Fete de la Musique

Yesterday was Fete de la Musique.  I love this day.  [If this is the first you've heard of it, every year on June 21, musicians perform all over the world for free.  The idea is to bring music to the masses, celebrating the diversity of local music, and giving musicians a chance to show their abilities and enthusiasm].  For the last couple of years, I've been involved both as a venue (I was the one who asked at a cathedral council meeting if the cathedral was involved, so I got to be the organising person), and as a performer.  But this year, the cathedral couldn't be involved, as it clashed with the Synod Eucharist, so I had the day to myself.  I could go wherever I wanted and see whichever acts I wanted!  Oh the excitement. 

Well, it wasn't quite as free as that makes it out to be.  I had a hair appointment mid-morning.  And it was raining.  After the hair appointment I went into town, and after checking out all the options, I bought myself a coffee and sat down at the Queen St Mall stage.  Playing at midday was Bec Laughton and her band - they were great!  Very upbeat, and with lyrics that weren't the repetitive drivel you hear in many songs around these days.

I visited a friend who works in a store in town, then before heading home I also saw Hannah Rosa playing under an umbrella a little further down the mall.  Her music too was something to make you stop and listen, but totally different from the band.  Wintry music, just right for a rainy day.  No shelter for audience there though, so the pillars at the entrance to the Myer Centre were propping up several listeners.  I wasn't quick enough with my camera to catch a dad with a little girl of about 2 or 3, the girl leaning forward intent on listening.  This is just one of the things I love about this day. 

I did feel really sorry for everyone meant to be performing outside.  Even with shelter, it was rather chilly - Bec Laughton could see steam when she sang! 

Pearl Barley, Cabbage and Chorizo Soup

When the weather gets cold, I tend to spend my time in the kitchen.  Is anyone else like that?  I have this urge to cook and bake and make yummy good things.  And then eat them and freeze them and have yummy leftovers for a while.  This soup is another Tana Ramsey recipe, and has been teasing me for ages.  It really needs cold, damp weather to be savoured properly.  Finally, the weather cooperated, and I made this soup.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil (listed as extra virgin, but I used regular)
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped (listed as red onions, but I used brown)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme (I didn't have any fresh, so sprinkled in some dried stuff)
250g chorizo sausages, skinned and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 sugar loaf cabbage, shredded (meant to be Savoy cabbage, but I am yet to find one)
100g (about 3/4 cup) pearl barley
squeeze of lemon juice (I may have omitted this)
1 handful chopped fresh parsley (washed thoroughly to remove the caterpillar...)
salt and black pepper (I may have omitted this, too)

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a low-medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic and thyme and cook gently for about 5 minutes, until softened but not coloured (5 minutes always seems like rather a long time).  Add the sausages and fry 4-5 minutes until the oil begins to run.  Meanwhile, put the kettle on to boil.
2. Add the cabbage and pearl barley to the sausages and pour in enough boiling water to cover everything generously.  Bring to bubbling, then reduce the heat and cook gently for 50-60 minutes, until the barley is tender.  Top up with more hot water if the mixture gets too dry.  (I cooked gently for 30 minutes, turned it off, went for a run, turned it back on when I got home, had a shower, and hey presto!  One soup all cooked and ready to go.  Brilliant).
3. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Toss in the parsley, stir through and serve in warm bowls with lots of crusty bread with butter.

Serves 4.  I wouldn't put this in the 'healthy recipe' collection... But it is a good one for when you've earned your treats.

The Logbook

Last week, I was loaned a book.  I read it over lunch on Wednesday (it was quite short).  Steal Like an Artist, by Austin Kleon, which is the advice he would give to his 19-yr-old self.  He's a creative type ('a writer who draws') but this book is really some tips for living life creatively - something that should be embraced.  Even if you have what you believe is the most boring job in the whole entire world, you can be creative in some way with that job, or try to be creative in some non-job area of your life.

Much of the book was not new to me, but it's good to have it said in different ways.  One of the suggestions was to keep a logbook.  This is something I've been doing sporadically (in the sense of noting thoughts, occasionally, in my phone), but the idea is to keep a log of daily events, daily.  This also ties into the philosophy of a little bit, frequently, adding up to a lot over time (ahem, just like practice...)  Today, I began mine.

