back in Blighty!

Just a little update for those of you who are still reading my blog...Thanks!
We arrived back in Edinburgh 2 weeks ago and are settling in well into our lovely cottage in the country! We finally have the heating working again and the big freeze has bit us hard, but it does look beautiful! Owen is settling back into work with lots of xmas parties and I am working hard on The Mind Curve. I'm also doing some marketing for The Edinburgh Address.
We are loving having Topple back and hes been exploring the house and garden with his usual intrigue!
We are getting to know the neighbours and I am starting to get involved with the RDA and riding stables just round the corner so hopefully I will get a horse soon!
Lots of love xx

last week in singapore

well here we are, one week to go! i planned to spend the week topping up my tan but today and yesterday have been rain days, but singapore style ie major monsoons with thunder and lightening! the only way to describe it is a constant wall of water like walking through a waterfall! i actually love watching and it is so noisy its really cool, like nothing i have experienced before. i will miss that. just been to the gym as running club rained off and rowan cant make it anyway, i will definatley miss running club, and rowan.We are having a spa day on sunday while to boys go golfing and then a BBQ in the evening to celebrate our time in singapore and say goodbye-for now! They are getting all christmassy here now, with lights and decorations going up in the streets and stores. Getting me in the xmas mood! cant wait to go to the christmas market in edinburgh this year! really looking forward to getting back and setting up our new home and seeing all our friends again :) Looking forward to a family christmas a Owen's this year although will be my first Christmas away from home which will be weird, but i guess thats what growing up is about! I saw on the news that the ski season in scotland has started already! very excited! anther fab reason for going home. anyway off to Skype the folks! xx

Modeling Pics

A few initial pics (not in high res) of the photoshoot i did recently for the Singapore designer and Scene magazine's Jan issue. The theme was Fairy tales!

Weekend exploring

Well we had a lovely weekend exploring parts of Singapore we hadnt been to before. Including East Coast Parkway which is a large coastal park with lots to do including cylcing, skating, waterskiing...we hired bikes and had a picnic which was lovely. Then on sunday we did a 10k hike through the jungle and the treetops at MacRichie reservoir which we really enjoyed but was very tiring! Also saw lots of monkeys and baby ones too! x

pictures of our new place!

So excited!

7k

Moved up to the 7k group in the running club last night!! Owen came with me too as Rowan is away this week. Owen did it in an very impressive 31mins!! i was a bit behind at 38mins but am still proud! We were drenched in sweat by the end-ewww! Am going to miss running club when we get back to edinburgh! x

house!

Well we are going back to Edinburgh 3 weeks today exactly! Looking forward to it now especially as we have just signed for a bungalow in West Fenton! It's a beautiful house with 3 bedrooms and large open plan living area with a garden. It is next door to a riding stables which is perfect! The train is just down the road too so Owen can commute into work easily. About 30mins driving time outside Edinburgh so thats fine. It will be a very welcome change after 9years living in Edinburgh city. It will mean we have to plan further in advance meeting up with friends but we will have a car so won't be a problem at all. Also te house will be great for entertaining too! http://www.grange-property.com/PDF/brochure%20west%20fenton.pdf have a look at the pics :)
Only 4 days left working for Gina & Jake then i have a week and a bit off for chilling and xmas shopping before we go home.
Back to work, speak soon and happy November! not long till we get the advent calenders out! x

back to Singapore today

Well Owen was working quite late last night back in the room so i went to the bar to give him some peace and quiet...there also happened to be free cocktails at said hotel bar!hehe! so i had 2 very strong drinks and am now suffering from what one may call a hangover! im such a light weight! went shopping today again and got a beautiful sheepskin coat to keep me warm back in edinburgh and my dress for xmas day! is strange trying on winter clothes when its so hot outside! going to the airport soon for my flight home and owen is on a later flight but back tonight in Sing too so thats a bonus. Looking forward to a relaxed weekend x

KL

Hi, I'm writing from our hotel room in KL! I came here last night adn met owen and we went out for a nice meal in town with Dave (his colleague). Today Owen went to work and after meeting him for lunch i wondered round some lovely shops for inspiration for my xmas wish list-mulberry and anya hindmarch (whos shop i have never been in as only in london and KL-AMAZING stuff!) are going to feature highly!hehe! went for a swim in the roof top pool, which isnt really roof top-its undercover on the top floor and surrounded by a bar, so was strange being watched while i swan-needless to say i only stayed for 5 mins as it was too uncomfortable! Anyway i visited a local market too where i got my nails done-oh the jobs of being a kept woman! Been dreaming up more fabulous designs for Harriet Sparks too so watch this space! Owen back from work soon then heading to dinner. I am actually seeing a lot more of him here than in Singapore as he has been working more normal hours which is a first! KL is fine, quite run down but ok. I stand out a lot more here being blond and tall and wearing western clothes and walking around on my own. The taxi driver was very suprised i was venturing out without my man! bit wierd! thats all for now folks! x

