AWAY WITH THE SCARVES

Hi everyone, hope are having a good week.

As for me, I am feeling better now and my joie de vivre is slowly coming back to me.  I like to be back in the blogosphere catching up on what my friends have been up to while I was away.

Since I haven't done any photo shots recently, I've decided to blog about something that I really like to wear a lot, an accessory that those who read my blog on a regular basis, might have been known for a while.  I am talking about my love of scarves.

Scrolling through my photo archive, I couldn't help but notice that in almost every post I have published, I was wearing some kind of scarf around my neck.

And when it was not around my neck, it would be wrapped around my wrist, threaded through a button hole of my coat or tied around the handle of my handbag.

The other scenario where a nice scarf could come very handy is when you want to refresh your old outfit without breaking a budget or ditch the old necklace that you keep wearing over and over and wear a scarf instead. 

I often reach for it if I want to add a punch of colour or introduce a new pattern to break up a monochromatic outfit; or it could be just a final touch that would unite the separate pieces of your outfit into a complete stylish look.

Some of my scarves are purely functional and are there to keep me warm and comfortable.  I can hardly remember myself leaving the house without grabbing one, mostly for warmth and comfort and not just in winter.

Sometimes, on a hot summer day, if I walk into an air-conditioned building straight from the street, I would quite often get a sore throat so I always have with me a light cotton or linen scarf that I could wrap around my neck if it feels too cold inside.

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....BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, I JUST LOVE THEM...

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It was after my mother-in-law passed away and her husband wanted me to have her amazing collection of scarfs and although her taste in clothes was much more refined then mine, I too became fascinated by them and started wearing them as a statement accessory rather then just a piece of clothing that provides warmth to my neck.

Quite often when I am deciding what to wear, I look at them through her eyes, guessing which one would she chose and whether my choice would get her approval.

If you are not sure if a scarf is your thing, you can start small, buy a couple of inexpensive ones and become experimental.  There are no rules, it's all a trial and error but while you are on the selective side of a purchase, do try and think about what clothes you might wear it with in terms of colours and textures.

Once you get a hang of it and fall in love with the scarfs as I did, then it is time to step up and think about good scarves such as silk, cashmere, pure wool.  Yes, these scarves don't come cheap but think about them as a good investment:  they last a long time, could do wanders to an otherwise simple outfit and never go out of style.

It is amazing how versatile this relatively small piece of fabric is and what magic it could do to your clothes.  We all know that the little things go a long way.And if you, like me, love them, I would like to hear how do you wear yours.

And if you, like me, love them, I would like to hear how do you wear yours.

Anna
xoxo

A SHORT TRIP TO BRISBANE

Hi everyone, hope you are all well.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to give my mind and body a short break that involved not going to the gym, stopping running, bloging and answering most of my e-mails.  Instead I spent a lot of time reading, gentle walking or just relaxing.

It was emotional roller that my younger daughter put us through during her final school exams, combined with the lack of sleep due to the constant noise coming from the neighbours who love to party until the wee hours and other bits and pieces that made me feel physically and emotionally overwhelmed and were affecting my state of mind and general well-being.  It is during this mini break that we took a weekend away and flew to Brisbane primarily because my husband, knowing my love for ballet, and as a part of my birthday celebrations, bought us tickets to the La Scala Ballet Company that was there on tour with performances of Don Quixote and Giselle.

I don't particularly care for this city and would never consider it to be my choice of a holiday destination and this trip only further confirmed my view.  The only one part of it that we really liked was the area called South Bank, one of the city's main draw cards due to its close proximity to the major museums and performing centres and where you can take a long walk along the rive bank with looking the city skyline on your left while enjoying  beautiful display of blossoming trees on your right.

So on the morning of our second day there, we decided to try our luck elsewhere and decided to do a day trip to explore the outside of Brisbane.  After a quick Google search a small place called Montville based on a Sunshine Coast seemed to be what we were looking for.  Apart from sprawling green hills and wineries  this area is also a home to the award winning Spicer Retreat that hosts a highly ranked French restaurant called The Long Apron which my husband immediately booked for lunch.

It took us slightly more then an hour to get there but the scenery around us was very lovely and we enjoyed the drive.  It happens that the restaurant is part of a retreat set amongst beautifully maintained grounds overlooking the hills and is the winner of multiple awards for excellence.

Soon after we took out seats at the table, the waiter placed in front of us a plate with a small ceramic vase with dry sticks placed in it's centre.  Turned out, it was an amuse bouche - the sticks were made of bread covered in finely chopped herbs, it was very tasty.  It was a three course degustation lunch with each dish cooked very well and beautifully presented.

My original outfit for the day was a distressed denim skirt, a singlet and a pair of slides but once my husband informed me that we were having lunch at a French restaurant, I changed my mind and instead wore a polka dot skirt that you saw me wearing it here, seen here, with a sleeveless blouse with a lacy trim and a pair of sandals.  I was in the country side, after all.

After lunch, we took a nice leisurely stroll around the estate enjoying the tranquility of the surroundings and the touch of the warm sun on my skin, making me feel relaxed and content.  We returned to Brisbane just in time to change for the theatre.   The ballet, as we hoped, was absolutely sublime and we enjoyed it immensely.

I couldn't be more grateful to my husband for giving me such a lovely gift.

Love
xoxo
Anna