Ah, the bliss of Summer.

 You probably realise by now, that I LIKE putting together outfits, buying pretty things, combining clothing items. But, oh, Summer, true Summer, not that half-baked British excuse for it, when all you have to do is pull on a dress  and some sandals and you are good to go, oh how I love it.
I believe this is why my wardrobe is full of dresses- because I long for that simplicity.

Of course, it is fun to pull together many layers in the winter- I've taken to wearing shirts/blouses this past year, under dresses, but no matter what, in the winter- I always feel scruffy. Winter is about layers and somehow, when you are in a rush, it isn't so fun. Whereas Summer is relaxed, summer is casual, Summer is much more laissez-faire.

This Emily and Fin dress and I get on well. Pockets- check. Cotton- check, lined- check.  Machine washable- check. fun and flattering -check. Don't have to try my size on, it just fits- check!

Thank you to WOMOTM who gave me the birthday voucher I bought this with last year.  Who'd have thought I once shunned yellow.

Long may hot days, Summer and the carefree wearing of dresses continue.
xx

Blanket cover

 It's been a long time since I wore TARDIS blue overtly.Voila, TARDIS blue in profusion!  I wasn't going to make the mistake I made last Sunday with church being freezing so I pulled out the big guns with this vintage blanket skirt. I wasn't cold. Result.

 And I find it hard to find things to wear these Irregular Choice, Poetic Licence shoes with so a minute bit of yellow was my cue!

 I really enjoyed church this morning.  We had a visitor from the cathedral who talked on going from being a disciple to an apostle.   I think one of my favourite books of the Bible is 2 Timothy which he read from.  It was the source of the first Christian song I wrote and even now, I read it and think of how encouraging its message it is.  Paul was encouraging a young Timothy in his walk with faith in Christ.  Encouragement is something really important to give each other.
Being an apostle is taking that step from following to sharing your message of faith.

It's so easy not to take the time to encourage, whether as a Christian or not.  You doubt your own self and abilities and it can be easy to forget to encourage other people in whatever.  Telling someone they are doing something well, that they can do it, telling them of the good things that have happened to you, and encouraging them in new paths. Telling someone you are praying for them, offering help and time.  A church friend has been a great source of encouragement for me this month in his family's selflessness in offering CBC and I a place to rent.

You here encourage me.  I think the encouragement that we as bloggers can give each other is very important.  Shamu, a regular commenter on this blog, has show through his poetry on his blog, that he has a constant struggle with acceptance and friendship in life (I hope you don't mind me saying that) and frequently shows gratitude for the encouragement he receives. Reciprocally, he is very, very good at encouraging people through comments, kindness and appreciation, even if his tights excitement is a little bit on the edge! :)  Lovely Laura, at Daisychain dream has struggled with eating disorders over the years, and I know as blog friends, the fact she trusts us to tell us of the struggles is an encouragement to us and we should encourage her in her journey.  Ally is finding her path presenting as a female and our encouragement of her in this is so important to building confidence. I've mentioned before, that Ally is a hugely important force of encouragement and good in the blogging world.  I could go on, but I suspect I will lose you. Every one I have come across in blogging needs encouragement. Encouragement to continue, encouragement for energy, for time and for struggles they have encountered. It is a privilege to be able to make a little contribution towards those struggles with a word here or there.

I've met a lovely new blogger this week, Ellie at This Country Girl's journal (I was her first commenter!) please go and say hi and comment on her blog to encourage her in her first month of blogging!

I hope all is well with you. Is there anything you need encouragement for? Or is there anything I can pray for? Just let me know!

xxx

Off to link up with lovely Patti who is the original encourager of beautiful bloggers everywhere with her link Visible Monday. I'm also glad it is Hat Attack with beautiful Judith because I am wearing my favourite Cloche that CBC gave me for Christmas 2 years ago!

Yet another sailor outfit!

Tis a bit of a cliche to go to the seaside dressed up as a sailor girl, but I did it anyway.

 In case you are wondering, the top is from Joules (mega sale last year), the skirt is ancient Primark (very tight!) and the raincoat (Seasalt Cornwall) with my beloved Doc martens.

