The Langtry Club Jersey

The Adventures of a Modern Day Lillie - Bootcamp

Don't worry - NO WAY is Langtry holding a Bootcamp session. The only Bootcamp we would ever hold would consist of Jimmy Choo Knee-High's and flamboyant hairdressers.

HOWEVER, as a Langtry Lillie we were sent to the Bootcamp at Milbrook Park - and we are barely able to lift our arms now to type.

Having turned up absolutely terrified we happily found ourselves surrounded by equally nervous woman and men of all shapes and sizes.  We were then handed a green bib (beginner) which hides whether you remembered your sports bra.

  

 

Then there was a 'motivational speech' from an ex-army guy (sort of nice but also with do-not-mess-with-me attitude).  Now all we needed for motivation was a picture of Jennifer Aniston's new perfume ad - he went with a different tactic however and went on about personal pride and achievement blah blah blah.  He lost me completely at this point and we started to notice how the green bib did not do anything for our skin tone.

Then you start off with a warm up WHICH IS MORE INTENSE THAN MY USUAL WORK OUT - we knew at this point it would be downhill from here. 

After press-ups, sit-ups, stop-start running, lunges, squats etc we saw Jennifer Aniston's perfume ad through dizzy eyes and nearly keeled over.  We had to sit out for 10 minutes as it was just unrealistic we were going to get through it alive.  CAN WE POINT OUT THIS IS THE BEGINNERS GROUP!

You then finish the session by running a quarter of a mile (which is TIMED...and hard work as at this point  we could barely make out the cone we were meant to be running toward).

Oh we forgot to mention you THEN have to do as many press-ups and sit-ups in a minute.

What mad, crazy, lunatic would then sign up for more classes - yup we did!  We are going back as hellish as this sounds as we can only improve and it definitely, out of everything we have ever tried, will make us more toned and much fitter - literally through blood, sweat and tears.

So who is coming back with us?!

Much Langtry Love! xx

The Adventures of a Modern Day Lillie - Dinner at Tassili

As a Langtry Lillie it is important to be seen at all the right places and try out all the best Jersey hotspots...oh the hardship!

In the spirit of being a Modern Day Lillie I booked a table for 4 at Tassili, the gorgeous fine dining restaurant at Grand Jersey.  

Now fine dining is not something you could do every night - one must think of the calories and the purse.  It is definitely something though you should treat yourself to from time to time as it is such a lovely treat. 

Tassili is a hidden gem in Jersey as it is not a standalone restaurant but found inside Grand Jersey (love their Champagne Lounge but thats another story). The setting of Tassili is dark and elegant (methinks the idea is to eat by candlelight - love it). 

I am a self-confessed sufferer of food envy so when faced with the menu I did not know what to order - everything looked so good.  I was very happy with my choices but also could have had the choices of my lovely friends.  The lovely gentleman who looked after us suggested some divine wine and it went down very well let me tell you.

I will be back, maybe next time I wil persuade a tall dark handsome man to take me along - saying that us girls had such a good time that he might get in the way!

The Grand are currently offering THE MOST AMAZING deal to dine at Tassili and stay overnight...link here.  Its spring - treat yourself - oh and invite me along too...

The Adventures of a Modern Day Lillie - Pavapol Sculpturing

We are hardly what you would call arty people, if you compared us to something in the art world we would be the ear Vincent Van Gogh cut off...an irritation to a creative force.  Our last attempt at art was a Little Mermaid pottery statue we made in school - 25 years ago...it cracked in the kiln and we haven't been able to discuss it since.

We dare not even buy a paint by numbers kit for fear of going over the lines.

The thought of a sculpturing weekend did not appeal to us in the slightest, we leave things like that to those arty types.  The ones who wear floaty garments and bright colours.  We wear black skinny jeans and L K Bennett pumps.  However in respect of New Years Resolution to say yes more we could not get out of it.

We were pretty peeved when the alarm forced us out of bed early on a Saturday morning.  We contemplated feigning some sort of illness so we could roll over and enjoy a duvet day.

As soon as we sat down in the Harbour Gallery, make-up free, unwashed hair, baggy umper we felt even more rubbish as these arty types are actually not what we expected and we felt quite unkempt.  We started staring blankly at intimidating art sculptors and felt quite out of our depth.

 

  Then we were handed two familiar items (no, not a paint brush and paint - they are COMPLETELY foreign to us) - we were handed a cup of tea and freshly baked croissant...things were looking up...hmmm good times.

 

We felt this sculpturing lark could not be that bad if we were to be fed and watered...and happily throughout the weekend we were definitely taken care of.  The other Langtry women started to arrive and they were all new faces to me so it was lovely to see they were as concerned as we were.  Had they turned up with their own easels we would have legged it for sure.

