Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

I really liked the first Look Magazine Collection for Simply Be, but never got round to buying any of it!  So when the second came out I really liked the colour palette of the blues and oranges, but I didn't want another dress as I have a lot of dresses in my life but can't really wear them at work, so I thought the Orange top might be a wise buy wearable for work but still nice for days off.

As you can see it is a lovely Zingy colour and we warm but not toasty perfect for these warmish Autumn days.  It has a lovely boxy shape and is quite short some people might like it a bit longer as I have quite a short body and it is quite short on me.  This is a size 22 so I would say it is pretty true to size.  At £30.00 it is definitely on the upper end of what I would personally pay for a top but I did get this at 30% off making it £24.00.

The whole top has a deliciously 80's vibe which I celebrated in this very 80's catalogue pose and by teaming it with my Peaches Jeans also by Simply Be which I cannot recommend highly enough and my faithful but simple ballet flats.

I have my eye on the orange shirt dress too, but y'know so many clothes so little money, so we'll see.

Ps if we can all bear with my dodgy hair it is a transitional I dunno WTF I'm doing with it stage any advice in comments gratefully received!

Blogtober#5 Bucket List

Apologies Blogtober came to a startling halt as I was finally able to move back into my house!  Yeay! meaning life and lack of internet got in the way of Blogging activities!  I am going to work my may through Blogtober as it is a great idea, thanks Nikki!

I have a bit of a Bucket List as life is short and meant to be lived as you never know when it will be snatched away as only this week a lovely boy who I worked with died and wasn't even 30!  I myself have had cancer and lost my Dad 2 years ago so feel like stuff to make you feel like your living is important.

I have a short term list that I wrote about here on the blog.  As well as this I have a longer term one and here it is.

To have a published book - I have been writing a book forever and it is hard but I would love this to flourish, be finished and available to buy in a major bookshop.

I am a geek I am not going to apologise and I would love to go indulge my geekery at Harry Potter World.  I am Luna Lovegood I think which HP character are you?

I would love to go Peru and see the Nazca lines and Inca ruins.  I think the patterns only visable from the sky are fascinating and wonder who put them there and why????

I want to go to Seoul, I find K pop, Korea its culture, food and history really interesting.

Tokyo, pretty much for the same reasons as Seoul.

To go to Glastonbury, I have been to a few festivals but have never been to the Daddy of them all.

And finally I would love to renew my vows in Vegas, we got married there and I would love to do it again but a bit less formally and with Elvis

So that's me what about you guys?

Curverella T shirt

Those who read Plus size Blogs will be more than familiar with Nicky Rockets and his plus size heroine Curverella.  I have 2 of these T shirts this one Invasion of the Killer Curves and the Do You Want Curves with That?  But for some reason I have never got round to having either of them photographed.  The tag line for the website is T shirts designed for and inspired by all the super curvy women in the world, and the T shirts are inspired by his wife the amazing Betty Pamper who wanted a curvy role model for her daughter.

With more than a nod to the retro B movies of the 50's i went with my hair in an old Dolly Cool Cherry print Bandanna and attempted a sort of quiff affair, I did the boring and obvious teaming with a pair of jeans and in fairness this is a very off to work sort of outfit for me.  

I certainly like these T shirts and always look forward to seeing new versions to see what adventures Curverella has next, as I love the fact there is a sexy, kick ass heroine who has adventures out there inspired by us the Plus Sized Girls.

Blogtober #1 - Introduction

I am trying to Blog more, because when I do write I really enjoy it it is just work and life sometimes gets in the way, y'know how it is!  Anyway whilst on my week off I have been pretty motivated and wanted to keep that up, so when I saw Nikki from Natty Nikki was doing a blog challenge I thought, right I'm in.

So introducing me I am Vicky I like to write I like dogs, Chocolate, eating in general, retro stuff, print dresses, dying my hair, long to be a domestic goddess but usually fail at it, I spend too much money on clothes and food, am facing 40 head on with a twinkle in my eye and a don't give a shit attitude.  There is loads to say but I cover a lot of it in my about me section on my blog so don't want to witter on.

Photo by Blast photography at Plus London

I am married to The Hub who sometimes gets a mention but usually says I am misrepresenting him and I have a dog called Beyonce who is also known a Po, Bee, Madame Beyonce, Bebe as well as many other variations, she maybe the love of my life.

The 2 loves of my life

Last year I moved to Swansea by mistake (no offence to Swansea I just miss home) so now I am moving back but more of that later.

At the top is a list of topics that I will write on over the next month although I am already ducking out on instagram cos, I'm not on it as I have a Blackberry due to my retro hatred of touch pads.  I'm no good ar Blog design either so techno wizz's feel free to help me out.

Thanks for reading x

Also doing this challenge is:

Nikki

If I become aware of anyone else I will add them later

Meet Teddy

Once I had a coat of magnificent perfection its name was Harry and I must say it was fucking marvellous.  I had lusted after it for a while in Miss Selfridge and one cold January day it went into the sale and it was mine.  It was a very obviously fake leopard print coat which for some inane reason people would ask:  "Is it real?" to which I would reply yes it was once my cuddly toy Harry and laugh.  In this coat I felt like a real mid 90's scene queen.  Alas Harry is long gone and few pictures exist of this mythical coat, bar this one of me and my friend Steve when we borrowed a Caravan on a Haven Park and bored one day dressed up as Sid and Nancy.

As years passed Harry became a distant memory and then starring at me on a bus stop advert I saw it!   Teddy who if coats were really people be Harry's uncle.  I looked on Tesco website and saw it was only available in a size 6, 8, or 10 so I thought I would go to the big one in Swansea where I found one available in my size and that the True Range is doing a version it was in store up to a size 26.

