Hat Peter

Hello there mes amies! How nice it is to be on holiday! We've done lots of weddingy things so far and seen some friends. I've been swingdancing 3 times in a 30 hour period. We went to the Kursaal in Southend again which was super fun and then had a dance lesson with Simon and finally, I went to London for a lindy class last night! Was really good apart from getting accidently headbutted in the front teeth by someone dancing as I turned round!! In fact, yesterday was an absurdly busy day. We left CBC's house at 7.30am to get to a dance lesson in West London for 9am. We then came home and went straight to Marriage prep class for 2 hours. A quick half an hour for lunch and then CBC dropped me off at my work colleague's wedding ceremony. Next, I jumped on a bus into town to pick up a parcel and buy some YSL Touche Eclat. Finally, I came home, got changed and headed into London for a 3 hour Lindy class!! On my way home, I popped into Tescos for some shopping and then it was almost midnight!!! The photo above is what I wore to my colleague's wedding. I didn't have time to change after the marriage prep so I had to wear this and just added a hat and heels to try and smarten it up a bit. The dress has a cute Peter Pan collar and I found it in St Francis hospice. It's a little more monochrome than I would ever usually wear to a wedding. Actually, I was wearing a bright pink straw hat originally, but my Deputy Head has borrowed it to wear for my wedding as it goes perfectly with her cardigan so I returned hatless and put this one on instead! Perhaps it would have been more suitable in terms of matching? I was THE ONLY person with a hat on!! SHOCKING! It's soo soo hard to believe that this time in 2 weeks, I am going to be married. It's only 9 days until the wedding now. SOOOO many things to do still but I'm sure we will get them done! I do hope things are well with you and please forgive me for my lack of posting and not being able to comment loads! Too many distractions! lots of love, Kezzie xx

Time and relative dimension in space

Sorry, I have been rather busy, I was whisked away in a strange blue box that sent me to another world!  It all started when I was running away from some sinister-looking shop-dummies that seemed to be moving in West London. Twas very strange. I had lots of great adventures, but if I told you about them, I would be breaking the official secrets act!

However, it did mean I have managed to get lots done!

How's you?

xx

Saturday morning feeling

The light is dappled and there is a hushed stillness that makes it feel like it's your world, just yours.  You creep downstairs and into the garden where the sneaky tabby cat slinks under the fence, away from the hole he has just dug.  You water the flowers there in your pajamas, you wander and a soft breeze reminds you that you're not quite alone, that God is there with you ready to speak to you. 

Oh how I love the joy and beauty of awaking early on a summer holiday morning, obeying the body's instinct to rise and enjoying that feeling of beautiful solitude!

xx

10 things to be thankful for: 25/7/2013

1.  Oh joy of joys!  The end of term today!!!!!
2.  The comaradery and friendship at my school.  We shared a picnic together after fire training which was a lovely opportunity to chill and eat nice food together
3.  The skills and the kindness of friends and colleagues:  I wasn't totally happy with the trial I had with the hairdresser and one of the TAs who is training in beauty saw the picture I was hoping for and said she'd have a go at doing it and today she tried it out during breaktime.  I was really pleased with what she did with it- she's so clever!
4.  The anticipation of a lie in!
5.  The opportunity to see my lovely little sister tomorrow! (Who incidentally, is making my name cards for my wedding!! She's coming to try out her adjusted bridesmaid dress.)
6.  The opportunity to share with others. I have currently got 5 bunches of flowers in my house which were given to me as gifts.  I only have 2 vases.  I took a bunch to a friend tonight (stating the situation) and she was really pleased with them!  Hurrah!
7.  My homegroup from church.  There were only 4 of us tonight, but I do love them. I really felt we learnt something tonight which I don't want to lose but to carry through.
8.  Cold showers:  yep, my boiler is still broken (only because I haven't called the plumber back after his first attempt) but the cold showers have been just the ticket!
9. Appreciation from children.  Reeally does make a difference!
10.  The joy and blessings of a colleague's daughter being engaged and having achieved a wonderful, perfect new job at the same time.  She also won a designer wedding dress in a competition.  God has blessed her for her patience and honouring him!

