Various ramblings

Feather headpiece - a gift, originally from Diva
Dress - thrifted
Crinoline (unseen) - vintage, thrifted
Belt - thrifted
Cardigan - vintage, thrifted
Bag - vintage, birthday gift to self!
Tights - who knows?
Shoes - Trade Me

I sent off the first five chapters to my agent this morning - eek! And now I wait and chew my nails off.

I know you're probably completely sick of this cardigan-bag combination, but I'm slightly addicted. And you probably recognise this dress, too - I shortened it a bit. Even though I loved its original length, I simply didn't wear it enough because it always felt too long for me. Now that it's knee-length, I'm wearing it all the time.

I'm heading out to afternoon tea with my mother- and sister-in-law today, and then going to see Bill Bailey live tonight. I can't wait. I absolutely LOVE Bill Bailey - his stand-up and his film work, and particularly his role in Black Books (my favourite comedy series of all time - I can recite all the episodes verbatim). Now if I can only get tickets to Dylan Moran, I can tick two things off my to-do-before-I-die list!

Comment of the day

"Ah, yes, it looks much better!! More fabulous even! Love Bill Bailey! Love Dylan Moran more! LOVE Black Books!! Enjoy Bill, I hope you get to snog him!" -

Battle of the Andreas

I'm planning to send some chapters of Current Book to my agent tomorrow - I'm still a couple of weeks off finishing this draft, but it will be the final draft that I write on my own before receiving feedback. Even though I haven't got a completr draft, I want to send some of it off into the world. Possibly just to convince myself that it exists somewhere other than inside my head. Scrapbooking the revisions worked really well - I tried to switch off the logical part of my brain and rearrange the scenes by instinct, doing whatever felt natural. Sometimes I can get too bogged down in detail and organisation (surprise, surprise) and need to trust my instincts. Those two parts of my brain are permanently at war, as I think they are in any writer's mind, and both are important. It's just a matter of knowing which one needs to be in charge when, which sounds easier than it is. I imagine one wearing horn-rimmed spectacles and a librarian cardigan and the other one in a tie-dyed caftan.

The other two parts of me that seem to be at war at the moment are the hoarding, collecting part that craves security and anchoring, and the part that wants to purge and get rid of things and be free. I have always been a weird mixture of a homebody and a jetsetter, and I want both with equal intensity. I suppose it has come to the surface more now that we're moving and editing down our possessions. In some ways, I really enjoy this process: I like getting rid of things. I like moving house. I like new experiences and new people and adventure. But I also like being at home, nesting, feeling secure and surrounding myself with the things I love. This makes for a rather interesting mental state, as I simultaneously clear out the house and accumulate more sentimental bits and pieces. Oh well! I have six whole weeks to get used to the idea.

Comment of the day

"I'm comforted to know I'm not the only split personality type. My halves never co-exist in harmony - one week I'll be feverishly trying to minimalise my life, quite convinced this is exactly how it should be, and suddenly I'll obsessively need to surround myself with "stuff" and "things" and wondering why one earth I ever wanted it any other way. Oh for some balance!" - Ella

Oh hi there

I just wanted to say a quick hello to anyone who has reached me through listening to Ele Ludemann's segment on Radio New Zealand. I noticed people were coming here via the Radio NZ website and followed the links back - the wonders of the Internet! Hansel and Gretel's crumbs have nothing on us. Ele had such lovely things to say, and it was such a delightful way to end my day. So if you have made it here, and you want to learn a bit more about any of the things I talk about, I've put together a wee list of some things you may find interesting.

A sample of my writing - the short story How to Kill a Dead Man

About me

The story behind A Cat of Impossible Colour

Everything I know about thrifting (op-shopping!): Parts I, II, III, IV and V.

Check the sidebar for more past posts! Nice to (virtually) meet you.

Comment of the day

"I was so excited hearing about your blog on the radio I stopped the car on the side of the road to write down the address! I'm currently part way through reading your thrifting guide (most excellent). Your blog is so lovely, a new favourite I intend to visit regularly from now on. Hurrah!" - Ella

Lists and bows and airports

Beret - Dotti
Trench - vintage, thrifted
Boots - thrifted
I promise there are more clothes underneath, but there's not much point in listing them! I'm not Christchurch's latest flasher.

