Umbrellas, Gumboots and Wooly Hats!

Wooly Jersey-Vintage | Skirt- Glassons | Gumboots-The Warehouse | Beanie- Glassons

 Winter sure is here in Christchurch! With a forecast of rain, rain and more rain for the next 7 days, I thought it was time to get out the gumboots and umbrella! It's no lie, I will wear gumboots over shoes any day when it's raining...who likes having cold wet feet for the whole day?! In my opinion, gumboots aren't just reserved for the farm and a muddy garden, they're easy to style into a cute winter outfit! 

Today we decided to really challenge ourselves to go against what we usually do on a wet rainy day (aka wrap up in blankets and watch documentaries) Instead, we donned our umbrellas and went for a wander around Victoria Lake in Hagley Park, and in the finally opened Christchurch CBD. Yes it was cold, but nice to do something different! and any excuse to frolic around in wooly sweaters and hats is alright by me! 

 To end our rainy day, and as an extra effort to doing things a bit differently, we had pancakes for dinner as we sat and watched the rain pouring outside! What are your go-to habits when it's raining all day?

...And Now I'm a Redhead!

 

 In my most daring hairstyle move yet I finally decided to take the plunge and get my hair colored red! I have been fixated on the idea for over a year. However, I told myself that I had to wait for at least a year and if I was still set on the idea, then I would do it! 

 After a few years of white blonde hair (seriously...think whiter than Marilyn to the point of almost being silver), my hair was absolutely frizzled...I couldn't run my hands through it without clumps breaking and falling out. I filled my hair back into my natural colour and chopped it all off to my shoulders to grow out from scratch. I didn't touch it with hair dye for 3 years, and I didn't cut it for 2 years; after all of this nunnery to my hair I had managed to grow it out long, strong and healthy. I feel like after all of my hard effort, I deserved some fresh colour!

 I am so so happy I coloured my hair! I feel like being a redhead better reflects the kooky, creative oddball of a girl that I am. I figured because I have green eyes and pale skin, my Nani (grandmother) was a redhead, and I come from scottish heritage...that something in my genes would hopefully agree with a mane of fiery locks! 

 Now to just maintain this colour! I know that red hair is notorious for being difficult to maintain, so if any of you have experience with being a redhead, I would love to know some of your haircare secrets!

Exploring Christchurch's Derelict Victoria Square

Dress-Dotti | Scarf-Vintage | Sushi Ring-Out of Sanity | Shoes-Rubi | Camera Bag-Deal Extreme

As most of you will know, my city of Christchurch has suffered through quite a few earthquakes (over 11,000 aftershocks to be precise!) and the once bustling central city is no more. Slowly, buildings are being pulled down, and empty lots are taken over by wildflowers and weeds. Victoria Square was closed for some time, and this is actually an area of town we hadn't even gone to before the earthquakes! The square was derelict with broken pavement and old bus stop billboards stood still. It had an abandoned feel to it with the piles of golden autumn leaves and no gardeners around to sweep them up...Lucky for me I love anything spooky and abandoned!  Most of the buildings surrounding Victoria Square are still standing as they were after the February earthquake; apartments with their windows open and curtains blowing in the breeze, roofs caving into old shops, and 2 year old revolving bus stop advertising still spinning and changing on the reels (creepy!). 

But on a lighter note, It was nice strolling around in the sunshine and making the most of the last time I will be able to wear short sleeves for a while! And how cute is this sushi ring from Out of Sanity!? 

One part of this outfit I have had a lot of questions about is my camera bag. I had been trying to find a "stylish" camera bag for my DSLR for a while now, and while I loved many of the leather camera bags I saw on Etsy, being a vegetarian I was not about to go carting my camera around in something I wouldn't eat! I ended up settling on this. Its big enough for my Canon, 2 lenses, another film camera or drink bottle, and anything like your wallet/ phone/ keys. This bag is great because the whole protective compartment is removable, and the compartment dividers are moveable so you can get it fitting your camera nice and snugly! 

Aaaaaaand last but not least...this is the last post you will see with me with my natural, 3 years uncoloured hair! So stay tuned to see the exciting changes!

Frolicking Through an Enchanted Autumn Forest!

Earlier this week we went on a day trip to Hanmer Springs, a gorgeous little alpine village famous for its hot springs here in Canterbury. Before indulging in an evening of soaking in the hot thermal water we decided to explore the Hanmer Forest, and my oh my what a treat that was! 

I am sure that we stepped right into the pages of a Beatrix Potter book! It was the perfect setting for Peter Rabbit and his friends; Silver birch, pine needles, toadstools and blackberry bramble galore! It really was an autumn wonderland! I could have quite happily existed here for forever! 

A word of warning; I indulged in two very high risk activities in the forest...

1: picking up toadstools with my bare hands.

2: Entering and even sitting in a toadstool fairy ring. If you are a fairytale connoisseur/ 7 year old like myself, you will know how dangerous this is!  

I wouldn't recommend you try this at home kids! However, I appear to have emerged the experience unharmed, and stepping into a fairy ring was definitely worth it for the beautiful photographs!

While on our forest walk, we found a huge clearing full of blackberries, which were the prefect woodland snack! My favourite part of the walk is where I found a little grotto made of blackberry bramble, with the perfect little arched entrance I could imagine some kind of forest critter crawling into for a nap (which I tried out for myself as you can see!)

While I am an "adult" I really do try to make the most of any moments I find whimsical or fantastical that bring me back into a state of childhood, where anything and everything can be magic! I think living like this is good for the soul! Not to mention it's so darn fun! Do any of you have times where you feel free to exist like a child again?...It seems to be forests that really do it for me!