Diversions

Hiatamadl

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000Z

I am pretty sure I'll wear this dress a lot more often if I just get my act together and take up the hem a little. It's just at that akward spot where my calfs are at their widest.

Reminds me of a song by Hubert von Goisern:

"Koa Hiatamadl mog i ned,

hot koana dickn Wadln ned,

i mog a Madl aus da Stod,

was dicke Wadln hot."

which roughly translates to:

"I don't want no shephard girl

got no big calfs

I want a girl from the city

who got big calfs"

What, you weren't expecting lyrical wisdom, were you?
I guess I'd prefer the shepherd girl approach myself, so I think the hem is coming up a tad.

February is coming :) I am excited for warmer weather, shopping for a car and casual glances at the property market. Bring it on 2012!

cardi: primark
brooch: present
buttons: etsy
dress: Bettie Page
crochet tights & olive tights: welovecolors
brogues: office

Matryoshka doll

2012-01-29T11:12:00.000Z

Just four more days with a plain, pasty white right lower leg. After that it's going to be pretty colourful for the rest of my life.

Getting a tattoo does bear some resemblance to marriage, no? Okay, it's a pretty poor comparison considering the only similarity is permanence. I am really looking forward to getting my second tattoo, but my mind does do little loop de loops every time I try to evaulate what sixty year old Stef might one day think about twenty-nine year old me's more permanent choices.
See, if fourteen year old Stef met with my current self I know she'd be outraged at what she's turned into. I was a Little-Miss-Know-It-All back then (some might argue there is no change there, but I sure got rid of the inconveniently placed stick).

Isn't it intriguing how swiftly we feel estranged from our own past ideals, goals, reasoning and decisions? When I think back to my school days all I can do is shake my head and console myself that it led me where I am now. My early twenties on the other hand I am pretty pleased with (they were fun at the time and hold up well on internal replay too). Even so, these recollections feel just as distant as glimpses of that persnickety, prudish teen I once was. Like watching highlights from an old movie with the volume turned down.

Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see where life takes me from here ;)

This whole sentiment that our selfs are variable is what inspired this tattoo I am getting on Thursday in the first place.

If you ask me personality is not singular, unchanging, set in stone. I am not only thinking of personal growth over time but also different aspects/parts/ego-states of yourself that co-exist and when combined make up all that is You.

I am a home body who wants to explore the world. I am an introverted extrovert. I am laid back and confrontational. It just depends on the situation and the frame I am in.

You can catch hints of what I am getting at by thinking about what defines you as a daughter, a mother, a professional or a friend. The situations we find ourselves in bring out different sides to us and sometimes you might find that you're not merely adapting to a particular role but that these different aspects of yourself even extend to seperate hopes and dreams, wants and needs. Well, I am over simplifying a little but it gives you a rough idea of what I mean.

Subpersonality theory is a straight forward enough concept but it can be hard to feel your way around, not least because it just seems silly to think of yourself in the plural.

As odd as it appeared at first glance, this framework has really helped me to feel more at home in myself. It's a big enough deal for me to inspire a tattoo, even.

*Linking the subpersonality theory article on wiki just gave me a right giggle. There is a picture of nesting dolls on the page. It took me months to feel my way towards a non-creepy, pleasing visual representation of the concept and there it was right in front of my nose all along. In wiki we trust.

hat: primark
jacket: tulle (modcloth)
brooches: etsy
violent pink crop sweater: h&m
dress: tara starlet
orchid pink tights
boots: present

Old Saint John

2012-01-27T08:00:00.000Z

Vicky and I explored St. John's College one January weekend with the North wind stinging our faces and sunshine drying the puddles left by the incessant rain that had been drenching Cambridge the previous week.

I adore that little apple brooch :)

This is how I find out my clothes need mending. Check out the missing and droopy button.. or wait - don't. Better just ignore all that ;)

In the background you can see the Bridge of Sighs built in 1831 by Henry Hutchinson. Myth has it that it isn't named for the covered Venice bridge but for the sighs of students crossing it before exams.

Nearly the weekend you guys! I can't wait :D

Stag Beetle Love It

2012-01-25T15:54:00.001Z

Unfortunately (you already know where this is going..) our visa application was unsuccessful. An error in one of our forms led to our visas being denied for clerical reasons. Doh!

