Right then folks, I dare say I will remind you of this a fair few times before October but here is my first shot!

On October 7th (which incidentally is only 5 days after my birthday) Peter and I will be climbing the tallest mountain in Wales, mount Snowdon. Apparently the trek takes 6 hours (tiring) but the views are meant to be good. Apart from the lake district we aren’t really hardened walkers, and apart from the lake district really this will be the first (of many) mountain we climb. So should be lots of fun! Anyway, as much as this is fun and stuff, we are doing it for a more serious reason! The reason is to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care charity. I’m sure that you will agree that this is a tremendous charity, they do lots of research into curing and treating cancer and have special nurses who look after terminally ill cancer patients in their own home. You can read more about their work on the Marie Curie cancer care website. But basically what I’m getting at is that Peter and I want you to sponsor us! I’ve set up a just giving web page so you can do it all online and safely with credit cards and stuff, and I’m sure Peter will be setting one up soon too! So please give generously! Cut and paste the link below into your browser and sponsor us please! (I will put a proper picture on there in due course too)!!!!

http://www.justgiving.com/LouiseG

This weekend just passed was a little more quiet, but such is always the case in the lead up to payday!

Saturday during the day, Peter, mum, me, Sarah and the 2 dogs went to Wellsbourne market. This is a large Saturday market on an airfield. Some of it was pretty good and Sarah got a beautiful bag, I got some fab car mats which once I’ve had my car serviced I’ll put in there, I also think I might buy a red steering wheel cover… I’m thinking if I tart the inside of my car up a bit I might look after it a little more! Afterall it was only bought new 2 years ago, it would be a terrible shame to let it get dirty and messy! Anyway, we liked it so we’ll be going back again… although Bailey was a terrible embarrassment, he harassed every dog he passed, so much so that he scared the living daylights out of a bulldog puppy and wouldn’t stop… I ended up having to throw water on his head to calm him down! He needs dog borstal!

Saturday night I was going out into Leamington with my mum and my aunty Mary! I put my new Fenn Wright Manson dress on which Peter had bought me a while back! It’s grey taffeta with a big bow under the bust and an A-line skirt. It’s really nice, but unfortunately when we got to Leamington it was so cold in each and every bar that we went to that we all kept our coats on all night… this means no one got to see my pretty dress :o( The bars were good though, we started off (as usual) at Leamington bar and grill, then went to weatherspoons, the lounge and finished off at the jug and jester, which is a bit of a student type bar… and talking of students, we had a laugh at the cashpoint when we got talking to some medical students from Warwick university who despite both being men were dressed up as Tarzan and Jane, they had a lot of femal Janes with them who were equally amused, but I think they just felt they were missing out on being girls! Bless, they must have a good sense of humor, although I did say I hope I never come across one of them administering medication on me lol!

Yesterday was a really chilled day! I cooked a lovely beef in red wine dinner for Peter and mum and the dogs played, we took a leisurely walk to a pub and had drinks and surfed the internet! It was very restful, and really nice, normality although best served in small doses can be a very pleasing situation!

And so I’m up to date…. It’s taken me a while, but at least next weekend I’ll be free to tell you all about London fashion weekend as that is where I’m off to on Saturday! I promise though, I will get some photographs up here during the week! It might be that I have to delete some of the others, but I’m sure you have had your fill of those by now anyway!

And so we get to what I would say has probably been one of the major highlights of my month… Candy Box Burlesque

Peter and I had bought tickets for this over a month ago, it was during my 50s vintage phase (which now comes and goes but isn’t quite so chronic ;o) ) So the evening finally came, and we were a little anxious as to what people would be wearing, neither of us having ever been to anything like this before we just didn’t know! I knew there was quite a large scene surrounding this in London, but we were going to Birmingham, would it be the same?

Anyway, I got kitted up in my vintage 50s dress, with my pill box hat, and my paste jewellery, my 50s white coat and my Louis Vuitton shoes, and Peter looked the business in his Bogart type fedora hat, his lovely brown coat and suit… we really looked like a pair of 50s film stars! We arrived a little stressed having been sent all the wrong way around Birmingham by AA route planner, but eventually we arrived and were astounded! The variety of costume was fab, there were people in fantastic corsets with pill box hats on, people in vintage underwear with vintage gowns over the top, there was marilyn (circa gentlemen prefer blondes) and Elvis, some teddy boys loitering against one wall and Roger and Jessica rabbit in the aisle in front of us! It was fab… and the show hadn’t even started yet!

