Flaunting Conventional Wisdom

Fruits de Mer, a photo by middleagedteacher on Flickr.

Easter is rapidly approaching, which means one thing - Holidays.
If I don't have a holiday soon:
I might explode.
Or use a Rude Word.
Or rush out of the house in the morning without a stick of Jewelry on.
Or eat a large packet of Corn Chips.

Actually, I've been shovelling in loads of Corn Chips lately which is a telltale sign that I'm nearing the End of My Tether, whatever that is.

But there was Absolutely No Sign of any of this today, as you can see from the photo taken just moments after lessons finished for the day & moments before I had to scamper off to a Tedious Meeting where I just managed to stop myself from hitting the teacher next to me with a Wet Flounder. Not that I had one with me at the time. But I fantasized about it.

Anyway, in the photo I'm wearing Real, Not Toy or Target Missoni!. A student told me that she'd spent the entire lesson trying to work out whether I was wearing a necklace or whether it was just part of the dress.
It's part of the dress.
And I'm wearing Horizontal Stripes without any fear at all that they're making me look any wider.
Personally, I don't care for Conventional Wisdom. What has it ever done for me?
And anyway, if the Missoni People think Horizontal Stripes are OK, who am I to disagree?

The Whirlwind Wardrobe Week

What a Wardrobe Whirlwind of a Week it Was! And it was all Dresses. But let's call them Frocks!

A Fractured Ode to  Frocks.
 Some were Old.
 Some were new. 
Some that seemed a little tighter than the last time I wore them. 
And one was blue.
One that was crushed even before I put it on.
 And, it had just been to the Dry Cleaners. 

A Little Known Fact about Me - I've always longed to be a poet. Not like Sylvia Plath. No horrible ugly old fish rising out of some mirror or lake or whatever it was frightening the living daylights out of everyone.
Absolutely Not.

But none of this has anything to do with the FLy photo, above. In fact, I'm not really sure what Fly London is except that they must be Shoes because I saw this poster in the window of Booty, my local shoe shop that I never buy anything in because I never buy anything new. I didn't realise how wonderfully majestic flies look, although I don't think that they seriously are Midnite Blue, a favourite shade of mine.
A Near-Perfect Segue.
Speaking of Blue, look look, below. I'm wearing a frock in almost the same colour as the Fly. I bought it a week or two ago from my favourite thrift store, 'BednobsEtc'. It has a French Connection label.
Do you remember when they used to call themselves FCUK?  Talk about Charmless. Although I've always thought a really catchy name for a Women's Clothing label is 'Rumpslapper'.
Back to the Outfit. Note I took a Small , or perhaps Large Risk in wearing Lime Marc Jacobs shoes. I'm sure I've told you that after seeing My Style Icon Jenna Lyons from J. Crew with a Lime handbag (do click on the link to actually SEE Jenna & Her Bag) I'm desperate to accessorize with Lime as often as possible which sadly narrows it down to wearing these shoes.
I must, repeat must find more Lime.

And then I wore Another Frock.
What an interesting life.
I never know when I spring out of bed every morning what I'm going to wear.
The Morning Routine 2012.
1. Get Up at 6.30 even though it's still dark because of lousy, stinking Daylight Saving which feels like it's never going to end.
2. Draw  bath.
3. Put kettle on. Make  cup of Twining's 'Afternoon Tea' tea.
4. Put sachet of Uncle Toby's Instant Porridge With Fake Fruit in Microwave. Wait 50 seconds. Take out.
5. Get in bath with Tea & Porridge.
6. Eat/slurp whilst wondering what to wear.
7. Definitely Decide.
8. Get out of bath.
9. Get dressed.

And then I wore a Crushed Frock, below, which I teamed with Jewels from The Fruits de Mer section of my Jewelry Wardrobe.
I must say that I was quite crushed myself when I picked this 'Carla Zampatti dress up from the cleaners. How come I paid ten bucks & it came back crushed? I then tried to iron it myself but gave up when the iron started to steam up & get all angry.

