Style Stalker: Kerry of Yours Truly, x

Evening all!  This is a Toast Post in celebration of a blog that I have been following quite obsessively for several months.   The blog is Yours Truly, x, and this is its astonishingly well-dressed owner, Kerry:

I like Kerry's chatty, snapshots-of-my-life posts and her colourful photography.  I admire her eclectic mix of post topics, and I love the way she looks like she's having a whale of a time in all of her outfit posts.  But of course, the outfit posts themselves are my favourite thing!  I am in awe of Kerry's ability to magic up unique yet wearable, vintage-inspired without being a slave to period-correctness, cute and cheerful outfits.  I am particularly impressed by her fondness for teeny vintage suitcases as handbags!

The outfit posts on Yours Truly are the bestest because they're so diverse.  Kerry never looks the same two posts in a row!

Sometimes Kerry's clothes remind me of things the Bright Young Twins wear, but, to be honest, although undoubtedly style geniuses, the BYT sometimes strike me as a bit far-fetched, a bit too ethereal and other-worldly.  Yours Truly is a happier, cheekier, more accessible version!

Mildly funny story:  I also follow Yours Truly's Facebook page (I'm good at stalking, me!), and today Kerry uploaded an album of outfit pics from the past couple of years, which made finding these photographs to illustrate this post very easy.  That is, it would have, had I not trawled through YT's archive last night to find them manually!  Ah well!

That's probably enough stalking for one day.  It was very hard to keep the photos down to an acceptable number! 

Three cheers Kerry for having brilliant clothes.  Definite style inspiration!

In the curtains, in the silver, in the buttons, in the bread.

Do you know what I'm going to do?  I'm going to buy a new smartelephone (Old phone missing, presumed pinched.  Some inebriated moron (me) left it in the back of a taxi back in Feb.  Telephoning needs currently being met by an old phone, which is perfectly pleasant but doesn't do apps, and I miss my angry little bird friends.), and then I'm going to download instagram and take square little retro-filtered photographs of all the jolly things I see in my splendid life, so I can put them on my blog and have something to talk about.  I enjoy other bloggers' 'snapshots' posts (cos nosy), and I also seem to have fallen out of lurve with Boring Outfit Posts of late (Ahem.  Cos LAZY.), so I'm going to resort to replacing quality blog content with pictures of food, dresses and particularly high-scoring/hilarious Words With Friends words.

Here is an example of the useless things you will have to look forward to, lucky, lucky readers.  Simon and I frequently find little kitchen notes left for us by visitors, the appliances, each other or 'Mo', our imaginary resident junk food stealer.  Here's one penned by a lasagne.

P.S.  Isn't my new background pretty?

Boring Outfit Post: Old Black and Blue Eyes

On Monday, which happened to be the first day of the new term, I wore a royal blue dress with a navy blue cardigan, light blue shoes, and tights, t-shirt and belt in three different shades of purple.  (This is the kind of foolish thing I would have done during the winter months when it was too dark and gloomy in the mornings to distinguish colour shades and tones.  These days, even on rainy mornings, it's beautifully light at 6.15 when my alarm sounds, but, unfortunately, I'm still an idiot.)

I like bright colours, but in Monday's outfit I felt a bit clownish, a bit childish.  (Not helped by the fact I was wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt under my sleeveless dress.  Essential for warmth in my chilly school, but a tricky look to pull off - very easy to miss the mark and look like a kiddie in a pinafore.)

On Tuesday morning, then, as usual gazing blankly at my vast wardrobe, wrapped in my towel, whilst declaring "I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!", I found myself pulling this black dress from its hanger.  I seldom wear it - in fact, I can't remember the last time I did - but this time something told me to dress like a grown-up for once!

Grown-ups can wear blue tights, right??

(Pardon the face. No point putting lipstick on before breakfast!)

This dress and I began our acquaintance in the summer of 2008, when I had a) a student loan burning a hole in my pocket, b) lots of time on my hands, and c) two gorgeous, fashion-plate flatmates, beside whom I felt like a fugly frump.  Between us, we spent a lot of time and money in Topshop!

(Funny how things change - I can't bear to go into Topshop these days.  I think it eats my soul.)

