I arrived back in Durham about a week ago and it's taken me exactly that long to get over my 'awaysickness' (as opposed to homesickness). I've had a crazy month.

My mum flew over to spend Christmas with my sister and I in Cambridge. We were all too disorganised to book Christmas Day lunch so we had a fancy Christmas Eve dinner and a hotel breakfast to make up for it haha. Not too bad! We did manage to find some mulled cider and mince pies in a pub overlooking the River Cam on Christmas Day so it wasn't a total failure. Plus the weather was perfect! I think I've realised that what I like the most about Christmas is not Christmas Day itself, but the whole season. Christmas Day doesn't even have to happen haha. Just give me the tinsel and festive food and I'm done.

A couple of days after Christmas we headed over to Brighton where we stayed for a couple of weeks. It was so, so weird to be back. I haven't stayed for more than a couple of days at a time since I left for uni in 2011. It felt like I lived there again. Definitely bittersweet. It was like returning to another age. I forgot just how very at home I felt there and how much I loved it. So many great places to just sit and hang out, shop, eat etc.  Just the knowledge that I could be doing something else was enough to make working bearable, in a way! I had a great many meals out. A great many well made coffees. It was also very nice to be around my family (well, not the whole family but still nice).

Also - look at the last photo of this bunch below! It's called an 'egglette'. From what I remember, it's a cup made of bacon, a layer of pesto, and then an egg cracked into it and sundried tomato on top. I'm guessing it's baked. Gonna try to recreate it one day.

I also got a probably long overdue haircut! I went to Simon Webster on Gardner St and was given a fabulous (albeit expensive) bob. Unfortunately this all coincided with that week of almost apocalyptic rain - my hair kept its shape for all of 20 minutes. I broke four poundshop umbrellas that week. FOUR.

So now I'm back in Durham with a tonne of essays to write. I don't plan on doing much except work over the next couple of weeks at least. At least I had a good holiday!

Outfit time! I was recently contacted by Bank to select a few things from their online store and put together some outfits, as ya do. Admittedly, prior to this I had never been inside Bank. Generally the sight of parkas and trainers makes me think that a store probably isn’t for me. But I stand corrected! I really do. There ended up being an absolute tonne of brands to choose from (over 100), and consequently a lot different looks. For me, it’s also nice to know that there is a physical store to visit and that the company is UK-based. I ended up picking these three things:

1 // 2 // 3

Can you see what mood I was in when I picked these? Haha. This is the very simple outfit I ended up wearing with the jacket (not sure how these photos became so grainy)! Will post the other outfits later this week. But anyway. Thank you Bank!

Bye guys!

Hats!

I am terrible at coming up with titles. Every post is a slight struggle. Perhaps it’s time to embrace their awkwardness.

So I’m back from Belfast. It was not what I expected at all! Well, being honest, I had no idea what to expect as neither I nor my friend had actually researched the city that much before we left haha. It was actually quite small and, while it was nice and I am very much interested in visiting other parts of Ireland, I’m not sure I would visit Belfast again. Hmm, I think this might be the first time I’ve written about somewhere I’ve been on this blog and felt so distinctly ambivalent about it (I have a lucky tendency to love pretty much everywhere I visit). I don’t want to be mean about Belfast so I will say that there are a few possible reasons for this unrelated to the city itself e.g. I got sick right before I left haha.

I suppose in one way it was good – I’ve learned more about what I should do to make a trip a good one. Don’t get sick, pick where to stay myself, research the place beforehand and figure out what I want to do, get enough sleep. But yeah. I’m glad I went but I know it would have been better had the circumstances been different. I also didn’t get that many nice photos! Darn it. Generally, it might have been one trip too much for this break.

For now, I’m happy to be back in the north east of England. My head feels messy and I need to sort everything out, come up with a routine, get healthy and start taking care of myself properly before my classes start again. This is going to be a tough year, but hopefully the good kind of tough rather than the kind I experienced last year. I’m optimistic!

So on to more fashion-related matters, I wanna talk about hats. My relationship with hats. Hats and me. I have a few of them. I think 8 or 9 now. More will be bought. When I was younger, my parents used to say that I looked good in hats. I thought they were just telling me that so I wouldn't end up with skin cancer but I now realise, many years later, that actually hats are pretty great. While I wouldn't want to return to an era where every outfit required a hat to be 'finished', they are certainly a very stylish way of hiding the fact that you're too stingy to get your roots done.

While I was in Sydney, I tried to take a whole bunch of outfit photos with all the hats I brought with me haha. Maybe you will see how they turn an otherwise simple / whatever outfit into a slightly better than whatever outfit. You will also see pretty much all the clothes I had with me! haha. I think my hat to other clothes ratio was a bit off.

This is my black bowler hat. If there was a 'basic' hat, this would be it. I resisted bowler hats for ages because of how trendy they are. I mean, wearing the above outfit made me feel almost like I was in some kind of 'alternative girl' uniform with the hat, glasses, tattoos and all black outfit. But you know what? It's an easy way to make a simple outfit not a boring outfit. Embrace the uniform. Occasionally.

