Outfit #131 - Back to Back Black

Yes, this is another black outfit.  Unlike yesterday's, though, today's version comes with splashes of colour.  Mostly because I wanted to wear these earrings.  And this scarf.

Dress: Jeanswest (op shop). Leggings: ? Shoes: Pulp. Earrings: Quick Brown Fox. Cardigan: Jeanswest. Scarf: ? from Myer.

This scarf is ... just.. beautiful.  It's a silky kind of material, and this green is my absolute favourite green. 

I think these earrings might count as my most interesting pair.  Definitely not something I would make on my own!  Although I see now this isn't the most detailed shot.  Next time, I'll do a close-up.

There was no way I could wear any other shoes with this outfit today.  Colour is in.  I'm just hoping that autumn will be in soon, too.  I'm quite sure that May should not be this warm.

Outfit #123 - Happy Easter

It's been a while since I've been at school on the last day of term.  So much excitement!  I wore green to celebrate.

Dress (as skirt): Jeanswest (op shop).  Top: Jacqui E (op shop).  Shoes: Target.  Earrings: Cose Belle.

I was so excited, I had to do a happy jump.

 It had been ages since I'd worn these earrings.  I nearly went with a green bracelet too but thought that might be a bit much.

Guinness

I seem to be doing a lot of drinking for someone who has given up alcohol for Lent.  Today, I had my first ever Guinness in honor of St Patrick.  Note that St Patrick's Day now seems to be officially 3 days.

Apart from occasionally donning something green, I don't remember really celebrating this feast day.  I know I look Irish, but I'm not, it's just a trick of genetics.  Plus, the thought of being with a whole lot of rowdy drunk green-clad mostly-not-Irish-either people is just not appealing.  But an actually Irish friend took me to a fairly quiet (in some parts) bar where we waited for the manager to come and pour us a Guinness each, properly.

The main reason I've never tried Guinness before now is that I don't like beer, and I didn't see any reason why I would like Guinness.  I was warned that it's not a pleasant taste, and I predicted I would get about halfway.  I was right - well, I got a bit further than halfway, but not by much.  It was much more drinkable that I imagined it would be.  I can actually see myself drinking this again, which is really saying something!  Plus, you have to appreciate getting some B vitamins and iron with your alcoholic beverage.

Outfit #104 - Green Spot Shoes

I actually think of these shoes as the green love heart shoes, but no one else sees the love hearts as I walk all over them.  They're on the inside.

Skirt: Temt (op shop).  Singlet: Hot Options.  Shirt: Miss Shop (from Jeannie).  Shoes: Target.  Earrings: gift.  Bracelet: from Eumundi Markets.

This was one of those outfits that needed to be photographed before the school day.  I promise, it was all ironed before I left home this morning.

So, yes, today was that day.  At school it was lovely though, a plate of very tempting cupcakes thanks to another staff member, and several girls wished me a happy Valentine's day and also told me what they'd done for a friend or their mum.

I couldn't bring myself to wear red or pink or visible love hearts, though.  Or even to go all out with the green accessories.

Outfit #84 - Apologies to Crispin

Outfit details:

Skirt and singlet: Hot Options.  Shoes and belt: Target.  Shirt: Miss Shop (from Jeannie).  Earrings: made by me.

Today is the feast of Crispin and Crispinian, patron saint of shoemakers.  With all the fabulous shoes in my shoe cupboard, I should have had a fabulous pair of shoes on my feet today, right?  Well, no...  I only found out about this feast day over breakfast.  I did have a bit of a look in the clothes and shoes cupboards, but couldn't piece together an outfit in time.  So, boring shoes today on this feast of shoes.  Oh how sad!  My apologies.

(Dorky smile means I was just really hungry by photo time.)

Today's photo:

Yes, I've missed a few days.  This week is intense.  Next week I'm having my studio concert, and my little grade 2 was really worried about what to play.  We decided to do a piece with the 'sun' harmonic in it.  She really wanted me to play a duet, and so I was going to take a photo of the piece and then write one over the weekend.  But then she suggested we play a canon, and she pointed to where she wanted me to begin (this kid is so great to teach!).  After one go, we decided to move the place where I began, so all our ti-tis align.   