And then, here's me again, below, sitting at my desk in the staffroom having my Eyebrows Shaped by Fragrant Rose, a beautiful young teacher who is also a make up artist.
Every few weeks Rose makes the three metre journey across to my desk in the staffroom & attempts to put some sense back into my eyebrows after they were almost butchered to death by an assistant at Sharon-Lee, Sydney's Number 1 Brow Emporium.

Lastly, I'm wearing a dress that I've had for some years which I now feel is a little Too Snug for me, although I had no problem zipping up the zip which I think is an indicator that it Still Officially Fits.
I can't decide if I've put on a few pounds or not. It's driving me nuts. And I'm absolutely Not getting back on the scales because I've promised myself that Those Days Are Over.
So, I'm taking some Precautionary Measures by only eating protein for dinner. And no corn chips.
Last nite I  ate three boiled eggs & a can of baked beans.

I'm a Totally Shameless Copier, But Who Isn't?

Hello & Welcome to The World of Shameless Copying.
I'm not sure if I've ever admitted this before, but I'm a Totally Shameless Copier.
Never had an Original Idea in my life.
But then, who has?
Last week when I was watching At the Movies, a weekly round-up of  newly-released movies, One presenter, Margaret reminded Other Presenter, David, after he bitterly complained that the storyline of the latest action thriller had already been made into a film at least a hundred times before, that, after all, there are only Seven Stories in Storyland.( Quest, Romance, Tragedy, Comedy, Overcoming the Monster, Voyage & Return, Rags to Riches & Rebirth. Sounds like the story on my life. Perhaps it's yours too)
So, I don't feel so bad about No Original Thoughts. Neither should you.

 One of the first ports of call that I always go to if I want to Steal an Idea is The Sartorialist. I bet I'm not alone on that one.
I was thrilled last week or so when I came across the photo above of some wonderful young woman who had an enviable job in fashion, although after watching The Devil Wears Prada a number of times, not to mention loads of The Rachel Zoe Project, I'm not sure that any job in fashion would be enviable.
 Imagine the tyranny of having to race around all day like a Mad Overwound Mechanical Mouse in  Towering Inferno Heels  in order to meet Silly Deadlines ? (Actually, that sadly sounds frighteningly familiar)
 Or having to have the latest 'It' bag even if you hated it, although in my case, hating any 'It' bag would be Virtually Impossible?
Or having to hang clothes up on racks all day? I can barely hang my Own Clothes Up.
And having people who hate you call you 'Darling'?
Anyway, scroll back to the photo of the Young Woman With The Not-So-Enviable-Job. When I clapped eyes on her bejewelled collar I was overjoyed. Surely, I have something similar in my Toy Jewel Cupboard?
A hand crotcheted beaded collar made by the young Masai Girl who sold it to me just before I contracted Salmonella Poisoning from a Seafood Buffet at a Johannesburg Hotel in 2003.

Anyway, I promptly wore my Masai Necklace the v. next day mixing it with some Toy Gold & silver chains in a feeble attempt to emulate The Real Thing, shown above which I totally want to buy but is like 800 bucks.

 And I can't even afford to have a tooth filled at the moment, let alone get Badly Needed Root Canal Therapy or even worse still, have Tooth Implants inserted. I know it's such a downer to bring my Ever-Present Dental Nightmares into the blog post especially since we were having such a nice time up until now. But I just couldn't help it.
Now, where were we? Ah yes, we're out of the dentist's chair & into the magnificent virtual showroom of Dannijo Jewelry, who made the collar. 

I just typed in Scrool instead of 'Scroll'. I must say that I prefer it. It sounds cooler.
Anyway, look at me above at The Usual Sunday Nite Dinner last Sunday. I'm wearing a vintage dress which  is Slightly Old School of Me because over the past three years & seven months, I have been Not So Gradually throwing out all the clothes that I wore before August 2008 & many of these clothes could be loosely called, 'Vintage', but not necessarily In a Good Way.
I'm not going to go into Why I've done that, but suffice to say that I needed A Regime Change.
But for some reason this dress survived.
Or perhaps I bought it only a year or two ago.
 Anyway, last sunday nite was the first time I wore it & it may well be The Last Time. But do note that I peared it with two large Dinosaur Designs pendants that are dangling down like Strange Fruit, but not the kind of fruit in the Billie Holliday song.
I'm finishing up with yet another photo of Someone's Else's Jewels. I soo totally want them.   In case you're wondering, they're presumably owned by the person who is wearing them. Anna Della Russo who is another fashion person, perhaps connected to Vogue Nippon.
 Anna's great.
 She always looks like she's dressed for a Cocktail Party in Hell .
But in a good way.

