Aldo Nova

It was in 1982 that I first heard of this Montreal based artist through the hit singles Fantasy and Heart To Heart from his first album for Portrait/CBS. My CD is the 2004 Sony Legacy series remaster.

His was a mixture of blistering Heavy Metal coupled with catchy lyrics and the use of the synthesizer that make the sound as contemporary as A Flock of Seagulls back in the day.

He followed this up in 1983 with Subject - a futuristic album with instrumental links that featured Monkey On Your Back - a hard hitting anti heroin number (the video was strong for the day) and the guitar driven Hold Back The Night released in February 1984

The follow up Twitch from 1985 wasn't so good and he dropped out of music making for a while assisting other Canadian acts with lyrics.

I've always liked him - bought all the singles - and recently Wounded Bird (part of Sony Music) have re-issued Subject and Twitch on CD. The first two albums just fit onto a single MD at 80:36!

July Anime Round up

Okie dokey, another month a few more episodes make their way to your ever expanding DVD collection.

First up is this Volume Three of Slayers Next that originates from 1996.
In this we treated - if that's the right word - to our heroine Lina and Amelia in cute dresses singing what is supposed to be a spell to get the Claire Bible (a book of vital spells) back. This is a sight to behold as it's well beneath her dignity!
Ad we encounter twin sisters Mimi and Nene who also badly want the Claire Bible!
The gags continue a plenty - Gourrey dressed as a girl is something else! - the Island where everyone is meant to be a Shrine Maiden is revealed to have many cross dressed males, never mind Amelia's annoying Sword of Justice fixation that drives Lina wild.
It's just one fun filled episode after another.

At long last the concluding episodes of the rather enjoyable Ghost Hunt series are here!
It's the story of Mai Taiyama's psychic powers that leads her to join the Shibuya Psychic Research team lead by Kazuya "Naru" Shibuya.
What's good about this isn't just the mystery of the hunt for peoples departed souls that are affecting others but the character development over the episodes.

Compact fashion

Compact

This is a lovely compact by The Color Institute that I own.
You can get this Argos in the UK for under £ 10 making a great starter kit to which you can add to later on.


    Set comprises the following:

    64 eye shadow pressings.

    32 lip gloss pots.

    2 face powder pressings.

    6 powder/blusher pressings.

    1 bronzer.

    3 pressed powders.

    1 shimmer.

    1 blusher brush.

    1 face sponge.

    3 sponge applicators.

    2 lip liner pencils.

    2 eye liner pencils.

    1 black mascara.

    3 brushes.


Pencil Skirt

A staple of my more formal wear is the Pencil Skirt of which this from Top Shop is good example. It is a knee length pencil skirt with back zip fastening. 75% Polyester,23% Viscose,2% Elastane.Machine washable.
Worn with a classic plain blouse, belt and tights, it has that business like feel but at the same time approachable.

Playsuit

Here's something I spotted at Topshop that took my fancy
It's Heart Print play suit an unusual choice of the name for a garment that otherwise comes under the heading of Tunic I feel but still.
Team with tights and a necklace it would look smart. 

Susannah and Trinny time!

You've see the ladies on TV now buy Trinny and Susannah's Full Circle Skirt!
I like the way each panel gently flows with the net at the hem.Ladies Denim Blue Full Circle Skirt. 76 polyester, 24 viscose. lining polyester. Hand wash only. Denim blue

Available at Additions

Kiki's Delivery Service

At the instigation of a online friend from a forum I recently bought this title in the acclaimed Studio Ghibi collection.
Adapted by Hayao Miyazaki from the Japanese childrens book by Eiko Kadono, it is about Kiki - a thirteen-year-old witch, and daughter of a witch - who is eager to leave home and spend a year working away from home. Her only talent is flying on her broomstick, but she sets off with her black cat JiJi) and finds a big city by the sea that she decides to live in.
She makes a deal with the bread store owner to work for her board in store that soon transforms into a courier service delivering anything from pies to pets. In this activity she -a polite, cheerful if naive child - encounters the rudeness and spoilt behaviour of others especially of a girl of her own age.
She encounters a boy on a bicycle who becomes her friend but undergoes a crisis of confidence losing her ability to fly. Only by looking into herself can she regains her abilities saving the boy from a Zeppelin flight that goes disastrously wrong.
What I liked about was the attention to detail in the drawings coupled with the message of triumph over adversity it presents.