A touch too tight, perhaps, put it certainly gets the point across...

Then, though the fruits of denim’s efforts were so popular and so attractive, tragedy struck. Despite defining, accentuating and encouraging the male derrière so much, the trouser companies felt the need to do something different. Change definitions, they cried! Defy conventions! Round and toothsome isn’t necessarily good!

And so, the world entered a dry patch. The male posterior has faded. Jean decided to flatten, to diminish. Bums became smaller and flatter than ever before. Worse than flattness, fashion dictated that bottoms should be concealed and hidden from view. We don’t want to be looking at arses, after all, we should be admiring the cut of the fabric. The pattern. The inconceivable tightness of skinny jeans. (Which, incidentally, NEEDS to be the name of a series of teenage books).

And so, to hide them, the designers invented a terrible creature. The follower to the terror of the mythical Dragon, with breath of fire and claws of steel. The challenger to the Minotaur with his rippling muscle and snorting nose-ring. The brute’s name? The saggy bottom trousers. They cling, to nothing. They hang, they gather, they make buttocks look saggy and loose and floppy and utterly ungrabbable. Disguised by these magical monsters, the once letchworthy behind has been destroyed.

How long this drought will last, I don’t know. Personally, as a fan of a fine arse, I am sad. I hope, however, there will be a happy ending to this story. An ending, perhaps, where the fashion changes again, where the tight-yet-saggy is replaced with jeans that accentuate. Flatter, but don’t flatten. I hope you’ll forgive the pun, but that would be just peachy.

A good ft...

It’s like a Tarot reading, or some kind of predictive thing – I always want to assign meaning to the random computer generated tunes. The words, the feel – I want to take something away from memes like this. Maybe I want some meming (see what I did there?!).

Anyway, with no cheating and a lot of crap on my iTunes (I have been considering the harshest of culls for quite some time…), the 10 shuffles are:

1. Worried About Ray: The Hoosiers. A sister influenced addition to my music collection without a shadow of a doubt, I don’t hate this song, but I do slightly resent how much “influence” this pop-y tune takes from other, better, songs!
2. There’s a Fire: OK Go. Almost definitely my type of awkward, soul-searching, faintly pretentious band, but I’ve never really got around to listening to them. I think they may be a little boring, and trying a little too hard. Am I right?
3. Cab: Train. I have a soft spot for Train, particularly Drops of Jupiter. Having a nice little wiggle along as I type.
4. Mama: Spice Girls. I wish I could deny that this song came up! Definitely their worst Not really their best – too sweet and sickly even for a girl who was in year 6 in 1998 and who was truly swept up in Spice Girl madness. I still maintain these girls had a major influence on the psyches of a whole generation – there is a lot to be said for encouraging people to believe they can be anything, even if it is whilst wearing awesome awful platforms!
5. Shine: Laura Marling. One of my favourite artists, particularly this allbum. Emotive, husky, well-written and with an endearing hint of crazy-person. Good choice, iTunes.
6. Luvstory: Sigur Ros. Well, never listened to this before. Sounds a bit boring…
7. Two Worlds: Disney (Tarzan). I love Disney tunes, although there are a lot of better ons out there (not much of a Phil Collins fan…). Still, in the car I am dedicated DJ, and I like to induce a slightly perplexed look on Andy’s face by switching to Disney ever once in a while. He always appreciates it though!
8. Idioteque: Radiohead. Not my favourite Radiohead (that would be Fake Plastic Trees, and High and Dry), but I’m glad this band has made an appearance. If nothing else it somewhat redeems my rather shoddy list thus far!
9. Girls Who Play Guitars: Maximo Park. I like it, ’tis fun, and pretty much devoid of meaning!
10. Tender: Feeder. Another good song, nice for an everyday listen. I do love this band though – we were listening to Buck Rogers the other day, it never fails to make me think of Andy and the E-Type. Looks like a Jaguar!

Well, that’s quite a disappointing list really isn’t it?! It has confirmed that I need to remove all that utter crap off my computer as soon as possible!