Inspiration: being rained on.

I dropped LOML off at the airport this afternoon, and am feeling very sad. It's hard to say goodbye to him for five weeks - even though I am excited for him! It's going to be a difficult time, but I'm determined to make the most of it. And we'll talk a lot, anyway. Thank goodness we live in an age where we can hear the voices and see the faces of the people we love every day, no matter where they are. Imagine living in a time where letters from the New World would take months to reach you - or perhaps would never reach you at all! Anyway. I deal with this sort of melancholy in four ways:

1) By working like a demon.

I want to get this draft absolutely perfect before we leave, ready to send to my agent.

2) By eating chocolate and drinking white wine.

Check, and check! I also bought the second season of Mad Men on DVD today and have a pot of chicken soup - perfect therapy.

3) By joking about it and making light of the situation.

Covered. Always.

4) By snapping into full-blown Project Mode. Spring into action!

This is the absolute best way I have found to deal with anything and everything. I have all sorts of things I want to achieve while LOML's away, and before we leave.

Getting my full licence!

I'm going to book the test this week. Gah, so scary. But I'm looking forward to having it over and done with.

Cleaning out the house

Although we're taking most of our things, there is an awful lot of flotsam and jetsam we have accumulated over the years that we don't particularly want to transport to the other side of the world. I'm going to get rid of all of this, one way or another, and get things organised for the move.

Selling off my wardrobe

Not all of it, obviously, but I do want to continue editing it down. I usually sell on Trade Me, a New Zealand-only site, but I'm considering selling on Etsy. What do you think? Is it worth it?

Getting my own personal machine (my body, that is) up to scratch

I'm planning a healthy-eating-and-exercise regime for the next few weeks - I try to stay healthy anyway, but I'm afraid winter makes me a bit lazy and apt to eat large amounts of chocolate.

Preparing for the move

I want to learn as much as I can about Texas and the South in general before we move there. I bought some books today - including the words of Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor - in an attempt to get a sense of the history and atmosphere!

On a style-related note, I wanted to show you this trench I thrifted the other day - it has an attached tartan scarf that ties into a bow at the neck, which I love. All right, off to drown my sorrows in chicken soup. Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes, everyone - I'm glad I have you to keep me company while LOML's away!

Comment of the day

"Hi Andrea,
Not sure if I've commented before, but I'm a daily reader, thank you.
I'm down to my last two days of being away from my partner for five weeks, in fact our situation is very similar to yours. The time has flown by!
Much like you I prepared a list of things to do to keep me from missing him, but aside from the necessities I haven't done anything on the list! Between catching up with friends & family & general organising of my life I just haven't had time! I almost wish I had another week!
We posted each other little packages of goodies along with a very brief note. Nothing extravagant, just little bits & bobs that we already had with us, or reminded us of each other. It was by far the best thing to keep us from wailing how much we missed each other. Gosh I missed him like crazy though & almost stuffed my head in the post satchel to see if I could pick up his smell. I also stared at his handwriting on the parcel far longer than any normal person would.
Both receiving & sending a parcel put a grin on my face for days just knowing that despite all the fun he was having, he was thinking of me.

I thought of the wives & girlfriends of our deployed Defence Force members too (I'm in Australia), and actually felt quite selfish at times. I was sooking over five weeks of us both being safe & able to talk to each other, they go months of unpredictable contact in a warzone! Couldn't do it.

I wish you & LOML all the best, I hope the time goes fast & you get none of the non-essential items on your list done!!" - RuthieB

Happy birthday to me!

Beret - vintage, thrifted
Dress - vintage, a gift from my sister-in-law's mum
Cardigan - vintage, thrifted
Bag - birthday present to self, vintage
Gold fly pin (on collar) - another birthday gift to self
Socks which are actually grey but which look blue here - can't remember
Boots - thrifted
Belt - thrifted

Inspiration - beading and embellishment

It has been a fantastic weekend, and I have been spoiled rotten. "Rightly so!" I hear you chorus. No? Is that just in my head? Well, anyway, it was great. LOML and I went out to breakfast yesterday and to dinner last night with friends, and we spent today with family.



