blurry face and cracked voice gone through VHS tapes

On Sunday I took a break from work and took my lunch to Golders Hill Park. I used to go all the time when I was little, however we haven't been in ages. It was nice to reconnect with my old haunt and be hit by that glorious wave of nostalgia that accompanies being somewhere that brings back memories of childhood. The weather had really cleared, and it was nothing less than blissful to be out in the fresh february air under the bluest sky I've seen since summer.

I've been feeling very sixties inspired recently, and after getting this Orla Kiely top (!!!) in Uniqlo for £6, I felt I had to go for the full on look. I wore it with my skirt from Oxford, cardigan from Beyond Retro, and mary-jane shoes from Rokit.

I took a bagel for lunch, and bought some tea from the Cafe, which is really lovely and sells amazing ice cream. Going back really reminded me of how lovely some local places are...you don't have to go too far in London to find somewhere so serene and peaceful. I've also been feeling a little estranged from myself recently, purely because my body is that of a sixteen-year-old girl, but my mind is still very much a child who wants to play games and run wild all the time. I think that it's just a part of growing up, but reconnecting with old places and things I used to do as a child have proved very comforting, and helped me come to terms with the fact that although I do have to accept some responsibilities and act with a level of maturity now I'm getting older, I can still do everything I used to do when I was little and still have just as much fun as I did as I used to. Being sixteen is both amazing and terrifying in equal measure, but I think I am beginning to get the hang of it at last, even though I still answer 'fifteen' accidentally when anyone asks how old I am.

I thought I may as well go all out and so even took my Spaceboy lunch box I bought from Brighton last year...nothing beats a cute lunch box when it comes to ways to brighten your day (especially when you know there's a bagel inside). We had a gorgeous walk around the park and had lunch sitting in the flower garden, before walking around to the little zoo.
Golders Hill Park Zoo was created in 1905, and is now home to donkeys, lemurs, ring-tailed coati and a huge variety of birds including beautiful Kookaburras and Eagle Owls. There is also a herd of fallow deer. I've loved animals ever since I was tiny, and remember visiting these same feathery friends with my cousins when I was little. Seeing animals like Coati and the fluffy Kookaburras never fails to put a smile on my face, and nothing could have brightened my work-filled day more than seemingly befriending one of the two donkeys, who decided to follow me as I made my way around it's paddock. The deer were also beautiful, and it was so lovely to be so close to such shy animals...and very helpful if I ever need to draw deer for future art projects. It's good to plan ahead right?

On a slightly separate topic, I've realised that I finally need to accept the fact that people I know read this blog. For a whole year I managed to keep in on the low-down, maintaining it as a sort of private hobby (even though the webpage is public). It doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would...mainly as I go to an incredibly accepting school, and no one seems that interested (thank God). It's still a little weird though, but I've always known that my friends finding out was inevitable. It could be a lot worse, I mean it's not like I've got a secret rabbit porn blog or something...now that would be embarrassing.
Hope you're all having a good week,

ellie xo