Repetition

Last weekend was hazy grey and lazy. The coffee, couch, remote control variety.
I originally wore this a couple of weeks back but when I finally went out to take these photos on Sunday I had a nagging feeling that I've worn the exact same outfit before. In the end I worked it out: It 's a mix of these two.







Thanks for all your sweet comments regarding my dental cluster f-. I am now on antibiotics and the swelling is slowly but surely going down *insert tight lipped sigh of relief* and I am cheering myself up with retail therapy as you'll know if you follow my tumblr. Yep, I've joined the online scrapbook troupe and set up a little sister blog to accompany Diversions: divertified is a mix of found photography, screen caps and quotes.

beret: eBay
coat: supermarket (Tesco)
scarf: ex Mom's
blouse: All Mighty
belt: ex Mom's
skirt: ancient H&M
tights: supermarket
socks: asos
shoes: office

Three kinds of green

I've been after a bomber jacket for ages but never could find one I liked, so when Annie's went up for grabs I did some grabbing.



I guess you guys influenced my colour choices with your green variations for St. Patrick's. Since I got these olive tights they've been my go to. Green and pink, green and brown, green and grey. It's such a lush colour I can't get enough of it :)





I have been a little absent online - first our router and now my bottom left wisdom tooth. Such a trouble maker. Stays out late, blasts his stereo at 3 AM, gets inflamed. OK. The first two were made up. If I could I'd rip that guy out myself - after a week of lockjaw* I am really bored with liquids.

*I exaggerate of course - but you're invited to my pitty party! Yay! ;)

Wishing you a week of dental health and general blissfulness! Have a good one you all :)

headband: Camden years ago
scarf: DIY
jacket: Zara via Time Enough for Drums
top: I think H&M a long time ago
belt: ex Mom's
skirt: vintage via etsy
tights: welovecolors
shoes: Office

Frozen algae

Do you ever accidentally buy violent tights? All too often they look perfect on the colour chart but a bit much when the parcel arrives. I do like them but the combinations sure aren't endless pairing magenta this vibrant.

Check out the frozen algae - gorgeous slush isn't it? Like a miniature landscape with all those colours and bubbles. It gets into the 50s F/10s C during the day but on clear mornings temperatures are still freezing and as soon as I've been waking up at 6:46 AM every morning for the past few days these pictures were taken early alright. Whatever is up with my inner clockwork?!









By the way, I never realized paddling pool was a U.K. specific term: This is a public wading pool for toddlers to splash around in in the summer.


beret: eBay
blouse: etsy
jacket: Tulle via modcloth
dress: H&M some years ago
shoes: some bargain bin

Little invasions

Talking about the doll house featuring in my blog headers my Mother-in-law told me how she'd once renovated a miniature home herself. It sounds like at the time there were always kids coming and going around her house (which reminds me of a family with an amazing swing set all the kids in my hamlet used to visit although the children it had belonged to had long since grown. My friend would ring the bell to ask permission while I stood back sheepishly). Anyway, one of the boys who used to come to play expressed an interest in her doll house and after asking permission to play with it he swiftly proceeded to fill it to the brim - with soldiers. Toy batallions in every room and even toppling out of the pantry.

How could I resist a reenactment? ;)


Too right, my cakes are worth an armed guard or two




I looted some doll house ornaments from my parents' attic when I visited last amongst others these scales, tiny cutlery and a rolling pin




Does that soldier on the left look weary to you? He is just as crudely shaped as all the rest but there is something about the angle that makes his features seem more human. His tight face look so wary guarding the rim of the bathtub.

Coleridge Rec

I've had a hankering for disused pool portraits forever but the local lido is surrounded by high walls and (it might come as a shock but) I am not Spider-man. I know, what a let down.



I moaned about my lack of access while sketching women standing with their toes over pool edges and heaved a heavy sigh when the When I Grow Up video came out. It was only recently I remembered all the paddling pools around town in a classic "How could I be so short-sighted" moment. Here I am at the first of three local paddling pools.





This week is rather draining at work so I am counting down to the weekend with unprecedented eagerness. 
On a more positive note, it looks like our internet provider is playing nice for now (although they haven't told us what was up yet) so I am currently catching up with some blog reading :)



When I grow up, I want to be a forester
Run through the moss on high heels
Fever Ray | When I Grow Up
If you haven't heard it yet, check out First Aid Kit's salute to the song

Whoa Black Beret bam-A-lam

All winter I couldn't find this beret. I searched high and low for it but in the end I found it when I wasn't even looking.



Behind the desk. In case you were wondering.





I've been finding it really hard picking out tights just recently. After a series of ladders I am low on colours. These have a big tear too so I am down to orange, olive and white. And blue. Well, you know - I always have the blues ;)



In an ideal world I'd like the tights equivalent of a big box of crayons at my disposal. Lots of pastel shades and a few bold colours too. I like to dress like I am a flesh and bone colouring book picture and that 's a lot harder when I insist on ripping all my most awesome tights in short succession!

Alright you all, enough about nylon - have a great start to the week everybody! :)

beret: Accessorize a couple of years back
blouse: modcloth
cardi: some supermarket
jacekt: modcloth
skirt: ancient H&M
shoes: Office

The Creature from the Black Lagoon

It 's movie night again so dim the lights and get the popcorn popping. Prepare for the fright of a lifetime with (dum dum dumm!) The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954).


One thing that really gets me about 50s sci fi films is that quite a few of them were shot in glorious 3-Dimensions! You needed polarized 3-D glasses (you know, the red and blue ones) to get the effect but I am told it wasn't just a gimmick. Well, no more than 3D ever is ;)

It 's all the same to me as soon as I don't see 3D at all. I hear it 's overrated and don't nobody tell me otherwise ;) but I do like this painting intimating just how lifelike those marvellous dimensions are going to be for movie goers.