What are you thankful for?

On the make

Hello there!

You may think I've been quiet on the making front and in some ways, you may be right, but I have been doing wedding related crafty-stuff. Not loads, but some!  However, I had the opportunity over the past couple of weeks to make 2 wedding cards.Now, I actually find wedding cards quite hard to make.  It really does take some thinking in my case and usually takes a while.




This first one was for a lovely blogging friend who recently got married. Hard, when you're not sure of what the colour scheme is etc but my most favourite bible reading is 1 Corinthians 13*, which is so poetic and beautiful and I wanted to share those words with some simple decoration.




The next one is for my fellow bride at school, our finance officer (who is amazing! She's been my kind of 'human-checklist' for things I am supposed to be doing!).  Her colour scheme is baby pink and pale blue.  Originally, I wanted to incorporate both but as it happens, it didn't look right so I chose the pink (bridesmaid colours). I knew I wanted to quill flowers but wasn't sure what to do.
I browsed Google images looking for inspiration and came across an amazing, amazing quilling card maker called Jill Chapman whose cards are exquisite!!! I took inspiration from (ok, really tried to imitate!) this card she made here.  I hope she doesn't mind me imitating it (badly) but I really recommend going to her if you want a special card- she personalises them and they are breathtakingly beautiful!




Finally, I thought I'd show you this card I gave to my Brother-in-law for his birthday.  This card was one of the first I ever made when I started making 'collaged' cards.  I made it totally out of scrap packaging (apart from the star) and I have kept it in my collection for over 8 years! Finally, I realised I should part with it.  No other mosaic-design has ever pleased me quite so much as this one.  Maybe it's the slightly uneven, wonky feel to it, but I loved it!  It inspired a whole church holiday club craft activity where I painstakingly cut over 2000 mosaic tiles out of scrap cardboard and supervised children making cards with them!

This one would be a fun one to do with your child this holiday!  They could make a whole stash of cards!x

1 Corinthians 13
13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Swing when you're grinning!

Hello there!

Thank you to all you tempting people who tried to persuade me to buy the musical dress.  I shall, despite my yearning, resist, and hope that the dress will be there in some months when I don't have the anxiety of wedding budgets to deal with!

I have had the loveliest few days (despite being at school on two of them).

By the way, I should say a hello to my secret blog reader who I discovered on the train last week!!!! Hello!  It was really nice to see you and since we will be living in the same town, let's meet up sometime!

On Sunday, I organised a hen picnic!  I knew that I didn't want a stereotypical hen night/weekend for various reasons- a) don't really like club/bars unless they involve swing dancing and then that would be rude to just abandon my hens for the eevening so I can dance. b) too expensive!  c) not for everyone!

So, I thought a picnic would be a really nice cheap way that wouldn't hopefully put anyone out too much! Everyone was asked to just bring a dish to share.  No real organisation about it, so we could have ended up with 18 potato salads!

We met in the beautiful park in my local town, near the mansion and found a lovely shady tree.  Gradually, friends arrived and we formed a mosaic of blankets and put out our food on the various blankets




Over the afternoon, around 18 friends came.  Everyone seemed to bring more than just one dish and there was a whole host of leftovers!


I had to laugh at my friend M who bought along a cake stand with cucumber sandwiches done in the Ritz style and scones, jam and clotted cream! In fact, three lots of scones were brought along!

Fancy a scone?
As well as making chivey potato salad, a regular salad, pretzels and caramel bites, I attempted some baking and using the ancient Self-raising flour in the cupboard and other things I found, I made cheesy-hearts- a variation on the Cheesy Stars recipe I found in the Usbourne kids Christmas food cookery book!

Cheesy hearts

It was SUCH a lovely chilled afternoon, a great opportunity for me to catch up with friends and indeed, friends to catch up with friends.  It was great that some of my wedding guests could meet each other too and one lovely TA from school (who I am GUTTED can't come to the wedding because of her holiday) said it was the only opportunity she has had to really have a chat to one of my fellow teachers in about a year!   The weather was perfect-warm but not too much!


