Loch Fyne Henley on Thames

Just a quick one today…

I thought I’d write about my visit to Loch Fyne in Henley on Thames last summer with my parents and boyfriend… I have to say it was only memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Firstly the front of house staff that are supposed to ask if you need a table or not, seemed to just ignore us as they didn’t know what to ask. We dedcided to order a drink while we were waiting for the staff to figure out what to do when a potential customer enters the restaurant. After mentioning to the very friendly and welcoming bar tender that we did want to eat in the restaurant he gave us menues and suggested we sit outside with our drinks while we waited for a table. Very good idea.

it was lovely sitting in the square on a summer evening with a glass of wine and the people I love, however the company was the only decent part of the evening.

Once we were seated at our table in a very bright unfriendly and unsophistocated restaurant (more like a school dinning hall) we waited a good 20mins before our order was taken. I didn’t appreciate the fact that the dining area was empty yet they still sat us as close to the one and only family that was in the dining area where our relaxed mood was spoiled by a young family with screaming children. They seemed to shout every comment they made even though they were sitting so close to eachother!! grrrr

When our food finally arrived it was blatantly reheated in a microwave as the soup was too hot and the sauces were developing skins on the top. the food was tasteless and not at all fresh. How could they keep fresh food in when they only had two sittings at the most popular time of night!! I can’t say I enjoyed any of the food, in fact I would have rather had a McDonnalds because at least then I could justify feeling sick and robbed afterwards!!

I would only recomend Loch Fyne to someone I didn’t like and I fet sorry for the staff that hadn’t been trained enough to know how to deal with customers!!!

-2 out of 10 for Loch Fyne in Henley on Thames – Green Olive wiped the floor with them!!!

Hawky xx 

TANgo Fantastic

Hi there,

I thought I’d discuss a few little tips I have on the fantastic world of fake tanning. As people become more aware of the long term damage sun tanning can do, the fake tan market has boomed!! I have to admit I’ve been a fan for the past 10 years as I am very fair and do not change colour at all in the sun. In fact Im so white I reflect all the light on to anyone around me. I’m lucky if I get a few freckles, but heres to looking 30 when I am 30 and not 60 when I’m 30 because I’ve frazzled in the sun for far too long!!

Fake tanning is easy if you do your homework first and the first time you use a fake tan you WILL make mistakes so try to practice when you won’t be seen for a while.

Magazines, adverts and companies that say “our fake tan doesn’t have the horrible smell others do” or “our fake tan won’t make you go orange” are lieing.

so what is fake tan??

The most effective products available are sunless tanning or self tanning lotions that contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as the active ingredient this is what gives all fake tans that distinctive biscuity smell and colour. The tan is not a dye (as I used to believe), stain or paint, but a chemical reaction between the DHA and the amino acids in the dead layer on the skin surface (thus the need to exfoliate first to ensure a long lasting tan). It does not involve skin pigmentation nor does it need UV exposure to initiate the color change. The reaction is non-toxic and skin safe, without the damage you would have from sun exposure.

The tan is temporary and will fade gradually over 3 to 5 days. Some products use Erythrulose which is a tetrose carbohydrate and if you find you have a bad reaction to the DHA based tans this may be a better option for you.

It has one ketone group and so is part of the ketose family. Erythrulose is a natural based keto-sugar, which also reacts with the amino acids in the keratin protein on the outer or dead surface layer of the skin. This non-toxic reaction produces a temporary browning effect. This too is not a stain or dye, but a chemical reaction that produces a color change on all treated skin so be careful where you touch and drip the tan!!

combined with the DHA. Erythrulose works identically to DHA on the skin surface, but develops more slowly. The two chemicals used together may produce a longer lasting sunless tan. So if you remeber check the ingredients on the back of your fake tan to give you an idea of what result you will get.

I do believe that there are fake tans that tend not to make you smell or go orange so much…. however you will never be able to remove these factors… ever!

Whats the best way to apply fake tan?

Firstly, invest in a pack of plastic gloves, the best I found were Marigold beauty gloves that were sold in Sainsburys, however I haven’t seen them since so if anyone knows if they’re still available please let me know!!! if you can’t find the Marigold gloves then try www.hometanning.co.uk 

Secondly exfoliate and moisturise before you put fake tan anywhere near your body!!

 what are the problem areas?

Arms and face ususally absorb tan VERY easilly and a particularly dangerous spot is just in the crease between your arm and chest. This area is usually dry due to deodorants so be very careful not to put too much here. I’ve found that if you completely miss this little patch of skin it goes unnoticed as you would never catch the sun under your arm anyway… so a slightly more reallistick look than Tangoed arm pits!!

