This was the year we returned from separate travels, moved in together and tested the durability of a hitherto cast iron friendship by spending much time in a considerably more confined space than our very small flat – our beloved Ford car, Lance Percival.

Probably the only perk of abysmal senses of direction, no sat nav and averaging an extra hour to all long and medium haul journeys are the conversations we find ourselves having when not blaming each other for being lost. Last week talk turned to what we’ve loved and loathed in 2007 and what we predict will have more than a bit part in the worlds of A&A in 2008.

It’s always nice to find yourself ahead of the game, nicer to be leading the pack with your best mate and not so nice when everyone else cottons on. Double Dressing, previously every girl’s worst nightmare is being pedalled as the look to rock next year. For four years now, we’ve avoided coming to handbag blows over dressing similarly (at times identically) and have batted off sarcastic jibes from couture challenged chancers bold after several beers.

To suggest we were the originals would be arrogant and untrue (parents of same sex toddlers have been doing it for decades) but we’ve colour coordinated, accessorised and worn identical outfits with pride - long before it was cool. Nor do we claim to be the best at it: that accolade surely goes to Amber and Nisha, aka The Broken Hearts two of London’s hottest DJ’s, a gorgeous girlie pairing who’ve put us to double dressing shame with their theatrical costume creations and hip swinging tunes. They look so good they could play pre-polyphonic ring tones and get away with it.

(Slightly) less aesthetically delightful but no less aurally pleasurable are Justice who AA had the pleasure of seeing last week. Remember Kanye getting in a huff over not winning best vid at last year’s MTV Europe Music Awards? The band he lost to were French ‘sexy boys’ Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay of Justice. This funky electro duo has been tearing it up for over a year now; Grammy nominated for 2008, we’re crossing our Francophile fingers.

Amy is linguistically urbane, Antonya looks the part; they have the name we were going to give ourselves, but they’re too good to resent: Black Kids. Admittedly we’re not indie lovers and until fairly recently thought the revival of garage was just about the best thing to happen musically this year, but then we heard: ‘I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You’. An extra special mention to guitarist/vocalist Reggie Youngblood who Antonya barked drinks orders at last week, long before it dawned on her who she was using as a skivvy.

(Antonya: Reggie, you’re a gentleman and I’m ashamed to admit that the penny only dropped when I spotted you dancing like a king with a bevy of ladies who looked like they’d all got the cream.)

Speaking of which, Beard Papa’s cream puffs have been quite possibly the discovery of the year. The canny Japanese have given the world (and since 2006 the top end of Oxford Street) the most delicious, ambrosial desserts available over the counter.
We’re talking crispy choux pastry shells filled with something halfway between custard and cream, probably not as “fresh n’ natural” as they claim but worth storming through crowds for.

Trust us people: these things are heavenly.
AA x

I have just recovered from the festive season and just wanted to say hey to you all. Hope Santa was good to everyone. Any New Years Resolutions???? I could lie and say that mine is to stop eating chocolate, but it wouldn't even last 24 hours! Yes - I got through a whole chocolate orange on Christmas day. Only at Christmas do you get a chocolate orange...weird.

The girls and I spend some quality time together, which was great. I bought a nice wee dress out of Urban Outfitters to wear for one of our nights out. Obviously it was in the blooming sale after Xmas - TYPICAL! OOH - I am going to be doing some fun stuff with them soon for the show, so watch out!

I also managed to take my shiny green friend out for a drive to the SECC carnival in Glasgow. I hadn't been in years - parking was a nightmare though...very busy! Luckily I wasn't sick on the seat after being thrown upside down all day.

Well...back to work for me...I promise to bring you some exciting 'bites'...

LMx

My Christmas break was AMAZING!! I went to Miami as a last minute surprise from my boyfriend and partied HARD - I mean I only had 4 days in the 'party state', so I had to make the most of it! I even managed to fit in a visit by my family who were over in Florida on their Christmas break too...oh AND got a new tattoo!!

