The Time Loop

I've always been A Stickler for Correctness. It's The Martinet side of my personality.

Anyway, I need to correct a Technical Term from yesterday's entry where I walked you through a 'Star Trek' episode I've never seen. At the time of writing, I said that the inhabitants of the Starship 'Enterprise' were stuck in a Time Warp.
I was wrong. Of course, The Time Warp belongs to 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'.
The correct term is, 'Time Loop'.
Thank you, dear friend & colleague, Trixie Drew who made the distinction this morning after I arrived at my desk in the staffroom. During our conversation, Trixie also revealed that there was also a Seminal 'Dr Who' episode, starring Tom Baker with the same plot. Clearly, The Time Loop is popular in Sci-Fi Shows.
I hope that this doesn't mean that my life is becoming a Si-Fi TV Series.
Perhaps it's always been one & I hadn't noticed.
I must start thinking of a Suitable Title.
' My Favourite Martinet'?

Not twenty minutes ago, I came breathlessly back from 'Boot Camp'. My brain, revived from gruelling sets of boxing & running up a hill that felt like I was running up The Great Wall of China which I believe is v.v. steep as well as one-handed push-ups (admittedly on my knees) , went immediately into overdrive. In a twinkling, I opened my web browser & discovered the exact name of the Star Trek Episode: Episode 18, 'Cause & Effect'.  And to my great delite I discovered that Kelsey Grammar-School guest starred in the episode. You can see him in the picture above looking like he's about to offer Captain Picard a plate of scones. I'm standing behind looking like The Perfect Martinet.
Talk about a Time Loop

Every Day I Slay The Jabberwocky

Hello, Dear Reader & Welcome to Autumnal Autumn. Or perhaps you may prefer to call it 'Fall'.
Of course it certainly doesn't feel like it. More like Sticky Summer.

I hate to admit that I'm feeling Slightly Guilty for not blogging much lately. And, I failed to meet the Deadline to submit my regular column in 'Flowers & Sunshine', The School Newspaper.
Of course I've got a Raft of Excuses which I'm just aching to wheel out  but I won't because I'm determined to stick to my Favourite Dictum , 'Never Explain, Never Defend'. Actually, it's my Second Favourite dictum after , 'A Girl Should Always be two things- Classy & Fabulous'.

Lately I've been feeling like everyday I have to get up & Slay the Jabberwocky.
And everyday I'm in 'Groundhog Day' or maybe an episode of 'Star Trek' where, even though I slayed the Jabberwocky yesterday, I've got to do it again today. And the next day. And the day after that.
You may be intrigued by my reference to 'Star Trek'. It may have even crossed your mind that I could be a 'Trekkie'. Sadly, I'm not. In fact, I don't think I've ever watched an entire episode or even a half a one in my life. But I did recently hear of an episode that I would love to watch if I had the chance.

The Starship 'Enterprise' or whatever, was inexplicably  caught in some kind of  Time Trap or perhaps Warp. I don't know the Technical Term.  They'd reach a certain distance & then they'd be blown up by a Death Star or Darth Vader or  Whatever .
 Then they'd be chugging along again through Space, minding their own business, & then they'd be blown up all over again . 
And then they'd be tootling along again & guess what happens? Yes, that's right. They get blown up.
Finally, they realise that they're Stuck.
 So, before they get blown up the next time, they watch what's happening closely & then change whatever they were doing which enables them to change course & avoid being blown up.


Be grateful that I don't wheel out 'The Art of War'.

I was never really attracted to 'Star Trek' because I didn't admire The Outfits. They looked like Fire Traps. And I thought they made William Shatner look like a Nancy Boy. And Poor Leonard Nimoy & Those Vile Ears. Although I did think that they went well with the name 'Nimoy'.

Talking of Ears, Note mine in the photo above. My poor lobes were visibly aching under the strain of the gigantic Red Chandelier earrings that I insisted on wearing one day last week. Note too, that I'm wearing two different red dresses on two consecutive days. And neither of them look like an outfit from 'Star Trek'.