Outfit #82 - Iron Monkeys

Outfit details:

Pants: Portmans.  Top: Ambra bamboo.  Cardigan: Portmans (op shop).  Shoes: Pinet.  Earrings: from Jeannie. [For trivia, below - jeans from Jeanswest; shoes from Pulp]

Tonight was trivia.  My team name: Iron Monkeys.  Last time, we were the Ironmongers, and came in close second.  Tonight, Ironmongers was misheard by a few as Iron Monkeys... it stuck... we came in last.  But we were the only team with no baby boomers (or anyone older) and that obviously made quite a difference.  As usual, a whole lot of fun was had, as well as yummy finger food.  Ooh - and I discovered a new relative!

And I don't know if it's just that I'm tired and not wearing glasses, or if the top photos are actually a tiny bit blurry... You get the idea anyway.

These are not shoes for walking.

Can you spot the green theme for today?  I like green. 

Outfit #72 - Super Dooper

Outfit details:

Dress and shoes: Hot Options.  Cardigan: Portmans (op shop).  Earrings: made by me.

Today, I had a super dooper day.  A little sleep-in, a wealth of student quotes (have you checked out my other blog yet?), great teaching, gardening, mariachi rehearsal (our next gig is this Sunday, at the Spanish Centre in Acacia Ridge)... Plus happy music on my iPod.  Of course, wearing my favourite colours (black and white and green) helped too.

I even had a bear hug from a 10-yr-old. 

...Or Not

I confess, I didn't really change today.  In fact, I feel I regressed.  And I can see that it's because my life is a bit murky and undefined at present, a whole lot of unknown and not-black-and-white-ness. 

A brief overview of today:  slept in (by a lot - thankfully it's still holidays, kinda).  Breakfast I felt very odd, and it seemed to take forever to make.  As much as I've trained my parents, they still have some different ideas about where things belong, and making breakfast for more than me requires different timings.  Yes, this throws me.  Finished (maybe) a painting, had coffee, did the vacuuming, had lunch, went to the gym, bought more paint.  Taught my Friday afternoon students, discovered my fingerboard is starting to come off yet again.  Had a quick dinner and went to church, as it was a eucharist in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ordination of women priests. 

The only potential changes would have been the painting, and going to the gym straight after lunch.  It's fairly quiet then (good) but there was what looked like a school group arriving (potentially not so good).  And the 20th anniversary was a first, obviously.

Purple and green banners were hanging down the pillars, and there were green lights in the transepts, purple lights at the crossing.

People had been asked to wear green and purple for the event, and for the recent Synod, as these were the campaign colours.  I'd heard a rumour a while back that the ordained women would wear purple shoes - what a great idea!  I only spotted one pair, on our deacon Ann.  I wish I'd had the opportunity to take the photo when she was still robed.

Today's photo:

As I was leaving, walking down Ann St through a very light misty rain, it looked like the Suncorp tower was glowing.  Admittedly, it's a bit hard to tell here...  But this is also the first mildly-successful night shot I've taken on the iPhone.  I do like a rainy city night scene.

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 #25 - Ironing Helps

I think I can class today's outfit as a win.  Last week felt rather uninspired, but on Sunday I did my ironing.  Straight away, I started getting outfit ideas again.  Woohoo!  Shoes need a revamp though.

Outfit details:


Skirt: Temt (op shop).  Top: Ambra.  Cardigan: Portmans (op shop).  Shoes: Pulp.  Bracelet: from Eumundi markets.  Earrings: Oxfam.








I'm liking this skirt more and more.  The only thing is though, I seem to spill liquids on it every time.  Last time I wore this skirt, I rested my lunch bag on my lap on the train to work - by the time  I got to Central, some condensation had made a mark on the skirt.  This morning, I remembered that experience and the lunch bag stayed to my side.  But I unscrewed the cap on my drink bottle and a big drop of water sploshed onto my skirt.  Hmph.  Then, with 2 separate hot drinks during the day, splashes adorned my front.  Sigh.  At least they dried quickly and disappeared.

Today's forecast was for 28C and quite humid.  I'm not sure I felt the 28, but it was definitely quite humid and warm.  I had been planning to wear stockings but decided to risk going without - they weren't missed.  The cardigan almost didn't make it either, but I thought that might be more necessary.  It stayed on all day. 

I wonder if anyone can pick the expression in the lead photo?

Not in Black

I mentioned in the last performance photo that I can't really deal with the idea of not performing in black.  Haha, that's really funny...

Tonight was the Global Music Fiesta, raising funds for CARE Australia.  As I was already going, when the quartet found they would be down a violin, they asked if I'd play.  Not a problem.  I assumed all black (the standard), but checked anyway, and heard 'black with a bit of colour'.  Easy.  But then I started to wonder, is that, like, black with a coloured top?  Or black with a coloured brooch?  How much colour is a 'bit' of colour?  Then, I get a message saying, let's not do black, let's do colourful so we look more festive.  Ummm...

