The Week Of Doom is OVER!

Morning everyone!! Am I disgustingly cheerful for early on a Saturday morning? Probably! I am caffeined up, on a train and celebrating the end of the week of doom by going down to London for the day to see this:

And I'm wearing this. Not the smartest ensemble in the world but I've had no time to do any washing or ironing so the choice in my wardrobe isn't as good as usual!

Tshirt - bought at Thursday's gig (which was AMAZING)

Skirt - Warehouse, ancient

Boots - Gap sale

Cardi - Hawkhead

Yesterday's Frock Friday outfit deserves a quick mention too:

Dress - Primark
Shoes - New Look

I had to rope in my mum to help alter this frock. It came with the oddest shoulder puff things that I was not at all keen on and as I don't trust myself to do anything more complicated than hemming and button swapping when it comes to alterations, help was needed. Typical Primark sizing issue as well - it's a size 12 but there's so much extra fabric in it that I had to hold it at the back a bit in these photos. Doesn't look so shapeless in real life but for some reason it photographs as very baggy. Perhaps I'll pass it back to her to get the side seams taken in a bit.

Thank you for all your lovely comments over the past couple of weeks and for putting up with my moaning. New followers, I'm not usually this mardy! I'm pleased to report that I've had a super productive week and am feeling much happier about life now. I've also been hugely cheered along by the wonderful parcels that have arrived from some lovely blogging pals. Isn't it funny how getting an unexpected package in the post can entirely brighten up your day?

Helga sent me this lovely parcel - very unexpected and a bit spooky as it turned up on the morning that we found out she and G were safe! I can't wait to get started on the books. I always think it's fascinating and perhaps a tad scary to read books that others have recommended - what if I don't like them? I'm confident with these two though as the blurbs on the back sound so interesting and I trust Helga's taste.

(Expect more book chat in March. Oh and hats. I haven't forgotten about the Hat Challenge.)

Vix, being all the all round wonderful woman that she is, sent me this fab vintage Windsmoor frock and a fun book that I've been dipping in and out of. I'm going to be very brave and attempt hacking several inches off the bottom of the frock as it's rather long on me. I shall report back on my progress.

Then I came home from work yesterday to this beautifully wrapped parcel of gorgeous giveaway goodies that I won in Lucy's recent giveaway. Blog karma is definitely going around - she won a prize in mine! Thank you Lucy - it's all so lovely and your wrapping skills put my shoddy bundle-everything-into-a-jiffy-bag attempts to shame!

New Arrivals

Hell Week is drawing to a close. I've either been at work or working at home for 36 of the past 72 hours and I've still got two days to go. Here's hoping I can claim some of it back as lieu time! My remaining brainpower is focused on the 47 things on my "urgent" to-do list so today I shall bring you some pictures of shoes. Perhaps it will send out some footwear related love across the globe to Helga's poor earthquake-shaken pairs.

New purchase from Next. Giftcard = free shoes = best thing ever. Won't they be perfect for spring and summer?

How I love an ebay bargain, especially an Irregular Choice bargain. I have the green version of these too, featured on the blog way back when we still had sunshine:



And I've probably blogged these in an outfit post but they're newish and I chuffing love them. Waiting for the super sale markdowns in Gap really pays off!


So this week may be fairly dire but at least it's ending well. I'm going to see Ben Folds in Manchester tonight and I am looking forward to it more than I can tell you. His new album (with lyrics by Nick Hornby) is brilliant but I hope he chucks in some of the older stuff. I'll leave you with one of my favourites. I want this at my funeral:


And, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful love songs ever written:

Fortune Favours The Forgetful

Saturday was a little hectic. 5 hours sleep, up and into work for 8am, a busy half day and then a zoom up the motorway as I was kitten sitting for my brother who was off running the Brighton Half Marathon (1 hr 39 - he is speedy!). It's probably no great surprise that I managed to forget to take his house keys to work with me and had to make an annoying detour home to collect them. I then promptly forgot to get any cash out whilst I was at the supermarket and had to make yet another detour to a cashpoint. But this turned out to be an extremely lucky pitstop because there were two charity shops right next to the bank. I found 3 good books in one and then this absolutely gorgeous green velvet blazer in the other. It's vintage but I can only think that it has been stored carefully in a cupboard by its previous owner as it's in absolutely immaculate condition. Only £5! Clearly my forgetfulness pays off at times.

(this is why I don't try and smile in photos. Pudding face.)

Blazer - vintage St Michael via Marie Curie charity shop

Top - Zara, present

Skirt - Primark

Brooch - vintage, present from my lovely Vix

Rings - Primark (snake) , Tu (green stone)

Shoes - Irregular Choice via ebay. Can't remember the style name but I think it's something to do with dinosaurs?

