Current Favourite Things ♡

I last wrote a favourites post this time last year, but I felt inspired to share a new one. They're not something I create frequently as honestly I'm mostly enjoying the same stuff over and over, but they're definately something I enjoy writing from time to time. Especially as I've been rediscovering my old interests this summer, and have been having a blast.

1. The Wizard of Oz / Wicked ➳ Something that you may not know about me is that I used to be a huge musical theatre nerd. Living in London I used to visit the West End regularly, and even after I moved away I would follow my favourite productions on tour around the UK. It feels like a lifetime ago, and like many of my interests from back then I'm not sure why it ended. I've mentioned before that I've been in the process of rediscovering old interests, back then I hadn't thought of theatre. But then a few weeks ago I had the urge to listen to the Wicked Broadway soundtrack, and oh my! I can't remember the last time I heard it, but I used to like Wicked a lot back then and saw it in London a few times. It's reignited something in me and not only am I enjoying musical theatre again in general, but I'm kind of obsessed with the world of Oz! I read L Frank Baum's original novel in the space of 2 days, which may not sound like a lot but I lost my passion for reading a while ago so it really is something to be so glued to a book again! I can't remember when I last looked forward to bed time just so I could carry on reading! It's also helped me get over my art block, as I'm really enjoying drawing all of the characters and scenes and just getting back in touch with my creativity. I'm going down to London to see Wicked in London next month and I really can't wait, and now I've finished The Wonderful Wizard of Oz I'm going to attempt Gregory Maguire's book that the musical is based on (which I've heard mixed reviews on, so I hope it's not a let down!).

2. Sour Cherry tea ➳ I've always loved a good cup of fruit or herbal tea, it's both wonderfully refreshing during the warmer weather and warming and comforting when it gets colder. After my beloved Pukka Blackcurrant Beauty tea ran out I was a bit miffed that it wasn't in my local store until I found this Sour Cherry tea. Cherry is my favourite flavour in the entire world in absolutely anything, and paired with aniseed and star anise it's just everything I love rolled into one. I can't stop drinking the stuff, but at least it's good for me!

3. J-Fashion ➳ Japanese street fashion is another interest I used to have back when I was into musical theatre, and like musical theatre it fell to the wayside. Most of my wardrobe contents used to be imported from Japanese brands themselves, I was very heavily involved with my local EGL community, and it was a big reason of why I first visited Tokyo. I fell out of love with it when EGL began to feel a bit costume-y and I fell in love with 60s and 70s vintage instead, but the past few months has seen me reaching more and more for the few Baby The Stars Shine Bright and Emily Temple Cute pieces I still have in my closet. I don't think I'll be going as 'go big or go home' with it as I used to - I'm finding myself much more drawn to mori girl and otome styles nowadays anyway. But I'm certainly having a lot of fun with it, and am enjoying feeling like I'm dressing for myself again.

4. Film photography ➳ I recently bought a second (or third, or forth, who really knows!) hand Olympus OM10 camera as I've always enjoyed photography but have felt inspired to try more film. All film cameras I've used before have always been of the point and shoot or disposable variety, and I confess I'm lazy with my digital cameras and mostly leave them to run on auto. I do know how to adjust the settings, but honestly I feel there's little point nowadays as it's all become so easy. I've been feeling jaded with digital and how I feel more focused with taking 10 shots of the same thing to get a perfect photo instead of just enjoying seeing. Although I know how to manually adjust a camera I'm still getting the hang of the Olympus OM-10, and I'm yet to get the film developed so who knows what they'll turn out like! But it's wonderfully refreshing to take one photo and walk away with the faith that whatever it turns out like, it'll be OK.

5. Record fairs ➳ I feel a bit of a cheat putting vinyl on a favourites list as it's one of those things that I'm always obsessed with and constantly adding to my collection. And I'm certainly not new to the concept of record fairs! But I've recently moved home after being away at uni, and was absolutely thrilled to see that the vinyl community has really picked up since I was last here! There's four record fairs on just next month! I'm absolutely in my element, there's nothing like finding something special digging through a crate when you least expect it. It beats eBay any day!