I also got presents which I totally wasn't expecting!  A pink sash, a veil and tiara, a lucky sixpence and a ring holder, flowers, scented candles and lotions! 

The only downside of the afternoon was when I tripped over my own trousers (HOW?!) and scraped my knee which is now scabby, even more so when I scratched it tonight at lindy and made it bleed! That's going to look nice in wedding photos!

Then on Monday night, CBC and I discovered a new lindy class in Southend-on-Sea.  It was an absolutely brilliant evening at the Kursaal centre on the seafront.  We ate fish and chips beforehand and danced from 8.30 till 10.45pm in a small class with a super teacher who taught us some fun Charleston variations which I felt I cracked!  The top picture is the setting of the Kursaal centre!

This afternoon was our school talent show and I accompanied a child singing 'Heal the world' who WON! Bless him, he did so well aged 7! 

Tonight, I headed off to London for my 9th week of lindy lessons on the trot.  Again, it was a positive, successful evening and I even got a 'good' from Simon, the dance teacher when he danced with me to demonstrate at one point!  I had a great evening and am feeling positive about only 2 days left at school!!!
And that's enough about me.  How about you?x

Chevrons and minims

I saw a link to his designer's Etsy shop.  HOW gorgeous is this skirt? Kelly Falconer is her name!  Alas, I cannee buy it but I adore it! SHe has it in blue too which in retrospect, I like even more!



Another item I found via the Twobirds Love birds link was this gorgeous Musical dress!  I really like it!  Quite reasonable priced too!

Happy sun make my marigolds (and cosmos) grow...

Hello there!  I come home fresh (hot and sweaty maybe?!?!) from Exhibition Evening at school.  It is an evening celebrating hard work, art and is the culmination of our special Geography term.   It is a chance to loook admiringly at the creativity of colleagues as they find new ways to get children to make art, write and display the work in a clever way!  For me, this year, it was a showcase of some of the ensembles in school. 
My Year 2 choir sang to their parents for the first time after the festival I took them to 2 weeks ago.  They sang a delightful selection of songs from a lovely book called Happy Sun High from Nikki Davies at Out of the Ark music (a great singing book with CD for any KS1 or FS teachers out there)



Drumming club played samba pieces.  Hilariously, as 3 children turned up late, I managed to enlist an ex-pupil from last year's samba band to play at the last minute as he was sitting watching.  Another ex-member helped out also!

Year 2 music club played some lullabies and a melody they had composed, and did really well, it's the first time they've performed.

My older choir were lively as usual but gave a great spirited performance!

Sweetly, one of my year 5's played a solo version of Titanic!



Though may marigolds are growing, my cosmos are still to flower.  They have definitely grown, but I hope flowers will bloom in abundance in three weeks ready to be my wedding bouquet or at least do SOMETHING at my wedding!


I guiltily bought this vintage dress at the weekend at a shop in Maldon from a very nice lady in a lovely 400 year old tea house called Truly Scrumptious which not only does beautiful food in a lovely setting but has a vintage clothing section and antique section which you can go and browse whilst your fiance plays with their smartphone!
I surreptitiously purchased and carried downstairs but apparently, according to CBC, he knows when I have bought something as I come skipping down the street in glee. Right, must remedy that- must look miserable when having bought something! I like it because it is modest but still cute. Any ideas on date?  They weren't totally sure.  It's a Bertex dress!x

Hope you are well!x

The day of feelings

Disbelief - I cannot quite believe this, but I just caught a mouse. I thought my mouse problems were solved a while ago, but I saw one scurry under my stairs on Friday. Just now, I was reading an e-mail when I heard a sort of mousy scuttle coming from around my toaster. I peered into my toaster and saw nothing. Then I picked the toaster up and behind it was a mouse. I screamed and it ran left towards the corner where my hob is. (I have a lot of my worktop.). I nervously moved the porridge jar and the TARDIS biscuit tin and then realised it was behind the pasta jars (tail gave it away). I admit to then grabbing a potato masher and poking the end of it into the corner. It squeaked in protest and then scarpered back towards the floor. I caught with a lock and lock jar, by some miracle (it was FAST!) when it leapt onto the floor. It's now trapped like a spider under the tub but I have no idea how to transfer it outside as unlike a spider, it is heavy and I am not sure the cardboard manouvere will work.

