Hey Baby, welcome to the 60's!

Clearly, I was channeling my Mum in my choice of outfit this morning!  When I pick up anything by Orla Keily, I always think of the 60's with the psychedelic flower patterns!!!  I'd really recommend the Uniglo heat-tech range, they really do keep you warm- I was just wearing this top outside and I wasn't at all cold!
I decided to go with my Mum's 60's bunches and a baker-boy hat with added daisy!


You may even tell that I am wearing turquoise-blue eye-liner to celebrate the 60's, and I wasn't even going anywhere!! One of my favourite (and only) make-up looks of my twenties was the wearing of turquoise eye-liner and turquoise mascara. 

I intended to spend the day doing school-work but instead spent the day on Operation Mouse and found the turquoise eye-liner during the process!  I am not supposed to be moaning during Lent but am fast getting really annoyed with the mice! How dare they visit uninvited to my house??? Why are my neighbours not doing anything about them!?  I have purchased all manner of mouse deterrants and ways of ridding but they are still visiting!  I discovered from my neighbours that they have them too (and I should be able to tell that from the scamperings I can hear under floorboards from one end of my house to the other!) but they haven't done anything about them, or at least they hadn't at first!!!

I am so excited tomorrow I get to see my best friend from primary and secondary school who I haven't seen for at least 6 years!  She lives in Denmark now but we're meeting up tomorrow to go to Vivien of Holloway!  She's also getting married! 

Hope you are all well.
Lots of love,
Kezzie xx

Highland fling!

Ha!!!!!! How to make CBC turn the other way and not berate you for buying yet another dress (Though I am of course berating myself in retrospect.  Honestly, I need to keep mself out of temptation's way...).  Take him into the charity shop to search for the book you need for the Blogging good read you are taking part in (Ended up buying it on 1-day delivery from Amazon since local library failed to come up trumps with my inter-library reservation grr.  Was on schedule to finish it Friday night until stupidly left it locked in school after taking it up to the staffroom at lunchtime to read during lunch.  Why can't I ever leave that room without leaving something!) and then whilst, by good fortune, his best friend calls on the phone, your eye is caught by the cutesy purple and blue tartan mini-dress on the end of a rack- you then point it out delightedly and in his distraction, he gives you the thumbs up! Somehow, in the confusion, amidst his obvious admiration of the dress, you take it up to the counter, swiftly pass across the £3 required and dash out the shop before he knows what hit him! (To be fair, it wouldn't work with say, a vintage tartan jacket in size 12- he'd mouth 'Grandma' at me, which is what happened when I tried to unsuccessfully to repeat the manouvere)



The dress seemed to say 60's to me, so I teamed with with a navy turtle neck, purple tights and er-un60's shoes!


Hair: oh how I wish I were brave enough to emulate the beehive look that I see many other bloggers attempting!  I'm too scared of getting my hair-brush stuck and having a sort of Friends, hair has to be cut out incident, when attempting the backcomb.  So instead I did the sides up and added a headband!


Jewellery:
A special shout-out to the lovely Luan at Green Tea and Cupcakes, in whose Giveaway, I won this stunning bangle a long while ago.  Isn't it utterly dreamy, so vivid and pretty!  It is the smoothest, loveliest stone to sit and absent-mindedly run your hand over, as is the banlge part.  Most bangles really annoy me (and I confess, they have ended up in the cull pile, sorry! It's usually only fitted bracelets for me.  Unless, I find that elusive bakelite one I long for) but this one is just lovely! Teamed with Primarni's finest rose earrings!


Today has been a good day.  Reception was lovely in the morning!  I taught them a new song called Cobbler cobbler mend my shoe in which the children have to have a dialogue  singing.  They did really well at it, especially D, little autistic boy who I captured on video singing it really perfectly with another little girl! 

Surprisingly, Year 6 were really good this afternoon.  I mean, not good as in they were totally well-behaved and focused BUT they really did well in composing and performing their own multilayer 'street cries' songs.  Must have been something in my calmly telling them that Shouting is not even Level 1 in music and I really shouldn't still be hearing it in Year 6!  Somehow they wanted to behave today, thank the Lord!

In case you didn't catch it- I took part in the lovely Floss's A pause for Advent yesterday. Do have a look if you can. It's always nice to have feedback!
x

Beret treasure

I think, like the tabloids and their headlines, bloggers are a sucker for plays on words for blog-titles (bad ones in my case!)

Despite the best of intentions, I lacked the willpower and somehow ended up buying a new hat.  Yes, another one.  Tell me off, do.

But this pale blue one, soft and fluffy called out to me and said, "Take me home"

It made a lovely addition to this 1950's/1960's dress I wore (with a print like graph paper!).

I say that as the date as that's what the vintage shop I bought it in, dated it as: The label said, TRINA LEWIS & MARJON COUTURE AT BAKER SPORTSWEAR. London W1- it has seams that are not-overlooked.  Any ideas?  I really like the buttons down the side instead of zip!

This is what I wore on the day of our special Harvest assemblies. 

 The assemblies were really lovely.  The children were really excited and they sang (though unfortunately a little shouty) their songs really well and enthusiastically.  The choir, especially, sang really well- they are making such a beautiful sound so far (and did I mention- 5 boys, soon to become 7?!?!). The recorders played Ode to Joy and Thankyou Lord,  really nicely.  Though I was a little disappointed that so many children forgot to bring in a harvest food gift for the homeless projects, those who gave, were really generous.  The whole experience was made really special.  The vicar from the local church came in and was really fun and inspiring as usual (he usually gives us all a heart attack with dashing around games for the children) but his message was simple and memorable.  It inspired me.

I really want to be creative and continue to exercise my musical skills- one of my aims I mentioned previously was to write at least two new songs or pieces a term, so I want to get on and do that.  I was inspired by a new song for Remembrance Sunday at church choir practice last night, to write a song for my choir at school based on the poem For the fallen, by Laurence Binion: 

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

*Reproduced from http://www.firstworldwar.com/poetsandprose/binyon.htm

Isn't that an amazing message?! I can imagine my children singing some of these words to a soaring melody!  Only hope my piano-part writing is up to it!  I am definitely hampered by my own piano-playing abilities into using open fifths! I'd hate to make a mess of such a beautiful poem. I'd better get it done super quick though! Otherwise I'll miss the boat for practising before we get ensconced into Christmas repertoire!



Hello stripy! (It's another hat homage let them eat hats 29 or something like that!)

 That's what they said.  ALL.  BLOOMING.  DAY!

 

Come on and join in the 60's dance class!  We're doing the 'swim', 'the pony', the 'dive', the 'pose', and the er 'hands on shoulders'.

Oh and I'm wearing a lovely old hat. (from Accessorize) - I found it when searching for an elusive glove (it remains so)