The Magic Coach.
 Here I am today in my 'Camelot' Outfit holding up a Birthday Present from MBFF Marge from California.
It's a Real, not Toy 'Coach' Bag bought on sale at Macy's in 'The Oaks' Mall, Thousand Oaks. I was totally thrilled that she got it on sale because I love a sale more than anything & it felt like we both got a gift on my birthday - Marge saved some money & I got a Bag of My Dreams. I'm determined to wear Autumnal Shades for at least the next week just so I can use the bag.
A Nasty Nun Tale.
It was my birthday yesterday. I've always loathed my birthday. Each year I'm reminded of a v. unpleasant incident which occurred on my Fifth Birthday. I was in kindergarten. I was taught by a Repellent & Insensitive Sister of Mercy named Sister Rosalia.
Anyway, I cried. God knows why. Possibly Existential Ennui. Sister Rosalia told me that if you cry on your birthday, you cry all the year round. I toyed with the idea of believing her.
This is the same nun who advised everyone in kindergarten whose home was fitted with a gas stove, to go home that afternoon & turn on one of the  elements on the stove & briefly put their finger in the flame. That would give them some idea of what hell was like. Only that Hell would be putting your whole body under the gas flame forever.
Luckily we had an electric stove.

But then today I found these shoes at my favourite thrift shop, 'BednobsEtc'. They were a steal at twelve bucks. Even though they're probably a size too small, I couldn't resist them. Luckily, I have a Relaxed Attitude towards shoe sizes.
Why couldn't I resist them, you may ask?
1. The Brand Name: 'Gossip Girl The TV Series'. At last I'll be like a Senior Blake Lively.
2. I love that style. It's soo 'It Girl'. Or perhaps, It Girl two seasons ago in 'Gossip Girl'. But that's the price you pay for only buying at thrift stores. You're nearly always sooo last season. Or the season before that etc.
3. I love a challenge. How the hell am I going to teeter down the hill in them, I wonder?

Here's me in yet another dress that The Ex-School Nurse gave me. In fact, she gave it to me some time ago but I've hardly worn it. You can see that I've Chaneled -It -Up by wearing a linen camellia given to me by Tyler for Xmas. Also, I'm still persisting with Sockettes. Sadly, they didn't protect me from Those Wicked Red Shoes. By the end of the day I thought I would have to have my heel amputated because they gave me a v. nasty blister on my right heel.
Incidentally, did you know that God Never Gives You Any More Shoes Than You Can Handle?

Remember my Sunday Nite 'Mad Men' dinners?  I'm still having them nearly every sunday even though we haven't got any more 'MM' to watch because  Season 5  wasn't or isn't being made for some hateful humbuggery reason.
Anyway, last sunday was my 'No Mad Men Sunday Nite Birthday Dinner'.  The usual attendees attended. We watched 'Fashion Police' instead.
Going to Get Great Guns.
Here I am with AJ who presented me with an entire set of Dumbells as a  birthday gift. I was Dumbstruck. AJ knows of my devotion to 'Boot Camp', in fact she attended a number of boot camp sessions in their early days. And, she knows of my fervent desire to Get Guns, which I believe is the Technical Term for Muscly Arms like Cameron Diaz. Have you seen her arms lately? They're like Madonna's  only without the veins.

Tyler & Hunter  presented me with beautiful white roses. I was thrilled.
And Darleen & Carleen gave me a stainless steel kitchen bin that Carleen found in her apartment building's garbage room, a stainless steel lemon squeezer that she obviously bought new & a black  sweatband just like the one that Olivia Newton-John wore in 1980 in her 'Physical' video clip.
This was the Perfect Combination of gift for me because not only do I love a bargain, but I also love discarded useful items that are found in the street or in the recycling bin. And I desperately need kitchen utensils because I don't have hardly any & this annoys Maeflower, my daughter when she comes to cook in my kitchen.
I must hop into bed.

