Winter Wonderland Waycation

Hello & Welcome to an even more Kinder & Gentler Holiday Me.
Yes, it's the third & final week of my Winter Wonderland Vacation (oh, what a shame that Vacation isn't spelt with a 'W'...it would be such marvellous symmetry, but maybe I could pretend that it is)
I'm following the same format this week that I did last blog entry - showcasing some of my Classroom Outfits from last term & then writing about what I'm doing/thinking/viewing/eating/not eating in my hol.

Holiday Activity#1. Trying to keep to the 5:2 Fasting Regime,& not think of it as a Nasty Punishment which is quite hard for me as I tend to think most things in life are Nasty Punishments.
Sadly, today is an Intermittent Fast Day & I've eaten absolutely everything that I'm going to eat today & it's only 7.19 pm. I'm now officially entering The Danger Zone - that time of the day where the cravings take Centre Stage & all I can think of is that Big Hole, no, Massive Crater that is rapidly growing inside of me. I'm madly trying to restrain myself from leaping out of the chair & rushing to the fridge where a large slab of chocolate cake that I made from scratch is sitting on the middle shelf. (I just love that saying - it always makes me think of making something out of little twigs or sticks lying in the dirt)
I made the cake using my Mother's recipe that must be at least fifty years old. It requires cocoa which I note has become Slightly Old Fashioned.
The reason I made the cake was because I had rowdy dinner guests & thought that I would impress them with my Superior Baking Skills.
Sadly, they bought their own Baked Goods - chocolate brownies, so we had cake & brownies & Maggie Beer Burnt Fig ice cream for dessert which was kind of Overkill. And not in a good way.
But it was a wonderful raucous nite which we nicely rounded off by looking at Susan Boyle's audition for Britain's Got Talent in 2009 on YouTube.
Where would dinner parties be today without GoogleorYouTube?

Anyway, in the first photo I'm wearing a pure wool Italian knit dress by 'Spinelli' that I bought many years ago from 'BednobsEtc'. Every year I wheel it out & think that this will be the last time. But it got many compliments (probably because of the addition of the Door Knocker pendant & the Exotic Animal Print Toy Pashmina) so I may even give it another airing when I go back to school.

Next, I'm sitting in the Staff room showing off a colleague's Real not Toy Hermes Bangle.  Although I really like it, I would much rather have a Chanel Cuff.

Holiday Activity #2.  Reading. You'd think that being an English Teacher would mean that I've always got my nose in a book. Sadly, no. I'm usually far too busy watching Fashion Police or Miss Marple Movies or Generally Googling to be bothered. 
But this hol I did actually take up a book. It was lent to me by my friend, AJ who, unlike me is a Quality Reader. The book is called The Woman Upstairs, by Claire Messud. She is an American writer who recently came to Australia for the Sydney Writer's Festival.
Every morning I read two chapters in the bath. Sadly, I dropped the book in it, & now the pages have gone all wild & frilly. But I am determined to finish it even though the narrator is a Total Pain & I'm sick to the back gills of her going on about her invisible good girl school teacher frustrated artist life.
Maybe it's a little Too Close to Home...

Holiday Activity#3- going to my favourite op-shop, BednobsEtc on a daily basis.
During Term Time, I'm usually v. strict about going & only allow myself two visits a week - one as a special treat on friday afternoon after school & then on Saturday, which often turns into a marathon where I stand discreetly off to the side desperately Willing a Designer Label in my size to emerge from the Magical Sorting Room. Often that happens.
 But this holiday has been Slightly Slim Pickings.
So far, I've bought:
* 3 woolen sweaters, one featuring a French Bulldog on the front that might scream 'Novelty Sweater' a bit too loudly;
*1 Real not Toy 'Dior' Saddle Bag. I know that sounds fab. And it is, trust me. But it's made from a kind of washed out denim that looks, well, a tad washed out.
* 1 Calvin Klein dress. It's lovely even though it proudly sports a 'Made in China' tag.
There have been many tantalisingly real looking fake bags that I've dragged out of the Bag Basket & agonised over & then reluctantly put back. Like today's, Toy Gucci large bag in off- White (maybe it was once On-White) with gold hardware. Or the v. convincing large grey Jimmy Choo that I nearly fell for.

Above, I'm wearing a Totally Real Armani Jacket from Bednobs that has got unfortunate pointy lapels that wobble but you can't really see them because I've cleverly folded them over.
Always the Innovator.

Holiday Activity #4: Finding out about Louis the Fourteenth. 
I saw a documentary on him & Versailles & then found Nancy Mitford's Book called The Sun King & now I am Not Quite an Expert.  I  know that he wore high heels  (not stilettos) so he could be more Kingly not Queenly; worked v.v. hard attending meetings & endured almost unendurable pain during a long operation without anaesthetic. And also died probably a bit sad. Too many wars & too many of his loved ones dead.

 Above, I'm so v. slightly channelling Louis in a brocade coast dress that I've definitely decided I'm going to retire as it doesn't fit that well . Don't try to talk me out of it.

I do love my 'Dream' bangle which always reminds what I'm doing 24/7.  

Below, I'm laying the law down whilst wearing a highly synthetic  wrap dress from 'Charlie Brown'. I could go up in smoke in an instant.  I was soo close to turfing this one out until  I convinced myself that I've lost a few pounds. So, I think I'll keep it a wee bit longer.

I can't go on much longer. The Massive Crater is taking over. I must go out to the kitchen & make a cup of  ginger & lemon herbal tea & eat half a capsicum which I might spread with a little peanut butter.

Please scroll down & see the rest of my Winter Outfits. 

It will be kind of worth it.

I promise you.

W