6. Autumn ➳ I've been looking forward to autumn since mid-July and now the evenings are beginning to draw in, the air is getting fresher, and the acorns are getting fatter on the oak trees each time I walk past, I can truly feel myself beginning to come alive. I love this time of year so much, it just feels so magical. I'm trying my hardest not to wish summer away, but it's hard!

“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem.”

I've always been a huge, huge fan of Disney, but I haven't always been a fan of their treatment of Winnie The Pooh over the years. I've held Winnie the Pooh very close to my heart my entire life - I had a specially bound collection of A.A. Milne's complete works as a child that would be read to me before bed, before I learnt how to read it for myself every night. We lived not too far from Ashdown Forest, which is the real location of Hundred Acre Wood. Being able to tangle my childhood memories of jumping in the real Roo's Sandy Pit, playing Poohsticks with my mum on the footbridge, and visiting the tree that inspired Winnie The Pooh's home with the novels resulted in these stories meaning the absolute world to me because they were real. Growing up and re-reading A.A. Milne's words only reinforced their meaning as I realised how full of wit and wisdom they are.

I've always felt disappointed in how Disney have handled the characters. Up until very recently they've been treated as the exclusive domain of babies and toddlers with equally dumbed down films. I've always liked the earlier animations from the 60s and 70s, but they've really lost their way with the characters. However I've been pleasantly surprised to see them recently release some merchandise of Pooh aimed at adults in Clinton's and Primark, and have been counting down the days since I saw the trailer for their newest film Christopher Robin, which I finally saw today.

“When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.” - Winnie The Pooh (A.A. Milne)

This is far more of a film aimed at adults than it is children, which unfortunately seemed to confuse the audience of very young kids who were expecting the usual Disney Winnie The Pooh fluff. It focuses on the story of Christopher Robin, but more so the character than A.A. Milne's real son as it deviates away from his biography pretty early on with his father dying while he's at boarding school (the real Christopher Robin was an adult when his father died, and they didn't have the best relationship. Christopher Robin was also a bookseller in Devon, not a luggage salesman in London, and his daughter had cerebral palsy which also isn't in the film.) The film never states that it's based on truth though, and I loved the fiction they created based on the character. To see Christopher Robin become weary from boarding school, losing his father, serving in the war and seeing his daughter grow up without him felt only too realistic, and made him being reunited with Pooh even more emotional. I'm not keen on films that force emotion out of the viewer, but I never felt manipulated into feeling sad as despite the fantastical element of the characters the rest of the film was incredibly realistic and relatable. And I loved the overarching message of holding onto the magic no matter how old you grow. Being a fan of Disney I've often been told by complete strangers to "grow up" as if liking things is somehow immature which I've always found a bit tragic. Just because you reach a certain age doesn't mean you have to abandon creativity and wonder and live a grey, boring life filled with work and drudgery. You can have fun and responsibilities at the same time.

I really can't put into words just how much I loved this film, every single aspect of it was perfect and I loved how it included so many quotes from the original books. The only niggle I have is some of the voices, but that's just personal preference and me being used to the old animations. Jim Cummings has always done an amazing job as Sterling Holloway's replacement for Pooh Bear, and Tigger and Eeyore were spot on too. But the re-imagined voices for Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, and Owl just left me a bit cold. There was nothing wrong with them per se, they just didn't sound like themselves which does feel like an important distinction with such beloved well known characters. I loved their re-design so much though, and how they look just like old toys of the time period. I might even have to get a Pooh Bear of my own!

Photo a Day #3

Monday 30th July

I've really been making an effort to try and read more this year as I used to be such a bookworm yet now average just one book a year. And I've really fallen back in love with the hobby and have a huge pile of books to read! I'm currently re-reading an old favourite The Wind In The Willows each night before bed. I love a bit of English whimsy.