Decided to have a quiet New Years Eve - or that's what I thought! Lol
Had a small gathering at my house and cooked a lovely dinner (got a cookbook for Christmas!).. That all went really well until the Champagne got popping... Then it all went a little, let's just say CRAZY!!

Zena x

So, I'm bum-on-the-cold-floor at LAX. Flight back to England indefinitely delayed. I'm reading about weddings and missing my i-pod- (akin to losing a limb.)

I guess now would be a good time to learn the bass seeing as I’m carting this one all the way back to England - if anyone else in this airport asks me for a song I’ll throw my bowler hat at them – oddjob style.

Holiday season kind of crept up on me this year, which it seems to do with ever increasing stealth. I hope you had a good one for at least most of the time. I made bread sauce and grew 7 siblings courtesy of my young man-friend and his fabulous family.

Then I paid too much money to go to an NYE party in downtown LA.

With some delight I can tell you that I was running around the outside of a warehouse complex at the moment where 2007 and faded to black and 2008 switched on. Not the plan, seeing as Peaches was doing the midnight countdown inside and we'd paid extra for an open bar due to close in less than two hours.

I tell you this with delight because I wonder if it has any significance- the state of motion I was in as the year turned. Like most of us- I never run (except for public transport- that great equalizer.) Lovely night for it though, as it happens.

The Party was called Hard and all the kids looked odd and like they'd taken some time dressing up. Everyone just out in the street dancing and then inside a warehouse or two where some token VIP area would spring up and they'd cordon it off and make you queue up to get inside just to remind you that you were still in LA.

Despite being late for 2008, I made it for the Justice DJ set and jumped around with the other young people singing ‘We are your friends.’ I watched Peaches later on YouTube with her similarly uplifting message ‘F**k the year away!’.

Ami x

That Ami Carter really does have her finger on the pulse doesn’t she? This week’s episode sees her popping up at one of our favourite London weeklies: ‘Short & Sweet’, a free short film night at Café 1001 in Brick Lane. We were there before Christmas, feasting on burgers and, ahem, champagne, lounging on large leather sofas and delighting in the general ‘Short & Sweet’ ambience. We saw pretty much everything from animations to music videos via deep political kidnap dramas… All of the features were brilliant and the overall experience was impeccable as usual, but in our humble opinion two shorts deserve special mention:

Firstly, the Amy & Antonya Raw Talent Award has to go to Edward Shires and Ian Wharton, two (very) young (and charming) graduates for their animation ‘Solar’. It tells the story of the sun, moon, and two characters who inhabit a planet that relies on day and night perhaps more than it would seem. Words couldn’t do it justice so check it out for yourselves, and find out what makes the world go round.

Secondly, the Amy & Antonya Sheer Entertainment Value Award goes to music video spoof ‘Sticks & Balls’, whose happy union of golf, sex, smut and electro took our breath away in a very different way. Written, directed and conceived by Jacqueline Wilson of Liberty Films and performed by Alice Lowe, this film makes golf sexy in a rather wonderfully unexpected way.

Great minds really do think alike Miss C. Bump into you down there soon maybe? And the rest of you, get down there - it’s free cinema, duh, with hamburgers and champagne.

AA

Ha ha ha ha ha - I actually cannot stop laughing! While I was away filming for a new TV show last week, a few of us tried to master the art of 'gurning'! Honestly, this is possibly one of the funniest things to sit about with your friends and do...even when you're not bored! So, I was filming a sketch with a champion gurner (do they 'actually' exist???) and because I, and half the crew, were so amazed that someone could actually pull such an amusing face, and win a medal for it...we decided to give it a go. HA HA! As you will see - I AM RUBBISH!!!!
As I attempted to scrunch my face up, the laughter took over and all I really managed was this kind of weird half laughing, half squashed lip type pose. My friends were much better.
After ten minutes of trying to perfect our strange facial contorsions we realised that there is more to this 'sport' than we had thought!

Give it a go...go on!