Me Me Me & Moi

Maybe it's just the Company I Keep, but have you noticed that people these days are always going on about Other People being Narcissists or even worse, Psychopaths?
I've just trawled through a list of new books about Psychopaths on The Huffington Post.
My favourite title was 'Snakes in Suits - When Psychopaths Go To Work', although I must admit I was inexplicably drawn to 'I Married a Psychopath But Didn't Notice for Twenty Years: A Users Guide'.
Anyway, why I mention the topic is because this blog entry is choc-a-bloc full of photos of Me Me Me & Moi. I just couldn't help it.
And maybe you think that I'm nothing but a Nasty Narcissist or worse still , a Parading Psychopath.
 But I'm not. 
A Narcissist is not at all like Nilbrain Narcissus in the myth who fell in love with his own reflection that he saw in some rancid pool of water which he probably ended up drowning in but I can't be sure because I didn't  bother finish reading it.

 Nay, a Narcissist is someone who can't see the world from any other perspective than their own. They lack remorse & are low on gratitude. They like to flatter people who admire them & detest people who don't. They are Big Braggers & Huge Experts.
Not Me.
Oh, while we're not on the topic of me, why not scroll back to the first photo while I walk you through it:

1. In case you were wondering, I'm holding up a freshly baked tin of cupcakes baked by one of my students to celebrate a birthday which wasn't mine. Mine is next week. And it's One Off a Landmark Birthday.
2. I'm wearing my favourite trenchcoat which looks v. like a Parachute.
I could never go Parachuting. I would die of fright before I got a chance to pull the Ripcord or whatever it's called.
Now, scroll to the second photo which was taken yesterday in the staffroom by Aunt Nettina. I always get her to take my photo if I forget to have one taken in the classroom. She is most obliging.
 But let's not Talk of Her.
 Instead, look at the Giant Black Flower that I've attached to the dress that I bought a few years back from 'Bednobs Etc', which is where I bought everything I'm wearing in just about all the photos.

 Look above. This is what I wore today:
1. Blouse with Pussy Bow.
2. Skirt with Ruffle. Thankfully, no one mentioned that they were different patterns that didn't quite go together.
3. Lime 'Marc Jacobs' shoes. In spite of the fact that Lime is   difficult to wear,  it's  favoured by many Middleagedwomen who mistakenly think that Lime makes them look Cool.
  I am not one of those women, but I am a succour (that can't possibly be the right spelling?)....oh now I remember - Sucker (what a moment of Revelation. I wish I had more of those) where was I?....oh yes, I'm a sucker for  a Designer Brand, & Marc Jacobs is about as good as it gets.
4. Dinosaur Designs resin bracelets that weigh down my wrists but I don't care.

 To prove that I actually have some kind of Social Life outside of the Classroom, here's me at a birthday celebration last week at "LL Bar & Restaurant, Potts Point. I have a kind of Love Me I'm Helpless look on my face but it was only because it was Raining outside but not in my Heart.
I'm wearing a Wild Animal Print Jacket I bought for ten bucks at Cotton On when I was last shopping there with my daughter, Maeflower.
Oh, & I'm wearing a Number 9 charm that I bought at Anthropologie.

