lace face

I think this is the latest OR earliest I have ever posted on here.

Anyway, I am off in approximately 8 hours so I better get some sleep in now. I just thought I should let y'all know that I haven't gone AWOL - on the contrary this trip has been planned for 364 days. I didn't want to leave a seal of approval as my last post, that would seem quite ironic, as abandoning one's blog doesn't seem very approval-worthy.

Damn. There is a hole in my gorgeous new lace tights. I hope that isn't a sign for the way the rest of the day will go.

approval

I'm feeling a bit funny at the moment, a result of nerves about all sorts of different things.

Whilst being nervous can be due to all sorts of different things, I reckon you can boil it down to basically one thing: not being sure if you're good enough. Not being sure if you're good enough to have passed the exams you took months ago, not sure if you're good enough for this person, that person, this task, that challenge.

So you can only imagine how good it felt today to get some approval. Not simply some approval, but an official seal of approval. Not just that, but an official seal of approval from Wendy Brandes, who is definitely good enough. I mean, just look at the earring taking centre stage on the seal's design. Proof of Wendy's excellence, and definitely a lovely way to make a nervous girl feel a little bit good enougher.

to go green?

Today whilst out searching for a pair of boots to wear this Autumn/Winter (on which I could write a whole separate odyssey - just shout if you have any interest in hearing about that) I was dragged into the shop Fornarina.

This is one shop which definitely isn't my style. Hideously expensive, polyester and euro-trash I think you could probably sum it up by the fact that Lindsay Lohan is the face of Fornarina. Still, it was an interesting visit. For one, one of the shop assistants turned out to be someone I vaguely knew, which was fun. Secondly, I found myself drawn to a vivid green leather jacket with huge sleeves which I simply had to try on, even though I knew I wouldn't buy it. Because

a) It was £300
b) It was Fornarina
c) It was green!

I'll admit that these reasons get mildly more unreasonable and prejudiced as we go along. Truthfully, I would have probably forgiven the label. But I seriously cannot remember the last item of clothing I owned in the colour green. When I think of that colour I only have hazy recollections of having a whole wardrobe comprising of different shades of khaki, apple, jade and neon green. Apparently, it suited me. Oh, and the running shoes I bought a couple of weeks ago have some green on them, but they were the only colour on sale; I promise I did ask if they had pink.

Maybe I just over-dosed on it as a child. Maybe it's a force of will thing; a rebellion against what I was involuntarily dressed in. Thinking back, I can remember having some sort of complex about people not believing that my eyes are green, telling me that they are hazel, and me believing that this must be because they were comparing my eyes to my bright green top, which could never realistically occur in nature. Then there's the time I came into school with new red glasses and my lovely friend pointing out to me that they clashed with my green clothes: 'Red and green should never be seen without a colour inbetween - apart from on a Christmas tree!'

Either way, as you can see, none of my reasons probably made much sense.

Anyway, I tried this jacket on. For those who are curious, click on this link to see it on a model on the site.

And ohmygod I suddenly realised why my parents were obsessed with colouring my outfits in green and why my mother still hasn't stopped buying me green scarves every single year. Seriously; I am not being vain; I am normally the epitome of self-deprecation (yeah, you can ignore my blog name for a moment here...). My eyes were popping with colour. My broken-out skin - so spotty this weekend I had to be dragged out of my bedroom door - was somewhat calmed. My hairwhich people have been recently commenting has got much darker, looked more ginger than it has in years!

Wise colour lover Sal of Already Pretty blog wrote a post on colour recently where she claimed that colours can have an extreme, serious impact on how you look. My fashionista aunt was recently telling me that in her shop she always focuses on choosing a colour for a client; that it is a million times more important than anything else, even cut and style. I always poo-poo this idea. It's hard enough finding something that flatters my figure with my bordering-on-body-dysmorphia paranoia when it comes to mirrors. It's probably even harder satisfying my picky to the extent of scaring-people-away-from-buying-me-presents-pickiness taste. So I just stick to common colours like grey, black and blue (and pink! never forget pink! the feelgood properties of this colour are so extensive that you can always find something in pink!) most of the time.