 

Jeannie, our teacher, and the owner of the sculpturing business was so NOT the arty type.  She is this lovely woman, very beautiful, and dare we say quite hip and easy to talk to.  Perhaps Jeannie is one of the nicest women we have ever met. We always think there must be something more to these types of people as we just don't know how people can be that enthusiastic to help people like us who just look bemused and grumpy to be awake so early.  It seems some people are just that nice.

 

Amongst the numerous lovely things about that weekend was Jeannie gave us all so much individual attention - and was genuinely keen to pass on her enthusiasm for Pavapol.  This is no mean task when dealing with people like us who hear 'Pavapol' and think 'swimming pool'.

 

Thankfully Jeannie had made the templates of our figures so all we had to do was make them look life-like..the good part.  We cant be dealing with preparation, its far too hard-work.  We just like to dive in at the deep end and get our hands dirty. 

 

We could go on to explain how we made our figures but we like people to look at our statue and think we are quite amazing.  It might ruin this illusion if we tell all. 

 

Looking at our finished products at the end it was clear subconsciously we had made our statues into images of how we ideally would like to look.  Ours has the most amazingly slender, long legs and far too unrealistic breasts.

We can’t remember the last time we laughed so much.  It was a constant giggle and we now know some Langtry women much much better.  When you are doing something arty you just concentrate on this simple little task at hand and stop worrying about all the other stresses you have.  For two days in our lives the most important thing was dipping t-shirt in black Pavapol and making it look human.

We are going back to make Easter and Christmas decorations - we are now a changed women, well not really, but we might be able to accomplish a paint by numbers now.

Contact Jeannie for classes and private lessons:

http://www.phoenixartdesign.co.uk

The Adventures of A Modern Day Lillie - The Madeira Dance Company

One of our most fabulous members went along to The Madeira Dance Company at The Opera House and wrote us a brilliant review...

Madeira Dance Company – 23 September 2009 Jersey Opera House

Lovely to attend this performance with 2 fabulous langtry ladies.  The programme was set out to demonstrate various styles of dance with classical ballet to be the main component.

The dancers performed duets from various ballets like Romeo & Juliette, Giselle and Don Quichoteto name but a few. I was very impressed with the strong leg technique from both the female and the male dancers. Also the jumping of some of the male dancers was spectacular.

The down side of choosing the main duets from the popular classics is that it gets a little bit boring. Each duet is set up following a certain structure where both the ballerina and her partner show off their technique. It felt we were watching the same thing over and over again.

The contemporary bit was quite funny. This consisted of two soloschoreographed and performed by the same dancer. His first solo involved a chair and lots of funny quirky hand movements. One of the ladies commented after that it looked like a good audition for Britain’s got talent! The dance was set to a beautiful cello concerto from Bach with a film of the cello player projected on the screen as décor. His second solo had something to do with a fallen angel and again involved the quirky hand movements – must be his signature move. I enjoyed both solos but was not moved. 

Then we got treated to some very weird and wonderful flamenco mix. We did not quite get this but the audience went mad! The male had a wet perm with complimentary mullet and a very piercing stare which he probably thought was doing something for us. The lady looked like she could have been a man in a previous life. She very much enjoyed rattling her castagnettes which got on my nerves quite a bit.

The finale was nice, set to a catchy Michael Bouble song where all 8 dancers appeared one by one to take the applause. All in all we had a good laugh, especially when two ladies got told off for having drinks in the theatre. They had brought their own glasses!! We left in a happy mood.

The Adventures of Modern Day Lillie - Coasteering

Someone suggested Coasteering' as an activity and I laughed it off, thinking to myself they must have lost the plot a little bit - crazy, dangerous exercise.  Then on Sunday morning I find myself with a wetsuit on (awful tight red thing, I looked like a contestant in a humiliating game show), helmet, trainers, and a buoyancy aid (thank god for that piece of equipment as I shall explain later). 

We started off climbing the cliffs of Greve de Lecq and I can tell you that my soft little hands were sent into great shock.  I think I lost the top layer of skin at least throughout the day and my Molton Brown hand cream has never been so needed.

I can only type now as my fingers are the only part of my body which does not ache.

We then, in single file, launched ourselves into the water in time with the outgoing current from the base of a group of rocks.  We swam across to the next set of rocks (it felt like I might as well have been swimming to France).  Somehow I managed it and we all set about climbing again (lovely instructor actually had to pull me onto new set of rocks and I thought he was lovely and strong and really quite wonderful).  Maybe it was because at that point I had envisaged myself floating out to see and a handsome coastguard reporting a rare red whale sighting floating in the channel.