Then the lights went down and the show began. It was fantastic. They really do strip tease… tassles and big pants are all the rage, and some of the acts are totally bonkers, such as the girl who came out with balloons stuck all over her and popped them all, or the cupid who fired heart shaped arrows out into the audience! All of the acts performed to a live band (who were great) and a live singer, Imelda May, I swear you have never heard a voice like hers, it’s like one of those 1930s jazz singers, absolutely fantastic! I couldn’t believe we were having such a wonderful time, and only half an hour away from Coventry. It was like there was this whole secret society of people who wanted to live in the 1930s/40s/50s/60s (50s for me) who got together here to make it all come true… it really was like stepping back in time! Totally tongue in cheek though and so much fun, we didn’t leave until 1am and as it was a Sunday I had work the next day, but I didn’t care if I was going to be tired, this was worth it!

We had such fun that the very next day we booked our tickets for the April 1st one…. I’ll get some pictures on here soon too, I think I should probably change my icon picture for one of the more glamtastic ones taken of me on the night.

The following week was Valentines day! Peter had already bought me some Jimmy Choos, but obviously the burlesque had had an influence on him when he surprised me the day before valentines day with a Vollers corset, from bubble. I’m just waiting for the right size to be ordered in, but it is such a fab corset, it’s royal purple and longline and will look just amazing at the burlesque in April… I’m not entirely sure what I will wear it with, although I have placed a bid on a suitable pill box hat on ebay to go with it! Such fabulousness though!

The week that followed was less than ideal, I don’t really like to talk about work disputes on the blog, but I’ll give you a glimpse into the window of my office just so you know that I’m not the happiest of bunnies at the moment – strictly in a professional context you understand!

You see, during the ensuing week it snowed! It wasn’t just a slight smattering of snow, but was artic like in its severity… ok so that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but just to give you an idea, Peter got his car stuck in the back entry as well as some other neighbours. I made it into work on the one day (when many people hadn’t) but the second day I could not and basically wasn’t happy that I felt treated differently in that it was frowned upon when I couldn’t make it… so why not when the others couldn’t? They only live up the road from me! Anyway, I’m not going to get onto this rant, but it just gives you an idea!

And so… I finally get around to finishing my update… 2 weeks late but I have a couple of hours spare so hopefully I can tell you all!

On the Sunday my mum had tickets for all three of us to go to a trade show at the NEC in Birmingham. The trade show catered for all sorts of trades, catering, retail, photographic the lot! At first when we got there we were a little… disappointed! Having never been to a trade show we soon realised you can’t actually buy anything on the day, it’s not a sale! But the mood soon lightened when we realised the AMAZING mark up on a whole variety of products! It is atrocious if you think of how much the high street retailers make out of us mere mortals! Anyway, I came up with a business plan on the spot and began researching contacts and leads… I made loads and was really pleased with myself! That was 2 weeks ago and work is still well underway on my cosmetic retail business… I’m finding it is much more difficult than I first anticipated setting up my own business, although I obviously have bags of support from both Peter and mum… and bags of interest from potential ‘customers’ too, but I guess it gives me something to do and keeps me out of trouble!

Another useful opportunity presented itself while we were there. For those of you who keep up with Peter’s blog you will know that he is currently studying photography, his long term aim to become a self employed photographer (we both have aspirations to be self employed I think). Well while we were there, he made a few contacts who were exceptionally interested in his work, this would mean they would produce and circulate his pictures as works of art, and he would be entitled to royalties from the sales. That would be a major development and would be far beyond a first step on the ladder to photographic success! Unfortunately due to poor Peter being totally bogged down with project work he hasn’t been able to strike while the iron is hot, but I know deep down that as soon as he has time he will make contact and make that first step! Oh won’t it be exciting… my boyfriend the professional photographer!!!!