Distractable? MOI?!

Day 3 of the career break, and I'm still not quite used to the whole thing. For now, I'm busying myself with tidying up the house. It's actually ridiculous how out of hand we let everything get before pulling it back in order, courtesy of the "But we work far away from home!" excuse, and I find it difficult to concentrate in a chronically untidy space.

Plus, if things aren't all neat and tidy there are a million and one potential working-from-home distractions to add to the pull of the telly, which are harder to ignore if the place is topsy turvy. Like, "Ah sure while I'm here I might as well just do a hoover/a wash/a bit of painting/pop out and mow the lawn/do a spot of rewiring before I do this worky thing."

Dangerous.

Especially since I'd have to go look up Dad's handyman's bible to even see how to wire a plug.

The sitting room is all but sorted, and I can now see the dining room table again having loaded up a couple of bags with paper rubbish for the recycling bin. I'd nearly forgotten what it looked like. On my tea break, I decided to sort through some make-up for review over on Beaut.ie (yep, tough life) and do my nails (all in the name of research, of course)... and then I got properly distracted by the absolutely gorgeous colours in the back garden.

We have two crab apple trees in the bottom corners of the garden that are currently doing their damndest to display every autumnal hue imaginable. There are a few die-hard green leaves and a couple of already denuded branches, granted, but for the most part they're riots of crisp yellows and golds and russets and oranges, laden down with the cutest mini apples.

So out came my inner Mary "How Do You Do?" FitzGerald to try and bring some of that palette inside and crack on with a bit of make and do in honour of Oíche Shamhna (Irish for Halloween).

Do you remember it now?

Sadly, I didn't have any cardboard innards of toilet rolls or twine or safety scissors lying about, so I took my life in my hands and took a grown-up scissors to a black page out of a magazine for a couple of tasteful bats.

Bert (left) and Ernie (right). Yes, I have christened the paper cut-out bats.

No sharp implements required for an M&S hurricane vase holding leaves from the trees in the carpark and Himself's Japanese maple and a crop of the aforementioned crab apples. The fact that the label on our Monart candle coordinates nicely with this autumnal vignette is an ironic coincidence: it's called "Summertime"!

Yesterday evening, I took a mad notion to get a pumpkin, so it was off to Superquinn in Portlaoise for one of their €2 offerings. I'd intended to carve it up to make a creepy jack o' lantern, but after I'd cleaned it up I stuck it on the hearth out of the way while I was doing dinner...

... and I like it au natural.

I suspect this is not normal.


Footnote: While reacquainting myself with Samhain lore by way of Google, I came across a sentence that kicked off with the classic phrase "Some people think Americans started Halloween..."

Er, indeed.

The first... and last... in a planned series of outfit posts.

Right, I really have to go and start my packing after this.

I decided on Monday to do a series of "What I Wore Today" posts for the week. So, naturally, I didn't, and I only took a pic of my outfit on Monday. Ah well.

Here it is, for the record:

Office-y, yep, but then I work in an office. In an accounts office that is particularly conservative. This get up would actually be considered daring by lots of my colleagues, no word of a lie. ("Navy? Not black?!" *Faint*.)

The deets in brief:
- Tan shoes with brogue detail: Barratts
- Navy tights: Oasis
- Skirt: Karen Millen
- Belt: Topshop
- Navy top: H&M

Like a blue-arsed fly.

It's been a busy busy week.

There was breakfasting with the fashion blogger crew at BT2 in Dundrum last Saturday morning, organised by Annmarie (who was off imparting pearls of style wisdom in Kildare Village at her "Fashion Me Fabulous" style masterclass. Fancy or wha'!)

Now technically, it was the monthly Fashion Bloggers Brunch but lookit, I am not going to call 10am of a Saturday brunchtime.

In between attacking enormous double chocolate muffins, sinking gallons of tea, and trying to avert mine eyes from the lash and manicure bars lest temptation should overtake me, I met new-to-these-meet-ups bloggers Nicky of Nicky's Rag Tales, Cathy of The Style Strutter and Aliz of White Rabbit. For such an early hour, there was an excellent turn-out: Cillian of Male Mode, Garrett of Indigo & Cloth and Conor of Connector.ie were reprezentin' for the boys, and Arsheen of Fashion Filosofy, Blanaid of Blanaid.com, Sinead of The Savvy Shopper, Catherine and Lillian of This Is An Offshoot and Ailbhe of Bluebirds Are So Natural were all there too - each and every last one of them looking far too cool for that hour of a Saturday. Big thanks to Aoife and Analeigh in BT2 for hosting us (and for the lovely and very generous goodie bags!)

I'd a great time and should really make the effort to go to these things more often.

