10k Santa Run, RNLI, Portsmouth, 16/12/12

After the Great South Run I found it really hard to get back into running. It was almost as if my legs had said 'you've done what you set out to do so we are done'.
Everything felt stiff and hurt, but I wanted to continue running as it is a great way to keep fit and I have lost weight far easily than with any other form of exercise.
So I had signed up to a 10k Santa run for the RNLI in Portsmouth. It was this weekend and it was actually pretty fun.
10K is about 6.2 miles and isn't easy but it was fun. Thousands of Santas running about was a little surreal, but the atmosphere was great. They had the Portsmouth City Band playing Christmas carols and everyone was in a really good mood.

It was quite hard in places though as after 1k you run up to Eastney and then onto the beach, which in Portsmouth is stones...really difficult and impacted by knees when I got back on the tarmac I noticed the difference but I did it.
I ran faster than I had in my training runs, 4.5 to 5.0 miles per hour and I did it in 1 hour 10 which was good for me considering the day before I ate so much rubbish and had cider and a cocktail, also I hadn't run for a week.

There was also a 5k family run which I think would have been more enjoyable, but even doing 10k was good. I just wanted to get round.

However, running in a felt Santa suit is not great. It was so warm and hard to run in so I had to take off the top. The beard went pretty quickly and the hat was tucked into my belt. Other than that it was good.

It was surreal having so many people dressed as Santa, during the warm up it looked like some kind of ritualistic dance. Loads of people came with dogs and it was great seeing families dressed as Santa and getting in the festive spirit.

I'm going to keep the running up and I am looking for my next run - a 10k or half marathon.

Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair, National Portrait Gallery, London

I went to the National Portrait Gallery in London initially to just see the Marilyn Monroe exhibition but stayed and took two and a half hours to have a walk around.

First the Marilyn exhibition - it doesn't include many photos but looks at her time filming and promoting The Prince and the Showgirl with Laurence Olivier.

It has some beautiful photos taken by Cecil Beaton,  Larry Burrows and Jack Cardiff. I also found out that one of my favourite photos of Marilyn on a Geshia print blanket holding a rose was taken by Beaton.

It just shows her natural beauty and it is free.

If you have never been to the gallery I cannot recommend it enough. I really enjoyed walking around the portraits. Paintings range from The Tudors to the Victorians to modern day.

It was great to see a sketch of Jane Austen drawn by her sister Cassandra Austen. I nearly missed it a couple of times but found it eventually and I'm glad I did.

There are so many recognisable paintings of Queen Elizabeth I, King Charles I and Queen Victoria. However, one of her after her coronation is actually a replica as the original is in Buckingham Palace.

At the moment they also have photos of the current Royal family taken by Mario Testino. It includes the two engagement photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - Prince William and Kate Middleton.

There are paintings of Paul McCartney, photos of the Queen after her wedding and her coronation again taken by Cecil Beaton. 

I also paid £2 and saw the exhibition from Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 which has some beautiful photographs including one of Mo Farah and one of Victoria Pendleton. Worth the £2.

I went round a couple of times soaking up every painting and photograph. It also had the film of David Beckham sleeping done by Sam Taylor-Wood...
A beautiful museum and on the whole free. Well worth it.

Also I had a cup of tea and the most delicious walnut and chocolate brownie in the cafe down stairs, amazing!

Valentino - Master of Couture, Somerset House, London

The Italian fashion designer is a pure genius and after seeing the film Valentino: The Last Emperor I fell in love with not only his designs but also the designer.

When I saw Somerset House was holding an exhibition I knew I had to get tickets.

You walk down a catwalk with the chairs either side holding the beautiful dresses and the chairs reserved for his most famous fans.

There are 137 dresses with some worn by Jackie Kennedy-Onassis, Audrey Hepburn, Anne Hathaway and the dress Julia Roberts wore at the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001 when she won the Oscar for her performance in Erin Brockovich. It was a vintage 1992 design by Valentino.

The dresses are just beautiful and such craftsmanship by his girls who work in his studio.

Some of my highlights include a white satin evening gown with hand-painted coral design from his Spring/Summer 1968; a blue chiffon day dress with five layer pleated petticoat which was designed in the 1950s but realised in the 1990s, beautiful dress and a great shape; and the white ecru georgette evening dress with lace applique detailing. Worn by Jacqueline Kennedy for her wedding to Aristotle Onassis.