I had a little notebook given to me by a past student, beautiful quality paper, and blank inside.  It's A5 size which is perfect for all my bags.  Mostly today I jotted notes while on the train, so I'm not going to share my already-messy-but-even-worse-due-to-public-transport handwriting.  Some notes from today include 'brilliant blue sky', 'music folders flying off stands' and 'why do people put bananas in plastic bags?'. 

I'm curious to see what effect this has on my creativity, my mood, and my Crazy Lady status.

Today's photo:

It appears that spring has had second thoughts, and we were back in winter mode today.  This came with mega winds (not fun for outdoor performances!) and the brilliant blue sky.  I found the clean lines of the fence and chimney against this backdrop, with some high sparse clouds, quite pleasing visually.

Outfit #59 - Finally

Outfit details:

Skirt: Sunny Girl (op shop).  Top: Ambra.  Stockings: Target.  Shoes: Sandler (from Jeannie).  Earrings: Mombasa.

Finally, I own a pair of purple shoes.  This had been eluding me forever, really, and I had started to notice the absence earlier this year.  Thank you Jeannie!  The first student I could teach today, all set up and ready to start playing, turned her head to say, "I like your shoes - and so would my sister!" (we've already established her sister has a thing for shoes).  One of the girls in my ensemble after school, though, asked me why my shoes and stockings didn't match.  "Do they need to match?" I asked her.  Apparently yes, and apparently this combination doesn't.  Personally I disagree but a) it's only for a day and b) I'm not going to take too much advice from 9-yr-olds.  Besides, with their suede sort of finish they're more suited to winter, which has all but disappeared. 

Finally, I'm feeling more like a real person again.  Killer workout this morning (I looked, and felt, 'completely devo' at the end - if I'd been asked to do anything more than collapse there would have been problems) was a great start to the day.  I still can't sing fantastically well higher than a G (the one above middle C) but there is promise.  This didn't mean that I could take a not-scary photo of the earrings while they were on though.  

Finally, spring is here.  Ok, this isn't really a 'finally' moment as I live in Brisbane, and the last time I could wear jeans and t-shirt when it was dark was maybe 4 months ago.  But I do enjoy seeing the green buds emerging on the deciduous trees.

I'm sure that these green bits were not yet present on Tuesday, so this gets to be today's photo.

Sausage and Parsnip Risotto

Parsnip is quite possibly my favourite vegetable.  This current box of vegetables was the first that has contained any though (after about 15 months of deliveries).  Having eyed this recipe (from Jill Dupleix's Good Cooking: the New Essentials) for a couple of years, I was thrilled to be able to cook it tonight. 

Ingredients:
2 parsnips
1 onion, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Italian pork sausages
4 rosemary sprigs
350g arborio rice (about 2 cups)
150mL light red wine
1.2L hot chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato puree (paste)
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan

Peel the parsnips, slice thickly and cook in simmering, salted water for 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
Halve and finely slice the onion.  Melt half the butter with the olive oil in a heavy pan, add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened.  Skin the sausages and pinch small portions into the pan.  Fry until well browned, then take out half the sausage and set aside.
Add the rosemary and rice to the pan and stir until well coated.  Add the wine and allow to bubble for 2 minutes, stirring, until absorbed.
Add a ladleful of stock to the rice, and stir until it is absorbed.  Add another ladleful and stir constantly (but calmly) with a wooden spoon until absorbed.  Continue this process for around 15 - 20 minutes until the rice is cooked and still creamy.
Add the tomato puree, sliced parsnips, reserved sausage, remaining butter, salt and pepper, parsley and parmesan.  Heat through and serve.