So I present to you - Teddy

Although I may look horrified this is my screaming in excitement face at finding an affordable coat of dreams.

Yes it is more Dynasty than the original Grunge version back in the 90's but perhaps I am at a point in my life where I need a little Dynasty, but probably give it a winter with me (I can be pretty hardcore on my clothes) it will be looking a bit more ratty and Grunge.   In honour of the original Harry I think of him as his flash Uncle Teddy who drives a Jag but lives on beans on toast.

To wear it is lush it is soft as a ball of fluff, swingy, makes me feel like Joan Collins even in a pair of jeans and has the feel about it like the original leopard print coat of dreams that anything could happen.

This is my what would Joan do Face

I don't usyally end with questions but I am genuinely interested do you have any long gone items of clothing that you can't get out of your head and why?

Raw Like Sushi - Nishimura, Swansea

Sometimes a girl has gotta eat and she doesn't want a sandwich for lunch or some soup, she wants some fancy pants sushi.  In honesty I am a big fan of Japanese food and when I heard there was a new one opened in Swansea a mild longing became a full on I WANT get in my mouth now!

So I grabbed the Mama, as The Hub is not a fan and is engrossed in a new Video Game and as I have worked like a bitch all last month and it is near pay day said I would treat her to lunch.  From outside it is nothing special really a plainish looking shop front with a small bench in front of the window, that I prayed I wouldn't be seated at as I would have felt like I was eating in a fish bowl but I think my Mum who is a self confessed nosy parker would have liked this, apart from this there was a very long Japanese style dining bench, so if the idea of sitting next to a stranger freaks you out this is not the place for you.

So the food we both had a main and a side which we shared.  For my main I had Chirashi Don which is sushi rice topped with Salmon, Octopus, other types of Sashimi, egg, prawn and something called amarbi which is a sweet shrimp and a miso soup.  It was beautifully presented but bad blogger me forgot to take a picture, but they did have a picture on their website.

Image taken from Nishimura's own website

If anything it was even prettier in its presentation.  However, as soon as I ordered I realised I had made a mistake as it was served cold although nice I wouldn't get this again as I discovered I don't like Sashimi as much as I thought some of it was just to like munching the seabed for my liking and I do like hot food better than cold as a rule.  Also the Amarbi (sweet prawn) was very strange and not something I would go out of my way to eat again as a sweetish/pickled prawn is odd and left as starange sensation in my mouth.  I warmed the rice by mixing it with the miso and that worked well for me.

My Mum's Main was a lovely Seafood Hotpot but we didn't read the menu carefully enough as all the other Hotpots came with noodles but the seafood was just vegetables and seafood which is great for something light but if you wanted something more substantianal I would get some noodles or rice to accompany.

I thought this was lovely packed with seafood and veggies with a nice delicate taste and was a hit with both me and my Mum.  We also had some Gyoza which were perfectly cooked hot tasty, crisp without overdoing it and not oily they were such a hit no pictures were taken.

Finally we had a rainbow Sushi this roll was crabstick and cucumber inside and topped with different toppings of tuna, salmon, sea bass and avocado and was lovely and colourful.  This sushi was fresh soft and tasty, served at the perfect temperature and frankly a work of art to look at.

Following the success of this I bought some spicy dragon roll sushi to take home, it was nice but not as good, but the packaging was cute with a sticker on the box with the restaurant logo on it and chopsticks.

 The service was good attentive but not intrusive and very polite, we were also the only caucasians in the place when I arrived which I always think is a sign that it is a good authentic place.  I am a bit cack handed so I tend to take training chopsticks (as I am trying to learn for my planned South Korea adventure) with me that I think got some amused glances from the men next to me but when I forgot them and Mum went back for them the older ladies nearer the counter seemed to think they were clever.  So I will leave you with a pic of my training chopsticks do they help?  Well I can eat well with them but don't feel that my actual chopstick technique has improved tremendously so maybe I will update.

If you want to know more about Nishimura, they have a pretty good website with location a full menu complete with pictures.

#OOTD Start wearing Purple For Me

As the crisper Autumn days are coming I am beginning to crave the richer Autumnal colour palettes of oranges, browns and of course purple.

As i mentioned previously whilst perusing the Yours store in Swansea on its opening I fell in love with a fluffy purple cardigan, it wasn't really my usual style as I tend to go for a finer knit but it was so bloody cosy and felt as soft as a puppy's fur I had to have it.  Then when I ventured into the basement where the sale was they had the lovely purple playsuit that was seen on Betty Pamper and Becky Brown  at the bargain price of £15.00 (there is also a black version of this) I  loved the colour of it  and wondered if I could make it work in an in an autumn/winter way.

So I thought I would team it with the fluffy cardie, some opaque tights and biker boots and see how it went.  I can tell you it was a cosy outfit I am happy with the fit of the playsuit as it is fitted where I want it to be a loose where needed and I felt the length was just right.

The Biker boots were a bargain at £18.00 from Primark they are comfy, seem to be sturdy and have chunky heels.

The Boots and cardie with the dress has a 90's vibe which as someone who was a teen in the late 80's early 90's pleases me and is in keeping with my love of nostalgia.

Where to get my outfit from:

Playsuit - Yours

Cardigan - Yours

Tights - Body sensor 100 dernier Marks and Spencers

Boots - Primark.

Finally all that purple in one outfit started me thinking of Gogol Bordello and Start Wearing Purple which is a song I enjoy and never fails to make me smile so I have attached it here for your pleasure.

Thanks for reading now have a good day listen to Gogol Bordello and smile x