The white gowns made in organza, with tulle and Swarovski crystals and lace. They are beautiful and could be a evening gown or a wedding dress.

There are also some of his hand drawn designs which are just as stunning.

The exhibition is running until March 3, 2013. For tickets visit: http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/valentino

Viva Forever, Piccadilly Theatre, London - Preview

As you know I am a child of the 90s and I am a massive fan of The Spice Girls.

So imagine my delight when I heard many months ago that the legend that is Jennifer Saunders was writing a musical using their songs and it was being produced by Judy Craymer, the producer behind Mamma Mia. So far, so good.

Again imagine my delight when a friend told me her sister could get us preview tickets for the musical for only £35.

The show officially opens tomorrow but last Tuesday I was sat in the theatre watching it.

I have to admit as a massive Spice Girl fan I was a little nervous, worried it was going to be a re-hash or telling their story. When you listen to the songs they are little stories and I was worried the story wouldn't do the songs justice.

I won't give too much away but basically the story is set around Viva and her three friends who are a band. The enter a reality show (X-Factor style) however, their mentor decides that maybe Viva would be better on her own...

I will admit that I loved this musical. There is great humor  as you would expect from something written by Jennifer Saunders, the songs fit nicely into the story and don't seem forced. 

Obviously I saw a preview so the actual show maybe slightly different from the one I saw. However, I did get to see Jennifer and Judy who were watching in the audience, brilliant to see two greats in real life.

As you would expect the classics are in there Too Much, Wannabe, Say You'll be There and Who Do You Think You Are. Also included is Do It and Denying great Spiceworld album tracks.

My favourite though is Geri Halliwell's Look At Me it is made for a musical.

It also has a great cast Viva is played by Hannah John-Kamen, who is making her debut. Her voice is amazing. Other cast members include comedian Lucy Montgomery who you may recognise from Absolutely Fabulous, The Might Boosh and Tittybangbang; Simon Slater;  Sally Dexter; Sally Ann Triplett who was in Mamma Mia; Tamara Wall who played Martina in Eastenders and was the original Brooke in Legally Blonde.

If you are a Spice Girls fan you will love this musical it is all about Girl Power - love and friendship. If you hate the Spice Girls maybe give it a miss. I cannot wait to see it again with my mum and sisters.

The Rifles Acoustic - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, 29/11/2012

This is the third time I have seen The Rifles and each gig couldn't have been more different. 

The first time was in the Joiners in Southampton a pub venue which was really hot, full of 
people and just a little bit mental. 

The second time was at Chester Rocks. A one day festival so a completely different atmosphere. Massive field, high volume music and most people either drunk or on another planet.

So this time it was an acoustic gig and I wasn't expecting too much, the band are quite rocky and I couldn't see how it would transfer over to an acoustic gig.

Usually there are five members in the band but at the gig there was Joel Stoker on vocals and playing guitar, Lucas Crowther on electric guitar and vocals and Dean Mumford on the keyboard, leaving bassist Lee Burgess and drummer Kenton Shinn at home.

All the songs sounded really good with minimal instruments, still a bit rocky but some of the song lyrics are quite melancholy without the heavy bass and booming drum.

The crowd were fairly subdued, except for the odd heckling and then a pint being thrown at the end but not as crazy as the gig in the Joiners.

They ended the set with Science in Violence, but played loads of crowd favorites Romeo and Julie, Lazy Bones and The Great Escape. There was a lot of crowd interaction and the lead singer Joel was even given a pint by a member of the audience.

It was actually a really brilliant gig, great atmosphere, great music and a great band in a brilliant venue. If you get the chance to see them do it and if you get the chance to see them acoustic definitely do it.

Also we missed the chance of a lifetime as we were going to go to a nearby pub but went to one down the road. We late found out that band and the support act The Mono Polys were in there...I was not a happy bunny.

I suppose I should also mention the support act. The Mono Polys a two piece band one on guitar and one on keyboard. The lead singer looked about 16 but when he sung he had a Ian Curtis style to his voice very deep and moody. I was not expecting it at all and they were fantastic, one of the best support acts I have seen for a while. 
I think we will be seeing a lot of these guys in 2013, well I hope so anyway.