Denbies II

I originally wanted to call this “Denbies through the Seasons” but I’m not entirely sure my real life cynicism, sarcasm and constant irony really come through on this blog and was worried people might think I was being serious. Anyway, these photos are from Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking. I first visited back on one of the first sunny days of the year, and it was lovely to visit again and see the changing colours of the leaves against the perennially golden fields.

If things look a little different, I’m trying out my new camera lens! This lens will take some getting used to as it has an incredibly shallow depth of field which is great for portraits as it focuses on one subject (i.e. notice how blurry and undefined the backgrounds are in the photos of me), but I do like taking shots that show detailed tableaus and this lens is not great for that (i.e. the banana sign is way clearer than the others, where as in previous posts those kind of flat detailed shots are very clear as I’m using my other lens – like this one).

I’m wearing my newish Orla Kiely coat (!!!) which was 65% off in their sample sale and then a further 35% off the marked sample sale price when I got to the till (isn’t that the best feeling ever?) and my new shoes which were £6 from New Look in the sale. One of the many perks of having massive feet is your size is always left over in the sales. I love mustard (both as a colour and a condiment) and have wanted a coat in mustard and gold for such a long time, so it was like a dream present to myself. Does anybody else have dream items in their mind which rarely seem to actually exist?
P.S. I’m going to be shutting down my Raccoon Circus Facebook page soon so please follow me here or here instead and I recently signed up to both LookBook and Pinterest, so you use those sites do let me know! 

Coat – Orla Kiely (sample sale), shoes – New Look (sale), dress – Miss Patina (sale), bag – ModCloth (gift), leggings – Tesco, socks – Monki

Kentish Town

James and I had a rare Sunday off and I had all these grand plans for a jam-packed day of action and adventure. I think this is what happens when you don’t have weekends or a normal working schedule; you see a window of opportunity and go insane trying to make the most of the day! However, as it was a day off  I predictably slept for hours, and by the time James and I bothered to leave the house we decided to just head ten minutes down the road to Kentish town rather than trek over to East London. I was initially annoyed at failing in my original plans but cheered up considerably following a breakfast that involved dessert and a very fruitful trek round the charity shops. You can see my purchases above (accompanied by James). The book is amazing and the polo neck is so warm!

I’m wearing one of my many, many purchases from the charity shop where I work – it’s covered in the kind of ridiculous 80s print that makes me laugh (chains, hooks, iron rods and pearls… that classic print combination) and it was a mere £1.50. £1.50! That’s cheaper than nearly everything in McDonalds! James jokes that every Friday is “New Outfit Day” as it’s the day after my shift and I invariably have new clothes. He’s got a point, but it’s hard to feel guilty when everything is secondhand recycling, incredibly cheap and contributing to a good cause. I never shop on the high street or online but if I find something I like in a charity shop I do tend to just get it (funds allowing!) because you might never see it again: too many times I’ve had the depressing “return” to a charity shop for that one singularly amazing item, only to find somebody worth more sense has snatched it away in your absence.

Lutyens House

I hope all of you have been enjoying the gloriously warm evenings we’ve been granted this summer! It’s so lovely to be able to stay out in the sunshine late into the day. These pictures were taken at Goddards, a beautiful country house in Surrey. The house was designed by renowned architect Edwin Lutyens  and for most of the time it is private to the public and kept for reservations. James and I were lucky enough to be invited to a dinner at the house with members of the Lutyens trust and took the opportunity to explore the beautiful home usually off limits. It was a gloriously golden evening when we arrived and the stunning gardens were filled with dappled rays of evening sunlight.

Edwin Lutyens collected many interesting objects throughout his life which have found their way into the home, such as the beautifully ornate door knocker pictured below and the rare stag heads decorating the bowls room. It felt like every room was filled with yet another unique treasure! The living-room also featured a hidden door behind the curved bookshelves, originally put in to allow a small person to crawl through and clean the windows behind. Old houses have such a feeling of adventure, don’t you think? Especially when filled with as many quirky details as Goddards!

Dandy Lion

I took part in the 2 year anniversary fayre of the Dandy Lion market at The Oxford in Kentish Town. The stalls are all handpicked by Leslie who runs the market.

All of my display props are from charity shops (including the half size Chinese silk screen which was a complete find!) apart from my ruffled suitcase which came from an antique shop.

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