As a little pick me up I made an appointment to have my tattoo done (Anna & Mara of Dutch Door Press gave me the go ahead to use their print :)) and on the way home we stopped at the Chinese Supermarket for a bag full of sweets that will probably not survive the day. The Strawberry Yan Yans pictured are already gone but I showed enough restraint to snap a quick picture first. Squirrel your best friend.

What might be

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000Z

As this post goes live the husband and I are in London for our Diversity Visa Interview at the US Embassy. No doubt we'll be feeling light headed as we cross the threshhold into the sovereign territory of the U.S. right in the middle of London, England :)

Unless it is a flat out NO! we probably won't know whether our application for a permanent visa was successful for another four to six weeks but after today it really is out of our hands.

I swear, over the past couple of weeks I've wanted to tell you guys about my visa butterflies Every. Single. Day. but with some difficulty I reigned the urge in until now.

Eversince we found out we'd been selected for further processing last July I've been trying to play it cool. I made every effort to convince myself that our application would most likely be rejected and frankly, it might well be but then again.. and it has been getting harder and harder to shake this thought over the past couple of weeks: It might not. We might be moving halfway across the globe within the next six months. Starting over from scratch. Finding our bearings not only in a new country but on a different continent.

Butterflies have taken permanent residence in my stomach. Quite like a sore tooth you can't help but keep tonguing, the thought of what might be has been on my mind almost constantly. Only it is a joyful, bubbly, scary-exciting kind of sore.

Of course I would like nothing more than to succceed and get my hands on a green card but whatever the results, going through this process has been beneficial for me in a myriad of little ways.

It has reminded me that I am not bound to the direction my life is currently headed. That even the most extreme of life changes are never out of the question. Not that I dislike my life right now - not at all. It's just that I've gotten a little myred in routines. I am a creature of habit me. It is all too easy to forget that while a well played-in, secure day-to-day routine is reassuring, just every once in a while you need to get out of your comfort zone to feel alive. Jump into the unknown head first. Take opportunities as they arise, go out on a limb every once in a while.

From taking a different route to work, over trying out new foods to.. well, taking a chance on the Diversity Visa Lottery.

The whole process has also brought home to me that the things you own really do end up owning you. I know, I know - this quote is getting old but it is true. Ridding myself of accumulated trinkets, thinning out our tightly packed book cases and burrowing our way through reams of old paperwork wasn't easy but with every paper shredded, every box of books and dusty keepsake carried to the charity shop we felt a weight lift off our backs (well, literally too I guess - hardbacks are hea-vy). But seriously: I feel lighter, so much lighter now.

If we do leave for the US this summer we've got a lot more stock taking ahead of us and I bet I'll be feeling like a helium balloon by the end of it ;) I can just about imagine getting to a point where I can fit my life into a couple of suitcases now. That would have been an impossibility a year ago. Frankly, we could hardly fit all our stuff into our tiny home and at the time we didn't even realize how suffocating that really was.

And last but not least, the prospect of escaping future loooong, grey, damp winters has made it ever so much easier to keep a smile on my face through this one. I hope I can keep that positivity up if we stick around for the next English winter ;)

I can't deny we'll be inredibly bummed if our application falls through but there will be much excitement ahead whatever happens: If we don't find ourselves venturing across the pond we'll be moving locally, buy a car for weekend trips and go on a holiday abroad this year.

So here goes.
Keep your fingers crossed for us ;)

earrings: present
dress: heartbreakers (modcloth)
cardi: primark
brooch: decoylab (etsy)
scarf: present (pass me down)
belt: h&m
pale yellow tights
boots: eBay

Tangled in those dreams..

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000Z

I am reading The Steel Remains (more from Richard Morgan - fantasy this time) and listening to local radio stations of places I may never visit - but that's a story for another day.

I've been fighting the urge for an extreme spring clean. I find myself appraising everything in our house that isn't bolted down and assigning it to one of three categories: sell, give away or throw out. Apparently there is little space for keepsakes in my mind right now. Don't worry - I am not acting on the impulse just yet ;)

I came across Beach Fossils the other day and I was immediately hooked on this Brooklyn based band's lo-fi sound. Desert Sand is my current favourite and the post title is from Daydream. Mind you, I actually enjoy everything I've heard so far.

