Down in Margate

I am a sucker for the seaside, I live by the sea here in Deal and there are loads of fabulous seaside towns around where I live one of which is Margate.  Margate is a bit Marmite, people tend to loathe it or really quite like it.  I'm not gonna lie, parts of it are bloody awful the advent of Westwood Cross the local out of town shopping centre killed the High Street and around the same time Dreamland shut and the seafront had the look of a place where winos and chavvy teens would hang out looking for trouble and fun.

However, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, Margate's fortunes have began to turn.  I suppose it began with The Turner Centre and a few cool shops in what is known as The Old Town.  Then came a couple of Boutique Hotels like The Sands and The Reading Rooms, there is also the Crescent Victoria where I had a cracking scone in an afternoon tea that was otherwise a bit unremarkable.  Although I am told The Walpole Bay is the place to go for a slightly eccentric but authentic Cream tea.  Anyway I digress then Dreamland has reopened as a heritage Theme Park,  Yes, Margate is on the rise putting it's make up and lashes on for a comeback to rival Bet Lynch returning to Corrie.

A particular love of mine is the old town with it's quirky shops and on the first bank holiday I lured Mum there hoping for cake at The Cupcake Cafe, unfortunately that was rammed so I had to make do with a really good Waffle at Melt The ice cream parlour that belongs to The Sands, I also had a good wander around the shops as it is crammed with vintage shops and quirky boutiques.

Can you spot Las Vegas, Margate?

I loved these letters but they were a bit pricey.

I really liked this little Boutique that caught my eye as it had a Jarvis Cocker print in the window, unfortunately I can't remember what it was called, but the stock was really cute.

I then popped in Madam Popoff's Vintage Emporium which had the most beautiful stock and the best most helpful staff ever.  Who when I was talking to her gave me her card and told me to e mail my measurements so that if anything came up in my size that she thought I would like came in she would let me know.  I have to say as these pictures of the window display show it really does have some of the finest vintage clothing out there.  How much do I want that 60's style pink and white dress.

Finally I had to head up the High Street a little way to Rat Race, it specialises in Mod and skin wear but also reproduction clothes in general and have recently opened a devoted women's section.  Sadly everything was too small I think stopping at around a size 18, but the staff were really friendly and offered that I could try things on.  I fell in love with the houndstooth dress but alas it wasn't to be.

Finally as I said I stopped on the seafront for a waffle, I did stop in The Chocolate Bar first but the heady sweet vanilla and chocolate smell put me off, so I tried Melt it must have been good or I was hungry as there are no food porny shots, but the light must have caught my eye as there is a picture of that. Pretty innit?

So that was my day in Margate hope you like it as much as I do.

Birthday Take 2

As I said my original day out with the girls came to a bit of a halt when my lovely friend and organiser of the day ended up in hospital.  So what's a girl to do when a celebration has been planned and cancelled, redo it of course!

So three months after my real Birthday like the Queen I trotted out to do a second one.  My original outfit was the Gemma Collins dress I tried on a Bluewater but due to the searing heat body con was out  and my beautiful Lady Voluptuous Phoebe got her first outing.

 I bought the Phoebe in size 22/24 and it is a tad bit too big if I am honest but I don't think a size 20 would have fit me as there is around 3 to 4 inches of material spare at the waist but not 6" which on the size chart is the difference.  I am really hoping that Lady Voluptuous does away with the dual sizing as for me I don't think it is a winner.  The dress itself is lovely and features a little net underskirt which gives it a bit more poof and elevates it from a day dress into something a bit more special.  Be warned though a gust of wind can see you doing a Marilyn in this dress.

I teamed it with some very old Primark Wedges, my Blackheart Creatives Fabulous Forty necklace, some amazing donut earrings that Jenny bought me, My Janine Basil Pixel Cherry clip and a Drumstick handbag also a present from Jenny.  With my hair I had tried to create some ommph and mini short hive as I am growing it but I'm not sure it was that successful, and my lipstick was a Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Ole Flamingo which is a lovely long lasting bright pink.

It was an amazing day full of friends, food, cocktails, cake, gossip, laughter, fun and dancing after we swapped the more serious club for a cheese fest!  I could not have wished for more.

