Celebrating Shalisa's Birthday!

It was Shalisa's birthday on Saturday and so a few of us decided to have a mini casual meet in Reading to celebrate! It feels like ages since I last got to see Shalisa and Sammi and I was so glad to have this fun day out before the TPC event Revelry (just over a week to go!). 

For most of this Summer I have barely worn lolita, as the UK went through a bit of a hot spell. But the night before this meet I was concerned that I was going to get too cold in my outfit! Typical English weather... In the end, I decided that I needed to fit in one last warm weather outfit before it got too cold and went with the outfit I had planned. I wore my Metamorphose March of the Duck skirt and went for a casual feel. I teamed it with ankle socks and loads of bright red Bodyline items to match the bottom of the skirt. 

We decided to go to Ed's Diner which looks just like one of those American 50's diners and plays a lot of music from that era. I got a chilli dog and shared some Atomic Fries with James. Atomic Fries are one of my favourite things about Ed's Diner! It is a shame Shalisa and Sammi didn't like their cheese and bacon fries, but apart from that we all seemed to enjoy our food.

After Ed's we went to the bubble tea stand in the Oracle Centre to discover if it was any better than the bubble tea at Mr Chips. The verdict was that Mr Chips is better! However, I still really liked my passion fruit smoothie bubble tea. Instead of traditional tapioca bubbles I went for blueberry jelly, which was a bit different.

After getting bubble tea, we decided to do a bit of shopping. Shalisa took us to this really cute little vintage shop called Frock and Roll. After getting a bit lost, we located it and I was able to buy some really lovely peachy pink gloves. I randomly found this hobby horse hidden away in the changing rooms. Of course, this was the perfect excuse for some silly photos! The photo I took with the hobby horse was a bit too embarrassing to post though, so here is Shalisa riding the hobby horse instead (sorry Shalisa!). 

Our walk back in to town took us along the canal and we got to make some geese friends. I think they were very disappointed that we didn't have any bread. One of the geese looked at me a bit funny, but maybe that was because I was wearing a print with ducks on it!

A nice little group shot by the canal. There were quite a few people walking by, so it was nice that we managed to get a few decent shots of just us. 

When we got back in to town we did a little bit more shopping. I was devastated when we went in T.K Max because I found a really pretty pair of reduced Melissa shoes in my navy blue. But they didn't fit me properly! I really would love to get a pair sometime. Sammi managed to find some cute boots that fit her, so it wasn't a completely wasted trip. And some random people in the store came up to us and started talking to us about lolita! It is always really funny when members of the public actually know about the style.

By the evening, we were ready to go to a pub for a nice drink. Sadly, the one we intended to go to made us feel really uncomfortable. We walked in to the Pitcher and Piano and everybody in the room turned to look at us. It was such an awkward feeling that we lasted about a minute inside before deciding we didn't like the atmosphere. I think that has to be one of my most uncomfortable experiences whilst wearing lolita in the entire time I have worn the fashion. So we ended up going back to the Oakford Social Club. We didn't have the greatest of experiences in there last time, but this time we settled in quite nicely and had a better time. But the Oakford really need to replace their board games. We decided we wanted to play a game of Kerplunk but when we opened the box we discovered all the sticks were missing and there was only one marble! It was pretty funny but I think some of us were secretly disappointed we couldn't have played it.

After a drink and some nibbles, we headed back home. I had such a good time. It felt good to see my friends again and I had a great time. Whenever I go home after these sort of casual meets, I always find myself impatiently waiting for the next meet to come around! But at least with Revelry around the corner I wont have to wait too long to see everybody again.

Berkshire Lolitas Summer International Lolita Day 2014 Meet!

I hope everybody had a lovely International Lolita Day last Saturday! I spent my ILD with the Berkshire Group in Reading. We were meant to have a picnic but unfortunately the weather forecast was awful!

I had a bit of trouble with my outfit. I knew it was meant to rain, but it was also meant to be really hot and humid. In the end, I had to wear whatever went the best with my Bodyline boots (Which I really need to break in properly. They were VERY uncomfortable and I am praying they get more comfortable after a few wears, otherwise I wont be getting the black ones after all). I feel I look a bit plain and simple, but it was important that I was able to wear things I could easily take off if needed. In the end, it was really hot and sunny all day, so there was no need to wear my boots! Typical! I curled my hair (too hot for a wig) and it all fell out not long afterwards. But aside from weather troubles, I don't think I did too badly? I wore my Meta lucky pack dress, which has served me quite well as one of my more casual brand pieces. Everything else is either Bodyline or off-brand.

The Forbury Gardens were in bloom and it looked lovely, although a few of the roses were a bit dead! We had to angle our photos very carefully to choose the best flowers. This rope area is in the middle of the gardens and it looks amazing when the flowers are out.

A lovely group of lovely lolitas! I met a few new people and saw loads of fantastic lolitas again. It is a shame I don't have any photos of us with Fern, Charlotte and Becky, who met us all a bit later on. We were able to get lots of photos before our mid-afternoon lunch.

We then went to Wagamama's again. It was a shame we couldn't have the picnic, but I was very satisfied with my curry! I had what James had last time, because I remember sampling his and getting food envy! Curry may seem a bit of an odd choice for a hot day, but it tasted amazing.

We also got given goody bags. We were all very happy with them! A massive thank you to Fern, Charlotte and Rosa for making them.

We also had another of Shalisa's quizzes to fill out and I ended up getting first place again! We had to guess whether or not the names were real brand print names or false ones. Considering I love discussing brand releases on here, it would have been embarrassing if I hadn't done well! Although, even I was a little surprised by some of the brand names on there. I don't think a single person guessed right that there was a print called Ruby Gloom. 

We went back to the park to eat the cakes that Rhiannon had made. They tasted amazing! I wish I had saved room for more. There were loads of interesting flavours, including elderflower. I kind of regret not trying one of those ones. And then Sammi, Shalisa and I left early because we needed to get some supplies in town.

I am very glad that I got to celebrate ILD with friends. I haven't really properly celebrated ILD at a meet before, so it was fun to mark the occasion. And although my boots caused me a lot of pain, I was grateful for the lovely sunny weather.