Denim On Denim On Denim

It had been awhile since there had been a proper no holds barred party at Pulborough Road. After our epic Halloween party followed by our Mexican (a.k.a Mexi-carnage cuz it go so out of control) we had decided to go into party retirement. Let our neighbours ear drums recover... Our house finally stop smelling like a brewery...and basically stop having nightmares of finding bottle caps under the couch six months later.

By the time May came around it was decided Pulborough would launch a comeback on the party scene. Since we were all away at various times or we had guests over the summer we finally settled on a date - in september! The theme was settled pretty easily - denim on denim on denim. Now denim on denim has been a bit of a trend around London lately with lots people layering the denim - you know teaming black jeans with a denim shirt kind of style. So we encouraged our guests to go one further and get amongst as much denim as we could.

And that they did. The slideshow below is testament enough to that!

Kizoa slideshow: Denim on denim on denim - Slideshow

The amount of denim in our house that night was preposterous! I didn't even know they made some things in denim! I managed to get up to five lots of denim with a whole denim onesie (good if I ever need to go to a ghetto party!), denim shoes, denim shirt, denim hairband and denim bracelet. If you think five pieces of denim is good - it didn't come close to my mate Shea's seven layers of denim. Denim jeggings, denim shoes, denim shirt, denim shorts, denim denim jacket, denim hairband and denim bracelet! It literally looked like a denim warehouse threw up on us.

Most of our guests did really well with the denim and I swear most of the op shops around our area would be stripped of its denim! The party itself was a good one! Starting with a BBQ at around 4pm we slowly drank, chatted and ate our way through the day and slowly drank chatted and danced our way through into the wee hours. Thankfully there wasn't any complaints from the neighbours or too much mess and Pulborough was left standing. Not sure when the next one will be.... Altho there are a few birthdays coming up so you never know!

Back To School

Before James jetted off to Japan we decided to throw him a going away party and of course if it is a party thrown by us girls its going to be fancy dress. Since he was moving to Japan to teach English we decided the theme should be 'Back To School - Japan Stylz'. So think collared shirts, tartan skirts, knee high socks, pigtails and hello kitty!

Us girls had spent a couple of weeks trawling op shops trying to find tartan skirts and other school uniform type clothes and in the end I think we ended up with pretty good costumes. In the end not many of the other guests dressed up with many of the boys adopting 'summer bay high' school uniforms of jeans and a white shirt and tie.





The night was like any other London house party - a few drinks ending up in shenanigans. As the boys were moving out of the house soon one of the room was more or less empty which provided a perfect space for a dance floor. The empty bed was also the perfect spot for a bit of bed jumping and dancing.

As always the party's have to end eventually and by 4am it had quietened down and it got around to the sad part of James having to say good bye (or see you later) to many of the guests. That is the worst part about leaving parties - they are always fun until you have to say goodbye :(. Still! It was a great night and we had heaps of fun partying Back to School Stylz.

Pebbles, Parties, Picnics and Pompadoms

I hate to say it but this is going to be another blog about Brighton! As you know I do love that place and since it was Sophie's last weekend in London before she set off on her Europe adventure and my friend Shea had never been we organised a big group of us to go down. We were so lucky because the weather couldn't have been more perfect - nice and hot and sunny with a cool ocean breeze.

We did all the usual things on the pier - checking out the arcade games, looking at the lolly shops and watching some of the crazy rides. The highlight was us girls decided to go on the merry-go-round for a bit of old fashioned fun. I can't remember the last time we went on one but it was really fun! Underrated as rides go really and it was fun to be a big kid again. We wandered down along the sea front before grabbing some deck chairs and chilling out in the sun. It was the perfect scene for a jug of Pimms followed by fish and chips. Shea and Candra even braved the water! It was the perfect day just chatting and drinking and getting some vitamin D (which us Londoners had a great lack of!).







After a few hours of a little too much sun we wandered around the North Lanes and got lost in a shop called Snoopers Paradise. This shop literally has EVERYTHING you could ever imagine having. Think of every garage sale and charity shop you have ever been into, times it by ten and that is the bottom floor of this shop. I was tempted to buy heaps of ridiculous things like cameras, a guitar and a full length Chinese silk gown (with matching shoes!). Thankfully I managed not to buy anything except a whole chunk of lollies from the lolly shop across the road. By the end of the day we were all on a sugar high and sun burnt so we jumped back on the train and headed home for a quick change and relax before heading back out.

