Thursday 29 January 2015

Frozen

When the temperature plummets there's a cool beauty to the surrounding scenery, with some gorgeous gold colours against the weak blue sky.  I just had to share some of my recent snaps.

Frozen

Sunday 25 January 2015

We Could Be In Russia

Maybe that's a slight exaggeration, I don't think there's nearly enough snow for this to be Russia!  But the hat certainly gives me the urge to start dancing to Boney M's 'Rasputin'.

We Could Be In Russia

It's the same coat that you saw last Sunday, but with different gloves, boots, scarf and the addition of the fabulous faux fur hat.  That coat has been a winter winner, it's wool, so nice and cosy, and I love how the length covers my full skirts.  A bargain for £8 from a local charity shop.

Friday 23 January 2015

Book Review: The Paying Guests

I was very eager to read Sarah Waters' latest book, The Paying Guests.  I adored 'The Little Stranger', the only other Waters book I've read, and had high hopes for this new tale set in the early 1920s.

the paying guests book review

"It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned, the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa, a large silent house now bereft of brothers, husband and even servants,  life is about to be transformed, as impoverished widow Mrs Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers.

For with the arrival of Lilian and Leonard Barber, a modern young couple of the ‘clerk class’, the routines of the house will be shaken up in unexpected ways. And as passions mount and frustration gathers, no one can foresee just how far, and how devastatingly, the disturbances will reach…"

About 180 pages in I realised that I was gripped and turning the pages at a rate of knots, even though the plot wasn't advancing as quickly and nothing had really happened.  I think that shows the quality of the writing, that I was happy just to absorb the words and enjoy a study of the characters and their relationships, without any major plot developments.  The story steadily moved from moment to moment, and I found a lot to savour in each scene.  There are sections of writing that are delicious, there's no other word for it!

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Voodoo Vixen Mila Cardigan

I'm excited to share a few pics of my new Voodoo Vixen cardigan today, and it's also a sneak preview of my latest outfit shoot.  I had to take advantage of the snowy hills,  it might be the only snow we get this winter.

Voodoo Vixen Mila Cardigan

Sunday 18 January 2015

Faux Fur in the Forest

Faux Fur in the Forest

Wrapping up warm and heading up a hill or into the forest to explore is one of my favourite things to do when the weather allows, and it's always nice to tie in a few shots for the blog too.  I wore my French Connection dress that I picked up for £1 in a charity shop haul.  It's got a bit of an indecent plunge in the front, so I wore a slip underneath.

Wednesday 14 January 2015

The Seamstress of Bloomsbury

The Seamstress of Bloomsbury ran a prize-draw before Christmas to win one of their fabulously authentic 1940's styled outfits.  I didn't win the big prize, but I was a runner-up, and received a lovely polkadot headscarf!

I tried out some different ways of wearing it.  Please excuse the focusing, I'm still getting to grips with the new camera!!

Seamstress of Bloomsbury

Sunday 11 January 2015

Lumberjack

I've got something a bit different today, with a men's outfit post featuring my lovely husband-to-be.

Lumberjack

Wednesday 7 January 2015

Make January Cheerful

My social media feeds have been full of people bemoaning the month of January, with some going as far as to say that they "hate" January.  I'll admit that it can be hard to adjust to getting up early for work again, eating normal portions, and not opening the booze before midday, but I'm determined to make January cheerful!  Here's how I'm going to do it:

Cheerful January

Use Up The Christmas Stuff
I know that I need to get back to a normal eating routine, but I hate waste, so I am determined to finish up all the Christmassy food first!  The other night we'd run out of yoghurt to go with our fruit, so we used up an unopened tub of brandy cream, and I am currently enjoying the last few bags of a nice festive tea blend from Whittards.  I'm drawing the line at using up the spare Christmas pudding, because it's 'use by' date isn't until April or something, so I might rename it '"Easter pudding" and have it then!  I think it must be depressing for people who start dieting on January 1st, after a month of eating chocolate for breakfast, to suddenly be living off cup-a-soups.  I think a gradual decrease is a happier compromise.

Sunday 4 January 2015

Overexposed

I took my new camera out in the winter sunshine and gave it a whirl!  Well, I set it up but I wasn't the one pressing the button. I am going to share these photos even though I got some of the settings wrong, as you can help witness my learning curve.  I should also correct what I said in an earlier post, it's not a compact-system camera, because you can't change the lenses, it's just a fancier than normal compact camera.  It definitely feels like a step up for me anyway, and even if the future I get a DSLR, this can be my new everyday camera.

Overexposed

Thursday 1 January 2015

Welcome, 2015!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2015!  I hope that it's a year that brings a lot of happy times.

NYE 2014

I was finally well enough last night to pose for a selfie as I waited for some home-made canapes.  I was feeling a bit Mad Men in a '60s inspired mini dress, teamed with my gold Bertie sandals.  We stayed in and played parlour games, and it was a gentle start to the New Year, which was just what I needed.

What did you get up to for New Year's Eve?


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