This morning, I tried on every dress I own that is not a work dress, and not black.  I even tried on clothing that has languished in the ironing basket for a really long time.  None of these was suitable.  5 of them were red.  One made me look like a bridesmaid, another a pear, another like I should be at a summer brunch, another was a close contender but the front is just weird, and the other was way too short.  A blue dress made me look a few decades older, and a purple dress feels more like a work dress.  As I had to go into town anyway, I thought I'd check out the op shops, and if I had no success, I'd wear black.

My favourite op shop had nothing, the revamped store next to it didn't fill me with sartorial delight (despite 20% off), but the boutique - end of lease sale...  Because it's not an op shop but has really pretty dresses, I'd never actually set foot in this store (a bit too dangerous), but today was the day.  Oasis Boutique (in the arcade at 144 Adelaide St), 50% off or $20, depending on the rack, until the end of March.

This evening was rather humid, which is not ideal when not wearing black.  Once I was actually at the venue though, it was fine.  And it felt rather liberating to wear emerald green while playing Mozart and jazz (not at the same time...)

Outfit #10 - Green and Purple

Why green and purple?  Both my necklace and my earrings today have green and purple.  With a green top, of course this meant I was wishing for purple shoes.  That said, it was one of those days - I barely had time for detail shots.  Normally it takes me 45 minutes to get to work (including 15 minutes walk plus a coffee stop).  Today, my train stopped at the station before the city for 40 minutes before I abandoned it.  I left home at 6:25 and got to work at 8:05.  A bit late.


Outfit:
Top: Hot Options. Singlet: Ambra. Pants: Portmans.  Shoes: Pulp.  Necklace and earrings: gifts.






These have turned into my favourite accessories.  The necklace goes with just about everything.  Plus, I can play the violin while wearing it.  That's a big plus.  The earrings also go with most things.

I am still finding it hard to take photos of me wearing my accessories.  They either turn out way too close, or not close enough to be able to see what they actually look like.  Aside from that, I take them during breaks at work...  and hope that no-one sees me taking photos of myself.

Outfit #4

 Two things about today's outfit:

1 - I love this top.  It's cotton and so light, ruffled around the neckline, black.  But, more importantly, I haven't worn it for a few years.  It was in the 'I Wish' pile for a while until I had a very exciting try-on session recently.  Yay!

2 - I'm wearing a brooch.  This is a big thing for me.  I was given two for Christmas, this green fish and a red flower (stay tuned!), and this is the first time this year I've worn one out.  Apart from really liking having a little fish on my blouse, it really broke up the otherwise sombre colour of this outfit.

The pants are cotton/polyester so they feel nice and crisp but still cool and breathable.

I love green.  I love heels.  These shoes are great.  I have to choose outings appropriately though.  Today was not a day I was scheduled to track down kiddies all day (and no fire drill) so I could sit comfortably in my room, looking at my pretty shoes.

Yes, this is the lovely carpet I have in my teaching room at school.  Nice, huh.  Has that old office feel to it.

 The cute fish brooch.



Outfit details:

Blouse: Suite Boutique.  Pants: Portmans.  Shoes: Pinet.  Brooch: Erstwilder (gift).  Bracelet: gift.  Opal earrings: from Kuranda, FNQ.

This jewellery combination made me feel rather precious all day.  Pearl bracelet (a gift from an older brother and his wife).  Opal earrings I bought last September in Kuranda, in Far North Queensland.

Outfit #2

I wasn't expecting this to be a flashing outfit.  When I tried on the skirt, I thought it was a perfect work skirt.  Just below the knee, straight, not totally boring.  I didn't notice the attachment of the 2 front parts, which have nothing to hold them together past the middle of the thigh.  As soon as I sat down on the train, I found myself pulling bits of my skirt across my knees. 

 I stand a lot during my work, but I don't want to tower over my little people - oh, hello knee.  The most drastic time though was coming home, walking in a breeze.  I even saw an elderly lady from church drive past...she didn't wave...

I was expecting hot weather, high possibility of rain, and a fire drill (which means heels are not a good idea, I have discovered).  This outfit - apart from the unexpectedly leggy skirt - was perfect.  Cool, moveable, not too long (I dislike long things in the rain), flat shoes for the fire drill on the oval.

Skirt: Sussan (op shop).  Blouse: Jacqui E (op shop). Shoes: Pulp. Earrings: ? Necklace: made by me.