Friday Night

After a week that felt longer than would be measurable on a ruler, Friday seems a complete wash-out. All I want to do is sleep but since going to sleep at 6pm would make we wake up at 4am I found myself something to do.. I donned my onesie and treated myself to an episode of Homeland. With fresh orange juice.

Anyone who knows me, knows I have a slight fetish for think/fluffy winter socks.. but fluffy socks and a onesie? Please... Its not December yet. And so I de-sock.. and to my horror unearth the most disgusting winter toe nails you ever did see. Oh.The.Shame. Chipped nail polish is not the most unsociable of beauty laxes, especially not in winter, but I usually pride myself in exceptional toenail grooming.. Which made me think, when did I get too busy to paint my toenails? It's a task I usually enjoy, along with my a self-manicure and eyebrow tweeze.. It just makes you feel neat and proper.. so when did I let this slip?

I removed nail polish from my fingers yesterday that had been chipped for well over a week, Oh.The.Shame.

Clearly a busy schedule is to blame, I have spent longer than I can remember apologising to friends I've not had time to see and apparently now I'm letting myself down too.. this isnt on. How can we be ready to face any challenges a day can bring when underneath our tights and socks we're vastly under-prepared? It's an insult to shoes.

So I had a stern word with myself.. and a tweeze, ex foliate, moisturise, floss, polish and brush. And when I get up in the morning (after what appears to be a long overdue beauty sleep) I'm painting my toenails. Bright Pink.

Firstly, apologies for missing weeks without any shoe updates.. but you know how it is.. it gets cold, you put your winter boots on.. and just keep them on until March.

Secondly, apologies for no pictures.. there are two reasons for this: 1. Winter boots are just winter boots. 2 I've lost my mojo.

I used to relish the opportunity to take some time with my camera and get pictures of things I was up to (and which shoes I was doing this in) but my enthusiasm for these things has dwindled and I find I'm mostly walking to places quickly in boring shoes.

I'm not sure how to get my mojo back.. but I think I may force myself into taking one picture a day of something that took my interest and sharing it with you all..

I hate this weather.. it upsets me.

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude" Maya Angelou

After a pause in proceedings it would appear the seeds of change are sowing.. and I'm not just talking about the weather. Since the last entry I've stacked up a wealth of pictures of my feet and shoes in many sunny places, and even some with friends but with it now being the very last day of September.. it doesn't seem relevant any more. The fact is, the month of September is largely associated with a change of shoes and for most, new shoes. From the age of 5 most children will spend the summer holidays choosing the best shiny black school shoes they can find, followed by a new plastic lunch box and pencil case of course. From a very young age we have been taught to prepare ourselves for change, not just in the weather but maybe to a new school or classroom and part of our preparedness is to pick shiny new black shoes.. I still feel September makes me need shiny new shoes. 

So if pencils and shoes set us up for the changes we inevitably face in life.. that must be why I have a whole bunch of them. And a Tupperware fetish. I do find it strange however that despite having strong links to a school.. with this removed, I still feel September has strong links to change. Pretty pumps wearing is now closely linked to hypothermia without tights and the flip flops are already gathering dust.. last years winter boots have already made their annual début.. Last year being an important part of this shoe progression.

 People can become obsessed with comparing people to one another and situations, places, products and even days to others they have experienced which I personally find redundant. Comparing past and present will mostly lead to dwelling on the past and remembering what could have been or what was lost.. it rarely leads to embracing the future, or change for that matter. The last few months have contained some small occurances of change I've wanted to avoid.. facing the inevitable it always a bitch. However, in the face of change I'm going old school.. I'm shopping for new shiny black shoes. 

 "Reunited..and it feels so good"

Well apologies readers I know it's been a long while since my last blog.. it's been a very busy few weeks! As you can see from my first picture here I have been reunited with my beloved Norfolk Wellies.. they were housing several spiders and lots of dust. As neglectful as it may seem, despite two weeks together they didn't actually breathe any fresh air.. it's not my fault.. it was flip-flop weather. A reappearance of the sun was so exciting it prompted many outdoor trips where tanning and ice cream devouring were a priority. What better way to get outdoors than to look at a map and just think "Right.. north, east, south or west?". South it is.. Our Birkenstocks and Converse enjoyed escaping to Bury St Edmunds and eating Sunday lunch in The Bushel.. whilst lunch was nice dessert was amazing. Not only did they have some amazing cakes and puddings but all served with different flavour Movenpick ice cream.. NOM NOM NOM. Whilst on another trip to the south we also visited Banham Zoo.. I had to limit myself to one picture from my trip which was so difficult.. so many beautiful animals lounging around in the sun. So here is a very cute, hairy donkey.