LMx

Just a quick note to say that if you are going anywhere this weekend, make sure it's the Arches in Glasgow for - DEATH DISCO!
Amazing club, Crazy music, Non expensive and if you'd like to meet some of Glasgow's weirdest and most wonderful people - it is the only Saturday night haunt to visit! As you will see, I was in the Arches for the Dr Sketchy event...well, this club night of madness is held in the same room (minus the half naked women...sorry guys!)

I'll be there...oh yes!

LMx

Stop what you're doing - GO ONTO WWW.TRUFFLESHUFFLE.CO.UK - They have a sale!!!!!!
In case you didn't know - this is probably the best website for T-Shirt lovers like me! Ever since the A&A (hi guys) made me such a lovely T- Shirt in episode 1, I have become ever so slightly obsessed! Ok, very obsessed! This website hosts and boasts the biggest selection of retro and branded T Shirts you will ever find - PLUS...they are a massive trend with the 'celebs' (I hate that word, celebs?!)

I have bought quite a few items from this site - you can never go wrong with a fun T, can you? Do you like the Miss Piggy one I just got? Well, since she is apparently my Guardian Angel, (see previous blog post from me) I thought it was only fair to thank her for such wonderful guidance by wearing her across my chest!

Oh and you can also get funny 'non T-Shirt' items, like this Gobo Fraggle doll!
I know... random!

Oh dear, my camera broke. I shall have to buy one of these.

For those of you who don’t know, before the Carl Zeiss lens, there was the Leica lens (www.leica-camera.co.uk/photography/compact_cameras/c-lux_2/) - an almost mythical figure in photographic history. So yeah, I just want the camera so I can name drop and feel all retro chic- but can I have it anyway?

So who else Likes-a-Leica? Well according to Wikipedia, Spike Jonze, director of Being John Malkovich and and the Queen herself like a Leica, so at least I’ll be in good company.

http://www.petitiononline.com/kenya08/

Not as shocking as it might initially sound, we are nevertheless celebrating news of a new addition to the A-A family. Curra, a goat, is the first kid born to Amy, also a goat, currently residing in the central highlands of Kenya’s Rift Valley.

Amy (the goat) was bought by Amy (the person) from a troupe of herdsmen in the Masaai Mara while both of them were galavanting around Kenya and East Africa last summer (approximately 15 quid, for anyone who was wondering).

After a shaky start during which Amy (the goat) was first dropped on her head then attempted to asphyxiate herself, Amy (the person) insisted that Amy (the goat) be spared the cooking pot, and live on as the embodiment of her memory. She has since been grazing, frolicking and pooping her way around the Kenyan countryside to her heart’s content (the goat, not the person, much is the pity). And now she has a baby, Curra!!!

A word about Curra. ‘Curra’ means elections, and it’s no surprise that our little goat got her name from the now much disputed and controversial elections that took place in Kenya on the same day, the tragic consequences of which couldn’t have been predicted by the Masaai askari, or guardsmen, who named her. It’s now the case that local violence in Kenya’s maize-growing Rift Valley region is affecting the country’s ability to feed itself, and while international bodies debate sanctions on the present government, the humanitarian implications of these events multiply daily.

While realising this might be something of a niche interest, anyone with a passing concern for the future economic, political and social stability of this beautiful region is asked to support attempts to restore peace in any way they can. Simply click on the link below to add your name to an international petition calling for government and opposition leaders to seek a resolution to the current conflict. Curra will thank you for it.

http://www.petitiononline.com/kenya08/

AA

Oooh, I do like the sound of AMUTI, the "interactive" art gallery that caused the hilarious in-car quarrel between Amy and Antonya in last week’s episode. Don’t know about you but I quite fancy a ride in Amy’s love ship and I’d probably pay a few bob for some of Antonya’s art too. (Are you selling the self-portrait you did at the speed-hating btw?)

Anyway, the Saatchi Gallery seems to be doing exactly the same thing (not arguing in a car) - inviting you and me to submit art and promising the possibility of its selling straight off their site. And while we’re hastily finishing off that masterpiece, we can peruse the accepted works and buy them off the site without commission.

