The Name's Bond.

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm actually in Switzerland this week! My family and I are creatures of habit and we come back to the same place (resort, hotel, room, table in the restaurant etc) every year.. we've actually spent nearly six months in this place in total.

This year as the weather is so beautiful, we ventured over to a neighbouring valley where the James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed in 1968. To get into the spirit of things, we decided on something slightly more extreme than usual and skiied off the mountain side with a parachute at 7,500 feet or there abouts and it was INCREDIBLE. It's something I've always wanted to do and we made a bit of a snap decision to go and do it yesterday.

No one ever believes that I am the action adventure type when I tell them!

Wearing my new favourite T from M by MJ in the sunshine...

My sister stood on the edge just before the jump:

Mid flight!

Ahh it is SO BEAUTIFUL. There is no where in the world I would rather be!

Lots of love from Switzerland!

QK

One day, I promise I'm going to do a post that doesn't involve me apologising for my lack of blogging. Why I bothered spending nearly a thousand pounds on a new computer is beyond me because I never get time to bloody use it. Not to mention that I literally haven't stopped eating (not even whilst sleeping by the looks of it) since before Christmas and my face should NOT be published on the internet in this state. Thankfully I'm going skiing next week which should reverse the ballooning. Not to mention the fact that work is hectic at the moment I end up staying late every single evening, am on the verge of a nervous breakdown and am getting paid about four pence a day. Well not quite.

Anyway! I got an e mail a couple of weeks ago from Quality Knitwear (QK), a new online vintage knitwear boutique. Now I do enjoy an oversized jumper and have a couple of good ones myself but the ones featured in the lookbook are just gorgeous and I fell in love straight away. Here are my three favourites:

Yummmm.

Founder, 24 year old PR exec Lucy Grimble said "I've always had a passion for knitwear, but found that I was often disappointed by the quality of some of the pieces on the market. With Quality Knitwear I hope that I've been able to not only create a collection filled with personality, charm and individuality, but one which is also affordable and of the highest possible quality."

www.qualityknitwear.co.uk

The wind is ridiculous outside at the moment and I would actually quite like to be wearing all three of these at once.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend - I think I'm going to take my laptop to Switzerland so I'll probably do a bit of posting out there whilst i actually have time!

OH! And I've finally jumped on the twitter bandwagon - follow me @charlotteapes (my middle name is April and charlotteapril was taken so I went for apes which is what my lovely friend Caitlin usually calls me... I don't have a passion for primates or anything... promise).

If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will.

So this is clearly my best attempt at being a real life Cruella - leopard print shirt and fur coat? Probably should have thought a bit more about that one.. but I quite enjoyed it all the same.

Did a spot of shopping today and bought a couple of things that are actually suitable for me to wear to work and vaguely interesting so I'll probably showcase them in the next week or so. I also got this cute little phone pouch from H&M that makes me feel rather tourist like.

I bought these AA Disco Pants AGES ago but don't wear them so much because they do make my legs look like tree trunks wrapped in tin foil, and even worse on photos, but never mind. The fur coat belonged to my Great Grandma - I've posted it on here before and recently I have been living in it because it's so bloody cold. I do love a bit of fur - I know it's bound to cause some controversy but there is nothing warmer and this coat has been around for about 70 years so they are completely made to last!

Happy New Yearrrr!!! Hope it is a wonderful one for everyone!

This New Years was spent at my lovely friend Nicola's who has one of my favourite Christmas trees of all time with loads of fun family decorations like the one below. We had a make your own pizza party followed by copious amounts of booze (obviously) coupled with ring of fire and a near impossible tongue twister drinking game... some of the phrases were difficult to say when sober, never mind after a couple of bottles of wine!

I went back to work last Wednesday too which is completely unfair because I work in an office and ALL OTHER offices were shut meaning little to no work was done anyway so I may as well have gone into hibernation for a couple of days. I keep getting so jealous of the dog who just gets to look like a mole and sleep all day.

Snazzy Gold Party Frock - Whistles, Shoes - Miss Selfridge, Bag - UO

I realise I am a little late in posting this but what's new? Perhaps it should have been a New Years resolution to post more frequently? Although is it counted as a resolution if there is no punishment involved? I'm not sure.

Tomorrow I am DEFINITELY going to the gym because it's only Tuesday and I have already eaten out twice (three courses each time) this week.. oops!

Hope you all had fabulous New Year weekends - Best Wishes for 2011!