It's a habit of mine to keep new finds on repeat for days.. weeks sometimes. Thank goodness for headphones, right? If it weren't for my musical earmuffs I'd be driving the neighbours crazy with my repetitious listening.
Beach Fossils by Stef on Grooveshark

Got any recent musical finds you care to share?

hat: supermarket (tesco)
mittens: primark
denim jacket, sweater & skirt: vintage/second-hand (etsy & eBay)
brooch: decoylab (etsy)
sky blue tights
brogues: office

Scapegoat

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000Z

This is all Kaylah's fault!
No, not really. But I did see this cat skirt on The Dainty Squid first, which by the way is a firm favourite of mine and a frequent source of wardrobe-and-brooch-raid longings. When Kaylah featured this skirt in her Friday Favorites last November I decided I'd been good for long enough and splurge went my interwebs. I reckon if impulse shopping made a sound it would be gooey just like spluuurge.

Erica of vamosthreads was kind enough to add a little extra length to accomodate my tree trunks. Check out the pretty parcel it was mailed in too:

I came across Australian born/UK based comedian Brendon Burns on TV the other day and ended up spitting the coke I was just about to swollow right back into my glass (gross, I know - but when it comes to stand-up I guess it's a mark of distinction). His act is incredibly offensive in a manner not unlike South Park: Insightful, brash and a little crude while all the while poking fun at bigotry in particular and society in general.

Remember how I've been rolling the thought of getting a second tattoo around my head eversince I got my first one last September?
I knew where I wanted it to be placed, what I wanted it to signify for me personally and that I wanted it to be colourful. Other than that I didn't have the faintest what I was looking for, but I figured I'd recognize it when I found it. And I think I might have. Found it that is. I've asked the artists' permission so if get a positive response from them I'll tell you more about all that :)

Happy weekend everybody!

hat: primark
earrings & sweater (JUMPER! ;)): present
skirt: vamosthreads
boots: present (corral)

Carbon Dioxide

2012-01-19T08:00:00.001Z

The post I drafted and scheduled yesterday has disappeared from my dashboard and I can't face rewriting it right now. Words don't exactly come easy to me so I feel the loss keenly. (In other words: It's my pity party and I'll cry if I want to)

Instead of my ramblings, here is a double outfit shoot with Vicky I'd squirrelled away :)

Mind you, there is one quick story I just have to share:
Strange smells have been reported by some of my colleagues, so facilities have been searching for a gas leak in my work area for over a week now.
I am crazy about Mama clear rice noodle soup and it's been a working brunch staple for me recently. It was only today, as the Carbon Dioxide Sensors were beeping all around me while I scooped up a noodle, that I put two and two together and realized the "gas leak" is really my soup. :D
I dare you to top my crazy story. I dare you! ;)

Back up your blogs regularly guys - and have a most awesome Thursday!

Instant nostalgia

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000Z

Yes, that dress again ;)
I felt like posting something current so I shouldered my tripod and froze my socks off at lunch yesterday. I hadn't taken outfit shots since Christmas so I got all excited about "getting back on the horse".

I am so crazy in love with this dress but I am sure you've all worked this out long ago. I think this is the fifth remix in no more than a month :)

And of course my new Gadgetyphone got a look in as well - Retro Camera by Urbian is my favourite "instant nostalgia" app right now. Isn't it peculiar that while so many of us aim for crisp, polished imagery in our outfit shots, we keep our more personal mementos purposely blurred around the edges?

Sure, we're mimicking the tangible, touchable, faded and fragile mementos of our parents and grandparents: Collected in albums, hidden like treasure in dust covered boxes and framed on our walls.

But could it be the crisp, precise focus and accurate representation multi-mega-pixel snapshots have to offer simply jars with our need to embellish our own past? Even second rate compact cameras boast a depth of focus superior to the human eye. Is it any wonder that these crisp, clean photos all too often recall evidence, appear clinical and cold? They make plain the unreliability of our own memory, whereas a real or faux Polaroid leaves us room to play, to reminisce. It's an emotional thing I guess :)

On that note: If you could have total recall, do you think you'd want it?

That's more than enough lyrical waxing for a Monday night. Have a glorious Tuesday and keep snapping happy!

Let it begin..

