Scissor Sisters Night Work GET IT!

I picked up the new Scissor Sisters album, Night Work yesterday and I can't stop playing it. It's probably the most infectious dance album of the year and I love it. Lead single Fire With Fire is a fresh slice of disco pop that will have you humming well into the summer, while the Sisters upcoming second single Any Which Way, grooves along like a Bee Gees anthem. This is the third album from Jake Shears, Ana Matronic, Babydaddy and Del Marquis and it's produced by Stuart Price, Madonna's Confessions On A Dance Floor. It's been four years since the sisters last blasted over the radio airwaves, four years too long. So this is a welcome and fantastic return from one of my favorite bands. Night Work is packed with gems for the after hours clubber. It's synth sleaze twisted round chunky beats and 70's lasers, it's somewhere between The Pointer Sisters, Automatic and Trans-X's, Living On Video. It's that GOOD, and well worth getting on your iPod.

Moose Without A Leg To Stand On

Don't you just love a bargain? . . . and when one comes your way, it's just fantastic. Now then, I've had this fabulous Moose, yes Moose, lamp shade. Unfortunately, I don't have a stand for it. Me and my partner had been admiring an ornate black lamp stand at B&Q. However, we only wanted the stand and not the lamp shade, a lamp stand for my Moose shade. The whole thing cost a whopping £90, a bit much seeing as we only wanted part of it. So, we just left it and kept walking past it every time we dipped into B&Q. But then . . . A MIRACLE! On a B&Q trip the other day we spotted one last black lamp, reduced to just £30, the range had now been deleted. BARGAIN! Now my Moose lamp shade has something to look fabulous on. What do you think?

Lolo's Bouncy Castle

I was up writing quite late the other day, suffering writers block, and distracted by the temptation of turning on my television. So I did, and ended up laughing my head off watching Lolo Ferrari bouncing up and down on a bouncy castle with her gargantuan boobs. Watching Lolo try and balance herself on a bouncy castle while two muscled Germans in neon thongs catapulted her into the air was nothing short of comedy genius, and damn funny. This of course is a repeat of Eurotrash, the Channel 4 cult hit in which Lolo often appeared. Sadly poor Lolo passed away in 2000 at the age of 37 from induced suffocation. Yep! Death by boobies . . . well suffocation as a result. A tragic loss, especially as I was quite fond of Lolo and her choppy French accent. Lolo Ferrari was a truly BIG star in the making even after her bouncy castle burst.

Every Boy Wants A Princess Cake

Yesterday my Boyfriend celebrated his 25th Birthday. It was a small celebration at home. Just him, me, dinner and a bottle of rose. I surprised him with some of his favorite DVD's and an assortment of Lush bath bombs, soaps and a delicious vanilla & honey massage bar, which I might snatch for myself. Thinking of the big kid within him (at heart we all are) I decided to get him a Disney birthday cake. A pretty pink princess birthday cake with Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty on it. Every grown man wants one really! Well mine did . . . and he loved it. Happy Birthday Dave xXx

The Pots I Got

In earlier posts I blogged about the work I'm doing on both the front and back garden. I mentioned that I was in desperate need of some stylish pots to put outside the front door. So this morning I was delighted to receive these magnificent pots from Stewart Garden Company. They're made from durable plastic, so they're incredibly light and easy to move. The colours are natural, warm and inviting. While the shapes and moulds are incredibly stylish. I really love these contemporary pots and can't wait to get them filled with a variety of plants. I think I'll plant herbs in the Strawberry Pot (the one with the holes) and some sort of small tree or shrub in the Liscio and Honeypots. Although, I'm a bit undecided. I'll take some more pictures of these fantastic pots when I eventually fill them with the plants I choose. If these pots catch your eye and you're interested in purchasing them and any other products from Stewart Garden Company, visit their website by clicking the link below.

