Shooting From The Hip

I usually love shooting our look book but for some reason I woke up on Friday in a seriously bad mood. Maybe with this month’s crazy lunar cycle my head was in Uranus or perhaps it was just the 6am start with ginger #2 and a healthy dose of sciatica which started my day off so well. Either way, by the time Grandfather (our uber stylist so-called because she is married to a man who is such an old woman we call him Nana) arrived at my front door carrying half a mannequin and a piece of toast I was so hyped up at the idea of 26 shots to do in 1 day with an untested photographer and a Lithuanian model of limited English that I literally burst into tears and had to be herded into the car with my head under a blanket.

By the time we arrived at the studio I was under control. Grandfather explained to me that these things are sent to test us and should I get through this gruelling day of makeup, models and camera flashes I would undoubtedly be a stronger person for it.

The studio was great and settled us in with cups of tea and then the photographer Dan popped his head round the door to say hi and check the schedule. Well blow me down if he wasn’t just about the most beautiful creature to hit planet fashion in, well ever. Clearly this made the day a whole lot more fun. We all took turns in flirting brazenly with Delightful Dan who was totally oblivious and took the most wonderful photos. Dan Pothecary. He’s so hot right now…

The day went off really well. Our Lithuanian model spoke fluent English, the clothes looked amazing and utterly restored my fragile artistic ego to its optimum state of ‘satisfied’ and Grandfather managed to get us our 26 shots with no hassle at all. See photos below for a taster.

Volcanic Ash - An Update

So we were offered a flight out of Tel Aviv at 4pm today. They said the flight would be due to land in the UK about half an hour after the airspace was predicted to open. Note the word 'predicted'. Basically we have been offered the once in a lifetime opportunity to test out the durability of BA’s 747 engine as it attempts to fly through thickening volcanic ash towards an airspace which may or may not be open. Once we get below the ash to about 50000ft we might also get to see Willy Walsh waving from his corporate jet which would be nice. At some point we hope to land. If we are super lucky we could find ourselves diverted to a random European country with a shit load of luggage, a bad back (whole other story but enjoying slow release morphine tablets so all’s well), two exhausted and likely screaming kids and nowhere to go. At this point we will be faced with a number of appealing options:

1: Ignore my youngest child’s propensity to car sickness and join the waiting list for a hire car.
2: Find a train route home and then bustle for four seats all together on it.
3: Spend £5K on a taxi. Maybe John Cleese is done with his.

The challenge is that these choices must be made at about 10pm at night with no knowledge of the country you have been assigned to land in. Challenge Anneka!

The booby prize is a space on deck a ship with a woolly blanket and some fleas for company. Maybe I should bring the rug...

The Frustrating Incident Of The Volcanic Ash And Fleas

As a rule I try to write this blog about work and not my life in general but due to force majeure my work is on hold. I have spent the last 2 weeks in Tel Aviv and now we can't leave for the foreseeable future due to Icelandic ash. To be fair, I have been stuck in worse situations and am really quite chuffed to be forced to enjoy an extra week’s holiday. However it must be noted that Iceland is proving to be a royal pain in the arse of late. It is quite amazing that such a small country could warrant so much trouble. First their banks go bankrupt, then their country follows suit, they rob a whole bunch of British and Dutch pensioners of their life savings and now their apparently inactive volcano goes and erupts causing chaos and havoc to pretty much everything and everyone. Surely this teeny tiny country is disproportionately irritating by anyone’s standards?

To add insult to injury the fabulous Persian rug which I bought (after considerable and very skilled bartering- for only 1000 shekels -about 200 quid) from a Syrian street vendor, has flees. Afore mentioned flees are now suspected to be living in my 6 year old daughter's hair, which after three days in the same plaits now resembles Dave-the-dreadlocked-dad from school.

The fabulous Persian rug

The vacuum cleaner is broken and insists on spewing more dirt out than it manages to suck up and I am not entirely sure if the dishwasher is done for too, or if I keep forgetting to turn it on. Either way my dishes are dirty, the floor is a mess and the flat is likely a flee pit. This is what happens when I don't I go work!

And just so you understand the enormity of the situation - what with me playing house wife over here, Amiee has popped off to live in LA for a year or so to run SB USA. Obviously I am already missing her to madness but it will be great for the business and I shall be forced to spend time over in sunny California. Very tough. Maybe I will go straight from here!

She just Sykped me to let me know that she is going to Lake Shrine this afternoon. Apparently some amazing spiritual place where according to Amiee the Dalai Lama is buried. Or maybe Ghandi.  She wasn't 100% sure which one but it is a place to go if you want to find yourself. Or various dead spiritual leaders. Five days in LA and she goes all Californian on me.

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