 Talking of Dinosaur Designs, here is the beautiful & stylish, Guinevere, daughter of my friend, The Ex-
School Nurse at the helm of the Dinosaur Seconds or Whatever Shop, Extinct.
I was totally bowled over by her wearing of Royal Blue & Aqua together, which is my Almost Favourite Colour Pearing. (deliberately spelt that way)

 And then I went to an Afternoon Tea on Sunday at the Stylish Tea Parlour in Sydney's Redfern. I was enchanted by Amelie, the vibrant hostess of the establishment, who served up Russian Caravan & French Earl Grey Tea in large silver teapots amid a dizzying array of fascinating objects including a Real Stuffed Peacock.
 I'm sure that a Peacock would make a Marvellous Mascot for a Narcissist.

Anyway, Amelie had a fab vintage red dress on & shoes with a v. interesting heel which sadly I didn't manage to capture in the photograph.

 And then I was trudging down Macleay Street to work & came across this dog who was stuck outside a cafe with a lifeless toy for comfort while his owner sat inside shovelling in a giant bacon & egg roll.
The dog looked like how I happened to be feeling that morning.

When will this ever end? I'm desperate to hop into bed as it's almost Past my Official Bedtime.
I'll just talk in Dot Points from Now on.
Above:
 *Sharon Stone in 'Casino'.
 *Slightly Slutty but Acceptable for Work.

* More Cupcakes. Another birthday.
*Diane Von Furstenberg dress. That makes 3.
* Two necklaces.

* Full view Diane V F.
* Another DVF. below. .
* Now have 5 DVFs but not really counting.

A Philosophy de Bijou

 Hello & Welcome to Me.
But where do I begin?
Do I start with telling you what I'm actually doing & why I'm doing it in the first three photos (& sadly, it's not having a facial) ?
Or, do I start with  what I thought about last nite's Oscar Red Carpet & which dress I personally would wear?
Actually, none of them. Imagine me walking or perhaps, stumbling into the classroom in Armani Prive or stupid Marchesa looking like an Elderly Feather Duster? (If you want to see what I mean, look at a pic of Kirsten Wiig) & holding a silly bead-encrusted Judith Leiber handbag the size of a pill box (I mean, where would I put my iPhone & my Whiteboard Markers?) & not to mention, the Mandatory Manolos, or perhaps Jimmy Choos.
Or perhaps I could start with a Loud Complaint about the unbearably hot & humid weather we're finally having at the supposed end of summer. Today was 33degrees celcius & tomorrow is Officially the End of Summer. Trixie thinks that the weather will begin to get less humid. No it won't. It'll keep on like this for Months & months.

Nay, I'm not going to start with any of those Topics.
Instead, I'm going to Walk you through my Current Jewellry Collection.
But before I do that, let me tell you My Philosophy de Bijou:
1. I don't really lust after Expensive Jewels as long as I can get the same thing as a Fake. (e.g. I almost bought at Diva for five bucks a brilliant copy of The Duchess of Cambridge's engagement ring which of course was originally was worn by her Mother-in-Law, The Princess of Wales)
2. Apart from a few old rotting diamond rings left to me by Dead Relatives, I don't own any 'Good Jewelry'. And I don't care. Je ne regret rien spelt badly.
3. I regard Swarovski Jewelry as twee & loathe the idea of their tiny crystals adorning anything I would wear. I would not, however, criticise you if you liked them. It's just a matter of personal taste.

4. My favourite price that I like to pay for a piece of jewellry is five bucks.  I rarely go above twenty.
5. My favourite jewelry shop in Australia is 'Diva' & it's sister shop, 'Lovisa' ; my favourite one in the US is the Stupidly Named Forever 21.
6. I love wearing bangles etc with text on them.
7. My favourite word on a bangle is 'Hope'. It says Everything as far as I'm concerned.
(A Brief Segue: As I type, I'm watching Maestro Daniel Barenboim play a Beethoven Concerto on TV & I'm marvelling at how a man with hands that look like Pig's Trotter's can produce such a beautiful sound)
8. I love Enamel bracelets. They remind me of 'Hermes'.
9. I love wearing lots of the same things together. Take today, for instance. I wore three black rings. And two black chandelier earrings. And two black many- stranded necklaces. Sounds like A Gothic Nightmare. But it wasn't.
10. I like to make my own necklaces & the occasional earring from bits & pieces that I've gathered.

