bar. 

Capitalising on the uber-trendy London-Latino vibe, Barrio Central felt like the more grown-up counterpart. Where East was very much bright lights and fluoro decor, Central had a more refined feel with painted tropical walls, topical greenery and even the Love Shack, which you can book out and reserve. 

We arrived in Amigo Hour - a happy hour with a choice of about six cocktails at £4.50 each. We opted for the mojito - classic straight up, straight down white rum, sugar, mint, lime and soda (my favourite) with added dashes of Angostura bitters. Great. These, predictably, went down very easily and more were swiftly ordered, along with a very strong margarita.

The bar was buzzing and service was great; I like my mojitos a little sweeter than the rest - the barmen were more than happy to oblige and were even preempting our orders. The house band were brilliant too - playing Latino/jazz reworks of soul classics (Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Amy Winehouse...) that got every one dancing.

We stayed long after Amigo Hour, until the band had finished, the mojitos were done and it was time to go. Two visits to two Barrios in one week must be a record, but I'm definitely not complaining. I think a visit to North should be on the cards and I might just sample some of that tempting, tempting food.

Burger & Lobster: round ii

As a company, we get to go to some great places for post-work playtime - Paramount, Sophie's, the W, Hakkasan...to name but a few. Last night, we decided to make a return trip to everyone's favourite lobster shack. Our last visit was in July and we felt it was time for a much-needed bit of summer.

'Single-serving' pop-ups and restaurants are very much the rage these days, and Burger & Lobster is no exception. As you might imagine, Burger & Lobster serve two things done three ways: a big burger with bacon, cheese, onions, gherkins and relish all served in a brioche bun, a whole lobster steamed (and grilled) with garlic butter, or a lobster roll - lobster meat in Japanese-inspired mayonnaise stuffed into brioche. All come served with string fries and a dressed salad. And a bib. For £20.

We went early, straight from work, to avoid the no-bookings debacle that a lot of London restaurants seem to have. With a quick drink at the bar (mine was a Mint Collins), and even quicker table service, the four of us stayed considerably crustacean. My lobster, as always, was great - lots of juicy meat to work for - and just the right amount of everything else. We toyed with the idea of getting bigger ones to share - 'Big Boys' weights and prices are listed on a catch of the day board. Yesterday's haul saw a whopping 8lb-er available for £120. 

Afterwards we indulged in both of the puddings on offer - a vanilla cheesecake topped with orange liqueur, and a chocolate mousse topped with crunchy flakes - which come served in old school tubs like the ones you used to get at the cinema. 

By the time we left, predictably, the place was heaving and the queue jostling. There's something about lobster that shouts of summer and holidays, and so it seemed fitting to follow the nicest day of the year so far with something a little decadent.

Imagery #2

Housemate's uniform | Presents at work | Chanel Coco Noir | Illamasqua I'mPerfection
A litre of Baileys | Feeling continental | Jewellery that never comes off | Bloc Party Punch

Jimmy James Jones | One Direction LoveHearts | Homemade brownies and icecream | Sushi Sunday!

Sunday links #3

Another week, another Sunday.

I had quite a busy one at work - I've written four proposals this week, and started another on Friday afternoon. The promise of potential work is always exciting, especially as I work in a pretty niche area and what we do makes a real difference.

1 At the drive-in
These quote-based prints from 17th and Oak are a sweet little take on the classic movie poster. Using characters and famous lines, they're instantly recognisable. I think my favourites may be 'Not pass' (obviously), 'Okay', or 'Clothes, Boots and Motorcycle' (for the ridiculousness).

2 Sacrilege
I've been playing the new single from Yeah Yeah Yeah's new album non-stop. Some writer described it as having some Rolling Stones undertones with the gospelesque backing towards the end (have a listen, you'll see what they mean) - I think that's what makes me like it even more.

3 How Sweet It Is
I think this may just be my new favourite blog. With almost every recipe having me writing mental notes to buy the ingredients and try them out at home, How Sweet Eats is a new discovery. I haven't yet trawled through the archives but the cleverly photographed recipes have already got me hooked.

4 Stylist's top 10 reads for March
I'm the kind of person who always has a book on the go. Normally, I have two. Or three. I can easily finish a book in a day (yes, even on weekdays) and I devoured Martin's Game of Thrones Series in a matter of very short weeks (whenever Amazon delivered them!) before passing them on to my dad. These are Stylist's top 10 reads for March, which I might just get my hands on. Not before I've read my newly-ordered Lord of the Rings Trilogy...in French!

5 Billing blocks
Ever wanted to know what all those names mean at the bottom of a movie poster? Obviously you can tell that George Clooney's in it, or Steven Spielberg directed it...but what about everything else? Ben Schott, whose Miscellanies and Almanacs are bestselling books packed with trivia, explains. 

Five for...March

Following on from the relative (un)success of my 'Five for February' - I seemingly managed to complete two - and my self-determination to continue, this month's five things are potentially a little less ambitious, and a little more achievable (especially as I'm giving myself a whole month this time round too).

1 Explore somewhere new in London
Now, this one should be relatively easy. I guess you could say I'm somewhat a creature of habit - having moved to London (east) at 18, I've firmly stuck my ground. There's only been a handful of occasions where I've ventured to the 'wild west' or even gone south of the river... When I lived in Paris, I'm pretty sure I managed to do something in every one of the twenty arrondissements (and I was only there for just under a year) - so it's time to buck up the ideas and find somewhere new to play for the day.

2 Do the 30 Day Shred
A combination of jumping on a much-mentioned bandwagon and the sudden realisation that summer really is around the corner (although the weather may not feel like it), means that I've bought myself, received and even unwrapped Jillian Michael's DVD and it's patiently awaiting the first of the month (today) for its first use. Here's hoping I'll have those toned muscles in no time...

3 Try five bruschetta toppings
Perhaps a little contradictory to the above, but one of my favourite things to make (and eat) is bruschetta. Seeing The Londoner's post with three new takes on it has inspired me to create (and devour) my own this month.

4 Write something
Copywriting at work and blogging at home doesn't count. I need to write something - anything - totally unrelated to either.

5 Book a trip somewhere
With a very generous 32 days of holiday this year, I've just got to get something in the calendar. Whilst I seemingly didn't manage to treat myself in February, I'm thinking that I may just combine treat with travel and finally commit to something. Whether its the few days in Paris I've been discussing, or a part payment on summer hols, March is the month to get it all sorted.