Press and KL

Hi,
Well i'm happy as my Gina & Jake press release is going to be in Dec Elle magazine! and also in woman's weekly which is pictured below, the finder, time out and 17mag! go me! Heading over to KL tonight to see Owen until thursday which i'm looking forward to. Hope all is well with everyone and you are managing to keep warm in the UK-i hear it's cold! Oh and i have been wearing my glasses since saturday as my contacts were really blurry and i couldnt see properly.... i finally figured out why this morning-i had them in the wrong eyes!opps! x

Happy Monday!

Hello all!
Back at work today but going to KL tomorrow till thursday which i am looking forward to! Owen left at some silly hour like 4:30am this morning to go to KL, poor thing. At least its just one sleep this time before i see him again :)
We had a lovely weekend. We chilled out on sat morning and then met friends at Tanjong beach club in the afternoon and chatted and played some volleyball-well i attempted it but i was terrible and kept shying away from the ball when it came near me as i was scared it would hit me! its a very big ball! So i retired to the sunbed with Rowan after 5mins! Owen did well though. That evening we went for dinner at a Japanese resturant we hadn't been to before and it was really nice.
Sunday we went for a hike/walk in the jungle at the national park which we great. Lots of monkeys and lizards to look at. Then in the evening we decided to go to a new Hawker centre we hadnt been to before in Little India, but it was not nice and so so busy and almost all the people were indian men so i felt really intimidated. Then we realised it was the Deepevali festival so all the men (im not sure why there were no women-if you know please enlighten me!) were out on the streets. So we escaped to a small indian resturant and had some yummy curry!
FYI (The name Diwali is itself a contraction of the word Deepavali (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāvali), which translates into row of lamps (inSanskrit).^[3] Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas) (or Deep in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. During Diwali celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. Some Indian business communities begin the financial year on the first day of Diwali, hoping for prosperity the following year.).
Louise and Jen went to look at a flat for us in Edinburgh on sat and gave us the feedback-looks really nice but the only problem is that it is a bit too far out of town for us i think. So the search continues and we have contacted agencies about lots more flats so hope to find something soon. 
Right im going to get lunch as starving! lots of love xxx

Thank God Its Friday!

Hello! Well thats another week almost gone buy. Owen went to bangkok last night and is back late tonight so not too bad. Hes playing golf with a client this afternoon so its hardly hard work!hehe! I'm going to book club tonight-well its really an excuse for rowan, me and some of the other girls to go out for dinner and a few drinks! I had the best dream last night that i had a pet Orangutang! he was so cute and ate bananas! haha! i know, im mad! Oh and all the Harry Potter films i had ordered arrived last night so i watched the most recent one in bed which was nice. Cant wait for no 7 to be released! Louise and Jenny are looking at flats for Owen and I in edinburgh this weekend so im looking forward to hearing the verdict! fingers crossed! Owen and I are planning to go to the Tanjong Beach club tomorrow afternoon to chill out with some friends and then go for a walk in the jungle on sunday!
Anyway back to work...
x

Singapore RDA and the weekend.

Hello, had a really nice relaxing weekend with Owen. CHilled out and went for dinner and watched a movie (the kite runner-amazing!). I had the photoshoot for a dress designer and Scene magazine which went well. They were doing a doll theme and I was a fairy! had really fun make up on and met some lovely people, so that should be published in their Jan issue :)
I went to the polo club today where a woman i met is loaning a horse so i saw her horse, Cocoa, who is lovely and we took her out for some grass as it was her day off being riden. the polo club is fab-very luxurious and lots of amazing horses! they all get kept in stables unlike what i am used to back home but there are fans in them to keep them cool. Then we went to riding for the disabled (RDA) which is next door and where Nicki volunteers. We looked after and led a horse called Paint and had a lovely little girl who has cerebral palsy riding (she had 2 helpers keeping her on), as soon as she got going her face lit up and she loved it! she cant communicate verbally but for the first time in her life she said 3 words last week while Nicki was with her! there were some other kids who were more physically abled who were having a great time and obviously really benefiting from being with the horses. we went for a walk in the jungle and saw a massive monitor lizard on a tree! it must have been 5 ft long and 1 ft wide! so i am going to be taking over form Nicki for the next 3 mondays which i am excited about. 
Well 5 weeks left till we are back in Edinburgh. We have been starting to look at flats and contact agencies to get the ball rolling. I have also been in in contact with Maisie's owner (the horse i shared in Edinburgh) and with great luck for me the sharer who had taken over form me has given her up so i can have her back when we get back to Edinburgh! I am so pleased. Although i think all my hard work on her will have gone down the drain by now so its back to working on her from scratch! 
Oh i almost forgot to say that owen and i plucked up the courage to go on this mental ride at Clark Quay. its a bunge/ball/catapult thing!  I have attached pics, very scary but totally worth it!
We have been having some sad news about a very great family friend who lives back home who has been taken back into hospital and is very ill so that has been really upsetting. It is especially hard because we are so far away and I wish we could be there visiting him in hospital and helping out with his family.
Anyway, i'm working for the rest of the week for G&J and Owen is off to BangKok(AGAIN) on thursday/friday and away all next week which is rubbish :( I never thought i would say this but i can't wait to get home! so i can see all my wonderful friends, Topple, family and Owen!! xx

