Polka Dot Day

I always wear the clothes I photograph around Budapest, but I have to admit I didn't carry this cute little parasol into the city. I just couldn't resist taking pictures with it. :)

Today the sun couldn't decide if it wants to shine full on, speckle me with spots or hide altogether. Hence the strangely lit pictures, sorry!

I bought this dress after Christmas, severely reduced, and it was definitely worth it, I wear it all the time. Apparently many bloggers have it, but I only saw it's red sister on Marisa Violeta. :)

Portrait of a bookworm

If we're talking polka dots, I couldn't help bringing along some of my favourite childhood reads from the Polka Dot Books series. Klára Fehér's book is not translated into English yet, but it would be a great project to do, and it would make an amazing film. I've been planning learning scriptwriting just for the sake of this book. I still love "Bezzeg az én időmben", as well as Erich Kästner. This yellow book here is "Lottie and Lisa".

What amazing covers! I'm still in love with them. And probably being subconsciously influenced by the pattern to choose certain backgrounds...

In other news: I hope you like the updated blog layout with new sections to browse through! I've been pondering a FAQ tab too, or maybe an IAQ one would be more interesting, for Infrequently Asked Questions. :)
Any feedback on what's already uploaded and any further ideas or questions very welcome!

Oh, the detils: Dress - Zara, Tights - Calzedonia, Bag - Thrifted, 

Tiny parasol - It's been around for ages, I actually have no idea where it's from...

Pálinka and Broderie Anglaise

What is pálinka? The lovely, fruity, rich and very strong national spirit of Hungary. Why is it so good? It's made entirely of fruit, and fruit, and more fruit. What sort of fruit? Any and all types, really, from plum and apricot to walnut, quince, and all the berries you can imagine. Why am I writing about this? Because this weekend the famed Pálinka Festival, where all the distillers present their best pálinkas, is held in the Castle of Budapest, and obviously we had to pay a visit!

My favourite type, the "ágyas pálinka" (fruit-bed pálinka) is aged together with fruits - even more fruitier! Here, I am tasting a green walnut pálinka... Look at the colour, enjoy the rich scent, then taste! Wonderful!

Good pálinka has a culture, just like wine. I never used to like alcohol, but gradually warmed to wine and pálinka, mostly because of the work that goes into making them. Hungary is not a beer country, but we're really very good at wine. And pálinka. :)

But you might also be interested in what I wore, so here's a picture where you can sort of see all of me... (and a bit of the castle.)

If you wondered what Broderie Anglaise is, it's the embroidery technique used on my blouse, involving cutting out the patterns from the material.

This blouse was made by my Mother when she was younger, using an old pillow case. Can you imagine the care that used to go into embroidering pillowcases? I'm so amazed by the detailing on this ex-bedlinen. It felt fitting to wear it to an event celebrating practically handmade drinks.

Top - handmade by an unknown housewife, refashioned by my Mother, 

Leather skirt - thrifted, Leggings with holes - Chinese shop, Ballerinas - Vagabond, 

Clip-on earrings - handmade by me, Bracelet - by my lovely little Cousin,

Necklace that looks like a huge doodle by an annoyed child - Rossmann.

Invitation to Discuss and a Red Fish

Dear Readers, Picture Viewers, Random Blog Finders,

I proudly present the new commenting system on my blog, Disqus! You might have seen it over at Kendi's blog, or Sarah's, who actually helped me with some useful tips in installing. The most useful of them definitely being "don't panic". :)

I would like to thank each and every one of you who left me comments, followed me or e-mailed me so far, it's been a wonderful experience, starting blogging and meeting so many nicer than nice people all over the world! From now on, connecting will be even easier, it will be much easier for you to find my answers (or anyone else's) to your comments, and if you feel like, you can reply. That possibly means a start of a conversation! How great is that?

Hopefully the change to the new system will work fine, but please e-mail me if something doesn't seem to be working, or the settings aren't practical, or something along these lines.

To celebrate, let me include this picture Zsófi Raffay took of me last week, needless to say, she's brilliant, and this picture is so much more me than the photos I'm trying to snap of myself. The fish I'm holding is a recurring star in her photography, she hands them to her models to see what they'd do with it, sometimes with hilarious results. :)

Looking forward to reading your comments and answering them too! See you soon! :)

Hey Mama, Welcome to the 80s!

