Bye Bye Birdie

I was hanging out the washing today when I saw my neighbour's cat run past me (it always comes to sun itself on our porch, the lazy thing) with something in its mouth. I saw it drop it, and the object twitched, so without thinking I dropped my basked, ran over and shooed away the cat. The little grey bundle of fluff turned out to be a baby bird - not even a fledgling; its feathers still looked like little spines and it clearly could not fly. I had thought if the cat was attacking a bird, it be able to escape if I intervened, but now I had a helpless creature depending on me! The cat was miaowing behind my legs, and I couldn't just leave the thing there, so I bundled it up into my jacket and took it inside. He was only bleeding a little on his wing, and seemed pretty lively (judging from the way he kept trying to bite me) so I just put him in a towel-lined shoebox with my jacket on top so he would be in a safe, dark and warm place - and it worked wonders, as he settled down to sleep almost straight away. He had an amazingly strong/musty/awful smell for such a tiny critter... my jacket is being washed for the second time right now!

My dad and I looked all over for a nest, but we couldn't find one. Given that the cat just sat there angrily miaowing at me instead of going back for seconds, I'm assuming that the little guy fell out of his nest and the cat got him then (not to mention the cat is so fat it struggles to climb over our fence, let alone up a tree!) We rang the wildlife society and they said that cat bites are actually toxic to birds (they have some kind of bacteria in their mouth) so we would need to take him to a vet. When we arrived, the receptionist said he was so young that he might not recover, but since his wing was not broken and his injuries were minimal, he still had a fighting chance. Since he was a native bird (Crested Pigeon) they would do their best to tend to his wounds, and then give him to a wildlife carer.

This isn't vintage related, I know, but I'm just looking for confirmation that I did the right thing - was I helping the bird by interfering, or should I have just let nature take its course? If anything I'm consoling myself with the fact that if it did have to be put down, that would be a lot less painful and scary than being eaten alive by a cat...

He looked just like this little guy, whose picture I had to steal from google (my take-photos-of-everything blogging instincts did not kick in until I was home again!)


It's not the first time I have had to rescue wildlife! Once I braved handling an echidna (with a heavy duty picnic blanket) that somehow found its way onto our suburban street. That guy wasn't injured though, just very, very lost.

My mum says I am a bleeding heart like my grandfather, whose farm is populated with various stragglers and add-ons that he has taken in over the years (including a stray deer and baby alpaca that fell of the back of a truck and wandered onto his property!) It's just a lot harder than you'd think to ignore something like that when it is happening right in front of you. I really do hope the little guy is doing okay.

Too tall for vintage? / Very small sale

I need to start paying more attention to the sizes listed on items I buy - I made three purchases in the last week that I am apparently just too tall for! The perfect pair of cigarette pants ended up as capris on me :( and I'm fairly certain that stockings are not meant to finish just over my knee. Boo.

I am normally pretty good about making sure my hip, bust and waist size align with the listing, but I keep forgetting that women were (apparently) a lot shorter back then. I really struggle with finding fully fashioned stockings that fit me properly, as I have a VERY small foot, but rather long legs. I may have to stop holding out somebody to list the estate of a tall, dainty-footed lady, and just stock up on What Katie Did cheapies. It is getting colder and I ruined about half of my stockings by doing the handwashing with a jagged fingernail - oops!

I wish I had an outfit post to share, but I have been staying at home to work on assignments, and I am being terribly lazy and just wearing my (admittedly smashing) pjs all day. In my defense, I'm waiting for an order of sweaters I made to arrive - it is just too cold to be wearing anything that is not 100% wool or flannelette! My mother, sister and I are going to see Jersey Boys after our exams, so hopefully I can get all dolled up for that!

(Oh, my boyfriend is helping me sell the items that didn't quite fit on ebay, if anyone is interested! )

Just no.

Stefanie Valentine, you may want to avert your eyes!

Actress Lindsay Lohan states that the inspiration behind her latest collection of leggings for her line 6126 was "the iconic Marilyn Monroe and the timeless, confident glamour she represents". Here's a couple of pictures from her lookbook - can't you just see the influence of the golden age of Hollywood emanating from her? *sarcastic*

No?



Really?

Lindsay, you have a long way to go before you can start comparing yourself to such an iconic and amazing woman - start by washing your hair, and stop wearing leggings as pants!

A lovely surprise

My boyfriend showed up on my doorstep this morning out of the blue - he received a parcel that he had been eagerly waiting for the day before and today rushed over to give it to me. It was the Harlow Set from WKD!


When my facial rash started getting really bad and I began to be depressed over my looks, he decided to put in an order for it so that my self esteem could have a pick-me-up. He's not one of those guys who gives underwear for Valentine's day expecting that he'll get a free show out of it - rather, he understands that I feel good when I dress well, and that pretty undergarments make the best foundation (pardon the pun) for confidence.

I feel really, really lucky to have somebody in my life who doesn't just love me, but who encourages and teaches me to love myself and feel beautiful and worthy always. To use the analogy originally put forward by Mary Deluxe: I was lost and in a bad part of town, but a bus I didn't even know I was waiting for came along and offered me a ride out of there. To this day, I think that taking a chance on that bus was one of the best decisions I ever made. Okay, enough soppy stuff from me!

In Denial

Things I have bought lately:


Average temperature this week: 16 C

...

D:

SUMMER, COME BACK! I JUST REALIZED I DON'T OWN ANY TOPS WITH SLEEVES THAT EXTEND PAST MY ELBOWS!

(I actually spent more on pyjamas than winter clothing this past month... clearly I intend to hibernate all winter...)

Collection Envy - My Aunt

Last night I went to visit my Auntie's house. I felt like all of a sudden, now that my interest in vintage collectibles is broadening from just clothes to things home decor, art movements and such, that my eyes were opened to what an amazing collection of things my Auntie has. Unlike me, she has little interest in vintage clothing, but her house is packed to the rafters with Art Deco telephones and radios. BAKELITE WAS EVERYWHERE. I finally know what it feels and sounds like (I've never had a piece of my own and was too scared to get ripped off online without being able to test a piece's authenticity) - now I can opshop with a little more knowledge under my belt.

My Auntie also collects a lot of 1930s era crockery and homewares, an area which I find both alluring and daunting at the same time. The wealth of knowledge she has about her favourite design movements floors me - there is so much to know about registration numbers, stamps, how to value pieces that I wouldn't even know where to begin. But I want to! It's like when I watch The Collectors - the amount some people know about these very niche areas of history astounds me. Not to mention the number of items related to their obsessions that they are able to collect! If you ever get a chance, do watch an episode. To my overseas readers, even though it is an Australian show I am fairly certain you can watch segments online. Clicky!

The find of hers that probably makes me the most jealous is this set of Gayware canisters in perfect condition - she purchased it for only $10! I saw a similar set go on ebay for $150 just last week! D:


(Sorry for the terrible picture quality, I took it with my phone. The small items to the front left are a set of bakelite spice containers, and the rest of the crockery and glassware is from the 1930s. I would show you some of her telephone and radio collection but it was rather dark when I was over, and none of the photographs are clear enough.)

My Auntie's shopping tip for vintage fiends? Frequently stop by antique stores that specialize in pre-1910s furniture and homewares. If they get early plastics or mid-century modern pieces, they are likely to price them quite low by comparison as most of their customers are interested in far older eras with a different aesthetic.