Rosie Scribble

Up North

I'll be honest, and I've said it before, I love the south.

I lived near London for many years and I love the buzz and excitement of the place, the shops, the theatres, and the fast pace of life.

Now I'm here in the Midlands. I love the people, but I still want to transport them down the M1 and re-locate them just outside the M25.

It's not for everyone, of course, and the grass is always greener, but I'm a city girl at heart so I'd like to be back there one day.

But then...

Today we travelled to Manchester to spend the weekend with close family. We drove through Derbyshire and across the Pennines.

With no internet, no television, no Twitter and my mobile lost at the bottom of my bag somewhere, there were no distractions.

And I just soaked in the fabulous views.

 

 
  
And I decided that, actually, for now, I'm just fine where I am.

Next generation children's competition

Another reason for my visit to London earlier this week was to hear about the Next generation modelling competition which launches on November 4th.

 
Not everyone is a fan of modelling competitions but this one sounds like a really fun one and it has been genuinely inspired by popular demand after the success of the adult competition.

Next are looking for two new faces to star in a childrenswear shoot for Next Directory. Winners will also secure representation by the highly respected children's model agency Urban Angels. They will figure in next spring's kids shoot for Red magazine and enjoy a shopping spree at Next.

The top 100 entrants will attend the grand final at Woburn Abbey Safari Park where a fabulous children's party will be held which including the chance to attend dance workshops by Britain's Got Talent finalists Flawless.

For further information visit the official competition site Facebook.com/nextonline

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Overheard...

On the train home from London earlier this week, I overheard the following conversation between two thirty-something men.

I'll call them Spiky and Short, in honour of their respective haircuts.

Spiky: So what does your wife do?

Short: She's a counsellor.

Spiky: She works for the council?

Short: No, she's a psychotherapist.

Spiky: Does she talk to you about her work?

Short: No, we're not on speaking terms at the moment, we've had a falling out.

Spiky: So who does she work for?

Short: Relate.

Spiky: Oh!

Springtime Next, Blackadder's Baldrick and the BBC correspondent

Yesterday I had a fabulous day in London shopping in Selfridges, celebrity-spotting and attending the Next Press Day.

My day in London started with BBC news correspondent John Simpson who I saw in the entrance of Great Portland Street tube station with his family. It ended with Baldrick from Blackadder, otherwise known as Tony Robinson as he would probably prefer to be called, who was looking surprisingly ordinary in a navy suit standing on the platform at Kings Cross.

In between all that I saw Gaby Roslin looking fabulous at the Next Press Day, towering over everyone in five inch heels. So it was quite a day.

I had been invited down to view the new Springtime collection, due out at the end of December, and hear about the modelling competition they are about to launch (more about the competition in another post).

So what can I say? It was a really good day. I was treated like a VIP, individually shown around the collection, and offered an amazing variety of different foods, of which the pumpkin doughnuts were the best, and my glass of fruit cocktail was constantly refilled.

The event was attended by many influential names in the fashion press who will be casting their verdict on the new range in the next couple of weeks.

I am, of course, no fashion expert. I'm more peach sorbet than Peaches Geldoff. Put me next to Anna Wintour and I'd probably ask her if she knows of a stain-remover for two-week old ketchup. My understanding of being 'cool' is not wearing too many layers. So that's the extent of my fashion knowledge.

But I am, of course, part of Next's target market, so in that respect my view does count. I like clothes that are stylish and practical and they need to be able to cope with an endless amount of washing. I viewed the collection, not as a fashion journalist, a magazine editor or a corporate buyer, but as an ordinary mum with a limited budget and limited time to shop.

And I really really liked it, not all of it, but there was something there for everyone and plenty I would buy, including the entire kids range.

I loved the tailored workwear, the fitted trench coats, the sequined party wear, the varsity polos and the checked shirts. The bleached denim pieces were great but possibly aimed at a younger market and I'm not a huge fan of anything tie-dyed although I know it's 'in' at the moment. There were a lot of very feminine floral pieces, all beautifully designed and some fabulous Chanel-like jewelled jackets.

The bright pinks, greens and oranges were all a bit high-fashion for me but all beautifully made with fabulous attention to detail, and priced more reasonable than you would expect. I wasn't a fan of of the tight grey denim leggings with navy stars, but given my eye for fashion they'll probably be the season's best-sellers. The entire footwear collection was fabulous, I'd buy every single pair.

So that was my day, courtesy of Next. Heading home with the goodie bag I was presented with as I left, it all felt very surreal.

And then I spotted Baldrick.

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Blogging is not a competitive sport

Harsh as it may sound, I feel strongly about this one. Blogging is supposed to be fun, at least for me it is, an opportunity to connect with others, a creative outlet, a place to let off steam. But the blogosphere is changing, it seemed to be becoming increasingly competitive and I'm not sure I like it. It's taking the edge off the fun of blogging and the supportive blogging environment I have enjoyed being a part of.

I started blogging a couple of years ago because a friend had also started blogging. My blog was called Ingenious Rose which is where the name IJ comes from. It stands for Ingenious Junior and reflects the fact that blogging was fun and not something to be taken too seriously.

But then things changed. Madeleine McCann went missing and word of this spread through the blogosphere like wildfire. Not everything that was written on some parenting blogs about the McCanns was complementary, in fact in many cases it was anything but. Comments left on these sites only added insult to injury and incited further hatred towards a couple who had just suffered the trauma and devastation of losing their child.

Suddenly blogging was no longer fun. The blogosphere was not something I wanted to be a part of, so I left and I deleted my blog.

I returned earlier this year because I found that I missed it. I decided not to take blogging too seriously and to enjoy it. I have enjoyed being part of a wider network of bloggers and enjoyed the unexpected opportunities that blogging has presented to me. I've been to places and events I would not otherwise have gone to and met people I would not otherwise have met, and it's been great.

I've also agreed to review a few products on my site because I've wanted to. I've liked the products and the company. There is something in it for them and there's something in it for me, so I've made a choice. Blogging is a hobby, it's not a paid job, there's no contract of employment and that's not why I do it anyway. These opportunities are a nice perk.

So here I am today, once again enjoying the process. Except the blogosphere seems to be changing once again and that uncomfortable feeling is returning. Suddenly blogs are being ranked in different ways by different people and an air of competitiveness is developing, which is a shame.

It's nice to get recognition, it's nice to feel you are doing something reasonably well and it's nice to feel part of a wider community. But blogging is not a competitive sport, let's not turn it into one.

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