Phew, what a week! Lots of work done, less time for blogging though! Missed you! :)

The first Sunday of May is Mothers' Day in Hungary. It was terribly wet today, so we resorted to taking photos on the balcony. It's a small one, so my special guests in these pictures are my Mother's herbs. They are nice. Especially when eaten. :)

The strange lighting of the overcast sky had a very interesting effect on the pictures. Some of them really look like washed-out, oldschool 80s photos. I swear I didn't edit them. (Actually, the only editing I ever do is cropping. Even that takes ages for me. :)

 

This leather jacket was a great thrift find, I bought it when I owned nothing with an appropriately high waist to match. But I knew that they are about to return to the shelves, just like trouser-skirts, that I loved wearing as a child. :) The t-shirt and the necklace are quite old pieces and advertise my neverending loyalty to glasses.

The brands, if you're interested: 

leather jacket: thrifted, trouser-skirt and t-shirt: Zara, shoes: Vagabond, necklace: H&M

Bye, basil and parsley and all the rest!
Next time I might introduce you to my ginkgo tree. I'm sure you can't wait. :)

Oh, and while on the topic of plants - what did you think of Kate's wedding dress? When I started thinking about the symbolic plants of the United Kingdom appliquéed on it (thistle for Scotland, daffodil for Wales, rose for England and shamrock for Ireland), I couldn't help wondering if the Royals really symbolise Britain and was this event really a celebration of Britishness. What is Britishness anyway?

As someone who studied British Culture at university, for me the British Royals are the symbols of Britain, yes. But not the real, rather the cliché Britain. The one that is double-deckers, tea, porridge and queuing, guards in strange hats. The idea you have of Britain is a collection of these quirky things, the Royal Family among them. This wedding was a celebration of this clichéd Britishness, not the one that includes the real people of the country with their diverse ancestry and political backgrounds.

So, for me, the symbols on Kate's dress should have been these - double-deckers, tea, porridge and queuing people, as well as guards in strange hats. Wouldn't it have been more approriate? And just a little bit more original...?

Edit: Don't get me wrong, I actually like the dress. I just find it interesting to ponder symbols and what they stand for and where they appear. Especially if we're talking dresses...Of course it is pretty, but what does it mean?

Picture source: Independent.ie

Easter Fish

We had a great Easter meal in of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants in Budapest, the Gundel. Now let me tell you all, that I'm not very likely ever to post pictures of my food. I've never had an urge to photograph what I eat, so well, you have to guess - my necklace could be a hint. :)

This dress is perfect for meals out, as you can eat your stomach as round as you want, the dress doesn't let it show. The drapey top is the sister of the purple one I wore previously here.

Time for another serious confession.
The kid (in the corner of the picture below) is not my son.

 Dress: Promod, Top: Chinese shop, Cardigan: Promod, Tights: Calzedonia (actually borrowed from my Mum, thanks!), Shoes: Vagabond, Bag: Deichmann, Belt: Reserved, Necklace: handmade in the Czech Republic, Thread bracelet: made by my lovely little cousin for Easter, Bangle: my Sister's, and she doesn't know I took it... Thanks! :)

Bridesmaid Sandals

Wearing chunky green sandals, teal tights and a fringed bag. And a lace dress... Which, contrary to what it might seem on the pictures, is fully lined, girls! And boys! :)

As you can see, I love this bag. I have to admit though that my biggest love are the sandals.
They proved to be faithful friends through thick and thin - accompanying me to one of my best friends' wedding last May, for instance. I should thank her (Hi, Ildi!) for these lovelies, as she had the idea to dress her bridesmaids in green, and in the instant I heard this, I envisaged green shoes... And stalked them in Tamaris. Honestly, after seeing a picture of them on display, I kept pestering the shopkeepers about when they will arrive. I figured as I found a dress for the wedding for insanely cheap, I really deserved some nice shoes. :)

Dear Green Shoes, sorry for this picture, which really doesn't do you justice. I promise you will get your chance to shine another time!

Dress: Promod, Tights: Calzedonia, Sandals: Tamaris, 

Bag: Deichmann, Ring: Joid'art, Necklace: Debenhams, kids's section :)

The unintentional "I'm outta here" action shot. Bye, dear Blog Readers! :)