2012-01-15T09:44:00.000Z

Here's some ancient outfit history - I wore this all the way back in early November 2011 but it feels pretty current because I am sitting here in the same t-shirt and cardi as I write this.

I can't wait to get shot of my Christmas paunch. Wearing only my loose fitting clothes is getting boring but as soon as I don't want to stretch my tighter garments, most of my wardrobe is out of bounds right now. It's a January tradition of sorts for me. Harrumph

The days are getting longer and I couldn't be more excited :) I've still got about a month's worth of outfits stashed away but as soon as they're all posted the time lag between outfit and post is going to get a lot shorter again.

Of late, I've been crazy into The Drums, Jasmine tea, seaweed and all things wasabi. That and I am incessantly playing with my new smart phone :) More of that little device another day..

Happy weekend :D

hat & cardi: primark
jacket: zara via timeenoughfordrums
t-shirt: glasto
skirt: anabelfuzz (etsy)
boots: legero (present)

Crunch!

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000Z

These were taken on an October lunch break.
I put my glasses down while taking a picture against the light and by the time I returned to review the shot I'd forgotten all about them. CRUNCH! underfoot and bye bye specs. Sellotape was my accessory of choice that afternoon. Thankfully I had a spare pair at home so I got to take my time over finding the perfect replacement :D

I have quite a history when it comes to the destruction of glasses. See, I am the dictionary definition of clumsy (I knocked myself out with a paper towel dispenser once, it's a knack). Since I started wearing glasses some 27 years ago, various pairs of specs have met their end on my face, under my bum and feet. Imagine my parents' sigh of relief when those bendy frames came out even a medicine ball in the face could not harm. (WhoooshTHUD! The reserve bench was my special place during Phys Ed).

One pair met it's untimely demise slipping right off my nose and falling from a first floor window whe I leant out to wave to my best friend. You gotta tighten them little screws, kids.. He distracted me from the distorted, blurry world I was stuck in that day by taking me on a date. The friend in question is now my husband so that all worked out pretty good. We got two wonky eyes between us :D

As for my most recent spectacle destruction: I got two replacement pairs online. The only difficulty was conning my optician into relinquishing my PD measurement. That's the distance between your pupils and you wouldn't believe how protective opticians are of this info. The measurement isn't included in your sight test, it is only taken when you buy new frames. So if you ask for it they know you're taking your custom elsewhere and it is common policy for opticians to behave like angry toddlers on such occasions. After being refused the measurement by a snooty bossy boots I refrained from turning into the Hulk my very own self and instead returned to the store lateron to find a trainee behind the counter. I felt a little guilty taking advantage of the only helpful employee in store but the company (Specsavers on this occasion, but sadly most opticians will refuse this info) they sure as hell have lost my custom for good.

coat: primark
cardi: present (lana moden)
bubble beret: softspoken (etsy)
snood: DIY
earrings: present
bracelet: market stall
blouse: modcloth
curdoroy skirt: next via eBay
mocca tights: welovecolors
shoes: office

Ancient Aliens

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000Z

I came across the South Park parody before I gaped slack jawed at the original.
It's a tragedy I don't booze because this History Channel gem would make for a brilliant drinking game. It would appear Occam has lost his razor and proudly twirls his stately beard. It's grown so bushy aliens nest in it. If you were to believe Londo Mollari's stunt double the sky is blue because of.. aliens. I bet aliens fathered Einstein and invented the ice cream sundae.
If in doubt: Aliens.

The husband and I are rather taken with yelling "aliens!" a split second before one of the "ancient astronaut theorists" invariably reaches the same conclusion. I have to warn you: If you really listen to what passes for reasoning in this laughable series you'll give your "recent bullshit analyst" self a raging ulcer.

However, if you like a drink or fifty I can't recommend it enough. In the unlikely event you don't forfeit before the end of the episode you'll most likely wake up in a hospital bed having had your stomach pumped. And you know why that is, don't you? ALIENS!

Could it be a coincidence that a well known and intimidating organisation that passes for a church some places but is officially recognised as a malignant cult in others advertises on the same channel? Call me a conspiracy nut, but personally I really don't think so. So much for Xenu's ancient exploits.

