What a Magnificent Revolution

Welcome to London, the place where anything goes and no one thinks twice.

I'm always looking for new and interesting things to do in this amazing city and today, I was not disappointed. Just think drive-in movies and then take it to another level.

Enter: the good old fashioned bicycle.

Yep that's right, folks, the Cycle-In Cinema has come to London. The concept is simple, you pedal to generate the power needed to screen the film.

At any one time, to run a film, the powered cinema system uses 8 bikes and 16 legs to power a 4000 Lumen projector and 500W of audio equipment for screening films or projections. The bicycles can be arranged in a variety of formations.

Their specially designed bike generators will be setup and ready for anyone who would like to bring their bike and participate. With bike or without, they encourage everyone to have a go.

So don't be shy. Head out to Hackney City Farm on your bike, with your friends or that special someone you want to woo with your cycling prowess. Remember to take a blanket and an FM Radio to tune into the film with.

And just a heads up, THE PRINCESS BRIDE is playing on Sunday 28th August {seriously you can't go wrong with this film}

Hackney City Farm, 1a Goldsmiths Row, E2 8QA
Gates open – 8pm / Film starts 8.30pm
FREE (£5 suggested donation)

So get your pedalling feet on and remember to pack a picnic - the Outdoor Cycle Cinema has arrived!

x

Dear Iris and Light...

... i simply LOVE your work!

A close {photographer} friend of mine sent me a link this morning. It has to be one of the most beautiful pieces of cinematography I have seen in a while.

I watched 'Go Do' {I won't tell you how many times over} and had shivers. It was stunning & powerful & beautiful & breathtaking.

Go Do from IRIS AND LIGHT on Vimeo.

I love that there are such amazingly talented little creatives on the planet. Iris and Light are a team of photographers & cinematographers who seem to take great ease in capturing the tangible beauty and passion of life. I must admit though, that it does help that the couple in this particular film are ridiculously good looking...but i'm sure that with with all their creative genius, they could totally make the rest of us mere mortals look good.

So with that, I'm off to start an 'Iris and Light' savings account.

Until then, I will love your work from afar!

x

To tattoo or not to tattoo

{Dear Mum, I think you should stop reading this now - go to your happy place & I will be there, sans tattoo}

So here's the thing. I think I kind of want a tattoo.

Now, not saying that I will actually go through with it, but i'm not going to lie to you, I have been thinking about it a lot. My daily commute takes me past a little tattoo parlour {do they still call them that? Kind of reminds me of an ice-cream parlour, which can only be good, right?} Anyways, so almost everyday I am confronted with the thought, to tattoo or not to tattoo? 

The place is always hiving with a mass of über cool heavy-metal rockers, bikers & the heavily pierced, so potentially this is not the place for me to get inked {look at me with all my tattoo appropriate lingo. I feel tougher already}

However, having said all of this, there are still 3, no 4, little stumbling blocks I need to overcome before I decide to get a tattoo.

Number One: My mother.

I still remember having a conversation with my beloved brother after he had his sleeve filled in on his right arm. The somewhat naive question: 

"You think Mum will notice?" 

My response was along the lines of:

"Er, yeah Andrew, i'm pretty sure that unless you wear long sleeved shirts for the rest of your life, I think she might just notice the octopus that's attacking your right arm."

Number Two: Miami Ink.

I don't know if any of you have seen this show, but it scares the daylights out of me. The sheer glimpse of this show makes my knees buckle and causes me to break out in a sweat similar to an acute case of Dengue fever. So perhaps I do not have the emotional, mental & physical constitution to join the tattoo club.

Number Three: I don't know what I want.

Although I have been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo for a while, I have not been able to decide what I want. Do I want words or poetry or a verse or a picture or a symbol. Augh... such a big decision. I mean I don't want to have a tattoo for a week and think, 'man, I should have thought this one through a bit more'. As I say this, I am mentally taking myself back to the 3 weeks of 'henna-regret' I had to endure - but that is a story for another day. All I will say is that wine & henna does not mix!

Number Four: My little miss 'social media extraordinaire' friend.

She is one of my dearest friends, her creativity astounds me and I take comfort in her honesty. I seem to grace her with a daily WhatsAp image of my latest tattoo idea with the text "What about this one?"

She likes most of them but her overall argument is "Amy, what if your future husband does not like tattoos?" 

Eish.

So, I guess I am waiting for my stumbling blocks to fall. Until then, I will continue my quest to find the perfect tattoo.

