"Have a website ..." They Say.

It all sounds so easy, so logical. No one mentions anything about the speed to do these things. Especially when it is not your main area of knowledge.

It just shows, learning continues all your life through.

Over the last week, I've been giving the website a face-lift. We've had such a crazy year with Armageddon events throughout the country, it's been hard to stop and think about the actual website. No, the ol' Insta isn't enough it seems. Especially when discovering none of the posts have also gone to the mighty FB page...

Social media technology, it is fair to say, does my head in. I have very much a love, mostly, hate, relationship with it. Anyone who has a page will be familiar with those annoying messages that start... "Hey there, We are on the lookout for ambassadors....." BLOCK!

Then there are those who advise on every second post about how to make your Insta feed more visually catching to get followers.... I interperet this as; how to make your account look contrived and insipid. As for the adding of every second post to be some up-lifting, inspirational message with soft colour background.... NO! For me, these things go against the other 'essential' of an Instagram account; 'showing your authentic self'. Oh Pah-leeeeeeese.

This would be a sign our accounts have been hacked.

My social accounts and posts, DO show our authentic self.. they show we're not up with the play of technology. I'd like to think the music choices on 'stories' and 'reels', show this also. Nothing conformist, trendy and contrived here, but 100% authentic and honest. Showing what you truly like, not what you're expected or meant to like to get the followers. I'd like to think I'm a lot more comfortable in myself and what Lola & Alice is about, than to be worried about followers. Let's be honest, it's sales that pay the bills.

Indeed, it is very complimentary if people do choose to follow what you're doing. Those little things are appreciated for sure.

Ahh, a website. Seems straightforward in theory. Definitely much more straightforward if you can pay someone else to do it! Ohhh, how I would if I couldI!! But think of all of that learning I'd be missing out on. (all of those hours that wouldn't have disappeared.) I'd like to think I've done my best with what I've got at the moment. I'm sure those who do websites for a profession may think otherwise. I admire those people, for how their heads don't explode with things like 'alt text' etc. At the moment, I'm just happy the links to pages work, the site looks good on mobile and is at a stage I can now just work on updating photos. (note probable ignorance of technical knowledge thinking this is truly where I'm at with said site)

Please look, share and let me know if anything needs changing or looks odd. No feed back is bad, all is appreciated. www.lolaalice.com

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Records, C.D.'s and even cassettes can be found in Ride On Super Sound.

In other excitement, the cool little record store, RideOnSuperSound, at 172 High Street, Christchurch. above Smash Palace, is now stocking our Lola & Alice enamel pins. Go in and check out this super cool independent store who is a big supporter of all things local.

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Like a Possom in Headlights

What joy, what joy! Out from the inner world of living under a rock for the last few months to getting back out into the world - with other people!

People were out in force, like markets of old. -Thieves Alley Dunedin 2021

In the past two weeks, we have been fortunate to have two events to go to. The first, Market in the Park in Rangiora, and yesterday at Riverside Market in Christchurch City.

What incredible events!

My heartfelt thanks to the organisers of these events. The opportunity to get out and meet people and sell product, I am so incredibly grateful for!!!

Many people will have found the same, the loss of insight and focus and direction over the last few months, (or couple of years). We've been living in such unknown and strange times, often isolated to the tiniest bubble of who lives in your home.

Gertting out to these two events has given a mammoth boost to the mental wellness and focus for the year ahead.

Everyone in a business likes selling their things to customers, but it is more than that. The feedback, the reaction on faces, the converstaions. The little things are the big things which give back the much needed focus and stop the second guessing of "What the hell am I doing?"

From just two outings, it has been easy to see people are keen to get out and about. Get on with life as it once was, but with some now built-in caution - mask at the ready. Over and over again, people said "We've missed markets." I can say, so have I.

Not a possom, but the expression is the right level of surprise. The strangeness of seeing so many people in one place at the same time.

It's strange though, we've become so used to only seeing a small amount of people, or none at all, when suddenly seeing seas of people, I found it hard to comprehend the strangeness of it all and knew the look on my face was that of a possom in headlights - for more than a brief moment! The two events can only be described as, 'like a Christmas market, before we knew what covid was'. Long may this continue.

COMING EVENTS!

In equally happy news, I've just updated the Coming Events page on our website, and it is hugely joyful, exciting, relief, to see we have something booked in to go to every month for the remainder of 2022. It really is exciting! Especially because we'll be all over NZ! Including SIX events in the North Island. As many know, we have slipped firmly down the slope of the Armageddon Expo's. We'll be found at all of them. In our safe little 3x3m space. We can't wait! Auckland in June, Tauranga July, Palmy August, Auckland again in October, then Wellington and Christchurch in December! Squashed in there is our biggest adventure yet, the three day Petrol Head Vintage Market in Whangamata as part of the monster car and rocknroll extravagnaza, Beach Hop. Plus the great local events in between, here in Christchurch; Ferrymead Night Market, Re-Vamp Vintage and a couple of new events along the way.