Oh how wonderful it was to inhale that sea air again!

CBC and I visited Newton by the sea with J and though it was a blustery day, it was sunny. CBC and I walked towards Dunstanburgh castle.

Such bursting joy and yet tranquillity surge through my heart simultaneously in a fusion that shouldn't work yet do.  I don't care that I get messier and messier as the breeze laps at my hair because that is its overenthusiastic welcome.   The smell, even when none-too-pleasant has its place in the joy of the situation. The stumbling over uneven patches of sand and the avoidance of large piles of Bladderwrack seaweed, these are all parts of that wild experience.  The beaches in the north are wild, they are unforgiving at times, they lack Cornish and Southern prettiness, yet they have that menace and danger in them that their west-country counterparts have too.

There is a health and a rejuvenation in being blown around and hearing the compulsive returning of the tide. I find myself all too cross and grown-up at times but being here allows me to join in with my husband in fun antics.

Joy as he dashes up a slope and affecting crossness as he kicks sand into my shoes one too many times. Annoying but necessary in peeling back that grown-up and weary facade.

 I delight in my maritime companion with his ever-patient and loving nature.

Such joy to be back at sea. Whether dressed as a sailor or not!?

xxx

My bright yellow raincoat

Usually, when it comes to making expensive purchases, I um and ah over this for a long time.  I'm fine making charity shop purchases that cost a couple of pounds (do too many of these) but I worry about spending a lot on one item.  Yet, when I do, they usually end up being very useful.  Like my Doc Martens last October, they cost me a lot of money but were invaluable through the winter for my 3 miles a day walk to and from school.  For a good long time, I've wanted a good raincoat. The cheap raincoats I've been using up till now have not beeen great, they are only showerproof and I get wet, they are unstructured and they make me sweat- especially as I often running 'late' in the rain and want to get there quicker. Enter Seasalt Cornwall, whose products I came across last July when I bought a Seasalt dress in Hay on Wye. I discovered they have an excellent range of raincoats which make use of cotton with a special waxing called Tin Cloth. Not only that, but they look cool too!!!

I fell in love with their Seafolly raincoat, a cotton-based raincoat with Duffle coat toggles and a fun stripy lining but scuttled away at the cost.
 Months and months had gone by (about 9!) and I kept looking at them and thinking I really wanted a good quality raincoat.
Finally, we went to Totnes and I saw that there was a Seasalt shop in Totnes so I could go and try on the raincoats.  They had a special promotion that day with money off so I bit the bullet and bought it.
It got lots of use in Totnes over the week


I am so pleased with my raincoat- it worked well in the rain and I can wear it when it might rain.

I bought a size 10 rather than an 8 so I can wear a jumper under it.  I can recommend it highly. It makes me smile every time I see it! It also kind of completes my rainbow of coats inadvertently!

On this day in Totnes, we were visiting Sharpham Vineyard and I wore it with my Cath Kidston Ricrac dress from my Dad/Step Mum for my birthday.



And should I get lost, you'll see me a mile off!


On the cliffs...





What do you wear in the rain? Do you do lots of walking like me and need a proper raincoat?

xxx

Lemonade and daisy chain dreams

You know all this blog talk about Autumn? I'm sorry, I don't quite get it. Perhaps it was because I was away  (in the sun) and then spent most of the last week mouldering over a computer (school prep) but things have felt the same to me, I'm curiously immune to it! Sunday was gorgeously warm and sunny and I wore this ensemble to church. It was a sad day as it was the vicar's last service before moving to a new parish. He was SUCH a lovely man and I am so sorry to have missed the last 2 months of his services (I've been away that much!) but there is always the promise and hope of the new incumbent- the Lord provides!!  There's a time for everything in heaven and on earth, so there must be a time for change!


I was absolutely determined that the day would be sunny on Sunday and it was indeed, so the outfit I picked out was just fine. I actually find this lemon-yellow broderie-anglaise Topshop dress (Charity-shopped of course), quite hard to wear- I last wore it with a panama and heart-shaped sunnies in the yellow-peril post but I wanted to wear it in a different way that didn't quite it look quite so 'little girl'.

