Aubrey's GG roundup 4x18

Aubrey’s back with her weekly round up of GG events. She’ll be writing them about a week in advance so no complaints re: spoilers please.

First off, call off the search for best quote of the season. We got it:

“You are ass backwards crushing on Blair Waldorf”

AREN’T WE ALL? Episode 18, The Kids Stay In The Picture saw a complete return to form for everyone’s fav Queen B. Amazing nightwear and heartbroken Basses litter the ground she walks on, whilst vintage Blair spent an entire episode raining on Dan’s parade, bickering with Dorota and paying little attention to the ridiculousness that is the van der Woodsens.

Because we do have to talk about them at some point I’m afraid. Even as their first uneaten brunch scene unwound, I could hear Charlie Brooker’s molars grinding with the pain of such clunky dialogue:

“I can’t believe you asked Carol here without clearing it with me first.”

“What’s to ask, you’re her sister.”

“For good reason, Carol turned her back on Lil.”

“I would say there was some blame on both sides.”

Incase you couldn’t guess, Lily’s sister came to visit, and apparently there’s some history, or something. Main thing is she looks nothing like Lily, or Serena, or her own daughter, Charlie, who Dan will spend the next three episodes lusting over. Probably.

Serena’s day wear saw a dial turn-down from 11 to a humble 9. Substantial coat? Tick. Ear ripping diamonds? Also tick, but it's an improvement.

All in all, the show had all the hallmarks of a GG back on top. Vanessa even made a classic cameo, busy indulging in her favourite hobby: clinging to walls where more attractive people are talking nearby and making unwelcome phone calls from Brooklyn cafes that start with “so... I know you didn’t want to hear it from me but.... I had to share.”

Oh, and just how can Chuck Bass make regal look lonely better than a single Mia Thermopolis at her own birthday ball?

Tune in next week for the roundup you've already watched. XOXO

Wednesday Crushday: Nikolai Fraiture

The problem with the internet is one day you go to find The Strokes Candid Photos section of their website that was there when you last checked in 2005 and it's gone. Devastating. Scarce traces remain across google images of some amazing photos of the band, just as I begin to realise maybe Nikolai was the hot one all along...

Nowhere quite as bad

“Hey, who’s the guy you’re with?”

“What?”

“That guy, I’ve never seen him before. What’s his name?”

She was one of Valerie’s set. Really long brown hair, tiny shift dress, not smoking but out in the smoking area anyway. Helena? Helen? Hot in a take it or leave it sense. I was pretty sure she’d actually been with Carl before, she’d definitely been tasked on, but not recently. As per usual, I had no idea if this girl could know Carl’s real name or if he was now operating under another one.

“Louis”

I pretended to look in my pocket for my blackberry whilst really watching as the name took hold, seeing her process that if she could get a surname out of me she could find it all online. Actually, if she was any good, all she needed was a first name. And Louis would lead her down entirely the wrong path. And if she went to talk to him tonight? At least Carl would know who had inquired after him.

It had been pretty hard to ignore how the girls in our old, over familiar clubs looked twice as we arrived. I saw how they stared. Still ordering drinks right next to him, begging for attention. Hilarious. Pointless. How boring it all must be to them, if Carl could provoke such a lame reaction. Just imagine them all, scanning the facebook event attending list, seeing me there and now able to guess Carl (or Louis depending on who you spoke to) would be too. Extra perfume. Maybe a new dress. Staying until four instead of two. I turned back from the balcony to the club.

It wasn’t just me that had noticed a change in Carl. All his eccentricities were sharper, more focused. They were so skillfully done they almost appeared natural. Suddenly he was best friends with a lot of bands we’d been working months to make analogue contact with. I don’t need to tell you that his first few nights back were pretty nauseating for everyone else.

“You okay?” Carl was walking in the opposite direction, away from the stage. His collar less shirt remained done up, but it didn’t look awkward like the other guys. He had his baccy pack in his mouth, his hands busy rolling.

“Yeah.”

“Join me for another will you?"

He handed me a liquorice rizla prison roll. Jesus. Europe.

We found a clear space by the balcony railings, finally able to smoke into something other than other smoke. I squinted in at the windows. I thought I could see Helen pointing us out to her friends.

“I honestly don’t know how you put up with it for this long.”

“Same way you did.”

“Hah. Yes. That’s the problem with London. No where’s quite as good.”

“Or bad.”

His expertly crooked teeth smiled through the stub of his fag.

“Or bad.”

Three day week inspo

Inspire Moi Tumblr
A Girl In London Tumblr
Girl in London Tumblr

Paris Apartment
Paris Apartment
Inspire Moi Tumblr

Not suitable for weddings

Don't marry her! It's a shame You've lost that lovin' feelin' but She's lost control and Your love alone is not enough.

But you can give them to the birds and bees

This week's supply is brought to you by the films La Dolce Vita- 1960, and A Roman Holiday, 1953.









You can get all the links here.

