adore amy » pimlico

hot in the city…

amy — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 14:04:39 +0000

Apologies for another slightly tardy missive, but in my defence I have only just returned from another busy and very enjoyable London trip and considering that an unfortunate mix up on arrival at my usually exemplary accommodation resulted in my spending four days entertaining in the garden in little more than a furnished shoe box rather than reclining in my usual gracious upper-floor digs, I am feeling decidedly relaxed and laissez-faire (although in all fairness, my little box did have a kettle, toaster and thankfully a refrigerator). It is truly to the credit of my wonderful regular London gentlemen that they each remained stoic and uncomplaining throughout, even though the lack of space and more vitally, the lack of any air conditioning on what must have been the hottest, muggiest week of the year so far made for some serious exertion just undressing, and their courtesy and lack of criticism is testimony to them all.

I, however, am rarely afraid to express a view although this time it was to no avail, and after a desperate plea eventually obtained a small desk fan for aiming at the bed in an attempt to take the edge off. Unfortunately, the stultifying and oppressive heat rendered the conditions similar to sleeping beneath a pile of fat, panting Labradors after a lively game of ball, and I had to settle for the odd restless hour at a time until, typically, Wednesday rolled around and my final night cooled off a touch. My return in August will now be played out at a nearby but alternative venue; rest assured that everybody’s comfort will be top priority, mine included.

Minor irritants aside, I have been happy to welcome both regular visitors as well as a few new friends, and have enjoyed lots of treats including wonderful Vietnamese food, the hotel’s delightful health club (the irony of sitting in the sauna after my swim prior to spending the night in its counterpart was not lost on me) as well as trips out to the pictures (as ever, but the Curzon Mayfair – bottom right pic – was particularly fabulous), inadvertently running into a film premiere (‘The Killers’ – top left picture – no, me neither) and a visit to the Tate Modern on the special boat, an activity that on its own had me beside myself with childish excitement having not been on any sort of boat for a considerable amount of time. The last would probably have been in the Maldives some two years ago now, although the Thames and the Indian Ocean do not share many similarities other than basic chemical composition, and even then there is probably some room for debate. I can highly and unreservedly recommend the current Exposed exhibition at the TM, which filled three hours of my afternoon pondering the topic of ‘voyeurism, surveillance and the camera’ and contains many moving, some shocking and all fascinating images, many surreptitiously taken and spanning from the earliest days of photography to the present. Some, I might add, were even a bit rude (although considerably less so than bits of the Pop Life exhibition earlier in the year which I loved, despite it leaving me with a low-grade migraine, backache and a short-lived but no less irresistable desire to shag Jeff Koons).

My usual luck on the art side was to run out on Thursday when upon arriving an hour later than intended for the Summer Exhibition Buyer’s Preview at the Royal Academy (an event some will know that I look forward to every year, and have always aimlessly wondered how many other Working Ladies get invited to given that I never fail to spot a couple), I found to my bitter disappointment that each of three pieces I was interested in buying was spoken for by the time I fought my way to the sales desk, and I left somewhat forlornly until I realised that by making no purchase I was technically over £2000 better off, and immediately made haste to the Oxford Circus Topshop. The story does not end there, on returning home I sent a hopeful and speculative email to the creator behind my favourite of the three (a textile artist and hobby entomologist; very much my kind of lady) enquiring about a possible commission, and lo and behold, another ‘Moth Balls‘ is available and will provisionally be mine once it finishes it’s stint at another exhibition running concurrently. Thank God I couldn’t find anything I wanted in Topshop.

Anyway, back to the week in hand. As some of you will know I intend watching a great deal of football in the ensuing days and as a result will not be taking any short notice appointments – the four people who have already tried today (including the gentleman who rang asking for an incall at ‘twelve or one-ish’ at er, quarter past twelve) have been courteously turned away and invited to try another time after reading the website. The Adultwork phone, predictably, is gainfully occupied with receiving abusive text messages from a particularly cowardly and ignorant individual who thought I was the bees knees until I politely requested that he follow my profile instructions for making contact and use the on-site form, whereupon dummies were spat and as ever, my superlative screening system for the site known variously as Adultwank, the Other Site, and Timewaster’s Paradise came into its own.

Availability wise; I am provisionally available on Friday, and possibly for a short while on Wednesday afternoon – that’s it. This does not include evenings, when I do not normally work but I can offer a few limited appointments over the next few weeks given that large portions of my usual entertaining-time are occupied with the World Cup. Bandwagon-jumping is not my thing, and I will not be donning a cheap, tight white T-shirt with a red cross on it and pretending to understand what’s happening on the pitch whilst talking all the way through it and blocking other people’s view in the pub – my 50″ television and well stocked fridge will be more than ample and I am looking forward to the tournament very much.

As ever, email for bookings, blah blah, no same day, blah blah, you know the rest by now. Have a great week everybody – I’m pretty sure that I will. Oh, and hope you like the new photos! More to follow soon…

a woman’s work is never done…

amy — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:30:32 +0000

After the various low level irritants of last week (one of whom sent me an email which will remain a mystery as I deleted it by mistake, but since the laws of probability decree that least a portion of it has probably come from either here or my website, I daresay the remainder of it’s content was of little consequence and even less interest), I have enjoyed a refreshing and therapeutic few days this week and also managed to get industriously caught up on some of the nagging household matters which have (as they are wont to do), grown from deceptively small and easy-to-put-off mini tasks to large and migraine-inducing Proper Jobs.