The Magical Diane Freis Dress

Hello, dear Reader.
Obviously I went to work today. I had to go because I was Busting to wear the fab 'Diane Freis' dress that The Ex-School Nurse, pictured above, presented me with last saturday over lattes at 'Dov'.
I couldn't believe the powerful therapeutic power that this dressed held, or is it, 'holds'?
 As soon as I put it on, all my hideous cold symptoms magically vanished. All except the croak which I didn't mind having because I think it makes me sound like A Temptress.
A Brief Segue
I must say that my grammar is getting worse. And I seem to be losing confidence, particularly around The Apostrophe.
And and, my spelling is shot to pieces. Girls are constantly correcting my spelling on the whiteboard. Of course, I'm v. gracious about it at the time, but inside I'm quaking.  It will only be a matter of time before Parental Complaints start rolling in.
Of course, I totally blame all this on my Grammar Nazi Colleagues. They're always at the ready, invisible red pens quivering in anticipation, to jump on any infraction, no matter how tiny.

Back to the Diane Freis Dress. Although I would much rather call it 'Diane Fries'.
When I arrived at school this morning, I immediately walked into The Staff Lounge. I was  greeted by Imelda, a middleagedgeographyteacher who promptly identified the brand of the dress. It rolled off her tongue just as easily as if she were  identifying an Igneous Rock. I was shocked. Were Diane Freis' dresses (hope I used The Apostrophe correctly then) that common, I wondered?
Yes they were, as it turned out. Some years ago Imelda's Mum volunteered at a local charity shoppe in The Southern Highlands, a slightly toffee-nosed in a good way semi-rural area a small distance from Sydney. Apparently, the shoppe was always full of them even though they cost hundreds of dollars & you could tie them in a knot & throw them in the washing machine & they'd bounce back to their original shape. You'd have to say that that was Magic, wouldn't you?

Anyway, I totally enjoyed wearing Diane Freis today. And I totally enjoyed pairing it with my thrifted  Court Jester strappy heels & my Fluro Swan pendant from the 'Dinosaur Designs' warehouse sale.
In fact, I enjoyed wearing it so much, that I'd like to wear it again tomorrow.

The Cold that Ate Paris

WARNING WARNING: Description of Hideous Symptoms below. Absolutely Not For the Faint-Hearted.
 Hello, Dear Friend & Welcome to My Sick Bed.
Yes, I have a Bad Cold which includes a Range of Predictable & Highly Annoying Symptoms - A runny nose, nasty phlegm in different sickening hues, ears that feel something dreadful has happened to them &amp, ; the inevitable slow creeping of the cold into The Lungs. There is also a constant feeling of having my v. narrow nose pinched as well as a dull headache at the back of my head, a condition that always makes me feel like I might be growing a Brain Tumour.
Oh, & I've been reduced to a croak which is the nicest of all my symptoms. I enjoy the novelty of a croaky voice & can almost convince myself that I sound like Lauren Bacall or Kathleen Turner.

I've had  The Cold now for nearly a week & there's no sign of an abatement, even though I've talked to it nicely, told it that it's made its point & kindly asked it to leave.
But it won't.
Today was my first Official Day in Bed. All the other days I've been ignoring it because I read somewhere that Bed Rest isn't really necessary. I know that sounds almost Blasphemous. But apparently, a Cold decides how long its going to stay regardless of how long you linger in bed.
I do feel a bit like a Martyr, but Certainly Not a Victim, heaven forbid.

It's now 7.45 pm. I've just shovelled in two steaming bowls of chicken soup featuring corn that I elegantly sheared off a cob & an avocado that I sliced & placed on the top.
Avocado is my favourite food. I eat it with everything. I particularly enjoy sliced avocado on top of soup because it cools it down slightly. Oh, FYI, I made the soup from scratch. I got out of bed & struggled down to 'Harris Farm Potts Point' Market & bought everything:
1. free range chicken thigh fillets. Tender, Juicy, succulent.
2. Continental Brand Powdered Chicken Stock, my all-time favourite Ingredient.  I totally recommend it. My daughter Maeflower recently informed me that research has found that MSG is not as bad as all that & in fact, may  be good for you. What a relief. Not that I particularly care too much about things that I really love being bad for you. Like coffee.
I must stop this Food Rambling. I'm sure it's the effects of The Aspirin, my favourite drug.