One of my favourite parts of our British summers is having daylight right into the evening.. it just feels like there is so much more you can do every day. My time in Norfolk was all about stretching out as much daylight as possible and squeezing in as much as possible. Being situated close to such pretty scenery means getting your shoes on and going exploring.. be it just walking around the local area or packing some good reading material and heading to the coast.

On this particular trip to the coast the mission was one of fishy origins.. Mackerel. Tipped off that the North Norfolk coast was being visited by a fishy tribe we followed our flip-flops to the sea and set up rods.. and camping chairs.. and the latest edition of National Geographic.. I'm more of a fishy 'spectator'.  The night at the beach was a very pretty one indeed however and a great opportunity to take some lovely snaps of a very orange sunset.. and of course my tootsies playing in the sand.. again I've had to limit photographs to save you!

Whilst at my Norfolk retreat I often spend large amounts of time amusing myself.. which usually coinsides well with reading and work I need to catch up on.. it's great for reading with a clear head and no distractions. Whilst strictly being on holiday I did pack my work folder and managed to get a lot done.. (whilst sunbathing with the dog, naturally) and feel good to have got a head start. I do, during this time feel a little guilty about merrily laying in the sun whilst friends are back at home, a little neglected perhaps. I don't think neglect is the correct word maybe.. it seems life for most people is very busy these days and meeting up with friends and loved ones can take as much planning as a military operation.. Isn't it a shame we don't just knock on each others doors anymore.

Once south had been tried and tested we travelled further north to Wells.. the most North I have been in Norfolk in fact! A pretty seaside town is a good description of Wells and as such... FISH AND CHIPS!!!!!

From chips to crabs.. and crabbing in particular.. possibly a new favourite hobby of mine and potential Olympic event for 2016??!? Whilst the chips in Wells were fab.. the crabbing not so much.. so onto Blakeney for better crab opportunities.. which were bigger.. and scarier! May have run away from one crab.. not my proudest moment. The picture of our crabbing net however only has tiddlers in it so please don't think I'm that much of a big girl. 

Some other favourites from my time in Norfolk are playing scrabble in the garden of an evening with a glass of wine.. perfect.. especially when you can take several points for spelling out 'penis' on the board.. magic. 

Other than that my time was spent on one thing and one thing only.. The Olympics.. Nuff said. 

(P.S reader.. apologies for the 'all over the place' layout of this blog entry.. I may investigate a new host for this blog as the layout tools available really are.. well.. shite.)

 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!

 Pretty in Pumps

Whilst my last blog was not that long ago, after a fabulous weekend.. it's hard not to share. Whilst my shoes and I stayed at home this weekend, we did have some guests to stay.. a friend of mine in peach pumps and her usual ( and fabulous) Mulberry holdall full of girlie goodies.. I have made my intentions to steal said Mulberry very clear. As peach pumps fled the beautiful south a while ago, we like to see the local sights when she visits.. so off to Arundel we went..shopping for vintage finds and lunch at the Black Rabbit (<3). If any of you readers have never visited the Black Rabbit.. you NEED to do so quickly. The view, too pretty not to share, is one of my favourite south coast views.. and the food helps too!

Our ballet footwear also took us to many second hand clothing/furniture shops over the weekend searching for rare finds and 'project' furniture.. our favourite shopping treat. During our hours of searching we did bag some fabulous bargains and treated ourselves further on a huge-large lunch. During our Sunday adventure we stopped off at Southsea sea-front to let our toes breath some fresh sea air.. you can see they enjoyed the view.

Whilst always too short, a weekend with fabulous friends is always the best kind of weekend. It's also one of my favourite things.. along with Indian food and beautiful peep-toe shoes. Whilst writing I realise that a lot of my favourite things are largely inexpensive (Ok.. excluding good shoes) or free. Talking with friends, beautiful views, browsing for bargains and breathing in salty sea air are among my elite of feel-goods.. all of which are largely available completely free.. isn't that just magic.

When planning activities for this weekend readers, don't be down about lack of funds or friends being too far away to share a bottle of wine with.. there's always a way of getting what you want out of life.. and some times the best things in life are free :)

 So... the rain finally appears to have let up for a while (however short) and my toes have loved all of the fresh air they have been getting in my flip flops. After many years of purchasing plastic/rubber flip flops I have finally admitted my feet's' limitations and their total intolerance towards anything other than fabric between the toes.. hence why my favourite black flip flops were £4 from Matalan. Oh how I long to be able to wear a gorgeous pair of Havianas (Possibly in 30 odd colours) but alas its not to be.. sometimes my toes' cheap taste lets me down!

Since my last blog, my feet have mainly been travelling locally and taking me out for dinners and to catch up with friends.. you don't always need fabulous shoes to have a fabulous time. The picture of Portsmouth Harbour was taken from a pub window on fathers day.. the food wasn't up to much but the view is just perfect. Even on a grey and rainy day I love this view.. so many people to watch from the most comfortable of watch-towers.