My elderly and long-suffering cooker which refused to play ball for a full two weeks is now gone and my days of subsisting miserably on carrot sticks, guacamolé, malt loaf and Cup-a-Soup are a distant memory, although this dire emergency did at least give me the opportunity to rediscover (after some fairly determined hunting) the nostalgic joys of the humble Breville; granite-edged and crisply golden without, and nerve-shreddingly volcanic within – I have discovered through lengthy experimentation that tinned tomatoes present a level of hazard unacceptable even to me, and these were jettisoned in favour of my childhood favourite filling of Prince’s corned beef with brown sauce. Happy days.

A week later, I am now happily ensconced with my spanking new and gleaming steel stove, eventually fitted two days after it’s actual arrival by my friendly local electrician since the good people at Comet are unable to distinguish between a qualified tradesman and a well-intentioned delivery man with a screwdriver. The official Dish of Ritual Celebration was moussaka, and I am gearing up for scones, cayenne potato wedges and possibly a fish pie later in the week. Having also finally tackled the mending pile, vacuumed the stair carpet and completed the most put off grouting job since records began, I am feeling warm and wriggly with accomplishment and whilst on something of a roll have also begun the long awaited new pictures in earnest – sneak preview on the top left. Next week brings an opportunity to amass some follow-ups to my scenic outdoor shots from last July, but only the weather can decide this and in the event of temperatures mirroring those of today, I will have a few alternative ideas up my sleeve (and more than likely a flask of Bovril in my bag).

Normally I would spend a quiet weekend virtuously updating accounts, preparing for my next trip and maintaining the secret and never-discussed ladies day to day upkeep (which ensures that you will thankfully never encounter me in anything even close to a natural state – possessing as I do two distinct and separate eyebrows, for example), but having spent most of the week attending to the mundane (and the less so; I still have to mend the bit of the bed broken in the course of duty on Wednesday, but that’s another story), I am spending today watching the snowfall out of the window, eating luxury hot cross buns from M&S and trying vainly to pair nylons – I am becoming so used to unpacking just to repack that my suitcase is now ever ready with the requisite ruffles, playthings and all of the usual accoutrements required for a rainy (or not so rainy) awayday. All I have to do is replenish disposables, check batteries and remember to wash my knickers.

Another week à maison awaits before my eagerly anticipated trip to Liverpool on the 1st – I have been keen to visit the city for some time and am looking forward to it very much. Please note that I will be available from Tuesday to Thursday inclusive – Monday afternoon and evening are booked up already, and whilst other appointments are dotted about more randomly I still have availability on all three remaining days – please ring or email for details! As you may have seen, my next London visit (usual venue, for those in-the-know) will be shortly after Easter (eggs optional), and as ever, availability is going FAST.

New photos coming very soon…

all is safely gathered in…

amy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:10:07 +0000

Today’s message comes from the comfort and privacy of the 26th seat on the 563 National Express service from London Victoria; my newly purchased dongle (whose tiny size, plain appearance and friendly-sounding name belie its might) is providing the wherewithal for myself and Vaio to browse, answer mail, and compose this blog entry, even as we hurtle away from Milton Keynes into the heart of the M1 (with a promised ‘refreshment’ stop at Tibshelf services to look forward to in a couple of hours).

I have had a delightful few days in London, one notable exception being an apocryphal story best reserved for relating in private, if for no reason other than that I have so enjoyed the expressions of those I have told (ranging from disbelieving and incredulous to completely and totally appalled) that I reserve the right to get a little more mileage out of it yet. My visit concluded with an all-too-rare spag bol and gossip evening with a lady friend (and ex-confederate) hitherto lost to civvy street, but fortunately this has not affected her energy, charm and sense of humour as much as one might expect, and an unashamedly girly do was had, leading me to miss the last tube and necessitating a taxi ride back from Kensington High Street to Pimlico at a cost of £15, but we don’t sweat the small stuff and anyway, hailing a black cab in the street is yet another on my long list of my secret favourite things.

Leaving this aside, I have enjoyed not only the usual sublimely tactile and oft energetic ‘kit-off’ fun and games, but also been charmed and touched to receive many thoughtful birthday presents from my kind London gentlemen and I would like to humbly thank those concerned (and you know who you are) for making this latest visit hit some very high notes – I will soon be back, and to all I have promised, I will pass on the dates as soon as I am organised. For those who couldn’t make it, be reassured at least that both mugs and toaster were proudly in evidence, and my trepidation en route proved to be unfounded as this time around my apartment was very much fully equipped (bar an ipod dock, but there had to be something) and I am looking forward to my return. However, Birmingham beckons next week, and for a change, I am keenly anticipating meeting the Midlanders!

This week, therefore, will be set aside for warm and comfortable hibernating, quiet contemplation and domesticity as well as unpacking (and almost immediate repacking), general catchings-up and another brave stab at getting on with the decorating. I do have appointments available, but plenty of notice please – I am not a drop-in centre, and the usual half-dozen or so daily telephone calls expecting me to be available within the hour are becoming extremely tedious (to this end, I have temporarily removed my number from my Adultwork profile, just in case anyone was wondering, as this is far and away the site where the majority of users seem unable to read anything other than digits). Email, as ever, for preference, and in view of the weather (which I have yet to see, but apparently once again, Scarborough has some), please also allow adequate time for safe travel!

Am now taking bookings for Liverpool at the start of March – tips and suggestions also welcome, as the city (apart from the airport) is new to me and I am as ever, keen to explore both indoors and out. Ring or mail for details and with a bit of luck, I’ll see you there…