Look look look  at me, above taken last sunday in Glebe Park in Canberra when I was visiting Maeflower.
That was Before the Cold. Note my Joie de Vivre. Note also my constant use of incorrectly spelled French words & phrases. Perhaps if I keep saying them, I might get to Paris one day.
Now that's the Aspirin Talking.
Maeflower created a Bone of Contention by informing me that Middleagedwomen needed to be v. careful wearing a Jean Jacket because certain JJ's do tend towards Boxiness which can create a kind of a top half of a fridge look, if that makes sense. . But she assured me that this particular thrifted 'Gap' JJ didn't commit that sin. What a relief for us all!
Note I'm carrying a shopping bag that I bought for $2  at 'Typo', a mall store that sells lots of things featuring letters. The bag a rip off from the sadly overused, but still charming, 'Keep Calm & Carry On' poster that last year spread like a Nasty Cold Virus throughout the world.
In case you can't make out the text, it says, 'Keep calm & Carry On Shopping', a sentiment that I totally agree with. Note also, I'm wearing a little diamante encrusted 'Le Tour Eiffel' pendant. There's definitely a theme happening.

Here's my torso taken just when The Cold made its first appearance.
I'm wearing a homemade necklace that I made last year. I must must must make more necklaces. If only that had been one of my New Year Resolutions, I might have actually made some this year.
Still, it's only early March.
I can't really be bothered walking you through the necklace. I'm sure you can see the 'Double C' emblem on it, so you'll know who I'm channelling.

Here's the Rest of Me in a pose  reminiscent of a Trussed Chicken. I'm not sure if that's the right term.
Note the Joan Crawford High Notes with the Shoulder Pads & note my ever-so-slightly tanned legs, courtesy of 'Dove' Summer Glow.

Can you see that I'm starting to look a Little Wan by Thursday's Wardrobe photo?
What a total shame that you can't really see the two necklaces that I put together. I spent the day in a lather of self-congratulation at how clever I was. Sadly, you can't really see them. It just looks like a Mass of Black.

By Friday, I'm definitely looking Sick. In fact, I'm pointing my toe in an effort to attract attention to the bottom part of me rather than the cold-infested top part of me.
But I do like this outfit, even though it's a Bit Caze (short for casual) for the classroom. And also a little bit short for a Middleagedteacher. Fortunately, no one appeared to notice, including the School Principal who I had a long conversation with at Morning Tea, or more accurately, 'Recess'. I found myself urging her to stop wasting her time taking long strenuous walks & instead take up running & weights. She looked at me in horror.

Can't believe how much black I've been wearing. It must be The Cold.
Here's me in my Favourite Under-rated Colour, Brown. I do recommend wearing brown, particularly if you are blonde.

It's now 8.20 pm. A New 'Miss Marple' is about to start. I'm bristling with excitement even though I know it won't be that good.
But before I go, I will leave you, Dear Reader with a quote from Helen Gurley Brown. I found her book, 'I'm Wild Again' in the One Dollar Bin at 'Bednobs Etc'.
I wonder if she is still with us? The photo on the front cover makes her look like she's dead & doesn't know it. Perhaps that's Unnecessarily Cruel.
Anyway, here's what Helen says under the heading of 'Awful Women':
'What comes up & grabs me sometimes and chokes the breath away like a mongoose with its jaws around a cobra, is the realisation of how totally terrible women are.'
No wonder it was a dollar.
Sadly, haven't got time to mention The Oscar Red Carpet. Perhaps the only outfit I would wear was what Cate Blanchett wore - do Google it if you don't know what I am talking about. I promise you it will be Almost Worth It.
One last Slightly Exciting Thing- The Ex-School Nurse has given me a real 'Diane Fries' (surely its not really spelt like that. It sounds like it should be on the menu at McDonald's.) Dress. Remember them from the eighties? I'm wearing it tomorrow. That is, if I can get out of bed.
Can't wait.

The Fashionable Classroom

Hello & Welcome to My Fashionable Classroom.
Above, Dear Reader is a wonderful line-up of the Class of 2010's Top Achievers.
Three of them were my students, but sadly I can't take any of the credit, although of course I'd love to.