I'm sure I've got many many things to add to my Philosophy de Bijou but I can't be bothered numbering any more points.
Instead, look above at me last week holding a Blueberry Muffin, sadly Not at a resort but at a three day retreat I supervised for Year 11. I'm wearing one of my Homemade Necklaces that you can hardly see. How frustrating! Oh well, you'll just have to take my word for it that it a Wonderful Glittering Piece - all  toy gold & diamantes & fake gold coins & enamel.
Note I'm wearing a v.v. layered look that I've been favouring lately - a Slightly Slutty Schaperelli Pink dress over a v. loose striped top all from 'Cotton On' with a fab pear (intentionally spelt that way) of a cross between Midnite & Electric Blue footless tights from 'Forever 21.
Ahhhhhh.......I do love the words, 'Midnite Blue'. It takes me back to the late sixties when I was desperate to wear a Midnite Blue Moire Velvet empire line gown to some revolting formal that I was going to with some Sweaty Youth.  In fact, I don't think I actually wore the dress. I think I maybe just drooled over it in 'Seventeen' Magazine. And maybe I didn't even go to the formal.

And here I am again at the end of the retreat wearing more jewels that you can hardly see: - a totally wonderful silver fish pendant I bought at Forever 21 for three bucks & some rather tough leather studded wristbands but with the 'Hope' bangle thrown in to Soften the Look. Note the little diamantes on the heels of my Sad Flats. Slightly reminds me of Paul Simon's song - Diamonds on the Souls of my Shoes.

I'm a Symphony of Wood in the photo above, taken just before I mounted the bus to attend the Opening School Mass. Look closely & you can see my Toy Hermes leatherlike Wristband from 'Lovisa', cut-out Leatherette Leaf Necklace & various wooden necklaces & bangles.

Lastly, look below. I'm standing next to a watertank at yesterday's Sweltering Annual Swimming Carnival at the Des Renford Aquatic Centre in a Treeless suburb of Sydney.
Note I am holding a tube of 'Kid's' Sunscreen that was  inexplicably Lavender Coloured. Sadly, due to the intense rays, the sunscreen was only Partially Successful. When I got home, to my great horror I realised that I had some sunburn just below my neck . Perhaps the large red beads acted as Sun Magnets.

I'm wearing a Clever Copy of a YSL ring, bought at 'Diva' for five bucks.

It's now teeteringly close to My Official Bedtime. I hope I can stop sweating before I hit the pillow.
Daniel Barenboim's Pig's Trotters are still going & are remarkably unsweaty unlike the rest of him.

Navy is the Magenta of Middleagedteacher's Wardrobe.

 Gidday. Or perhaps G'day. Or even G'day Mate.
I'm trying to Set the Mood for what is to come. Can you guess what it might be?
Yes, I'm presenting A Travelogue of a recent short trip I went on around Australia.
Actually, it was a Weekend in Canberra to visit my daughter Maeflower & her partner Russell.
BTW, unlike many Middleagedwomen, I have absolutely No Desire to travel around my Wonderful Sunburnt Country. Pourquoi, you may ask?
1. I'm not fond of Long Trips in the Car & a trip around Australia involves many of those.
2.In this country, Middleaged Travellers are known as 'Grey Nomads' & wear Baggy Shorts regardless of Gender. They drive large Caravans & park in scenic spots where,  at the end of the day they sit on  Banana Chairs & nibble long sticks of Cabanossi & Woolworth's Gherkin Dips & drink cask wine from a well-stocked esky.
I couldn't Wear the Shorts or Eat the Food or feel comfortable being called Grey Anything.
4. I like to be near places where I can get a decent coffee. Perhaps I'm a little out of touch, but I can't really imagine ordering a latte in the middle of the Nullabor Plain.

Anyway, scroll back to the beginning of the post & you'll see me in my Travelling Outfit. It was friday nite & I had just freshly arrived on the bus from Sydney. I'm wearing a little Navy tunic & a genuine vintage 'Chanel' scarf that sadly looks a little too much like something a Flight Attendant would wear.
Last time I wore this outfit was in Palm Springs about four weeks ago.