I know a good half of you will read this and think "what the hell has she got on her feet?". To me, this is the beauty of IC shoes. They always hold a good resale value but the more mainstream styles frequently sell on ebay for upwards of £40 and often very close to their original RRP. Some of the slightly odder styles don't attract as much attention and if you happen to be the sort that likes them, bargains can be found! These were well under £20 including p&p and I love them.

p.s - KITTENS!! So adorable but crikey, they're tiring to be around. So much energy. Oscar is positively restful by comparison.

p.p.s - I am ready to murder Blogger. It's taken 4 hours to upload these pictures and it then decided to overwrite two paragraphs and immediately autosave it, meaning I couldn't even CTRL and Z to recover it. ARGH!

Frock Off Friday

Work is a bit stressy at this time of year. So much to do, so little time to do it in. I've got to go in at 8am tomorrow as well. GROAN. Ffion and I decided to cheer ourselves up today by instituting Frock Friday.

Dress - via New Life

Blouse - Dorothy Perkins

Tights - Marks & Spencer

Shoes - Next via charity shop

I enjoy the mystery of a New Life purchase. For those of you that don't know about it/haven't been, it's a sort of giant charity shop/warehouse near Cannock which is full of end of season High St clothing and accessories donated by the likes of River Island, Monsoon, New Look, Office etc. Very fun to rummage round in but they chop the labels out of the clothes so you have to play a guessing game as to where the stuff has come from. Easy if it's something you've just seen in store like the New Look swallow print dress I got from there last year or the obviously Monsoon beaded type things. Not so easy for something plainer like this. I'm guessing that it's not the cheaper end of the High St because the fabric is really nice and it's quite well made (care label says Made In Italy) but really I have no idea. Anyone recognise it? Haha, watch it be from Primark now!

Anyway, I love it. I feel rather like a classier version of a schoolgirl in it. Everything is covered up but I still feel a bit cheeky. If only I'd actually looked like this when I was at school. Nerd alert!!

Traumatic fringe and glasses interlude is now over.

To return to Frock Friday...

Ffion was looking lovely in a Cath Kidston dress and vintage cardi. There would have been more nice outdoor pics of us both but it was chuffing freezing today. I took my coat off with great reluctance and then practically had to do star jumps to keep warm, so all the photos of me outside are ridiculous and not for public viewing. It was back to the landing this evening instead. Maybe next week will be warmer.

Answers Aplenty and Giveaway Winners Revealed

This blogging malarkey does put me under pressure sometimes. I got dressed this morning in what I wanted to wear (jeans and a giant red hoody) and then thought "well you won't be taking any photographs of that, will you, you scruffy beggar?" Daily fashion bloggers, I salute you. I will return to outfit posting on Friday when I intend to frock up in fine style.

So what on earth to post about today, other than the giveaway winners? Well as luck would have it, lovely Danni tagged me with this list of questions today and I thought I'd get straight onto answering them. I may not have much brainpower at the moment but I can definitely answer a few questions.

1. Are you named after anyone?
Not really. The parents did sometimes say it was after Princess Alexandra but neither of them are particularly Royalist so I think it was more that it happened to be a name they both liked. Better than my Dad's initial choice of Roxanne anyway.

2. When was the last time you cried?
At last week's Countryfile when they were showing footage of the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic. It was horrendous.

3. Do you have kids?
God no. Never. Most unmaternal person EVER. If I had a baby I'd leave it in the shops or something equally awful.

4. If you were another person would you be a friend of yourself?
Yeah I think so. If you look beyond the horrible shyness and propensity for hiding in a book, I'm a good friend. Loyal, reliable, funny (if you're on my wavelength) very good at doing taxi duty, up for jolly japes.

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Haha, have you met me? All the time.

6. Will you ever bungee-jump?
There are far more interesting things to do.

7. What's your favourite cereal?
Am currently rather in love with plain cornflakes with mandarins and juice.

8. What's the first thing you notice about people?
I honestly don't know. Their overall air? I don't tend to focus in on any one thing but I am easily impressed by nice shoes.

9. What is your eye colour?
Greenish, although they can look blue or grey at times as well. Here's an inconclusive picture:

10. Scary movie or happy endings?
Happy endings all the way. I'm a romantic.

11. Favourite smells?
Freshly mown grass, bacon butties, blown out matches and John Paul Gaultier Le Male, even though it sometimes makes me want to cry a little bit.

12. Summer or winter?
Just to be contraversial, spring. I'm not at my best in hot or cold weather.

13. Computer or television?
At the moment, computer. I don't watch much tv - dvd boxsets are where it's at.

14. What's the furthest you've been from home?
Florida when I was about 10. And the Air Force base in the middle of nowhere that we had to make an emergency landing at on the way home due to exploding tyres. I was lavishly sick upon landing but was cheered up by the hunky air force man who came and talked to me whilst we were waiting around. Perhaps that started off my liking for men in uniform...