My feet have also taken me visiting many lovely friends, some of which with lovely doggy pals. Jarvis has the most fashionable of feet, polkadot! As he is still just a little pup he was forgiven for chewing one of my favourite jumpers (but only just!).. he also has the most adorable tail wag. He wags his whole body with his tail and even his nose and legs are moving about when he is excited.. as you can imagine he falls over a lot. 

I also paid a visit to an old friend, Kai, who whilst being very photogenic is also very nosey! Whilst posing beautifully for a doggy paw picture his curiosity got the better of him and he could resist giving the camera a big sniff.. although if you look very closely you can see his cute little white paws.

The next few weeks have little journeys planned for me but I hope to be reunited with my Norfolk Wellies in July.. I do miss them. Although sometimes life feels as though its standing still for a while, its just lovely
            when your favourite people are walking in and out of it. A very busy
schedule has left me feeling afloat from some of those which I feel I 
should be tightly bound too, luckily for me such beauts are following their shoes to me soon for a well needed reunion. This week has also seen the pitter-patter of brand new baby footsteps for a very close friend of mine, who history has shown us makes beautiful babies. I am hoping to welcome the new arrival soon with a squeeze and possibly even a tiny toes picture :) . 

For now I must indulge in some quality time with my knitting, which is speedily becoming my new favourite hobby.. Happy weekend y'all.

Curse you Converse


Well this week started off very uneventful for me and my shoes. After a brief reappearance of the winter boots my tootsies have spent the rest of the week in my trusty white Converse, they're a compromise between summer feet and this bloody awful weather currently. My white converse are the fourth baby added to my Converse family but the most uncomfortable for some reason.. today was the last straw. After the lay in and long lounge about in bed, my turquoise toes fancied some exercise so off we skipped in my trusty white Converse to the library. Our journey was eventful, whilst gesticulating during a hip/trendy/cool song (Okay, so maybe it was 'She Wolf' by Shakira), I managed to sting my pinkie on some nettles (D'oh!). Once I got to the library I realised my feet were stinging a little but ignored this as the library is one of my very favourite places. The walk home however, I became VERY aware of my stingy feet and later at work I noticed 7 giant blisters from my beloved Converse. This is the final straw for these bloody shoes.. I've tried to reason with them but clearly they don't take bribes or bungs..

One pair of size 5 white Converse available to a loving new owner!


So now I'm going to have to replace the shoes which will no longer be mentioned (as my feet are still stinging!) but which to go for? Do I opt for some trendy Vans etc or do I just buy a cheap pair, keep my feet happy and just replace them when they get dirty? Decisions Decisions. Any advice please pass it on and any feet/shoe pictures.. share them too!

So.. a new hobby has been born.. blogging. What started as a "wouldn't it be funny if.." appears to have become a reality and yes you've guessed it.. there's a shoe theme right? Right. "Wouldn't it be funny if I started a blog of my Norfolk wellies and where I'd taken them?" This may have much to do with my obsession of photographing my feet at the beach, I am unsure when this obsession started and why but I have lots of foot-pictures. and so this blog will serve to tell the story of my wellies, or shoes, or maybe even just feet and where they have taken me this week.. I'm also hoping to have 'guest' feet so when your shoes have a story to tell or have taken you somewhere fun, photograph them and share their story :) .

This week my shoes took me to Norfolk (Flip flops naturally, its June). Amongst accompanying me shopping, to several lunch engagements and providing support during endless Jubilee celebrations (too many, right?) my wellies took me to Winterton beach. Sadly unlike previous visits, the beach was being shared by many other pairs of footwear and many wet doggies, but the sun was shining and there were Jellyfish to save (11!). I know for many, a trip to the beach would be a flip flop occasion but I am a big fan of the freedom wellies provide. Stomping and splashing about NEVER leads to wet or ruined shoes when in wellies.. what could be better? Especially since my last trip to Winterton lead to the sad demise of my favourite navy Converse (rest in shoe heaven).

Whilst my wellies loved their trip to Winterton, they also enjoyed many other walks around Norfolk, including a trip to the duck pond.. I can suggest wellies as the perfect footwear for a duck pond trip.. trampling is inevitable! Few of my Norfolk walks are alone and some walks are accompanied by little white doggy feet.. whilst doggies have no need for shoes, they are still incredibly cute.

For now, I've left my Norfolk wellies behind and am back in not-so-sunny Portsmouth where I fear the flip flops are going away for a while and we may even see a reappearance of the winter boots. Any interesting things my feet get up to this week I'll be sure to photograph and please feel free to contribute any shoe stories..