Click here for the exact hat I'm wearing!

A summery straw bowler in an autumnal mustard colour? I'm wearing that forever. This was $5 from a Dangerfield discount store in Newtown.

Now I grant you this is rather wide categorisation but I don't possess enough wide-brimmed hats to break this down any further hoho. I own but a single variety - a navy blue, wool hat with a chiffon bow that I bought in Camden in my first week of arriving in the UK back in January 2009. It was once completely stiff and is now a little floppy (and as of last week slightly crumpled). I have not taken good care of it, poor old thing... but only because I wear it so much because it goes with seemingly everything I own. No, really. I'm not exaggerating. It's just one of those things.

This is not a Sydney photo. This is actually from 2011 haha.

See, not the most fabulous of outfits but with the addition of a hat, it has ... slightly improved? I could totally be a fashion writer.

I don't know guys, they keep the sun off your face, the rain off your fringe, a slight air of mystery if worn with sunglasses? A felt halo? (too much?)

Here are some on Etsy I like!

 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Pillboxes. These are my thing. Any look I would go for is always such that a pillbox could easily be included. They are probably the most impractical of hats. They provide neither warmth nor protection from the elements. Brimmed hats kind of make sense. Bowlers and cloche hats kind of make sense. Pillboxes are literally just a little block of colour added to the top of your head to make you look more put together. I don’t know guys. It works somehow.

This is the one I wear most often – my plain black, wool felt hat. 

Hat: vintage // Coat: Primark // Scarf: Edinburgh Woollen Mill

Here are some Etsy links:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Our little woollen French friends who will, without fail, make you look like you should be riding a bicycle with a baguette in the front basket. Some might say you should beware pairing a beret (almost wrote baguette) with a striped shirt. I say don’t let the bastards tell you what to do!  …Unless you are a man with a moustache… shave it off, you beast.

Shirt: Saba // Collar: Chicwish // Backpack: Chicwish // Skirt: Bettina Liano

Thanks to Chicwish for the collar and bag! Click the links above for the exact product pages.

I also LOVE the berets in Orla Kiely SS14. Please let me look like that when I wake up tomorrow. Please. Please.

I can post no more. I must leave the house and stop tempting myself by surfing Etsy hoho.

What are your favourite hats? Do you have a certain kind you like / that contributes to your overall look?

x

Back in the UK

Hello!

I'm back in Durham. It feels like an age since I was here last. It's very strange indeed to be back, as if I've stepped back 2 months. I forgot what it felt like to have nothing to do! Not sure I'm into it.

Well I had a truly wonderful trip to Australia. Just fantastic. I went back about a year ago and for some reason didn't enjoy myself nearly as much as I did this time. I guess my outlook must have been completely different because my impression of Sydney before - boring, empty, not-quite-cool - was the complete opposite of my experience this time. I just loved it.

Fact is, when I lived in Sydney, I was not a fan. It had its good bits but they paled in comparison to London, and the UK in general. I now know that they are just different places with their own pros and cons. Neither one is vastly better than the other, and which one you prefer depends entirely on what you are looking for. I've found that having lived in the UK for a few years and having been to a few different places in Europe, Sydney is actually pretty great. It's fun, beautiful and exciting. I feel so lucky to have grown up there. While I doubt I would ever move back (for the pure reason that you only live once and I'd rather experience somewhere new), I have to say that Sydney would be a pretty damn fantastic place to spend your twenties. Or your life in general! Also, I had almost no gross insect experiences... except one cockroach and one massive moth (outside the house so easily escaped from). Yeah!

Apart from Sydney specifically, it was also nice to spend time in an actual city. Because I lived in Brighton for a couple of years and now live in Durham/next to Newcastle, I think I forgot what it actually felt like haha. It's pretty great.

Because I have so much to say and I'm still waiting on photos from friends, I'll separate all my Sydney-related ramblings into a couple of entries. This post will be mainly based around what I have access to at the moment hoho.

Breakfast is great in Sydney. Well, all food is great in Sydney but I can't even count the number of times I went out for breakfast while I was away haha. A ridiculous amount. And it was always good! Casually posting Elena's breakfast because mine was not quite so photogenic hoho. Apparently this place is very popular because there was quite a big line to get a table. Another fabulous thing about Sydney is that even in winter it's warm enough to eat outside... and the weather is always great. I should have photographed all my breakfasts!

Another great thing about Sydney (or certain parts of it) is the number of fun, independent stores and designers. We found this place down some stairs off Crown St, Surry Hills and it was just filled with awesome, 60-ish clothes all made by the daughter of the shop assistant. I wish I could remember what it was called! Argh! There are also a bunch of fabulous Korean clothes stores in the city, the equivalent of which I just can't find in the UK. I'm definitely going to try to save up for clothes for next time I go.

Outfit!

A whole bunch of Asos stuff and a hat from OMGFashion.co.uk!

N'aww.

So yeah. I actually have a lot more to post but won't do it all at once. For now, I'm going to go home, relax, make dinner, and go to Newcastle - the closest thing I have to a proper city here (still fond of it).

Bye!