15. Do you have any special talents?
Nope. Miss Average. Unless you count being able to read whilst doing almost anything else? I read while I'm washing my hair, hoovering, everything.

16. Where were you born?
Fazakerley.

17. What are your hobbies?
I hate this question! I always feel as if hobbies should equal crafts, something with a definite output, and I don't do that much of that sort of thing. I like to read, haunt the charity shops, read, blog, read, swim, read, go to the cinema, read, watch sport, read, knit a bit, read, bake.... If I like doing it it then it will probably feature on here sooner or later.

18. Do you have any pets?
Oscar of course.

19. Favourite film?
Mary Poppins or Ever After. I'm taking no crap about Mary Poppins; it is genius. Just to prove I do watch "proper" films though, I adore a very unknown film called A Love To Hide (Un amour à taire). You should all watch it, immediately.

20. Do you have any siblings?
A big brother. I sometimes wonder if we are really related - he runs marathons for fun. Mentalist.


21. What do you wanna be when you grow up?
Happy.

So that's me. Should you wish to answer the questions yourself then please do. I am hugely nosy and love reading this sort of thing.

*DRUMROLL*

Giveaway winners! I wish I could have given you all a prize. What a truly wonderful bunch of people you are. Such lovely comments and cheering things to read. Sadly there are only 4 prizes up for grabs:

The Liberty print bag and floral snood goes to Lucy from Tête en l'Air. She's running a wonderful giveaway herself so this must be karma!

The Lush goodies and lip & nail stuff will be on the way to Filipa from Feathers of Inspiration.

Sangu from Echoes of a Wayward Mind wins the Amazon giftcard - spend it wisely!

And last but by no means least, the vintage goodies go to Victoria from My Favourite Fashion.

Drop me an email with your address and I'll organise posting them out to you. It's oddsocksandprettyfrocks@hotmail.co.uk .

Anti-Valentine

Valentine's Day eh? I'm pleasantly surprised by all the dislike for it floating around on blogs at the moment - I thought I was the only one that loathed it. It's just so pink and fluffy. If you don't know already that I loathe and despise pink, you've read it here now. If you share my sentiments then do have a look here and here - too funny.

As you can probably tell from the lack of references to men on here, I am perenially single. That doesn't affect my thoughts on today though. I hated it even when, many moons ago, I was coupled up. It's a sorry relationship if you need one day a year to tell your other half how much you love them. As for all the over commercialisation and ridiculously priced horrible flowers, give me strength. The M&S heart shaped jelly beans are v. good though...

I think I'm just not very attractive to men. If you believe my new anonymous commenter (possibly the same one that is pestering Vix) then this is most probably because I'm an ugly, fat, trollop. I must admit I did snork more than a little when I read that. Trollop isn't an insult, it's a splendiferous word. It makes me think of 17th century busty wenches and the wonderful Helga. As for the other parts, well I've been fat. I can quite definitely say that I'm not fat now. Ugly? I don't think I can pass as anything much better than perhaps cute but I don't think I'm entirely unfortunate looking. That comment did come on my very grumpy-faced post though...

Anyway, I'm very definitely not sad or lonely about being single. I'm quite happy with life as it is thank you very much. I'm in no need of a man to complete me; I'm fine just as I am. I am woman, hear me roar, etc.

As this isn't meant to be a doom-laden post, let's all look at hot men. I might not need one but they're fun to admire, yes?

I know he's a proper skinny wretch but I can't help it

What A Difference Some Sunshine Makes

I'm still not feeling quite in the swing of things, blogging-wise. February is just a bad month overall for me and I fear that if you're expecting nice outfit posts or interesting thoughts on life you may well have to wait till March. I'll do my best to keep it entertaining on here but I just won't have quite as much time as usual.

The bad mood did lift a little today though. It was sunny! I feel like I haven't been out in the daylight and sunlight properly for weeks now so this really did blow the cobwebs away a bit.

I have no weekend plans whatsoever. This may spell out lonely boredom to some people but I so rarely have absolutely nothing to do that it's a delightful change for me. I've read three books, watched some football, drunk some wine and also took myself out for a walk in the sunshine this afternoon whilst listening to my very favourite podcast (hello Jason Isaacs).

It's almost spring, hurrah!

I didn't go far but within walking distance are some extremely nice houses and the river. I do love a bit of interesting architecture so set me down somewhere with my camera and I'm as happy as larry just wandering around and taking photos.

Old fashioned lamp-posts

Beautiful houses. Wish I was rich.

Quirky little windows in quirky little houses


And the river. Lovely.
Hmmm, not such a lovely view of a power station.

ps - also watched the rather excellent new Neil Oliver BBC2 programme about ancient Britain today. I could listen to that man saying "frozen tundra" and "forest of birch and alder" all day. He's almost as good as Professor Brian Cox.

pps - Giveaway closes on Monday night so if you haven't entered already, pop over and comment!