So, can you be lovely, lovely people? We’ve taken an electric car, the Nissan Leaf, around Warwick, showing off some of the coolest places to go. And now we need that challenge voted up, so we can win a Nissan Leaf for ourselves! I need you to do one of three things…

1. Tweet about our challenge using the hashtag, #NISSANLEAFCAR22

2. RT any tweets from our twitter account, Blog About Cars 

3. Hit the “Turn On” button for my fellow THE Blog About Cars writer, Lauren Crane, but hitting the button at this link.

All help appreciated! PS. The video is below:

In other news, I’ve been learning to drive recently. I did learn, years before, but I failed my test twice (through lack of skill and bad luck; lack of skill first test and bad luck second), and then if I’m honest university, drinking and friends threw me off the learning bandwagon. Suddenly, somehow, I’ve hit 25 and I haven’t yet learnt – and the time had come to change that!

So, I’m weeks in, and about a month away from my test (unless the date changes!). The next step (presuming at some point I actually pass!) is to find the car. So, I sort of did. I went on eBay, we checked it out, and Voila! I am now the owner of a beautiful vintage car that goes perfectly with the dresses and my personality.

Belle!

She’s a 1978 MK2 Ford Capri (one lady owner, believe it or not!), and despite my general dislike of assigning genders to inanimate objects, she seems to have become just that – a she. I have even given her a name (Belle, so named because the XVV in her reg plate is the airport code of Belleville airport in Canada. Plus, she’s beautiful!). I have become my own worst enemy, and I don’t even care because she’s gorgeous, and she’s all mine!

Now for the other bits. She’s a non-runner, although it looks like we may get her started this weekend if the auto-gods are playing ball. She’ll have a different engine, in the end though. She’s also got some rust, and her interior is shabby, and there are a few “mods” that we are planning to do to make her a bit easier to drive – such as adding power steering and bigger wheels. She’s not going to be red either, once she’s all fixed – she’ll be a deep dark metallic graphite.

Obviously Andy is the boy with the skills here. He’s the one who’s just been featured in Classic Ford, after all (check it out, May edition, he’s so clever!). However, he’s not just going to do me a car and hand over the keys. I’m going to be getting my hands dirty, learning some new skills along the way and trying to contribute. It’s going to be a learning curve, and I can’t wait!

So – say hello to Belle. She’s going to be around for a while. I’ll keep y’all updated. Now to go set up my build thread on Retrorides. I’m a petrolhead now, don’t you know?!

Inside Sam's

We were there on our last night down in Cornwall, a cool February Tuesday. You could be forgiven for assuming that a Cornish holiday hotspot would be quiet on a Tuesday, off season, and indeed it was – but Sam’s was bustling. We had no trouble finding a table when we arrived at 6, but an hour or so later and it was packed, with parties of people queueing at the bar, willing to wait for a table to come free.

In part that commitment could be down to the vibe of the place – part diner, part cafe, kitted out with rock memorabilia, and a combination of wooden tables and booths. It’s the sort of place that is warm, and friendly, where eveyone smiles. The only limitation, to be honest, is the lack of two seater tables – or the option to split 4 seaters in half.

As for the food? Well, it was delicious! We were tempted through the door by the promise of mussels, and oh how they delivered! A huge bowl of steaming mollusks, drenched in garlicky broth that pooled in the bottom. Served with thick bread and butter, it was a finger-licking dipping fest, and impressively the boy managed to devour each and every one! As for myself, I was floored by the offer of Scallops – I rarely manage to get past these bursts of flavour on a menu! They too were wolfed down, and complimented perfectly by the bread and butter and a delicate salad with cucumber and dill. The starter, Calamari, was slurped up and dipped and chewed through in what seemed a matter of seconds!

As well as the yummy meals, I was heartily impressed by the wine, a bottle of which had the pair of us gooey, loved up and more than a bit tiddly. We opted for a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, and it was really really good – I’ve becomes something of a self-created “connoisseur” of Sauvignons recently! This was was light, and delicate, and far too drinkable!