Kimberly, A friend of a friend who I had met a couple of times had just moved into a new flat so we went over to Chalk Farm to check it out and have a few drinks. The funniest thing was that allllll of us girls and even James had been sunburnt at Brighton so we got LOTS of weird looks on the tube on the way because we were so burnt we were practically fluorescent. We got there and met up with a few of the boys and checked out her flat. It was soooo fancy with her even having a little attic room (very cute!) and we were all extremely jealous! Once the grand tour was done we got down to business eating and drinking and chatting away. Those 'few drinks' turned into a few bottles of wine followed by a few shots and the night ended up getting crazy! We had intended to go out for a few drinks in Camden after but when we looked at the time we realised it was 3am and probably time to start the trek home. Two night buses' later we made it back to Shea's flat and crashed there for the night.



The next morning we woke up all feeling a bit worse for wear and nursing a few sore heads. Thankfully Candra had been so kind as to get up early and make us all french toast so once we got that into our tummies we were raring to go! The plan for Sunday was to check out Hampstead Heath because it was yet again a sunny day so we made a trek up there to check it out. It had been so good to check out the other side of London because all the houses's up there were GORGEOUS. I am pretty sure I am going to live there one day. As we walked into the park we grabbed an ice cream from the ice cream man and wandered through the grass and trees into the Lido's. Shea and Izzy had intended to swim but in their hungover state they couldn't really be bothered so we kept walking through the Heath. We found a wicked tree to climb and jumped up and played like kids again before sitting down under a tree on a picnic blanket to chill out. The funny thing was none of us had the forethought to bring any food with us so the only thing we ate was a piece of extra gum while we sat in the sun and chilled out. As our sunburn was already pretty bad we didn't stay out there for long and decided to give up on the heath and head over to Spitafields Markets.




As Soph is a bit (and by bit i mean a lot) of a fasionista the Spitafields Markets are a great place to go to check out some young designers stuff and a few vintage stalls. The markets were really good as they were slightly a bit more upmarket then the usual stuff sold at Camden etc. They had a big bunch of scarves for 1 pound so I grabbed that but nothing much else took my fancy. Ok let me re-phrase that - lots of things took my fancy but 1 pound was more my budget! By this time we were all a bit sore and weary and ready for a good sit down.

Spitfields markets is right near Brick Lane which is known as 'Banglatown' because it is lined with curry houses and Indian restaurants. Brick Lane is popular in London not only because a curry is an un-official traditional English meal but you can barter the cost of your meal in the street before you enter the restaurant. Before we had already been walking down the street for 2 minutes we were getting touted by owners of the restaurants. Shea attempted to barter but after the second curry house we gave up. The deal the gave us was pretty good (8 pounds for pompadoms, rice, naan, entree, main and two drinks each) and we couldn't be bothered to walk anymore beacuse all of us were too tired and sore to continue.


*

We had a pretty good yarn over a fairly average (but cheap!) curry and a few drinks but by the end of the day we were happy to be heading home. We got back home and collapsed into bed. After a huge weekend at Glastonbury the week before, several nights of showing Soph around and a touristy weekend I was exhausted. But it was a good exhausted if you know what I mean because we had managed to fit so much in and see so much that at the end of the day I had heaps of good laughs and heaps of fun with my last weekend with Soph.

* Thanks for the photos James

I Love Rock And Roll

"So put another dime in the jukebox baby"

I recently discovered that a couple of my friends from work lived close by (and by close I mean literally around the corner) to me in Southfields and since one of them had recently moved in they were throwing a 'Rock and Roll' themed house warming party.

As you know I love themed parties and was ready to rip up some stockings and throw on some eyeliner and bring out my rockstar alter ego. The girls came round earlier and we had a few pre drinks and a chat while we watched the Disney version of Cinderella (downloaded so we could compare it to the ballet the night before). Which isn't exactly party movie but was a good kick start to the night.

We were all getting ready and were trying to put together our costumes without ruining good clothes and sourcing things from others as none of us are particularly 'rock chic'. Luckily for us Laura is a make up artist and soon got to work giving Claire smokey eyes and me 'Jenny Humphrey' panda eyes to complete the look. Add flannel shirts and a skull T-shirt plus wavey 90's hair I was as close to rock chic as I will ever get.

