Bowery Mural

Outerwear acquired: H&M The New Icons Biker Jacket

Thursday 30 May 2013

Once I get an idea into my head, it takes pretty much a herculean effort on my part to get rid of it.

So. After months of searching and debating, I finally bought myself a new jacket the other week.

My everyday jacket of choice has almost worn out after 4 years of good use. It's a Miss Selfridge faux leather bomber jacket. I bought it in a spring sale about 4 years ago. It's a great looking little jacket and I've worn it regularly ever since but it's really starting to wear out, at the back of all places.

I'd tried Zara for a replacement faux leather number but their sizes are so out that they think that a person taking a size medium should have stick thin long arms! Zara, I like you, but we're not all tall skinny model types. They were nice jackets too but the sizing, oh dear god the sizing.

Then I tried another Miss Selfridge biker style but it was way too past the point of faux for it to be passable to me. If you know what I mean (plastic looking).

Then I decided I wouldn't bother... harrumph.

Until I saw this beauty in HandM.

I present, the HandM The New Icons leather biker jacket! TAH-DAH! Ding ding ding. Queue the fireworks in the summer sky! I was extremely excited to say the least.

It's that kind of heavy thick leather that will be sturdy for everyday use, but the styling of it is such that you could dress it up in the evening. Well, casual drinks evening styling i think.

I love the quilted detailing on the shoulders, there's also a little bit of this at the bottom of the back. The back is cut a little bit shorter than the front which means I won't be wearing this in winter, but oh man it rocks. Look at it! The neck is a bit more simple than I usually go for and I love the diagonal zips on the sleeves, which are just the perfect length on me (unlike the Zara jackets).


I can't wait to wear this out, but I'm afraid I'm not going to take it out in this unusually monsoonified (yes, I just invented that word!) May that we're having.

Whadayathink?!

Angela x

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Words Fail Me

Sunday 26 May 2013

Every time I sit down to write a post my mind goes blank. In the shower is where I have my most brilliant ideas for posts. I write them all out in my mind. I get myself motivated and gee'd up, but by the time I've left the shower, my ideas have all but gone.

The smart little sentence structures wiped from my mind. The funny one liners - woomf! - vanish in a flash. (Btw, Woomf is the new word for a finger click - yo).

You'd think I was a great wordster the way I've just written what I've written above. I never claim to be a great wordsmith. In fact, English was one of my least favourite subjects at school. That whole grammar, full stop, comma, semi colon thing really didn't sit well with me. Perhaps that's why i like Twitter so much. There's not really much that can go awry in 140 characters, is there?!...

Fear not though. I'm working on keeping these ideas alive. I've added a suitably large notepad by the side of my bed for scrabbling down any mere hint of a blog post idea. I've cleared space on my iPhone so that i can tap a few words down in any spare given moment. I've drafted a few 'fillers' for the off days and I'm going to try to brush up on my grammar, if i can be bothered.



Angela x

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Out of Office

Monday 20 May 2013

I've seen countless funny out of office replies going around the internet for ages but I've never actually come across one in real life. Until now!

Stuck for an out of office note for your emails? How about this... too good not to share.


Were it not for the fact that he is away sunning imself in Majorca Henry would reply to your email fairly speedily, I imagine. However, he isn't back until the 1 June, leaving me with the job of replying to all his incoming mail. I imagine that when he does finally return to work, he'll not reply for a few days citing "I'm still working my way through all my emails" as the justification for his extended tardiness.

Brain the size of a planet, and I just get to send out emails ... Call that job satisfaction, I certainly don't!

With best wishes,

Henry'sPC.

A little fun thing for a Monday morning. Oh and the name was changed for, err, legal(?) reasons, lol.

Angela x

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Fitness Friday 2: New Workout Gear, the Nike dri-fit touch breeze vest

Friday 17 May 2013

I bought some new gym gear last weekend. After years of being only a t-shirt wearer, I decided I'd like a few vest tops. My t-shirts are becoming a bit worn and are constantly on rotation. I have 3 pairs of bottoms that I also rotate, depending on which class I'm going to.

I headed into the Nike shop in Glasgow and had a wee browse. I picked up a pair of capri tights in plain black with a cool waistband. They'll do. The tops on the other hand were a bit more of a decision. I don't like a low cut top of any kind. But vest tops are low by their nature, aren't they. 

