Halcyon

Usually I'd avoid this length of skirt, as I am a mere 5'1.5" (every half inch counts!), but when I saw this one at a thrift store earlier in the week I snapped it up very quickly. Our house has now been 17 days without water, and showering at friends' houses on a rotational basis doesn't really lend itself to luxuries like shaving one's legs. I'm rather warming to it, and my brother/photographer agrees that it fits nicely into my 'granny aesthetic'. I also thrifted the most amazing dress ever, which I will show you later in the week!


(Wearing a thrifted skirt, my boyfriend's favourite tshirt (sorry Logan), vintage necklace from him, and shoes from Chinatown in Sydney)

Developments

I'll be honest with you all and say that my life is pretty devoid of excitement. I got all my partying out of my system with I was 16, and now prefer the life of a nanna. I mostly get my jollies from checking the mail, seeing how my biscuits come out of the oven, and picking up developed films. Today's indulgence was the latter, and the thrill of cycling to the photo shop was a nice change from the monotony of sitting in bed with my cat on my laptop, a.k.a. getting a degree. I had no idea what was on this film, and was pleased to find some summery shots from our trip to Pigeon Bay last year, as well as Campus A Low Hum and hanging out on Anna's roof.









(All taken on my beloved Belomo Vilia)

Holiday mode

I don't know if I could possibly want any more than this. A cute boy, a kitten, and a 1950s chiffon prom dress picked up for a pittance.

I don't know how we suddenly got so close to 100 followers! Thanks so much, everyone! I think when we hit triple digits we'll host a little giveaway, to show our gratitude.

Quarrying

With university still cancelled, my workplace customer-less, and my boyfriend away for work, I've had a ridiculous amount of free time lately. I don't even have any study to do, as I only had one lecture before uni was closed down, AND all the libraries are closed so I'm quickly running out of things to read! All I can do is boil my water obsessively and help out around the city as much as possible. This excessive leisure time has resulted in lots of urban exploration with my brother, and tonnes of photos to show for it.



(Wearing a vintage dress, thrifted belt, costume cupboard bag and shoes and tights from markets in Chinatown, Sydney)

My day was off to a great start when I was woken by a courier with a package for me! Let me take you back to a month ago, when I bought a gorgeous pair of bunny-shaped earrings by Cat Cat Owl from Swonderful. I was distraught when they broke last week, so popped them in the post back to Wellington. Lo and behold, they arrived back to me, fixed AND complete with a matching necklace! I could not possibly be more grateful for the lovely ladies to Swonderful for being so kind and generous! Now I have a whole Watership Down of bunnies to adorn me.

Isn't it cute?

My loyal photographer Will admiring our city of rubble.

Sunny Nelson

My brother Will and I spent a few days in Nelson last week, staying with our grandparents. It was a wonderful break from the sadness that is a ruined city and a condemned house. We've been antique shopping, plum picking, quad biking, bush bashing, and catching up with long-lost family members aplenty.




Upon our arrival home, we went on another adventure to a far-flung reserve on the outskirts of the city. There were plenty of late summer blackberries to be picked, and holes made in tights due to their thorns! We wore some of our garb picked up thrifting in Nelson- him a Ben Sherman shirt and me the pink dress. My grey coat is thrifted too, Logan picked it out for me from the kids' section of a Sydney thrift store. I love the peter-pan collar and navy velvet piping, although I'm the first to admit the sleeves are a little short and I can't button it. Why are kids' clothes always the cutest, like the sheer dress up above? Sigh.






Phew, so many pictures! I'm back to work tomorrow, so it'll be out with the adventuring and in with the jewellery making, at least until university starts again. And who knows when that will be!

Long distance winner

My dream 90s goth boots (also fulfilling my Stevie Nicks 70s platform dreams)! $15 from Retro Funk, mentioned in Georgia's previous post.

I have also been in Oamaru since the day after the earthquake hit, hiding out blissfully from aftershocks and broken buildings and spending my money on the amazing cheap secondhand finds here in this little old town filled with elderly folk.

A few of my finds:

my sister calls this 'the Phoebe skirt' - $2 from Vinnies

I Heart NY t-shirt - New York! (surprise surprise)

THESE AMAZING STARS & STRIPES SHORTS were jeans, $6 from Retro Funk

$10 from Retro Funk. I love the bell sleeves!

Stevie vibes floaty 70s top also from Retro Funk. But wait...

+ matching 70s floaty skirt = dress!

Sorry for not-so-great quality, my camera is still in Christchurch, along with those other people who have lost family, friends, homes and jobs. My thoughts are with you all.

I was on Colombo St, one of the main streets, when it hit. I saw the crushed bus in that photo minutes after it happened, and I saw people under bricks, people trapped in shops. I was very very lucky. It was so surreal, like a dream and I was actually unsure whether it was real, like, 'is this really happening, right now?' But I'm okay and my family are okay and my house is okay and I hope it will get better with time.

Stay strong, Christchurch.

Cat and mouse

After the earthquake, I drove down to Oamaru with my boyfriend and his family. It's a tiny little quaint town in the South of the South Island. While Logan went off to do some Freemason-y stuff (top secret, of course), I went vintage shopping with his sister, Jessica-Rose.



In a wonderful junky vintage shop, named Retro Funk, I got this mouse-print dress for a pittance. When I spied the fabric peeking out from underneath a big pile of dresses, I knew I had to have whatever it was.



(Wearing a vintage dress from Oamaru, ribbon belt, Lawrence Arabia tote bag and kung-fu flats from Chinatown in Sydney)

My tote is printed with a passage about the Pink and White Terraces, by the band
Lawrence Arabia. Academic, musical and historic all at once!


Wow, you can really see the difference in colour between the tips and roots of my hair in these photos! Considering it's been over three years since I've had a proper haircut, I suppose it makes sense. I am trying so hard to resist chopping off a few inches of it, as waist-length hair can get very annoying. This hairstyle is one of few that I can do now without getting a headache from how heavy it is!

I'm actually in the airport right now, about to fly to Nelson, another small town in the South Island, with my little brother. We're going to stay with our grandparents in a lovely rural setting, for a few days of rest and relaxation and a break from the constant aftershocks fraying everyone's nerves here. Adieu!