Guilt - despite the fact it is a squatter, I feel bad that I may have trapped and broken one of it's ankles under the tub. I'm not sure- it's lying very still there under the tub.

Sadness - On the subject of considered vermin, as I walked to the library today, noticed a pigeon in the road, flapping its wings defeatedly in a decidedly odd way and failing to move. I put down my bags and walked into the road. The poor thing had a MASSIVE pink tumor or sore or abcess or something on its head and it couldn't really move. I came towards it and it flapped anxiously but couldn't do anything so I picked it up with its wings folded down and put it in a neighbour's drive way (stupidly, I now reflect, why didn't I put it in MY driveway, then I could keep an eye on it). As I put it down, it looked awkwardly back at me, in confusion. It looked really bamboozled. I headed to the library with tears in my eyes, feeling really sad over it, not sure what to do. When I came back from the library, it was still in the driveway so I went and got some linseed and came towards it but it frantically tried to run away. I left it then because I was going out but when I got back, I couldn't see it in the dark. I hope that it either has a quick end or gets better. Who'd have thought I'd be so upset over a pigeon.

Dizzy - I went to swing dance tonight and it was really really hot! As I danced, I felt a pain my my shoulder region. I then dug my fingers in and massaged it hard. I felt really queasy and dizzy at that point, it hurt so much and I had to abandon my partner and go and sit outside. Super embarassing.

Nervous: Oh my goodness, I have to play piano for Meditation by Massanet for a past violin pupil who is coming to play at my school concert on Thursday evening. It's HARD and famous!!! She's amazing and I really don't want to screw it up for her!

Amazed: Year 1 have been studying Brazil as part of Geography week and I reluctantly agreed to teach them some samba (it's something I would do with year 5-6) and to my amazement, they were able to play, remember and obey correctly, the stop and start signals and maintain 7 different parts at once. Ok, they weren't totally in time with that element, but it was quite astonishing!

Touched: It was probably my last lesson with one of my year 2 classes today and they all sighed sadly when I said as such. Then, one of the boys, who is a boyish boy if you know what I mean, he's not one to show affection or act too much like he really likes a teacher, he came over and hugged me and said he hoped he could be in my music classes next year and would miss me.

Happy: I am excited about the next month and I am happy about the sunshine, dance and everything to be done What about you? What did you feel today?

Marriage Preparation

Hey there! I thought I'd share a little about the Marriage preparation course I am taking part in. When we first decided to get married at my church, my vicar said that we would have to complete a marriage preparation counselling course. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, some people had told me of different experiences. I was a little anxious, wondering how it would go but have gone into it. We are studying a guide called Preparing for marriage by Boehi, Nelson, Schulte & Shadrach. General publisher Dennis Rainey. It is biblically based and refers to God's equation for marriage. It is some 250 pages long and has taken a while to complete (still going) but it is incredibly useful and really gets you to think about things and why marry and the potential difficulties you may come across. Today's session was on 'Building oneness' in particular, authentic communication. The beginning of the chapter states: The extent to which you can "listen to understand" and "express to be understood" will help determine the level of intimacy in your marriage. It deals with proper listening habits, speaking principles, what to say and how to say it and when to communicate. A lot of it is common sense but it is so easy to not make the effort or not take the time to understand or be understood or to not do it. This spoke quite pertinently to me tonight as I have been struggling with being stressed really easily over getting things ready for the wedding. I have not communicated this too well and thus, I truly felt God was speaking to me here, in advance of our marriage, to help me with what I really needed to know right now! A lot that was positive came out of it and CBC and I felt we both knew a bit more about each other and how we need and want to communicate in our marriage. The quotes that are very helpful include: "But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger." James 1:19b(yep, very true- I need to think more before speaking in my stress) "A wise man will hear and increase in learning, a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel" Proverbs 1:5 (advice is cruical if not sure what to do!) "When there are many words, transgressio is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise" Proverbs 10:19 (sometimes I really just need to shut up!) "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven... a time to be silent and a time to speak" . Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 7b (again sometimes I just need to stress in my head!) I loved this quote (p151): Listening is hard work. It requires hearing with more than our ears -we use our eyes and our hearts as well. That is why authentic communicatin requires proper listening habits." I'm looking forward to having this book as a manual to refer to (in addition to prayer!) when I am married as it is really helpful! I am also looking forward to finishing it!

