imPassioned Purple

What a colourful week we've had! I've so enjoyed exploring everyone's world through the spectrum. I've so enjoyed exploring my own little wardrobe world through the spectrum too. And I've confirmed a few things for myself:

• I love colour. It makes me happy.
  
• My wardrobe is not as neutral as I sometimes think it is.
  
• I probably could start a small shop with the beads, bags and baubles I have.
  
• My things are just things but they do have stories and their stories make them special to me.
  

Thank you to each and every one who has stopped by, read my ramblings, and stayed for a chat. Thank you to Lisa who has led the way with her glorious and colourful photographs and coordinated our efforts for easy enjoyment.

And thank you for ending the week on purple. Purple is my third favourite colour and I wear it quite a lot...

Purple passion - I love this purple fuzzy flower. I love it 'cause it's purple. I love it 'cause it's felt. I love it because the hands that made it belong to someone wise and funny and fabulous who reached out across the world and spread some of her beauty and colour my way. This is how it came to live with me. I love it.

Purple parrot & pearls - several years ago I needed to move. And I needed a new job. But I also needed not to be tied down for too long because I didn't know what I'd need next. I was lucky enough to find a maternity cover contract working with a great charity organisation, managing a team of lovely women who took me to their warm and generous hearts at a time when mine was mostly just going through the motions. They gave me a reason to get up every day, shared their strength and laughter, and helped me start the journey to finding myself again. When the contract ended after almost a year, I was ready to move on but sad to go. I had regained some energy and gained some friends. They gave me this beautiful necklace (and a matching bracelet) as a leaving gift and every time I wear them, I am reminded of how lucky I was to be in that place, at that time, with those people.

Drawn to the light - something about the shape of this sweet enamelled butterfly makes me think of a dancer with wings. It's dainty and delicate but don't let its demure looks fool you. It enjoys a good party. Here it's hanging over a lantern that I acquired when I was still living in London, bought especially for a harem party that my sister and I hosted. This is not as lewd as it might at first sound. We had recently spent a wonderful time in Istanbul and environs, where my sister was working for a while, and we wanted to enjoy an evening with friends, Turkish style. So we decked the living room out like a tent with colourful drapes of gauzy fabric, lots of candles, lanterns, flowers, and piles of cushions around a low table, where we invited a group of our girlfriends to join us for dinner, dressed "exotically, sumptuously and comfortably"... What fun it was. Everyone really pulled out the stops - one of my friends came in a sari style outfit made out of fake purple fur, hennaed hands, a bindi (or pottu) and her bedroom slippers. Another wore her silk lounging pyjamas and a kimono style robe, and a third wore her belly-dancing gear... It was great. We ate traditional Turkish summer fare, drank apple tea, and polished off a mountain of baklava (well, I polished off a mountain of baklava) while we set the worlds to rights. This lantern cast the most beautiful shadows over the event through its cut-out patterns and it was the butterfly that encouraged me to join the late-night dancing that ensued... 

Purple toes are pretty toes - how many purple nail polishes does a girl need you might wonder? Apparently quite a few! I have a bit of an issue with my toes. They are not of the neat and perfectly arranged variety. My sister has beautiful feet, dainty and symmetrical, and I'm sure my toes suffered a complex by comparison. For many, many years as a youngster I would not show mine in public unless I could absolutely not avoid it (like at the beach) and would never wear sandals. Silly. They may not be the prettiest, but I have ten and they work and toes are generally not the most attractive things are they? Anyway, I don't remember what the trigger was but I decided that it was ridiculous and that I was denying myself the pleasure (and comfort) of wearing so many lovely sandals and that I just needed to get over the whole toe thing. Strangely, because it really makes them even more conspicuous, I found it easier to show them with painted nails, than without. And so my love of polish was born. Now I enjoying playing with colours on my toes and I particularly love shades of purple, as evidenced by this little collection of my current favorites. All slightly different, some with a bit of sparkle, some with a lot of oomph, they live in their little bowl in the fridge door just waiting to come out and play...

 

Butterflies and books - I bought this bag a few years ago from one of my favourite stationery shops. Not a place one would necessarily expect to find accessories to wear but they do a great range of book bags and laptop carriers. I think it's probably fairly obvious why I could not resist it? Two of my favourite colours, butterflies galore and a great shiny finish, which feels lovely, is easy to maintain and is waterproof. Waterproof is important in the UK, land of many a rainy day. It's also really strong so it's the bag I use most often to go to the library because it can manage a good load and in the event of a shower, the books stay protected. It also often accompanies me on my longer train journeys to carry a magazine, my book, my laptop in its sleeve, a notebook, a pashmina, mp3 player, my camera, a snack... The essentials and the little extras that make a journey comfortable and complete.

 

Purple and a philosophy of life - this, the final of my beads and baubles to share this week, is a bracelet of amethyst beads, given to me by the above-mentioned sari wearer. Amethyst is said to have many properties associated with it that relate to healing, calm and spiritual wisdom and it was all these things that she wished for me when she made the gift. Apparently it helps insomnia too but, I have to say, I haven't particularly found that works for me. Either way, it's pretty and I love this bracelet because it came with so much love. I don't know why I took to draping it over the neck of this little zebra when I'm not wearing it (zebras are one of my favourite animals) but I did, and he wears it well I think? He certainly looks content enough. In the background a framed version of one of my favourite quotations by Henry Miller (also in my sidebar) and my nutshell philosophy on life. I couldn't have said it better.

Happy Purple Friday Lovelies!

♥