The Old Contemptibles

So, since I haven't actually got out my camera in an embarrassingly long time (which will hopefully change tomorrow or at least in the near future...) and England is a dark, rainy and uninspiring land at the moment, I thought I'd start re-kicking off my blog with some flashback posts. These photos were taken when me and the boyfriend went to Birmingham on a lovely April day in 2013 to meet up with some friends who all did Classics/Ancient History based degrees at around the same time I did at Warwick.

We wandered into the epic shopping centre that is the Bullring and had lunch at Pizza Express, and then wandered back out into the sunny city centre.

Some fun was had as we decided what to do next...

John came to the rescue with his knowledge of Birmingham. (Gained through attending Birmingham College of Law for two years! Impressive.) So we ended up at a lovely pub very near the centre called The Old Contemptibles.

It had Aspall cider on tap, was really cosy and well-decorated - what more could you ask for? The name is based on the fact that survivors of World War I later called themselves "The Old Contemptibles" because it was thought that Emperor Wilhelm II referred to the English forces as a "contemptible little army", although actually there's no evidence for this...but it makes a good story!

They had a lot of ales as well, but sadly I am decidedly not a beer drinker!

All in all it was a really wonderful day, and hopefully we can repeat it this year!

Spring 2014: Pastels

So apparently pastels are in again for SS'14 - I don't know who decides these things but I'm not complaining! I love pastel shades and the more there are in the shops, the happier I am - well, sort of, seeing as my budget doesn't stretch to everything I'd love to buy! Here's a list of my top ten pastel buys for this year's sunny spring days (*frantically touches wood*).

1. Topshop - Lipstick in Petal 2. Schuh - Yellow Converse  3. Oasis - Cable Cotton Jumper 4. Accessorize - Oval Rose Bracelet 5. Miss Selfridge - Collarless Neon Zip Coat 6. Cambridge Satchel Company - Peach Pink 13" Satchel 7. Clarks - White Leather Brogues 8. Topshop - Suede Backed Tote Bag 

9. Accessorize - Pink Owl Studs 10. Oasis - Stripe Shirt

I know ten isn't really a pastel shade but I couldn't resist...

Humans of New York

I'm back! For good this time; I'm New Year's resolution-ing that blogging is going to be a regular thing. I missed it like crazy but was a bit nervous to get back on the bandwagon and put out my thoughts and pictures for all to see. Here we go though!

I'm going to start by recommending a blog I just discovered - Humans of New York. If you like things like PostSecret or The Sartorialist, this will be right up your alley. It combines striking, often beautiful photographs of the denizens of New York city with small samples of their thoughts and lives. Some of the snapshots of people's lives are searingly honest and poignant, like this one:

"I was engaged eight years ago, but my fiancee died in Iraq. After that, I promised myself that I’d never be that dependent on someone again. So after I met my husband, I fought marriage for the longest time. But we got married in September. And even though I was rebelling against it, and I always saw it as a meaningless formality, I’ve been surprised. There’s a comfort in knowing that you’re sworn to someone else."

Some make you think, and maybe strike a chord:

"I’m working on my PhD in English, with a focus on poetry."
“So how would you define a good poem?”
“It’s a good poem if I’m a different person when I’m finished reading it.”

And some are just plain funny:

"If you have a beard, it takes longer for people to notice that you don’t have any teeth."

It's so interesting and so addictive that I spent an hour on it earlier without realising - I could barely tear myself away to write this post! Can't wait to buy the book!

All images belong to Brandon Stanton, the genius behind the blog, and the words both belong to him and these glorious people.