Secondly elbows, I find the best tactic here is to tan as usual and only if possible rub less fake tan on the area, then once you’ve finished the rest of your body add a tiny peasized amount of moisturiser to your elbows and rub in genlty whilst blending into the surrounding areas.

Another problem area is the wrists, I’m not sure why but it may be because wearing gloves means that the tan you put on your arms will overlap with the tan you put on the backs of your hands, but don’t worry there is a solution – again, once you have finished tanning your whole body including the backs of your hands, add an almond sized dollop of moisturiser in the palm of your hand and rub in as you would a hand cream ensuring to blend into your wrists and lower arms.

The last problem areas will be your knees and feet so ensure to moisturise before tanning and rub less tan over your feet than on your legs to be on the safe side. Even if your feet end up paler than your legs it will still look more convincing as you wear shoes in the summer so your feet will be lighter.

a final word of warning…

NEVER go for the cheaper option and NEVER use any tan that says it contains glitter or shimmer of any kind as these clump up when you try to rub them in. I would say the worst offender here is St Tropez Shimmer Bronzing Mist!!

 I have tried so many fake tans over the years so look out for my list of recomendations

 heres to your sunkissed glow in no time!!!

Thought for the Day

Hi there,

something interesting caught my eye at work today. A little while ago there was a program (not sure if it was the news or dispatches) about Second Life and how there were now secret areas in this site where pedophiles could go and find child characters who would perform very disturbing actions for the pedophile characters. I was so shocked by this as I understood Second Life to be a game and a great place where people could create their dream lifestyle.

I found myself feeling very confused however because a spokesperson for Second Life had said this “world” was created by its members and there were very few rules as to what characters could do in this fantasy world. It now seems that today Second Life have the power to ban banks??

Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life, said it had been forced to intervene after receiving complaints about a string of dodgy in-world financial offerings that promised unfeasibly high interest rates for investors.

In a post on its blog (http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/01/08/new-policy-regarding-in-world-banks/) it said the schemes, if left unchecked, posed “unique and substantial risks” to the financial health of the much-hyped community:

“As of January 22, 2008 we will begin removing any virtual ATMs or other objects that facilitate the operation or facilitation of in-world “banking,” i.e., the offering of interest or a rate of return on L$ invested or deposited.”

Linden Lab has always said it would limit its role in policing members’ activity in Second Life, however they have already banned gambling and said it had no “workable alternative” other than to step into the banking arena.

It said it had received complaints about several in-world ‘banks’ that ended up leaving depositors with nothing to show for their investments, the most high profile of which was Ginko Financial, which declared itself insolvent last August.

Linden Lab added:

“As these activities grow, they become more likely to lead to destabilization of the virtual economy. At least as important, the legal and regulatory framework of these non-chartered, unregistered banks is unclear.”

Apparently Second Life banks are now being hit by a run on their funds as residents seek to withdraw their cash before the ban comes into force.

My problem with this news is that it seems Linden Lab pick and choose when they want to step in and I feel the pedophile case would be a perfect example. surely these “secret areas” can be banned or removed somehow? even undercover characters could be monitoring who is consistantly visiting these areas of the site and monitor their behavior?

I worry because I was quite intereseted in Second Life and even considered joining just to have a look, whereas now I daren’t because I feel like its unsafe and there are too many unknown threats and problems lurking in this virtual world that I wouldn’t like to bump into by accident.

The second problem is that perhaps allowing pedophiles to “satisfy” themselves virtually may eliminate the real problem of pedophiles.

This issue is making my brain hurt because I feel that there should never be a situation where anyone is scared of a game whether it is virtual or real.

Welcome to Hawksfield’s Hypothesis

Hi there,

Welcome to my blog, I decided to start this because I think it is a great tool for everyone to discuss current issues and simple little things that may catch my attention now and again.

I’m not going to try and sound interesting or even pretend I’m some highly intelligent person, however I’d like to be able to discuss anything and everything on this blog… from the best beauty products and fashion to political issues and the economy etc.

Let me introduce myself, I am Laura Hawksfield (no middle name I’m afraid) I am 24 and currently working in technical PR.  I grew up in Yarm near Teesside and eventually moved to London to go to University. I can’t say I enjoyed University at all however I am very glad I made the decision to move so far from home as I have had some wonderful opportunities and finally met the man of my dreams. I worked in fashion and beauty PR for about 4 years in London and then made the decision to at least try other areas in PR before settling into my career.

I am now living in Henley on Thames and loving the beautiful little town, especially in the summer when we tend to have picnics and drink copious amounts of wine by the river! can’t wait! the grey skies are starting to make me miserable right now.

so any way, I appologise if this blog seems boring right now, but its all new to me and I’m not quite sure how to use all the features yet. I promis I’ll get there soon though. In the mean time please feel free to have a nose, comment and even advise me if you feel like it.

have a super day

Laura