Here they were last thursday just after a special assembly at school where we honoured them & others.
On the far left is Madeline, who was My Official Wardrobe Diary Classroom Photographer for two years. Sadly, I'm struggling as we speak, to replace her. I just can't find the Right Person: someone who always remembers to stay back after class & take the photo; someone who doesn't suffer from Shaky Hand Syndrome & someone who would rather take my photo than rush off to the next class.
Next, is Emma who is channelling Beach Goddess. Emma is the closest I've ever come to teaching A Saint. One time, I went into meltdown during a lesson when I noticed that the Gold Buckle on my YSL flats had come unstuck. Emma immediately rushed the shoe & Rogue Buckle up to The Art Dept. where she expertly glued it back on. But that's not the reason why she's  a Saint.
Then there's Maddison, who, as a Peroxide Blonde has featured on this blog a number of times. She is brilliant & wonderful & always calm no matter what.
Then there's Me, Middleagedteacher, wearing a thrifted Kate Sylvester dress in a fabric that is trying to look like its Roughly Hewn Leather. I do like this dress, or rather I did before realising that it makes my boobs look like a couple of fried eggs with barbeque sauce poured over them. Perhaps I'm being a Little Harsh. But it's saturday nite & I'm totally boiling hot & I've got 'Billy Eliot' on pause & I'm up to the bit where Billy's Dad belts him up for taking ballet lessons & Billy calls him 'a bastard'  I'm desperate to get back to it.
And I've got three more Stylish Girls to go.
Next is Ali who is Smart & Sassy & funny & out there & will end up running a PR Firm. Rarely, do I make predictions about anyone but I'm sure I'm right. Perhaps I'm becoming Psychic, although I don't want to look like one.
Then there's Bridget, who is channelling Urban Fairytale. Perhaps Gretal, or a Slightly Edgy Little Red Riding Hood without the Red & the Hood. She loved reminding me that when she was in Year 7 I told her, when no one wanted to sit next to her in class, that it appeared that she didn't have any friends. I am absolutely sure I never said that, but she never let me forget it anyway, particularly when she didn't have her homework done.
Lastly is  Georgie, The Deluxe Dux. She completely creamed her HSC Exams, scoring a Premier's Award. She's just come back from overseas, so she's wearing Top Shop with Edgy Librarian's Shoes.
Thank God that's over. I hope I haven't left anybody out.

 Three more snaps of me in the classroom this week.
I'm brandishing a lipstick instead of a whiteboard marker.
Thrifted linen & lace & pearl dress that would have looked good at a Suburban Cocktail Party in the early sixties where they served coloured pickle onions & french onion dip made with 'Continental' Soup Mix. I wonder if anyone remembers those soup sachets?
 Perhaps not.
Also wearing a load of jewels from the 'Fruits de Mere' section of my Jewelry Collection. I'm wearing them to cover up the unsightly rust stains on the front of the dress, which I'm told are impossible to remove. I probably wouldn't be able to remove them anyway, even if you could, because I'm a Bad Laundress.

 This outfit is really Midnite Blue but in the photo looks a strange shade of Perhaps Aubergine.
Ooooo...... talking of Strange, have just watched 'Fashion Police's' coverage of The Grammy's.
Finally, someone copied MY wearing of wings. It was Katy Perry, all done up in 'Armani Prive' complete with a pair of wings. Joan said that it was hard to tell whether it was Haute Couture or a Halloween Outfit. (In case you forgot, I wore black wings to my at-home birthday dinner last year. It's almost worth it for you to trawl through last  March's blog entries to see it again)

Here I am yesterday at the Gates of Hell. I had just finished teaching Lady Macbeth's nasty little speech calling on the spirits to, 'Unsex me here' & pour poison down her hubby's ear. The girls were appalled. Not at me. At Lady Macbeth.
Now it's Back to Billy.

