Rain.. shine.. and mud


Introducing... My Portsmouth Wellies!!!!! These pink beauties were dragged out of summer hibernation to go and splash in the puddles and mud of Emsworth this Sunday ( because quite frankly with no Grand Prix what else is there to do?). And splash they did!

Living in the south is such a treat on a sunny day because in less than 10 minutes I can be at the sea.. and what better place for a Sunday stroll. Surrounded by fellow walkers and many muddy doggy paws I journeyed from Langstone, along the coast to Warblington and then on to Emsworth town which was a hive of activity as always. I always thought that long walks without a companion would be boring but I was armed with my ipod.. which after a recent spruce of tunes is amazing company. Some weeks ago I had to call an ipod truce and clear off all of the albums I skip every time they crop up on shuffle.. and so have now filled the gaps with albums I've never heard.. it's refreshing now when on shuffle, and beautifully unpredictable.

Along the way I stopped to take pretty pictures in the sunshine and also to make friends with these beautiful dairy cows which were all laid down.. I don't know if the cows sitting down = Rain thing is just a myth but these cows got it all wrong. A whole day of no rain.. who would have thought that would be a rarity for July! The weather has left behind a whole lot of muddy footpaths however, for which I was very glad to have my trusty Portsmouth wellies. That said, I did feel a little guilty for the onslaught of mud they took after months of welly dreaming in my car boot.  


This picture of the tide going out at Langstone Harbour came out perfectly to show the clearness of the water and how beautiful the reflection of the clouds were yesterday. It reminded me a lot of the Oscar Wilde quote "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars" and it felt odd that looking down could show you what was actually above you.. Very Pretty. On another very irrelevant note the Fat Boy Slim album named in tribute to Wilde "Halfway between the Gutter and the Stars" has still got to be one of my desert island favourite albums.. Hey I did warn you it was irrelevant! 


The pretty swan picture, taken at Emsworth Harbour I've included just because I like swans but at the same time am incredibly scared of them. They are such beautiful creatures that I always feel the need to photograph but I think I've read too many Sue Townsend books not to be scared of them. If you don't know what I mean then get some better taste in books please people. Ive loved Townsends books since I was ickle and started off by reading the Adrian Mole books and then onto the other stories she has written.. all fabulous and all contain the line "A swan could break a man's arm you know" in there somewhere. Trust me I've done the leg work to know. So the next time you are near a swan remember.. no flamboyant arm gestures. 


From Emsworth my journey was of little interest except for a brief stop to tickle a beautiful German Sheppard puppy which I have bumped into several times now and next time will be stealing.. just too cute. Tired and a little blistered I rested my wellies and feet.. until that was I felt the calling of the Olympic Torch! 


 Arriving in Portsmouth last night thousands of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the flame and I made sure I got my blue suede brogues to the front to catch the best view. Seeing the torch was surprisingly moving and one of those experiences it might actually be worth having children for so stories can be passed on.. Very much looking forwards to seeing what the biggest stories of this years Olympics will be...

For now I must stop daydreaming and don my trusty work shoes and actually do something today..

 It never rains.. but it floods...

It would be very un-British of me not to start with a comment about the weather since it dominates our small talk.. "Lovely weather we've been having".. Not so much this summer. In fact the weather has been so terrible of late that I'm starting to think it may have been my fault for starting a blog over the summer named after welly boots..Hmph. They certainly are the most appropriate footwear of choice these days.. In fact if it carried on I may just welly-up and go for a splash about this weekend.. it shouldn't be too difficult to find some puddles.

As you can see, the fluffy socks are out.. although I have purchased some of these lovely new cream socks specifically for wearing with wellies as they are nice and long. Depressing that I was sat in these watching the Wimbledon final though..

The weather, along with the extra scheduled time I have had of late has lead me to find amusement indoors.. this I find particularly difficult. Shelves full of already read books and already watched DVD's have left me uninspired and so the search for inspiration began. A clear-out is where the search began and it was during said clear out that I found this beaut of a card. Received many birthdays' ago from a close friend I couldn't agree more with the message.. I hope you like it too :)

A clear-out is just what the doctor ordered at time.. allows you to take stock of what you have, what you need and what you couldn't live without. I didn't manage to find much I needed to throw out but it did remind me of all of the craft kit I have just hanging about... Right!