Rambling, York & outfit post

This whole Google Friend Connect malarkey is a little confusing. My followers still appear on my blog so... who knows? Well, anyway, just in case it does shut down (apparently it will) please follow me on Bloglovin! You can import all the blogs you follow here (:

HI guys. Hi. Hello. Currently writing this in a window seat on a semi-sunny day w an iced americano and some popcorn. It's pretty good. Hope yer all well!

Past couple of weeks have been weird... but I'm recovering! Apparently I don't deal well with having nothing to do. It feels like I'm never resting because I was never actually active in the first place. Home has turned from a cosy nest into a kind of hell haha. I lost all motivation to make myself look nice which means I feel even less comfortable with myself and even more like 'what is my life'. Luckily, over the past couple of days I have had quite a few things to write on my to do list and now feel a lot better! Thank goodness! I got up early today, made myself look okay (I think), crossed a couple of things off my to do list, and am now outside, writing this blog post, listening to a disco playlist (thanks BBC) and feeling kind of like a real person!

Other than that, in general things are pretty fantastic! I feel more 'myself' than I have done in a very long time. Time really does heal all wounds. I mean, it's a kind of silly thing to say. It doesn't make you feel any better when you're wounded, and by the time you've healed it's simply irrelevant. But... it is true! It's a beautiful thing to know you went through something monumentally shitty and you were strong enough to come out the other side. And it's great to know that the whole experience made you an even better person. It's like in comparison to how low I know I can feel, feeling 'okay' doesn't just feel okay anymore, it feels awesome. I don't have to lie to myself about how I feel anymore. I don't have to tell myself 'don't think about it, stop thinking about it, think happy thoughts' because it just doesn't hurt me anymore. This is all compounded by the fact that I managed pretty damn good exam results considering how shitty this year has been for me! YEAH! So, life lesson for me - never stop working!

Alongside milling around and doing little bits and bobs here and there, I went to York the other day! My friend had been a million times so we could wander freely without worrying about getting lost or anything. Always a plus. It was really, really lovely. Definitely going back, especially because of how close it is to Durham.

First we went to the Railway Museum, because why not? It was actually pretty fun. Reminded me of being a kid. I remember going to a railway museum when my family lived in the UK the first time around (we moved to Australia when I was 6) and thinking they were magical. Something about those huge machines and the smell (is that weird) and idk. I tried to take photos of the royal coaches but they didn't turn out that well so... you'll just have to go check it out yourself.

York Minster was just gorgeous, of course. Love me a good cathedral hoho. Wikipedia tells me its Great East Window is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. Whaddayaknow? Because they're always restoring / cleaning the stained glass, they have a 'stained glass of the month' type thing where you can look at the designs up close and read about them etc. ...it's pretty kewl. I'd recommend. Is this starting to sound like a tourist website?

My friend had a sudden hankering for ice cream so we went on a quest to find the perfect parlour. We found this store. Isn't it cute? There seemed to be a lot of cute places to eat / sip in York. We had lunch at this other cafe I don't remember the name of, but it was really nice. Fond as I am of Durham, there are very few places to get good coffee here, so it was especially nice. Will definitely try to document where exactly I go next time I take a York trip. There seemed to be a bunch of places worth checking out next time. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know!

So sad I didn't get good photos of this. It's the Shambles! Part of the two rows of houses have slumped so close together over time that two people leaning out of either window can shake hands, apparently. I've heard it's especially nice at Christmas.

The river! Unfortunately a little more impressive than Durham hoho.

What I wore hoho. 

Some other pictures from the past few days?

I love these little Edwardian arcades. There are a couple of them in the middle of Newcastle I think. They remind me of the ones in Leeds! The thing about Newcastle is that it has such incredibly gorgeous buildings (Grey St has the second highest number of listed buildings in the UK) but they are kind of ruined by what is put underneath them. I mean, the other day I was sitting in Savannah Cafe watching some guys paint part of a stone building navy blue. Perhaps repainting? I don't know. But at some point... it was painted navy blue  for William Hill haha. There are so many gambling shops in the UK, it's really unfortunate. BUT ANYWAY. The point is, the center of Newcastle has some really beautiful architecture. I'm a fan.

I also went to 9 Bar Coffee for the first time yesterday, despite living in the North East for almost two years now! I love it! I can't wait to go back and try the food because it looked seriously good. In fact, the whole place looked seriously good. It's a shame we've had no real summer this year because it seemed like a great place to people watch outside.

Also bought some new fabric. I have no idea what to make. Possibly could be used for a dress but may be a little heavy. I have to decide soon because I'm off to Brighton for a few days at the end of this week and then straight off to Sydney! Thought I might make a pinafore kinda thing but I'm worried that soon I'll have seen so many of them on other people that I'll be totally sick of them and not want to wear it. Dear oh dear.

Another outfit. Whenever I get bored of my wardrobe (like right now) I tend to revert back to outfits I've been wearing for literally years haha. Sometimes its good to wear tried and tested outfits. At least you know you feel like you.

Thankyou Will for photos! Do go check out his new blog. I know little about film but if you're a film person, you should follow him!

Thanks for reading guys (:

Bye!