www.stewartcompany.co.uk

Happy Couples Beware . . . IKEA Causes Break-Ups

Have you ever noticed couples fighting in IKEA? Me and my boyfriend are one such couple. Every time we set foot in Ikea, walking the labyrinth of flat pack furniture, we end up bickering. We never bicker in ASDA or Sainsbury's while shopping for groceries, NEVER! We always find similar tastes in other home design shops. Yet in IKEA we are driven to separation, a couple on the verge of breaking up. He wants Lack, I want Hol. He wants Hemnes, I want Malm. He wants Aneboda, I want Odda. I mean for FUCKS sake! These are names we can't even pronounce and we are fighting over them. On a recent shopping trip to Ikea it got to the point where we were about to mutilate each other in front of shoppers. Our arguments over bathroom fixtures had become that heated. SO HEATED, we had to retreat to the cafeteria to calm down. The divorce papers were practically signed if not for Swedish meatballs, the only thing we could agree on during this shopping trip. Some two hours later and we headed to the till with only a Gasgrund Series, a toilet brush and a soap dispenser. This was even more frustrating as we had set out to buy picture frames, a lamp, and bed side tables - of which we got none. On the way out we witnessed a mother and father with their two twenty-something daughters screaming over each other. They were fighting of sofa cushions. While the Mother shoved cushions at her husband proclaiming "This One", one of the daughters burst into tears, while the other daughter screamed at the Mother "You never listen to what I want". The father eventually stormed off seeking refuge in the tropical forest which is known as IKEA's plant section. Me and my boyfriend glanced at each other, smiled, and rushed out of IKEA as fast as we could run. Happy couples beware . . . SHOPPING AT IKEA is the major cause of break-ups.

The Things You Forgot You Ever Had

Isn't it wonderful, the things you find, that you forgot you ever had. The other day while unpacking some boxes I found these little Elephants. They were brought back from India for me a good fifteen years ago by a friend I have lost contact with. She gave them to me as a gift when I left Canada to move to the UK. I remember the story she told me about them. Apparently when these little Elephants are linked up by trunk and tail they will bring you good luck. I have found a wonderful little home for them on the window ledge, here they can bask in the sunlight. Thank you Cathy, wherever you are, I hope you are blessed with happiness.

The Garbage Pail Kids

Can you remember The Garbage Pail Kids? Originally released in 1985 as collectable sticker cards they were designed to parody the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. I spent all my pocket money on them and eventually amassed the entire collection. I wonder if they are still packed away in boxes back at my parents house in Canada. More to the point, what value would they have if my parents had saved them . . . I wonder? What was so great about these Garbage Pail Kids? Well, each sticker card featured a Garbage Pail Kid character with some comical abnormality, portraying them suffering some terrible fate. What made them so special and down right funny to kids of my age back then was their play on names. You had - Barfin' Barbara, Acne Amy, Potty Scotty, Adam Bomb, Bony Tony, Babbling Brook, Nervous Rex and Frigid Bridgit, just to name a few. You always hoped they used your name, the closest I got to my name was Itchy Richie who was covered in little black spiders. These wacky disfigured kids even went on to star in their own movie, a live action film, The Garbage Pail Kids Movie. Sadly it was a massive box office bomb when it was released way back in 1987. Oh Well! I wonder if a Garbage Pail Kids revival is on the horizon?

Vuvuzela? Blow On This!

You know there's a football match on when vuvuzela horns can be heard blasting down the streets. It has become the must have accessory for any football fan, and a very loud one at that. So what's it all about? Well, the vuvuzela is a stadium horn (plastic trumpet) popular amongst South African football fans who see it as a unique part of their football culture. This noisy horn has also been causing quite a stir amongst visiting football fans who are not accustomed to its loudness. Footy fans attending this years FIFA World Cup have even reported temporary hearing loss and have complained about the vuvuzela drowning out traditional singing and match commentary. That's one powerful horn!

Haute Couture For Cats

People wear clothes, not cats! I recently came across some photos online of some furry felines in wigs and silly hats, dressed in shawls, lace and ridiculous ball gowns. Costumes created and sold by Tokyo’s Takako Iwasa are in high demand amongst the truly devoted cat lover. Yep! The nation that manufactures more cars, TV's and stereos than any other also leeds the way in Cat costumes. Only the Japanese, a nation obsessed with Hello Kitty could conceive and market such a ludicrous idea to the masses. This is cute for the deranged. Iwasa-san as she is known to her website visitors around the world, launched her cat costumes online in 2000. Her site features outrageous costumes for cats. She has built up a massive customer base through word of MEOW online. At one stage, she was actually selling her crazy cat costumes at the Parisian Printemps department store in the Tony Ginza commercial center in Tokyo . . . and, SHE SOLD OUT! As many of you already know, I'm a cat owner, of two Siamese - but never, would I ever, consider dressing them up and parading them around in the name of cute.
www.petoffice.co.jp

