The Dress - Stripes, Skirts & Shoes

So I actually took these photographs a couple of months ago (or should I say, my lovely photographer aka Luke did). The other day, whilst looking at a post by one of my favourite bloggers - Lillie from frocksandfroufrou - I realised that I had never actually posted them!

Top: Frutti
I've probably already ranted about my love of Frutti on here, but after all it is probably my favourite shop in Wellington, if not my absolute favourite. All the colours, the patterns, the fabrics, the designs... it's pretty much clothing heaven. Plus, it's pretty reasonable - not so much that I go shopping there each week, but enough so that when they have a sale I know it's not going to break the bank.

Skirt: Modcloth
Love this skirt, despite it being a serious hazard in the Wellington wind. The double-tiered drape is beautiful.

Shoes: Keds

Necklace: Thomas Sabo
My sister bought me this necklace for Christmas, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to post about it, since I really do love it. I'm not a huge necklace fan, but when it can incorporate my love of the Wizard of Oz, how could I not adore it? This was such a thoughtful gift, and every time I wear it I think of my sister, and of the Wizard of Oz and how I still want a pair of ruby red slippers. Thomas Sabo jewellery is very well made; the chain of this necklace alone is stunning. The clasp that connects the shoes to the chain is like the clasp normally used to join a necklace, meaning you can add or swap your charms! Such a clever idea.

Anyway, until next time :)

The Song - Honeysuckle Rose

I have to say thank you to my dad for this one. When I was about 14, he introduced me to the American singer Eva Cassidy. If you haven't heard her before, then you're most definitely missing out. She had one of the most amazing voices of our generation. Eva had an incredible talent for singing absolutely any musical style, and she lost record deals for refusing to stick to one genre. As the Washington Post commented, "she could sing anything — folk, blues, pop, jazz, R&B, gospel — and make it sound like it was the only music that mattered."

Unfortunately, in 1996 she passed away from cancer at the very young age of 33. However, the music she recorded lives on.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy her rendition of "Honeysuckle Rose".

Until next time :)

The Outing - The Last of Summer

There was a weekend a while back when the weather felt like it was back to summer. The sun in New Zealand is so bright that on a fine day everything almost seems to sparkle and shine, especially down by the Wellington waterfront. 

Luke and I took the opportunity to pack a picnic and read a bit of Charles Dickens' "Little Dorrit". It was a truly glorious way to soak up what felt like the last days of summer.

We could also watch the children on the playground nearby, and got very clucky together. :)

Luke is a great reader, and I maintain that he has a very good radio voice.

We then went to our favourite gallery, New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. Luke and I like to pretend that we know something about art, in the same way that we pretend to know something about wine. However, when it really comes down to it, we just like looking at pretty things.

This gallery is the perfect size for us - just two rooms, and it only takes from 40 minutes to an hour to get around the whole thing. They always have a great selection.

When you live in a place for long enough, you forget how beautiful it is, but it's nice from time to time to pretend to be a tourist and look at your home with fresh eyes.

And surprise! The circus was in town!

Until next time :)

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The Review - It's Kind of a Funny Story

So about 2 months ago, or maybe 3 (time goes so fast these days!), Luke and I watched a movie that our friend Carolyn brought and which had been recommended by her parents. To be honest, it's probably one of those movies that I would glance over at the video shop, think "meh" and put back; however, I'm actually really glad I watched it, as it was quite enjoyable.This film came out in 2010 (don't worry if you missed it, because I certainly did!) and was based on a 2006 novel by Ned Vizzini (Who? My thought exactly). 

The story is pretty basic, and really it's more of a character/life study, so don't expect the plot to take you places - just enjoy the ride. Anyway, so the movie centres around a burnt-out teenage boy who suspects he might be crazy. As luck would have it, the young adults' psychic ward has been shut down, so he is forced to spend a week in the adults' ward. Yes, by the way, this is a comedy. And there are some fairly humorous parts, especially if you're into that awkward kind of humour.

Although the main actor Keir Gilchrist is good, I think Zach Galifianakis does an absolutely outstanding performance, and his character really stays with you long after other parts of the movie have died away in your memory. He also had what has to be one of my favourite movie lines:

Bobby: That's not fun. That's propaganda, man. All those Madison Avenue types telling you how to live your life. Fast cars, hot chicks... Reese's Pieces... Gucci... Werther's Original. I don't buy into that bullshit!  (okay, maybe you have to see the movie for that to be funny...)

As always, a trailer for your viewing pleasure:

Until next time :)

The Wish List - These are a few of my favourite things...

So I thought it was time for another wish list. After all, dreaming is free. And yes, the title of the blog does come from the "Sound of Music". Those who know me will be aware that I actually don't like that musical much, but just because you don't like something doesn't mean you're not allowed to buy it.

So in writing this post, I actually went back to the previous "Wish List" post that I wrote in November last year, and realised that I am very spoilt. I have actually bought, been given, or am in the process of purchasing most of the things on that list.

...a sophisticated pair of cats-eye spectacles

Check!

...elegant two-toned shoes for my toes

 Check! Check!

Okay, they're not two-toned, but I actually love them more than the ones I originally posted as the heel is so much more practical!