I bought this frock the morning that Heather and Natasha and I got our degree results, (I was actually buying it at the exact moment when my anxious mum phoned me - "Yeah,IgotaFirst,I'llringyoubackin5mins,bye.") and wore it for that night's celebratory night out. (Which I remember as one of the boringest nights out we had, but that wasn't the dress' fault.) 

I am the dimwit with the upside-down hood.

End of reminiscing.  I'm going out for pizza tonight, and I'm going to wear Monday's blue dress again (miraculously, it survived a day in Key Stage One without getting smeared with either play-doh OR snot!), and maybe try and style it a little better this time!

(P.S.  Dress' fault?  Dress's fault? Dresses' fault?  I neither care nor know.)

Kate and Lucy

Hello all!

Today's post will NOT contain ankle socks of any kind.  In fact, probably even no pictures of me posing in the garden at all!  Instead, I've come to pay homage (I despise that word.  You sound a bit thick if you pronounce it like porridge, but dropping into a French accent mid-sentence for just one word sounds so incredibly pretentious, like something Simon or Mama Golden would do...) to two blogger-ladies far more stylish than I.

A long time ago (The 20th of February, in fact), I received a comment from Lucy Nation letting me know that she had bestowed a blog award upon me!  Shamefully and inexcusably, I never quite got round to thanking Lucy, or passing on the award, and may possibly have forgotten about it - until today, that is!

According to the rules of the Versatile Blogger award, I have to post a list of seven random facts about myself.  (This is actually far harder than you would think, and I am going to do it at the end of this post!)  

The next step is that I am to nominate fifteen other versatile bloggers to receive the award.  Well, I'm not going to.  I'm only going to do one, so there!  The blogger I have chosen is  Kate Gabrielle of Scathingly Brilliant, and she has pink hair.  If, like me, you're fond of dresses, rainbow tights and flapper girls, go immediately to http://www.scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.co.uk/ and enjoy!  I really like Kate's blog, her perfect-pastel outfit photos, her etsy shop and her general happy outlook.  (Brilliant, she is, but Scathing, she is not.) 

I could go on about this blog for some time,  but I don't need to, because it turns out that my benefactress Lucy Nation has done it already.  When I popped onto Lucy's excellent blog Tales From The Faraway Tree (check out her brilliant Enid Blyton header - I love it!) today to remind myself of the Versatile Blogger rules, already mentally planning my tribute to Kate, what did I find but a whole post dedicated to Kate's blog, style and general loveliness?!

Here it is in its entirity: http://talesfromthefarawaytree.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/i-like-your-style.html  Do read it, and you're sure to understand why I wanted to nominate Kate for the Versatile Blogger award. :o)

While you're at it, have a browse through the rest of Tales From the Faraway Tree.  Lucy's blog is also well worth a read.  Giggle at her posts, admire her outfits and flaming red hair, and above all, go and find the post about her kitsch kitchen - it's awesome! 

Perfection!

To end, here are my seven random facts.  They took yonks to think up, and they're not very interesting.

1. I have a dreadful habit of putting drinks on the floor by my feet, because I'm too lazy to get up and lunge towards the coffee table whenever I want a sip. When sitting back on a sofa with a laptop on your knee, you can't really see the floor by your feet, and I am rather clumsy... There are more tea stains on the floor by my sofa than anywhere else! I thought of this as a random fact because I just now nearly kicked over my glass of water.

2. Speaking of sofas, on the wall behind my sofa there is a large picture of Greta Garbo, and on the wall behind Simon's sofa there is a large picture of... something modern. I frequently insist that we ought to swap so that I don't have to look at modern art and Simon doesn't have to look at Greta - however, one can see the television better (and reach the coffee table far more easily, come to think of it...) from Simon's sofa, so there's nee chance he'll swap!

3. I am terribly fussy about what I wear, and I love nothing more than new clothes, but I bloody hate shopping.

4. I have three little weaknesses, and they are gin, chocolate and singing men.

5. Two of the above I have [had!] given up for Lent, except a small slip-up involving Kayleigh's delicious chocolate biscuit cake (it was nearly Sunday!) resulted in me awarding myself two weeks off Lent...  Starting from this Monday, I intend to put myself back on the wagon and be especially virtuous for the final week of Lent.  NO CHOCOLATE, HAMER!  (I have been flawlessly successful on the gin front, all except for one instance, but Satan drove me to it through death metal music, and I didn't enjoy it anyway.)

