miss b loves .......'1339 Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop' (and a few random ones about me!)

I've always been intrigued by trivia.....random facts about random topics. I read about this fascinating little book in a newspaper article during a very long flight. I thought it might make a quirky gift and I actualy bought three copies!

Here are a few snippets to whet your appetite...

*The word 'journey' is from the French 'journée' and once meant the distance one could walk in a day.

*Only 5% of the world's population has ever been on an aeroplane.

*Johnny Depp collects Barbie dolls.

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*In 1950, 7% of American women dyed their hair. In 2013, it was 75%.

*Mothers over 40 are twice as likely to have left-handed children as women in their 20s.

*Mo Farah, Sir Roger Bannister, Sir chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Sir Steve Redgrave were all born on March 23rd

Mo Farah doing his signature pose
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*Jenga means to build in Swahili.

*Julius Caesar had two sisters both called Julia.

*In 1379, more than 600 years ago, a baby girl in Yorkshire was christened Diot Coke.

miss b loves .....the English Lake District ... and a very traditional Sunday lunch at The Drunken Duck.

The weekend before last,  I was craving a traditional English Sunday lunch with all the trimmings but without all the cooking so we headed off to The Drunken Duck near Ambleside, in the Lake District. We're very fortunate as it's just a forty-five minute drive from home.

The lunch was perfect......all served in separate dishes which I prefer so that you can take as much or as little as you like. 

Tender roast beef with impressive Yorkshire puddings presented on a wooden board ......

Cauliflower cheese served in a cute copper pan......

So many flavours on one plate.
Wonderful!

miss b loves ..... 'Fifty Fashion Looks That Changed the 1970s'

I can't say that I love everything about 1970s fashion but there is no doubt that it was an expressive, colourful and fun era and certain looks have had a lasting influence.

In 'Fifty Fashion Looks That changed The 1970s', fashion guru Paula Reed explores the most revolutionary, prominent and definitive looks of the decade.

She details outfits from style icons of the time including Bianca Jagger and her famous Yves Saint Laurent wedding suit. I can't imagine her wearing a classic wedding gown! 

Diane von Furstenberg's elegant wrap dress of course gets a mention. It's one of the 70s icons that has become a true classic.

'Flower power' conjures up an image of hippies in their floral prints in the early 1970s and the Afghan coat, another favourite at the time, is featured towards the beginning of the book.

miss b loves.... Dubai with a difference

When people think of Dubai they perhaps only imagine shopping malls, skyscrapers, expensive hotels, the glitz and the glamour ..... but there is a very different, quieter, more subdued side of Dubai....Let me take you there.... 

Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood (formerly known as Bastakiya) was built in 1859 and is situated near the Creek (where wooden dhows are loaded and unloaded with goods from exotic locations)

The area has been restored and preserved and gives a glimpse of life in old Dubai ..... Many of the buildings have been converted into art galleries and interesting little shops....

The wind towers of the traditional Emirati homes created an early and effective form of air conditioning trapping the prevailing wind and funnelling it down into the house.

Last month we were fortunate to be there during Art Dubai and the annual Sikka Art Fair ......

A collection of painted skateboards