Beg, borrow, steal.... or rent?

Would you rent an outfit?

It's an interesting concept, renting an outfit instead of buying it, but would we actually want to give that a go, or are we still a bit snobby about things like that?

Clothes swapping, charity shopping and recycling have all seen a boom in the past six months, as people try and make-do with what they've got and try and stay on top of the ever-changing fashion trends. We no longer spend, spend, spend like we used to, and what's more sales bargains can no longer make us go wild with delight. Our environment is changing and that means we have to revaluate our wardrobe and expenditure a tad too.

The renting concept first came to my attention in Sex and The City: The Movie. In New York you could rent the latest designer 'it' bags for a week at a time, never buying but always having the most fashionable bag on your arm to accompany your stylish look

This got me thinking, why is no one out there renting entire wardrobes?

I am heading an a minibreak to Prague in November and am starting to think out my outfit ideas. I need a mixture of city chic, yummy mummy and comfort. Its harder than it sounds! Wouldn't it be great to log onto a website, select some key looks, enter your measurements, dictate what the outfits need to be used for (eg: shopping, theatre, dinner...) and within 48 hours an entire wardrobe of clothes arrives on your doorstep. I'm sure in the fashion world this is easily achieved, but not so much for a gal in the back of beyond.

Friendship - trials and tribulations

Here's the situation:

About a month ago we agreed to go out to dinner tonight with some friends - to an Indian restaurant 15 miles away.
In the meantime, last week we got the keys to our new house. The house was a bombsite - the last owners left a multitude of junk in all the rooms which we have had to dispose of, and about 12 years worth of dust and grime. I have spent all week scrubbing, hauling, polishing, steaming, vacuuming.... all whilst looking after my 15 month old baby girl. When it got too hard on her I called in the grannies to help - which unfortunately has thrown out her routine and she has become unable to settle herself to sleep at night, something which she has never had a problem with before.
RC, my lovely hubby has been unable to get time off work, and as he is working 12 hour shifts this week - he hasn't even seen the house yet.
Yesterday all my belongings arrived from NZ. I was at the house from 7am till 6pm and I am only half way done unpacking.
Tonight will be the first night we spend in the house together. It may take a while to get my little girl to settle to sleep, and to top it all my car has broke down and won't be ready till Monday.
RC is working till 8 again. We can either get a taxi there and back (££££) or his lovely daddy has offered to drive 20 miles to collect us and take us to the restaurant - a 40 mile round trip for him. RC is then up for work again at 7.

So, everthing is telling me to cancel. It makes sense to cancel. We will be falling asleep at the dinner table. And I really just want to curl up on the sofa in front of the TV.

So why am I stressing about it?
My friend will sulk. She won't understand. She'll just tell me to leave Maya with her granny - that she'll be fine.
And I will feel guilty.

I'm letting no one down - there were going to be 6 of us going, so there will still be 4.

Oh dear. It surely shouldn't be this hard. It's times like these that I wish I was in NZ - slightly different culture/mentality about this type of thing.

Bite the bullet, kiwi, just do it.

Home Sweet Home

We are picking up the keys to our new house this week.

It's a beautiful double fronted terrace, built in 1908 - purposefully for senior engineers in the local shipbuilders. Very appropriate as my husband is now a senior comissioning engineer there.

I went for a good look round today with the agent. Big plans are forming in my head. The current owners have done a great job of decorating whilst keeping some original features. They have replaced the two fires, but have gone for Edwardian style replacements like this one:

I am wondering how my existing furniture, pictures, ornaments and .... cultural artefacts will fit (eg:

didgeridoo and Jack Johnson autographed hand painted

surfboard - I KNOW!)

I am thinking that we turn our guest room into a kind of travellers respite. I'd like to keep the TV in there too. We got used to not having one in NZ, but I want one here to watch movies on, and I can picture a nice 42" flat screen hanging on the wall with the surfboard hanging from the ceiling above. Although I may need to rethink this idea, as I am discovering the merits of letting my little girl veg in front of In the Night Garden while I get our bags and coats ready.

I do want to keep to tradition in the bathroom though. This is a true Edwardian bathroom

And this is a modern version which I love.

I am thinking I am going to be busy busy busy for the next year! And I am going to love every minute.

A taste of New Zealand in Cumbria

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

I had such a lovely weekend. I met these friends in New Zealand and I realised this weekend that they played a big part of shaping who I was over there, and knowing that I can be that person here is great.

I showed them round my home town. Its always nice to see your own back yard through a tourists eyes. I remember now why I moved back to the UK. I really do live in a beautiful part of the country. My home town centre is not the nicest - especially with the credit crunch causing many more shops to close - but a 5 minute drive takes me to some amazing places.

Furness Abbey

Piel Castle

And, of course the beautiful Lake District.

We also found a little of NZ in a quaint village called Broughton. Its a small little market town, that dates back to the 11th century. There is a beautiful little cafe/bakery there, where you are guaranteed to get a good cup of coffee, and amazingly they had a sculpture of a NZ tiki on display.

We felt at home.

Sharing

I am touched that my friend shared this with me...

TODAY
Today, I will delete from my journal two days: yesterday and tomorrow. Yesterday was to learn from and tomorrow... well that will be the consequence of what I can do today.

Today, I will face life with the sure knowledge that this day will never return

Today, is the last opportunity I have to live intensely, as no one can assume that I will see tomorrows sunrise

Today, I will be brave enough not to let any opportunity pass me by, my only alternative is to succeed

Today I will invest my most valuable resource, my time in the most transcendental work, my life

Today I will spend each minute passionately, to make today a different and unique day in my life

Today I will defy every obstacle that appears on my way, trusting I will succeed

Today, I will resist pessimism and will conquer the world with a smile and a positive attitude of always expecting the best

Today, I will make of every ordinary task a sublime expression

Today I will take the time to be happy and will leave my footprints and my presence in the hearts of others, not just in the sands of time

Today, I invite you to begin a new season where we can dream that everything we undertake is possible and we fulfil that dream with joy and dignity

Today, why not perform a random act of kindness...?

And if there are those that you love, tell them, you don't know when it might be your last opportunity

Tell them, as I have just done.... today.

Kiwi pals

What a great day!
Old kiwi pals have come to stay - unfortunately due to sad circumtances, but it is lovely to see them. And so strange for them to be in Blighty!
We were all getting very excited about going to Asda, having curries and Englsh crisps. Then we got depressed at not being able to get decent coffee, and of course no surf. But, ah well - we all have to make sacrifices.
So tomorrow we are going to head out to the country (go bush) We are going to have a wee outing to Broughton, a beautiful market town with the best substitute Kiwi cafe we have found. Then its off to Swallows and Amazons country - better known as Coniston. Hopefully the weather will be fine so we can have a little paddle.

Seeing my pals has raised the big question - 'have we done the right thing, coming back?' There is no right answer. We have done the right thing now.

And thats probably the best answer.

I'm back in the world of blogging

I took a recent sabatical from blogging.
Firstly I was doing the hippie thing in a camper in Aus, then I moved back to England, and I didn't think it was 'the done thing.'
However, I missed it. Not that I really got into it. I kept on following other bloggers and wished I had the creativity to carry on.
So I decided tonight to really go for it.
I am not currently 'working' in the paid sense, although am discovering the hardest job in the world is also the most rewarding/fascinating/fun... So this can be my intellectual outlet of sorts. Thats the plan anyway.

Watch this space...