Candid Article 47

Lucius

For my latest article, on New York band Lucius, click the link below:

http://candidonline.com/new-music-lucius/

Spring Reads...

A Storm Of Swords Part 2 : Blood and Gold by George R. R. Martin - 3 stars ***

This book had taken me forever to read, but I am glad to have got it finished in time for the next series of the TV show to start, as I find I understand what is happening a lot more!

Continuing on from the first part of the book (this one is so big it's split into two parts!) Blood and Gold was much more action packed and interesting that it's predecessor Steel and Snow, which I actually found quite boring. As with all of the novels, the storylines are incredibly detailed and as such I won't go into them at length here (also avoids the tricky situation of spoilers then!), for a full plot summary, the link to the Wikipedia page is here: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Storm_of_Swords

The pace of this book is much better than the last - once I had got to the middle of it, I raced through the last section of it, as it was gripping and lots of twists happened. One thing I love about Game Of Thrones is that George R R Martin isn't afraid to shock the readers, and is often graphic and crude with his descriptions. This is quite refreshing and not the type of literature I normally read, which is a welcome change. I'd say if you're this far through the series then you obviously enjoy them, but for those that are fans of the TV show and haven't read them, get to it! They can be heavy going at times but are definitely worth it, even if it's just so you can threaten spoilers on friends that watch the series!

Weekly Update!

Bacon Baskets & Babysitting!

This week started with mine and Mo's one year anniversary, which was lovely. Mo took the day off, so once I had dropped Aum off at school I went back home and he made bacon baskets filled with egg and cheese for breakfast, they were amazing! I've seen them on Pinterest a few times and always fancied trying them; they were super easy to make and a nice variation on a traditional English breakfast. We also went for a coffee at The Church Inn in Mobberley before I went to collect Aum, it is really cute inside and had a log fire burning which was very cosy.

On Tuesday I ate at the Country Club, and went for one of the specials - oxtail dumplings with a soft poached egg and crispy bacon. It was quite small, but I had it with a side of chunky chips (perfect for dipping in a runny yolk), they are so good there! On Wednesday Mo came round, and on Thursday I ate at my parents before calling round to Hannah's with Tasha for a quick hour catchup before bed.

Last minute on Friday Mo and I went to The Moss Trooper for tea with a few others - I shared the meat platter which had black pudding, mini caramelised onion sausages, chicken goujons, onion rings, potato wedges and a pulled pork flatbread for a starter; I didn't really need a main! I was glad that I had opted for the small portion of fish and chips, as it was plenty big enough. It is typical pub grub there, nothing special, but definitely beats cooking at home.

On Saturday we ventured into Manchester on a hunt for some artwork for my flat, however we were late getting in and had an unsuccessful trip so it was a bit pointless really. I babysat in the evening, and for once finished relatively early at 11pm - shame I hadn't planned to do anything afterwards. Today I have had a really nice lazy day catching up with some much needed jobs, and Mo and I have just got back from a chicken roast dinner with apple and blackberry crumble for dessert at my parents, laverly!

Candid Article 46

Markus Lupfer

Markus Lupfer’s contribution to fashion week this season came not in a traditional catwalk style like some of the more conventional fashion houses decided upon, but in the form of an interactive presentation. Set on a stage made to look like a greasy spoon café in the 70s, complete with signs displaying the price of a cup of tea, plastic chairs and tables set with menus, models walked around and stopped to chat whilst the audience munched on chip-shop chips and sipped G&Ts.

It wasn’t just the set that was 1970s themed. Girls wore two piece skirt suits and mod-style pinafore dresses reminiscent of the era, paired with tartans, florals in dusky pinks and navy blues and two-tone turtle necks. The overall colour palette was quite dark, enlarged polka dot prints were used in black and grey, much suited to the winter months the collection is aimed at. Designs were also fairly simple - fabrics were classic wools and cottons, patterns were minimalistic, and plain black pumps or kitten heels were used along with centre parted straight hair to complete the look.

The slogan jumpers that made Lupfer a household name are not completely absent though, this season exclaiming ‘Golly Gosh’ along with other well-known British sayings. Lupfer has obviously decided to stick with inspiration close to where he studied in London, revealing "I wanted to do something quintessentially British”.