The Summer Belongs To South Africa

Unless you've been living on another planet and have just arrived on earth then you may not be aware that the 2010 FIFA World Cup starts tomorrow. South Africa will host the event with venues in nine cites and a total of 32 national teams participating. No doubt the pubs and bars will be packed and the streets will be empty, as the world watches, supporting it's favorite nation in a bid to win the FIFA cup. I always tend to find myself drawn into all the footy drama, supporting the England team of course. However this year I can't help but wonder if I should take advantage of the empty shops while England plays. I'm not one for crowds and I need a new toilet plunger. If you are interested you can check out all the World Cup highlights on the official FIFA website.
www.fifa.com

More Girl Power Please

Have you noticed the lack of female superheroes on film as of late? Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Miss America and Barbarella - why have these kick-ass women not been resurrected and adapted for the big screen? Do producers feel movie going audiences wont pay to see these women fight evil and save the world, are female superheroes just not bankable. Okay, so 2004's Catwoman starring Hallee Berry might not be the best example and case as to why we need more female superheroes on our movie screens, but at least it got the greenlight from Hollywood and eventually made it into theaters around the globe. Which is more than can be said about the above mentioned. No backing, no script, no post production. Nothing! Not one kick-ass female superhero to karate chop her way through cinema screens over the last six years.

Girls can kick-ass too you know! Look at Lady Gaga with all her rubber latex costumes, all she needs is the cape. Surly 'Girl Power' hasn't evaporated with the Spice Girls careers. How I miss the good ol' days of Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, cracking her lasso of truth and crossing her golden wrist cuffs. Carter was 'Girl Power' long before we even knew what it stood for, and long before the Spice Girls mentioned it. Surly a return to the big screen for Wonder Woman would be a hit. Okay, so poor Lynda Carter wouldn't be cast as the glamazon today, as she would be deemed way too old by Hollywood standards. But why not Megan "Lips" Fox or Scarlett "Bigger Lips" Johansson - perfect casting with the glamour of Sex & The City and the action of Iron Man that has to be a wining formula. If only I had real super powers of my own, I'd bring them all back . . . then I'd steal their capes and heeled boots and admire myself in a full length mirror. I'd look gorgeous, of course.

Me vs The Garden - Day 2

Day 2 and I'm fixing up the front of the house. I have pulled out all the weeds, removed all stones, pruned hedges and planted all bulbs . . . and I managed to do all this on only two cups of coffee and a pot of Tikka Masala noodles. Completed in under three hours. Phewww! I've attached to this post a few photos I took of my handy work, my clean up. I'll add more photos as my work on the garden and front garden progresses. Now I just need to get some pots and pretty things to brighten up the front of the house. If you have any suggestions please post them in my comment box below.

Me vs The Garden - Day 1

Right then, this summer I have made it my mission to sort out the garden, and boy do I have my work cut out for me. I'm working with a space the size of a football field, a slight exaggeration. First things first, WEEDS, and lots of them. To say the weeds in my garden are overgrown would be an understatement. Instead of gorgeous decking and a firepit I have weeds and grass up to my knees – to make matters worse, neither me or my partner have got a clue about gardening!
After giving the lawn an initial cut to help reduce the work, I was disappointed to see just how many weeds and brambles were left in the garden. This is when Roundup came to the rescue. I used one of the Pump N’ Go treatments to tackle the entire garden, from the more leafy and perennial weeds to the brambles at the back of the plot.
Within a couple of days the leafy weeds were dead, and the brambles were starting to die back. It didn’t take me long to clear the area and have the garden looking a bit more presentable. The Pump N’ Go was brilliant to use, the pump handle meant there was a continuous spray, leaving me to tackle the copious amounts of weeds in no time at all – I never imagined that this would be the easy part to it all! If you are interested in Roundup's Pump N' Go and any other Roundup products then please check out their website.

www.roundup-garden.com

Nuns On The Run

Isn't it funny, the things we sometimes see? Today as I was cleaning the bedroom, running around with a hoover like a madman, I paused, when I heard a house alarm go off across the street. I did what any nosey person did, I rushed over to the window and carefully peered through the curtains, not wanting to get noticed of course. What did I see? Well, I've posted a snap from my camera (above) of two Nuns fleeing from the scene. It seems god's little helpers accidentally set off a house alarm. Frustrated, unable to turn it off, they hopped in their car with a black bag and sped off. Not one to cast aspersions, especially on Nuns, I was left wondering - did they burgle the place, and what was in the black bag? Maybe I should just stick to my household chores and assume they were moving a huge portrait of Cliff Richard and his entire CD back catalogue . . . as Nuns on the run do.

