A Bright day in Manchester..

I like to think I view all art with an open mind. It hasn't always been so. I'd stick to the safe options like; Van Gogh, Picasso and Andy Warhol. It's not that I am not influenced by these artists, but I feel there is a lot more out there to discover and I'm ready to look for it and the journey has begun.

I must admit though, I recently went to the Lowry in Manchester to see the exhibition of Andy Warhol works which is traveling around the country.

I've seen his trademark screen prints in books on a smaller scale and the odd ones in galleries but it was finally great to see a show solely of his work. Walking through the gallery dedicated to the work of L S Lowry who spent his life to painting the street and scenes of Manchester. Warhol was a different character all together. He was obsessed with celebrity culture in America and was a far cry from the North of England that Lowry painted.

There was a room in the Warhol exhibition that reflected his personality and that of his subject Marilyn Monroe. It was painted a bright pink and one wall was covered in animal print paper. I was quite disappointed it wasn't actually 'furry" when I touched it! In the centre of the room was a huge black velvet sofa and from the ceiling hung a huge chandelier. All very brash and maybe even tasteless, but i liked it.

I am a big fan of Warhol. because I think he sums up the 1960s. I like the bold colours and simplicity of his screen prints. the highlight of this exhibition for me though was the 1960s design chair that was part of the gallery space. It looks like an oversized cue ball its inside black the outside white. i sat there and relaxed looking at a book about Warhol's portraits. I think passers by thought I was part of the exhibition as I was wearing one of my vintage outfits.

I came away with a book of Andy postcards (which I intend to put in frames, eventually) and a book called 'Andy Warhol and Pat Hackett POPism' .

"This is my personal view of the Pop phenomenon in New York in the 1960s.." Andy Warhol

Leafing through the pages


As a child I loved it when my mum used to read to me in bed before I went to sleep. Some of my favourite reading material was; Stig of the dump, Fantastic Mr Fox and The worst witch. Since a child I have collected and loved reading books. I borrowed all the books in the local library about the Beatles. Bognor was actually quite well stocked with books on the subject.

I enjoyed reading biographies, auto-biographies. I loved to dig in a good history book and leafing through the pages of a book was very satisfying. At school I loved learning about history, the Romans and how they lived was

appealing to me.

My books shelves have always been stocked with books on a various array of subject matter some of them..music, art, photography, history, motor transport. A lot of them relate to the 1960s and the Beatles as it is something that I have been passionate about for the last 20 years.

The first book I read from cover to cover in one day was the last Harry Potter. for some reason I wanted to read it all in one go. I got the book at midnight on the day it was published and didn't go to sleep until it was finished. I think it took 23 hours to read in the end.

I left books for a while except for the odd book by Richard Hammond, which were FAB and VERY funny. In the last couple of weeks I've had lets just say a lot of spare time, too much time to think. So I picked up a book again. I heard author Kay Burley talking about her latest attempt at writing.."full of sex" it was described. I thought I'd try that to get me reading again. It was certainly an attempt at writing, but not a good one, boring and certainly no sex. After a few chapters..well nearly half the book I gave up and moved on to far better things.

I met Stuart Maconie who was telling tales of his new book *Hope and Glory*. I decided this was going to be my next read. It's about a day in the 20th century from each decade, that shaped Britain. He visits those places..drinks coffee and eats toasted teacakes. I then read Pies and Prujudice..it got better! Now I am in the middle of Cider with Roadies. All books by Mr Maconie. Thats my third book in 2 weeks, not bad going, but also a lot of coffe

e and tea being consumed. I don't know what I will be reading next. I have quite a few to choose from..Caravaggio, Michael Caine, Keith Richards, Caitlin Moran or a book on Popism..Umm can't decide right now, back to Cider with roadies and my coffee!

I was having a look in my display cabinet..

I came across this postcard. It's from Andre Barreau. Perhaps most well know for being George Harrison in the first big tibute band The Bootleg Beatles. This was to do with his other band Those Magnificent Men, a country band. I can not remember if i went to this party for his album or not. Me and a couple of mates actually started a fanzine for the band. At the time I thought it was very funny and witty and was a hand *stuck together* job. I had a pen name Ms Femme Fatale, not appropriate really but thats another story.

I also have to say the Bootleg Beatles were ALL to me from 1993 when I first saw them at the Empire in Liverpool. In the end I saw them 57 times. I travelled the country as far as Cornwall, Bristol, Stoke, Birmingham. Manchester, Croydon, London..and various other

venues! We even got to know the band and they became friends. We got into the sound checks, which at the time was very exciting. At the time I didnt get bored of seeing them all those times. Even thought the show was exactly the same. We even threw jelly babies at them for some of the shows to recreate the Beatles concerts, trying not to hit them! We made banners, and wore red trousers and had special t-shirts made. It was all very amusing at the time. We certainly got ourselves noticed. The funniest thing was when me and my mate dressed up as John and Yoko for one of the gigs! The audience just stared..I was Yoko complete with long black wig!

I actually had quite a collection of letters from Andre but they are long gone

. I do still have the demo tape of his album somewhere, which he sent to me. i last saw Andre in 2008 and it was nice to catch up with him but I wouldn't go and see the Bootleg Beatles now as there are far too many other Beatles bands, but I enjoyed the good times I had seeing them.