Thus, I teamed it with a Primark Daisy-print blouse tied-up, added these Clarks suede kitten-heel shoes (clothing-swap party) and then added more accessories- old Daisychain crown from Poppydaisy, daisy-earrings (?) and daisy bracelet (Tu). Finally, added my lemon necklace to play on the whole thing

To be honest, I'm not so sure I managed to stop it looking 'Little girl' but at least I achieved a different look with it.

I'm determined to get some mileage out of my beloved summer dresses so that Autumn-blogger bandwagon is passing by this house, untouched for now!!! Call back later Pal!




As you read this, I'll be back at school. I'm trying not to be blue about it, but it's just been a wonderful holiday and I am, I admit, anxious about this new school year, there just seems SO much change and despite doing lots this week, I still feel vastly unprepared! A new headteacher (a maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!), lots of new teachers joining (5-6), lots having left, a new timetable (no Reception and instead- a whole day's worth (spread over the week) of random non-music lessons in year 1 and 2), trying to find the time to train the Reception and nursery staff in music and juggle sharing instruments, a WW1 concert to organise, trying to gather evidence and finally apply for Threshold (upper-pay scale), the possibility I might still be chucked out of my lovely new classroom back to my deafening rabbit hutch, having to sort out all my 6 clubs again, process letters and applications for these (a laborious process), adapt to a new national curriculum or at least silly key-skills that we follow, having to train an orchestra with mostly new beginners, the possibility of my role at school changing to a scarier one.  I will of course, adapt,survive and find the enjoyment and joy in it, but whilst it hasn't happened, I just long for the halcyon days of last year! God be with me! And you too!
xxx


Big thanks to WOMOTM for my new tripod since the old one vanished inexplicably!

The sea and the almost wedding dress

I really love this picture! It belongs to Jen, who is one of the curators of the Style imitating art blog-challenge. It is a serigraph (?) print entitled 'The sea', printed in 1976 by St Louis-based printmaker, Richard Schallert.  Any sort of seascape is my cup of tea. I have some underlying obsession with the sea. Some day soon, I must get my sea picture framed. It was painted by my friend, Philippino artist Thomas Daquoiag, who gave it to me when we said goodbye after our year studying in Bali and cemented a love of acrylic paints in me. I'd never realised what they were before that.

I knew immediately that this M&S skirt was perfect for the challenge- it has all shades of stripey blues and the weird-piecing and sort of fishtail was appropriate (shame I couldn't be bothered to iron it- it's a PAIN to iron!) and teamed it with the necklace which is made of plastic glass-looking beads in the same shades, linked by black cord.   The top half challenged me a bit. I really don't do beige very much (apart from some lovely silk trousers- oooh totally forgot those!) and my yellow is restricted to that mustard blouse and this yellow broderie anglaise dress from Topshop (thrifted and worn on here recently). So I tucked it in to form a top.  Don't look too close, it looks decidedly dodgy up close- having an empire-line doesn't go well with a normal waisted skirt and there's a whole dress stuffed inside the skirt- the hands are in front for a reason!  Still, I quite liked the effect of the items together! Loving those roses too- thanks neighbour - soon, I am going to totally lop them off and stick them in a vase!


I also have another Style imitating art to catch up on.  The last one, curated by Salazar, was a great fun challenge as she just asked us to pick an example of the floating paper sculptures of Peter Genternaar from the Netherlands,  and everybody picked her favourite piece to interpret.  They're made of paper pulp with bamboo ribs.
I was immediately struck by the balletic grace of these artworks-they seemed to billow like they jeted across the air like a primadonna, just about to execute a perfect series of pirouettes or foutte's (ahrgh, spelling!)