Tuesday 31st July

We saw this racing pigeon on Sunday around the reservoir, and figured she'd been blown off course from the storms over the weekend. She seemed ok so we left her, but she was still there on Tuesday and looking really weakened and hungry so we took her home and set up a box for her in the barn. I'm happy to report she's recovered and is back to flying again, although she hasn't left our garden so I don't know if she's here for good! Although we could contact her owner from the rings on her legs, we felt reluctant to as it's common for racing pigeons to be killed if they're slow getting back so we're just leaving her to her own devices.

Wednesday 1st August

The weather picked back up, so Mum and I decided to spend the afternoon having a coke at the pub.

Thursday 2nd August

I've had my Creeping Jenny plant for years, but it looked like it needed a bit more light so I temporarily moved it near a window in the house which resulted in both my mum and I watering it without realising the other was taking care of it and it died. I was honestly really upset about it! I went to the garden centre I got it from to get a new one, and also picked up a String of Pearls plant while I was there. I had to repot both so they had drainage, so I'm hoping they settle in to their new pots ok!

Friday 3rd August

I ran some errands in the morning and spent the afternoon enjoying the sun in the paddling pool. It really is a blessing to have in this heat! Although I'm a bit fed up with the heat, I'm still trying to ensure I make the most of it while it's here as I know I'll miss it as soon as it's gone and it's so rare for it to be this glorious in the UK.

Saturday 4th August

I bought this glass cloche from IKEA a while ago and it's just been sitting empty while I decided what to do with it. When I realised my Totoro fit inside it perfectly I felt inspired to turn it into a moss terrarium. Moss is really low maintenence, and it gives the illusion of Totoro towering over the foliage. If you want to do it yourself, just make sure you treat the glass with Rain-X to stop it misting up from humidity.

Sunday 5th August

On Friday I looked up nearby record fairs only to see there was one on Sunday! I wasn't sure what to expect, but it ended up being really good. I'd been outbid on About Face on eBay earlier in the week, so it felt like fate when it was the first record I saw upon walking in. And I'm glad to finally add some Joni to my collection, I've always loved her artwork on this sleeve so much.

I haven't taken any photos this week as it's mostly consisted of fixing my computer which is pretty unphotogenic. Thankfully a brand new hard drive fixed the issue like I thought it would, but it means I've lost absolutely everything as typically I hadn't backed up. It feels like both a blessing and a curse, as it's kind of nice having what feels like a brand new machine and a blank slate, but there's so many important things such as my artwork files, that I'll never get back. And even the more trivial things like loosing all of my progress on The Sims :(

Stood in a field where barley grows

I meant to post sooner, but my laptop unfortunately bit the dust! I’m hoping it can be repaired, and kicking myself as it’s my own fault. I dropped my (empty!) mug onto the keyboard, and the impact damaged the hard drive. I’m hoping it’s just a simple fix I can do myself. Thankfully I have a desktop computer to use in the meantime, I nearly sold it before as it wasn't getting much use compared to my laptop but I've never been more grateful to have it!

I took these photos when out for a walk near where I live. It still feels too hot to be alive! I know other countries are laughing at how the UK can’t hack it, but we’re a cold country that rarely gets higher than 23°C for a couple of days of the year. We don’t have air conditioning, and our homes are built to retain as much warmth as possible. I do love summer and am trying to make the most of though, as I know I’ll be longing for it as soon as it’s coat weather again. I can’t deny that I’m looking forward to autumn though as it is my favourite season. I always start wishing for it as soon as August comes round and I can feel the days getting slightly shorter. Even if it’s still too warm, I can least wear Autumnal colours.

One of the first things I wanted to do as soon as I came home was visit the antiques malls. There’s so many here, which I really came to appreciate after living in the South West. I saw this fab 70s watch back at Easter, but it felt a little pricey at £22 so I decided to leave it. I hoped it would still be there and it was! I had to get my mum to show me how to wind it, I’m not used to watches not having batteries. I think it’s really versatile though, and suits my modern outfits as well as my vintage.

I also finally got a decent playable copy of Relics by Pink Floyd. This was the first LP I ever bought of Pink Floyd, I ordered it from Discogs and it was in such bad condition I got a full refund. I then bought another copy at my local record shop, but I’ve always been looking to upgrade it and finally all these years later I have.