6. I don't really like going on holiday.

7. I look like a zebra. You know how everybody looks like an animal? Mine is a zebra. I don't see it myself, but everybody says so, so it must be true.

So there you have it.  I am extremely chuffed to be chosen for a blog award, and I hope you will all enjoy reading Kate's and Lucy's posts as much as I do.  Thanks ever so much for thinking of me, Lucy!

Sing that old song, how does it go? Look out sunshine, here's the punchline.

Hello, this is the second Boring Outfit Post of the week.  Also the second Boring Outfit built around ridiculous ankle socks.  I think I've found my summertime replacement for my ridiculous rainbow tights obsession!  (Dear sunshine and highs of 21 degrees, please stick around until Autumn.  This is bliss. Love, Bette)

(Dear Self, pasty legs are not terribly attractive. Break out the fake tan before School Picture Day tomorrow!)

My evacuee shoes proved to be just as effective for posing on the garden wall as they were for posing on the front steps in Monday's post!

Darn runaway straps!

Shoesies: Primark

Socks: Topshop

(Sale, obviously.  As if I'm paying Topshop prices for socks.)

Skirt: No idea.  It's been in my possession since I was at school, I'm sure.

Blouse: Quiz, almost as long ago.

Dammit, I really need to get rid of this pink background - my pictures look atrocious!

Goodnight, Mr Tom

March, instead of going out like a lion, is behaving like August, and so today, to the intense scorn of Simon, who threatened to only take Boring Outfit Pictures for me from the knee upwards, I shunned tights in favour of my first ridiculous-ankle-socks-moment of the year.

My feet look like an evacuee!

There's no point in dressing like a 1940s urchin unless you're going to do it properly, so I dressed the rest of me in a cotton print dress and very school-uniformy grey cardigan.  I may also have got carried away and joined in with the kiddies' games of rolling down the hill during playtime duty...

I can't help but suspect that my photographer's 'artistic' angles were specifically designed to make his presence felt in all of my photographs.  Hi Simon's shadow!

Frock: Dorothy Perkins sale

Socks and shoes: Primark

Cardi:  Charity shop



So very incompletely dressed.

Hello, this is a Boring Outfit Post.

You know those really annoying times when you're forced to spend FOUR WHOLE POUNDS on some footwear for a theatrical costume (like, for instance, white ballet flats), that you know you will never ever wear again?

Turns out that white ballet flats are suprisingly useful, especially for someone with a large collection of brightly-coloured tights and no neutral shoes!

(Tights anecdote: Yesterday one of my colleagues said to me, "I thought I saw you on your bike at lunchtime, and I thought to myself, "What's Elizabeth doing on her bike at this time?"  Looked just like you, same clothes and same bike and everything.  And then I noticed she was wearing black tights and I thought "Can't be Elizabeth. Wrong colour legs.")

Anyway, Spring has sprung, the grass is riz, and I'm not wearing boots again until November, so there.

(I looked fat in the picture where I was smiling, so two grumpy ones instead!)

Stylish for posing in the garden at breakfast time, but I might have looked a bit stupid when I changed into blue plimsolls (Don't cycle in ballet shoes.  They fall off at crucial moments, i.e. busy junctions), a red coat and a silver and pink bike helmet! 

Next challenge, wear the mob cap in everyday life...

This is what Half-Terms are for.

How I Spent My Half-Term Holiday

by Bette, aged 25 and a quarter

Friday

On Friday afternoon I skipped away from school, changed my clothes and ate some toast, and drove with Philip and Simon to Sunderland, whereupon I put on a pretty mediaeval frock and a pointy hat and took to the stage as Lady Angela in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience.  I felt that Friday was the best night of the run, and it all went splendidly.  After the curtain fell I retired to the pub, as is traditional.