Haven’t seen anything I want yet- it’s definitely less easy than buying shoes. For the moment then, I shall appreciate free art only. I found this post it note on the tube. Well, no I didn’t- I found it online. Obviously.

The post-it poster is a call to pens for those of us who fill handfuls of post-its all day at work, but never use them for anything worth keeping. On 1st February, fill a post-it with your work of art and then post-it – somewhere. And take a picture of it. Hopefully you won’t be the last to see it.

The Post It Project is the creation of some chick who went to Japan and posted a post-it picture of her own once a day for 100 days.

Whatever your medium, whatever your job, there could be something in constraining yourself to that little square. Which you then frame with some place and abandon.

Can I wait till February 1st?

There was a time when we'd rarely be seen in pubs; two very good reasons for this were that we considered them not lively enough and Antonya’s scandalously low alcohol tolerance meant it was probably best we spent as little time as possible in a place you go to solely - bar the odd quiz - to drink.

Now residents of Little Venice, our outstanding local has changed this. The Bridge House Pub has Früli on tap, delicious food at non-London prices and best of all: the Canal Café Theatre upstairs. We thought blogging on our nearest theatre might throw up a few “best kept secret” clichés, but an evening spent watching the live comedy show NewsRevue and a quick look at their website suggests we were not the first to know about it – shameful as ‘bite’ girls.

Paul McCartney has been, The League of Gentlemen had a residency there and it’s where Amy learnt to ‘flutebox’. The venue itself is full of candle-lit tables and you can sit and have a drink while you watch a show. This place truly is a gem and you can find out what’s on, join the mailing list or book tickets online at: www.canalcafetheatre.com

AA

OOOHHHHH YEEEEEEEESSSSSSS! I have just scoffed two of these chocolate cheesecakes! I don't really have a sweet tooth - apart from cheesecake...obviously! I will keep this short and sweet. Last night I was watching a show about really skinny people vs really fat people and I suddenly got an urge for chocolate so...I made these! YUMMY! This is the basic recipe. As you will see, I made four individual ones. Experiment. Go on...ditch the diet for a day!!!!!
My other two won't last long...
TOP TIP - Use the remains as a facemask!

LMx

Recipe

For the base:

100g/4oz plain chocolate digestive biscuits.
crushed (I used ginger snaps)
50g/2oz butter, melted


For the cheesecake:

150g/5oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces. 
700g/1½lb full-fat soft cheese. 
225g/8oz caster sugar
. ½ tsp vanilla essence. 
2 size 2 eggs

1.Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Lightly grease a 20cm/8in loose-bottomed cake tin or spring release tin.

2. Mix together the ingredients for the base and press into the prepared tin.

3. For the cheesecake filling, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Cool slightly.

4. Measure the cheese into a large bowl and beat until soft. Add the sugar and beat and mix. Beat in the vanilla essence and then the eggs, one at a time. Spoon half the cheese mixture on to the biscuit crust, separating the spoonfuls. Add the melted chocolate to the remaining mixture and stir well. Spoon this mixture in between the cheesecake mixture already in the tin. Swirl the top to give a marbled effect.

5. Bake the cheesecake for about 30 minutes or until the cheesecake becomes puffy at the edges but soft in the centre. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake to cool.
6. Chill well and then loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the tin using a small palette knife. Serve well chilled.

Have you seen HEAT this week? I am sooooooo pleased they featured Nook & Willow (handbags). Honestly, I am not a HUGE handbag fan because I can never justify spending that much on a bag BUT - I LOVE Nook & Willow. I had such a great time driving all the way to Liverpool to get all creative. I was taken to a lovely little spot for afternoon tea and some serious bag designing. A few weeks later, my beautiful creation arrived in the post - just the way I chose. Thanks guys - I couldn't have designed such a lovely bag without you. Yes, I carry it everywhere and my keys fit perfectly in the little purse - I won't lose them again...oops!
Watch the show, and buy HEAT, this week to find out what I am talking about - and to watch my skilled 'bagging'...
Oh - and you can soon buy Nook & Willow items on www.asos.com - YIPEE!
LMx

I am just writing to show you some beautiful photos of bonnie Scotland! I went on a wee road trip today (for a wee spot of lunch in Oban - such a lovely place) and wanted to share some pictures of the countryside with you. Random yes, but how pretty is it????

