Chelsea Autolegends

So it appears that summer has finally arrived – albeit four months too late and due to last just another day or two before autumn kicks in with avengance. But if you’re after an outdoor pursuit in which to enjoy the last days of sunshine, might I suggest you pay a visit to the Chelsea Autolegends? Following the resounding success of last year, the event will be staged once more in the magnificent grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea on Sunday September 4^th, showcasing the crème de la crème of motor-cars.

‘The Swinging Sixties’ theme of this year’s event is an apt choice thanks to its proximity to the iconic King’s Road – once the spiritual home of the hedonistic decade’s colourful fashion revolution; thus this is an affair for lovers of both trends and transport.

The Chelsea Autolegends promises to deliver the same relaxed garden party atmosphere it was praised for in 2010 and among other highlights on the day there will be an array of contemporary supercars and celebrations in aid of the 50^th anniversary of the legendary E-Type Jaguar.

With funds being raised for the Chelsea Pensioners – residents of the Royal Hospital - via a number of activities including a special auction, you can do your bit for an important charity, while enjoying the sunshine and the swinging sixties…. What’s not to love?!

Lindleywood Bird Box

Don’t you think it feels autumnal, or is it me? I know that the supposed official day for autumn is 21^st September, but recently there's been a series of grey and drizzly  days – so frankly this is not what I call summer.  I also noticed that the birds are starting to scratch around for food – which made me go in search of a new bird feeder….and ta-dah! Look what I've found: Lindleywood Bird Box from Giftwrapped & Gorgeous. There’s every variety of themed Bird Box possibly imaginable. Now the birds in my garden can pop into the pub, yes indeed the pub! This handmade Pub Bird Box is £52.00can even be personalised - up to 25 characters in total. I’m thinking possibly ‘The Amazing Inn’ ...

Anyway, all the wooden Bird Boxes are carefully hand made from high-grade sustainable European redwood pine then hand painted with Cuprinol water-based exterior wood paints that are non-toxic to plants and wildlife. So this year (sorry in advance for my bastardisation of this nursery rhyme) “The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow, And what will poor robin do then, poor thing? He'll sit in my pub and keep himself warm and won’t feel a thing, lucky thing.”

Just enter discount code:  PWC6GM2  for a special 10% reduction when you buy this item.

Queens of the Desserts

When I was asked to pay gay ice cream parlour ‘Queens of the Dessert’ a visit, I was surprised to see their location was the rather conservative Covent Garden, rather than the racier neighbourhood of nearby Soho. Unsure of what to expect from the world’s first gay pop up ice cream bar (open from now until September 30th), I was impressed to see a carnival of campness. Upon arrival I was greeted by the ultimate in gay fantasies – a scantily clad Adonis, pole dancing in the shop window and suggestively devouring the contents of a cone - certainly enough to send anybody’s heart a-flutter. The staff inside are equally easy on the eye – indeed my mouth was agape before I’d even considered the array of ice creams on offer.

As well as serving ice creams with innuendoes aplenty – try Brokeback Mountain or Whornetto for size - there are resident ‘Vice Cream’ masseurs on hand offering complimentary massages and ice cream facials – certainly not for the faint hearted! The ice creams are – naturally – creamy and indulgent and certainly worth a try, but if you’re after something with a bit more of a kick, I can also highly recommend their cocktail list. I tried the Molotoffee – a mix of chilled banana syrup and cloudy apple juice topped with Dulce De Leche ice cream & insulated under a pillow of soft meringue. Blow torched at my table, it’s every bit as saucy as it sounds.

