What's coming up for next year?

The Ritz Hotel, London

With Christmas fast approaching it will soon be 2018 and that means that plans will be made and holidays booked.

My holidays have been a bit thin on the ground since July this year due to a family member falling ill for a while, but happy to say that person is back up to full health and it means HQ can plan to her heart's content again!

Ideas for next year include Paris in January, Dubai, Mallorca, Mexico and hopefully some long weekend trips later on to Berlin and Iceland. Can I possibly find time to fit them all in? Barbados has got to figure in there somewhere too. Lets see. I'll throw them all out to the universe and see what comes back!


I have a few custom bags to make too so it will be nice to see the HQ collection on show around the world. There are now 4 in Australia!

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays with good health, love and laughter for a Happy New Year.

 

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ATP Finals in London and working away from home

Annabel Croft holding
the trophy

I have worked as a make up artist for Sky Sports at the Nitto ATP tennis finals at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London since 2009. The Arena is situated on the Greenwich Peninsula on the south side of the River Thames and is also home to a cinema and bars and restaurants. It has hosted a multitude of different concerts and sporting events and is perfect for a tennis final. Getting there is easy .. by river boat with Thames Clippers, by bus or by tube on the Jubilee line to North Greenwich station, right next door to the Arena entrance. Emirates Air Line also operates a cable car crossing over the river to the Royal Victoria Dock offering spectacular views of the Dome, Canary Wharf and the Thames Barrier.

Crossing the bridge
across the dock

In the past we have stayed close by in the centre of Greenwich with a short commute each day via a 5 minute boat journey in the morning and organised transport back at night. This year we stayed at Canary Wharf .. closer as the crow flies across the river on the Isle of Dogs. The quickest route to the O2 was by tube - a mere one stop away - journey time 2 minutes! Not counting of course the walk to the station from the hotel. Given that we were spending the majority of our working day indoors in relative darkness and artificial light, it was a pleasurable 5 minutes walking in the fresh air and daylight across the docks on the footbridge every morning.

Canary Wharf

Most days were sunny and dry and quite cold with only the odd bit of fog in the morning. Whatever the weather, we didn't care, we just appreciated being able to be out in it!

Every day without exception was long with a minimum of 12 hours covering 2 sessions - an afternoon and an evening. I would make up the team in the morning and maintain their appearance throughout the day and also make up the occasional guest in the studio. The atmosphere was always great as this tournament hosts the top singles and doubles players in the world. 

Dining bus view

Every morning we would grab a quick breakfast at the hotel, have soup and sandwiches for lunch and a lovely hot dinner in the evening in our crew catering dining bus with a fabulous view of Canary Wharf. If we got there early enough, we would be lucky to see the sun set. Even in the darkness the views were stunning.

The O2 and Canary Wharf

On the final day, we prerecorded the opening sequence to the show with our main presenter Marcus on the Emirates Air Line Cable Car. It's something I've always wanted to do and was thrilled to get the chance, particularly as it was such a beautiful day. I doubled up as lighting camera assistant holding a reflector on our host's dark side as the sun was so bright. Luckily I was still able to snap a few photos on our 10 minute each way crossing, something I would have hated to miss.

The final day seemed to go so quickly as there was only one session and it wasn't long before it was all over and we were derigging, packing to go home and saying our goodbyes. The final itself was fantastic, one of the best - a real battle between Grigor Dimitrov and David Goffin - the victor being Grigor Dimitrov - his first title win at this event.

The team - Marcus, Annabel, Greg and Jamie
speaking with Grigor after his win

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48 hours in the Cotswolds with the Holiday Hound

Mingling in the local pub

When my gorgeous dog Scout came into my life, I vowed I would start to take some holidays where he could come along as well. He's a lively boy and at just over two and half years old he is now suitably well trained enough to be able to take him away and trust him to behave in other people's homes.

Whilst he has already been on doggie holidays to stay with his adopted family in Essex when I have been on vacation, this was his first trip as Holiday Hound!

I found the perfect cottage via the Rural Retreats website as I was looking for somewhere quiet within the Cotswolds region that was dog friendly. Hope Cottage in the village of Naunton came up trumps for the two days I wanted.

I have visited the Cotswolds a number of times and really love it .. it is only a couple of hours drive from London and this was a real find.

