A few things I love right now

1. The Balenciaga fragrance

It seemed ridiculously expensive, but I bought this lovely scent at David Jones to cheer myself up on the weekend when I was feeling unwell and the weather was a little grey. It's gorgeous.

2. My Kindle

This really is a marvelous gadget and I'm glad that I pushed my reluctance to abandon paper and ink to one side for a moment when I pressed the 'buy' button on Amazon. I still love the smell of 'real' books, the rustle of paper and the way it crinkles in your hands as a story becomes well loved. My Kindle is great, though. I've been able to download a load of free classics and buy more books than I would have before, because as my collection has grown (most of it is stored at my mum's house, because I just can't fit it in my tiny apartment), both my wallet and the free spaces I have around the house have shrunk. It's much nicer to read on than I'd expected and I've bought a lovely, old fashioned looking cover to house it in that makes it feel a little more familiar, like a 'proper' book. Amazon can be a bit of a pain if you're in Australia, like me, and need to use a few tricks to circumvent the publisher restrictions that have been placed on what's available to us here, but there are also great resources like ManyBooks.net out there. With the way the Australian dollar is at the moment, the Kindle is definitely an affordable gadget, too. I love it!

3. The slightly cooler weather around here

Well, it's at least twenty or even thirty or so degrees warmer than the weather depicted above must be, but just when I was complaining that Winter was well and truly gone and that we'd missed out on Spring, our temperatures have really been cooled down by all the rain we've been having recently. I love blazers and jackets, and consequently I always let myself get a little delusional about how 'cold' it is here when I spy one I like on a shopping trip, so I'm feeling glad to be able to dig out a couple of new ones I bought at the beginning of Spring and enjoy the last of the cooler days before Summer hits us hard. 

4. Country Road

I picked up this lovely little singlet for layering yesterday on my lunch break and I'm lusting after these simple but pretty pumps, which are gorgeous in real life. Country Road never lets me down for simple but stylish basics, and sometimes even standout pieces, when I'm in a bit of a style slump and wanting polished, laid-back pieces to get me through. I can be very, very girly in terms of my style, but lately I've been craving something different--pared back dressing, or alternatively bolder dressing, because I know I have a tendency get a bit pretty-pretty and precious with my outfits. I've actually been wearing jeans every now and then lately (simple dark denim skinnies, slightly higher waisted), so sick of my usual style am I.

 5. Love, as always

'I watched you walk across the street,

Slightly stooped, not seeing me,

And I smiled to see that mixture of

Clumsiness, grace, intensity.

Then suddenly I feared the cars,

The streets you cross, the days you pass,

You hold me as a glass holds water.

You can be shattered like a glass.'

(Dangerous World, Naomi Replansky)