It's almost like you don't want to get too excited, as we've had so many cancellations over the last couple of years. It's like getting the rug pulled from under you each time. But after the last two weeks, it's hard to not be seriously hopeful that every event IS going to happen and be able to plan accordingly. No Air NZ, I don't want to be changing flights for the 10th time at $25-100+ each change!

SO be a devil, go walk on the wild side and make some plans.

T'ra

Roz

For Your Isolation Ears Only

The Rabbit Hole that are Podcasts

Podcasts are just an app of escapism away.

Working by yourself, the company of music, netflix and podcasts is, for me, essential. Noise, good noise that is, makes me think clearer and be more productive. Neurotic small dogs barking at couriers and thier deliveries, is not the soundtrack of choice, but I have that one too.

It took me a few years before listening to one of those new talky web things called a podcast. It was one in particular about some friends I'd gone to school with. After that, I looked for the next one and next one and was hooked.

A great NZ fashion fix podcast from RNZ.

Perfect for Escapism

In my escapist work of creating pretty shiny things, I am often in my workroom listening to grizzly true crime. Why, I'm not sure, but some (a lot), are fascinating. I particularly find many Aussie ones a great listen. Anything by Adam Shand is always very worth a listen. BBC produce some excellent docos, a big plus for listening pleasure, they're light on ads. Our own RNZ have produced some crackers too.

It's possibly my way of getting something serious into my brain, as I work in a frivilous world of pretty things. I've always liked a bit of investigative journalism, and podcasts seem to cover that well. Podcasts are just another form, or addition, to the world of escapism. There is something for everyone, from childhood favourite stories read in sleepy lulled tones, for those who find sleep illusive, to many self help offerings - (A bit airy fairy for me, not escapist enough). If true crime is your bag, the options are endless. I've even found myself listening to a series about SEO (search engine optimisation) and e-commerce- Desperate times, desperate measures. Pod casts have every lisening desire covered.

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Lockdown Listening

Lock Down 2020, speaking of desperate times. There was many a podcast churned through. The one which became like a forbidden visit from friends, was Loose Units. So much so, it became the inspiration for Lola & Alice's 'Super Hero Stories' range. A fantastic listen. Yes, there's grizzly bits, but it's about more than that. Paul Verhoven, author, actor and comedian from Melbourne, interviews his Dad, John, who was a cop in Sydney, in the dirty old 80's. Paul has written two books based on his dad's years as a cop, then firey then funeral director. The books are, Loose Units and Electric Blue. The podcast came about to tell the real stories behind the stories. They're excellent storytellers and you often find yourself having a good laugh. It's more like sitting in the lounge with good mates. Just like good mates checking in to see how you're doing, Paul and John created an additional spin off episode, each week over lockdown to keep their locked-down listeners company.

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Cold Cases Reopened

There are a number of pocasts about cold cases which have been reinvestigated due to public interest and new leads coming forward. The Teacher's Pet was one such podcast. Investigative journalist,

Hedley Thomas, tells the case of Sydney mum, Lynette Dawson who disappeared in 1982 never to be seen again. The twists and turns of this 21 episode true story have the listener hooked early on. Without spoiling it, I'll just say the case got re-opened and fresh leads discovered. So far it's hooked in over 28 million downloads worth of listeners.

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Gritty; Grizzly; Giggly; Glitzy

I'll call them the 4 G's. For your listening adventures, here's a list of some of my favourites.

There's plenty to get your teeth into here. Fashion, fraud, funny, freaks, frights, fame, feme fatale's and even a bit of science (or lack of in the case of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos in The Dropout ) and medical misadventures in Dr Death (3 seasons).

1. Loose Units

2. 99% Invisible

3. Dressed: The History of Fashion

4. The Beauty School Dropouts

5. The Tip-off

6. I Catch Killers with Gary Jubelin

7. Lets Not Meet - A true horror Podcast

8. Creative Conversations with Suzy Menkes

9. British Scandal

10. Ja'miezing

11. Teachers Pet

12. The Dropout

13. Wind of Change

14. The Apology Line

15. Grounded with Louis Theroux

16. My Dad Wrote a Porno

17. Who the Hell is Hamish

18. Dr Death (3 seasons)

19. The Lady Vanishes

20. Queen of the Con - The Irish Heiress

21. Death in Ice Valley

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New Additions to Listen to.

The list of pods to listen to is growing. Here's just a handful of what the ears are waiting for.

I've just stumbled upon this one. Another one for creative-fix-list, tick.

There's just not enough hours in the day for the amount of options available to grab your ears. One thing is a definite; the sound of silence in the work room is not going to be for quite some time.

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If there's any you have listened to and can recommend, please share and post in the comments. I and many others are always keen to add to their listening lists!

Thanks for joinging the journey of escapism. Share it about, subscribe, get some escape in your week.

Until the next escapist adventure...

Cheers

Roz