This is described as 'the culinary equivalent of a blazing fire and cashmere cushions'.  I concur.  Of course, I didn't replicate this exactly...  I bought the ingredients from memory, and obviously had a different recipe in my head so bought 'inexpensive fruity red wine' instead of light red wine (I wonder which recipe it was though?!).  Not being a wine connoisseur though this didn't really make a difference to me.  I also forgot all about the rosemary, so used some dried marjoram instead - acceptable, but I'd love to use rosemary next time.  I'm not a sausage-eater so I feel really out of my depth in that part of Woollies.  'Italian pork sausages', if present, were not labeled in that way, so I settled for chorizo sausages (I have another recipe waiting for them).  Next time I probably wouldn't use sausage but I'm loving the parsnip and red wine elements. 

I don't normally tell everyone what my future posts will be, but tomorrow is the day for drinking coffee.  CafeSmart cafes are donating $1 for every cup sold to grassroots services helping people who are homeless.  Can drinking coffee get any better?!  Look for your nearest participating cafe here.

Yesterday's photo:

Computer tantrums last night stopped me posting a daily photo.  I had this salad for lunch and it was just so pretty!

Today's photo:

I looked out randomly today and saw the trees on the next street lit up from the sun.  I ran upstairs with cameras and only managed to get 2 shots before the light changed and we were back to normal clouds.  Even so, I still missed the golden tree. 

Outfit #56 - Winter Neutrals

Outfit details:

Skirt: Portmans.  White top: Hot Options.  Blue top: Dotti.  Black top: Wool Base Layers.  Boots: Sandler.  Stockings: ??? Earrings: ? David Jones maybe.  Jacket: Sportsgirl (from Jeannie).  Hat: Portmans.  Scarf: Alta Linea.

I used to think you couldn't black and brown.  Or brown and grey.  Or navy and black.  I threw that all out the window for this outfit.

It seemed like I had oodles of time for photos this morning, but I still managed to miss the early train.  My first student was held up in traffic though so it didn't really matter.  At 7C I wasn't totally keen to go outside, but I could face it all rugged up and ready to go.

One of my grade 4 girls asked if my earrings were meant to be missing sparkly bits...  Um, no.  I guess I'll be finding some sparkly bits in a craft store or in my supplies to get some gluing happening.

These are different stockings from yesterday, truly.  These ones have a hole in the left toe, just a teensy bit annoying.

Speaking of yesterday... I didn't put up a photo of the magpie because it was a bit camera-shy.  I couldn't really see it on the camera screen, but it came through in the photo ok, hiding in the middle of the bush.

Today's photo:

There was a big assembly this morning, so I had coffee with a piano-teaching friend.  On the way back these bright yellow flowers caught my eye.

Outfit #55 - Magpie

Outfit details:

Skirt: Table Eight (op shop).  Top: Tokito.  Stockings: Ambra.  Boots: Sandler.  Earrings: gift.  (Scarf - Alta Linea; jacket - Dotti.  Not pictured).

I had a different title for this outfit (a really bad pun - it can wait) - but as I was checking photos, I got a fright from this magpie watching me on the clothes line.  I've been anticipating a neighbour seeing me taking photos of myself, but not birds.  Weird.

I couldn't not wear these earrings today - they're my Olympic earrings, after all.  The nail polish is still Lucy II (although it's been reapplied).  On Thursday at my ensemble's rehearsal, one girl dutifully raised her hand.  "You have really pretty nails.  They match your hair."  "No they match her top!"  Slightly weird, as the nail polish is a dark berry colour, my hair is dark brown, and the top I was wearing was navy.  Glad they like it though...

I still can't bring myself to wear patterned stockings with a patterned skirt.  Very glad I had a boots outfit for today - I even wore my warm cap to and from the stations.  It was chilly!

Today's photo:

Another attempt at the roots of the tree by the footpath.  I like this one better - the angle, the sun, just better.

Movie #19 - Hugo

I must warn you, I didn't watch the whole movie.  When I got home yesterday evening, my parents had already started watching this.  They filled me in on what I'd missed (not heaps) but I also had to watch it like a normal person.  No stopping to write down quotes or anything like that - although I did keep scooting in front of the coffee table to where my phone was charging to take some notes.  So this is not the most in-depth reflection.  What I did find, though, were 2 distinct themes which connect better than I originally thought.  Machines; and dreams.  

