Capture the Castle

Where did the summer go?  September always seems to arrive sooner that I anticipate.  I've had a few weeks (well-deserved) time off work, and Chris and I headed to the coast of West Wales for a few days.  On the list of things to do was a trip to Cilgerran Castle.  It wasn't too far from our friend's caravan where we were staying, so we headed there armed only with a small picnic rather than medieval weaponry.

The two huge round towers remain, having stood watch since the 13th century when the castle was constructed.  The rest of the castle is in considerable ruins, but the location on the side of a gorge overlooking the Teifi river is really rather spectactular.  Chris and I perched ourselves on top of a wall to enjoy a rest after climbing the vertiginous spiral staircase - the view kept us there for some time.

Wearing 1970s shirt, boots and leather jacket, vintage Polaroid sunglasses, Laura Ashley pinafore dress, Lucy K bag.

The shirt is from the 1970s, but new-to-me.  It's a man's shirt, judging from the label (collar size in inches) and the way it buttons.  At first glimpse of the subdued colours I was not enamoured, but Chris pointed out the voluminous cuffed sleeves and exaggerated collar, and persuaded me to try it on.  Perfect fit!  I had to keep it and admit my first instinct had been wrong (always annoying).  I can see the shirt working with wide-leg trousers too for work, so although I'm always trying to slim down and refine my wardrobe, this looks like a keeper for a while.

I've definitely got that 'back to school' feeling now that our holiday is over.  I'm moving departments within the university in a few weeks' time, so it's rather hectic, trying to tie up lots of loose ends and clear my office of over 7 years' stuff!  I'll explain more about the partially new job in another post, as it's still not 100% clear at this point exactly what I'll be doing.  I'm just grateful to have a contract extension, as it was only last week that my contract was finally processed to extend past 31st September for six months.  It's just the way things work in academia, so that might sound stressful, but I'm used to things being a bit last minute now and I don't allow it to phase me.  I suppose I'm optimistic too, and have faith that things will work out.

What's your autumn looking like?  Do you have travel plans or is it all 'back to school'?

Linking up with: #iwillwearwhatilike, Visible Monday, Fancy Friday