And so, for those looking to celebrate the final Bank Holiday of the year a little differently – Queens of the Dessert is certainly worth a visit. If, however, you don’t wish to venture out in the relentless rain that has become expected on all British Bank Holidays, might I suggest that you try our recipe for Lavender Ice Cream at home? Gyrating hunk optional…

Lavender Ice Cream

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 3 heads of fresh lavender
• 300ml whole milk
• 3 medium egg yolks
• ¼ teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 150g of mild runny honey
• 250ml of chilled double cream

Method:

• Chop the lavender into 1cm pieces using either a knife or scissors. Place in a heavy bottomed saucepan together with the milk and vanilla essence and allow to infuse. Heat until just below boiling, then remove from the heat and cool.
• Taste after ten minutes. You want the flavour to be distinct but not remotely bitter. If it’s not strong enough leave for another 5-10 minutes (if you want a stronger flavour you can leave the mixture in the fridge overnight).
• Pour the milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard the lavender.
• Return the milk to the cleaned saucepan and heat over a moderate heat until hot.
• Whisk together the eggs and honey in a large bowl, then add 1 cup of the hot milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking.
• Pour in the remaining hot milk mixture to the saucepan and cook over a moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it’s thick enough to coat the back of the spoon – usually about 5 minutes (don’t let it boil) to create a custard mix.
• Leave the custard mix to cool.
• Once cool, stir the double cream into the custard. At this point you can either transfer the mix to an ice-cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Or if you don’t have one, lightly whip the cream and fold it into the custard. Pour into a shallow container, freeze for about 20 minutes and then stir. Repeat the process three more times, or until the ice cream is set.

The ice cream is best eaten fresh, but can be stored in the freezer for up to two weeks. Enjoy!

Gorgeous Graffiti

As a PR agency comprised of over-eager writers, imagine our sheer joy at finding some delicious words to hang on our office walls thanks to Gorgeous Graffiti. How clever are they? All handmade to order, delicately carved out of wooden letters, each individually positioned and mounted on deep white canvas backgrounds to create a very tactile 3D message. However, it has caused us all a tiny bit of office conflict… although we are never lost for words it was a hard decision which one to choose. Should we have “shut up and kiss me” (probably not very appropriate) or “if I tell you I love you can I keep you forever” (sounds a bit stalkerish to us). So we’ve now finally settled on ‘'if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

I should also mention that Gorgeous Graffiti allow you to commission bespoke designs with your own sentiments. No stencils or prints are used, every artwork is lovingly handcrafted by its creator Aimee and her trusty team. Prices start from as little as £25. They can also apply gold lettering if requested, spelling out your special message upwards on the right hand canvas edge. Don’t just take me at my word – have a look at their fabulous designs here.

Stuff of Nightmares Exhibition

So we are well into August now and I’m guessing many parents out there will be well and truly sick of having their little dears at home and underfoot by now. So while you count down the days until the beginning of the new school year (and the rediscovery of your sanity), Felix and Amelia seem intent on maiming each other on the Wii, all the while telling you how booooored they are. Why not give them an entertaining day out, with a mild dose of the scares thrown in too – no better way of reasserting your authority we feel!

The ‘Stuff of Nightmares’ exhibition explores the darker side of traditional fairy tales looking under the veneer of innocence of the stories we have told and re-told to successive generations of small children. The original tales were dark and sinister, depicting worlds populated by witches, trolls, goblins, and wolves, and were quite explicitly violent. Subsequent versions became somewhat sanitised for a child audience and many of the stories underpin the narrative of contemporary children's literature and film. The fairytales we tell children usually assume an air of innocence - good always triumphs over evil, heroes are selfless and love is everlasting - some fairy tales however, explore the darker side of a child’s imaginary landscape…

During The Stuff of Nightmares the gallery is transformed into a creepy forest where anything might happen. The dark setting for a re-telling of the Brothers Grimm’s ‘Fundevogel’, a tale of abduction, fear, evil old women, revenge and ultimately, the power of friendship. The installation, made by local schoolchildren working with artists, sits alongside work by Katherine Tulloh, Ruth Weinberg, Jemima Brown, Daniel Bell and Sharon Brindle, which takes a closer look at the playthings of innocents. Rather more sinister than sweet.

The exhibition also includes a police identity parade of villainous toy suspects, rounded up to assist the forest police with their inquiries. This provides a rare opportunity for some of the Museum's far from cute objects to be on display.

This exhibition runsuntil 26 February 2012.

V&A Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Rd, London, United Kingdom E2 9PA