Visit Scotland!!!

LMx

Living proof of the cross-generational, cross-cultural, cross-gendered power of ‘Bite’, here is Amy’s dad throwing some shapes after watching Zena’s hot bulge-beating tip in this week’s episode. We aim to inspire.

Watch this space for his leopard print and croc skin handbag range, coming soon.

AA

Banksy's art ratified, despite what the papers say......

There seems to be an awful lot of media misrepresentation surrounding Banksy's big rat up in Liverpool. The Capital of Culture has pledged to preserve the 30-foot rodent which adorns the White Hart pub, and has erected some hoardings around it while it does a little renovation.

Liverpool City Council has promoted such art as a way of cleaning up what it calls city 'grot spots'. And as you can see from the photo, they've been carefully painting the building around Mr Rat. This has had various publications stirring up trouble by quoting the council as saying the rat himself is a 'grot spot' that's due to be cleaned up and painted over.

Either way it's good to see Banksy causing some controversy once more. Gone are the days when he skulked unseen around Hackney and created graffiti that made people question the nature of art. Nowadays he's widely acclaimed as an incredible artist with his works selling for £250,000 or more to the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

However, Favourite Rat of The Year Award does not go to one of Banksy's many fabulous creations. Paws down the winner is:

Remy from Pixar's Ratatouille.
If you haven't seen the film yet it should really be the very next thing you do! Besides the fact that it is actually a very good film that's been nominated for 5 Oscars, the protagonist is a fluffy little rat living in Paris with a love of fine food. What's not to love? It had me from the opening credits.

Ah, there's something so refreshing about characterisation in animation. Because you're watching talking animals, it's easier to lose your cynicism and be charmed. The same cannot be said for my feelings about the protagonist in Sean Penn's film 'Into the Wild'.

Actor/Director Sean Penn seemed to me so overindulgent with his lead, Emile Hirsh, and clearly assumed a high degree of de facto audience sympathy because the film was based on a true story with a sad ending. Personally I was overjoyed at the film's ending because I couldn't believe I 'd sat through the whole thing and survived.

I wonder if I've just dashed all my chances at the big-game in Hollywood, now I've gone and said that. The almost pedigree positivity of the reviews for Into the Wild would indicate that Penn is Power in LA LA Land. Or that my taste in movies sucks.

Ok - Now I am not the worlds biggest "musical film fan" (even although I studied Musical Theatre) but last night I followed the crowd and went to see 'Sweeney Todd'. WOW - What can I say....very very very good indeed. Tim Burton has worked his magic on this film and turned a West End Musical into a surreal and dark masterpiece in the only way he knows how! Oh - and Johnny Depp??? MMMMMMMMM - there is something strangely attractive about this amazing actor dressed in tight suit trousers and tight shirts, coupled with a made up face and wry smile!!!! Very sexy!

Apart from lusting over Mr Todd - I LOVED this movie! It is a very well produced addition to the cinema line-up...a must see!

LMx

Yes, this may seem random but as you will see in this weeks episode, I made a very eventful trip to the Studio Warehouse Art Space in Glasgow. OH MY!!!! What a fun place...I have never met sooooooo many creative people in one place. Go along, ask for the crazy Mutley, and you will be shown round some AMAZING sites. Everything from huge bright poster art, graffiti, sculptures and tiny pencil drawings to body art, bands making noise and guys breakdancing can be found in under one roof - in one huge warehouse. Check out the website for links to lots of other interesting places to visit....Oh - and if you get a chance to go see the eclectic band that is Isosceles - GO!!!!! But before you do - make sure you watch our fun music making in the SWG3 in this weeks brand spanking new show!!!

This is a photo of what the warehouse used to look like - wow, how it has changed!

Fun time, great place...very arty!

LMx