I remember when Project Chanology went down I discovered a deep felt respect for the 1337 pubescent ass burgers who populate 4chan. I used to pass a Scientology centre on a daily basis. Complimentary theton measurements were offered to me every time I looked just a little sullen.

If there is one thing I believe in it is the freedom to believe whatever the heck you like or for that matter, not to believe. What disgusts me about this cult is not the concept of an alien overlord who will take home his chosen people and leave behind the rest of us subhumans, but the coercive scare tactics, policy of disconnection and overt preying on vulnerable people. That an organisation with a track record such as this is classed a church and exempt from tax in many countries really gets my goat.

Of course, while I am writing this, I wonder whether I have already said too much. My stomach churns as I worry if a light hearted post like this will suffice to mark me a "suppressive person" and render me a target for attack. And doesn't that just say it all?

I guess the only wisdom I have to offer is: Always check your sources. Don't ever just take some imbecile's word for it simply because he got his mug in the media. Oh, and drink responsibly.

And if you're still in doubt: Aliens. ;)

hat & coat: primark
snood: DIY
jumper: very
dress: charity shop
fleece tights
brogues: office

Child's play

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000Z

Neither Bec nor I could leave behind this little cat print dress when we happened across it at Camden market. Who could resist the prospect of making like blog-twins?
You'll get a better look another day, promise :)

I can't wait for spring to do it's thing. Not only but also because my new season inappropriate but totally awesome halter dress arrived and I found a silly handbag to go with it that just screams SUMMER!

I used to have a white purse exactly like this back in the day. Great for playing shop. Last year I noticed a lot of plastic fantastic stuff in stores and nostalgia for my little toy handbag welled up in me. So of course no imitation would do.

I am a childish dresser really. Silly prints, cheerful colours and even carbon copies of my playthings apparently ;) I am in two minds about being "age appropriate".
A friend I hadn't seen in a while recently commented I looked about fifteen. That gave me a little shock with an undercurrent of smug, but mostly shock. It's nice to shave off a decade and a half, but pubescent is not really what I am going for.

As much as I am all for wearing whatever makes me happy I know ten years down the line my current wardrobe might look a little.. creepy. I hold a vague belief that my style will sober over time without conscious effort. That I'll just naturally start going easy on bows as I age and maybe soften my colour palette. Subtle changes that'll boost my respectability but invariably take away from the childlike, raw enjoyment of wearing a fun outfit with all the extras.

Some days I worry I might miss the signs and start to look like a crazy as time ticks by instead. The memory of a menopausal teacher in Lolita gear still makes me cringe. Maybe it is not so much age appropriateness I am looking for. After all I wouldn't face a pack of fourteen year olds with bows in my hair even now. Maybe age appropriate is a myth and situational appropriateness is all it ever takes.

Maybe it is all about being comfortable in your skin and the geography Lolita jarred with me only because she assumed the mannerisms of a little girl to go with the clothes. There was a fear of ageing blatantly visible in her, a denial and self deception that was painful to watch.

Similarly, I remember a classmate, barely sixteen and already scared stiff of time slipping through her fingers. She held her face immobile for fear a smile would crease her face forever. Wrinkles like monsters creeping up on her the very moment she drops her guard.

Personally, I've always been more concerned with the kind of wrinkles time will bring: Will it be smiling crows feet or worry lines?

What's your take on all that?

hat: tesco
earrings: accessorize I think
crochet blouse & brooch: vintage (etsy)
dress: camden market
mittens & bangle: primark
denim jacket & satchel: eBay
boots: legero (present)

Still Angry

2012-01-06T18:31:00.000Z

Finishing a good read is always a bit of a downer. Like a child negotiating fiercly for five more minutes I invariably slow my pace towards the end in an attempt to make the story last just a little bit longer. Spend just a little more time inside the pages.
I finished the final instalment of Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs trilogy yesterday and I am still sore there isn't a fourth.

We all get our dreams stamped on from time to time, right? And if it didn’t hurt, what kind of second-rate dreams would they be?

from Woken Furies

I like my heroes with a twist and Takeshi Kovacs, the main man in Altered Carbon, Broken Angels and Woken Furies, is right up there with the likes of Cheradenine Zakalwe, Tyler Durden and Thomas Covenant if you ask me.