All things bright and beautiful!

How gorgeous many things have been this weekend. The sun, the good company, the food, the rest,the things completed, the music and the worship and the polka dot dresses! How has your weekend been? Sorry, I haven't been writing much! Just seem to be on the go all the time! But I have been trying to read your posts when I can, just my computer is so slow that things can be a little frustrating sometimes! Hugs to you all xx

High schools girls

Let's start with the nice- I picked up this tartan mini-dress at the same time I bough the checked-Miss Selfridge dress I wore at the Flower Festival and was pleased with it. I did feel like an extra from Neighbours or Home and Away in it! It definitely had that High school look to it! Worn with Primark pumps (bought for dancing) and vintage earrings and Wolf-moon necklace- probably not really visible!) Sophie asked about my bag. It was a gorgeous present from a handbag-obsessed TA from my school who asked if I would like it as she'd bought another satchel! Now the not so nice. Every so often, I feel the need to have a little rant on here about something. Well, I'm not going to have an uber rant but there was a conversation between two young (newish) Teaching assistants in the staffroom at lunchtime today that really riled me. They were talking about a previous school they'd worked at and they talked about a drunk colleague trying it on with them. One remarked that there are some people that want to get up the ladder and the conversation moved onto someone who 'must have wanted to move up or something like that. They then said, "I couldn't believe it when I found out that _____ had a boyfriend because she was ugly/disgusting, had no dress sense so she must be easy, that's why he's with her" Instantly, I felt really disgusted at such shallow, horrid comment. Firstly, calling someone ugly like that and judging them negatively on their clothes (I like making positive comments about things people wear- I don't think of the opposite at all!). Just writing someone off like that. I felt compelled to say something and I said, (it wasn't my conversation by the way, I was just sitting at the table eating soup) "I'm sure she's a nice person and that's why he's with her,". To which they instantly retorted that she had no personality, she was really boring and dull and didn't say anything. I responded saying, "She's probably the type of person that doesn't feel comfortable around certain types of people (NAMELY judgmental 'in-crowd' types like you. Didn't say it but wish I had done) and she shines with people she feels comfortable with, not with those that she feels uncomfortable around." At which point, they just totally blanked me and continued with their conversation of bitching and I just had to walk out of there and go into the toilet. I was fuming. How horrid of them! Why oh why do people have to judge based on looks. Do they not know that people have a comfort zone? I regard myself as not pretty,(I know I have a nice smile though!) and if I feel uncomfortable around 'in-crowd' types, I really find it hard to talk/ come across well and yet I shine in many other types of company. During my PGCE, my main geographical group was totally the in-crowd type and perhaps that's why I never really gelled with them, they were too concerned with being popular and excluding anyone who wasn't one of them. Perhaps people wonder how come I had such a lovely boyfriend (incidently, not easy- quite the oppposite in fact) but the thought of people sitting there being so rude and horrible about it makes me really cross. It makes me all the more glad and firmly believe that Jesus's standard of not judging by worldly standards but by trying to see the beauty and value in everyone is all the more important to try and hold to. And be sure to call me up on anything I say if you feel I am not holding to this. I am by NO means someone who doesn't say mean thing at times, I am quite sure I do, and I am sorry for and repent of those. But I do not want to conform to such worldly standards. I am quite sure that all my lovely blog friends here would never say anything as nasty as what I heard earlier and that is why I like this community, I don't experience such things here, but see kind girls who build each other up and encourage each other. And largely, that's what and who I experience in life too. I just needed to comment on something when it is so alien to what I am used to and expect. Forgive me if you think I am over-reacting. Perhaps I am, but I did feel the need to say something, even if not directly. *FYI, anyone not sure what I mean by 'in-crowd' I am talking about the stereotypical popular preppy-type girls, who always feel they have a gang who set the mode of what's cool and what's not and look down on others. Let's end with something pretty. Well, where I planted my wildflowers, it appears that marigold bulbs were already there so maybe that's why they didn't grow there! The marigolds grew and are coming out in a beautiful array of orange joy! My mum makes a nice marigold moisturizer out of them so I am having to pick and save when I see they're on the out!!! How are you anyway?x