Barking Rather Than Tweeting

Emotional Expungement.
Well, I managed to get through Valentine's Day without too much Resentment & Bitterness, two persistent emotions that I'm desperately trying to expunge from my v. limited Emotional Library.
But perhaps you read My Tweet on the topic. Not the bit about Emotional Expungement. But the bit about Valentines Day.
OH, what was I thinking when I signed up to Twitter on sunday nite after a Roast Chicken Dinner &  couple of glasses of Crisp Chablis?
Blame it on Hunter, who, after I fed him & Tyler & AJ at our usual sunday nite dinner, sat  next to me on the couch & walked me through my iPhone 4's Amazing App Store.
I was entranced. He suggested that I download Twitter. After all, it's free. And always The Follower, I agreed.
But after three Lame Tweets, I think I'm done.
 I'm more of a Barker than a Tweeter.
And who the hell can say anything of any substance in just on 140 characters, unless of course, you are Oscar Wilde?
OMG, can you imagine Oscar Tweeting? I'm sure if he lived now, he would be King, or perhaps Queen of the Tweets.
I've been told that Some People tweet on the hour. How can they do it? Are their lives really so interesting & varied that they can update their Salivating Public that often?
Here's what I would say:
'Just walking into class. I wonder if the DVD will work today? Or maybe it's the Projector's turn not to work. Why O why am I always on a Knife's edge?'
One hour later:
'What a nightmare. Shame about the Projector. Lucky that nice young IT guy only took 35 minutes to fix it. Just enough time to screen the court Scene from 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. Hope girls didn't notice me crying when all the black people in the gallery stood up when Atticus walked out of the courtroom after he lost the case'.
Of course that's waaaay more than 140 characters. I'm just not Pithy Enough.


But maybe I'll have One More Tweet tomorrow.

Sadly, it's Time for Bed. I've spent far too long writing this in between watching 'Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire' on a nasty Free to Air TV channel that is cho-'o-block full of ads. I must admit that Harry is one of my Almost Secret Inexplicable Pleasures along with  Michael Buble & Tina Arena & Robbie Williams & a whole host of other Nameless Inexplicables.
Watch out for another post tomorrow, if you can be bothered. I've got much much more to say. I want to tell you about my new obsession for Moist Refrigerated Face Washers that I serve to guests after dinner & also include in my Insulated Lunch Pail so I can freshen up before class. Also, I will have been with Joan on The Red Carpet at the Grammys. So, there's Ooodles & Oodles.
Thank you El Jay & Darla & Rebecca & ReaderRita & Zizzi & Janavi  & J.Sedai for your wonderful comments. I totally loved them. Sadly, El Jay, I have a v. strict rule about No Sewing. But thank you anyway.

Oh, BTW, the photo was of 'PoHo', the florist's shop close to my apartment building yesterday morning. I had to mince past it on my way down the hill to school.

Oh, & here's me yesterday in a 'Weekend Max Mara' shirt with a cute tie at the front & a v. tight skirt that created that Slightly Slutty look that I'm v. fond of. All, of course from 'BednobsEtc'.

Frugal February

 Hello, Dear Reader, & welcome to Frugal February.
Perhaps you didn't realise that  it was Frugal February because I didn't tell you earlier.
I meant to tell you sooner but I was too Hot.
But now that you know, you can Start Straight Away.
I do recommend it.

 Perhaps you are wondering How It Works. Never fear, I will enlighten you......

But before we get into the Nuts & Bolts, I must admit that Strictly Speaking I didn't make it up. No, other bloggers did & then I, as usual, Shamelessly Copied. That, by the way, is one of my Major Dictums in Life - Shamelessly Copy Whatever You Like & Then    Make it Your Own.
I saw it on Lady Jane's Blog. Thank you, El Jay.
I did make my own title up, though.

