Icy Poles

If you live anywhere in Australia you will be all to aware of the heatwave we are experiencing.  A cool change has come through today in Canberra, it is only 29.  Yesterday was 37 with strong winds.  The heat, wind, smoke and dust in the air were eerily similar to the scene 10 years ago before the major Canberra bushfires.  It had my hackles up, I felt tetchy and uncomfortable all day, obsessively watching the emergency warnings and scanning the skies.

The hot weather will be with us again by the weekend.  If it isn't accompanied by the wind I will be alright.  I actually quite like the heat.  Sure 37 is getting a bit excessive, but aside from when it is associated with bushfire inducing winds, I enjoy the heat.  Actually let me get more specific, I enjoy dry heat (humidity is the devil's plaything) when I have ready access to an airconditioned house, office and car to provide relief when I need it.  So basically I enjoy brief moments of heat on the journey between airconditioned spaces.  I know, I am a wimp.

But I will say that I really enjoy lots of the things that the heat allows me to do.  I get to wear my new sandals, showing off prettily painted toenails.  I get to wear shorts and skirts and dresses without tights, showing off luminously white legs.  And I get to eat my fill of icy poles, frosty fruits and all manner of frozen confection.  Surely a heatwave is bearable if you can spend it eating icy poles.

How are you surviving the heatwave? And have you been enjoying any frozen treats recently?

Traveling Shoes

Each of the last three trips I've taken overseas has required a new pair of shoes.  They are all very different, as the trips have had different requirements.  However they have all had in common the need to comfortably support me as I make my way through new lands.

In 2009 I spent 7 glorious weeks traipsing all over South America.  Before we went I knew we would be hiking, I knew it would be cold, I knew I needed some serious footwear.  So I invested in my first ever pair of hiking boots.  They were comfortable from the moment I put them on and they took me across the high salt plain, over the Andes, through the Pampas without a blister.  They walked the beach in Rio and paved streets of Machu Picchu.  They protected my feet from all manner of weather and best of all kept me warm.

My next big trip was to Vietnam and Cambodia.  Here I knew my feet would also be hiking but in hot, humid weather.  So this time I invested in a good pair of sneakers with mesh inserts for ventilation.  They powered me through the Ben Than markets, onto boats and up the Meekong.  They guided me though the jungle to ancient temples, keeping my feet comfortable and not too hot.

Now I'm headed to Europe.  I will be in fashionable cities during summer.  I needed shoes that I could wear with shorts and skirts, that would support my feet over cobblestones, around museums and to the theatre while looking somewhat more stylish than the sneakers which would be adequate for the job.

And so I've ended up with these sequined sketchers.  Comfy and supportive, hopefully a bit more fashionable than my hiking boots, I wonder what these shoes will allow me to see.  The anticipation is wonderful.

New Dance Shoes

My new dance shoes arrived today.  It is always so exciting to get new dance shoes.  Being a shoe lover, new shoes are exciting in themselves, however, dance shoes come with this whole promise of happy dancing times to come.

Dance shoes are a breed unto themselves.  The sparklier, the brighter, the better.  I would class this pair as reasonably restrained - they are glittery, but in a subdued colour.  They are shoes for class rather than shoes for performances.  My sister can never quite get this, if I ever show her shoes I'm considering to buy she always likes the ones that I think of as training shoes.  I guess the dance world just believes that more is more when it comes to anything sparkly.

My dance shoes get worn until they fall apart.  I have a car boot full of dance shoes in various states of disrepair.  They live in the boot because, well to be frank, dance shoes are invariably stinky.  They may look like sparkly heels but they get the workout of running shoes minus the socks.  And there are so many of them there because I find it very difficult to part with them.  Even if they are falling apart and no longer supportive in all the ways that is necessary I've spun, slid, ronded and stepped to hundreds, if not thousands of songs in them.  They have been to parties, been in performances, been sweated and usually bleed in.  I feel like they are little, stinky, tatty shoes of happiness given all the good times I've had whilst wearing them.  If anything embodies dance, it is the shoes.

