lovely leah, queen of the may pole

May is nearly over, and I woke this morning and suddenly remembered: I never did post the winner of the May Day Queen of the Maypole!! (I know I said that everyone who entered was a winner, and I meant it: you are all Princess of the May Pole.)

But there is one clear winner: the lovely LEAH, of the BLOG by the same name. We haven't yet met, but I know - I just know - that when we do, we will be real friends. You probably know why, as you've probably seen her blog already, but.. well, you'll just see. It's not so much what she says on her own blog as what she comments on others: her generosity, her wisdom and compassion for people are an inspiration. And her zest for life is so energising.



Leah - for most of the time that I've virtually known her - tends to stay monochromatic: bright, crisp black and white with some neutral - but recently, (perhaps it's cause she's in California on holiday) she's splashed out in pink. (They live in the Philipines).

Here is her online interview:

1. Please fill in the blanks: my style is CLASSIC meets URBAN CHIC with a STREETWEAR twist.

2. Who are your style influences? Funny that you asked me this... my style influence are the people on the streets. I adore STREETSTYLE blogs. I am inspired by what "REAL" people wear.

3. Your fairy godmother grants you a two week all expenses paid holiday anywhere on the planet. Where would you go (geographically) and where would you stay? All expenses paid... then PARIS will be my destination. I don't care which hotel I'll be staying as long as it's 5-star and it's near Champs Elysees.

4. What would you do there? Shopping of course... I will buy all the premium designer bags I adore. It's an all-expenses paid trip right?

5. You can bring one person with you: who would that be? Why? My oldest kid... to help me carry my shopping bags.

6. Oops. Turns out your fairy godmother messed up. No check in luggage, only carry on. What three items would you not get on that plane without? My prescription reading glasses (nobody looks fabulous squinting while reading), my passport and my camera. I will buy everything else in Paris.

7. There's an upside: your fairy godmother has pulled some strings and your airplane has become a time machine. Would you like to change your destination? And what time would you like to travel back into? Or, for that matter, forward? Forward to 50years from now. But it'll still be Paris. Gosh, fairy godmother must not change her mind about the shopping money. Hahaha!

8. It gets even better: you can now bring two people, and they can be living OR dead. Who would they be, and why? Now, I'll also bring my youngest son. It will be a heavy task for my older kid to carry the shopping bags, now they can share the burden. FYI, for those who doesn't know me yet, my kids are ages 20 and 16 so it's not child torture anymore. They have the muscles to carry those bags.

9. Great news: you have been chosen to be the face of your favourite fashion designer, provided you only wear his/her clothes. Who is it? Chanel

10. Same as above, but it's a high street chain. Which one? Is Zara considered high-street? Hahaha!

11. You are now an octegenarian, and are about to receive a lifetime achievement award. What field or fields are your achievements in? Photography.

12. At the award ceremony, who do you thank, and why? My kids who are very supportive of my career. My photography idol: Henri Cartier Bresson for inspiring me to do good in my black and white photography. And the one up above, who gave me this talent.

13. What are you wearing when you accept the award? Black of course. A soft drapey black dress which will accentuate my neck but hide my non-existent waistline. Hahaha!