End Of School Trip - Part Two

Some more images from our Saturday trip. Bled is an impressive town. There is so much to see! There's a castle on a huge rock overlooking the lake...

In the middle of the lake there'a a pretty little island with a pretty little church...

We took the traditional boat called 'pletna' to the island - it takes about 450 paddle strokes to get there, we were told...

These pics were taken on the island - there's a gorgeous view towards the castle from here...

The bottom one was taken from the boat when leaving the island.

Some facts about the place...

And a farewell!

It was a glorious day.

End Of School Trip - Part One

The children got their school reports last Thursday. Well, our little girl got her ballet class certificate, she starts school in September... Friday was national holiday, and on Saturday we embarked on a trip - three sets of parents plus a bunch of kiddies... Bliss!

We decided to head up north, to one of the most beautiful, most visited and best-known parts of the country - the town of Bled. Before that we stopped at Brezje, at Slovenian national shrine, to express our gratitude for our families and for the successful end of the schoo year. The day was absolutely gorgeous, with sun shining all the time and yet the temperatures were just right for walking around.

We took a stroll through a beautiful gorge called Blejski vintgar, with ancient bridges and breath-taking waterfalls.

We enjoyed the fresh air and welcomed cool drops of water on our face...

Our first stop in Bled was the parish church of St Martin's...

... with precios stained-glass windows...

... beautiful wall paintings...

... and magnificent organ...

Simple Happiness

I'm following the example of the lovely Laura from Side Street Style and I'm listing three things that have made me happy today.

1. My gorgeous new Cath Kidston sandals (they deliver to Slovenia, yay!!!) - they're so comfy, I could spend days and days in them!

2. Re-reading a modern classic - I've already told you that this was one of my favourite books ever, and I'm enjoying it all over again.

3. The Lake - the weather is lovely to go out hiking, which is what I've just done, re-visiting my favourite spot!

What has made YOU happy today?

Another One...

Well, what can I say? When I'm obsessed with something then I'm REALLY obsessed with that. This time it's Liberty fabric and these famous Boden circles. I've just rejuvenated an old straw bag. This morning (yes, my darlings, I actually found the time to do it this morning!) I did it again. Oops!
Here's the 'before' picture:

I bought this bag about ten years ago. In Britain, of course. It's from Accessorize. The last time I wore it was... nine years ago. I took it to the maternity hospital with me when I gave birth to my boy. I could never bring myself to give it away - I bought it in Britain, for heaven's sake!

This is the 'after' picture:

Isn't it just adorable? (I know, I know...)

Favourite Places

Summer's coming, yay! Not that the weather is announcing anything of the sort. We're practically freezing again here. And getting our Noah's Arks ready... But still - a girl can dream, right?

Where will summer take us this year? We're making plans, they're not too big, just comfy and relaxing. I'll keep you posted.

A few pics of some of my favourite places today - of holidays past but remembered with greatest pleasure.

London Eye from Westminster Bridge, July 2007

Red Phone Box, London, July 2007

Riesenrad ('Big Wheel') Exhibition, Vienna, August 2008

Karlskirche & 'My Little Henry Moore', Vienna, August 2008

Happy summer!

Exciting Giveaway At Oranges And Apples!

Yay, the lovely Franca from Orangesandapples is having 'a super exciting and wonderful giveaway' (these are her own words)! She has completed her 500th post (and going on!). There are three goody bags to be won in her giveaway, and each one is packed with lovely handmade and vintage things from various Etsy sellers! Franca is an Etsy seller herself so she knows full well how to put together an appealing goody bag...

To enter, this is what you need to do:

* Leave a comment on Franca's blog, telling her which of the three prizes you would most like. She would really appreciate any feedback you have on her blog, so that she can make the next 500 posts even better (personally, I don't think there's any need for improvement...). If you're new on her blog, or haven't commented before, please tell Franca a little bit about yourself as well - she likes to 'know' everyone!

* You get an extra entry for being a follower of Franca's blog. Please leave a SEPARATE comment saying how you follow Orangesandapples (if you do).

* You also get an extra entry for blogging or tweeting about this giveaway. And that's what I'm doing right now!

The giveaway is open for at least a couple of weeks. Good luck to everyone, including myself!

Rejuvenating The Old

I found some time to do a bit of crafting over the weekend again. I came across this little crate at the local supermarket - apparently it used to house cherries - and I immediately saw potential in it. I took it home, let my imagination flow for a few days and...

...this is what came out. I'd had this hydrangea wrapping paper for a while (I adore hydrangeas!) and I thought it would look really pretty on a box of some kind. It turned out I was right!

My second project involved an old straw bag from Rice. I got it on sale several years ago and it was really pretty to start with. The colours of the flowers faded considerably, though, and the bag served as a book stand in our bedroom...

Then I fell in love with this beauty from the latest Boden catalogue. I didn't order the tunic as it was quite expensive but I kept thinking about what I could embelish with these gorgeous circles. And then I got the most fabulous idea...

...ta-da! I used some Liberty fabric for the circles and then sewed wooden beads round each one. I'm very happy with the result...

... I absolutely adore my new straw bag!

Summer Black-Out: Day Eight

I'm wearing:

golden flat sandals - hand-me-down from best friend
cropped trousers - Playlife
tunic - Madonna 1988
Liberty necklace & bracelets - made by me
angel earrings & bracelets
sunglasses - Marks&Spencer
gorgeous straw bag - Rice, redecorated by me
(I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, promise!)

SCWC Week Round-Up

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Happy with the outcome!

Summer Black-Out: Day Seven

I'm wearing:

flip-flops - Iana
(Italian children's brand; my feet - and body, for that matter -
are small enough to fit into their largest sizes)
jumpsuit - Laura Ashley (I bought it sixteen years ago in Tunbridge Wells...)
pink suede belt - TopShop
pink wooden beads - TwoWay
sunglasses - Marks&Spencer
angel bracelets - self-made
wooden bracelet with Liberty bow - self-made
earrings - Etsy

Summer Black-Out: Day Six

I'm wearing:

sandals - Bata (borrowed from best friend)
skirt - Brora
top - Monsoon
bag - Fair Trade shop in the capital

SCWC Day Five: Red & Turquoise

For the last day of the challenge I've chosen a 'casual Friday' outfit: I'm wearing items one and five from the capsule list and some bright and cheery accessories.

The pics were taken by my nine-year-old (! Only yesterday he was my little baby!) boy again, outside our block of flats. He's getting rather good at it, if you don't mind my saying so!

I got this Calvin Klein watch for my university degree from my Mum & Dad ten years ago. I pretty much wear it every day but I've never done a close-up before. And the bracelet was a gift from a late friend and colleague - she brought it back from her travels in Turkey the year my daughter was born. She passed away two years ago and I still miss her a lot.

As far as footwear goes, there's nothing that yells 'summer!' louder than a pair of straw wedges!

Today's accessories:

wedges - outlet store in the capital
belt - a piece of grossgrain ribbon
cotton scarf - Oilily
bag - La Marelle

SCWC Day Four: Navy & White

Wearing items number one, four and five from the capsule list. The jacket only came in handy in the morning, actually (many people wouldn't even put it on then...). I'm freezing most of the time though, so I was fine.

Not much else to say today, we're off to my boy's piano recital again!

Perhaps a word on my lovely Oxfords - they're ancient! I bought them in Britain ages ago, but they're so adorable still, I love them!

Today's accessories:

Oxfords - Laura Ashley
bag - Laura Ashley (we could say I'm a fan!)
belt - came from another piece of clothing (no idea which one, though)
sunglasses - Madonna for H&M
angel brooch, earrings, bracelet