Saturday

A long-awaited lie-in, some house-cleaning and soon it was time to go back to Sunderland for the fifth and final performance of Patience.  Laura said to me, as we were sipping our secret backstage fizzy wine, "If you cry tonight, I'll punch you in the face.", so I kept the weeping at bay, and after we had performed the house down, packed up our costumes, taken down the set ("Heads on stage!") and enjoyed tea, cake and speeches, we tootled off to Laura's flat for wine and karaoke. (You haven't heard 'A Whole New World' until you've heard it in Mackem accents), finally flopping into bed sometime in the morning.

Bloody brilliant.  Thanks for having me, St Andrews.

Sunday

Far earlier than my aching head would have preferred, Phil and I carefully on tiptoe stole out of the flat, leaving Jen, Seann and Laura sleeping, and returned to our side of the river.  I put down my Patience costume bag, picked up my Pirates costume bag and headed out for a looong rehearsal.  Not gonna lie, at that point performing in Pirates was the last thing I wanted to do.  In fact, Phil and I were secretly planning to just do Patience again.  I mean, once we were on stage they couldn't stop us, could they?  Surprise!  Anyway, after a somewhat chaotic run-through, I returned home and played host to the mother and the aunt, who have come North to see my shows.

Monday
The first and only day of the fortnight that did not involve any sort of rehearsal or performance.  The mother and aunt and I went to Fenwicks and the Tyneside and the Laing art gallery and the Baltic (to be perfectly honest I mutinied and stayed in the Baltic gift shop and cafe), and narrowly avoided the Biscuit Factory, and then back to the Tyneside to see the Artist and then to Zizzi's.  Calzon'Pizza (Silly name.  I would have called it a Pizzazone.) is possibly the greatest invention of the century.

Tuesday

I couldn't cope with any more culture, so I waved the mother and aunt off to Durham and Simon and I sat around watching useless rubbish, which is what, I think you'll find, half-terms are FOR.  Soon it was rehearsal time again, only this time we had Pub Plans.  (Pubs are also what half-terms are for.) After a fairly successful run-through, Simon and I marched over to the Men's Bar (which, in the new refurbished Union Society Students' Union, goes by the silly name 'MENSBAR'.  Probably 'MENSBAR @ Students' Union.  Why do so many things have silly names nowadays?) for Diesel and crisps.  When they called last orders we convinced our GBFs Phil and Chris to come to the Goose for some more drinks and gossip, and when we got kicked out of there we went to some bar until actual last last orders (FYI, blackcurrant sours (or 'sars', if you're Northern Irish) enrich our lives.) THEN a dirty takeaway and then home, for pyjamas, tea and after-show party mischief plotting.

As far as chronology is concerned, this photograph is a lie, but it sums us up pretty well.

Wednesday

I was up and at 'em on Wednesday, despite Tuesday night's over-indulgence, with a trek into town on the hunt for various bits and bobs and secret birthday accessories.  Mission.  All day it seemed completely improbable that it was dress rehearsal day, but nonetheless, I rocked up at the RGS at 6, installed myself as chief make-up Nazi artist ("No no, singing men, you need LASHINGS more eyeliner.") and then boom, we were on!  Dress rehearsals are always a bit hectic, but this one was relatively successful, and I enjoyed the beginning of my stint as naughty Isabel! And then we went to the pub.  And then pyjamas, tea and Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.

Thursday

I decided that the thing my Isabel costume was missing was a large hair ribbon, because nobody else had a hair ribbon and I like to make the audience look at me even when it's not my turn for the limelight (I am a total bastard to direct, and Simon is worse.  I pity anyone who has ever had to direct the both of us.), so I went and purchased myself a bonny blue ribbon, and, more excitingly, welcomed off the train my dear chum and partner in mischief Little Hannah, who comes to live with us a couple of times per year.  Hannah had brought a bottle of home-made sloe gin and Alice brought maple syrup and pecan cakes, and we celebrated Hannah's birthday most satisfactorily!  Then it was Opening Night!  The mother and aunt had returned to be in the audience, and we put on a jolly good show.  I was rubbish and kept doing things wrong (AND the poxy hair ribbon fell off, which I suppose was my comeuppance for being a diva), but on the whole it was grand.  And then we went to the pub. And THEN the core cool people decided that after last orders it would be a brilliant idea to all pile into Laura's little car and decamp to Casa Bette/Simon (via the chip shop, which had technically closed half an hour earlier - it was a case of "What have you got left?" "Two portions of chips and a sausage." "We'll take them!") to drink wine and watch the DVD of our last performance, HMS Pinafore: The War Years: Buxton Edition .  Hannah fell asleep on the sofa but the rest of us had a splendid time, and accidently stayed up until ridiculous o'clock again.  What half-terms are for.