"Hope Cottage is a traditional semi-detached Cotswold stone property in the picturesque village of Naunton. The village is situated alongside the River Windrush in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village boasts a 15th century church and medieval dovecote. The Black Horse, a traditional country pub (known locally for it's good food) is less than 100 yards from the cottage.
The cottage has been refurbished to modern standards, but retains character features including exposed wooden beams, a wood burning stove, an Inglenook fireplace and window seats. Scenic walks along the Warden’s Way can be joined a few metres from the front door."




Sunrise

I would love to return to this cottage as it really felt like a home from home for me. Everything was provided to make our stay comfortable. A hamper full of essential items like bread, jam, scones, snacks and a fridge stocked with milk, butter, cheese and wine. So very welcome after the journey from London and no need to have to then go shopping for supplies. The front room had a log burning stove but it wasn't quite cold enough to have to light it although it would have been lovely! The upstairs bedroom was a quiet, calm place to relax with a large bathroom stocked with White Company toiletries.

The local pub just around the corner, The Black Horse Inn was very welcoming and dog friendly, and the food was delicious .. lovely to have so close by.

There are many places to visit in the surrounding area and given that we only had one full day to explore properly, I walked Scout through the village, venturing down the little lanes and allowing him to run free in a field nearby. We found the Dove Cote, a Grade II listed building which is currently under renovation at the moment, covered in scaffolding. You get a real sense of a time gone by and seeing a bottle of milk perched on a wall in the village indicates that the traditional milk round is still alive and active.

We hopped in the car and drove about 20 minutes away to the Inn at Fossebridge near Cirencester. This is another gorgeous place to explore with Stowell Park nearby and the Inn's own lake and grounds to walk around. The pub itself is dog friendly with a good menu for lunch and dinner. The Inn also has a number of rooms at reasonable rates, each named after a local Cotswold village or town.

After a light lunch, we were back in the car heading towards the village of Bibury - "the most beautiful village in England" William Morris - where the medieval weavers cottages of Arlington Row are a big tourist draw as they date back to the 14th century. You can also visit the working trout farm right next door to the Swan Hotel. I visited this gorgeous village a few years ago and love going back and being reminded of how charming it is.

Onward from Bibury to Burford where I stayed previously at The Highway Inn in 2014 around the same time of year. Whilst I was there I discovered Huffkins bakery and brought home some of their produce. I just had to stop by again and purchase some more of their delicious shortbread as well as a small Christmas cake and pudding. It's never too early to stock up!

Even though this was only a two day break, it felt longer. It's the actual getting away from your normal life that makes it so enjoyable. No chores, no distractions and the chance to just relax and get some fresh country air in a beautiful part of the world.


Click on the links below for more info on dog friendly walks and holidays ..

National Trust

Rural Retreats - Dog Friendly Holiday Cottages




 

Travel drought is almost over .. where shall I go to next?

I didn't manage to do a blog post in September!! It's a first. How remiss of me! Sadly I didn't go anywhere interesting .. just worked at my day job  in various local locations and made a few HQ bags in my spare time!

My major travel has been on hold due to some personal matters but hopefully I will soon be up, up and away again .. I'm itching to feel some sun on my skin and sand between my toes.

In the meantime, I plan on taking Scout the Holiday Hound away for a few days somewhere in the English countryside during the autumn - I know he would love that!

The HQ bags have been selling well and seen in many different countries this summer from Mallorca to Malaga, Madeira, Portugal, Tenerife, the Greek islands of Santorini, Crete and Mykonos, Hvar in Croatia, Dubai and recently two have gone all the way to Australia for summer downunder. Next summer they will make their debut in the Hamptons!  

Not only are they useful for the beach but also for the gym and picnics .. the versatility of this neoprene bag and pouches is endless.

I tested a bag myself on vacation this summer and have to say that I loved it! Not only does it look good but even loaded up seems to weigh nothing on your shoulder. The softness of the straps doesn't dig in or rub your skin and the neoprene fabric doesn't damage fine fabrics either. You can put it down on wet sand and it won't soak through - and the sand does not stick either. Gone are the days of taking half the beach home with you.

During the winter months I am making them to order with custom colour combinations so do get in touch via my facebook page if you would like one. More colour ways are coming for next summer.

Thanks to Kirsty and Susie for the beautifully modelled pics on their holidays!

Days out in London north and south of the river - Sutton House and Dulwich Picture Gallery

When you live in a city like London (or anywhere for that matter) it's easy to become complacent and think that you have all the time in the world to see the sights, go to galleries, the theatre etc. And maybe you do, but it's only when you decide to do something that you realise how enriching it is to make the effort and how much is actually on your doorstep.