Hugo, living in the clock of a Parisian train station, is literally surrounded by machine - cogs and wheels and things working and things needing to be fixed.  If he doesn't keep the station clock wound then he might be found out as an orphan; he also has a need to return his father's automaton to working condition.  Looking out over the city one night, he says to his friend Isabelle that he thinks the whole world is a giant machine.  And every machine has the exact right number of parts, never any more than is needed.  And if the world is a machine with the exact right number of parts, then I must be a necessary part - and so must you.  The hard bit, of course, is knowing what your part has to do for the machine to be able to work, what your purpose is in this grand scheme.  But it is so hard, sometimes, to remember we are all necessary, even when we feel unimportant and invisible, and even those people who make us uncomfortable or annoyed are also necessary.

One thing Hugo loves is adventure.  You know you're having an adventure if there's a chance you could get in trouble (good advice, there).  His father used to take him to the movies, and now Hugo will steal into the theatre to watch 'dreams in the middle of the day'.  This movie is populated with dreamers.  And not the sort of dreamers who just sit around and dream, but those who have a dream and do all they can to reach that dream, no matter how fantastic.  Now, some people might think that magic tricks are unnecessary; movies are unnecessary; art and music and poetry are all unnecessary.  But if anyone has a particular talent for any of these things - and, as we know now, we are all necessary parts of the giant machine that is the world - then any of those things must be necessary.  This is rather topical for Queenslanders right now, as some of our state-funded school music programmes have just been axed.  Not happy, Campbell.  Everyone has a natural inclination towards something, and everyone's inclination is a part of the greater whole.  Knowing that this is partly autobiographical of the life of the director, Martin Scorsese, makes it even more pointed - all those kids stealing into the movies, acting their dreams, could turn into famous movie directors of the future.

Aside from the machines and dreams, the support-part of the station inspector, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, is delightful.  So plodding, so stereotypically police, but giving love advice to his superiors - I'd watch this movie again just for that.  And such a different role for this actor that I had to look up who he was (always a good sign).  There wasn't as much information on the music that was used, which I would have appreciated as it was really well done. 

Today's photo:

The afternoon light in here in the winter warms my heart.  Especially when there is a whole stack of fruit in front of the window.

Outfit #50 - Trust Me

Outfit details:

Pants: Hot Options.  Top: Dotti.  Boots: Sandler.  Earrings: from Jeannie.

I got a bit of a sleep-in this morning (first student was sick).  I extended that a little more than expected, so I was quite glad for the random notification from Facebook.  That meant, though, I didn't have time for an outfit photo before work, so in this photo I'm hungry!

I had planned to wear a skirt today, to show off the stockings - plus, I haven't worn that skirt for ages.  (Ages, as in more than a year at least).  But when I was getting ready I could hear the rain outside, and my feline part decided that boots would be a better option (I really dislike wet feet).  So I changed into pants instead.  Trust me - they were fun stockings!

Good thing I added red and silver earrings to give the world something not-drab to see.

Today's photo:

As mentioned yesterday, the walk to school gives an overview of the seasons.  I'm glad I don't have problems with wattle - I love the cheeriness of the yellow, and this makes such a nice contrast with the grey skies.  When I stood a bit closer to take the photo, I noticed busy bees.  I hope you can see them in the photo!

More Kitchen Rearranging

A little while ago, I rearranged my kitchen appliances.  This required a few tries to find a workable solution, but I think I'm going to stick with the new setup of toaster and kettle to the right of the sink, coffee grinder and machine to the left of the stove.  However, all my teas were stored on the ledge dividing the kitchen from the living room, so today I moved them all.  This also meant moving the toaster and kettle perpendicular to its previous orientation.  Exciting stuff.

It has been really interesting since the original move to see what my arms do before my eyes see what they should be doing.  The number of times I've almost turned on the grinder when I'm intending to boil the kettle, or my brain just gets confused and I stand in front of the stove with a mug in my hand, having forgotten where to go for the tea or the kettle - I'm sure my nosy neighbours must get such a giggle.

I also rearranged my whole living room today.  I had a little concert for some students - thankfully it was really little as we wouldn't have been able to fit in any more! - so now the lovely space is evident.  I'll see how much I like teaching in this layout before deciding if it stays this way or not.