the ride!

before...

during!!

after!!!

Press release!

Hi, thank you to everyone who gave me advice on my next steps work wise here. I have decided to work 12 days from now till we leave to go home so that means i'm getting in some money but i also have time to do a bit more traveling and relaxing! on the note of G&J i have just come across my press release in an article in Chic Magazine Sinagpore! Go Me! my first publication lol! keeping my eyes peeled as we should be in some more too in the next few months fingers crossed! Owen back late tonight at last and then i have a photoshoot tomorrow afternoon for Scene magazine (modeling a new designer's clothes) here which is great! another publication but of me rather than my writing this time! then out for brunch with friends on sunday. have a lovely weekend everyone x

I wrote this!

tanjong beach

Just back from Tanjong beach club with rowan where we spent the afternoon and I got a bit sunburnt, opps! but have really been getting into my new book-the girl with the dragon tatoo-which everyone is raving about! Rowan and I and 2 other girls are having a little book club and this is our first book!haha! so on the job front. I have finished my month trail period with Gina & Jake which i enjoyed but it was long hours etc and meant i didnt really get to do much else in Singapore. I enjoyed doing marketing/PR and made great progress with the company, it has shown me that this is a field for further exploration! She has offered me further work which is great and shows i did i good job for her. But we have 5 weeks left now in Singapore so i am weighing up the benefits of working for her more (albeit for very very little money!) and having the time off now to enjoy being here. Im going to have a thinking about it and make a decision tomorrow so watch this space! also love to hear your thoughts....xx

Indigo Pearl Phuket

one of our balconies!

Well we are back from Indigo Pearl resort in Phuket. Had the most wonderful time! The resort was so beautiful and the service was nothing short of 5 star. we stayed in an amazing Suite room with 2 balconies, an outdoor bath tub, the biggest bed i have ever seen and a huge walk in rain shower! There were 3 great pools, one with a swim up bar where we sampled the strawberry daiqiris and pina coladas! There were 4 resturants on the resort and we enjoyed lovely food. We went out one night to a resturant on the coast. we only just made it as the driver did not have a clue where we were going! he asked all the local people who did not know where it was either, but finally we made it! it was well worth it and the food was outstanding, the chef came out and told us about each dish and said he could make anything we wanted really! was not easy being a vegi in Puket, even at the hotel, almost everything had a meat in it. But i had some lovely Tuna steaks and banana curry so i can't complain! we also went on a boat trip to the islands and did some snorkeling, well i tried to! As soon as i looked under the water and realised how many fish there were and how close they were to me i freaked out a bit! The thought of them touching me was too much to bear! I tried for a bit longer and swam along on Owen's back but had to get out after 5 mins-I have definately developed a mild phobia of fish! It rained a lot on the trip too which wasn't great but we did get into our books on the traveling between the islands. I also had an amazing pedicure at the spa and Owen and I had a 90min massage. I had lots of time to relax and reflect on life/our time in Singapore and what is important to me now and where i want to be in the future. So i have returned to Singapore feeling very refreshed and relaxed and happy. Owen is feeling very relaxed too, although he had to go to KL at 6am this morning and is away till friday which sucks. Here are some pics of the trip! xx

pool view from our suite

dinner at the hotel

island relaxation!

swimming with the fishies near where The Beach was filmed

monkey island!

dinner out and about

tuesday

Hi, well an update on the foot-its a lot better and the rash has gone, yay! so i havent got a tropical and deadly disease, panic over! working this week which is going ok, we are doing an event on thursday with some other clothing and art producers which should be good. Owen is going to Kuala Lumpar tomorrow for 2 nights which sucks, he got really last minute notice from work-as usual so we are both feeling a bit rubbish about that. But we are keeping focused on our trip away this weekend to Phuket, have a look at the resort, just to make you ultra jealous! http://www.indigo-pearl.com/
Met Rowan for lunch today which was nice and we ate at a vegi resturant in Holland Village near where i work. This area is full of expat mums who have nannies and basically spend all their time lunching and shopping-alright for some! hence the more european restaurants. Running club tonight! Owen was meant to be playing football tonight but he has too much work to do, poor thing. Well no rest for the wicked, back to work! weather really hot today! lots of love xxx

sightseeing and doctors!