It was however, this one, that I decided to draw my inspiration from:

 It totally says, "Les Sylphides" to me!
Well, my first thoughts were: er- my wedding dress.  Could I possibly get away with wearing my wedding dress, purely for the sake of art??!! (Yes, I could!)
Here it is, for a reminder (or an introduction to anyone who missed it last August)








It was totally suitable- it had pleats, a light, floaty quality to it and it moved in the twisty-turny way that the sculpture does.
But then, I felt a prize twit getting into my wedding dress for it!!!! And also, I cannot do it up by myself and I knew CBC would just think I was a twit if I asked him to do it up!  I thought about asking my friend when she came over in half-term but again, thought I'd look a twit!

My second thought was to wear the wedding dress that I bought but didn't wear! Before I found my much-longed for Johanna Hehir one (I'd given up on finding it anywhere!), I found one in Monsoon that was in the 70% off sale that was almost as lovely but in a simpler way- it was more Jane Austen that my real one- it had a ruffled/pleated bodice but a straight down bias cut skirt and a hanging pleat.  But somehow, I decided not to.

Finally, instead (I'm milking this rather uninteresting tale aren't I?!?!), I remembered this champagne-coloured silk dress I had purchased on Ebay (new) years ago! It also has a pleated bodice and a lovely hanging ruffle. I've never actually worn it because I thought it was more of a blush-pink on ebay and when I got it, there's no way you could wear this to a wedding without looking like you're trying to upstage the bride by wearing white and it's a little too posh for most other occasions (apart from maybe Ascot?!). So, rather like the saying, "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride"- it has remained in my wardrobe. I really do love it- the shape is lovely but not sure how to wear.



To create my contribution for the challenge, I took these photos (it was raining) and then proceeded to prance over my landing like a 'Sylphide' and hold some balletic poses.  Bare feet seemed appropriate for the Sylph look.

One of my nicknames is actually 'Sylph' due to my propensity to wear white floaty skirts and dresses at music camp. A fellow musician, harpist, who also delights in white floaty dresses and skirts called me that and she promptly became my 'Sylphette'

So, what do you think?  How would you have interpreted these artworks?  Would you have gone for the wedding dress?
xx


Click the links to the above bloggers' names to see how everyone else interpreted the art!

x

P.S.  I totally get the sausage dog thing. I originally thought badger or otter, but I'm seeing sausage dog now.x


P.P.S.

Just remembered this hilarious shot from the wedding photos of my sister and eye! Loved it!

(photos courtesy of KAphoto

Yellow peril

I love the film Summer Magic-  I totally adored Hayley Mills when growing up- she was so sweet and lovely and English!  When I found this Topshop dress in the St Francis Hospice charity shop, it made me think of the yellow dress she wears to the Halloween ball, or maybe some other Hayley Mills film (she seems to wear yellow in Pollyanna too) but I'm not sure which.  I've never been a fan of yellow clothing, although I do have a mustard vintage blouse and beret which I now really like, but when I saw this dress, somehow, I thought it too pretty to leave and bought it! CBC was really surprised when he saw it was yellow but when he saw it on, he said it was really pretty and I looked nice in lemon!

Yes that is my hand. But it doesn't look like it!

I teamed it with gold sandals, white cardie, Balinese shell necklace and a panama from Tiger plus these cute, cute heart sunglasses I found in Tiger when we were hurrying down Tottenham Court Road to meet friends for dinner.


It put me in mind of that saying in Pollyanna, another of Mills' famous films:

"When you look for the bad in mankind, expecting to find it, you surely will."  

It's attributed to Abraham Lincoln in the film although I believe that wasn't exactly what he said.

Now, I take this sentence in two ways.  I love looking for the good in a situation, in a person, trying to see the best in a situation, I love this for encouraging you to have a positive outlook on life.  But at the same time, seeing the bad, offers an opportunity to pray for it- for the situation.  At church today, the talk to the kids before the sermon was about remembering the wrong that we might have done this week, the things we are ashamed of and want to change.  Obviously, as  Christian, I think this is a good thing to do, because I believe that if I confess it and truly try to change, God forgives it. But it's no bad thing for any of us to do even if we aren't Christians- acknowledge and consciously think about changing that.  I put my hand up and said "Gossiping and talking about people,".  I was guilty of that this week- I've been discussing people leaving at work and people being poached to other jobs.  I didn't even think about it being wrong until it came into my mind today- but by talking about it and other's business, I am not giving people a chance to share it themselves, to talk, I might put pre-conceived ideas in people's mind. I wasn't being bitchy or negative, but then I wasn't being helpful.   I was really glad that it had come to my mind. I won't be gossiping at it. It's not my business- it's those people's business- when and what and who they want to tell. He said a saying someone said once: God doesn't rub these things in, he rubs it out.