Then it was off with us to The Beaut.ie Buke Launch at the BT mothership on Graftno Street. (Typo in homage to predictive text fully intended.) Amy Huberman was on hand to do the necessary - and I can tell you that she has the most fabulous skin and superb taste in brógaí if the amazing studded sandals she was wearing on the day are anything to go by - and Aisling was signing copies of the tome in an appropriately gorgeous studded black French Connection dress (more than a touch of frock envy there. It. Was. Fab.)

The whole thing was a roaring success.The place was absolutely freakin' jammers - yay! - with hundreds and hundreds of ladies lining up clutching their shiny new copies of "The Beaut.ie Guide To Gorgeous" to score an autograph.

It seems there were peeps snapping away all day, so sure here's a mini "What I Weared" for the craic:

From White Rabbit

From Beaut.ie

The goods:
- Grey & silver sparkle peep-toe slingbacks: Stradivarius
- Skinny jeans to get caught underheel (but, weirdly, only on one foot) on account of slingbacks: Topshop
- Grey cardi with silver sequin & net shoulder detail: Penneys
- Coral vest top: H&M
- Silver sequin mini skinny scarf yoke worn as belt: Marks & Spencer
- Corsage (just seen on "belt"): A|Wear
- Striped scarf which represents 100% of the cashmere content of my wardrobe: Marks & Spencer

The rest of the week has passed in a blur of trying to clear my desk and my work "To Do" list and worrying if there are things that I've forgotten to put on the "To Do" list. Oh, and trying to plan/pack/gather my few meagre words of Spanish (because there is no point confusing myself with trying to start into Catalan) for Barcelona.

Olé!

Eeeeep! News!

Have received e-mail from HR confirming that the career break is a go. (Although had sort of presumed that was the case. Once my manager was given the nod to move people around to fill my role, it did look fairly unlikely that the CFO was going to ring me in tears and beg me to stay and tell me I was irreplaceable.)

Am meeting with aforementioned manager this morning to agree a release date, since my preferred departure date has passed.

Eeeeep!

In other news, we purchased the bones of the home office in IKEA last night, including a Skruvsta chair which I plan to reupholster.

Just as soon as I finish the dog's bed.

Still no pen holder, though...

UPDATE: Am finishing up on Friday 23^rd October! Now that the whole thing's being finalised, am sick as a mid-sized hospital with worry about whether it's Definitely The Right Thing To Do.

Career break non-update

No update on the start date for my career break yet, which is a bit unfortunate since I put down last Friday, October 09th, as my preferred date to finish up in work.

At least the home office in the spare room is coming along well.

Ahaaa ha ha ha haaaa.

It's not, of course; in fact it's still a complete tip with nary a hint to its intended future purpose. There is, however, a plan (and, I need hardly mention, a list) for its transformation. A former bedside locker will be getting a revamp to serve as a little filing cabinet. Originally a delightful melamine brown wood-effect yoke, I primed it over the weekend and it is now ready to be covered with hot pink paper with a modderin damask print and then kitted out with new hardware in the shape of crystal knobs from Avoca and some snazzy label holders.

Ooooh.

I may also line the drawers à la Viv:


... but since they are likely to fill up with various accumulated crap fairly bleedin' rapid, making the bottoms of the drawers pretty might be a futile exercise.

Himself is to procure four IKEA Vika Fintorp legs for me today, which I'm intending to spray paint gloss white and cap with a gloss white desk top to channel Bespoke Press' gorgeous desk:


... and this home office by David Netto Design, which features a $499 Brocade Home console:


I still have to find a suitably cool yet comfy chair, but in fairness I have had more pressing office-y matters to consider.

Like, what will I use as a pen holder?

A little weekend spending spree

I've had a bit of a goo on me for a shopping trip for the last couple of weeks, so I decided to hit up Penneys on Saturday.

Last of the big spenders, hah?

The haul included:
> pair of leopard print ballet flats (I'm slightly addicted to these and always have a pair on standby)
> grey v-neck hip-length cardi with silver sequin detail on the shoulders
> navy boyfriend cardi with 3/4 length sleeves
> pair of long black leggings (shinier at home than they looked in the shop, hmm!) with flat stud detail around the ankle
> brocade scarf in a sage and mustard colourway - less revolting than it sounds
> some C******** decorations (yes, yes, I know, but if you've been here before you surely know by know I have a soft spot for lickle birdies)

(Oooh, atmospheric ye olde worlde photee effect... um, ee.)

We also stopped into Thornby Hall, which is an interiors shop in Toughers Business Park between Naas and Newbridge, and two mirrored wall sconces and a birdcage mirror were there purchased with the swiftness.

Well, actually they were purchased with the slowness as I dithered for Ireland, but sure at least I got house shopping and clothes shopping out of my system in the one day!