Walking On The Wild Side.

I LOVE ANIMAL PRINTS.

Leopard.

Cheetah.

Zebra.

Dress me up in the whole freakin' jungle!

Some may raise an eye-brow when they see me coming down the street in my wild, crazy, leopard print jeans from Zara but hey, let a girl walk on the wild side every once in a while!

Happy Wednesday :)

All images from www.pinterest.com

English by Heart.

Out of the 1, 2, 3, 4 countries I have had the amazing opportunity to call home, England reigns as my (current) favorite. 

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Interestingly, when telling Englanders this - I am met with a disgruntled response. I tend to pin it down to the fact that majority of us dream that everywhere else in the world is far more desirable than the place where one has lived all their life. However come July, when the time comes to bid adieu to the land of K-Middy and tea - tears will longingly fall on my cheeks. 

Why I LOVE England

1. The Royals

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Yes, I do own a commemorative tea-towel marking the wedding of Kate and William. 

Yes, I did pin it next to my bed.

Yes, I am proud of it. 

Queens, Kings, Princesses and Princes. 

With the amount of royal scandal which occurs, we sure do have ourselves one dramatic modern-day fairy-tale!

Although I might not have a blog dedicated to every fashionable choice Kate has made, I am a true fan of this newly crowned princess. She has grace, style and beauty and bar the fact that I have never spoken a word to her in my life, I am just going to assume that she is the nicest person in the world.

2. London

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Truth be told, I really disliked London when I first came to visit. It just was not my scene. My 17-year old self just was not feeling the mixture of accents, tubes and general commotion which took place in London-town. Maybe that was because I had been living in New Zealand for the past 5 years? 

It did not take me long to fall in love. 

Carnaby Street

Selfridges

Fortnum & Mason

Covenant Garden

Call me one to follow the tourists but I stand by the fact that that tour-books have got it right. Day and night the city is amazing. It might not have the 'city never sleeps' vibe that N.Y.C carries, but it sure is quintessential. 

3. Music

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Adele.

Need I say more?

I have been a fan of the English music scene long before I came to settle in this area of the world. Yes, the artists I love are loved by millions but that does not stop me from appreciating the fact that the Brits have got it going on when it comes to authentic and untouched talent. Rarely are we seeing over-vocalized, over-commercialized pop-Queens - but instead artists who sing about their experiences, feelings and most importantly artists who can actually belt out a tune. 

Check these kids out!

Emeli Sande

Ben Howard

Ed Sheeran

4. Fashion

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Is there any other country which can make the simple gum-boot a staple, must-have item?
I think not!
Although most assume top-hats and tweed when thinking of English style, I think freedom. Never before have I lived in a place where people are allowed to express themselves through fashion without falling under the watchful eye of the mass-'norm.' Of course there are trends, but you decide which trend you follow. Me? Leopard print is my current go-to. I am a sucker for a bit of leopard. Might be a tad outrageous for a simple-folk, yet in London I am simply a wee fashionista ready to be identified for my taste in the animal print. 

5. Surrey

Own Image - A Surrey scene.

City girl meets country girl.
Majority of those who know me would laugh till they cry if I announced that I, Christine, would be living on a farm. Who doesn't love a farm though? The roaming green grass, the clear blue sky...the smell of cow sh&*...
Welcome to Surrey - the place where you can have it all. You can wear your pink Hunter wellies without dirtying them up in the nasty. Sold?

There you have it ladies and gentlemen. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (out of many, many more) pure and simple reasons why although I might not have the passport (yet) or the heritage, I am an Englander by heart.

Rocking the Maxi Skirt.

I have always been some-what apprehensive about the maxi skirt. I think most of us are.

Is it really that hard to pull off?

With a tinge of 'gypsy' and generally suited to the taller of the human beings, rocking the maxi skirt can be difficult. That is until you decide to break the mould. Fight the tag and make that skirt your own. 

Whilst strolling through the wonderful city of New York a few weeks ago, I came across this skirt in an Anthropologie store window. The mix of pastels was right up my alley. I had been contemplating a skirt purchase for a while but ran into the difficult decision of color choice. Ever run into the horrible problem where you purchase something pretty only to realize later that you own absolutely zilch that will go with 'said' garment? I was determined to bypass such a predicament. After doing the ol' 'I'll have a think about it and come back later,' I gave in and piled the cash onto the shop counter. 

Although this skirt and I are new-found companions, the potential is unlimited. Dress up, down and all around - ladies and gentlemen we have a winner.

Floral skirt + Crop top = Summer
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Bold red skirt.
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 Add a slingback heel and you're good as gold!
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Kicking it Old School.

Whilst indulging in the fun that is the morning school run for Little C, something sparked my attention on the radio...

"You could bring your iPad or just kick it old-school and bring pen and paper."

Old-school?

Pen and paper?

I am sorry but when on earth did it become 'old school' to write with pen and paper? Although my disbelief is tinged with irony considering I spend majority of my life tapping away on my laptop, but has the world moved so quickly that the ol' Biro and note-pad has become outdated? Can I claim to be 'old fashioned' merely on my preference to write in a diary rather than storing my life events on an iPhone? On my preference to sit in a lecture and scribble away rather than play Solitaire as the lecturer is recorded on the latest what-sit device? I am one on the younger buns in the bakery, so I know my outrage is nothing compared to those old folks who watched the evolution of the computer out-date the typewriter - but give me a break! Soon will come the days of no more textbooks, magazines, newspapers. Who wants a coffee stain on your morning paper when you can take a trip to the local Apple store (soon to replace all local news-agents) after you knock your mug over? Soon will come the generation who craze over the latest iPad cover rather than the newest scent of the classic sparkly gel-pen. 

Have you ever had the dreaded 'Apple jealousy' syndrome? The feeling when you buy an Apple product, only to be out-done a few months later when the way cooler version hits the market? Yeah, look out teenage girls of the world - dramas are about to get WAY serious when Suzy-Sue comes in with the latest Mac what-sit before it's even released. But the school kids won't find out via the banter of the school play-ground. Oh no, a mass e-mail will be sent out as it happens, when it happens. Because that is what we are promised isn't it? Being in the know before the person who is the 'know' even knows? 

What is next? A devise to read minds? 

Would not be surprised.

Don't get me wrong, I consider myself reasonably technologically knowledgeable yet never beyond my years. I have the computer, the phone, the music device but I am not gathering up all my notebooks and pens in attempt to stay with the times. Walk into an antique store in twenty-years time and you will be faced with a Bic pen and lined, A4 notepad. 

Just you wait, just you wait. 

Personally I would rather kick it old school - all day, every day.