Happy Easter

Always commit to your theme. That's a key life mantra between Aubrey and me. So we spent today baking a chocolate fudge cake with icing for grass, admiring Lindt bunnies and shopping for daffodils.

You're gonna need a bigger room

I found these interior shots of Alexander Calder's home in France, 1968, by Gjon Mili, for Life Magazine on the google search.

Kassette at the Good Ship, Kilburn

Last night I headed out of the East London Bermuda Triangle to see Kassette play their last gig for a month. It was at the Good Ship in Kilbun, which is one of my fav London venues, with a sunken stage and a cash only bar.
Kassette did a brilliant set, you can hear their music here.
Kilburn was also a brilliant place to end up in. As I was waiting for soundcheck I watched some Judo lessons in a nearby hall and read. Then we tracked down an amazing Turkish restaurant and had a lot of delicious food- (herby meat balls, peppers, potatoes, mushroom rice, bread, red cabbage, chilli and salad) for just a fiver each. Pukka.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Straight to you

This came on the jukebox tonight.

Wednesday Crushday: Robin Tunney

Played buzz-cut-happy Debra in Empire Records and accidental cult enthusiast Sarah in the Craft. Her hair is amazing, and she isn't Liv Tyler or Renee Zellweger, so she wins.

Weekly Supplies: Overhaul

Ellery Gynecoid leather shorts, Aubin & Wills Ramsdean blanket,Stella McCartney Billy jumper
Ava's Man by Rick Bragg, Hickorees Handmade Ginger Syrup, Garret Leigh California Sunglasses, Opening Ceremony, Union three button sweater, Paint Chip quilt in blue, Asos tailored shift dress,

Bike bell from the Curiosity Shoppe, Illy Bialetti Moka Express Pot, Monty's Joy Juice: liquid plant food
Copic ciao double ended marker set, Limoncello gallery Brucey poster, Tartine Bread,

Cappuchino cake

Coffee cake with mascapone frosting and cocoa powder...
& Fav cake spoon from Kerry for my birthday.

Sunday is bakeday. But I'm going to have to find some hungry neighbours pretty soon, as our little flat is struggling to keep up with the consumption to bake rate.

Into The Wild, dir. Sean Penn 2007

My favourite piece of trivia I picked up in three years of American literature was that purveyor of the wilderness Henry David Thoreau infact stayed in a log cabin just eight miles away from his own village, often attending cosy dinner parties with friends and rarely remaining in solitude for longer than a few weeks at a time.

The very notion of taking yourself into oblivion not to specifically travel or to conquer a mountain range but just to be alone is one very alien, and, as far as I have seen, very American idea. And until watching Into The Wild I loved banding about my fact on Thoreau in any seminar or anytime anyone went near paraphrasing anything by the writer.

But Sean Penn's film about Christopher McCandless - well, it's an Odyssey. The self-assured, self-involved runaway was played by Emile Hirsch, who I'll admit I didn't sympathise with until the closing scenes, which were devastating enough in their regret and sorrow to make up for the two and a half hours it took to get there.

Authentic isn't the right word because it suggests it is already fake, but you certainly endure something just as an audience member. Entirely heart breaking, very sad, very true, and very genuine.

Get the look: Bianca Stratford

Pictured: 1990s Floral summer dress, cream vanity case, Vintage Laura Ashley cable knit.



It was only when I saw a few of the items together I realised they were channeling Bianca Stratford's enviable wardrobe from 10 Things I Hate About You...

So as you can see the first of Ava and Aubrey's Big Sell Out is on air! We've gone straight to eBay this time, so you can see all the listings here.

And of course, as promised, we've worked out a little perk for any readers of Veruca Salt who win an item: you'll get FREE postage and packaging!
Simply message me through eBay if you win, writing 'mates rates' in the subject box, and I'll recalculate the item and take off P&P.

Happy Bidding and Stay Whelmed.

Coconut Records West Coast

It's funny: when I first listened to Coconut Records late last year, it was Is This Sound Okay? and it was cold and it jarred. But I just ran across West Coast and now both albums sounds just perfect, now windows can be opened and heavy blankets packed away for next winter.

Yes please

"To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day."
W. Somerset Maugham

Semi-full english breakfast, Irish potato farls, tomatoes, sausages and mushrooms.

Cellmate number three

(For any Johnny come latelys, the cellmate game is explained in this post.)

The third coveted cellmate position goes to Sandra Beijer, writer of Niotillfem.









All photos by Sandra Beijer and from Niotillfem
I found Sandra's blog over three years ago, and I've been reading it every day since. It's pure escapism, never saccharine but often just indulgent enough to lighten up any tea break or the first five minutes of the all too early morning.

Quite simply, Sandra's blog is full to the brim of everything I love. Friday night birthday dinners, boat trips, lusting over beautiful dresses and endless parties leading into slow-down Sundays. Rabbits, carbonara and fancy dress... what endures throughout every post is Sandra's ability to spot the gorgeous parts of everyday weeks and weekends. Her blog is an ode to optimism and for that reason alone, she's earnt an unconditional place as cellmate number three.