Brighton Rock on a lazy Sunday afternoon...

My husband had a lovely surprise from two of our close friends on Sunday.  As a birthday present they had bought my husband tickets for Brighton Rock at the Duke of York's Picturehouse,  and offered to baby-sit our little girl, Molly. I had somehow managed to keep this from my husband all week, which was extremely  difficult as I have been so excited about Rowan Joffe's 60's-set reworking of Graham Greene's classic noir novel. We had even witnessed the new Pinky (Sam Riley) and Rose (Andrea Riseborough) being filmed for  parts of Brighton Rock outside the Royal Pavilion last Autumn. On Sunday, Pete was delighted when he found out our plans for the day and we slowly made our  way to Duke of York's. On turning up, we were so happy we had pre-booked tickets as all viewings for the day had sold out and unfortunately there were no two seats left together. We were fine with this, after all we were there to watch a film and not natter!

Graham Greene's novel is set in Brighton but Joffe has filmed the newest addition of Brighton Rock in Eastbourne, with parts of Brighton's lanes and Royal Pavilion still very recognizable. I do understand why Joffe has chosen to do this as I can imagine Eastbourne now is probably what Brighton would have looked like back in the Sixties. Brighton can have dark undertones and Joffe showed this well.

Andrea Riseborough (Made in Dagenham) played Rose perfectly.  You really feel for her character as it was more Rose's story and not Pinkys this time, which added an emotional charge to the film.  Helen Mirren played a strong, assertive and feminist version of Ida. This was perfect for the 1960s as the modern woman hadn't arrived yet but was well on her way. 

Overall I recommend that you go and see Brighton Rock, especially if you are from the Eastbourne and Brighton area. It's great for location spotting, but not only that, it is a great new adaptation of Graham Greene's novel. Go and see it for your self and tell me what you think!

 

What I Wore  

Vintage Brogues - Vintage Fair

Short Jacket - Topshop

Vintage Leather Satchel - Starfish

Vintage Pencil Skirt - Belonged to my mother

1950s Faux Fur Hat - Vintage Fair

We decided to go and have a drink after the film  to discuss what we thought over a nice long drink and went to a pub that we haven't visited in a long time, The Greys on Southover Street. When Pete and I started dating it was one of our locals we liked to visit when we lived on St James Street. Unfortunately after moving to Hove and having a little girl we don't get to visit that often, so today was a real treat. This place is truly fabulous. If you haven't been... GO! They have wonderful live music on most evenings and a large selection of Belgian beers. What more could you ask for? Pete and I then finished our lazy afternoon with a very windy stroll along the beach and a final pit stop at The Bee's Mouth for some fine Asahi. Yummy! Perfect end to a horrible week.

Images taken by Jennie & Peter Davies apart from the image of Rose & Pinky (courtesy of Google Images). 

Video courtesy of YouTube.

Stylish blogger award!

The lovely Bridget from Other People's Trash has awarded us with the Stylish Blogger Award. I am very excited about this and happy to think that someone should think we deserve such an award. I wouldn't be able to make this blog happen without our glorious fans. In the process of receiving this award I need to tell you 7 things about me and also suggest some other wonderful blogs! Please check them out!

7 things about me:

• I have a big phobia of spiders and clowns.

•  I have an obsession with Morocco. I have been 4 times and every time I go... I seem to fall in love with the country even more! Quite a few designers and artists visit Marrakesh regularly to get inspiration. I definitely love to go there to take photographs. This is one of my photos from a previous trip.

• I used to have 5 x pet rats. I know... mad! But they are one of the best, loyal pets anyone could have! They are very intelligent and you can train them like dogs. It's just a shame their life span is quite short.

• I work part time as a chocolatier for Choccywoccydoodah. I love it! I get to play with chocolate all day long and make beautiful flowers as well. If you don't know of Choccywoccydoodah, please check them out! We make beautiful wedding cakes which are out of this world.

• I love to play with Lomography cameras. They are amazing and the results are always a pleasant surprise. I think every one should put down their digital cameras down once in a while and go old school.

• I was born in Singapore and have been living in England since I was 3. I am very proud of my Asian roots and would like to go back with my husband and little girl some day. They have never been before and would love to show them what an amazing part of the world it is!

Me, a little girl, in Singapore!

• I love cheese! Any type of cheese... Brie, Camembert, Stinky Bishop, Cheddar, Stilton... you name it! One of my favorites has to be baked Camembert. It's like a mini cheese fondue and delish with freshly baked bread and red onion chutney.

Blogs that should get the Stylish Blogger Award (in no particular order):

• She's Called Claire
•  Diary of a Vintage Girl
• Oracle Fox
• WishWishWish
• Snippets of Shiny Thoughts
•  Cherry Humbug
• The Mannequin Lady

All images taken by Jennie Davies apart from the spider image (courtesy of Graphics Fairy) and cheese image (courtesy of Google Images).

Hendricks refined courtship clinic

For a second year running, Hendricks, will be opening its refined courtship clinic in Covent Garden for Valentines. The clinic will be free to use and will offer direction on principles and customs from bygone eras. The clinic will open on Ruperts Street, smack bang in London's red light district. 

You will be able to have one to one sessions with Dr Humphrey Sixwivs and Mrs. Isabella Forlornicate, which will start with a voluntary Hendrick's gin & tonic with a cucumber garnish... yummy! You will be taught Victorian era courting etiquette, from, how to use your fan to communicate your feelings towards a gentlemen or how one should act when being introduced to a gentlemen. 

I think this will be an amazing experience, especially for someone who wants to step back in time  and learn good manners. Gin is my favorite tipple and Hendricks gin has always been a bit of a treat for me. I saw their website for the first time today and it is truly beautiful.  The header  above is just a small taste of what it is like. I'm sure the clinic will be as lavishly decorated as their website and can't wait to have a taste of the Hendricks experience! I have heard there is a Victorian bath tub that will dispense Hendricks and tonic through its taps. This I have to see! The clinic will be open from 10th February - 14th February.  

Images courtesy of hendricks.com