 On Saturday Morning, we sat off in their New Lime Green Honda to explore the sights.
Our first sight was The Big Merino at Goulburn. For those people who are unfamiliar with this type of animal, let me explain.
It is a Sheep. And a rather imposing sheep it is too. Perhaps even, An Other Worldly Sheep, for on closer inspection, a rather piercing light shone from one of its eyes.

  We appeared to be the only sightseers. And for good reason too. I mean, who really wants to be bothered visiting a Big Block of Cement in the shape of a Sheep?
Well, we did.
Anyway, I'm wearing More Navy Travelling Clothes: Yesterday evening's Navy Tunic under a baggy striped tee shirt bought NEW (!) from Cotton On under a thrifted Navy jacket with white piping.Bear in mind, Dear Reader that it is Supposed to be Summer.
Maeflower is wearing a fab tee shirt with I think a Recontextualising of Alice in Wonderland on it & skinny jeans.
 OMG, I love Navy. I just can't get enough of it. It was my Poor Dead Mother's favourite Look. She used to say  that navy made a woman look, 'Refined & Nice'.  Every time she said that I never thought that I was ever going to stop throwing up. But now, I'm totally the opposite. Perhaps Mum is manipulating me from The Grave.

 Next we visited The Saturday Market at Goulburn. I was totally captivated by the adorable look on the face of that little Pig.
And then I thought of Eating Bacon.

 One of the Market Shoppers was a lady with an intriguing tattoo on her back.
It said 'Supposedly'.
I was desperate to tap her on the shoulder & ask Why Why Why?
But I didn't.

 I'm sure that just about every Market in the Western World features those Plaid Bags & some form of Doll.

And then we went Country House Hunting.
Here's the inside of a creepy house we inspected which felt like a whole family had been slaughtered in the front room or at least had a really Unhappy Time in it for a few Generations. But we did like the Retro Wallpaper. But not enough to buy the house.

 Here's what Australia looks like Without Buildings.
I asked the Real Estate Agent if the Whistling/Rustling sound I could hear was coming from a nearby freeway.
He said it was just the trees.

 And then it was back to Canberra for a Multicultural Festival.
The best dressed were The Nigerians. They looked fab even though no one was wearing Navy.

 At the United Arab Emirates Stall, people queued for hours to have their photo taken in front of a modest poster of The World's Tallest Building.
We didn't.

 Exhausted from Our Outing, we arrived back at Maeflower's to admire her Almost Edible Balcony. Note the Almost Scary Aloe Vera plant which apparently is a Magnificent Healer for Sunburn but doesn't taste too good in a salad. Neither are the succulents.
Maeflower is wearing a magnificent dress bought on sale that v. day at Cotton On.
I totally love the Magenta part of the dress. And of course, Diana Vreeland once declared that 'Magenta is the Navy of India'.

 On sunday we had a Lite Cultural Experience by attending the Highly Hyped 'Renaissance' exhibition at the National Gallery. Here's what the front of the gallery looked like which is a Giant Blowup of a tiny tiny Bottecelli  that you almost needed a magnifying glass to see as well as a torch because the Gallery was so dark it was almost like a Nightclub. Although there were a few Titians & Bellinis, it was all a Bit Second Tier, as we kept on Loudly Saying.
OMG.....& another thing. I can't stand all those people traipsing around in these Blockbuster Shows with Loud Audio Equipment hanging off their ears. Just because they can't hear anything other than the Commentary, they forget that there are other people v. near to them whose personal space they need to respect.
Oh dear, I hope I'm not sounding like a Cranky Old Lady with really really pronounced Naso-Labial Folds & a downturned mouth. Quelle horreur!

Finally, we visited the James Turrell Skyspace exhibit at the entrance to the gallery. In case you're wondering, we're looking up at a round opening to the sky, but really we're just showing off our outfits - both freshly bought from 'Cotton On'. Note the Navy in my outfit.
No, this is not a Paid Advertisement for 'Cotton On'.