10 things to be thankful for

So many things that could be taken for granted!  But I thank God for each and every one of them!  Never fails to bring contentment to me!

1.  For the gorgeous, gorgeous sun- oh how it seems a rosy glow onto everything.
2.  For my wonderful orchestra friend who it was wonderful to see on Sunday afternoon for great music-making.
3. For understanding friends.  One of the other girls in orchestra got married last month and we had a lovely chat about weddings and stresses and she really understands/understood.  She really got it and was able to understand and tell me about her experiences.  Empathy and experience- very important attributes!
4.  For good food!  Nothing makes a lovely day better than a tummy full of delicious food! 
5.  The knowledge that I am getting married in a month.
6. An understanding CBC.  Despite me being the biggest grump in the universesometimes lately , he still is sweet to me!
7.   For the joy of writing - letters, prayer-journal, poems, cards, whatever- it is something that grounds me!
8.  For ice-lollies- Mmmmmm, cool, delicious!!!
9.  Only 2 weeks and 4 days left at school (I say only. It's been a loooooong half term! However, the end is in sight!)
10. For family and friends and all they do for me!  Mummy, I love you!x

WHat are you thankful for?xx

Floral festivities

Step aboard the Kezzie-express eastbound to flowers!
As I mentioned in my Sunday post, I went to a local flower festival at a wonderful church.  Where I live is very Surburban, builtup and city-like. It does have some green parts but it is by no stretch of the imagination, is it countryside.  However, there is a really lovely church not to far away that could be in a tiny village from the way it looks!

The theme of the flowerswas this year overground and underground- on

The tube line



Alight at Upton Park for West Ham united

I loved the combination of the blue and claret flowers
Angel

This heavenly vision was really beautiful up close.  I do love white flowers.
Baker Street

I'm never sure what those weird alien looking flowers are with the pointy stalks coming out of the middle are, but they were SOOOO clever for evoking the pipes of Sherlock Holmes for Baker Street! 
In the middle of our visit, my mother and my niece and I went to go and find a cup of tea and strawberries.  The latter had sadly run out but we did find a rather gorgeous mini Barn owl called Bramble!!!!


Each of the pew ends was marked with a cute red and white display to symbolise the Central line (the nearest station to the church is on the Central line)- they all had different tube names attached.


Alight at Charing Cross for Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column.

This display was, I think put together by two men.   They always do a display every year and it is always most impressive!  This had a water feature and everything! 
Holland Park

Holland Park apparently has a memorial or house where you can see a wonderful mosaic.  This was represented in the floral display here, my personal favourite.  The lady who made this actually goes to my church and her flowers are always astounding!
Kensington Gardens

You can see the Peter Pan statue here and the flowers reflected in the orange flowers!
Oval

Alight at the Oval or a cracking Cricket match!
Physic garden at...??

I've totally forgotten what the station was for this display but I adore the rustic quality of this one!


Regent's park for London zoo

I adore daisies and I loved the animals hidden amongst the display!
Covent Garden

Home of the royal Ballet, represented by the red roses!!! The Gypsophyllia representing Les Sylphides!
St Paul's

A clever representation of the shape of the dome!
Tower Hill

Are these flowers REALLY blue?  What are they?  I am most intrigued!