Today's photo:

Another Brisbane winter wonder.  After the concert (which was late morning, and very brief), we had coffee and fruit toast.  I voted for the courtyard as it was beautifully sunny outside but rather chilly inside. 

Outfit #44 - New Brown Boots

Outfit details:

Dress: Spicysugar (from Jeannie).  Top: Dotti.  Stockings: Target.  Boots: Sandler.  Earrings: ?

I must be part-feline.  The idea of getting my feet wet is enough to change my sartorial plans, so long pants and flat shoes gave way to a short skirt and boots.  I probably would have switched to boots anyway.  These were purchased on Friday and I love them.  Every time I've left the house since buying them, I've been wearing them.  Not only are they new boots, but they're brown - I haven't owned brown footwear since I had to wear brown shoes to school.  It's been a while.  The stockings are also recent additions to my collection.  The day I bought the Nordic Knit print stockings, I resisted buying these.  Ever since, they haven't been available in my size, or were just not there.  Last week though, they were there, in my size - only pair available.  Score!

The lighting right now is fairly terrible.  Not only is it winter, and I'm not at home on a Tuesday while the sun is still up, but I need to replace 3 lightbulbs.  3!  So today, I brought down the desk lamp from the spare room and did a Pixar-style setup, but it still looks rather gloomy.  Fingers crossed for the right size globes available tomorrow.

I didn't realise until I was checking photos, but the trim on this dress matches the grey top.  I suspect it's one of those tones that looks grey with grey and black with black.  I also discovered today that the dress has a zip.  It's only about the 5th time I've worn the dress.  I do like the slightly space aspect to the dress - I get an 'Austin Powers' vibe whenever I wear it. 

A bit more boot love, and stocking love - you can't really get the full effect of the stockings but they have bands of colour in blocks up the legs.  If you look closely (really closely) at the lead photo you can just see the next blue block at the hem of the dress.

Today's photo:

Days like today are the reason I stopped taking photos for a while.  The sun wasn't up when I got to the station this morning, and the scratches on the windows prevented a good shot for the evening ride (which had nice light).  The weather was cold and rainy so I hardly left my teaching room, which has a view of buildings and palms - not terribly exciting.  So, for the first time ever, I took my phone with me on tonight's run.  I figured it was time, as I will be running the half-marathon with it, and I run to areas in which I'm not a local.  There have been several occasions when I've wished for a camera when running, not just for the lights but as a reminder of how far I've come.  The Kurilpa Bridge used to be my Long Run end point.  Now, my short run is another couple of kilometres each way.

Movie #16 - Brotherhood of the Wolf

DVD Sam loaned me 5 movies earlier this year.  A couple of weeks ago, he asked if I'd watched Brotherhood of the Wolf yet.  Not yet... if he'd told me that there are a few stripped-down fight scenes, I would have watched it ages ago!  At least now I have.

I'm not sure this is a movie I would watch again - although maybe if I saw it while slightly less exhausted it might make more sense.  So, if you're hoping for an intelligent plot discussion or something, I apologise.  It's not going to happen.  Set in 18th century France, there is a lot of violence, and there are a few scenes in a brothel - if you have delicate sensibilities, find something else to watch.  Especially if you get squeamish.  I started watching at the start of dinner - mistake.

Some little things before I get into it.  This was a dubbed version, and I put the subtitles on as well - weird.  The subtitles corresponded in the same way Google Translate will correspond.  There are some very funny bits, like the brothel madam indignant about the possibility of a scandal in her house.  Or the description of how Florentine women get their men to sleep at home, by giving them poison in the morning and the antidote in the evening.  I found the camera work a little annoying.  There are some aspects I really enjoyed, like the close-ups of the puddles splashing, but the frequent slow motion in the middle of action was irritating.  Not to mention the special effects of the Beast itself, which really dated the movie.

At one point, I heard phrases of music reminiscent of Dances with Wolves and it was only at that point I went "oh yeah - duh".  Native American in this movie about wolves, so how could you resist?  Haha.  There were 2 other distinct musical flavours, a fairly ecclesiastical sort (similar to Allegri's Miserere), and a gypsy style like that found in Chocolat.