Hopefully, I'm Not Turning into Miss Havisham

Poor Me.
Last wednesday just before I was about to begin my almost first lesson of the year, in my excitement I slipped on two dainty little steps at the entrance to my classroom, twisted my foot & landed into the arms of a poor unsuspecting student who managed to save me from a v. serious accident.
I was immediately placed on a chair & attended to by caring members of the Sporting Department who have all had Long Histories With Nasty Injuries & are World Experts on Bandaging & Iceing (not cakes but Body Parts)
Of course, it was only a few minutes before other Concerned Members of Staff suddenly appeared to Gawk at my Foot. I think that they were Slightly Disappointed because although it was starting to Swell, there was nothing particularly Ghoulish to see. No blood, no disembodied body parts. And I wasn't even crying.
 I went to the doctor. He must have x-ray eyes because he just looked at the foot which by now had been expertly bandaged & said that since there were now Strict Rules about Not Radiating the Population I didn't need an x-ray.
I had the rest of the day off, but desperate for attention, I limped back to school the next day.
Note, a return to All Black in the Classroom with a thrifted lace'Wayne Cooper' slightly A line dress in the first photo, above. I just couldn't be bothered wearing anything bright & summery. And anyway, it was raining. What's new?

The other Nasty Side Effect of having a Sprained Foot is that I am condemned to wearing Ballet Flats. Sadly, there is nothing Slightly Slutty about  Ballet Flats even if they are genuine YSLs, which the ones above are. Perhaps on Kate Moss. 
Note my outfit, above. I'm wearing one of my Thrift Shop Finds from Palm Springs - the Michael Kors Jacket made from what appears to be Magic Linen - in spite of my Strict Regimen of No Ironing, there's still no sign of creasing.

As the weekend approached, I still managed to hobble about & meet all my Social Engagements. Here I am standing outside a local bar/restaurant that was too repellent to go into because it was absolutely chockablock full of Young Women in Enormously High Heels having Hen's Nites.
Instead, my friends & me went to a new Mexican Restaurant, Barrio Chino in Kings Cross where we ferociously gobbled up dainty Soft Shell Crab Soft Tacos & later Ice Cream Burritos.

I'm wearing perhaps a rather Strange Combination of many layers -
1. thrifted early nineties 'Jaegar jacket with  huge Shoulder Pads that I  unceremoniously ripped out before I wore it;
2. a little spotted tunic dress that I actually bought new at 'Cotton On';
3. a thrifted 'David Lawrence blouse that I sadly spilt Soft Shell Crab all down the front & now I will have to throw out because not only can I not iron, but I can't remove Stains;
4. loads of Toy Jewels - Toy Enamel & Sapphire Bracelets from 'Forever 21, Pasadena, a Toy Gold necklace that says 'Hope' & a Toy Gold Choker that my friend Marge bought in Prague twenty three years ago & kindly passed on to me.

As I type & watch TV on mute at the same time, I'm reminded of some of my Favourite Things:
1. Emily Dickinson's 'Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul....'
2. Jo Malone's Basil & Verbena Living Cologne. If you think that wearing Basil Perfume would make you smell like a Big Bowl of Pesto Pasta, think again. It is totally the Smell of Heaven.
Sadly, I don't own my own bottle. I've just tested it.
3. Charles Dickens. It's some Big Birthday of his. Maybe his 200th or something. I just love all the Nasty & Sad & Lovely Characters like Mr Bumble the Beadle, Uriah Heep, Lady Dedlock & of course, Miss Haversham who I sincerely hope I'm not turning into.
4. Queen Elizabeth II who just celebrated her 60th anniversary in an unspeakable hat  that looked a little like a felt Chamber Pot. But what Devotion to Duty!
5. Home Made Ice cream made by AJ using my daughter Maeflower's Ice Cream Maker.
5. Julie Andrews singing 'My Favourite Things' to those try-hard Von Trapp Kids in The Sound of Music. Who can forget, 'raindrops on roses & whiskers on kittens, white copper kettles & warm woolen mittens'?