Toasty Warm at the North Pole

Newcastle is sporting almost a foot of snow at the moment:

It's all very picturesque, but in the past week I've spent an inordinate amount of money on items to keep me warm.

My jolly old pink tweed winter coat has been on its last legs for the past two or three years.  It was my birthmas present in 2004 and Mum threatened to withold it if I fannied around any more on the subject of completing my UCAS application form personal statement, which was supposed to have been done in October, only my devious ploy was to NEVER do it, and thus NEVER go to university and stay seventeen FOR EVER HOORAY!  (Yes, you may all roll your eyes at me.  I am.)  Anyway, lovely pink bribe coat's lining is in shreds and tatters, one button doesn't match the others because it pinged off and I replaced it with an odd one, one button is missing altogether, it lets in the rain, and in all honesty it's too small, so I thought it wouldn't be too much of a needless extravagance to spend my birthday money (oh crap, must write thank-you letter to Granny!) on a lovely new coat from Oasis.  

It was actually several months ago that I started eyeing up this coat, but I'd been very indecisive about it for a long time, because it was rather expensive. Then I found myself unexpectedly on a course on Friday, and it finished at 3 and I was in town already so I thought "Bonus!  Free shopping afternoon!", and of course I found myself, quite against my will, being magnetically drawn into Oasis, and lo and behold they were having a random 20% off day, which took the coat over the threshold from the scary three-digit zone into the more acceptable two-digit zone, and I had a birthday cheque (cough ahem write thank-you letter to Granny tonight before you forget again cough ahem) burning a hole in my pocket and my mind was made up.  Except my mind wasn't made up, because I had to try the coat on in both colour variations FOUR TIMES EACH before I eventually decided to get it in grey, on the basis that it would look better with red accessories.  As you see:

 

So that was keeping most of me warm, but in addition to that I've also had to buy those very schön polkadot wellies that you see above, a pair of knee-high fur slippers and the best £10 I've ever spent, a pair of thigh-high cable-knit woollen stockings! 

Grey woollen coat, red polka-dotted skirt, grey woollen socks, red polka-dotted wellies.
Also pictured (accidently, but I rather like the effect), my No. 1 winter warmer, the switch for my trusty electric blanket.

They're seriously the best things ever.  I refuse to be cornered into wearing trousers (hate the things) for the duration of this 'cold snap' (Er no, Kirsty the Daybreak weathergirl, I think you mean 'bleakest midwinter'), so I've been simply slipping these babies on over my usual thin tights for my walk Herculean struggle through knee-deep snow to work, then peeling them off once I arrive (to the general hilarity of the staff room, but they'll get used to me and my dressing up).  They're so lovely and snug, and also they're woollen stockings and they make me feel like a Chalet School girl in the Alps in 1935.  I'm going to get them in every colour.

So between that lot and the leather gloves, polkadot scarf and cashmere jumper that I was given for my birthday by various lovely people, I've been as warm as (betteon)toast.  Oh, and I must just show you my other secret weapon...

 

That's a very lovely, Christmassy vinatge box, Bette.  What can be within?



 

Hmm, looks...furry?





Nice vintage label, these garments must be very elegant and chic...



ARGH KING KONG HANDS!
(Note the artfully placed, seasonally-themed clutter in the background - coats, wellies and brolly)

Fur and leather ENORMOUS gloves, possibly fashioned from the paws of an actual gorilla (doubtful but you never know).  I must admit, I did think "Yeah, never gonna wear those" when they were given to me by one of my more eccentric relatives several years ago, but that was before I'd lived through a Newcastle winter.

Overheard in the staffroom this morning:
"Do you have a pair of wellies to co-ordinate with EVERY outfit, Elizabeth?"

While we're on the theme of wellies, I wore mine out for drinks on Friday night, much to the scorn of Simon, who claimed I looked like a farmer.  I thought I looked like Keira Knightley in The Edge of Love, but we agreed to disagree.

(I was digging, 'cos that's what farmers do)

Victory was mine, however, when the blizzards meant that we had no hope of getting a taxi and had to walk much of the way home.  Poor Simon's feet were soaked in his flimsy canvas Converse [/completely sarcastic fake sympathy].  And then we made a snowman and snow angels in the middle of our street because it seemed like fun at the time. 

This toast post has got ridiculously large.  None of you care this much about my winter woolies.  I'm off to write my thank-you letter to Granny.  Nighty night!