VMF Scores Again

VMF gets better and better every time I go and is fast cementing it's place as one of my favourite restaurants in Birmingham. 

From the delightfully powerful cauliflower and leek amuse-bouche to the decadent chocolate cake with pistachio sabayon, every plate was presented immaculately and packed full of flavour. 

Pressure Kids - Tamworth, 23rd November 2012

Playing their first hometown gig in almost twelve months, Pressure Kids once again took Tamworth by storm. Fans packed into the small upstairs room at Em's Bar on Friday night to witness an energy packed, vivacious performance that has become a trademark of Pressure Kids shows.

Romanticising Control

While everybody was gushing over the sex scenes in 50 Shades, many failed to recognise the damaging message that it is romanticising a controlling, abusive relationship. Not that there is anything wrong with engaging in an S&M lifestyle, but the first book many women and girls, by their own admission, have ever read is the story of a young, naive girl being coerced into signing a contract that blurs the line between consent and control. Not to mention that it is written in the style of a teen romance crossed with a Mills & Boon novel and that most of the sex scenes are more cringeworthy than erotic.

Because Life's Too Short

On New Year's Day this year I woke up to the news that Dave Hodgson had lost his battle with metastatic melanoma. I'd never met Dave, he was a friend of my boyfriend at the time and living in Dubai, but we talked regularly on Twitter, mostly late at night about baseball and bucketlists.

Selling Reacher's Soul to Hollywood

There's only one man I am more in love with than Jack Reacher, and that's Joe Pike. I think I may have a type when it comes to my crushes on literary characters - a bit moody, quiet, devastatingly attractive and massive.

Pedal For Petrov

Deciding to voluntarily put yourself through hell, cycling 400 miles across two countries, about fourteen counties, lots and lots of big hills, in gale force winds, over six days, may seem like a completely crazy idea, but that's exactly what Alex Butler and Andy Smith decided to do.

It was their way of showing their support to their good friend Stilyian Petrov, who was recently diagnosed with leukaemia, and also to support all the amazing work that Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research do.

Thanks Randy

This time last year I was asking Randy to get me Quique Sanchez Flores for my birthday and he completely let me down and gave me McLeish instead. That was probably the worst birthday present anybody ever gave me, but I'll forgive him as he has redeemed himself somewhat this year.

Pressure Kids - 26th May 2012


Five twenty-somethings from Tamworth completely stole the show at Jar Music’s Plug’d In Showcase. With talented musicians and a frontwoman who is easily the most watchable I have ever seen, they commanded the stage as if it were their own gig.

Cautious Optimism at Villa Park

It's been a while since I've written about football, specifically about Aston Villa, because let's face it, writing anything half decent, particularly when you're not getting paid for it, requires at least some degree of inspiration, which Aston Villa spectacularly failed to provide last season.

Even the sacking of McLeish and the subsequent speculation about a replacement manager couldn't make me muster any sort of excitement after the suspense and subsequent shuddering disappointment of the last appointment. I refused to have any sort of expectation that the board might actually do the right thing for fear of having those hopes shattered again.

Street Photography: Tottenham Court Road

Up Close & Personal

The genius that is @quaystock shared this link http://t.co/f5AA8N47 yesterday so I have been experimenting with close-ups today.

Doors at Dorchester (amongst other things)

Cracked Ice at Swan Pool

Roses at The Red House

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