But I loved this green on me so much that I am seriously considering reversing the ban on green. There is, of course, the slight problem that I have just bought three tops none of which contain green, and today a grey pencil skirt, and somehow I doubt green boots will have the same effect. Maybe I'll just start by wearing of those green scarves.

once more an encore

This title is a little bit of a lie. It implies that this time I am back again from a camping trip, for the last time. It fact, in only a couple of days I am off again. But I feel that I may be teetering on the brink of boring you with my holiday snaps, so I promise that this is the last time I do it.

For how could I resist, when it is so much easier to upload a photograph, which can convey everything about a moment with a simple focus on the lens, one single click?

Sometimes, even the blatant lack of a good photo can tell you everything you need to know. I could write three thousand words about the three hour walk/run along the Cornish coast, or I could share one of my fuzzy, unfocused and generally shit photos, taken on the home stretch, as we began to complete the U-shape we had taken and draw a line across the top with our footsteps, and I was so tired I thought I might fall asleep walking.

I could tell you about our obstinate desire to see a Cornish castle, and share an anecdote about the amusing disappointment we came across. Or I could show you this:

Still, photos can lie. I am pretty proud of the deceptive angle I managed to capture the castle at, which almost makes it look quite grand:

I could warble for hours about how very close we were to nature; how the smell of cow dung even permeated our sleeping hours. But isn't this prettier?

And I don't think I could describe a seaside village any better than these photos could:

OK, that's a bit harsh. Bare feet are still quite charming even if walking along asphalt roads. Admittedly, there are some nice wares sold amongst all the tat; I got a skinny grey leather waist belt from a leather shop open at 9PM for £1.99.

And sometimes a photo is just way cooler than I, or my words.

Plus, I just realised that I have written 8,390 words of the story-in-progress. Sounds quite impressive, no (except for the fact that it has been in progress for way too long)? So I hope you'll let me off for this one!

top-up

This weekend (which is when I wrote this post, deciding that at least one pre-scheduled post whilst away was necessary if I was going to make any attempts not to be a completely lazy blogger) I finally managed a succesful shopping trip.

By succesful, I mean a trip where I return with clothes which I had at least vaguely planned on buying, which I like and which will be useful. By succesful, I mean the anti-thesis of last weekend's shopping trip where I returned from a search to top-up my wardrobe with three pairs of new knickers, albeit very nice knickers which were 3 for £6.99, and a book for £1 in a closing down sale. There were a couple of times this weekend that I began to waver a little; I came very close to buying some gorgeous neon nail polish from Essie, and then later some sparkly rings in Ollie&Nic.

But I was strong.

I came away having quite literally topped-up my wardrobe, on several levels:

• All three items I bought could be worn immediately; in fact, as I didn't go straight home but spontaneously stayed over at a friend's house, I did wear one of my new items the next day - a black t-shirt with gold studs on the shoulders.
• I set off shopping with the vague idea of a new look for Autumn/Winter - something a bit edgier with drapy blacks and greys and coarse fabrics. Of course, this is never going to happen in my wardrobe, as evidenced by the violet cowboy shirt and stripy pink jumper I bought. These definitely negated the dark edginess of a black t-shirt.
• And of course, on a punny level, I did top-up. All three purchases are tops of some sort which will be perfect for adding tons more possibilities to my wardrobe. With my black top I can be dark and edgy. With my pink stripes I can be warm and cute (I did try to get navy but they didn't have my size... it's fate and the power of pink*). With my cowboy top, I am finally conceding to plaid (again, I did try to get a black and grey flannel shirt but I was just too hot).

And best of all, now that my wardrobe is entirely top topped-up, I can now begin to top it up with dresses (to layer under the cowboy shirt), top it up with cute skirts (to wear with the stripy top) and top it up with boots (to wear on my feet...)

*you'd find tons of evidence testifying to the therapeutic power of pink on this blog, but the blog search I have installed doesn't work at all. You'll have to trust me on this one for now, despite a current lack of scientific proof. Or you could tell me why the hell my search isn't working??

sub-categories

I am off again!

Only this time I feel way too busy to be going on holidays again. With every morning that I wake up at stupid early o'clock because my biological clock hasn't yet adjusted to holiday sleeping-in time, I wonder if I will sleep in at all this holiday before it's back to school and waking up at stupid o'clock somehow seems leisurely.