All in all Sam’s is a lovely restaurant, and well worth a visit if you’re ever in the area!

I was too busy face-planting myself into the food to remember to take any pictures – so this photo is from the restaurant’s website!

This was always going to be one of those weekends where you got a lot done. I always find that when you have an earlyish start (despite the trials and tribulations of dragging your sorry body out of bed) you actually end up having really enjoyable days because so much fits in. Such was the case on Saturday, where we were out of bed and in Coventry for my DREADED THEORY TEST before we’d even hit 9am.

Of course, the DREADED THEORY TEST came with its own little story. As a girl who last time took the wrong piece of paper with her (it turns out you can’t take your test when all you’re proffering is an old Practical Test certificate that declares that you failed), there was bound to be some kind of drama. This time round it was even better!

There I was, 15 minutes early, walking up to the doors of the test centre. There were a good few youths outside, looking (I assumed) like all rough Coventry youths look. They were a bit rough around the edges, but it was pre-9am, and they had probably been out the night before drinking. They informed me the centre wasn’t open yet, so I joined the queue, and waited patiently for someone to come and let us all in. At 9.05, 5 minutes after my test was meant to start, I was let in. Up we traipsed, and into another queue.

This is where it first started getting odd. I was one of only two girls there, and the other girl looked like she could take any of the guys there down with little more than a flick knife and a scary (very scary) face. I was waiting in this queue, and it just didn’t seem right – they’d redecorated since I was last there, perhaps. And then, as the two (frankly terrifying) young men behind me started comparing their sentences, the penny finally dropped. I was in the probation and community service queue. Me, and all the other criminals.

The moment I realised, I was out of there, scurrying like a rat off a sinking ship – and up into the building next door. Where, incidentally, the theory test centre was – and a group of young people much cleaner and less threatening! Thankfully, despite being late (I was next door, queueing with criminals, please let me take me test!”), they let me take the test, and even more thankfully I passed. I don’t like to do it without drama!

Anyway, once that was all over, we enjoyed our first pub brekkie of the weekend (and a few cheeky goes on the It-Box, money-draining bane of my student years). Then came an afternoon in the White Horse, a lovely pub in Leamington, where myself and the other vintage stall-holders tried unsuccessfully to hawk our goods at the passersby. The fair has recently swapped organisers, and it was a bit disappointing to have pretty much no footfall – but the opportunity to people watch, sit with the boy and try on my own clothes meant it wasn’t an afternoon completely wasted. Still, the moment we could scurry (scurrying, again, and twice in one day!) away we did, hopping in the Jag for a jaunt in the early evening sunshine through the ever-beautiful Warwickshire countryside.

An old photo of me and the Jag from last year... it was the only one I could find!

There really is nothing like driving for driving’s sake like this – up hill (well, this is Leamington, up gentle slope at most) and down dale. We stopped at the lovely windmill on Windmill Hill for a breather (although bitter wind prevented be-skirted me from actually exiting the vehicle), and generally enjoyed the feeling of being gazed at in a beautiful vintage car by admiring passers-by. Such exhibitionists!

As for Sunday, we were up early to go tot he local Hot Rod meet, but the event was something of a wash out thanks to the freezing rain and generally miserable temperatures. Still, we wouldn’t be deterred, and after another cooked breakfast we nipped into Coventry to have a look around the Coventry Transport Museum. If you live in the area it’s well worth a visit, as it is free and stocked with interesting things - although I’m not sure I would have been happy to pay! As it happens, the local Jensen Owners Club were there too, taking up the (wet and highly photogenic!) car park outside with prime example after prime example of my very favourite car. I’ve been trying to persuade Andy to by one of these beauties for a while now, so it was great to be able to drag him round and remind him just why he needs one!

My favourite cars, all in a row!

Prime examples...

And a bit closer...

After perving over the cars and getting wet and windy, we warmed up again with desert in a local pub, The Leopard - which was delicious! What a great way to round up a wonderful and busy weekend!

Just desserts

But rants aside, as I’m probably not the target audience. Radio 1 doesn’t aim itself at my demographic, doesn’t play my type of music, and it is clearly doing something right as so many millions of people tune in every day.