The best part about pre drinking at mine was that it was about a 4 min walk to the party and we were already there and ready to rock and roll all night. We soon joined all the other rock and rollers is having jelly shots and copious amounts to drink. Thankfully we didn't actually behave like rockstars and trash the place (well not too bad I think) but it was a huge night!!

The worst part about the night was that in my hungover state I managed to delete all my photos off my camera. Many of which were actually hilarious shots of us being rockstars and many other crazy pictures. Thank god for Facebook I say so I have stolen a good one off my mates page so you guys can see what some of us looked like. Unluckily for you guys the only photo of me from the party on someone elses camera is absolutely heinous so you don't get to see my costume but you get the idea from the photo below!

Mexican Madness

Last week I was lucky enough to have a visitor from home - my big sis Ali. She had planned a holiday to Thailand with a couple of mates and figured since she was halfway around the world she might as well keep coming and visit me. The only downside was the visit was only for five days. Which meant we had a lot to pack in!!!

Wednesday

Ali flew in bright and early in the morning so we had a few hours to catch up over tea before I had to run off for a half day at work. That night after a quick introduction to my house mates I introduced her to someone else really important in my life - my local pub. We had a yummy dinner down at the Park Tavern and a few drinks and after a couple of hours we were all caught up and it was like we hadn't been apart for eight months.

Thursday

I had to head off to work for the day so Ali spent the day shopping before meeting me and my cousin Robyn after work for a yummy pub meal and a night at the theatre. We had scored pretty cheap tickets to see Wicked! which I had been wanting to see for aaaaaaaaages so I was really looking forward to it. I always love going to the theatre and with 20 quid tickets its almost the same price as going to the movies. I didn't really know much about the story line except that it was about the witches of oz. It was a little different then what I expected but it was still really good. Not my favourite but still a great night out and worth watching!

Friday

With an early start we were off on a bus to Oxford to check out another part of the UK and catch up for lunch with some family friends. Apparently I had been there when I was younger on a previous visit to the UK but because I had no recollection of the place it was good to see it. Winter probably isn't the best time to see it as it was pretty quiet. I'd love to go back in spring or summer when its a bit sunnier and sit in the gardens and watch all the students ride around on their bikes. The buildings were so old and pretty. We had a brekky in a cute little cafe before heading off for a wander around the city. We got to see the Bodleian Library (the great hall in Harry Potter! whoop!) plus a few other cool places before heading into the city centre for lunch. We had great time catching up over lunch and a pint at the pub before we had to head back into the city.

Once we got back into the city we met my flatties for dinner at our favourite greek restaurant out on the Clapham High Street. The restaurant is the kind of hole in the wall place that if it wasn't recommended to you then you would totally miss it. Its run by a greek family and its absolutely amazing. Its 9.50 pounds and there is no menu. This little old greek man just brings you out food and its all amazingly yummy. There is about 7 courses started with breads and dip and finishing with greek yohgurt with a whole lot of meat and salad in the middle. He just keeps topping up the wine and the food just keeps coming so it was a pretty big night. Its one of my favourite places in London and it was good to show it to my sis.

Saturday

Since Ali was only in town for a few days I thought it would be easier for her to meet everyone if we threw a party. We also have new housemates so it was a pretty good reason to party. We made it a mexican theme to liven up the party so most of Saturday was spent getting supplies, making decorations and making costumes. Once we were ready with our poncho's and sombreros we started drinking Mojitos at around 4pm. The party didn't start til 8 so needless to say I was a bit pissy before everyone else arrived.

Once people started piling in it was quite obvious that having a party with a bunch of sombrero's wasn't the smartest of moves in a tiny house. Especially when my mates made such a massive effort with costumes - one coming as a taco, one as a cactus and others coming as a pinata!

The night was out.of.control. Seriously. Don't mean to brag but it was an epic party!! Everyone was pissed after lots of tequila shots, mojitos and beer and lots of shennanigans enshewed. One example was my amazing housemate who locked the bathroom door, then climbed out the second story bathroom window and spiderman climbed down and left everyone outside the bathroom waiting for 45 minutes. Everyone was a bit cranky but I thought it was HILARIOUS! The rest of the party was a bit of a blur but all I remember was having an awesome time. The next day I woke up to a whole lot of mexi-carnage. Smashed beer bottles in our living room, lemons and limes all over the floor, 10 rubbish bags filled with empties and even writing on the wall.

Not sure if it was really the best way for everyone to meet my sis as we were all pretty pissed and probably didn't make much sense but it was a fun night anyways!