Charing Cross for Trafalgar square

And here is an extra shot of Trafalgar square. Hands up who's paddled in the fountains on a hot day apart from me!?!?!

Which one is your favourite?

Edited to add:
Oh and it is the lovely Intrinsically Florrie's 4th blogiversary!  Very appropriate that I had this one scheduled givent that the title is how she often celebrated her blogiversary.  Go and visit her and vote for her lovely outfit in the Swapshop competition!!!

Elizabeth Goudge

Hello!
How are you?  Well, I hope!  Isn't it a super day!?!  I love the sun! 
When I was young, the BBC made a children's TV series called Moonacre (it starred the girl who played Jill in The Silver Chair as Maria Merryweather).  It really captured my heart, that series and I watched the credits with sadness when the series finished.  But as those credits rolled, I noticed the 'adapted from Elizabeth Goudge's book- Little White Horse.  It was then that I went to WH Smith and ordered my first book (usually I'd buy what they had in the shop). 
Goodness knows what happened to my original copy but recently, I found a copy of it in a charity shop and bought it gleefully.

It tells the story of Maria Merryweather, a Victorian girl aged 16, who goes to live in her cousin's home, Moonacre in the Moonacre valley near the village of Silvery Dew.  She sights a little white horse fleetingly as she arrives.  Much is mysterious at Moonacre, people call her the Moon Princess and she seems to spy what her nurse, Miss Heliotrope, used to call her imaginary friend when she was a litle girl.  There seems a great mystery.  Why did all the previous Moon princesses have to leave Moonacre, why did they always quarrel with the Sun Merryweathers. And who is that little white horse and why does Wrolf, the companion dog, seem so like a lion? 
The story is really beautiful, wonderfully imaginative with a great deal of heart, love and mystery.  The people of SilveryDew have faith that all will turn out well this time with Maria as Moon Princess.  A lovely story that girls particularly would enjoy.  Her powers of description are just enough to make you sigh at the beauty of it but not too much to bore you! It's over 50 years old but this story stands the test of time.

After finishing it, I noticed that I had bought another book by Elizabeth Goudge a while back that was on my shelf called Smoky House which I hadn't read yet.  I read this one too.  It was set in Devon and was the account of a happy family of children who live with their father in an inn.  The story begins as a mysterious fiddle player arrives in the village. His music is so wonderful and captivating, they cannot bear to let him leave so he stays.   The children fear the famous highwayman and smuggler, The man in the red handkerchief and tell tales about him.  The squire of the village plays with them and is so generous to all the poor in the village.  All goes well until one day,  they discover the smugglers are a little close to home and the fiddler is not what he seems.

Again, the author's description is beautiful and you really warm to the place and the characters and feel you are amongst them.  The mystery of who the fiddler is and who the smugglers are is a little obvious but the story is so delightful that it just carries you along!

Both accounts are beautiful and show integrity and faith in a really beautiful family orientated way.  I wholeheartedly recommend them!

Woman walking in an exotic forest

Yesterday was Style imitating art with the beautiful Salazar of 14 shades of grey and we had another cracking piece of artwork to educate me:


Oh how many possibilities there were for this wonderful painting! It's Henry Rousseau’s “Woman Walking In An Exotic Forest“,
Had I had time to think about this one, there was LOADS I could have attempted- hat, white frilly dress, florals, leafy shades.
However, in the end, it came down to a scrambled last minute- "Oh look, what I am wearing works -sort of!"


The top and cardie are thrifted and the trousers are Primark from a couple of years ago as is the headband.  Cat shoes, embroidered by moi!

I have to say, I don't think my love of big trousers over tight ones will ever abate. Especially nice floaty summer ones!  I loook over my trousers past and present and the only ones that have ever stood the test of time are the big ones!   Right from teenage years of wearing 1970's vintage flares that someone gave me (wish I still had them! Too small though!).  What about you? How do you feel about trousers?