Much love, the un-inked {for the moment} girl!

xx

Hi my name is Amy and I'm a bikini-holic

Most normal people I know buy a fridge magnet, a postcard or a snow globe when they travel as a souvenir. Me, well I buy a bikini. It doesn't matter if it is a weekend trip to the English countryside, a ski trip to the Alps or a city break in Europe, I still buy a bikini.

To date I think I have accumulated about 26 bikinis. I can't throw any away as they remind me of the fabulous places that I have been and the amazing people I have shared these adventures with. These are a few of my current faves {sourced from as far apart as Thailand, Portugal & Australia} and are currently sitting in my suitcase, packed and ready to go on my next little summer holiday.  

So yes, I have an addiction. But i don't mind! It just makes summer holidays even more colourful, shiny and bright!

Yours Truly,
The self-confessed bikini-holic
x

{Selah}

I have learnt

Yesterday it rained in London. Now you would think that I would be used to a little rain by now. But seriously, just after midday, the skies opened up and a downpour of typhonic proportions hit.

So there I was, stranded, helpless, stood amongst the Yummy Mummies of Chelsea, underneath an awning, sheltering from the onslaught. After a few minutes of listening to their banter about the latest Petit Bateau collection, the trauma of their personal training session & their customary lunches at Wimbledon, I decided to make a run for it.

Fail.

I learnt many things in the few minutes that were to befall me during my journey from my cosy little shelter to my car across the road.

I have learnt that I am not a good looking wet person. I suspect that the whole notion of good hair after the rain is saved for those in cartoons & movies.

I have learnt that you should never chase your awol flip flop that has been held hostage by the rapids in the gutter. This causes people at the bus stop adjacent to think you are ridiculous. Just embrace the one shoe trend and walk away with dignity intact.

I have learnt that is crucial not to stand too close to a kerb when it has been raining. Bus > big, no huge puddle > saturated Amy {honestly, I only thought this happened in movies too}

I have learnt that it is always important to wear colour appropriate underwear if there is a slight chance of rain. I will say no more {nor will we ever speak of this again}.

I have learnt that when the weather forecast says sunshine & 24, you should think rain/hurricane style winds & 14. And always, always take an umbrella if you live in England.

So there you have it. Who knew one could learn so much in such a short space of time.

Much love,
Yours Saturated-ly

A
xx

Dear 3am, we have got to stop meeting this way

Insomnia. I didn't understand the concept of this phenomenon until early this morning. Honestly, I'm a girl who loves to sleep. Give me a little teeny space & I will always make a way. I can sleep on trains, planes & automobiles. Actually, I am normally able to catch a few minutes sleep before the plane has even taken off. Some people dread the 24 hour flight to Australia. Me, I love it. Free movies & guiltless hours of sleep! Pretty good deal if you ask me.

But not being able to sleep when you really want to sleep > absolute torture!

Late last night, after an exciting & eventful weekend, my weary little self marched home dreaming of my nice fluffy duvet & freshly washed sheets. At about 11pm I hopped into bed, put on my eye mask and got myself ready to dream the night away. 

Tick-tock.

11:57pm

Tick-tock.

12:34am

Tick-tock.

1:50am

Tick-tock.

3:04am

Finally. Sleep arrived sometime after 3am - only for me to be jolted back into some form of consciousness with the ringing of my 5:53am weekday alarm. Not good. 2 hours and 50 something minutes sleep - oh my, this is going to be one very long day!

Somewhere between midnight & 714 sheep, I decided that trying to visualise sheep jumping over my bed wasn't for me. It just got me thinking more. I mean, where are all these sheep coming from? Where were they going to? Were they landing safely on the other side? Were they landing on one another? And was there actually 714 individual sheep or was it the same 10 sheep doing laps? Hmmmm, dangerous territory for me to get my impulsively overactive imagination in to! And now, to add fuel to the fire, I started to worry about the fact that I may have gone completely and utterly mental. Who else starts to give names and accessories to the sheep they are counting? Actually, don't answer that!

This morning, my highly weary self is asking Mr Google about his suggestions should this ever happen again. In the meantime, anyone out there with some good suggestions {other than counting sheep that is} feel free to send them my way! I am concerned what will happen if I have another night like last night. Be scared all you Australians out there. The fact that you are in another time zone means that you are perfect target for a late night, insomniac phone call.

So 3am, we really do need to stop meeting this way. Unless of course I'm in a pair of Jimmy Choos & have a bellini in my hand.

Much love & loads of caffeine xx