Well I thought about starting up the blog again after my friend Rosie started her sixties blog. I love reading about her love for the 1960s and the Beatles. I am also a HUGE sixties and Beatles fan. My main love is collecting and wearing vintage (or as they used to be called second hand) clothes. My collection has somewhat some might say become obsessive. There is probably one big...yes BIG reason for this.

In 2007 I weighed 17 stone 8 lbs. That is a lot of weight to carry around when you are only 5ft 4 inchs tall. I had not always been that size but a lot of things going on at the time made me put on weight through eating too much and not doing anything much. This seriously affected my health.

I joined Weight Watchers on 2nd January 2007 the weight came off , I thought a stone or 2 would be fine. But in June 2008 I weighed in at 10st 6lbs and had reached Gold membership.

I had gone from a clothes size 28 to a size 12. I was so pleased to be able to walk in any clothes shop and buy anything I liked. I loved all the bright colours.

In the last year I've got back my love of Vintage clothes (I did wear them in the past but looking back now I didn't look that good in the stuff). Now I feel a bit more comfortable in the dresses I love to wear so much. I can't resist a dress if I see one. With new clothes there is the opportunity to think about it. With vintage its a case of buy it or loose it! I must have well over 200 dresses. Although they are quite organised in my wardrobe(S). It does not take me long to decide what I am going to wear each day thankfully!

My weight is now around 10st and I've kept the weight off since 2008. I have clothes in lots of sizes from a size 6 to 16. I find that clothes vary some much with sizes vintage especially.

When people have seen a picture of me at 17st they can't believe its me..someone even used the phase F***** ell LOL. Someone else said Oh you must have been so unhappy. I have along way to go with my confidence..small steps will get me there..one day!

I am so grateful for the people who always stick around through the bad a good times as it sure isn't easy being me. I am also happy that I have made a few good friends in the last few years. I hope they stick around too!

One Of My Favourite Places!

I was thinking today about places that I like. Not cities, but I thought of one place I like in Paris. I've not seen much of the city. I have been to Paris twice now. I like it for its buildings and I must say the Eiffel Tower is amazing. When I visited there last time I went right up to it and walked under it. I felt very small as it towered over me. It was quite scary. It was more scary than the policemen that carried guns walking around underneath it.

I sat on the grass making little pen sketches of it. I lay on the grass on a rather hot July day so I could take the height of the whole thing. As I looked up at it I was wondering how it was still standing after all these years, but I didn't feel as though it would collapse at any moment.

This great landmark is the most iconic

symbol of France to me. My friend Nikki even made me some earrings from little pink Eiffel Towers.

I hope to go back and visit again really soon. I need to see the galleries that I have yet to see.

With a little help from my friends

There have been plenty who have come and gone for different reasons. My friends from childhood are long gone. My closest friend Nicki, who was only 9 months younger than me I was shocked to hear died from cancer when she was 28. We *fell out* as teenagers do just as we finished school. We had grown up and grown apart I think. It is still very sad. I know that she had a good, but short life and did everything she wanted and got married. She only lived across the cul-de-sac from me and her parents still live there. they moved there just after we did in 1979.

There was a big gang of kids that *hung out* on our estate..more about that perhaps another time.

Liverpool V Bognor Regis (North V South)

I've been inspired to write a bit about where I am from, well I would prefer to say *where I was born*. I am currently reading a book a VERY interesting, funny and thought provoking book by Stuart Maconie called 'Pies and Prejudice. in search of the North'. In only a few days I am half way through it. I can't put it down. I've read his other book Hope and Glory and still have Cider with roadies to read and I believe there is another book too. I recently went to a talk he did and got to meet him and he signed my book! I have to say I came away with a slight crush on him. Anyway I've been spending many hours in coffee shop drinking too much caffeine.

Friends and people who I have met ask where I am from I

say Sussex (because I am slightly, dare I say embarrassed to say where I was actually born and spent my childhood and teenage years). Then they ask "but where in Sussex?". I say "oh Bognor Regis". Its seems every Scouser I've met has heard of it and seems to have visited there!

When I explained I've been living here since 1998, they sound surprised I've still got my Southern accent. I have to say this is one thing I would love a scouse accent. Can you have Scouse lessons?

I now admit to hating Bognor Regis? Why? It is a sleepy little seaside town, not much going for it except Butlins and that isn't for the locals. They've got a huge Tesco and if I remember one nightclub on the pier!

I really don't have any happy memories there school was hell and I spent nearly all my teenage years in my bedroom listening to music! My only escape was the start of a love affair with the Beatles in 1992. I always knew some of their music and my parents were teenagers in the 1960s so it goes without saying they playing the music of the era when I was growing up.

My first visit to Liverpool was Easter 1993 when me and my mum came up to visit. It was also the first time I stayed in a hotel. The Moat House (gone Liverpool One is there now). We visited all the Beatles places and I was so excited! We went

on a Ferry Cross the Mersey, I remember the moment I told my mum (on the Ferry). "I am going to live here one day". her reply was "No you won't".

To cut along story short in 1998 I got accepted on to a course at Wirral Met college to do a degree in Media Studies. I packed my bag and I've been in Liverpool ever since (well apart from my first 6 months when I lived in Oxton near Birkenhead).

I absolutely love Liverpool and its people and when I've been asked "Don't you ever go back to Bognor?". I say "No because there is nothing there for me. My last visit was 2008. my family have never been close and my mum now prefers to come and visit me".

This lands the place I love and here I'll stay.....