'Tis The Season to be Jolly

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I know I promised that this post would be a proper one and not just phone pictures - I had proper camera photos all lined up and then went out to Liverpool for a works do... Lawyers drink A LOT and like to drag you down with them so I ended up leaving my camera in a bar. I have been assured that one of my colleagues has it but he isn't returning any of my messages so god knows where it is.

Anyway hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas!

I know I was complaining about the snow before and have had to abandon my car twice this week, but it does make an ordinary ice bucket look very festive.

Unless it's mild and overcast, we can't cope. Normal service will resume in the spring.

As a country we are completely hopeless. It drives me insane. In the summer, we had highs of about 12 degrees - there was a hose pipe ban. Now it is winter and we've had just over a foot of snow and we've basically been told to stay indoors, curl up and hibernate. A ridiculous amount of roads are closed and even all of the trains are off now!

A colleague of mine went to the Trafford Centre on Friday night and whilst he was shopping the snow began to fall. When he left at 10.30pm he dug his car out, waited for 45 minutes in a queue in the car park and then drove home - a journey that ordinarily would take about half an hour lasted until 6am.

My car is completely buried and thanks to the lack of grit in my town it is likely to stay there meaning that I've missed the birthday celebrations of two of my best friends this weekend.

Anyway on a less miserable note despite it's inconvenience I do love the snow... and I also love this delightfully tacky Brussel Sprouts wrapping paper that cost around a quarter of a million pounds per sheet from UO and also defies my Mother's all gold theme.

I promise to use my actual camera next time and stop being massively lazy by just using phone pictures!

Distraction.

Aside from leaving my MacBook at my friend's house in Manchester (the same house that my last computer got stolen from.. oopsie) I've also been running round after this little pooch. My new BFF Henry.

FINALLY after twenty one years of begging my Dad to get a dog, he gave in! And now he actually pays more attention to the dog than anyone else in the household.

The man who once saw a dog poo by the side of the road, and because he was so disgusted couldn't concentrate and crashed his car into a lamp post is actually a changed man. My mum and I are convinced he's some sort of imposter. Today a package arrived addressed to Henry which contained a name tag from my dad... firstly we all live in the same house together so why posting it was necessary I'm not entirely sure and secondly it's quite depressing when the dog gets more mail than you do.

Pictures From My Telephone No. 2

Things to get me through the day at work in my depressing office pod:

1) Hilarious colleagues - because the work we are doing is pretty dull we end up in fits of giggles at the silliest of things, like today someone was speaking to a client on the phone and she thought he said his occupation was 'pirate' when in fact it was pilot...

2) Palmers Cocoa Butter hand cream for my frost bitten skin.

3) Clipper teas which beat the gross machine stuff hands down.

I'm actually planning on starting Christmas shopping properly tomorrow evening seen as it is only 23 sleeps away. Wish me luck!

Pictures From My Telephone No. 1

So, after having turned my bedroom upside-down to find my camera charger, it turns out I've left it in London. Fortunately my friend is coming back up north next weekend so she'll be able to bring it up.

Until then, I thought I'd just fill the void with random pictures from my iPhone, which, like every other person who got sweet talked by Apple into buying one, I am completely obsessed with and now unsure how life works without one.

1) It is getting cold and I've just come back from the pool. Swimming is just not as fun at this time of year. Especially when you forget to take underwear with you - putting your swimming costume on under clothes doesn't feel that clever after all... and yes that is a minus in front of the three.

2) This is Alice - this dogster belonged to my friend's flatmate, Christie, who I met at the weekend. She is such a cute pooch and Christie rescued her from a skip where she had been abandoned when she was a puppy - her eyes weren't even open yet and she had to be sat with all night and nursed back to health. Years down the line she is a fit and healthy ball of fluff.

3) My mum in the middle of a wardrobe clear out swapping her usual brunette bob for my old Lady Gaga wig from last hallowe'en - she looks so young and like a different person! I'd like to think that I'm going to age that well, but she doesn't drink and I definitely do which means I'm going to be looking like an old hag in no time at all.

4) Prime example of why I love my phone - one slightly bad picture of my sister and it says she is a dead ringer for Susan Boyle. Brilliant.

Old Habits...

I was doing so well with my posting and then another week or so just slipped right through my fingers. Life just goes too fast. I was in London at the moment and as soon as I find my camera charger I'll be able to put the pictures up.

For some reason I really enjoy taking pictures of flags.

Clip Clop Clog.

To celebrate getting through an entire week at my new job, I snook into town on Saturday and picked up these French Connection clog boots. I do like the summer versions of the clog, but because I don't have matchstick legs, they don't do an awful lot for me and these ankle boots are slightly less severe.