Photo A Day #2

I've been wanting to jump back into doing the photo a day challenge for a while, I think it's such a great way of not only expanding photography skills but also taking note of the little joys throughout the day. You may remember my old attempt where I said I'd do it for the month but it ended up only being that one entry? Yeah. I'd love to say I'll do a full 365 but I have commitment issues, but I'd like to do it every once in a while when the mood takes me.

Monday 23rd July

The day I decided to actually start this photo a day it was already in the evening. It had been too hot to do anything all day other than sloth about, so at dusk I took the opportunity to take a walk around the nearby reservoir and burn off some energy.

Tuesday 24th July

My stickers arrived from Decadent West, so I had to put one straight on my sketchbook! Having to listen to dudes act like I only like Pink Floyd to impress them or lecture me about my own vinyl collection is a regular occurrence. Because apparently women only like frivolous things, and if a women dares to like the same thing as a man then it's up to said man to test and approve her or some total BS.

I've had this orange sketchbook for years, it's a Leuchtturm1917 and I've never liked the paper quality. I've been really struggling with my sketchbook work lately, I think in part to seeing so many sketchbook tours on YouTube with perfect illustrations on each page which is such an unrealistic way to work. It's made me develop this idea that everything needs to be perfect in case someone sees it, but the entire point of a sketchbook is that it's a personal space for an artist to practice and develop their skills away from final pieces. Watching TheGothicAlice's sketchbook tours has been a breath of fresh air and helped me to check my priorities. As I'd only used a handful of pages from this sketchbook because I didn't like it much, I figured I'd be less inclined to slip into old habits and try and make it perfect. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have a sketchbook just for me again, I feel like I'm finally getting over my persistent art block and am enjoying drawing again. I hope it lasts and I can get back into the mindset I used to have a few years ago where drawing was a purely personal hobby which I enjoyed daily, instead of feeling like everything has to be shared. Social media can be very toxic for reinforcing that sometimes.

Wednesday 25th July

The day was spent at the local seaside, where I ate a lot of ice cream and paddled in the sea in an attempt to cool down. Although all of the warm weather has been nice, I am concerned about what it means for global warming and to be honest can't wait for autumn! I bought some fresh raspberries on the way home and had them with my new sour cherry flavour tea.

Thursday 26th July

I tried to play about with my camera settings to get a good photo of the moon, partly in preparation for the blood moon the following night, and also because it looked so beautiful in the landscape - quite big with a pink-ish glow. I only have a fixed focal length on my DSLR and this was the best I managed to get. I still don't understand how to photograph the moon as part of the landscape! The above was taken with my Canon G7X Mark II at full zoom, which shows the pink but not the lavender sky. If anyone has any tips I'm all ears!

Friday 27th July

The dress you see in the background was found in the charity shop - an expensive Monsoon dress in pristine condition. And my soot sprite pin arrived from Canada. I love soot sprites, hence naming my social media after them. They feature in my favourite Studio Ghibli film My Neighbour Totoro, but most merchandise uses the Spirited Away imagery. I liked the message on this pin, but I'm never sure how I feel about these unlicensed items. People are often selling Disney, Studio Ghibli, and other licensed and copyrighted characters on Etsy and the like, and I never understand how they legally get away with it without being sued.

Saturday 28th July

Saturday felt like the autumnal weather I'd been craving, filled with thunderstorms and rain. They don't look terribly photogenic, but I felt like something sweet so knocked up some jam and butterscotch tarts which went down very well in my house!

Sunday 29th July

Sunday was more of the same kind of weather, so I set myself up at the dining table with my paints and got on with my travel page spreads from Italy that have been looming over me. I knew I'd be gutted if I never completed them, and they were looming over me and preventing me from feeling like I could draw anything else, so it feels good to have made a good start on them. As I haven't drawn properly in so long, I'm hoping that by the time I've drawn everything I've been meaning to draw will blow away some of the cobwebs and allow inspiration to flow back again. I hope to get back into the habit of drawing daily eventually!