Later, in the prayers, he asked for people and children to put their hands up and name situations in the world they wanted prayer for.  Now, I don't have a TV and I don't listen to radio and don't really read the newspapers, so I have very little idea of what is going on in the world except for what others tell me and in some ways, I prefer it this way.  Because my life is relatively free of the worries of the world.  But when I considered all the awful things in the world at the moment, such as the situation in the Ukraine, Syria, Nigeria (kidnapped girls), mining disaster,  it's really hard not to feel anxious and worried about all these terrible things that are happening.  But no, I will choose to be calm and pray until something happens! Because worrying doesn't help- it achieves nothing. But praying can do something. And this is a comfort.

Finally, one last thought: is there anything I can pray for you?  No matter how small or trivial it may seem, I would be glad and honoured to.

Linking up to:

Visible Mondays with the gorgeous Patti


What I wore to church with Carolyn McAfee



and Creative Mondays with Claire Justine

oooh and

with my Cath Kidston-recycled cards from last week!!!


*** The title is a quote from Summer Magic

Peplerm?

I love this Orla Keily x Uniglo blouse.  It is made out of really comfortable soft cotton and the print is lovely (I also have it in the grey and orange) BUT, I find it hard to wear it stylishly-

It is slightly too big for me but the sort of Peplum-style (that's what my deputy called it) just isn't flattering, it makes me look larger than I actually am!  On past occasions, I have tucked it into a higher-waisted/tight-waisted skirt so you just see it as a tucked in blouse without the floaty bit down the bottom. BUT, I want to wear it with trousers too and it just hangs there.

I wore it here with black tighter fit ASOS trousers and a knitted button-down tank- but I'd like ideas for how to wear it in more ways and with what!  I really really like it but I don't think I am doing it justice- it would be nice to wear it without the tank too! PLEASE, can you offer any suggestions?

When I wore it this time, I wanted to team it with my Miss Simmonds says mustard beret and I recently have been trying to add different accessories to this beret (and a few other hats) to give them a bit of a restyle/interestinger edge. Thus I added this purple crocheted flower to pick out the colour of the top. And added a black velvet ribbon to the shirt.  Not so sure I got that cute Sheriff look that most other people manage by adding a ribbon.

My music room is gradually taking shape!!! I put up the sea shanties today- they look really cool all ramshackle all over the board. The Musical Elements posters arrived too (sorry, new National Curriculum, the inter-related dimensions of music) and they've gone up plus my Harry Potter 1, Dumbledore quote has gone up at the top of the display board. I am going to try and find some inspiring quotes related to music to go up around the room too- not overt, but something to catch the eye.  It's looking quite nice thus far.
My day was actually, despite feeling VERY bunged up and coughy, very good- my year 5's were completing their Sailor's hornpipe tunes (you can tell the theme this term is water, sailors etc?) and actually came up with some very successful performances. This year, I am trying to take a bit more time with some things that otherwise I would have rushed in one lesson and I can see the benefits of this in the quality of their music-making and enjoyment! The afternoon is my time out of class, so I got lots of little bitty jobs done (like the displays, no hoovering this week), and then in drumming club, we continued to write our 'Ghosts v federation' battle drumming which sounds pretty cool! Despite all this, I am VERY glad it is almost Saturday (a very very tiring Friday to get through- remember my Wednesday? This has now transferred to Friday instead, except that I get no break whatsoever now as there is no assembly for my classes every other Friday and since I am swapping Keystages between lessons 1 and 2, they have breaks at different times which works out badly for me.  Worse still, I have year 1 for three out of the four curricular lessons- my LEAST favourite year group to teach music to.  SO immature still but have to do the National Curriculum! Sigh.   Just got to get through.)

