"What a glorious feeling, i'm happy again..." Gene Kelly - Singin' In The Rain

Bonjour darlings, sorry for my lack of absence the past few days, I have been bed-bound (yet again) with the most awful of awful colds which I am still recovering from but I missed you guys (i get like twitches when I don't blog) so I thought i'd write something even if it's not my best.

It seems that whenever I am ill, there is always something (or many things) which cheer me up and this time was no exception. The first was the fact that yesterday I left the house for like the first time in a week to get some fresh air and somehow ended up in the shops (quelle surprise). Nothing cures a cold better than a bit of retail therapy. I found this gorgeous preppy white and navy cardigan in the guys section (we all know how much I love wearing guys clothes, it's the only reason I want a boyfriend) which just looks so comfy and warm and 'tennis at the country club' that I just had to get it.

I was already buzzing from my cardigan which was a bargain at (£10/$20) when I left the shop and was complaining to my mum about how I had desperately wanted a pair of brown flat leather brogues (I think Americans call them 'Oxford shoes') all season and hadn't been able to find them anywhere but needed them so much I felt like I was going to explode. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. My regular readers know that I am quite blessed when it comes to the fashion 'fate' situation and have had many 'it was meant to be' moments. This was just spooky. The very next shop I walked in to, the most perfect pair of brogues were staring at me. Only one pair left. In the right colour. In the right size. Like I said, destiny. The fashion gods were smiling down upon me as I grabbed them and handed over my money, grinning from ear to ear, if not a little freaked out at the size of the coincidence.


The second pick-me-up was the fact that I was nominated for another award from the lovely Fashion Jazz. I know I also have two others pending, but as the last post was an interview, I thought you'd be sick of hearing about me, but this one is a little different. You have to write about 10 things that make you happy, so I thought i'd share the sunshine, so to speak (it's currently raining here):

1) My friends -  I have many accquaintences but can count the number of true friends on one hand, which is how it should be in my opinion. Those people know what I am feeling or thinking without any words being exchanged and can cheer me up with a look or a word.
2) My family- I love them very much, and whilst my extended family drive me insane, my relationship and life with my mum is quite literally the Gilmore Girls in England. Literally.
3) Shopping - the bright lights, the cheesy music you sing a long to but would never download, oh and did I mention the clothes? Pure heaven. They don't call it retail therapy for nothing.
4) Dancing - preferably when no one is watching. Occasionally with hairbrush in hand.
5) Music - I have no idea how I managed to function before the introcution of the ipod. We're inseperable.
6) Fashion - Since they uploaded them online, my guilty pleasure is watching runway shoes. I'm mesmerized.
7) Reading magazines - I like to sit and read them, uninterrupted from cover to cover.
8) Reading books - I love all sorts of literature - from Gatsby and Les Miserables to Confession of A Shopaholic. Pure escapism.
9) Blogging - where else can I rant like a mad woman and share my love of fashion with people who actually appreciate it, understand and feel the same?
10) Making others happy - I know it sounds terribly corny but it's true, nothing gives me more pleasure than knowing i've brightened up someone else's day even if I haven't been able to brighten up my own

Okay so now I nominate 10 lovely bloggers to do the same, apologies if you've already done it, just pass it on: Daisy Chain, Jennifer Fabulous, Jen, Diana Dye, J'aime, Marz, Mom & Son, Tarryn, The Girl With The Satchel, Talia & Lily Rose

The final bit of good news is the best of all and really cheered me up. You may remember a while back I enlisted some of your help to nominate me in however many categories you saw fit for the 2010 Web Blog Awards. Well, it was brought to my attention yesterday that I am a finalist in the 'Best Teen Blog Award' catergory. Firstly, I have to thank Tarryn for being the first one to nominate me and make this all possible and secondly to all of you who subsequently nominated me. Okay darlings, so here's where I really need all of your help. There's pretty stiff competition, they are all amazing and i'm up against Sea Of Shoes! I would really appreciate it if you guys could vote for me to win in my category here (only if you think I deserve it of course). You can vote once every day for one blog in every category and voting closes on Sunday 31st January - so bookmark it and get those multiple votes in!

Hope you are all happy and healthy

Stay safe and chic mes amis,
English Rose x