The human eye is a wonderful device. With a little effort, it can fail to see even the most glaring injustice.

from Altered Carbon

Cyberpunk meets hard-boiled noir in Richard Morgan’s Kovacs trilogy set in a future where the human race has spread to distant worlds and you can practically live forever (provided you can afford a new body when your old one meets it's end).

No matter what flesh he finds himself in, Tak is a pro with an eye for details and sociopath tendencies. A honed killer who takes pleasure in doling out “real death” when things get personal. Think ex-special ops/mercenary/detective/revolutionary.

A preoccupation with the next world pretty clearly signals an inability to cope credibly with this one

from Broken Angels

I enjoy a fast paced, action packed story (where having to put your read down to eat or sleep feels like a major belly churning inconvenience). There is also a fair bit of intelligently administered brutal violence on offer. But Quellcrist Falconer, the fictional author of the quotes spattered across this post was just as captivating.

Some of my best reading experiences have been books I knew nothing about when I started. No fan of spoilers me. I rarely even read the backs, so I’ll leave off going into further detail so I don't give the game away.

Happy weekend!

hat & ring: present
earrings: came with my cat skirt from vamos! :)
camera ring: the dainty squid (etsy)
dress: etsy
belt: h&m
royal blue tights: welovecolors
brogues: office

Castle Hill

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000Z

Here's another outfit double whammy :)

We started our outfit session on Castle Hill, the highest point in the city of Cambridge. Hill is more term of endearment than description for this little mount, it's more of a hump really ;)

This battle scarred little guy was sitting on a bench propped up against the church wall at St. Giles where we snapped some more picutres after we'd had our fill of aerial views.

Vicky's been compiling a list of great locations for our weekend meet-ups so at long last you should see a little more of Cambridge every once in a while.

Have a great one!

So this is January

2012-01-02T20:35:00.000Z

I am enjoying my final day of sleeping late, waking up slowly and achieving very little other than relaxation. Takeshi Kovacs is quoting Quell on my Kindle again as I sip at my coffee. Empty chocolate wrappers rustle under and around me. They litter the sofa. Spent munition in this winter's nutritional battle field. I've got a serious detox scheduled for January.

The gluttonous excess I put my body through over the last couple of weeks has left me with a spare tire around my waist and a general sluggishness that makes me feel apologetic towards my own flesh. Poor distended, spongy body. I did this to you. Greed over satiety.

Oh well, like they say: It only comes around once a year. Still, it is odd, this ritual ravenous feeding frenzy. Maybe it's hard coded into us by now. Generation upon generation upon generation following the same pattern. On the other hand, maybe I just gotta keep searching for this fabled backbone of mine and say NO! to confectionery every once in a while.. even at Christmas ;)

I am going to settle down with another coffee and Woken Furies now, so before I read on I figured I'd share one of my favourite quotes by fictional political activist and revolutionary Quellcrist Falconer:

Face the facts. Then act on them. It's the only mantra I know, the only doctrine I have to offer you, and it's harder than you'd think, because I swear humans seem hardwired to do anything but. Face the facts. Don't pray, don't wish, don't buy into centuries-old dogma and dead rhetoric. Don't give in to your conditioning or your visions or your fucked-up sense of... whatever. Face the facts. Then act.

Richard Morgan | Broken Angels

beret: eBay
coat: primark
sweater: very
dress: h&m
olive tights: welovecolors
brogues: office

Calendar reminder

2011-12-31T16:03:00.001Z

Yesterday evening the husband and I watched Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe review of 2011 (BBC I Player | YouTube). I'd forgotten quite how crazy 2011 has been on a global level. That said, I've had quite an interesting year myself.

So, this time around I am joining in the "review of my year" blogging ritual.

We began 2011 in Austria, visiting family and friends as well as rediscovering my eraser collection.

It was a vehicular first quarter. In February my push bike gave up the ghost and I turned pedestrian for a little while

Soon after we bought our first car

and took some trips

Our wheels gave their last on the way home from a glorious June week in a muddy Glastonury field. Can't blame the old car, it wasn't the only one who didn't want to leave :)

And so I was back to paddling.

We found our raffle ticket to the US Green Card lottery was a winner and I went a bit existential on you guys in the frenzy of form filling as we entered round two of the application process.

I had me some dentistry and lived on milkshake and Co-codamol for a week blissed out at the demise of my troublesome wisdom teeth and no bruising to show for it.