Elvira Mistress Of The Dark

I spent last night curled up on the sofa watching one of my favorite DVD's, Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark. I just couldn't resist a bit of Elvira. Oh! how I love the Zeppelin-boobed goth vixen with big hair. I forgot what a classic piece of cinema this was, and SO worth watching again. So what's it all about? Well, Just as horror hostess, Elvira quits her job (after an outburst involving sexual harassment with the station's new owner) she discovers she has been included in the will of her late great aunt Morgana. With so much to gain and nothing to lose Elvira packs up Los Angeles and chases her inheritance to the small town of Fallwell, Massachusetts. The moment Elvira arrives she creates furry amongst the community of conservative townsfolk. From there the film just descends into camp comedy, with some brilliant one liners and many, MANY gags about boobies. As soon as the end credits began to roll, I was left thinking - what a shame it was she never got her own TV comedy sketch show! Elvira has definitely been absent from my screen for far too long and probably yours, don't you agree? I did find Elvira's official website, should you be interested.

www.elvira.com

Chia Pet, Chia Pet, Where For Art Thou Chia Pet

Whatever happened to the Chia Pet, those little animal shaped terracotta figurines that you grew sprouts on. They were all the rage in the 80's and every household had one. Where did the little clay critters go? I would really like them back please, as I would love to grow some sprouts on my window ledge this summer.

Own Gwen Stefani For Just £4

I ventured into a toy store today thinking of a Federico Fellini quote. The great auteur once said, "We should never loose our childish enthusiasm" - and with that in mind, I wondered around the toy store fondly reminiscing over the toys I once played with. From Star Wars figures to Hot Wheels, I couldn't help but smile as I picked them up looking over the slick packaging. I soon found myself in an aisle full of dolls and an assortment of girls toys, there was My Little Pony, Polly Pocket and Barbie, all of which I played with in secret but were owned by my sister. But there it was, at the top of a shelf, a doll I never played with. A Gwen Stefani doll. Yep even Gwen has a doll made of herself. Although these dolls looks more like Myra Hindley and less like Gwen Stefani to me. The proof can be seen in the photo I took above. Now I remember the Spice Girls dolls, I even remember the Wonder Woman doll . . . but the Gwen Stefani doll! I had no idea such a doll even existed. Anyway, If you're interested in a Gwen Stefani doll the good news is she's been reduced from a whopping £16 to a mere £4 - BARGAIN! Now if you're wondering if I brought one, well . . . you'll have to check my toy box.

A Clinique Day

I just had to blog about Clinique men's range of products as I was using their face scrub this morning. I always feel so fresh and cleansed after washing my face with Clinique products and my face thanks me for it after. I can almost hear my pores cheering the moment I lather up my hands in the shower. What I like about Clinique's face scrub is that it's dry to the touch, not oily. It's extremely controllable and actually quite effective. It's designed for all skin types, which works well with my rather delicate skin, and most importantly it leaves me feeling wonderful. I loved my Clinique scrub down this morning, so much so that I think I'm going to have a day of Clinique pampering this weekend. Glass of champagne in the bath tub, the full Clinique range, followed by a face mask and huge Cadbury's milk chocolate bar . . . WHAT? My pores are allowed some vices. Check out Clinique's full range of products for men below.

Clinique For Men

Kylie's All The Lovers

Well the wait is over boyz & girlz. Kylie's All The Lovers music video had it's premiere today. It features a selection of beautiful people stripping down to their underwear and making out on the street. They then gather and form a mound of human flesh with the Aussie singer floating on top. A rather simple concept I'd say.
The music video is directed by Joseph Kahn and was filmed outside Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. Right then, so what do I think of Kylie's new work . . . Well, I'm afraid I'm not feeling Kylie's new song, nor am I loving the video. It's all a bit Body Language for me, Slow and Chocolate come to mind. Kylie doing melodic chillout is like Madonna doing rap. I've never liked Kylie doing breathy vocals and wish she'd get back to doing more dance orientated pop like Wow, Spinning Around, and Love At First Sight. This is the Kylie I love and know. I do hope there are some pop gems forthcoming off her new album Aphrodite, due out July 5. If not, poor Kylie could have another Impossible Princess on her hands. You can watch All The Lovers below.

www.kylie.com

All The Lovers is released June 13th on Digital Download, and June 28th on 2xCD