So tonight I take home a new pair.  I will punch a hole in just the right place on the strap, test the flexibility and then bug S till he takes me dancing to " christen" them.  In time they will fade and become worn, but I will love them all the more for the process that got them there.

Booted!

Autumn is definitely in the air.  My morning walk now starts in the dark and requires tracksuit pants and a warm top.  We have had our first few fogs.  The city is taking on a golden hue.  And I've got my boots out.

It is well known that I love shoes in general, but I do particularly love boots.  They keep my feet warm and dry while looking super stylish.  As someone who suffers from super cold feet, any shoe that can look work or special occasion appropriate whilst hiding hiking socks is fantastic in my book. 

This year my summer shoes did not get well worn.  My toes did not spend much time peeping as it was just too cool and wet.  However it was warm enough that my boots have spent the last few months hiding under the bed. I always love the change of season for the fact that it makes my wardrobe seem new again.  When it occurred to me that today would be boot appropriate all sorts of outfits leapt to mind.

And so I headed out, all booted up and my feet are blissfully warm and happy. 

Compliments

Yesterday I wore this fabulous pair of shoes.  Their very high heels are the only reason that I don't wear them more often because they really are great.

At the BBQ we attended I got several compliments, one of which led to a really interesting discussion on compliments.  I love compliments - although I'm much better at giving than receiving them.  On many occasions when I've seen a complete stranger who looks great I've complimented them.  I'm also a huge fan of the thank you note.  If I get some truly excellent service, I love to send a little note on to the company.

I recently read an article talking about the need for women to be more assertive.  If your coffee is cold - send it back, if the hotel room isn't what you wanted, ask to change.  I completely agree with this.  Too many of us put up with substandard service because we don't want to make a fuss.  As long as you are polite, it is usually fine to ask such things.

But if we are learning to become more proactive complainers, I think it is important that we also learn to be proactive praisers.

The person I was speaking to at the party aims to make one person (unrelated to her) smile every day.  I think that is a gorgeous mantra.  As she said it can be as simple as saying a welcoming hello to someone, or complementing a stranger on her shoes.  Imagine if we all did that, wouldn't the world be a happier place?

Shopping lessons I've learned

If you haven't worked it out by now, I love clothes, shoes and all those many varied accessories.  So it is therefore probably not surprising that I also love shopping.  I'm not really one of those people who can shop for endless hours, I prefer brief encounters with the shopping centre, an hour or two and I'm done.  Still that has resulted in me coming to learn a number of important lessons over the years.  They include:

If you aren't quite sure about something you've tried on and are wishing you had someone there to give you a second opinion - it isn't right, don't buy it.

The only size 10 shoes that end up on sale are truly ugly.  If you love the pretty shoes that are miraculously in stock, buy them, they won't last till sale time.

If you didn't buy something but you keep thinking about it - go back and get it.

And finally

If you find something that fits really well, is flattering and comfortable - buy it in all the colours.

I'm still learning this one, gosh I wish I'd bought more pairs of my perfect fitting black pants.  But I am learning so today I went and bought a second pair of the truly fantastically comfortable ballet flats that S bought me for my birthday.  He got them for me in cream, I now have them in black and they are seriously so comfy it is almost like wearing slippers - slippers that are office appropriate!

What shopping lessons have you learnt?

The new shoe dance

When I get new shoes they always put a bit of a spring in my step but when they are dance shoes, well I quite literally do a dance in them.

Tonight was the first time out on the floor for my gorgeous new dance shoes. They are really tango shoes but I couldn't wait for tango so I wore them to ceroc. They are my first ever red pair of dance shoes and you know how much I love red shoes. Not only that but they are my first pair of tango shoes and my first pair of dance stilettos!  If that wasn't enough, add in the fact that I actually purchased these shoes 7 months ago (oh there is a story there) and it was with quite a bit of excitement that I strapped my feet in and headed out on the floor.

All night I felt just a bit extra glamourous with those shoes on.

See my shoes!