In fact, the underlying theme of the movie reminded me a lot of Chocolat: the power of the cultural norm.  (It also corresponded, incidentally, with yesterday's sermon).  Everyone is born into a society with a cultural norm.  Those in power dictate what that idea of normal is, and class anyone who doesn't fit into that mould as inferior.  When those ideas are challenged, our instinct is to fight.  And in hindsight, that is often ridiculous.  In this movie, the ideas were surrounding race (is a Native American really the same race? surely he is inferior, a savage - "you don't avenge a savage with Christian blood") and the Age of Reason (Catholic practices in a world blossoming with scientific knowledge).  Some of the questions they asked were, to this 21st century view, laughable.  I had to remind myself a couple of times that they really wouldn't have known these things, and we only find out by asking and experiencing.  Compare that to now though, with the debates surrounding gay marriage - there is a photo doing the rounds of Facebook, showing a scene from a rally 50 years ago against inter-racial marriage, and a scene from a present-day protest against gay marriage, and a caption along the lines of Think How Ridiculous You'll Look in 50 Years.

And then, the atrocious things Christians do to maintain the status quo, or the Right Way, or to hold onto power.  There is even a scene so like a KKK meeting, all these robed people hiding behind the anonymity of a mask, with strength in numbers - how many of them, if they sat down with the tracts they say they are upholding, would turn around and act and think differently?  And if you are really in the right, why do you need to hide your face?   Or even, the things we do in a fight or flight mood - in this case, if we think this beast is a wolf, let's go and kill all the wolves we can find.  That way we're sure to get it, right?  But how silly we look after a bit of waiting and learning when we discover it's not actually a wolf and all those animals have died for nothing (King Herod, anyone? witch hunts?).

I write this as a Christian but more, as a human.  Much of what Christians have done in the name of our religion is indefensible.  I think though that it's more that Christians have been in power for a good portion of history, and we are human and react in human ways.  Without knowledge that what you are doing is actually wrong, but with a background of this is probably right, we'll tend to go with the probably.

Actually, I'll amend the theme of this movie:  There is nothing to be feared, except fear itself.

And now for today's photo:

Funny story here.  I put washing on the line on Saturday, which was a beautifully sunny day, if rather cool.  I didn't have time to get the washing off the line between gym, blog, and heading off to a games night... It rained Saturday night.  It rained on Sunday.  It rained Sunday night, and it's been rainy and blustery all of today.  Which is wonderful for the June long weekend, but not great for getting my washing dry.  Now I have to work out what I can possibly wear to work tomorrow.

Porridge with Dark Chocolate and Marmalade

It's well and truly winter now, and this long weekend is wonderfully cloudy and rainy and cool.  I've been hankering to make curry for a while now, and yesterday I was looking through the Jamie Oliver book for the ingredients.  The book opened up at the breakfast section, and I contemplated something different for breakfast.  Frozen fruit smoothies didn't appeal!  Varying the style of comfort porridge, though - that was more like it.  I decided against the banana and whisky option (church this morning, after all) and opted for the dark chocolate and marmalade version.  What a way to start a day.

Just before the porridge is ready (I use 1/3 cup oats, a couple of teaspoons psyllium husks, 1 cup water), stir in a heaped tablespoon of marmalade and a couple of pieces of shaved/grated dark chocolate.  I still included goji berries, ricotta and protein powder too.  This was amazingly delicious, and satisfied my desire for marmalade without having toast as well.  Win.  It feels a little decadent to have this every Sunday, but I can see it making a regular appearance.

Today's Daily Photo:

I neglected the last couple of days, mainly because of the photo overload from the North Queensland trip (Day 1 and Day 2).  Walking down Ann St today after church, I noticed the moss on the retaining wall next to All Saints' was particularly green.  I love the combination of green and grey, especially when the world is awash in these colours.

Outfit #42 - Matching the Weather

Outfit details:
Pants: Hot Options.  Shirt: Miss Shop (from Jeannie).  Vest: Portmans.  Cardigan: Jeanswest.  Shoes: Pulp.  Earrings: made by me.