Naughty Isabel terrifying poor little Frederic.

Friday



We languished in bed with sore heads for a while, and then sent Little Hannah out for sausage sandwiches.  We caught up with some more trashy tv (Geordie Shore AND Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents!) and then headed off to a(nother) pub to meet Rory and Hull people, before returning to Pirateville.  The second night's performance went much better than the first, and afterwards we went to the pub.  At last orders time some tipsy idiot (Simon) had the brainwave of going round the corner to Mr Lynch's for cocktails.  Whoops, another very late night and sore head!

Saturday
Too lazy to go out and find actual food, we had birthday cake for breakfast, and managed to bring ourselves to life just in time to attend the 60th Anniversary Reunion celebration for members and alumni (I sneakily manage to be both!) of Newcastle University Gilbert and Sullivan Society, my beloved NUGSS.  It was fascinating to meet people who had been in the society in the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s, and you can imagine my glee at the moment when the whole room became an impromptu Pirates singalong.  Tarantara! 
After a quick shopping trip for after-show party supplies (bread, bacon, birthday badges) and a very quick turnaround, it was back to Jesmond for the final performance.  Three shows always seems such a flash-in-the-pan, especially after my five-night run of Patience.  Still, "Nothing lasts forever in the theatre.  Whatever it is, it's here, it flares up, burns hot, and then it's gone."  (All About Eve, the film version of my life)  Surpise pirate candles, handkerchiefs and Queen Victorias abounded, and we had the best audience of the week.  While the more conscientious members of the cast helped with the get-out, Simon and I went to the pub.  After last orders, it was party time!  Every NUGSS after-show party I've been to (Twelve, in all) has gone down in society history for some reason or other, and while this one may not have been the most scandal-filled, we all had a blooming good time.  I fell back on my usual after-show party routine of drinking gin, demanding everyone tell me who they fancy in the cast, and flirting with any passing baritone, while Simon licked people's faces and talked about our fellow cast members in code.  We hi-jacked the party and made everyone celebrate Simon's birthday, and bundled our blotto selves into a taxicab at 4.30, and retired.



Sunday

Sunday was spent, in time-honoured tradition, on the sofa in our pyjamas, watching Facebook explode with show photos.  Poor Simon slept through most of his birthday, I spent a great deal of it worrying about my lost phone and purse, and we had to say goodbye to Laura and our little housemate Hannah.  The idea was an early night, but post-show bereavement gives me insomnia, and it was after relatively little sleep that I dragged my despairing self out of bed, into clothes and up the hill to work this morning.  That's that, then.

What I Wore Today (Selection of garments, no particular order)

Pyjamas
Snow boots
Fur coat
Mob cap
'Generic Victorian Lady' blouse
LEGGINGS AS TROUSERS
Character shoes
Black tights
White tights
Piratey belt
Hoodie
Slippers

Yes, you've guessed it, it's show time again.  I'm currently in the final days of "I'm sorry, I can't come, I've got rehearsal", and the curtain rises for realz on Tuesday.  This year I'm being particularly idiotic and performing in TWO different Gilbert and Sullivan shows, in two different cities, on two consecutive weeks.  So it's medieval aestheticism (I'm playing Lady Angela in Patience - just WAIT until I show you a picture of that costume!) next week, and Isabel in the jolly old Pirates of Penzance the week after that.  Expect a few boring "This one time I was on the stage, look at all of these pictures of me being on the stage" posts in the near future!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and move a hook and eye a vital centimetre, attempt some amateur millinery, and brush up on my rag curling prowess.  On with the show!

The GQ Look: Guest Toast

Dearest Toasters,

*lifts glasses* *looks left* *looks right* [in a French accent] It is I, Simon.  