I've been messing around with Picmonkey. REALLY should be doing better things than adding purple daisies to pictures of myself!

SIA- Feeding the Ducks

Feeding the Ducks, by Mary Cassatt

Drypoint and aquatint, with monotype inking, on paper, 1895

I do enjoy the Style Imitating Art challenge with Jess and Salazar.
I learn a little more about art and have some feeling of 'ownership' over that painting if that makes any sense at all.  Often, I like a painting but don't remember it- but the SIA paintings stick with me and I feel I know them more!
Thoughts on this one:
Beautiful colours, interesting characters, fun cartoon quality, hilarious outfits and DUCKS- one of nature's most hilarious animals!
Is that my Mum in the yellow top in the painting!  For some reason it makes me think of her!x
The print on the lady in peach's dress makes me think of Alex and Char's #Wardrobe zoo - I can't work out what the print is though!
Little girl- nice headband, just about to pitch over into the water! Cue screaming mamas!

Here's my take on them.

Left and right are surely obvious- the print on the trousers actually matches the lady's skirt though hard to see at the distance (they are F&F at Tescos), blouse (vintage).  When I wore this, I wanted to wear a flower headband like the little girl but didn't think the white went with it so opted for Sunflowers!  Lots of 'Peaceman' comments at church! Duck earrings too if you look closely! Flower belt (River island) supposed to represent the swans as it has feathery petals!

The central dress is vintage Laura Ashley belonging to my Mum which combines little girl's colour with the shape of peach lady.  A family friend was wardrobe mistress for one of our local Amateur operatic societies for years and housed their costumes in her loft.  She's a great source of costumes herself any way (and helped me with the dalek dress).  Recently, because she had resigned from the post, someone came to collect the costumes.  She remembered that my Mum had given her 2 Laura Ashley dresses if the society needed to use them at all and so she kept these.  I was wildly excited when she told me this and clearly, if it hadn't been midnight when we spoke,I'd have run round there instantly! I mentioned it to Mum the next morning and she immediately said, "Oh it must be your Laura Ashley pink floral bridesmaid dresses."  (from when my sister and I were 7 and 10 respectively).  You can imagine I was a bit gutted.  So when I went round there to see her (forgot my front door key and she has a spare) , when I opened the bag and discovered two adult Laura Ashley dresses, I was delighted!  (she also gave me late birthday presents of handmade mini-hat  fascinator, homemade piccalili and a mirror!).  Obviously, this isn't the type of vintage dress I am going to be wearing all the time, it's a little too "costume" for that, but I am still chuffed! Definite possibilities though! 

Now, if only her brown 70's maternity dress turned up, then I'd be a happy bunny- it was an AWESOME dress which I remember from childhood and from beautiful photos of my Mum that I found at my Grandad's house!

Supergirl!

That's what he called me.  All.  Day.

I get it, I do!
I had to do the pose otherwise he refused to take the shots.  He also wanted an ironing board shot! I flatly refused! I am willing, not stupid!


I found the dress in a charity-shop yesterday when looking for shoes in my local town.

Teamed with Miss Simmonds swap beret and belt from other dress with Primark cardigan and ruby-slipper Toms, Topshop necklace and Cath Kidston earrings.

Another awesome day.  We went to the vicarage to fill in wedding forms (hard to believe we will be getting wed in just over 4 months!) and then headed off for a private lindy lesson with Simon which went well, lots more basic improvement. We then went to an East Coast swing dance social lesson out in Essex which was brilliant as I picked up loads and loads of moves which I then remembered and was able to do with lots of people!  It was so much fun!

Thank you for all your kind comments and compliments! I do hope you are all well!xx

I have to send a huge thanks to Char who managed to track down a pair of size 8 wedding shoes for me in Taunton. Now just have to find someone that could pick them up for me!

Is it too late for Visible Monday Patty? I stood out a mile today in this ensemble!!!x

Linking also to Claire Justine's Share your style Saturdays Do join up with it,she's lovely and I know she'd like to welcome others!!!