These earrings are the green version of the 'world' earrings - I also have them in black and blue (you can see the black earrings here).  This is my token spot of colour for the day, obviously.  

I wish I'd been wearing an extra layer today.  Until lunch I was fine, and then the weather went all wintry and I got cold.  Only a cardigan, just regular stockings, and no scarf. 

Today it rained.  It wasn't heavy rain all day or anything.  In fact, when I left for work it was blue skies, mostly.  I knew there was a good chance this would change, and actually took a few minutes to sort out shoes - I figured (incorrectly) I would be too warm in boots, and they aren't quite tall enough anyway.  Flats had no chance of keeping me dry, but I wore some to and from stations and swapped into these heels at school.  All was going well until I had to leave school, when it was raining more than mist.  D'oh!  By the time I got home I was rather chilly (and soaked) in the below-the-knee vicinity (if you look closely you can pick the colour difference in the lead photo).  As soon as photos were done I was into jeans and slippers.

Outfit #36 - Trivia

Outfit details:
Skirt: Gina Tricot (op shop).  Top: Dotti.  Stockings: who knows?! Boots: Sandler.  Jumper: Jeanswest.  Black jacket: Dotti.  Denim jacket: Hot Options (from Jeannie).  Earrings: from Jeannie.

So many photos today!  This is the leaving-in-the-morning look.  The weather was not that cold, so no scarf.

It was still coolish by the time I had a moment to take earring and stocking photos, though.  I really like these earrings - after all, they combine the winning colours of red and silver - but they don't often find themselves in my outfits.  Interesting.

Stockings.  Pretty cool.  Comments galore - from 10-yr-old girls, other teachers, brother.  And they were just the thing to bring this outfit from screaming "It's Winter so I'm Dressing in Dark Colours!!!" to "Tartan Stockings - I hear red is now considered a neutral - discuss".

Why 'Trivia'?  Tonight was a trivia night... I was a bit excited, as you can see.  This was the outfit for most of the day.  This was not the expression for most of the day - 3 students didn't show, I'd forgotten the music for the next concert, I tried to do some reports.  Ugh.  So in between reports, I googled a couple of things I suspected might be included in tonight's trivia.  The Olympics, Eurovision...

Some trivia - the 1912 Olympics were held in Stockholm, Sweden.  1514 people died in the sinking of the Titanic.  Eurovision is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, this year (kicking off in a matter of hours) - and is open to all members of the European Broadcasting Commission (that wasn't part of tonight, but it was one of the facts I discovered today).  This is one of my Thinking poses:

And I just realised I'm wearing the wrong colour tomorrow.  Oh dear.

Outfit #34 - Purple

Outfit details:

Dress: Spicysugar (from Jeannie).  Top: Ambra.  Stockings: Target.  Shoes: Hot Options.  Earrings: David Jones (I think).  Dog: Gracie.  She's mum and dad's dog (they're staying this week), and as they had just left, she was looking longingly from the top of the stairs, waiting for their return.  As soon as more students arrived though, she was busy licking faces and lying on her back for tummy rubs.

I didn't have grade 3s today (due to NAPLAN being on at the same time as their strings lessons), so this super short skirt was not overly impractical.  That said, when combined with the stockings, I felt my legs were being stared at all day. 

The 10-yr-old who thinks I have 5 husbands listened really quietly while I recorded her piece (rhythm...rhythm...rhythm...), then said "So, when you send me the recording, could I ask, could you send me a photo of your earrings as well?  We're doing nature shapes in art and I want to draw your earrings.  They're so pretty".  Then the next child also said how pretty my earrings were, then said she loved my stockings (incidentally, she had her best lesson in ages today).

Last week I worked out this outfit - but I didn't have the right shoes.  Well, I had wonderful shoes but I'm not going to wear them to school.  On Friday, I went shopping and found these shoes and stockings.  At first I loved these shoes, but having looked at them in my room all weekend, I'm not so sure.  I haven't bought thick-heeled shoes for a really long time, and these heels lost their appeal somewhat.  They don't necessarily make them more comfortable, and I'm not convinced they're retro-cool enough.  On the plus side, they do fit really well, and they are tall.  I love being tall.