Anyway, here's how Frugal February works: Don't buy anything.
 Unless you really have to. Or if you absolutely have to buy something, buy it at the cheapest price you can find it for.
For example, look above at Me & Yesterday's Lunch in the Staff Lounge. Everything on the table, except for the cans of 'Diet Coke' which were generously donated by Trixie Drew, was brought from home. Moist Lasagne, salad with mashed avocados & chick peas & cottage cheese.
Note my new Insulated Lunch Pail. I saw one at the Supermarket & resisted the urge to buy it because I felt sure that I could find it cheaper at the Two Dollar Shop up the road.
I was right. Imagine my Squeals of Joy when I discovered it hiding under a pile of Larger Than Life  flesh coloured plastic drink bottles in the shape of a Man's Private Parts. I am absolutely Not Joking. I would never joke about such a thing.
Can you imagine someone walking along the street whilst swilling from such a bottle? Or at the gym?
Or sitting up in My Classroom with one perched on the desk next to their Pencil Case?
 In case you haven't been in a classroom occupied by teenagers for a while, let me inform you that No One enters them nowadays without a drink bottle. It's almost part of the uniform. It's like everyone is terrified that they're going to become Dangerously Dehydrated at any moment. The only time I ever drank water when I was a teenager was when I was swallowing an Aspirin.

Anyway, this is a perfect segue for me to bang on about Our Recent Heatwave.
Whilst Janavi & Rebecca & Darla & Zizzi felt like their toes were about to fall off up in the Northern Hemisphere, I nearly died from Overheating.

 Here I am on saturday morning looking surprisingly cool in the park across the road.
It was all an act. In fact, I was already melting.
The temperature that day reached 41 degrees celsius.
At midnite, the temperature was 33 degrees celsius.
I know this because throughout the nite I kept feverishly checking the weather on my newly-acquired iPhone 4. So much so, that on monday morning I received a text message from Telstra, the phone carrier, to inform me that already I had used up 82% of my Internet Allowance for the month & I'd only had the phone for four days.
I was Shocked & Appalled. Now I can barely look at the phone.
In fact, I have Sent it to Coventry.
I bet it's been a while since you've heard that phrase.

Anyway, so much for Frugal February.

 When things turn a little sour, I always think that it's Wise to Turn to Outfits. They Never Fail to Entertain.
Here I am above, on the first day of school for the year which was only a couple of weeks ago, but it feels like ages ago. I'm standing in the newly-refurbished dance studio which has a sprung dance floor. It was wisely installed by The Nuns almost a century ago, but steadfastly ignored until 'So You Think You Can Dance'  made it necessary to introduce dancing into The Curriculum. Sadly, I won't be teaching it, although I do regularly rhumba through the rows of desks in my classroom.
You can tell by the showy pose that  I'm Desperate to Dance.
In fact, I'm so desperate, that I'm going to go to Zumba Classes as soon as I can find a class in between After School Staff Meetings, twice-weekly therapy sessions, Boot Camp on thursdays after school & Body Balance twice a week at 'Fitness First'.
Note I'm dangling yet another Toy Louis Louis Handbag that I freshly thrifted from 'BednobsEtc' before 'Frugal February' officially started.
I'm not sure about Gladiatorial Sandals. They've been colonised by Backpackers.

 In yesterday's picture, above, I had just shown an extract from Zefferilli's 'Romeo & Juliet' & was feeling rather miffed that I couldn't wear a sumptuously beaded & embroidered Renaissance outfit just  like the ones that everyone in the film, except poor Juliet's Nurse, who was sadly swathed in what looked like white sheets, wore in the film. You can see that I have done a little portrait of her on the whiteboard.

Does anyone remember that Olivia Hussey was only fourteen when  she starred as Juliet in the film? I remember taking  a special interest at the time, because I was almost the same age as Olivia.  I almost convinced myself that I could have played Juliet & may well have been picked for the role except that I had a chin full of pimples. This was the same fanciful part of me that was convinced that I looked v. like Hayley Mills & Twiggy all rolled into one.
I wonder what happened to Olivia? What an unfortunate name. Not her first name. Her last name.  The nuns liked calling us 'Brazen Husseys' when we spoke back to them in class, which was rare.

This dress is getting The Toss.
It makes me look Far Too Lumpy. I've had  it since before my daughter, Maeflower was born & she's just about to turn 23. In fact, I think that it's older than me. Like it's sixty.
It's almost worth double clicking on the image to get a close gander at the mess of white necklaces I'm wearing. I made them myself.
Now that's Frugal February.
Happy Not Spending.