deck the halls

I've never been to Cardiff before, but had a fine time exploring it over the Christmas holiday. The shopping is great, with everything you'd expect of a larger city, but I especially liked the old arcades where you can get away from the crowds and find something a little different to the usual high street fare in a handful of boutiques. I miss boutiques when I'm shopping in London. I'm sure there are heaps, but you just have to know where they are. Plus they usually stock labels I much admire but cannot actually afford to buy, which is sometimes a very fun kind of shopping, but sometimes just depressing, you know?

This shirt and the studded beret are a couple of things I treated myself to when I got paid for the first time in 9 months!!! Wes rang me to tell me the money had gone into our account when I was in Topshop doing some Christmas shopping. It was truly fate.

Beret: Urban Outfitters; Shirt: Topshop; Singlet: Gap; Jeans: Lee; Boots: who knows?

i'll give it to someone special

A very special pressie was waiting for me at the P.O. when I got back from Cardiff. Isn't it great when they are spread out a bit and not just in one big assault on the one morning? I am lucky in this respect anyway as my birthday is in about 5 weeks so I can get anything off my wishlist that Santa forgot this time around.

I really loved the card and packaging - how cool is the zip-up cardboard bag? - and Sportsgirl's primary colours came across pretty well in the photos, considering they were taken in my gloomy London living room. And the gifts inside are just my style, like I picked them out myself. Thankyou Sportsgirl!! Have I ever blogged about their website and forum? Both are pretty great, you should check them out, it's a proper little community where everyone is very lovely, lots of members have blogs, you can vote on Street Style pics and they often introduce me to new music. I hope that doesn't sound like a contrived advert because I have been using the forum since it launched, which is before I had a blog. Actually, it was from the encouragement of the girls on the forum that I got the courage to start my own blog!

pah-rah-pah-pum-pum

I'd better post about Christmas before the New Year takes hold and That Special Day In December becomes relegated to a distant memory. Well, I had a wonderful Orphan's Christmas in Cardiff with great company, even better food and a Wii! Presents were plentiful, sometimes too much so as you can see by my lovely pjs from Wes. 'It said size twelve on the hanger!!' he insisted again and again. My most favouritest present was my fluffy white Muji bathrobe: so cosy, I wish it was acceptable to wear them for more than the five minutes between showering and getting dressed. Much more. Like all day.

We established that The Little Drummer Boy is all our boys' favourite carol. I don't think I have a fave as I actually really hate them. Does Wham count as a carol?