Yes, that’s right, Toasters, the Simon of whom you hear so much is making a guest appearance!  For so long now, I have been meaning to write to you to tell you all about the other side of the fashion coin, the world of male fashion and my interpretation thereof.  I am extremely grateful to your regular Chief Toaster who has granted me this occasion to share my sartorial thoughts with you, even if her legs are often yellow and she stands in stupid poses at the garden gate.  I hate to disappoint you, but I feel I should warn you now that this post will feature none of the “peering through foliage” or “standing in feigned-giddiness with my hands at a 45 degree angle at the side of my body” shots to which you are accustomed.  Not sure what I’m talking about?  This:

Whoops!  That’s enough of that!

Anyway, I live a busy life, so in the style of Bette, I’m going to talk you through my daily outfits and how they fit into my busy-yet-glamorous lifestyle.  If there is no glamorous or humorous story related to a photo, I’ll make one up.  Here’s your first task: can you guess which stories are made-up?  Answers in a comment below!

This season it’s all about geek chic.  Luckily I am a geek, who is also chic, so for a limited time, I’m in fashion!  Here is the photo with which Bette teased you many moons ago when the idea of my guest post was first mentioned:

Shirt: H&M

Chinos: New Look

Faux-leather boots: New Look

Belt: H&M

Glasses: Tommy Hilfiger

This was my outfit for a night out in Newcastle.  The shirt had been bought specially, as the theme was “orange.”  If a colourblind person looks at this photo from a distance, it’s orange, I promise.

Moving on....

My glamorous international working lifestyle often requires me making presentations to the movers and shakers in education all over Europe.  This is me, mid-presentation during a recent business trip to Bruges in Belgium:

Shirt: Tommy Hilfiger
Trousers: M&S
Shoes (not fully visible): Next
Belt: H&M
Glasses: Tommy Hilfiger

This is one of my more boring outfits, which, I warn you, may reappear later in this post, owing to my extremely bad habit of recycling outfits regularly.  It managed to persuade the Europeans that I’d be a cool person to work with, though!

New Year’s Eve is always an interesting event to show off one’s wardrobe.  As I said goodbye to 2011 and said a very slurred “Alriiiiiiiiight?” to 2012, this is what I was wearing (accompanied by Bette herself!):

Shirt: M&S

Chinos: New Look
Espadrilles: TOMS
Belt: River Island

This was a particularly summery outfit, considering New Year’s Eve falls in the depths of winter, yet I feel it was a particularly good choice.  TOMS are excellent footwear for dancing all night long, yet don’t lend themselves well to nightclubs, in my opinion.  Speaking of footwear, did you notice in the above photo that Bette's shoes are not the same colour?  That’s because she’s a gin-swilling drunkard who left her shoes outside a vicarage once in an attempt to shame a Reverend.  Disgraceful.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a high-powered job in the education sector (the extent of which may or may not be a lie...).  As such, I am paid too much to deal with the bodily fluids and crayons that feature in the posts by this blog’s usual author.  Just to make things clear, she is an unqualified baffoon who is paid to be a skivvy to educated folk like me.  Now that we have that out of the way, here are a couple outfits that I regularly sport as I impart knowledge to the next generation of successful people:

Shirt: M&S

Trousers: Next
Shoes: Converse
Skinny tie: Primark
Belt: M&S

Shirt: M&S

Trousers: M&S
Shoes: Converse
Belt: H&M

You will have noted that most of my garments do not come with the same labels regularly cited by your beloved Bette (often accompanied by the vile line ‘via charity shop’ *shudder*).  Again, I’m paid too much to deal with bodily fluids, so I can spend money on my clothes with no worry of being vomited on as someone else wees up my leg.

Only two outfits remain before I leave you with a valuable piece of advice...

Recently I was approached by very important people to speak at a hugely impressive and important conference in London.  That’s how I roll, you see.  This is what I chose to impress the other people travelling in steerage on my way to the Big Smoke:

Shirt: Tommy Hilfiger

Jumper: M&S
Gilet: New Look
Trousers: M&S
Shoes: Converse
Manbag: Exclusive boutique on the Cote d’Azur
Suitcase: Tesco Direct
Broccoli: IKEA (long story)

I was too busy being busy and important (and playing Words With Friends on my iTelephone) to notice if the other people in cattle-class were impressed by my attire, but I’m sure they were.

