Santa Lucia

On the morning of the 13th December (the middle of the darkest month of the year) Scandinavians celebrate Santa Lucia, a tradition which brings people together to sing hymns and light candles.

Lucy means "light", with the same Latin root, lux, as "lucid," which means "clear, radiant, understandable." Ironically, St Lucy's history is shrouded in darkness: all that is really known for certain is that she was a martyr in Syracuse in Diocletian's persecutions of A.D. 304. Her veneration spread to Rome, so that by the 6th century the whole Church recognized her courage in defense of the faith.

Just my luck!

I want to believe in fortune cookies after having a chinese the other day...

One of my favorite brands

Swedish based fashion brand Hunky Dory came along a few years ago and has since become an accepted and much-loved high-street designer brand. They have a wide range of feminine designs, modern but sensual - and the materials are always great.

You may have to cough up somewhere in the region of £150-200 for a dress/tunic like the one above, but it is worth it. The colours and quality will last you for several seasons to come and you will find that you can take out blouses or jackets from old collections and easily match it up with new influences to get a contemporary look. Fabulous!

What do you wish for this Christmas?

I hope that Santa brings me some pretty things. Why not a set from this Sonia Rykiel range, produced in conjunction with Swedish H&M! The collection was only launched last week but knowing past designer collaborations with the fashion giant stock will finish shortly...

Warming winter pics from Gap

I think this picture by Simon Nessman for Gap is fabulous. Three and a half weeks until Christmas! Where will you be celebrating?

Two Lovers

I watched the film 'Two Lovers' in bed last night. Although it has recieved a mixture of really good and quite bad reviews I wanted to give it a fair chance, especially since it is starring on of my favorite actors - Joaquin Phoenix.

I think the film was both beautiful and touching, great acting from all involved. However, it made me think about the fact that Phoenix is said to have stopped acting. This is such a loss. He starred in two of my all time favorite films - Gladiator and Walk the Line. His presence, voice, eyes, I think he is truly amazing.

So, if you you know him personally would you please tell him to make a come back? Please? Thanks.

the Return of Diesel

After a fall out which lasted for about 5 years I'm once again madly in love with Diesel.

My favorite jeans this winter are ROKKA in wash 008XT_stretch. They are slim fit and skinny around the ankle, perfect for wearing with high riding boots or killer heels. They are low cut but high enough to cover the essentials. Made even more gorgeous with studs on the back pockets - they are to die for.

What is your favorite jeans brand?

The sun is out & I'm in bed

I popped over to Gothenburg over the weekend. I manged to come down with the flu (thanks to Troy!) but had an amazing time with family and friends. On Sunday we pretended that it was the first of advent and so baked cinnamon rolls to the tunes of my new Spotify playlist, adequately named 'Christmas'.

On Tuesday we started to put up Christmas decorations in the shop windows of Catwalk prior to the after work on Thursday evening (make sure not to miss, 25% off all Hunky Dory jackets!). Wish I could have been there still.

I got a new blouse from Swedish fasion brand Monrow (www.monrow.se) which is really gorgeous and in perfect line with my autumn favorite fahion aka just-like-maternity wear! It is dirty pink in a cotton- and silk mix (50/50). I will wear it with jeans to work, or with shiny leggings for the evening. Lovely!

Don't go on strike Mr Bus Driver!

My darling friend Antonia ventured out to IKEA yesterday evening to do a spot of home-shopping. When she came out, doubtlessly several hours later, the tube had stopped prior to the 10th June tube strikes in London.

I'm fortunate enough to depend on bus rather than tube for my local travels, why I didn't bother to account for longer journey-times when leaving my house this morning. 45 minutes later I was still on no bus, and it was not looking bright! Why oh why.

Early Stages Monday

When I handed in my Masters thesis last year I fled the country and went on a three week holiday to Sydney. When I was back in London I got a job within a weeks time. Getting a job in April 2008 seemed like an easy task - go to a few interviews, chose a favorite, start working, thank you very much!

This is my first Monday ever as unemployed, and the feeling is strange. It is not at all like having another Sunday for leisure but rather feeling guilty of calling in another one of those suspicious sick-days. Or perhaps like being a student, dossing around the house, knowing that I really should be in the library.

At least I have a new full time hobby. It is called "thinking of ways to find my next job; more fun and better paid than my last". I almost added the word desperately, but decided not to. It just doesn't sound right.