The perils of the the 11/12ths length cropped pant

I've been having intense images of Tintin in Asian garb stuck in my head as I crank my cropped black pants recently. It's possible I need to work on the length and tunic-ness of my oversized top, and the proportion of toe on my black ballet flats.

And a black beret would've looked so sweet!!

Summer getaway style

Gosh it breaks my heart... these snaps are from the brief and long dead summer of '11-'12. Atleast we got... two? weekends of summer-ness. Sigh.

"I got that summertime, summertime sadness. S-s-summertime summertime sadness..." (Lana del Rey... don't google her live performances.)

Storms a-ragin' here in Welli and I have NOTHING to WEAR.

Meet me by the ridiculous interior weatherboards just past the irrelevantly big green living wall.

Legibility, in the urban design context, is used to describe the ease with which people can understand the layout of a place (/space/city...). It can be easy or hard depending on visibility or location of features such as paths, edges, or landmarks, and whether they accurately align with our ingrained knowledge of groups or settlements of people: eg this width of path implies heavy use = many people = takes me to large centre or this building is unique and large enough for many people = must be a large centre for many users.. (full credit here to one of my all-time desert island top five academics, Kev' Lynch). So you basicly imagine you're somewhere for the first time and you want to find the middle of town. What clues lead you there? Are they obvious enough? Can you read those without having to read a map?

This concept exists on a smaller scale - for example in a room or a building or space. In a bar, we know that even if we don't see a sign for toilets we can meander towards a private looking alley or corridor, often near the kitchen or other staff areas, and find them. If they weren't there, and were instead straight off the best seated real estate in the joint, right by the ocean view, the place would be pretty illegible for patrons to function (piss) in. Just like if you were in a European city and the main (good) bits of town weren't somewhere around the major river's edge or near a grand and old train station.

So anyway, it made me smile the other night (actually weeks ago - JL and I's xmas tipple.. where does the time go?) when I was at Foxglove on the waterfront and the only concept for the interior seems to be... include everything. Landmarks everywhere. Elements for navigation: at the base of the stairs a huge towering wall element covered in greenery, a different texture for many of the walls, and some varying furniture. I'm kindof charmed at the thought of the designer considering the drunkness of the users. You're stumbling to the bathroom, you cant remember where ur group of skuxxy friends that looks like every other group are standing.. o right, by the giant moose head. I was there quite early (5pm ish) and, while it was very light and I was very sober, the whole effect was just ridiculous. I could barely navigate through it because it was just too distracting. 

And now... its a ring!

I, one King of Orient am.

So, (this kinda carries on a post that will appear soon - when photos are uploaded - about pretty cheap jewellery).

I love Christmas and I always have.

This is despite pretty much not giving or receiving much of anything for the last few christmases. Its actually been really nice. I still get weirdly excited about this one festive day when we drink fruity cocktails in the morning and then get dressed in a summery frock, and usually heels for the first... 30 minutes or so (ever tried teetering down a sheep ramp, or any form of outdoor stair, that is likely to appear in a woolshed?) to eat a massive, amazing meal with all my favourite foods... (chicken or egg situation - are they favourites 'cos theyr'e christmas fare or special occasion food cos they're everyone's faves?).

So yeah -nowadays the fishbowls family tend to not really make a big deal out of buying pressies for everyone.

My closest friends and I go out for a drink or a meal, ideally somewhere we don't go every week, and split the bill as a gift to eachother. I love this - this year JL and I had a summery evening drink at a poncey corporate bar we never go to and then tea at Wagamama, and IL and I are planning a similar event where we go to Ancestral or Hummnigbird or the like and pretend we're very rich... but then go home after 2 wines (budget blown) and watch a xmas dvd (say The Santa Clause). Perfect!

Even Iceman and I have done one christmas (so now its a tradition) where we went away to Castle Point for a wee trip instead of buying stuff. I come out the other end with the perfect gift of some of the best memories of my life.

