Frock Friday is back!
Drew Barrymore is divine in this fabulous floral frock by Gucci, photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue US February 2006. I can’t help but think of Drew’s character Little Edie Beale in HBO’s 2006 movie Grey Gardens.
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend 
Jason Schwartzman and Kirsten Dunst on set during the filming of Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Anoinette. Love this movie. Love these two actors. Love this picture.
Photographer unknown.
Kismet (noun) meaning fate or predetermined, unavoidable destiny.
Have you ever been struck with a knowing that you were in the right place at the right time and that suddenly you knew the answer to something?
This is how I felt the moment I knew that my future path was to empower and educate through yoga and meditation.
You know those people that always knew what they wanted to be when they grew up and they went on to become a doctor, astrophysicist, school teacher, etc and it was everything they thought it was going to be, and they are successful and love their career? Do you know those people? (Frankly, does anyone know anyone that lucky?)
I have never had a job that I’ve loved. Sure I’ve had warm feelings about an occupation that made me think I was in the perfect job for me. Everybody’s had those feelings. I spent most of my 20s and 30s searching high and low for that elusive career, the one I thought I had missed out on by not actively following a designated career path. I fell into depression and discovered yoga and spirituality along the way, so not a total waste of time then right 
The funny thing is I have a perplexing need to excel at my work. I will work my ass off to make sure that I am the best at it. I have no idea why I do this, especially considering that I hated most, if not all of my jobs.
So, my question is this. When I do finally become a qualified yoga teacher, will I love it? And more importantly, will I love it enough to kick my own ass in order to be the best at it every single day? I have a feeling that it’s not going to matter. But I wanted to put it out there into the cosmos anyway.
love & light xo
Meditate every day, for just 10 short minutes. Sounds so simple right? To sit yourself down in a quiet place, clear your mind and essentially zone out for just 10 minutes… oh boy how much this little but significant test is bringing me to my knees! Right now the best place I can find to sit quietly undisturbed at home is in my wardrobe!
Meditation is not new to me, but as time is short, especially on days I have to work, I decided that to give myself any chance of success I would begin with a simple 10 minutes a day meditation. I downloaded an App called Headspace. The problem for me is finding 10 uninterrupted minutes when both hubby and I work and we have 2 children, well… if you find yourself avoiding chores, then set yourself a task to meditate every day and watch the chores get done!
I know, I know, if it’s important to me, then I will make the time and that only I can make this happen. I also know that it doesn’t matter how many motivational blogs I read, that it’s purely up to me! This is part of the challenge though, I knew this would be a big test for me, so I am not surprised by my resistance. It’s part of the deal. I have challenged myself to a battle and my will is the defensive and the offensive. Half of me wants to succeed and meditate every day, and half of me wants to stay in bed and press the snooze button again.
So what’s the solution? Well, I think I have one and it’s called “Get yourself a meditation buddy!”
Starting tomorrow, instead of pressing the snooze button, hubby is going to find himself in the lotus position, joining me in a morning meditation!
love & light xx
Hello Everyone!
You may be wondering what I have been doing with myself while on my break from blogging? Well, the plain truth is that most of my time has been spent working (yes I know, sad) but in between endless work, being Mama to my girls, wife to my husband, etc, I’ve also applied and been accepted to Yoga Teacher Training! I’m very excited about this because it’s something I’ve wanted to do ever since I began practicing yoga over ten years ago. Finally I think I’m ready!
And so with commitment to teacher training comes the pre-commitment – six months of abstaining from any mind-altering substances (as well as for the duration of the training period of 12 months). That’s 18 months in total. Now, this commitment is the least of my concerns because these days the extent of my mind-altering substances is limited to red wine. So giving up red wine is not all that hard. At least, that’s what I told myself initially. The hard part is the commitment to a practice of daily mediation and yoga. That is the hard part for me. But more of that in a later post.
Of course you may be wondering – “So why the commitment to yoga teacher training then?” Well, it’s exactly for that reason. It’s because I need the commitment. I have to do it. The rebel side of Heidi is taunting me daily “you have no dedication, no staying power, no idea how hard this is going to be, ha!” Which is exactly why I must do it. What’s that saying by that writer? Oh yeah, “The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it – Steven Pressfield, the War of Art“. Besides, fear and excitement are the same thing, right? Or is it that they just feel the same?
Mercifully, my darling husband has also decided to quit drinking for the duration so it’s not been so difficult. If it’s not in the house, then you’re not tempted right? Actually, I’ve not been tempted at all. And there were times when I would drink red wine a lot, it was my comfort, my numbing device, my self medication for the times when things were too horrible to face or I just wanted relief from the sharpness of life’s problems. After a glass or two of my red medicine, nothing seemed too bad.
What I’ve noticed from not having anything to numb my bad days with is that I’m much more productive. I have loads more energy and I’m not struggling to help out more with homework, I’m sleeping better and my anxiety is much better. And while the house work is still my last priority, I’m not so annoyed about the tumble-weeds of dog hair that collect in the hallway anymore.
Another lovely thing that has come out of not drinking is my husband and I now have “tea time” every evening after the children have gone to bed. I make a pot of Chamomile tea and we sip this while nibbling on something I’ve baked like choc-chip cookies or something like that. It’s soothing, comforting and settling. Peaceful.
I’ve also begun a spa night for myself. Something I’ve not done for myself – ever! Scented candles, himalayan bath salts, face mask, a good book and I’m chill-axing in the tub. And if you know me at all, you would know I loath baths, but these days I am loving them!