My current t-shirt of choice is the Nike Miler running top. The material is wicking and quick drying. It feels better when wet than cotton (wet cotton sticks to you). Anyway I saw some vests in nice bright colours. They would be mine. They are the Nike Dri-Fit Touch Breeze vest top (£22). I've wanted a fluro yellow top for ages and picked up the small size. The other colours were sky blue, black or orange. They didn't have a small though. Hhhmm. I also grabbed the t-shirt version in fluro yellow in an extra small.

vest on left, t shirt on right
I took them to the fitting rooms and tried them all on. The colours were great but the small was a bit too loose. I don't like a loose low cut top. Can you imagine that sight on a spin bike. Things popping out! well, they would be if they were any decent size, and i wear a sports crop top to actually no chance of popping out. But I digress. I don't like low cut tops...

I came out of the changing room and decided on the capri tights and the yellow t-shirt. A little disappointed, I asked the nice girl if they had any more sizes in the vest tops. Luckily she said yes that they had new colours just in but they weren't on display yet. She arranged for some more colours to be brought down in my size: extra small. I snapped up the red vest but I'll be going back for the pink one soon! The red isn't a traditional red, it's bordering on coral, which is just as good as it'll match my nails! *wink*.

I wore the yellow Nike dri-fit touch breeze t-shirt (which seems to have vanished from the website) to spin class on Wednesday night and can confirm it was good. Although, by the end I was soaking with sweat and it did cling to me. The neckline is a slightly scooped v-neck but its so flattering, especially on someone like me who isn't exactly endowed in that area *ahem. Loved the colour though.
ok so the vest looks orange but it's red, coral red
Incidentally they seem to have gone into 'coming soon' mode on the Nike website but you should be able to pick them up from your local Nike superstore.

Angela x

Share a Coke!

Saturday 11 May 2013

I am loving what Coca Cola are doing with the Share A Coke campaign. I never really noticed it until i went to buy a 500ml bottle of Coke and there were loads of different names on the bottle label. Sadly I don't think I'll ever find my name so I chose the bottle with 'Friends' on it instead. But if someone happens to find an Angela one (full fat Coke) please keep me it! Or perhaps those nice people over at Coca-Cola could make me one?!!


It's a nice idea for drinkers of full fat Coke since the cool fancy campaigns always seem to appear on the Diet Coke bottle - the current one being Marc Jacobs collab. Saying that I do still have a bottle from the Germany World Cup in 2006. I love me a gimmicky bottle of Coke.


I'm not a fan of any diet drinks though. For me I don't see the point. There's artificial sweeteners in it anyway that'll spike your system just as the full fat version and then you'll get the same effects. Plus diet juice tastes weird. Just me?

Anyway, everytime I see these bottles they just make me smile. So I call that a success!


Have you found your name? And more importantly who will you share your Coke with?

Angela x

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No Words Wednesday

Wednesday 8 May 2013

my new chair...perhaps
Angela x

Photo by me taken with my iPhone 4S. Edited using Pixlr Express app

Fitness Friday #1 - Strength and Grit

Friday 3 May 2013

For the past 2-3 months I've been incorporating ShockFit into my weekly fitness routine, along with my usual 4 spin bike classes. If you missed the previous post on the explanation of what ShockFit is, it's basically a set of different classes that are of the short, sharp, intense nature. There are different classes focusing on different parts, so for example, there are kettle bells classes, TRX suspension classes, core classes and a general ShockFit class incorporating all of the above. My favourite is the kettle bells.

Since starting these classes in February I've really noticed a difference in my body from the few months that I've been attending. My weight hasn't really dropped a huge amount but i can get into smaller clothes - result! My arms are more toned and sculpted. My quads are fierce and I'm getting that nice muscle definition on the front of my thighs. My bum could be a little tighter admittedly and my tummy has always been relatively flat so it doesn't take much to keep that in check. I'm pleased with these results so far.

In a few weeks time the ShockFit classes will be added to the main timetable at The Peak meaning that you can have them as an add on to your main membership. Nice one. Although edging towards £60 per month!!

As well as the ShockFit, there'll be Les Mills Grit series classes too. Cardio and Strength. I've signed up for a Grit strength taster class to find out what it's all about. But in general i think they're almost the same format as the ShockFit classes. I'm excited to try them out and then get into it proper good. Upper body strength has always been my weakness. Not any more!



Angela x

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No Words Wednesday

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Rainy days and sunsets...
Angela x

Photo by me using iPhone 4S and Camera+ app