We then climbed until we came across our first jump.  I didn't think I would be able to do it and a few other Langtry Lillies felt the same.  However we did it without any pressure from lovely instructors and it was...amazing...it really was. I felt like a modern day Charlie's Angel and my mission...well basically  to stay alive.

We then all swam through caves (pitch black, narrow and with a current pumping through!).  I challenged myself to swim through an underwater passage, and once I had discovered this is impossible with a buoyancy aid on, I took it off and tried again.  I then unaided swam to the 'secret beach' and looked round for a lurking Leonardo Di Caprio, and then realised 1. that was a beach in Thailand, 2. he is an actor, 3. it was a film and 4. he would not like me in my red wetsuit.

We then proceeded to do a series of jumps called 'psycho' - high, high jumps.  We then hiked back and mini abseiled down back to the start - get us!  

All the Langtry members were incredible, and most of us had never done anything like it before (I personally had never wanted to and am still in shock I did but so proud of myself and all the members).  Major smug factor has stayed all week and my nearest and dearest are sick to death of hearing about it. 

Women really do show their lovely sides when out of their comfort zones in their support of one another and their humour.  I wish I was able to convey to you all fully the experience.  If anyone has not tried it you absolutely must.  It is a mixture of terrifying, liberating, exhilarating and very funny when done with friends.  It was such a good example for many of us of trying something we never would have done alone.

The Adventures of Modern Day Lillie - Cycling the Railway Walk

The main hurdle facing a novice cyclist in Jersey are the hills - and the helmet look - so I thought that the railway walk was a safe place to start my adventure into cycling.  This route I thought had not much of a hill and not many people to witness the helmet look...I was wrong.  The route is basically one long hill full of good looking men to witness the sweaty red faced vision that was me.

It was a beautiful day and we parked at Quennavais Sports Centre (which I have not visited since my dad taught me to ride a bicycle - why I do not know as stabilises work perfectly well).  My friend sorted out getting my bike from the car bike rack...what...bikes are really heavy and I was saving myself for the cycle!!

The Railway Walk happily is full of trees lining the path which provided some shelter from the sun - but my goodness cycling is hard work.  Pretty sure we are not designed WHATSOEVER so sit on a hard rubbery seat for any length of time, let alone whilst using leg muscles I was unaware I had. 

There are two options with the Railway walk, one is to go towards Corbiere (where you will face one mother of a hill (I actually think it could be classified as a mountain but then I was always rubbish at Geography) or you can head down to St Aubins.  So I headed down towards St Aubin (away from the mountain)...NOTE TO SELF - YOU HAVE TO COME BACK UP HILLS YOU GO DOWN - it was not fun.

I felt truly inspired to cycle more after this little venture into cycling, mostly because I was truly rubbish at it, but also because if you have to do cardio exercise (which you should) it is actually fairly enjoyable.

The Adventures of a Modern Day Lillie - Sunset Kayaking

TYPICAL Friday night:

• leave work
• meet friends
• pass out on bed

LAST Friday night -

• slip into bathroom at work and put on swimming costume - feel very weird doing so
• leave work 

• head to St Brelades (love that it is sunny)

• slip into wetsuit

• get, what i can only call 'wrestled' into a life jacket (chest very squashed, ouch)

• taught how to use oar, or paddle or stick...whatever

• put into kayaking

• pushed into ocean (sea, channel - its wet ok and I took history not geography for GCSE) on said kayak

• go me!

Love that all these lovely women, as equally incompetent as me, laughing and helping each other.  Love that we are actually getting better as session grogresses - learning new skills - go us.  Feel very competent all of a sudden, feel stomach muscles being work (maybe for first time ever), feel sun on face (have suncream on of course).

Asked to stand up on kayak to swap with one a another...what?! - sounds like it might end in mucho wetness - seem to have to do it - manage to do it - phew.

Paddle in - SO much harder than paddle on way out - arm muscles truly being worked.

Pull kayak onto beach - should I not have a minion to do this for me?

Head to Crab Shack for food, wine and banter.

Mission accomplished.

The Adventures of a Modern Day Lillie - Dinner at Bohemia

As a Langtry lady we were taken for dinner there last Saturday to enjoy their culinary delights and sample the Great British Menu that Jersey's Michelin-starred Bohemia submitted. 

You will have to appreciate as a Langtry lady we would NEVER take a camera out to a Michelin starred restaurant (for fear of being asked to leave, more than upbringing or etiquette) so we have no images of the actual food.  The dishes above are taken from their website...and look very yummy.

So, what we ate...

