Hippyish

July 25, 2023

Forgive me dear blog reader. It has been 3 weeks since my last post.

I promise there are good reasons for it, there's been a baby (my nephew is finally here), I've finished my novel (albeit deep in the editing pit now), work has been...well work, and alongside kid wrangling, I've been to a gig!

Speaking of my finished first story draft, here's a little extract:

My grandmother throws salt over her shoulder, wipes peppermint oil around the door frame for protection, in the chimney the bones of her pet cat rest there to ward off evil spirits. She reads people’s fortunes and sometimes she talks to the dead. My grandmother is strange but then again, so am I.

It's a bit like if Practical Magic and The Gilmore Girls had a baby, that's the vibe I'm going for- cosy, comfy, witchy and set in Cornwall. If you'd like more sneak peeks do let me know, I always need readers!

So onto this week...

Stop press. I, Sophia, of sound mind and body, actually stayed up past 10pm!! I went to my first gig of the year to see the always lovely Ben Howard (I have a personal story about him...more later).

As per, I wore my beloved Moroccan jewellery. Every time I wear it I think of all the lovely memories I have from that glorious country and the excellent haggling my husband did to get them!

I'm head to toe in Vinted finds, bar the cowboy boots which were from eBay and the bag which was sourced from a charity shop years ago. The Afghan dress I'm wearing is my latest find that I'm over the moon with. I've always wanted a vintage Afghan dress as they are absolute works of art and have a long and interesting history, both in terms of the country and the hippie subculture who came to love the fashion. Afghan clothing grew enormously popular in the Western world during the 60s and 70s as Afghanistan was on the hippie trail, with Kabul's Chicken Street being the place where foreigners flocked to, to buy items. John Lennon famously wore an Afghan coat during the launch of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club, which alongside Kate Hudson's 'Penny Lane' put Afghan coats into cult status.

Being as true originals sell in excess of £200 I knew I couldn't afford to have the real deal, nor would I want to risk something so precious around a toddler and a baby! So feeling lucky I thought I'd have a gander on Vinted and low and behold found hundreds of modern examples. I got this dress for £14 and wore it out to the Ben Howard gig.

On Saturday me and my fried Adelle, caught the Oxford Tube bus down to London Victoria then hopped on the tube over to Alexandra Palace, which is affectionally called Aly Paly! Despite the rail strike making the buses more full than usual, torrential rain and traffic, the bus ride was an otherwise easy journey into London. For £20 return it was also the cheapest.

In true British fashion, our outdoor gig coincided with a rain storm, so for the next six+ hours we were stood outside waiting for Ben to perform, getting absolutely annihilated by the rain. My poor Afghan coat whilst not waterproof, kept me warm and dry thanks to being so thick and my felt hippie hat managed several hours before finally getting so heavy it was blocking me from hearing!

Ben was out of this world. If anything the rain just added to his moody, experimental, atmospheric sound. His new album Is It? Is a big departure from his debut album Every Kingdom but I honestly LOVE his new sound. It's different, but then again, I think it charts his growth and development as an artist. He was so touched we were out in the rain for him he kept calling us mental and it was lovely seeing him so happy to be performing for us.

How gorgeous is my mate Adelle's, makeup?! You can't see in this photo but she'd got the most amazing dress on and neon hair underneath that poncho hood!

So what's my Ben Howard story?

Are you sitting comfortably?

Then I shall begin.

Over ten years ago as a listless twenty something I wrote to a surf camp in Senegal, West Africa and asked if they wanted a yoga teacher. They said yes, so a month later I was on a plane to Dakar, where I spent the next few months on N'Gor Island, teaching surf guests yoga whilst practicing on Senegal's famous waves (check out Endless Summer).

I spent the summer teaching Yoga on a cliff overlooking N'gor right, playing with stray dogs, eating Tiramisu in the Italian hotel (which was the only spot you could get wifi) and learning how to surf. One day we had a new guest arrive, an unassuming English guy who said he was a musician when I asked him what he did. He was an excellent surfer and quickly became a favourite in the surf camp. During his stay he'd do yoga every now and again and a group of us would go watch the famous Senegalese wrestling or grab a bite to eat. Occasionally I heard music from his room but thought nothing of it.

It was only when I got home I happened to be watching the Brit awards and there was the unassuming English guy....It was Ben Howard!!!!

I love his music, his debut album, Every Kingdom has a really surfy sound which always get me tearing up when I listen to it, (it speaks to my restless surfer girl spirit). His subsequent albums I forget where we were, Noonday dream, Collections from the whiteout and Is It? manage to walk that tightrope of feeling somewhat reminiscent of where he started but evolving his sound so it feels like you're listening to something newer. Listening to him in that rain storm was a memory I'll cherish for the rest of my life, it was magical.

So what else has happened over the last few weeks...

This was the day after the gig, I got in at 2am and woken up at 5am by baby Marina. I had to go to bed for an hour and a half as I physically couldn't do anything, but this was me after a shower and a liberal application of make up to help me feel more alive! I hadn't drank (bar water), I was wrestling tiredness!

Outfit wise I've been a bit all over the place! With a dip in temperatures I pulled out my 'Devonshire Lady' 70's vintage dress and thought I'd take a pic in front of our happy wildflowers which are managing to withstand this strange weather! I usually wear this dress in winter as it's quite thick, so you can imagine how perplexing it is to wear it in July!

During the warm spell I went for my kimono dress from All about Audrey, it's a crowd pleaser this one, I always get such lovely compliments when I wear it.

Amidst all this excitement was Marina's 1st birthday! I made her a pistachio and lavender blackberry cake which turned out delicious. If I can save money and do something thoughtful I try to!

Having children is not very good for the environment, brands seems to capitalise on parent guilt and have you spending on all sorts of things you think you need. Birthdays can be a playground (no pun intended) for over spending on lots of plastic toys which quickly lose their appeal. I was chuffed to find second hand (Vinted), Jool's Oliver's Little Bird brand and managed to snap these adorable outfits up for Marina. The cardigan still had tags! All of the items are such lovely quality, apparently (unlike me), other parents seem to be able to properly launder kids clothes - that or they have kids that don't make a mess?!

I'm happy to finally report my hair is growing long enough to have a decent curl in it (I'm getting it permed soon and cannot wait....I don't feel myself without big curls)! I found on Vinted these lovely moon and sun clips to keep my fringe at bay and have loved wearing them out.