Somewhere along the way I picked up a liking for nail polish :)

After stating loudly that I was unlikely to ever get a tattoo I immediately went and got my first tattoo.

Just as the leafs started changing, Bec of Black Swan's Pond and I took on Camden together.

Indian summer felt like a warm hug after the lukewarm summer.
I found out that fellow style blogger Vicky lives just down the street and it is has been great fun teaming up on weekend photo trips.

Christmas was a festival of laziness in our home. I feel relaxed and ready for a new round. ;)
Let's see what 2012 brings :)
Happy new year!

The Dude Abides & giveaway winner

2011-12-29T15:05:00.000Z

This Christmas I've been busying myself mainly with my new gadgety phone, messing with Apps and stalking Flickr and Tumblr. It remains to be seen how well Red Morning Light measures up as a ring tone - like I say I am not big on my phone's primary function.

There was much gluttony and relaxation for me over the past few days. So much so I had myself an unannounced vacation from the blog :)

Time not spent inhaling sugary foods was passed reading sci-fi noir Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan and now I can't wait to get off the computer and carry on with the second instalment, Broken Angels.

Right, that's enough rambling: I believe I owe you guys one giveaway winner drawn randomly - Congrats Mary Van Note! Can't wait to see you style your new Shabby Apple Lighthouse dress :)

So many layers - can't fit arms through sleeves

2011-12-24T08:00:00.001Z

Ever get shades of foul bachelorette frog? I do. Or in this case: Foul style blogger frog. For a minute there I thought I'd have to change because my arms really weren't going in my coat sleeves but in the end I rammed them home and voila! many colourful layers.

The other half won this Fez as part of a Doctor Who party pack so of course I had to test the old coolness factor

Last Wednesday David and I went to see Death in Vegas at the Junction here in Cambridge. It’s only a small venue so we got to enjoy a case of vibrating rib cage close to the stage. The moment the music started a contented grin spread across my face. Ear to ear.

Actually, I’ve gone on about Death in Vegas here on the blog once before. David introduced me to their music years and years ago and they’ve been a staple on my various CD and more recently MP3 players ever since. Unlike the husband I had never before heard them live though so I was doubly excited that they were coming to Cambridge.

We arrived a little early so we stopped for a game of billiard close by to pass the time. I was pleased as punch that while I potted more balls by fluke than by design quite a few shots worked out exactly as planned.

I've never really stopped at the merchandise table before but this time around a tote bag seemed the way to go :)

And there is that staple of cool again. Tommy Cooper got that one right long before the time lord.

Fez: David's
knitted head band & fingerless gloves: made by my Mom (thanks Mama!)
snood: DIY
hooded cardi: next I think.. in 2001 LOL
denim jacket & underdress peeking out: eBay
coat: primark
dress: etsy
knit band worn as belt: present
socks: Glasto
clogs: Lotta from Stockholm

And a merry midwinter to you

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000Z

This year the husband and I decided we'd trade Christmas for our very own season of unspecified festivities.

Neither of us could be bothered with decorations this time around. I am so enjoying ridding myself of accumulated ballast I even considered donating our big box of Christmas paraphernalia, but in the end I figured that box was doing just fine in the dark crevice under the stairs. Hoisting it out of there seemed like too large a task and completely at odds with my festive season of laziness.

Unadorned by colourful garlands, flashing lights and glittering stars, this year's celebrations will be given entirely to lounging on the sofa and visits to friends (to lounge on their sofas instead).

I know, I know, I am quite unfestive and my middle name might just be Grinch but I am really enjoying my non specific midwinter par-tey.

Whatever the theme of yours, have a merry holiday season you all :)

beret: eBay
t-shirt: supermarket (asda)
cardi & kerchief: primark
brooch: craftyfolk (etsy)
skirt: etsy
skyblue tights
brogues: office

We interrupt normal programming..

2011-12-21T10:00:00.000Z

Hi guys

Just a quick heads up to let you know the giveaway is now closed
I'll draw a winner within the next few days :)

So long
Stef

After the Beep

2011-12-20T08:00:00.001Z

Hi guys :)
I might be away from the interwebs for a couple of days - completely offlinksy - I'll draw a winner for the giveaway as soon as I am back online but it might not be until the end of the week.