Do you remember the Simpson's episode where Mister Burns wants to turn all the greyhound puppies into a suit and he sings the song "see my vest"?  In it he says see my vest about a hundred times and I was thinking about it because all day I've been wanting to say see my shoes to everyone I've met.

Oh they are awesome shoes, sage green slouchy suede high heel boots.  I love them but you know what makes them extra special - they were given to me by a friend.  Officially I am the minder of the shoes, they still belong to Renaissance Judy (she is the ultimate renaissance woman - a science teacher who is an extremely talented artist, jewellery maker, photographer, calligrapher, chef, gardener, designer and makes an awesome cocktail) however as they are too large for her but fit me perfectly, they get to live at my house and on my feet unless requested back by their owner.

Cool shoes- now there is something guaranteed to make me happy!

On a side note, I so had the Mister Burns song in my head that I was signing it in the office and managed to lock it in another couple of people's brains too - oops sorry for the earworm guys! 

Red Shoes

What is it that is so captivating about red shoes? It can't be a new phenomenon, after all Hans Christian Anderson wrote his story about them back in 1845 (if you haven't read it, they were not good shoes, even if they were fabulous). But there really is something beguiling about red shoes.

I'm pretty sure that you can present any woman with a bit of a shoe fetish (which lets face it is a rather large percentage of the population) with a red shoe and she will swoon. They draw comments like nothing else and everyone I know seems to remember getting her first pair of red sandals as a little girl.

I own 4 pairs, from ballet flats to boots and I would buy more in a heartbeat. I have consciously added red clothes and accessories to my wardrobe, just so I can wear them and even when they are not being worn, I just like to look at them brightening my wardrobe.

Today I'm wearing my favourite pair of red ballet flats. They have been loved, almost to death. In fact I've been rationing my wearing of them because they aren't going to last much longer. But every time I look down at my bright feet they make me happy.

Renewed shoes

With the weather heating up, last weekend I packed away my boots and other warm winter shoes and pulled out of storage all my cute little summer numbers. All of a sudden my wardrobe is filled with bright colours, bows and peep toes.

It is so exciting to get them all out again, like having old friends around for a cup of tea, they all have stories associated with them. I start planning outfits that will work with the insanely high multicoloured pair, or what will go with leopard print peep toes (in my world - everything) and remembering shoes which had slipped my mind during the long winter break.

So this morning I was able to reach in and select a pair of white peep-toes with black bows to go with my outfit.

The only thing now - I must start painting my toenails again!

When the shoe fits...

Two blogs about shoes in a row - does anyone think I have an addiction?

A few weeks ago I had a Laura Benini shoe party at which I made the cake from the front of Gourmet Traveller. Anyway, a few of us bought custom shoes and today they arrived!!!

They are stunning? I'm so excited to wear mine and also deliver the others to my friends. What great fun and how excellent do a new pair of shoes make you feel?

Birthday Presents

I have a rule, every year I buy myself a birthday present.

It is still a few weeks till my birthday but today I bought this year's present - a new pair of dance shoes. They are beautiful - red leather, black and silver suede. They will be made in Argentina so I won't get them for a few weeks but I can't wait.

They are my first proper pair of tango shoes, with stiletto heels rather than cubans. That probably doesn't mean anything to you unless you are a dancer but it will be pretty exciting for me. In reality I know that shoes don't make a difference to dance-ability, but new ones just make me feel fantastic.

Shoes, glorious shoes

You may have noticed I am pretty fond of shoes. Today I had a shoe party. What is a shoe party I hear you ask. Well imagine a Tupperware party but replace storage with shoes!

Not only that but when you choose your shoes you get to pick what leather they are made in. So I got to spend a fab afternoon sourrounded by some of my gorgeous friends, a great afternoon tea and more shoes than you can poke a stick at.

I did make that cake from the front of Gourmet Traveller, although half height. Honestly how do you eat a 4 layer cake? There were also scones, finger sandwiches, brownies and my lovely sister made very yummy little quiches. It was a lovely afternoon and best of all in just 5 weeks I will have two new pairs of custom made shoes to enjoy!