Memoirs of an English (and French) adventure...the beginning

The University Church of St Mary the Virgin. 
The largest of Oxford's parish churches and the
centre from which the University of Oxford grew.

It is hard to believe that it has been nearly a week since Dr Love and I and the little people touched down on Australian soil, tired and grubby from a 21 flight from Heathrow to Honkers and home again. At least I looked good even if I did smell terrible! A complete turn about from the journey abroad let me assure you.  I don’t know what possessed me to compromise my style whilst in transit en route to London all those weeks ago. I suppose I could have been forgiven for thinking trackie-dacks and a tee-shirt with runners was a reasonable combination in which to tackle such an arduous journey (remember the little people!) particularly after my rather public declaration that I would not succumb to my usual fashion concession as a tourist who walks a million miles from one hot-spot to the next in relative comfort aka a sensible pair of shoes. For some reason however, I spent the majority of the air journey in complete discomfort made all the worse by the realisation that discarded baby-food – and believe me when I tell you it was in abundance - lit up like the Christmas lights on the facade of John Lewis’s flag-ship store on Oxford Street when smeared upon black cotton. Thank god for the ‘most comfortable pair of jeans in the world’ and my new navy converse sneakers on the return. They got me comfortably yet stylishly through the English Channel when we travelled on the Eurostar to France and did not let me down 30,000 feet in the air. Needless to say the outfit of origin did not get another run in its entirety although the trackie-dacks got a reprieve in the evening because let’s face it; England in October is freakin’ cold.



Sheldonian Theatre.  Build in 1668 from a design created by the
exceptionally talented Sir Christopher Wren.

 Anyhow the memories from the family adventure to the UK and France are in abundance and there is plenty to share including what I wore when, what I saw and what I brought whilst over there (and when I returned home... don’t tell Dr Love). The capsule collection I put together to get me through the four weeks of fabulousness proved incredibly adaptable albeit mostly in blue – I’m going through a phase – and provided me with a rounded selection of everyday must-haves and special occasion separates. Knee length boots with a sturdy heel and trusty ballet flats provided acceptable alternatives (until I got the converse trainers) to adidas sneakers that between you and me and my local Athlete’s Foot have never felt right. While a selection of bling complemented the outfit of the day. I am sure if one ignored the back-pack and the camera one would never accuse me of being a tourist!

Where we went, what I wore and why I wore it!

One of the first places we visited, besides the local Slug and Lettuce for a meal on the first day was Oxford (day 2).  I wore a much loved Stella camisole with empire tie in one of my most perfect colours, teal blue, to celebrate my second visit to one of the most beautiful medieval cities in the world.  The last time I visited Oxford was late November in 2002 and I was dressed in a doona to ward off the artic blast.  On this occassion, I teamed the cami with my skinny jeans from Sussan, knee length boots (which I left abroad for my cousin to enjoy and return at Christmas when she visits – god love family) and a cute little cardigan I picked up from Review a few weeks before departure for $41 - sorry, forgot to tell you about that one!  This became a favourite ensome whilst abroad and I got plenty of wear out of it with varying substitutes. The camisole is a bit long for my body shape and risks cutting off my legs before they start. The cardigan however nips me in at the waist and hits me at the sweet spot just under the hip bone thus making my legs appear longer and counteracting the adverse length of the blouse. Clever huh!  This was the perfect outfit for climbing in and out of the big red bus (tour) and walking the medieval streets enroute to Maccas to feed the little people who were getting a bit tetchy after spending over an hour on the top deck of the double decker.  Great day had by all.