Hello all, sorry i haven't updated for a while. I have been feeling bit sorry for myself as i was biten by something on wednesday night i think and my ankle swelled up and then my entire foot and then friday night a noticed a rash all up my arm, so after owen calmed me down from thinking i was going to die of some tropic disease we went to see the docs on sat. He gave me some anitbiotics etc, which have started to take affect but making me feel bit drowzy :(


Owen and i have been relaxing this weekend, went on a tour bus and on the singapore flyer which is like the london eye. Last night we discovered a nice barcalled KPO and went to dinner at Giraffe resturant in the park nearby.  Golf on tv today so owen is watching that! and we went for a lovely brunch at a place called PS Cafe which is in the main expat area, lovely food! owen had eggs benedict and i had yoghurt and museli and we shared a strawberry scone but have taken most of that home in a doggie bag as too much food! 


I bought myself a Marc Jocobs bag today as a prezzie for working almost a month! is so lovely and pvc leather so no animals were harmed in the making!have been building a blog/twitter etc as want to start promoting animal friendly bags, clothes and shoes so that they are more accessible for people like you and me to buy. and i want to show people that you can buy really nice things too! I went to an event about animal cruelty on friday and is just aweful what happens to these poor cows and sheep etc for us to have bags/belts/jackets. so im making a stance! look at http://kindcouture.wordpress.com/I have got loads of great feedback from it already and animal welfare is starting to get noticed in Singapore now like it is in the UK. in line with that rowan and I are hoping to host an eco friendly fashion show for mid november which will be fab. 


Major thunderstorms last night so i was awake from 4am although owen managed to sleep through! No other chat really, work tomorrow and holiday in Phuket on sat for 3 nights! cant wait!! xx

drinks at KPO last night

gorgeous Marc Jacobs bag!

F1 sunday night race

We had a great time watching the F1 race with Rowan and Andi on sunday night. Lewis Hamilton walked right passed us too after he was knocked out-he looked very grumpy-unsuprisingly! we had our earplugs in to protect our ears as it was so noisy! Then we watched the beginning of Mariah Carey who was shockingly terrible! such a shame as rowan and I were really looking forward to it!!x

avalon night 2 and grand prix!

so the grandprix started yesterday. we went to rowan and andi's new flat for drinks and cake to celebrate rowan's birthday and then headed to Avalon-again! here are some pics of the night, their beautiful flat and the F1 circuit from when we were at 1Altitude.x

the circuit from 1 Altitude

rowan and andi's balcony

crazy times at avalon!

the girls!

Friday treat lunch

so i treated myself to the most amazing grilled veg chibatta from an italian place up the road for lunch AND im currently eating a cupcake i got from there..oh i love Friday binges! i deserve it :) xx

Avalon opening night VIP party!

Hi! well i won 2 VIP tickets through Bazaar mag here to go to Avalon club opening night at Marina Bay last night! so Rowan and I heading along to the free bar after work! was great fun, fab music, although a bit too hardcore clubby by the time we left! we also got interviewed by MTV Aisa so we are looking out for that! and got lots of pics taken! lots of fun and heading there tonight too for Rowan's birthday party (already had tickets booked). Chemical brothers are DJing so should be awesome! Owen arrived back at 1am this morning, poor thing is very tired but im so glad to have him back! not sure how long we will stay out at the club tonight tho, i think Owen may be asleep in the corner by 10pm! And its the F1 this weekend! started today-practise race, we have tickets for sunday night race so we are very excited about that too! so much going on!! I LOVE SINGAPORE!xx ps TGIF! xx

Hair dressers!

