i thank You God for most this amazing day:

for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
-ee cummings

It is wonderful when you have dressed worthily for an unexpectedly lovely day. I have discovered a bizzare but brilliant new cafe - Clowns, on Kings Street. And it really is full of clowns! China clowns, puppet clowns dangling on strings from the ceiling, clown posters... The surroundings are surreal enough without the fact that is is run by an Italian couple straight out of Roman Holiday. Their speciality is penne bolognese with delicious glasses of wine, which they fill up far above the 250ml line. I felt delightfully Carrie of Sex and the City-esque sitting on the little rooftop garden they have, sipping my scrumptious red in the sun, shopping bags at my side [yes, I *had* to drop into H&M] - a far better place to study than the packed and musty library!

And then, yesterday evening I had to make a mad dash from Kings when a choral friend called proffering free tickets to Formal Hall at college. Fortunately, my costume of the day was multi-purpose, so I only had to throw on our Hogwartsian black 'gown' and some heels and I was set for the candlelit four courses, just in time for the starter!

I love dressing up so much that I am going to try and post my 'outfits of the day' more often - but apologies in advance for the poor pictures. The downside of dorm rooms: very narrow mirrors...

Outfit Of The Day:
Purple vest and over-dress from a tiny shop on the Left Bank in Paris.
School purse-belt - has proved invaluably handy over the years!
Lime green platform pumps from Primark - surprisingly comfy.
Marilyn Monroe necklace by Anna Lou of London.

After formal, I threw a Skype Night and watched The Philadelphia Story with the camerado - oh, for a Jimmy Stewart to carry one in his arms, singing Somewhere over the Rainbow...

...or, indeed, a Cary Grant! Here's the first part of the movie, but just watch up until 0:40 - sheer comic brilliance!:-

I was, in fact, inspired to watch this movie because it, in turn, inspired the musical High Society - which they are showing at John's college four days before my birthday! My beloved Cambridge - it always provides. The perfect weather-proof plan for a celebration. Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong... oh, it's too marvellous for words!

More Lovely Things That Make Me Feel Like This...

-John Rawlings

An ee cummings a day keeps the drudgery at bay: as I learned from White Oleander, "Always learn poems by heart. They have to become the marrow in your bones. Like fluoride in the water, they’ll make your soul impervious to the world’s soft decay."

A sip's worth of champagne as a cleanser - surely not?! I'll have to try this!

Just Kiss Neptune on How To Throw A Delightful Tea Party.

My comrade in arms: "Last night, I dreamt that we were singing inside a big empty hall - it was all echo-y and kind of dark red, and I was like, where the hell are we? Then it zoomed out. And we were inside a chicken."

-Manuel Libres Libro

Rainy Mondays, when one has the perfect excuse to lounge in the *boudoir* in a silk kimono, watching Sex and the City and eating jackflaps!

"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."
-Hans Christian Andersen