It tastes just like champagne
Which cannot truthfully be said about a sour beer to be honest. Yesterday I shot with my friend for her show Southern Dish Having not sipped an ale since I was in Glasgow careering through my RSAMD days I can seriously attest to the fact that it is a far cry from Moet. Below are the before and after shots from The Great Big Beer Adventure.
A day in a Bathtub
I used to love watching a show called Through the KeyHole in which an audience would guess who lived in a particular house judging by what items were in the home. I often think that if someone didn’t know me and wandered around my house would they be able to ascertain who I am? After years of living an extremely transitory existence throughout which all I really owned was my Guatemalan quilt, that had been carried on my back for 2000 miles through a civil war in my teenage years, I have come to appreciate the home delights of wallpaper, bath tubs and the occasional glass of champagne in one.
Yesterday then when we shot the poster for Feathers and Toast in a beautiful bathtub in a beautifully renovated home complete with vintage 1908 features throughout, it was as if we were creating an image which could single handedly represent my life.
I lay back in a luke warm tub filled with bubble bath, washing up liquid and milk, wearing my hat, vintage gloves and holding a glass of champagne, wrangling bubbles nearer to me all the while channeling Tallulah and trying not to lose focus as the mariachi band from outside overpowered our classical music melody. The thought crossed my mind that this did indeed sum up my life darling. A little bit of luxury muddled with quite a bit of madness. I’m extremely grateful to phenomenal photographer Katie Nolan for commandeering such a decadent Thursday morning extravaganza.
Thankful
Tricky, being predominantly British to toot my own horn. But on the advice of a serious PR Queen here goes. I have had an amazing week which comes at a timely moment to be thankful, it being the week of Thanksgiving and all things turkey and pumpkin pie. Two incredible reviews and a nomination for Outstanding Actress in a comedy from LA Web Fest. These things mean so much as they come to me through my show Feathers and Toast which has been a serious labor of love with my best friend and co-producer. We created this show from a mere seed, an idea for a character in a kitchen and over almost 2 years of discussions, filming, conference visiting, book reading, writing, casting, producing and much feather buying we are here. Which is to say we are somewhere further along than where we were 6 months ago and we are still able to laugh when filming a digital christmas card in green and white sunglasses in front of a tree while making eggplant stew. And to be honest, that is the thing I am most thankful for; that Holly and I can still sit in front of a camera perched precariously on a stool and improvise in a myriad of feather boas, hats and snowman glasses and laugh our heads off.
It started with organic sheets…
…and suddenly I was spending a small fortune on towels and framing photographs. Including an 11 year old cartoon from a bridge in Prague which had been diligently carried from pillar to post before winding up framed and hung to be admired in its fullest glory.
Home decor darling was not what I normally spend my ready money on. I don’t know whether this was because my transitory life can be more easily accommodated with a footloose and fancy free and lack of belongings sort of existence or whether or not this is the tip of a deeper issue involving commitment and whatnot. But whatever the weather the upshot is that I am planting roots and even bought 2 small african violets to decorate my now clutter free desk. I’ve actually become so excited about my bulletin board that sleeping was an issue last night. I kept on re-imagining my postcard collection on my cork board. Imagine christmas morning it up to the nines over a rectangle of humble cork. Home decor is the new rock n roll. Fact.
Well darling, I don’t even get that excited for premiers nowadays. I realized recently that I was driving to Paramount for a premier a few weeks ago on a Thursday that I hadn’t washed my hair since Tuesday. Red carpets are so blase darling, now one doesn’t even need to wash properly to strut up and down one. Not that there was any photographic evidence of that particular appearance excepting my pink stilettos managing to make it into a promo video. But my ankles were washed darling, so I think I got away with it. Perhaps I am in fact single handedly bringing grunge into a new era.
Anyway what I wanted to say was that there is a lot to be said for framing things willy nilly around your house and I can thoroughly recommend it. I even found myself in K mart buying nails on a Saturday night, so obsessed I was to immediately hang framed self portraits in the living room. Thats how I roll darling, in the now and photos of me. I am now officially LA it seems.
Happy Weekend Darling…
…I have decided that it is worth seriously celebrating every single day rather than simply banging on with the daily drudgery and waiting for the next national declared holiday to arrive. I firmly believe that one should live ones life in a considered fashion as if this really was your last 24 hours on earth. Darling if your hours were numbered then it is important to smile at the everyman who crosses your path and remember that sprig of basil on your spaghetti. One should do whatever one can to stave off complacency; including as much va va voom and as many springs in your steps as you can muster. After all this is not a mere dress rehearsal darling the show must go on. One should seize the day and whatnot.
(just thought I’d include a pale pink feather at this point darling because at the end of the day it is beautiful and one should always have at least one beautiful thing to look at while reading)
So whether or not you are still deep in BBQ mode and whether or not the Stars and Stripes are billowing, seize today darling and have yourself a merry little celebration.