Who says you can’t change a person?
love & light xo
Christy Turlington having fun in this beautiful Azzedine Alaia white cotton pique sun dress shot by Hans Feurer for Vogue, May 1990.
Today will be my last post for a while. After much thought, I’ve decided to take a well-deserved break from the world of blogging. Five solid years of blogging has left me feeling a little starved for something different. This has not been an easy decision. It’s taken me more than a month to accept that this is something I truly need to do. I don’t expect it’s going to be easy for me, that is, to just stop blogging. It won’t be easy for me to stop seeing everything as a potential subject to write about. The hardest part is going to be letting go. I am a little scared that I’ll lose my creative drive. But how will I know, if I don’t give in to my instincts and give it a go?
I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but that’s the fun part! I may post on my Facebook page from time-to-time, but I won’t be posting here until further notice. My plan is to disconnect and to come back restored and with a fresh approach.
Thank you to those of you who are regular readers of my blog and a very big thank you also to those of you who’ve taken the time to leave comments on posts. I’ll always be grateful.
love & light,
Heidi xx
Best Actress winner Jennifer Lawrence at the Vanity Fair Oscar party wearing Calvin Klein Collection.
I first started watching the Academy Awards when I was about 14 years old. Back then the awards were aired quite late and I was allowed to stay up an hour past my bedtime so I could watch the first few awards. The red carpet wasn’t such a big deal then and so the awards would begin straight away. They would run for over four hours and I would have to record the rest of the show and watch it the next day. It’s a long-standing joke that the awards go on for too long and over the years producers have tried many ways to shorten them, fabulous movie montages and musical numbers were cut so it kind of made the show boring. It’s all about the host of course, and for me, Billy Crystal will always be the best. Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, Ellen and Whoopi weren’t bad either and of course there’s been some shockers too. I think that any host has a lot to live up to and the pressure must be unbelievable, I though Seth McFarlane was an unusual choice for the Academy. He did ok, a little sexist, but ok. I didn’t know he could sing and dance though and I liked his tongue-in-cheek attitude towards his critics. I think he knew he was doomed from the start.
A beaming Best Supporting Actress winner Anne Hathaway backstage after winning her award.
Every year I usually go out of my way to avoid finding out who won what award – I like to play a little game with myself and try to guess the winner. This used to be fairly easy to do because my family and friends – under strict instructions would keep their mouths shut and I would simply avoid any news. But these days it’s a minefield with all the social media and constant barrage of news breaks! I basically had to keep myself in a bubble till 9:30 last night before I could finally relax and watch the show!
In the end, I didn’t even make it to the end of the show – too tired! I made it just after midnight before I caved and googled the best actors, picture and director winners. I felt that my dedication had stretched far enough and my pillow needed me more.
Best Picture winner Ben Affleck backstage getting his Oscar engraved.
I loved that Ben Affleck’s movie Argo won best film, but I always wonder how the Academy can be so divided in opinion between a film and it’s director, shouldn’t they go hand in hand? Glad Anne’s campaign won her the award, now we can all relax, and Jennifer Lawrence, so fabulous and self-deprecating after tripping up the stairs on the way to collect her award. I mean, we’re all human, right? Daniel Day-Lewis, oh Daniel. So well-deserved. So humble. Love him!
Best Actor (for the 3rd time!) Daniel Day-Lewis.
I’m beginning to think that the gowns at the parties are far better choices than those worn to the actual awards (with the exception of Naomi Watts this year – her Armani was ultra fabulous). The actors seem particularly more themselves compared to on the red carpet. Of course this make sense as all the statues now have owners, the pressure is off and they can let their hair down and relax. This surely must have something to do with their party frock choice, yes? What do you think?
Naomi Watts on the red carpet in Armani Privè.
Naomi Watts in Emilio Pucci party frock at the Vanity Fair party.
Hope your having a wonderful week!
love & light xx
I have to admit the internet is so amazing somedays because earlier today I was feeling so uninspired with today’s Frock Friday post that I was actually thinking of taking a break from blogging – truly! I guess it’s because lately I’ve been feeling that I’m not hitting the mark, but then I came across this image of Lily Cole in this 2005 Vogue UK editorial “Lily Takes a Trip” and suddenly, I stopped. I was blown away by the beauty and Tim Walker‘s genius. I have been exploring his work lately and I’m liking his photography more and more. The glow from the sun and the way it bounces off the wall Lily is leaning on, plus the pink bougainvillea flowers strewn on the ground and tumbling down the wall behind her. Then we have the subject of the photograph, Lily Cole with her butterfly net and in a very cute Chloè frock – the combination of all these elements make this picture so memorable. Do you have a favourite fashion image? If you do, I’d love to hear from you. Just leave a reply. xx
Have a lovely weekend!
love & light xx
Patti Hansen and Keith Richards on their wedding day December 18, 1983, photographed by Annie Leibovitz.
love & light xx
Oscar de la Renta takes a bow at the end of his Fall Winter 2013 show at New York Fashion Week. I’m so in love with these frocks, how pretty are they? The bright colours and the embroidery, just gorgeous!
On a different note, I saw Silver Linings Playbook over the weekend and I cannot get it out of my head, it was fantastic! Exceptional casting with Bradley Cooper (who knew he could be so good?), Robert De Niro, our own lovely Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker and Jennifer Lawrence. All were so watchable, and now I’m listening to the soundtrack on heavy rotation. The dance scene was such a favourite, highly recommend you see it if you haven’t, it’s a definite Oscar contender!
Have a lovely weekend!
love & light! xx
