Down the back of the sofa

So, after the mini heatwave, today officially felt like Autumn. Kicking crunchy leaves on my way to work, i was reminded of the autumnal 70's colour palette of this installation at the Vintage at Southbank Festival, back in the Summer, (proper Summer mind, ie July!). 'Down the back of the Sofa' was curated by Derby Museum, as a replica of an early 1980's living room...if you're thinking it looks more 70's, you'd be right. This was still how things looked in the early 80's...or so i'm told! The attention to detail was awesome, from authentic magazines in the rack, to the board games under the bed. Every drawer and cupboard was filled how it would have been, which led to many a gasp of delight from yours truly - i love snooping in drawers as much as i love vintage knick knacks! But the best bit was the active participation. Revellers were encouraged to document their nostalgic thoughts by tying notes on any object that took their fancy. It led to a very amusing narrative as you explored the room! All that was left to do, was relax on the sofa whilst sipping sherry...i definitely made myself at home.

Udderbelly

Yes, this is another South Bank post people, but there is so much going on there, that I have to share it with you! So, you may, or may not, have noticed a giant, inflatable, purple cow tent next to the London Eye recently. Well, this strange sight is the Udderbelly Festival - offering 12 weeks of affordable entertainment from cabaret to comedy. Oh and yes, the beer garden is pretty cool too. Tables with personal beer taps...hard to say no to really! 

Canal Cavalcade

What could be more British than spending a bank holiday by the canal with a beer? Little Venice came alive with patriotic festivities over the weekend culminating in beautiful canal boats all decked out,  strutting their stuff down the river.

Dates for the diary...

You need good prioritising skills to live in London and lots of energy. There's always a million and one things going on and it's just not possible to do it all - but i am trying! Here are a few of the biggy's over the next few weeks...


Festival of Britain 22nd April - 4th September
As you have probably gathered through my numerous posts on the subject, i am a big fan of the Southbank. So i am well chuffed that to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, the Southbank Centre will be hosting a 'summer long celebration' by the river. There is so much cool stuff going on that it hurts my head, so you will have to visit their site for more details. There is this next thing though...

Festival of Britain wallpaper by Lizzie Allen...i'm in love!


Vintage at Southbank Centre 29th - 31st July

The award winning festival (remember Goodwood last year?), from the ever inspirational Wayne and Geradine Hemingway is back and it's in the centre of town! Another celebration of music, fashion, film, art, design (you name it, they will celebrate it), is to be expected again this year, with the line-up gradually being announced in the run-up.The Royal Festival Hall is set to get a vintage make-over, with its 6 levels transformed into a 'multi - venue playground' of fun and frolics. All the fun from 2010 will be there from bands, films, shops, dance lessons, makeovers, workshops plus a few surprises...a Thames boat party has been mentioned, which has sold it to me! Can't think of a better way to celebrate all that is Best of British.


love this image from the Vintage at Southbank Centre website


Royal wedding - April 29th
Love them or hate them (personally, i'm a lover!), the royals will be taking over the capital on April 29th. Now as a Londoner i have every intention of embracing this extra bank holiday in the spirit of any good wedding...to drink, dance and wear a big hat. The original plan of watching the ceremony in Hyde Park, with champagne in tea cups and crust-less sandwiches has been abandoned, as the estimated 300,000 crowd brings me out in a rash (i like my space). So instead, a civilised wedding breakfast at home is on the cards, to be followed by themed fun at the V&A Friday Late. Yes, the good old V&A have got into the spirit, by organising a wedding themed street party with the usual fun and activities of all their lates. I'm also looking forward to wandering London's streets to see the aftermath...knowing that the Queen is getting drunk and Prince Charles is dancing 'like a dad at a wedding'! Well that's how i imagine it going down!


'Her Consort' makes me chuckle!


Chelsea Flower Show - 24th - 28th May
Having been a regular at Hampton Court flower show the last few years, i have decided to give Chelsea a go...it always looks so cool on the TV! Always a good opportunity to get some good snaps, soak up inspiration and to drink champagne!

54th BFI London Film Festival

For all you film lovers out there, the BFI London film festival is nearly upon us. So if you haven't yet checked out what's on, then do it now as tickets are almost all sold out! There are some great films to be seen from all across the world, covering all genres...too many good ones to try and list them. Check out the site here and get booking!



I love the festival imagery, with the collage city scape made up of numerous film posters...can you spot Mickey Rourke?


BFI London Film Festival from the 13th - 28th Oct, in cinemas across London.

The Mayor's Thames Festival '10... saying goodbye to the summer!

What an awesome celebration of this great city! This two day, free festival on the Southbank was such a great day out, with yummy food, drink and plenty of entertainment! 

Highlights included Les Grooms, a French comedic brass band (sounds strange I know, but they were brilliant), who took audience participation to a whole new level and capitalised on every last inch of space in front of the national theatre. Check out the images below for an idea!



The jive stage outside the Tate Modern was a great place to refuel whilst admiring the dancing talent. 

There was every kind of delicious food imaginable and at reasonable prices it was a good excuse to sample as much as possible! 

As the sun set the place to be was Southwark Bridge with its trestle tables and food stalls bringing people together for a huge feast, as well as mass toasting and edible hat making! The atmosphere was great, really friendly and it was so cool to see such a diverse crowd… London at its best.

Festival Fun... Vintage at Goodwood

When I first heard about Vintage at Goodwood (13^th-15^th August) earlier this year I remember thinking what a genius idea, this is my kind of festival! Dreamt up by the brilliant Wayne and Geradine Hemingway, the festival celebrates ‘5 decades of British cool’ by combining the best of music, fashion, design, dance, art and film from the 1940s – 1980s. It has a real ‘Best of British’ vibe with a respectful nod to the 1951 Festival of Britain albeit with a contemporary twist. This is a weekend long event in the style of old British camping holidays, where you can just pop along for the day or pitch up for the duration. There are options to suit all budgets from camping to glamping (i would opt for the gypsy caravans myself). Check out their amazing site as there is far too much happening and it would be rude for me to try and summarise. Happy Camping!

Hampton Court Beer and Jazz festival

If you are a beer and jazz lover or even just one of the above, then this is the perfect day out for you (27th - 30th August - bank holiday weekend baby yeah!). The man and me went to this last year and had a great time, so we decided to try out the same festival in Greenwich during May of this year. The line up was great, the beer was great, but the weather was awful! It rained incessantly and was far too cold to drink beer comfortably (but we managed!). I fashioned makeshift socks out of arm warmers and the man made us a civilised seating area out of beer crates in one of the marquees! Think we will stick to the Hampton Court August slot next year… a much safer bet. Check out the line up and the selection of 80+ beers here.


Can you see Canary Wharf in the background? Oh i love Canary Wharf!