A week or so ago, my pal and I had two days free to play so we decided to take a walk to visit the National Trust's Sutton House, the oldest Tudor house in the East End of London a mere 15 minute walk from our respective front doors. Sutton House was built in 1535 by Ralph Sadleir a courtier of Henry VIII. It's an interesting place to visit but don't expect a fully renovated stately home. It has undergone various alterations in it's history and although it retains some of it's original features, it is a progression of various eras and supports community projects and exhibitions. It was occupied by squatters in the 1980's and there is a room that bears witness to this. 

Getting there .. no parking nearby, the closest station is Hackney Central and it is also served by various bus routes .. click on the link for more info.

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On our second day off, we headed off to the Dulwich Picture Gallery in South London. Designed and built by Sir John Soane "it is the world’s first purpose-built public art gallery: it was founded in 1811 when Sir Francis Bourgeois RA bequeathed his collection of old masters “for the inspection of the public”." 

I had been there before but quite a few years ago so was interested to go back again and see the water colours of John Singer Sargent. It's a wonderful collection of his work and booking is recommended as you may not get in if you just turn up. We were lucky as there was a slot within an hour of us arriving so we took the opportunity to have some lunch outdoors first as it was a beautiful day. 

Getting there .. free car parking, bus, rail and underground .. again, click the link for more specific info.

I hope this inspires you to check out galleries and historic venues in your neck of the woods. There's so much out there to see and learn about. Next stop for me, Tate Modern to see the Giacometti retrospective which finishes on September 10.

Both Sutton House and the Dulwich Picture Gallery are available for hire for weddings and other events.

Southport and The Open Championship, Royal Birkdale

In my day job role as a TV make up artist, I occasionally get to travel and I recently went up to Southport to work on an outside broadcast for The Open Golf championships at Royal Birkdale for Sky Sports. 

I don't know the area very well - the closest I had been before was to Liverpool and that too was for work. There is usually little time to see and do much outside of the working environment on these jobs although this time I was lucky enough to get an afternoon free on a beautiful sunny day to explore a little of the town and get a sense of it's Victorian heritage. There are many buildings still intact from days gone by - I felt as though I had stepped back in time.

"Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte lived in exile on Lord Street, the main thoroughfare of Southport, between 1846 and 1848, before returning to France to become President and subsequently Emperor of the French. During his reign, he caused much of the medieval centre of Paris to be replaced with broad tree-lined boulevards, covered walkways and arcades, just like Lord Street. On the strength of this coincidence, it has been suggested that the redevelopment may have been inspired by memories of Southport's town centre." Source Wikipedia

Having worked on The Open at Royal Troon last year, Royal Birkdale golf course was similar in that it was situated on the west coast with views of the seemingly endless beach and the sea. The Golf Club is over a hundred years old and has a beautiful Art Deco clubhouse built in 1935. Our studio was situated on the 18th fairway with gorgeous views of the 18th hole and the Clubhouse - the perfect location to witness the winner take his prize at the end of the championship.

Our first few days were occupied with set ups in the studio, The Open Zone and preview shows, finally kicking in the long hours on set from day 1-4 of the main event which started on air from 6am. Our call time was 3am for transport to the ground where we would grab a quick breakfast and head to the studio where make ups could be anytime from 4.30am.

Glamorous? It really isn't! However, the upside of early starts is getting to see the sunrise every day .. and we didn't have much rain to contend with either.

We were so lucky to have such a great team of people who all worked well together to create a fantastic job. Teamwork is everything in these situations and makes a huge difference.

 

Last year we won the BAFTA for best Sports Production - can we do it again?

Just some of the many people it takes to make this happen

Next year's The Open championship will be back in Scotland in Carnoustie 45 minutes away from St. Andrews. Tickets are already available!

Greece is the Word .. Part 3 Agrari Beach, Mykonos

About half a mile away from Elia beach lies the beach of Agrari. It is possible to walk there from Elia but we didn't attempt it as it was a very hot day and the distant path looked quite rocky - there's no shelter along the way. The concierge at the hotel recommended we get there by cab so we took that option as there were four of us - costing us €10 apiece for each journey. The photo on the left shows our hotel complex in the distance to indicate how close it actually is.
 
The cab driver arrived to collect us and said he'd never driven there before so I used the Waze app on my phone and got us there in about 20 minutes. It was a very entertaining journey and he promised he would pick us up at 5pm for our return. True to his word he was there - the journey back shown here on the right. Seems ridiculous I know - if I go again, I'll try the walk!