Three hour cooked duck egg. Three hour cooked free range duck egg, new season morels and asparagus, herb sabayon

Belly and cheek of pork. Confit of belly pork with glazed pig cheek, quince apple pave, roast foie gras and scallop brochette

Bohemia's selection of mini dessert (for 2 persons)

They also - as a Michelin starred restaurant - threw in a beetroot and goats cheese sorbet thing at the beginning and a twist on a Margarita (a lemon mousse with a salt stick and also shaved lemon water) to cleanse our pallets before dessert was served.  Felt like free food - love free stuff - love yummy free stuff!

We drank Sancerre and it was lovely, we are a red wine drinker but this wine was delicious and we were happy to go white for the evening.  Also meant teeth not stained - not good look for a date.

It was all quite amazing and delicious, and the cheese board which was ordered by our date was just amazing. 

The service was lovely - relaxed but very attentive. 

Basically we are very keen to go back and hope to make it a destination of one of our dinner clubs.

P.s. Sean Rankin, their Head Chef, won the dessert course for The Great British Menu - he is doing a treacle tart with Jersey clotted cream...he was always going to win hands down with Jersey clotted cream!

 

The Adventures of Modern Day Lillie - Boot-camp!

For Lillie's 3rd Adventure we sent her to:   

OUËNLIFE ADVENTURE BOOT-CAMP

 Sunday morning 8am: I feel good! No hangover. Knowing that I had to get up for ‘Boot-camp’ the next morning was an excellent (if extreme) way of regulating my Saturday night wine consumption.

8.55am: I’m waiting in a windy, but wonderfully sunny car park in St Ouens and starting to feel a little nervous now.

And then John arrives . . . bouncing in out of nowhere with an enormous smile on his face that puts me at ease straight away, and all notions of an evil army sergeant immediately evaporate.   

 9am: Along with 3 other ladies we head off into the fields of St Ouens at a comfortable jog and still able to have a little natter. All the time John is checking that we’re OK and keeping with his pace.  

It’s such a glorious day and I’m feeling more than a little bit smug to be outside enjoying nature and burning some calories at the same time!

Every so often we stop and do a different set of exercises; press-ups down on the grass, step-ups onto a fallen log, pull ups using a branch - you get the idea.

              

Now I accept to some people this would sound like hell, but it really was so much fun, and infinitely preferable to doing the equivalent workout in an air-conditioned space bumping in to other sweaty Lycra clad bodies.

We each worked to our own ability and specific needs – i.e. no branch pull-ups for the lady who’d just had her nails done! At no point did John push us too hard, just giving friendly encouragement to keep us going, and giving us chances to catch our breath whilst taking in the inspirational views:

10am: I’m back at the car park, rosy cheeked, a little shiny and full of the joys of spring. OK, so I’m pretty sure that I’ll be loving the couch a bit later (all that fresh air!), but right now I feel great.

Exercise, sunshine, fresh air, great company, and all on my doorstep – I’m signing up for next week.

If you're interested in joining in, or finding out more email john@ouenlife.com.

The Adventures of Modern Day Lillie - Marilyn

I was sent for this adventure to the Marilyn exhibition at the Jersey Museum - and I'm so pleased I was.  I was also lucky enough to be there for a talk given by David Gainsborough Roberts, the local collector who owns all the items and loaned them for the exhibition.  This was such a treat and genuinely so interesting.  I think the Langtry girls are now trying to get hold of him to ask him if he will do a private talk for Langtry Club members.

It is quite amazing really that someone like Mr Gainsborough Roberts lives on the island and is so accessible to talk to - and knowledgeable about one of the most famous icons in the world.  Over the years he has met many of the people who knew Marilyn personally and has an authentic insight into her life.

 So, what can I tell you about the exhibition? Firstly, there is no way Marilyn Monroe was in any way a size 16 - at least during the times she wore the outfits on display, some of those dresses were tiny!  - But very intricate and beautiful.  You do really feel it is quite amazing Marilyn Monroe actually wore those items.  The gowns also demonstrate how costume designers work - the dresses are very cleverly designed to be vibrant on the screen and are weighted to fall and move in a specific way (it isnt just 'oh that looks pretty').

There are also personal items on show which belonged to Marilyn such as letters and jewellery.  Walking through the exhibition, and having watched a short documentary on her life, you really feel quite sad for her.  Although she was surrounded by such adoring fans (and she literally was mobbed on a frequent basis),  you get the sense she never really was ever really happy - I could be completely wrong of course, it was just the impression i got.

The exhibition is on until Thursday 31st December 2009 and hopefully The Langtry Club will be able to organise an event where we can all go and then have some drinks etc afterwards - and fingers crossed we might meet the collector.