Normally when I am busy or stressed I make lists; I am so busy that I have begun to make sub-categories for my lists. Here is an example of one categorial list:

CLOTHES
Sew:

• Epaulettes back on dress
• Neckline on top
• Hole in cardigan and tights

Get dry-cleaned:

• Yellow dress
• Pink dress

Buy:

• New bra and sports bra
• T-shirt dress

If this is one sub-category, only try to imagine the complete list.

See you soon!

bandals

One way you could measure the extent of somebody's fashion-forwardness could be to see how many items of 'morphed' clothing they owned.

That could include the all-in-one jumpsuit, or maybe a leotard. But to an even greater extreme, you could look at their attitude towards clothes which are of so uncertain classification that we have to create new names for them.

Such as 'shoots' - the name given to the recently fashionable morphing of a shoe and a boot for those who are so fashionably experimental that a simple shoe or boot would be unimaginably boring.

Or maybe the 'jegging'. A combination of jeans and leggings, these are for those who can find no skinnies quite outrageously tight enough, who are cool enough to pull off denim leggings.

I have never been one of those people. However my aunt, who not only lives but works fashion, is. She arrived at the airport this week in those loose-crotch style trousers which are currently fashionable. Only she bought her trousers seven years ago - that is how fashion forward she is.

She came bearing gifts.

These are my new silver 'bandals'! So named, as they are a morphing of boot and sandal.

They make me want to, as evidenced in this photo, jump around. They are the most fashion-forward fashion items I have ever owned.

I will probably wear them tucked under jeans.

some pictures and words

BACK. Back from

Long lazy days in a tent which turn into long lazy nights in a tent


Trying to work off some of that laziness with power walks along the coast

Stomping across a pebbled beach is not dissimilar to half an hour on an elliptical trainer at high intensity (only with better scenery)

Then lying on the pebbles for hours, getting sunburn without noticing because of the strong wind which makes you feel cold not hot

Reading books bought at a local secondhand bookstore. One for 75p, 25p cheaper than the price on the back cover. The other in pristine condition (at time of purchase; the front cover is of course now bent and permanently creased), half the original price

Being on a constant search for the next meal

That might mean a greasy fish and chips shop, a quaint tearoom or maybe an attempt to collect some berries at a P.Y.O

Before giving up and picking a couple of the best punnets from the farm shop

BACK. Back to

Toilets where you can touch the door handle without fear of picking up a fatal disease.

Internet. TV. Overload.

A bath and clean hair.

Bed.

country living

Today I am off to the countryside for some non-internet camping fun!

I will be sporting clothes a little different from my usual urban style. Think, more over-sized fleece with leggings and converse that LGD (little grey dress) and pumps.

This weekend my cousin gave me a small bag of unwanted gifts, including a white DKNY jeans skirt and a pink polo shirt. I am thinking both are suitably un-me that they might actually get an outing this week.

See you soon, sports!

culture vulture

The moment I was free of work, I stepped on the tube to go see the film Coco avant Chanel.

Even though while I was working, I continued to read - more than normal actually, with the commute providing hours to read; write; watch 'hard-hitting TV drama', such as a rather dreamily shot history of Penicillin and TV series The Street.

But all these things are things which can fit in neatly to a tight timeframe: a lunch hour, a train ride, a couple of hours in the evening.

Now I am free to allow my activities to fill up time, and so I headed off to the cinema, where I was treated to a great film. Although I can see the flaws in the film, with its slightly disjointed ending, it was a pleasure to watch. Today, of course, I am sporting monochrome, and tomorrow probably stripes too.

However today's matinee adventure was much more exciting. On the optimistic off-chance last weekend, I typed in my membership details to the National Theatre to see if any of the sold out dates of sell-out production Phèdre would become available to me. To my intense surprise, I found two seats in the second row, which with my under-25s membership made the tickets cheaper than dinner out. I got them before even finding someone to take the other seat.

Wow. As my friend said to me afterwards: you always wonder why some actors become so famous. It's because they're actually really good.

Of course, there are some exceptions, whose faults are only highlighted onstage (read: Josh Hartnett). But there are also certain things you can only appreciate when you are literally a couple of metres away from them (read: Dominic Cooper's arms).

I noted that this play is touring first to Greece then Washington D.C. If you're lucky enough to be near either of those two locations, I recommend you book yourself a ticket!