So i finally did it and braved the hair dressers. Got a recommendation to go to Toni and Guy so booked in with them after checking a number of times that they definately had experience dying caucasian hair! most hairdressers here wont touch blonde hair as so different from aisian hair. anyway was terrified and felt even worse after the hair colourist said she didnt think she could match the blond that my hair was as it was so light! i convinced her that my hair usually takes in the colour well as its blond anyway. so after 2 long hours, i night add she was very good at putting in the foils, my new beautiful and yes perfectly blonde locks were revealed! no more roots!yay! but OMG it was not cheap, i paid the same amount for a half head colour here as i would for a full head plus cut in the UK. when i told owen this he said-so if you only got a half head what about the other half?! lol! boys! for those of you who dont know, half head is all the roots half way down the head just not all the underneath-which you cant see anyway. so was an overall success!
anyway just back and picked up a baked potato from the swiss food stall-i know, bit random but they seem to have a think about the swiss here!
F1 starts tomorrow! i can not wait! owen back tomorrow too (2am friday really but anyway), so double bonus!!
lots of love xxx

tuesday

Well am at work again! going well and been getting some interest from our press release which is great. Owen is busy in Thailand and looking forward to getting back on thursday. It's Rowans birthday today so we were going to meet for lunch but she had to cancel as she had an interview. im trying to get motivation to do some exercise tonight as we aren't doing running club till thursday this week. weather hot and nice. F1 drawing closer! and for you cricket fans aparently england have been accused of cheating-means nothing to me but owen was up in arms about it!lol! no other chat really....xxx

singapore night safari

me and Reggie!

Well Owen has just left to go to Thailand for the week :( so feeling a bit sad! had a lovely night last night at the Night Safari! there were lots of places to eat there, although the only vegi options were indian! but it was yummy. then we got on the train thing and went around the park seeing lots of animals in their 'natural' habitiat, it was nice beacause there were no fences they were separated from us and each other by water and cattle grids. we saw elephants and tigers, little otters that were squeaking at each other! fruit bats, rhino, deer, wild dogs and many other amazing animals, i was in my element! we then did the walking route and saw some of the same animals close up which was great.  Owen got me my owen orangotang to take home too :) i have named him Reggie!
So i completed my first week at Gina&Jake last week. Starting to settle into the working routine again and enjoying it although feeling very tired! achieved lots last week too: wrote and sent out our first press release, designed some e-marketing tools and arranged future events. so all good stuff!
I did a bit of shopping too and got some nice summery work outfits :) anyway i think thats about all the top news at the moment. xxx

fruit bats

dinner at the park

lepoards

1 Altitude

Happy Friday! been a long hard week but done loads of great work in my new PR/marketing role! sending out my first press release today! rowan and i went to an amazing roof top bar called 1 altitude which is on the 63rd floor! and looked over all of singapore and we could see malasia and indonesia, was so beautiful! so thats my new fav evening place! right back to work xx

5k

Just did the 5k at the running club with Rowan in 27mins! not bad going for our first attempt :) back home now for beans on toast as too tired to go out! received a lovely handwritten letter from Owen's grandma which was a nice suprise and cheered Owen up after a hard days work.bye for now!x

work!

almost finished my second day at work and is going well :) getting into the swing of things but finding it hard to cope with 9-6pm working hours now! used to my afternoon naps and waking at 9! running club tonight x

First Day

Feeling a bit nervous as my first day tomorrow with GinaandJake! working from george's house initally. have made my packed lunch so am all set :) will let you know how it goes! x

Audi R8

oh my god i cant beleive i forgot to say in the last post that Theo has an Audi R8!! my favorite car in the whole world!! so he took me for a spin and i got to drive it!!!!!!its soooo amazing!!!!

Tanjong Beach Club

Went out and met up with friends Theo and Georgina yesterday at Tanjong beach club, its on Sentosa which is a little island just off the coast: took a monorail over to the island but can also get a cablecar or drive over the bridge.  The most amazing place ever! man made and a bit like a disney land place....just beautifully made and there is a universal studios there with a princess castle! beaches all along the coast with beautiful palm trees. The tanjong beach club is THE place to be! we reserved a day bed next to the pool and had drinks and chatted and swan while listening the the DJ-definately the life! Then had some dinner adn met up with some of georginas other friends, Anna who has a bikini selling company-sells Missoni! so i was chatting to her about linking in with Gina and Jake and shes an xmodel so was telling me about good agencies etc. Her and her fiance and her son live on Sentosa! is such an amazing place and when the sun was setting it was just beautiful! http://www.tanjongbeachclub.com/ have a look at the pic. Mulberry had this A/W fashion show there with a catwalk over the swimming pool!! we thats the aim for ginaandjake! off for brunch with the girlies, last day off before work tomorrow! xx

6 month anniversary

Owen took me out for a lovely evening for our 6month anniversary tonight :) we went to Raffles hotel for the famous Singapore Sling and some champers! then headed along to the marina for dinner by the shore which was lovely....