Excuse the weird hair - it all went a bit wrong. But after a vodka mudslide I didn't care.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend - thank you for all the birthday wishes! It is a bittersweet sort of day, because LOML is leaving for Austin tomorrow and I won't see him for five weeks. Exciting, but I'll miss him lots.

Comment of the day

"You picked out some fabulous birthday gifts!!!! Happy birthday sunshine! Your outfit is amazing, and you look so beautiful with your beau!! We will keep you company for five weeks :)" - Megan at Transmission Me

Aw, thanks, Megan! I know you will.

The unexamined life is not worth living

It is my birthday tomorrow. I will be 25. In a nice coincidence, when I am 25 my mum will be 50 and my great-grandmother will be 100. 100! Holy cow. I have mentioned her on this blog often - she is a huge source of inspiration for me. As all the women in my family are, of course - but she is a style inspiration! She has always dressed beautifully and looked amazing, and even now, at 99, she is perfectly groomed and made-up, always gracious and smiling, and always wearing a perfectly put-together outfit with a scarf at her neck and a brooch at her lapel. When I was last in the UK, we went through old pictures together, and she remembered every detail of every outfit she had worn in each picture down to the last button. I have complete confidence that, if she had grown up in our generation, she would have a style blog! She still should, in my opinion.

It's a funny world, the world of style blogging. When you describe it to non-bloggy types, it sounds bizarre and downright narcissistic. It's hard to explain that it's more about "Look what I did! What do you think? What are you guys up to?" than "LOOK AT ME I AM O FOR ORSUM." I see posting an outfit picture as on par with posting a picture of a dish I've cooked or a picture I've painted. But I can absolutely see how it sounds strange to people outside the community. I am very grateful, however, to have this outlet in which to indulge in my passion for vintage clothing (real-life fellow enthusiasts are thin on the ground!) and to be able to connect with like-minded people all over the world. I know that this blog will be a lifeline when we move. And I hope you know how much I appreciate each and every one of you who comments.

I have been thinking about blogging in general recently. As you probably know if you read regularly, it is quite a strange time in my life. I am preparing to move to the US at the start of August, and so I'm rushing to finish all my work and organise everything I need to organise before we go. It is a surprisingly long list. During this time, I have also been feeling horribly guilty for not participating more in this bloggy community. I love reading everyone's entries, but, for the past couple of months, I have had very little time to read and comment. I feel bad just updating my personal pages without taking part in the conversation that we're all having, here in this corner of the internet. I have even let comments slide. I don't like feeling guilty and I wish I could make the time to be as active a participant as I would like, but at the moment I just can't. So - I'm really sorry that I haven't visited and said hello as often as I like, or responded to questions and comments quickly enough. I hope you can understand. And thanks again for reading (the blog is 6 years old this month!). Thanks for reading my ramblings. Thanks for all your support regarding the book and my writing process. And thank you for all the advice, tips, jokes, criticism and friendly notes. I think my rationalisation of blogging will always be evolving, but one thing won't change - how much I enjoy it!

Comment of the day (am going to start adding this in to every post the day after it has appeared, as I so appreciate all your comments and haven't been replying to them! Will try to do better).

"What a wonderful, thought-provoking post. I definitely agree with your comments on the world of style blogging. I've just recently started my own blog, and though I'm still learning, I'm really excited to become a part of the community. Plus, blogging actually helps me figure myself out - by encouraging me to really define my style and consider what is important to me in general. How amazing that something as silly as an online journal could turn out to be so much more!" - Christy of Stories Read Aloud

Consumptive qualities

So I had my refresher driving lesson today, ready for my full licence test (in New Zealand you go from learner's to restricted, which I'm on, and then progress to full). It turns out that all those years of talking in class and being sent out of assembly for chatting have finally paid off. Part of the test involves identifying hazards on the road, out loud, and giving a running commentary on everything you're doing to avoid them. I am apparently very good at this. Not surprising, as I give a running commentary on everything anyway. Yay! Now I just need to remember to actually stop at stop signs, rather than just slowing down.