What I do want to rant about, instead, is the phenomena that goes along with Radio 1 – and with Chris Moyles in particular. The phenomena of his listeners being his loyal and willing subjects. His slaves. A group of (theoretically) otherwise independent individuals who allow themselves to be commanded by their fearless leader. Moylesy says “Jump”, and they say “How high?”. Without fail – if Moyles says a song is good and they should buy it, they do. If he says they simply have to donate to this cause, they reach for their phones/wallets/cards without flinching. It isn’t just me that’s seen this happening, however – Moyles himself frequently comments on it – promising certain levels of donation, or purchasing, live on air. He knows his followers will do anything he tells them too – and even more if he guilt trips them enough.

A visual representation...

What I want to know, is why? Sure it is great if he can raise money for charity, but at the same time it is a little scary. Are so many people so easily influenced that they won’t make their own decisions, but will follow blindly where figure of authority or celebrity tell them to go? On a scarier level, does this reflect a worrying lack of independence or questioning in (perhaps) the younger generation? People who just assume these people’s opinions are right? Is this a major player in politics? Could it be a major player in safety – will people trust without thinking, never question, never check?

Or am I being pessimistic? Is this just people willing to go along with someone they reflect – an isolated example that doesn’t reflect any kind of worrying social norm?

Either way, this brings out my cynical and stubborn character – I will not do it sir. Even if I did listen, and did care. No. Thank. You.

[Image: Source]

So, I thought the time had come for me to share a selection of some of my current favourites – and what more appropriate theme to choose than Zombies? The ultimate geekery of oh-so-many of the Threadless designers means that popular-but-dead Zeitgeist is often right on the money of both artist and buyer – so there are plenty to choose from!

What is your status?

First off, it’s colourful, which means this isn’t one of those t-shirts that will make your granny feel a little ill. However, it’s also clever and geeky, with a quiet and subtle zombie vibe. It also has a panda on it.

Which side are you on?

I like any t-shirts that use a formal design like this and then update it with cool content. Plus, this one shows exactly what would happen in a zombie apocalypse. We’d all run away happy and speedy as Larry - and 100 metres down the road we’re run out of breath / get a stitch / pass out. Cue… zombie dinner time.

Best Before...

I can’t be the only one guilty of leaving something to rot until eventually it seems it might get up, walk off, and only stop to eat some nice fresh juicy brains. Oh wait, you mean I can? What’s this “Hygiene” you’re talking about?!

Gettin' your groove on...

Finally, another one for the subtler amongst us. Tiny little zombies, dancing. I don’t really feel I need to say more than that really – you can’t go wrong with a zombie doing the time warp. However, it’s also work/family safe – but you’ll always know exactly what those little men are really about (a clue: brains).

If you like any of the t-shirts, just click the picture…

We didn’t do much, really, but it was lovely. We went for long and energetic walks (and ached afterwards as only two out of shape people unfamiliar with the concept of “fresh air” can), and then spent the rest of our time wandering into town with the family, or making nests out of duvets, pillows and chairs in the windows seats with a view of the sea. I read from Lolita (now 50 pages in, it’s a slow business this reading aloud malarkey), and we watched an entire season of Hustle (well worth a watch, as it happens!).

A particular treat for us both was getting into little Fowey on Monday evening, and treating ourselves to dinner in a restaurant that turned out to be quite a discovery. I’ll actually do a formal review in the “Foodiness” category at some point, but the restaurant is called “Sam’s“, and despite it being a Tuesday night off-season, it was packed with people queuing for tables at the bar! We soon realised why - the food was delicious! That and a delicious bottle for Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, and we were happy campers! It was wonderful to be relaxing and spending time in each other’s company, flirting and being unbearably sweet.

Anyway, a selection of images – it really is a picturesque area, and the weather held out enough to let us enjoy it to the full!

Thank heaven, spring is coming!

The perfect picnic spot

The beautiful sunset

Surreal Tree of Life

Beautiful sunny Fowey