During all the moving and shuffling about I realised how many 'things' I'm currently in the middle of.. The picture with bunting, buttons, knitting and books etc shows you quite how many 'things'! Professionally I seem not to be able to walk away from a project without finishing it whereas personally I appear to get distracted easily.. I really am a flake. The sheer magnitude of the 'things' involved made me realise I must need a creative outlet.. I just clearly need more than one outlet. It could be worse.. it could be wine.

The clear-out also jolted me to remember the big occasions I have to attend very soon and how I have yet to buy a dress for any of said occasions.. it's most unlike me. I have therefore organised crisis shopping for this weekend.. mission 'dress' begins.

The last picture I have included for this blog is a very peculiar one.. for this I apologise. Since childhood I've always loved playing around with make up.. and in particular putting it on alternate body parts. One of my particular favourites of recent years is day dreaming about tattoos I would have if I were brave enough or had a job which would allow it.. this then leads me to doodle with the liquid eye-liner! I find it quite fun to sketch on ideas I have about some body art and I also found it very helpful when planning the tattoos I actually have. So.. as a little tip for anyone reading who is planning a new tattoo or likes to daydream about new tattoos.. get yourself a liquid eye-liner and get drawing.. If you still like what you've drawn by the end of the day then book yourself in for some ink.

The next week looks to be a fairly manic one.. largely good but very busy. I must say I'm very much looking forwards to getting to the weekend after next when I can be reunited with my Norfolk Wellies.. even if activity will be limited to puddle splashing.

Another "Wouldn't it be funny if..."

"Wouldn't it be funny if we had a 'best artsy foot picture' competition and put it to a public vote?"

Wouldn't it indeed.. Place your votes.

 1) The Mill Pond

 2) Shoe stripes

 3). Crocodile eating fishy

If the shoe fits...

Since my last blog I made a desperate dash to be with my Norfolk Wellies.. I sensed they missed me. Whilst mostly the weather at home has been awful, there were several appearances of Mr Sun this weekend so this was exploited with Movenpick ice cream (seriously..amazing), lunch in a pretty garden and a play at the park! What is it about empty children's' parks? They're just begging for it.. After a trip down the slide and being pushed about on a round spinny hammock thing I concluded that the park is a lot more dizzy than I remember. Man I'm getting old.

The ice cream was sourced in a very European looking deli/cafe in Beccles. As a town there isn't a great deal there, but it's worth a visit just for Twyfords cafe.. which has the most beautiful flower garden you can have a panini in! The food is a little over priced but it's worth a visit for the garden and just so you can stand in awe of their home-made chocolates and cake cabinets. What is it about posh chocolate in a glass cabinet that makes even the least chocoholic of persons dribble? I think for a OCD enthusiast like myself it might just be the neatness and uniformity of the chocolates.. or maybe even imagining being in the kitchen making these decorative beauties. I think I first fell in love with posh chocolates after reading Chocolat by Joanne Harris in my early teens. In case you haven't read it (Really.. why not?) its about a French beauty who sets up a chocolate shop in a tiny village and the things she gets up to.. I'm not selling the book very well I appreciate but it really is worth a summer read. The book, and later the film (Which you HAVE to see.. it's got Johnny Depp in it!) made me fall in love with the romanticised view of making a living through cooking fancy delicates. For years I've dreamed about owning such a shop and how happy a working day would be.. in later years this dream has moved onto owning a cake shop since discovering they were a lot easier to make! I think everyone at some point dreams of owning a shop though.. what would you sell?

Back to my Norfolk weekend.. and say hello to these little cute ducky fellas! The last time I visited they were tinny fluffy babies and as you can see, are now growing through their feathers. No doubt by the next time I visit I wont be able to tell the difference between these ducks and the adult ducks.. however there looks to have been some new arrivals! Talking of new arrivals, I have welcomed these two new flowery pumps into my shoe family :)

After abandoning the summery sandal I was lacking some nice shoes to liven up boring old jeans.. It is July you know! I fell in love with the pink versions and am envisaging wearing them to liven up otherwise tame and plain outfits.. like statement shoes.. I think they might go nicely with my pink parrot earrings. For only £8 from Primark, naturally, I needed the black ones too.. and I may even sneak back in for the royal blue pair..

I figure, if the shoe fits.. I'll buy it in every colour!