I am in love. They look much nicer in real life, I promise. Comfortable enough for stomping round in the day time in, and allow me to crash right through that 6ft barrier.. I think i'm 6ft2 or 3 in these... Perfect! Combined with glittery socks they meet all my winter footwear needs.

I barely have this scarf off my neck these days - it's strange that this is the first time I've posted it because it has basically become a part of my neck.

Vintage blazer and belt - pinched from my mum. Scarf - Moschino Cheap and Chic, Top/Dress - H&M, Glitter socks - Made from an old pair of tights that had a hole in, Clog Boots - French Connection.

I am really not enjoying these dark mornings... honestly I had forgotten what it was like! For three years, I never had to be up before about ten 'o' clock for lectures. Thank god I've got another year at uni to do at some point before I qualify so I can experience semi-hibernation once more.

On the upside, the Manchester Christmas market starts this week so I'll certainly be paying it a visit asap to stuff my face with all the goodies it has to offer.

Am I Correct...

In thinking that it's perfectly acceptable to get really fat during the winter?

That's what animals do isn't it to get them through the cold so it must be the natural thing to do.

Taken with the mediocre hipstamatic app on my iPhone.

Hot chocolate and cream with a nice big slosh of Baileys - guilt free because I had to scrape ice off my car before work this morning so this is my reward.

p.s. Two of my nerdy friends started a biology blog - I am in no way science minded but I actually loved the firstnpost they did all the same. Show them some love over at Readers Dissect.

New Spectacles

I got these Marc Jacobs glasses a couple of weeks ago and hadn't got round to posting a picture yet. They are much bigger than my old frames and are quite heavy on my face but I loooveee them. I think they are my favourite pair so far.

Wore this Alice by Temperley dress to the office today - it's a bit bright against everyone else's grey suits, but it's smart-ish so I can just about get away with it.

I've had such a crappy week in work. I can't go into the details but trust me, if you'd seen what I've seen this week, you'd never take anything for granted ever again.

On a less depressing note, has anyone noticed how fast I've been getting these posts out since getting a speedy new MacBook? I'm on fire!

I need a bit of Lanvin in my life.

LANVIN FOR H&M. SEE THE FULL COLLECTION AT HM.COM

Am I going to have to have a 'dentist appointment' on Tuesday 23rd November?

I really don't like this whole working full time thing. Sadly I'm never going to find a rich husband to enable me to be a lady of leisure either because I've already decided I'm going to be a spinster with lots of cats. I don't even like cats.

Hallowe'en at Satans Hollow

So for actual Hallowe'en I decided to go as Little Dead Riding Hood and spent Saturday at the sewing machine DIY'ing my costume. I was pretty pleased with how the cape turned out! There are so many pictures of me showing off the spiders web patterned lining.

We went to a bar in Manchester called Satan's Hollow which was well suited to the evening and everyone had made loads of effort with their costumes. Just as we arrived there was a competition being judged for the best one and the winner, dressed as iron man received £250!

Hope everyone had Happy Hallowe'ens - I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's costume efforts.

The fake blood is refusing to budge though - I'm in court tomorrow so it better be gone by then because it's not going to look good with my boring suit.

Costume Numero Uno

I bloody love fancy dress.

I went round to one of my friend's houses where everyone had decided not to go out at all and stay in and watch the X Factor and also not dress up... But I turned up as Cruella D'evil.

One of his housemates opened the door and didn't even recognise me!

I already had the wig because I've done this costume before and everything else was taken from my wardrobe except the coat which is my mums. It's always worrying when you can make costumes from your own clothes.

Apologies for the miserable looking face - too much expression would have cracked the face paint! My skin is going to be RUINED on on Monday.

Happy Hallowe'en!

Mac Magic

Why can't someone from Mac just come round and sort my hallowe'en costume out for me?

I LOVE hallowe'en but I've only had one day off in the past three weeks so I've hardly had any time to sort anything out... Stressss!!

I did actually try out this Roy Lichtenstein masterpiece just before and it went pretty wrong. I mixed some fake blood with foundation to get the colour for the dots so now my face is stained a bit pink. Super!

What is everyone going as this year?

Back in Business...

The insurance company finally got round to paying out for poor Geoffrey so I invested in this beautiful device which is yet to be named. Any ideas? Answers on a postcard.

Yaaay! It's good to be back. Obviously I'll be returning to my mega frequent posting.. i.e. every ten days or so haha :)

My mum and I are dead attractive.

Hope everyone is good and I'm looking forward to having a good catch up with all you lovely bloggers.