Guilty Pleasures - The Hunt for The Best Veggie Breakfast, The Sea Cafe, Walmer Green

I have a secret I LOVE a fry up. As a recent sorta veggie (I eat fish still) the  wife of a Veggie and the lover of a going out for a brekkie, I am a girl who is on a hunt to find the best brekkie that my area has to offer!

So as it was a glorious day me and The Hub thought we would walk Madame Beyonce our aging Staffrador (Mongrel, if we're going old school) down to the seafront and try our fried breakfast luck at The Sea Cafe as there is a lot of seating outside and it looked dog friendly.

The Sea Cafe is converted from the old public toilets, which upsets some people on Trip Advisor but not me I didn't spot a dirty old urinal in the kitchen so I feel quite happy!  Now this is not chi chi Latte Deal and I may well come to that in further reviews, but more your greasy spoon but that was the order of the day I wanted a hearty breakfast.

Inside is kind of arty and eclectic with mismatched furniture and art.  However as we had Beyonce we chose a seat outside and me and the hub went for the Veggie Breakfast which came with a Veggie sausage, egg, fried bread or toast, beans, mushrooms, egg, hash browns, bread and butter and a mug of tea at £4.50.  Madame Beyonce prefers a more meaty option and I thought she would appreciate a sausage.

A slight disclaimer any breakfast with beans and a fried slice is a winner for me and the fried bread was good.  I would have liked more mushrooms and if I was to return I would order extra mushrooms and I was thrilled that they were real as a few times I have been horrified by tinned mushrooms on my breakfast.  The egg was well cooked and still runny and I liked the veggie sausage (I think it was a Linda McCartney one) The tea was good and strong so I am voting this breakfast a 8 out of 10.

I think my happy face bellow sums it up.

Now as I am ridiculously in love and proud of my home town I will leave you with some pictures of our splendid seafront and the Lifeboat station on Walmer Green

A random Totem pole by the beach huts

Those benches were home of many a teenage snog!

Stay tuned for more of guilty pleasures and if you know of the finest breakfast available to humanity let me know people!

PS; Beyonce also enjoyed her sausage, but this should not necessarily be taken as a recommendation as she is not the most discerning of eaters

A Birthday Afternoon Tea - Moat House, Canterbury

On Saturday I had a wonderful surprise my friend Jill (whose saying when talking of me named this blog) came down from Oxford to celebrate my Birthday, initially this was going to be a whole afternoon into night affair but my lovely friend who had organised all the wonderful surprises was admitted to hospital so we postponed, but when a girl has traveled that far to see an old friend a celebration is deserved.

So myself Jill, and my friend Max headed to The Moat House in Burgate in Canterbury for a Champagne Afternoon Tea, we were seated upstairs in a little room with a ginormous chandelier and given a huge menu of teas; I chose Russian Caravan that was strong, smokey and quite delicious, Max opted for a strong tea with fruity hints called Monkey's Smile that Jill likened to tea with a hint of Malibu and Jill ever the classic opted for Lapsang Souchon.

  As well as this there were about 7 cakes to choose from I went Victoria Sponge, Jill for Carrot whilst I think Max chose most wisely with the Lemon Cake which looks to have lashings of lemon curd in the middle.

Then the Champers arrived, before the tea and the cake and sandwich selection.

The finger sandwiches were a nice selection of cucumber and cream cheese, ham and mustard, smoked salmon and cream cheese, the scones were homemade, one fruit one plain and surprisingly light, the jam and clotted cream were plentiful.

I didn't taste Jill and Max's cakes so I am thinking they were really good as no tastes were offered.  However, I make a pretty good Victoria sponge (even if I say so myself) and I cannot lie despite it being tasty it was a little dry and nowhere near as good as the scones.

The cake I should of chosen

Nice but a little dry

So would I go back?  Hell yes: homemade cake, loose leaf tea with tons of variety, good scones, vintage china and a quirky charm, what is there not to go back for, and if you like a cream tea I think you could be well pleased with this one.  I will leave you now with us posing with our vintage tea cups.