See, I have one of those old-fashioned mobiles: No camera, no Internet, just a tinny ring tone maxed out to ear shattering decibels and still I miss every last call. My handset always slips deep down into the uncharted outer reaches of my bottomless handbag and guess what: Apparently all my satchels, backpacks and even coat pockets come with complimentary sound proofing. Ear shattering tinny ringtone might as well be the sound of a fish farting at that rate.

My social networking skills are so awe inspiring I am my own most frequent caller: I ring from the house phone while hunting for my lost mobile.

Anyway, I am really tempted with a smart phone right now. I'd like to keep track of comments from afar, maybe even edit a blog post on the fly and while I eventually find my bearings in any city it sure would be quicker to use GPS. So basically, I want an expensive toy pretty please, never mind the phone part.

Phones, they turn me into a penguin. The socially awkward variety. I am not particularly well versed in small talk at the best of times but my awkward phone manner is legendary. I freeze up so bad I can't even remember to ask about the weather.

So basically, if you've ever had the misfortune to find yourself in a phone "conversation" with me, on a wireless so hanging yourself with the cord is not an option, I do apologise. Got any smart phone recommendations?

beret & skirt: eBay
scarf: present
blouse: all-mighty
cardi: h&m
purple tights: primark
boots: sheplers (present)

Festive triangles

2011-12-18T12:37:00.000Z

I tried to get some festive nail polish going but my Christmas trees leave something to be desired. To my mind all I needed was a triangle and some dots and voila! Christmas tree, but apparently there is more to it because these just looks like triangles with dots to me. Very festive triangles though, right? ;)

A colleague at work gave me this blouse. I really like the big collar and tie belt.

Tomorrow will be my last day at work this year. Woohoo!
Good intentions are in place but the jury's out on whether my "to mend" pile is actually going to get tackled during the holidays. So many hems and buttons..

beret & denim jacket: eBay
snood: DIY
coat: tesco
blouse: present
skirt: h&m
boots: amazon

The day after the day before

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000Z

Here's to another November lunch break spent at the country park clambering around on trees.

As I write this I am watching The day after day before the day after the day.. tomorrow. Again. I don't really think much of the movie (though I do rate the South Park parody) but I feel a little sick after eating an obscene number of mince pies (oh temperance, I know you not!) and maybe it's just because my stomach is hurting, but right now it is strangely comforting to watch a bunch of kids hide in a library while the world goes to heck in a hand basket.

If meteorology steeped in magic sent a cold front of epic proportions my way, a room in an old library with an open fireplace and a great pile of books for insulation, fuel and company sounds like a good hidey hole to me. Screw the mall, I think that reading room is where I am riding out the zombie apocalypse too.

I am a reformed glutton of course. I will never again over-eat. Not until the day after the day before tomorrow anyway.

hat & cardi: primark
coat: tulle (modcloth)
scarf: present
blouse & crochet tights: h&m
skirt: vintage
shoes: clarkes

Shabby Apple Giveaway

2011-12-14T10:00:00.000Z

When Dayna of Shabby Apple invited me to host a giveaway I knew you guys would be just as excited as me :)

Shabby Apple's range of vintage inspired retro women's dresses are classic timeless pieces and will make a welcome addition to any wardrobe. Read on for your chance to add one to yours! :)

But first I thought I'd share a few of my favourites:

I am particularly taken with the red and white stripes of the Circo dress, the buttoned half belt and sailor collar of the navy Admiral dress and the shimmering, rich blue and petal collar of the Trevi Fountain dress. Not to mention the vision in white and butter yellow that is the Lighthouse dress, which is the one that is up for grabs here at Diversions :)

How to enter
To enter the giveaway for one Shabby Apple Lighthouse dress you need to nip over to facebook and like Shabby Apple and leave a comment below (don't forget to include a way to contact you)

Additional entries:
For additional entries share the giveaway on facebook, tumblr, twitter or your own blog. Don't forget to leave a seperate comment for each entry or they won't be counted!

Sorry, US residents only folks.

Giveaway ends one week from now, on Wednesday, 21st December at 10:00 AM GMT and the winner will be drawn randomly as soon as pos after that :)

Shabby Apple also offer 10% off to you guys for the next 30 days using coupon code diversions10off

Best of luck!