Disney animator Millicent Patrick who designed the final gilled man


Ricou Browning, who portrayed the gilled man in the underwater scenes.
Ben Chapman was in the creature suit for all scenes on dry land. The costume made it impossible to sit for the 14 hours on set each day and was hot as heck to boot. Needless to say visibility wasn't too great in that suit either :)

What 's for dinner?

I was going to take some pictures at a local church but the gates were locked so when I found this place two doors down I couldn't believe I'd never noticed it before.



It 's a little car park painted by Blight Society. Turns out it 's new, so I wasn't walking through town blinkered after all :D



I write to you from an internet free evening (yes, I know - it’s shocking).
I am writing to you via Notepad (I know, It’s really shocking).

Our router has died and the new one will not arrive for another couple of days so I am preparing some pictures to put online first thing Thursday morning. Not posting every other day makes me antsy so I figured I'd just get myself to the office a bit early tomorrow morning.

Other than a worrying lack of blog reading the life offline isn't all bad. We finally found time to watch the last couple of episodes of The Walking Dead and the Dual Spires episode of Psych. First episode of Psych I've ever seen - no idea what the rest is like but the owls are absolutely what they seem.
Now to get this on a key drive and transport myself to the quiet mountain town of Southpark...
Watching TV. That is what people used to do before the net took over, right?

I'll see you guys as soon as the post man brings us a box full of webs. Meanwhile, have a most excellent second half to the week you all!

It would appear eBay is my friend..
Hat: eBay
Scarf: ex-Mom's
Cardi: H&M last year
Belt: eBay
Skirt: H&M some years ago
Boots: eBay

Coat: Tulle via Ruche
Faux-fur collar: from another coat

Look, no coat!

I couldn't believe it when I realized I might get away with wearing my jeans jacket instead of a coat for the first time in months.







Friday evening I went to the pub to fire on a friend taking part in a karaoke competition. She's got quite the voice, even while recovering from a croaky cold. I am not famous for my social graces (nor am I renowned for my lack of the same, which never ceases to surprise me) but I am pretty sure I must have freaked out some people when after taking a picture of my coke bottle and a friend's pretty shoes I swung my lens towards the news headlines flickering across a wall mounted TV screen near our table.

While contestant number five was murdering a Dido song I wasn't too fond of in the first place I read about rising death tolls (click) and emergency venting of reactors (click). In retrospect I can see that that was pretty creepy. I guess I felt  it was important I remember the evening in context.

Hearing about the terrible events in Japan I am sure many of you can relate to a certain blunting, a sense of unreality. When shocking world events take us by surprise like this they have a way of making mundane, every day life appear abstracted.

A few of my readers call Japan their home. I am lost for words. I hope you and yours are safe and sound.


Japan Tsunami Appeal:
American Red Cross
Australian Red Cross
British Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross



beret: softspoken on Etsy
scarf: ex-Mom's
blouse: ancient H&M
cardi: modcloth
skirt: annabelfuzz on Etsy
jacket: pre-historic H&M
Shoes: Office

Swollen with pride

When I received a third lens my camera's living quarters became veeery cramped. My lenses were stacked on top of each other and cycling with my camera bag felt as if I were juggling eggs.
I knew I needed a replacement and I also knew I really, really didn't want to fork out for a larger camera bag. Let 's face it, even the budget ones are expensive and with very few pricey exclusions they are all pretty darn ugly.



I had a look around blogland and came across some awesome tutorials on how to transform a regular handbag into a home for your camera:

Jacqie of Tales of the Wife and Angela of Painting Chic provided the most in depth details on how to make the foam lining (I went with Jacqie's way around of bottom + front + back in one piece which seemed more appropriate considering the shape of my bag).

Jen of Jen and Steve's bag conversion is pretty awesome too and I really liked Abi of Vanilla & Lace's extra inserts, such as her lens holders. Kristina of Moms Who Click used reassuringly thick padding all around.

I love all the individual touches but you'll see that the basic construction is very similar in all of them so they should give you a good idea of how to go about making your own.





The hardest part was figuring out what sort of bag I wanted to use. I've always had a soft spot for pale blue vinyl carry ons. Also vinyl = pretty darn water resistant. Bonus. Finding one that wasn't ridiculously large was the *snigger* BIGGEST challenge. I went for a 15" long x 10" high x 5" wide shoulder bag in the end. They're quite easy to come by on Etsy and it comfortably fits all my gear + handbag essentials. Good bye Stef-two-bags. Hello roomy camouflage camera bag!





I was quite worried my rudimentary sewing skills might not suffice but I finished my DSLR's padded quarters in one evening :) I haven't got a machine and my hand sewing is attrocious so hurray! for working on the reverse side - the end result looks just perfect despite my child like stitching and the foam is super soft. If my camera was a cat I assure you there would be purring coming from that bag.

Bag: Etsy
Foam padding: amazon (I tried the real world but the hardware store failed me)
Fabric: Etsy - originally used as a photo backdrop

Wearing:
Headband: Camden Market way back
Dress: H&M some years ago
Scarf: ex-Mom's
Cardi: some supermarket
Tights: welovecolors
Shoes: Office

True Grit (1969)

I am looking forward to seeing the Coens' take on True Grit, but only recently came across the 1969 version with John Wayne cast as one Rooster Cogburn. I thought I'd share a stubborn young accountant's wardrobe with you, the sweetest I've seen in a Western yet.













Weekend ante portas! :D