 
It was a very peaceful setting with a small hotel to one side. It reminds me of what beaches used to be like in Greece before they were overly developed. No loud music, no crowds and people just relaxing in the shade of the sheltered area by the small beach bar or under umbrellas on the sun loungers. It's also a nudist beach FYI. If you're expecting fine white sand you would be disappointed. The sand in this region is quite coarse and sharp. On the plus side, the sea is crystal clear.


The short walk from where we were dropped off took us past the beach bar and then to the left. What appeared was a gorgeous, lush garden walk. I felt like I was in the south of France or somewhere similar. I've never associated this type of garden with Greece so it was lovely to see.


We went there specifically for lunch as we were informed that it was more typically Greek than most of the beach restaurants are now - a family business which had been there for years. They were right .. it was utterly charming, unfussy and offered all the usual Greek dishes you would expect to find. We had the moussaka - the last 3 portions of the day - which turned out to be quite fortuitous as they were rather large servings which we ended up sharing between us along with some vegetable balls and Greek salad. It was very reasonably priced too, almost half of what we paid for lunch at Elia beach. 

The wine list was limited and basic so we each opted for a half litre bottle of prosecco for €9 - a bargain. 

At the end of the meal as with most of the meals we had in Mykonos, they would bring a complimentary shot glass of Mastika. I grew to quite like this little tradition and have brought a bottle of the stuff home with me as yet unopened. I am reluctant to try it here as it may not have the same appeal as it had in lovely Mykonos.

That's it - another box ticked off the bucket list but this won't be my last visit there. Next year we have decided on another Greek Island - you'll have to wait and see which one it is!

Greece is the word ... Part 2 Mykonos town

We took a couple of trips into town to have a mooch around followed by dinner as our lovely little part of the island was a tad remote. As I mentioned in my Part 1 blog, our hotel ran a free shuttle service to and from the town each day. Every night the bus would fill to capacity with the journey lasting just under half an hour.

For the return journey there was no real system. We just waited at the designated pick up area and when the bus arrived it was every man/woman for themselves. Of course there was no need for this chaos as there were always 2 or 3 buses going back and they would never leave you stranded, but I guess it's the survival instinct of the human species kicking in. What's the rush? You're on holiday - just R E L A X.

I'm so glad I've developed the art of patience.

Mykonos Town with it's iconic windmills sitting on the hill as the sun goes down. All and sundry flock to the town at night as there are numerous restaurants, bars and shops down all the little winding cobbled streets. They gather in the waterside bars, jostling for position, smart phones and camera's poised at the ready for a chance to capture images of the sun as it sets over the horizon.
 
I love to take photos like everyone else but sometimes it's just nice to sit back and view the changing light without looking through a lens. We watched our first sunset from Scarpa, a waterside bar in Little Venice rammed with beautiful people. Very hip and cool and renown for it's great cocktails. 

After our sunset drinks, we strolled a few minutes away for dinner at Kalita restaurant which was recommended by friends who visit the island every year. The food was very good, although one of our party sent her wine back as it wasn't quite right. They did however replace it with no fuss .. as they should.

Another recommendation was Funky Kitchen which we tried on a subsequent evening. The food was fabulous as were the cocktails. It happened to be the hottest day (37C) and the night wasn't much cooler - there wasn't a breath of air. The waiter came with the cocktail menu as we sat down and presented us all with a hand fan to cool off. A nice touch and very welcomed! I think the temperature cooled to 32C by the time we left!

It's unusual to eat early in Greece so it's always best to make reservations (although not essential) at most of the good restaurants as they fill up pretty quickly.

Massimo Listri and Marc Sijan

It's lovely to wander through the town browsing the shops and taking in the atmosphere. We were lucky enough to stumble across a wonderful little art gallery called Rarity. There were some fabulous works of art on display including Julian Opie, Massimo Listri and Hyperrealism sculptors Carole Feuerman and Marc Sijan amongst many others. If you like art this gallery is certainly worth a visit.

Many of the major high end retail brands are here too catering to a slightly more affluent cliental. (The super yachts in the harbour are a bit of a give away.)

 

There are little chapels around almost every bend, beautifully maintained and quaint. I never thought to go in and have a look - maybe that wasn't an option as the doors always seemed to be closed. Maybe next time.

Mykonos Town really comes alive after dark with it's clubs and bars hubbub and music filling the air. It's a very vibrant, busy place. Seemingly it's not very user friendly everywhere for anyone with mobility issues so I do wonder how they would get on.


Up next .. Part 3 Agrari Beach