I had a teaching observation today from my headmistress. It apparently went really well according to a quick passing comment from her but I guess it's hard to view your own work objectively! In my head, all I see is the bad bits- the children who couldn't make a minim last for 2 beats but ran it into 1 beats!!!
Ah well!

Hope all is well with you!xxx

The dream skirt

It's Inspiration Monday with Mrs and Mrs Bird (!)  AKA Twobirds (congratulations to one-week married Megan!).  This is quite a sweet look. I love these lacy shorts.  I don't own any but I do own this skirt, which is white and short and cute.

When I worked in HE administration, I dreamed up a skirt I'd like.  It was broderie anglaise and embroidered with coloured butterflies.  It would have a rainbow-beribboned waistband.
And then, bizarrely enough, I was wandering in Marylebone high street in my lunchbreak and I happened to go into Whistles, a higher-end high-street UK store and saw this skirt on a rack.  It was still about £70 but it was like my dream-skirt (without being Broderie Anglaise).  However, a) that was too expensive and b) not in my size. No Whistles stores in London had a size 8 left sadly. I actually ended up buying the sarong and dresss in the same range- but they were print not embroidered.
Fast forward a couple of years and for some bizarre reason, I did a search on Ebay for Whistles butterfly skirt and some darling person was selling one for a mere fraction of the price!  That was a happy day when I finally met my skirt! (That sounds like something that Daniel Cleaver would say in Bridget Jones!)


Today, since I was teaching Javanese gamelan to children and would be clambering all over the floor, I obviously didn't wear the skirt for school but I did wear the other elements!
This WILL be the last time you see my stomach!  I don't like tying my shirt up but it does look cute on people, it just makes me a bit self-conscious!


The skirt is Whistles via Ebay, blouse- H&M, necklaces (whitestuff and birthday gifts), shoes- Cath Kidston, denim headband and bag-Primark.

I was a little nervous about today as I was teaching gamelan to children on a real gamelan for the first time. I've taught adults and university students and children on normal percussion but never on the real thing with children!  I knew it would be fine but I still find the unknow a little unnerving.  We managed to get there and back safely and in time, the teaching went well and the children seemed to really enjoy it.  They really enoyed sketching the instruments as well, which I got them to do when they weren't playing.  Definitely, a trip to repeat! Thanks to my Mum who came along to help too!





Hope you are well xxx

Checkered history

Hello there!  I had a lovely post planned about the gorgeous flower festival I went to today, but sadly, time has run away from me and it's late!  So, it's just a quick post to say hi!



How gorgeous the weather has been today- SO lovely and hot and bright!  What a difference!
I went with my niece and mum to the festival, where we listened to a recital, looked at flowers and ate cake! I have some lovely photos to share in another post soon!

Today's outfit is nearly entirely thrifted.  In Maldon yesterday, whilst renting wedding waistcoats (Coes- very nice traditional, established place, excellent service!), I nipped into the Salvation army and found this chequered Miss Selfridge dress and a matching red floral necklace.  A dress with pockets is a great find as is anything chequered for me personally and empire line! It does make me look a bit wide but who cares!  The hat is a past thrifted purchase.  The accessories weren't- shoes- local shoe shop, earrings- Cath Kidston, ruby slippers brooch (just visible)- imported, bracelet- Javanese batik market!

I shouldn't have bought the dress- wedding saving is crucial, but somehow I did.

A thought for the day- don't let the sun go down on your anger.  It's a biblical proverb and it holds true.
I got really annoyed with CBC over something really trivial last night and stropped around for ages. It's amazing how at the time, something can seem really important. But with hindsight, it's a really stupid thing!  I was heartily ashamed of myself but falling asleep, I didn't get the chance to apologise till the next day.  Always make peace as soon as possible!  We're supposed to be enjoying the wedding process and I need to remember to try and enjoy it, no matter how anxious I feel, no matter how I am worrying about budgets or time-wasting on tasks and I need to stop being so uptight and chill!! I really don't know why I stress so much sometimes!

xx