Sunday

Well...needless to say I was slightly hungover the next day and several hours was spent cleaning. After a big clean up effort and cooked breakfast we went to the pub. Yup! pretty proud of myself actually. It wasn't' really a massive drinking session it was more just to get out of my house that smelt like a brewery. The rest of the day was spent feeling sorry for myself and doing the seemingly endless amount of washing. Sorry Ali! for such a boring day but that is how most Sundays are spent in London.

Monday

Today was me and Ali's last day together :( so I was pretty bummed before it even started. As she didn't fly out until quite late we had a whole day to chill out together before she jetted off. We took the train out to Richmond and had a walk along the river before having a long leisurely pub lunch with a few drinks and lots of chatting.







Before too long it was time to head home and Ali had to get ready to leave. It was pretty sad saying goodbye at the tube station and there were a few tears but this time I know that I will be seeing her soon so it was easier then last time. It was so good to have a visitor from home and being able to show her my life over here.

I'm pretty lucky this year as Ali was the start of many many visitors to come and I am so looking forward to seeing everyone and showing them everything over here that makes me love this city so much!

Rest Home?...More Like Party Home

Considering how much smaller houses and flats are in London and how dodgy the weather can be its surprising that I have found myself going to a few house parties rather then out on the town. I've always been a big fan of house parties especially big ones and the party I went to a couple of weekends ago was definitely a biggie and a goodie. It wasn't just an ordinary London house party either as it was actually held in an old retirement home and partying in a retirement home isn't something I thought I would be doing for at least another 60 years.

A friend of my house mates, Matt, is living there at the moment as the rent is really cheap (100 pounds a month - for a double en-suite room) so him and the other 18 house mates that live there all invited their friends which ensued for a massive party. The reason he is living in a rest home is that a company bought the building but were unable to develop it until they had permission from the council. To stave off squatters they rent out all the rooms with rent low enough that all they pay is the council tax. Considering we live in the area with the lowest council tax in London it makes for a pretty cheap rent. The only downside is that it is slightly far away from public transport, you have to live with heaps of other people, they only have hot water (which is totally the opposite of what you would expect right?) and there is no internet. If your only in London for a short time or you a really low on cash and wanting to travel its a pretty good situation. Its also a good situation for me because Matt was supposed to have my room in the Pulborough House but decided to live here instead.

Even though it was in a retirement home it was a pretty sweet house party as the already had a pretty good set up with a massive rumpus room/living area, back balcony and garden and a massive industrial kitchen to help you make your drink concoctions. As many of us have experienced the lack of toilets at a party can be an issue but not for the rest home. Every time I needed to go I think I went to a different one. The funniest part was that a lot of the equipment and furnishing from the old residents were there including the things that help lift you in and out of the bathtub and rails to steady you as you get to the toilet which are surprisingly helpful when you've finished a bottle of wine.



The choice of seating was either a massive old floral couch, reclining armchair or wheelchairs. The wheelchairs were in hot demand but were a bit of a bummer as they were the ones that you needed someone to push you in not ones you could move yourself. Its fun when you get someone to push and spin you around to the music (you can't go past lazy dancing!) but its definitely not fun when someone pushes you all the way to the corner of the room then runs off and leaves you there - Thanks Lance. Its also not fun when you push the chair with your legs backwards so you can get back to your friends but instead and run into a group of people's shins. After that little experience I gave up on chilling out in the wheel chairs and opted for stationary stairs and normal dancing.

The night ended up being a pretty massive one with me and Shea finishing three bottles of cheap red wine between the two of us plus a few other random drinks we scored a long the way. Fran turned up a bit later with a Mary Poppings bag full of alcohol. Spirit? Choice of mixer? She had it. There was a bit of dancing to music that was a bit too soft and kept getting changed, a few deep and meaningful convo's and a quick nap on Sam's shoulder before we decided to make the trek home. It wasn't too bad especially with the drunken power walk but apparently I talked the ear off Sam telling her the recipe for meatballs. Oh dear. I think the party turned me into an old lady before my time - who else falls asleep then talks about cooking other then grandmas?

Apart from the hangover the next morning it was a pretty fun night out. Although it seems that my hangover albeit extremely bad wasn't as bad as some of my house mates who didn't get to sleep until 8am. Yup thats right 8am. Matt will be at that house until the housing developers decide to kick them out so hopefully there are a few more massive parties along the way.