Nick Mulvey, Scala London

On Tuesday night, Dan and I went out to Scala in London to see Nick Mulvey live. Nick has been on the radio a lot lately and I heard him and instantly loved his voice and music. Luckily, there was still tickets to see him live so I snapped some up quick. They sold out later that day.

Dan and I went to dinner first and then went to the venue.

He was absolutely fantastic and his voice was impeccable. His guitar skills were incredible and had the entire venue absolutely quiet. There's no doubt that I'll be seeing this guy again at some point in the future when he's selling out arenas.

Afterwards, Nick did a meet a greet and I took a cheeky selfie with the guy. He was so chilled and relaxed and was happy to have a chat. A friend actually knew his tour manager and informed us we had a personalised, signed copy of his CD in the back. How nice :)

Great night.

Beyonce, 30 before 30, London

So on Thursday night last week my friend, Fran and I went to the Beyonce concert at the O2. 

Dan surpised me a few months ago saying that I should take a friend.

As many of you already know, I have a 30 before 30 list and seeing Beyonce was on there.
Of course, she was incredible and Les Twins were awesome. Jay-Z also made an appearance which was awesome and throughout the show, I couldn't sit down or stop dancing :)

...............

The next day, I took Fran to Knightsbridge and we shopped in Harrods for a few hours. We decided that we definitely don't have £39K to buy an original Liechtenstein and since we started getting funny looks from staff, we decided to head to the furniture rooms.

We also spotted boxer Tyson Fury. But we were too embarrassed to ask for a picture.

After two full days and Daniel having gone home to see his family, I was left with this gorgeous fluff-bag waking me up on Saturday morning :)

Recent Reads

Since my last post, I've managed to make my way through another 3 fantastic books.

Firstly, 'Twelve Years A Slave' by Soloman Northup.

Most of you would have seen the trailer for this on the TV, and it's also been up for a lot of awards.
I was lucky enough to have seen the film first and then decided to read the book. The book goes into so much in-depth detail. We learn much more about the relationships he had, and in particular what he was thinking and feeling. As always, there's usually parts in the book which aren't scripted for the film, which I did feel were absolutely crucial to the story, but there you go.

Secondly, 'The Husband's Secret' by Liane Moriarty.

I was a bit apprehensive about reading this, not sure why but I did none the less. Maybe I'm easy to please but I thought this book was also great. The book is written extremely cleverly (is that a actual word?) and the characters in each chapter all tie together quite nicely (or un-nicely (Again, is that a word?)). Secrets, lies, love are just a few of the themes throughout this book and I was captivated from start to end. The story actually surprised me and I felt like this was a little thriller.


Thirdly, 'Mad About the Boy' by Helen Fielding.

The authors name is instantly recognisable no? Bridget Jones author yet again feeds us another classic. Unfortunately I haven't read the previous books but being an avid Jonsey fan, it wasn't long before I could hear Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant talking in replacement of the characters Bridget and Daniel Cleaver. We all know what happens in this book, Mark Darcy unfortunately dies (insert the sound of every woman's heartbreak here).

Fourthly, 'The Dating Detox' by Gemma Burgess.

I hadn't heard of author, Burgess or her work. But, having had a little look online and reading fantastic reviews, I gave it a go. I was telling my CD about the book and he was like "Why are you reading about that subject, don't you have a bloke?" to which I replied "It's fictional" and his  extremely confused face then dropped. It didn't take me long until I was literally laughing out loud with this book. I'm surprised how absolutely fixed I was and could not put it down. I was actually quite disappointed when I eventually finished and the realisation hit me that I'd not have to find a good book to live up the writing and story of this one.

Anyway, go out and go and get these books if you fancy a really good read. They're all fantastic.

And The Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini

On Monday, I started a new book on my commute to and from work. Surprisingly, I was quickly able to sink into the book, reading it from my iphone and ignore the rush, pushing and shoving moody commuters I share my journey with for over 2 hours a day.

And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini was read in just under a week. It was my plan to only read it during my commutes, but since starting this book on Monday morning, I soon realised that I couldn't put this book down and thus ended up reading it here and there over my weekend.

I've previously read 'The Kite Runner'- now made into a film and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' , many years ago which was the follow on and I've always loved the way that Hosseini is able to flick from first person to third person, effortlessly and enough to not confuse the reader. His books are beautiful descriptive and I love his depth, enough to allow me to visualise so easily the setting in which he writes.

And the Mountains Echoed

"So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one: Afghanistan, 1952.

Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters.

To Abdullah, Pari - as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy after which she was named - is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection. Each night they sleep together in their cot, their heads touching, their limbs tangled.

One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand.

Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, with profound wisdom, depth, insight and compassion, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, the ways in which we help our loved ones in need, how the choices we make resonate through history and how we are often surprised by the people closest to us."

I don't know a whole lot when it comes to books and authors as I usually read books given to me as gifts, or which I spot every now and again, and buy. Usually, I'm drawn to those that people are reading on their commutes as to stand with a book open, reading, which probably means that it's too good to not read whilst you're sandwiched front to back with fellow commuters.

If you get chance to read this book, or if you pass by it in a bookstore, it's definitely worth a read. Definitely one to add to ruthay's reads.

London Transport Museum

Last weekend saw Dan and I take a trip to Covent Garden to visit the London Transport Museum to see the last exhibition for the 150 Years of the London Underground Tube posters.

We started out with a yummy burger at Shake Shack and it was the best burger we'd both had in a long time. The chesesy fries are literally, delicious.

After some nibble, we headed to the museum. After a lengthy wait we headed in to look around.

It didn't take us long to find what we were looking for, rooms and room full of beautiful posters dating back to as early as 1800's. They are so beautiful, with the old type and print screened imagery.

Dan and I liked this one, so much we bought the replica which we'll hang in our flat :)

Something which caught my attention was the old ticket stubs that were used. They are the classic vintage style you'd expect, which is also taking a come back in a lot of graphic design work and on sites such as Etsy and NotOnTheHighStreet.com . This is the style of design which I will always be drawn to, especially because it's so beautiful.

After a few hours of looking around and getting annoyed at children screaming, we headed out and round some shops. A quote which caught my attention that also rings truth.

"Don't be encumbered by history. Go off and do something wonderful"