Is This the Life We Really Want?

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to see Roger Waters, a former member of my favourite band Pink Floyd. I saw him both in London, and the following night at Birmingham which was undoubtedly the best night of my entire life. I was second row from the front and being so physically close to him made the experience feel incredibly intimate, it was easy to forget the other tens of thousands of people behind. I even got to touch Roger's hand as he passed by the audience during the final track. To be so close to one of my biggest living idols was a completely surreal experience, and if I didn't have photographic evidence I'd be half convinced it was all a dream!

Despite the show being to promote his most recent album, most of the set list was based around Pink Floyd's tracks which felt amazing to hear live, especially as many of my favourites were included such as One of These Days and Pigs (Three Different Ones). Most of the show was rooted in the 1977 album Animals which is my favourite after Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Despite being a fan for so many years I hadn't been able to see Roger on any of his previous tours which were mostly based around The Wall, so it felt extra special that the shows I should see borrowed so heavily from my personal favourite album.

I'm seeing Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in September which I'm sure will be another emotional night, especially as Nick's my favourite and it's based more around Syd's era of the band. I can't believe this year I'll have gone from seeing none of Pink Floyd in the flesh, to two of them!

I'm much too fast to take that test

I abandoned this blog for the most superficial of reasons: I liked it exactly how it was. The posts previous to this one really mean something to me, particularly the entry about Their Mortal Remains. I felt reluctant to push those entries down into the depths so they were no longer on the front where they rightfully belonged. So I left it, a snapshot in time. But as this is my favourite blog I've ever created filled with my favourite entries, I began to think that surely it's a shame to end it there and cut myself off from making future entires I'm as proud of?

Lately I've felt like I want to burn my closet and start again from scratch. I'm so bored of my style, but feeling impulsive and bored is never a wise combination. I've always gone through phases in my life, so I guess it's really nothing new. There was the boho phase, the grunge phase, the goth, the EGL. I'm reluctant to describe my vintage wearing as a phase seeing as it's been such a huge part of my life. But as about 90% of my wardrobe is vintage, prehaps I just went too hard and now I need to go home.

Lately I find myself browsing Lolita brand websites again, pinning Mori and Dolly Kei images, and lusting for all things earth toned. I'm reclaiming old interests such as animated films and childrens literature, old loves which I'd drifted from. Cath Kidston's latest Disney collection proved lethal to the point where I felt directly targeted - Alice has always been my favourite to the point my entire online identity used to be carved from it, and the Cath Kidston style is just the aesthetic I've been coveting lately.

Half of the issue is exactly in what I've just stated - I base my entire online presence around one particular thing and water the rest of myself down. It's difficult not to when so much of blogging and social media is about finding your 'niche' and promoting just that and becoming boringly predictable. It's a method that's always lacked authenticity to me as no one is that one sided, and yet it's a trap I still fall into myself. I'm bored of my old blog and my Instagram as no one cares if it's not vintage I'm posting about, and that just feels sad and hollow to me. I long to express myself fully and embrace all of my interests - the Disney, the J-fashion, the kitsch, the spooky, and the vintage. Which I think is why I've felt so wistful these past months for the old version of me. Because I used to embrace every aspect of myself, but somehow got lost along the way.

In line with that I've been giving my online life a bit of an overhaul. My YouTube channel has had a makeover and I'm aiming to ease it into a fully art based direction as art channels have been my favourite to watch since I discovered them. I've also started a new Instagram account which I hope to be less curated where the only 'theme' is me. I've also begun a new art blog, as I really feel I'd rather base myself around that aspect of my personality. I crave to be known for the work I put my heart and soul into, and less for what I wear and what I buy. I'm not sure when I became so materialistic, but it's uncomfortable and needs to stop.

I've considering taking a bit of a break from all social media except for blogging and YouTube - just a week or so to reset myself. It's alarming how much time I waste scrolling, and how little time I spend doing the things that matter to me, such as reading books, drawing, and writing from my heart. Yet more features of my old self I hope to reconnect with.