The next layer of friends aren't forgotton either - they will each get a custom made Christmas card with a pinup picture of IL and I in dresses and makeup in front of the tree (yip, lucky them!).

BUT.

The inevitable problem: realized that I really do love giving gifts - the choosing.. the budgeting.. the wrapping - my god the wrapping, i love it .. the hint-giving.. the excuse to trawl around town with a purpose more admirable than BUY MORE SHIT TO ADORN MYSELF.

I kept seeing things everywhere that I reeeally wanted to buy for others, even people I don't even know: you know, gifty gifts - but amazing stuff that you'd actually want to recieve yourself. And a lot of the time the stuff i saw was from craft fairs and locally made stuff... the good stuff. The stuff thats permitted if you wanna keep your liberal cred.

So here is a sample from under my fantasy christmas tree, all sourced from Just Good Stuff, the gift store at Thistle Hall that pops up every year round this time. The only energy these invisible gifts require is the power keeping this monitor going, and the poached freerange eggs that are fuelling my wistful yearnings this morn! Not a carbon mile or a slave wage in sight.

Some ideas so far:

For my beautiful curly-topped niece who I know only through digital media, I would get one of the handdrawn colour and count books. Is she old enough? MEh, who cares I'll colour it in. And a beautiful screen printed, fabric book about ducks that she can't rip up... tried to find the website to link for DC but didn't memorise properly from the tag while i was browsing..

For my painfully hip and neo-boho friends, necklaces and rings made from crystals and leather clutches engraved with owls and tigers. And tie-dyed silk scrunchies.

For my houseproud mother, the beautiful screenprinted cushion covers.

This really is depressing, just typing this I'm developing a huge thirst to buy gifts. Might bake instead...

Therapeutic retail

Hmm, got this job lot of jewellery today at Opportunity for Animals, and think I scored it all for...$1?? ...lets see, three pairs of sturdy shoes for job interviews, so thats fifteen bucks assuming she thought they were in good condition... they're not but they do that... errm then there was that tee for the boy. Three dollars? Or was it four... the receipt sez 19... so..

Yep! $1.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is how to buy Christmas gifts.

It ain't easy

For some reason (I have my suspicions it was some point between the election and the first deaf MP getting into parliament), my latest FC is GREEN.

I.. I've never felt this way before..

I never really had even one kind of green I enjoyed in clothing, well since the pairing of the limey green plaid cotton shorts and matching green rib top combo from DFL when I was ten.

Mossy naturally greens make me feel like a middle aged hippy.

Also too natural evokes primary school tree/leaf/bird costumes seen in the background of a school play.

As indicated fluro and limes are obviously best left on the benches we ate lunch on outside Mrs Summers' form one class.

Peppermint looks like it belongs on nothing except a brisk no nonsense polyester, an old nurses uniform maybe.

Turqoise and teal are...cheating! They're blue.

Too little blue in your green though and you get DOC uniforms, army uniforms, school uniforms...

And then you add brown or pattern and its camo.

Too much yellow is spew or bogey coloured.

And dark forest green is possibly the worst - I'm thinking demure floor length satin 7th form ball dresses, or bridesmaids dresses that are supposed to be revolutionary in their sophistication.

Anyway, ever since about when my vintage $10 green dress arived finally from its trade me seller, (THREE DAYS LATE FOR THE ELECTION PARTY - BAD FEEDBACK), I have been throwing it on like its going out of style (it may be - I'm so deep in this verdant trance I wouldn't know).

The neo-green is retro, almost kitsch in its milky concentrated dark peppermint glory.. Its my sexy election dress:

Its a bold stripey wooden bangle from a Newtown opshop which just looks great with EVERYTHING!!





Its my faithful leather bag that I never really liked thaaat much til now (shock horror, I've been so close to gifting it on so often!! WHAT IF?!) :





Also, its probably the colour you're least likely to match someone in. Forget black. You pretty much have to hot-glu feathers and sequins to yourself to be noticed in the queue for the toilet at the Mightys these days.









Oh my, it's rich with this deep purple.