...a divine-smelling bottle of perfume. 

Check! Check! Check!

Thanks to my oh-so-wonderful husband.

...a beautiful 1950s Princess Coat

Almost check!

So excited about this! The coat is in its final stages, and is almost ready for me to take it home. Undoubtedly I will skip the whole way home, in a very unladylike fashion, whilst beaming ear to ear!

Well, I was going to use the rest of this post to talk about other things that I have currently been eyeing off. But now I feel very spoilt. Oh well... what the heck. Presenting Wish List number 2. Now try to think of the song "Favourite Things" while reading this...

Red skirt with velvet, all covered in flowers

Jumpers with faux fur - amuse me for hours

Shiny red slippers that are fit for a king,

These are a few of my favourite things!

Belts that are leather with buckles of gold

Cardis with patterns so cute to behold,

Pretty pink lipstick to make my lips sing

These are a few of my favourite things!

(Thank you, thank you very much)

Until next time! :)

The Holiday - Easter Break Part 2

So work has been crazy recently. I know the perfect remedy for myself (and perhaps for you too, if you are feeling stressed out): look back at recent holiday snaps! Here are some more photos from Easter weekend, during my parents' recent visit to NZ.

 

On Easter Sunday, after going to church and having a late lunch, we took my parents and the fabulous Carolyn to Chocolate Fish Cafe.This cafe is out in Miramar, although I think it used to be located elsewhere until recently. I've heard that during the filming of the Lord of the Rings it was a favourite haunt of the stars, and that's how it grew to be such a famous hang-out.

I can see why this cafe is so popular, though. It's perfectly located on the water's edge, with a wide open space for kids to go crazy, and picnic tables and bean bags scattered haphazardly over the lawn. Indoors everything is decorated in a ramshackle beach hut kind of way, with lots of interesting things to look at. Out on the deck there are lots of seats and BBQs where you can see your seafood freshly cooked. We just stopped for a cuppa, but I would definitely be keen to go back.

Oh, I forgot to mention that there were also some tiny kids' bicycles and tricycles that we of course just had to try. This photo cracks me up.

I was wearing my 1950s-style circle skirt, which as you can see absolutely swamped my tricycle.

Nothing like a lazy Sunday afternoon.

We then headed to the Massey Memorial, located just 2 minutes down the road. I'd heard about this place and had always wanted to see it, so I'm glad I finally got to go.

William Ferguson Massey (also known as Bill or Farmer Bill) was New Zealand's 19th Prime Minister, in office from 1912 to 1925 - naturally a very turbulent time in the country's history. He obviously did quite a good job, because he has a shrine that was paid for by public subscriptions, plus there is a university here named after him. Anyway, it was a very tranquil place to visit and definitely worth a look on a quiet afternoon. Nice views out to the harbour were an added bonus. 

Until next time! :)

The Verse - Genesis 1

Hi everyone - Hannah's husband Luke here again, doing a guest entry. Recently Hannah has started a new chronological Bible reading plan, which means you read through events in the order they happened. For example, it starts off with Genesis, but then pauses after chapter 11 of that book and skips to Job, since that man probably lived not long after Noah's Flood and before Abraham. Reading the Scriptures in this manner is highly useful, as it helps you get an idea of the wider context in which things happened. So I thought I too would take up the chronological plan.

With this in view, I thought I would talk about Genesis 1, which I read yesterday. The opening of this chapter is probably one of the most famous portions of the Bible, but that does not make it any less important to consider.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." - Genesis 1:1-2 (NKJV)

I won't print all of Genesis chapter 1 here, but it is a narrative and therefore should be read all at once. Like me, many Christians have heard the Biblical creation record many times before, and now take it all a bit for granted. But we really should come at this passage with a fresh perspective every time we read it. God is creating a vast universe, and an earth teeming with wildly different forms of life, all out of nothing. More importantly, even before this work of creation began, God already knew that humanity would fall into sin, and had already laid out the wonderful plan of redemption which He would later bring to fruition through Jesus Christ, as 1 Peter 1:18-20 makes clear:

"knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you..." 
This shows us that God's purpose in creating the world was to glorify Himself - not only through the actual work of making such an incredible universe, but also through sacrificing His Son so as to redeem lost sinners and thereby gain His Bride - the church. 


It is truly amazing to think that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was ordained from before the beginning of creation. As you read through the whole Bible, you can see that God is slowly revealing more of His plan to redeem sinful humanity. After Adam and Eve commit the first sin by disobeying God's commands and eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God tells them that He will send "the seed of the woman" who will bruise the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). This is a prophecy of Christ (the seed of the woman) who "bruised the serpent's head" when He defeated Satan, sin and death by dying on the cross. Later, when God called Abraham to travel to the promised land of Canaan, He revealed that the Redeemer of humankind would come from the nation of Israel (Abraham's descendants). And so the prophecies about Christ became gradually clearer.


In summary, it is important to remember that the entire focus of the Bible is on Jesus Christ, and on God's redemptive plan throughout history. Even in Genesis 1, before humanity fell into sin, we can see God's love and gracious provision for all of us, in that he fashioned an amazing world for us to live in. Later in the Bible, God's love is once more abundantly demonstrated when Christ died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).