My final outfit for you in this post is one that I know Bette despises.  Like me, her face is often unable to control itself when she is disgusted, so she tries to appear uninterested, but the upturned lip snarl is enough of a giveaway.  Here’s my slightly-blurry photo:

Shirt: Primark
Gilet: New Look
Black jeans: Primark
Shoes: Converse
Belt: H&M
Glasses: Tommy Hilfiger

I feel that Bette is offended by the gilet in this ensemble, yet that is my favourite feature.  Unfortunately my head is a little too oversized to permit me to utilise the design feature that allows the zip to go over my face.  It’s difficult having such a large brain sometimes.

To round off this post, here is a piece of advice for you, courtesy of Bette and myself: if it is cold outside, always keep your head warm, no matter how ridiculous you look:

Until next time, Toasters!

Dotted with Unnumbered Daisies

Around February last year I grew tired of Winter and its wardrobe implications and began insisting that if I wore dresses and flowers in my hair then the seasons would jolly well have to follow suit and start behaving like Spring.

This year,  despite a much milder winter, I'm even more impatient.  I'm sicksicksick of vests and cardigans and scarves and above all, boots!  I'm yearning to buy a nice new pair of summery brogues, and to wear them with print dresses, a straw boater and ankle socks.  This Sunday morning afternoon - I didn't get dressed until 1.30 - the crisp, sunny skies made me want to reach for a pretty frock and (quite by accident - all my decent black tights are in the wash) some sick yellow tights that I haven't yet managed to fit into an outfit.  I daresay when Simon comes home from Morrisons he will have some scathing words to say about my dressing like a giant daisy, but I quite like it!

Here I am stealing my neighbour's garden gate for a quick spot of posing.  ("Quick" spot of posing my arse - you wouldn't believe the complicated arrangement of flower pot, brick and wheelie bin involved in taking these photographs, and in full view of the whole street, too!)  I always had a secret wish to be Mary from The Secret Garden...  I liked her best because she was a sulky brat like me!

Curses, is that my hair going ginger again?!

Dress: Dorothy Perkins sale, in October, when I was very grumpy because the mother had made me spend the last day of my holiday trekking to uninteresting spots in Northumberland, and by the time we got to Morpeth I had mutinied and escaped to Dotty P's and Costa instead of another museum.

Tights: Primark, when I needed yellow tights for a fancy dress costume, except in the end I was Minnie Mouse instead and wore black legs.

T-shirt:  H&M, and there isn't an interesting story about that!

For your amusement, here is an out-take where I look like a pregnant lady with a beard:

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find a cardigan.  Hurry up Spring!

Procrastination on Toast

January's To-Do List

Become word-perfect AND note-perfect for Patience

Become word-perfect AND note-perfect for The Pirates of Penzance

Attend three million rehearsals for the above

Acquire relevant items of Pirates costume.  In fact, I think I may have grudgingly agreed to act as very well-known costumier for Pirates...

Pull off convincing masquerade of house cleanliness before Landlord's visit.

Decide on and prepare for two possible costume options for fancy-dress party

Hannah's birthday present/Simon's birthday present/Stephanie's birthday present

Decide if it's possible to visit Nuneaton

Get bike serviced

Continue getting up at an unpleasant time that starts with a 6 each morning in order to cycle to work in the dark

I know, I know, some people have exams and essays at the moment, and some people have demanding jobs that mean that they can't spend their evenings pratting around on the stage, and some people are just less lazy than me!

Anyway.

As it may be a while before I get around to providing any quality dresses-and-lipstick blogging for you, here are two festive Boring Outfits:  Staff Christmas party, and New Year's Eve!

New Year's Eve chez Lamer/McBoring was a hoot.  You know when there's a party so good that on Hangover Day you find yourself looking through the night's photos over and over because they make you feel so happy?  That sort of party.

Merry 2012, everyone! 

Here's to a year of health and happiness, and only 22 more get-ups until half term!