I have been thinking a lot recently about consumption. As in, the commerical consuming of products, not the nineteenth-century disease, fascinating as that is. As you can imagine, the consumption of clothing is something that interests me particularly.

There was no culture of shopping as a hobby in Zimbabwe, as there is here in New Zealand (and in other developed countries). There were fewer shops, for one thing, and there was certainly a lot less money to spend on leisure and treats. When we moved to New Zealand, I found the malls completely overwhelming. They still make me uneasy, if I'm truthful. Since there was not an endless supply and dazzling array of cheap, readily available products, we made do with what we had, made things we needed out of whatever was to hand, repaired things to within an inch of their lives and recycled everything we could. Pretty much all of my clothes were hand-me-downs, and, when I outgrew them, they were hand-me-down-ed again.

The war years of the 1940s, especially in Britain, really resonate with me - I think because I see many similarities between life then and my life in Zimbabwe in the 1990s. My great-grandmother, who is still with us and who I love and admire greatly, was a mother during the Blitz in London, and has told me many stories about hiding with my grandmother in an air raid shelter. She always looked absolutely gorgeous and dressed like a dream - still does - but would never have dreamed of buying dozens of cheap, poor-quality, mass-produced garments and then throwing them out when they were no longer wearable. She bought - and still buys - quality. And when that quality garment eventually wears out, she repairs it. And then repairs it again.

These days, I am definitely guilty of excess consumption when it comes to clothing. I buy second-hand, yes, and mostly from charity stores, but there is still a mountain of Stuff that results from my hobby, no matter how little money I spend on it and no matter where that money is going. I acquire mostly clothes and books, and have ridiculous amounts of both. I have been trying to edit my wardrobe lately, ready for our move, and I am also trying to cut down the amount of Stuff (it needs a capital letter) that I acquire. I am never going to be a minimalist, but I would like to only own things that I really love, rather than collecting magpie-like everything that catches my eye.

Mink being awesome

Just went upstairs and caught Mink sleeping on one of my crinolines. Cutest thing ever.

Sunny Saturday

The rain has stopped! The sun came out! Hooray. I spent the day thrifting with the lovely Annette. She very sweetly took lots of pictures of me eating, trying things on and generally being an idiot, but I promise that, although there is no photographic evidence, she was there too! And playing chauffeur, driving us both around Christchurch to the best thrift stores. I found some great things, which I'm sure will make appearances soon, and had a wonderful day - topped off by lunch at New Brighton Pier. There's nothing better than a day spent thrifting with a friend. And I had a hilarious exchange with a woman in Tasman Traders, prompted by the fact that I was wearing shorts with tights.

Her: "You should go to Australia."
Me: "?"
Her: "They all dress like that there. It's the latest fashion. You'd fit right in."
Me: "Oh - thanks."
Her: "Yes, I just got back from there and they were all dressed like that. It was awful. I couldn't believe it."


Wearing sunglasses indoors is really only cool when the Blues Brothers do it, but it was really bright by the window!

Pumpkin and maple syrup soup. Delicious combination!


Op-shopping in Tasman Traders! I found a gorgeous vintage beaded cardigan here, and Annette found some great dresses.

I'm off out for a lovely Thai meal with friends - have a wonderful Saturday, everyone, and don't forget to enter the giveaway if you haven't already!

Grey garden

Beret - Diva
Shirt - thrifted, originally from Glassons
Braces - thrifted
Trousers - vintage, thrifted
Belt - vintage
Tights - who knows?
Shoes - Andrea Biani

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments on yesterday's post, everyone - I am so touched and grateful. I will go through and respond to them all individually over the weekend. And if you haven't already entered yesterday's giveaway, please do so! It's a gorgeous handbag and I can't wait to send it to a loving new home.

Today I'm off into the city to have lunch with a friend, and then I'm heading back here to tackle the copy editor's queries and finish (hopefully) scrapbooking Current Book. See you soon!