Candle in the Wind

Hello, I'm back with my time machine! Escape the dreaded COVID-19 and travel back with me to early March, when I had a long weekend for Labour Day. Of course it is a chance to relax or go out and I did a bit of both.


 On the Saturday, my sister organised for us to go see a film that was set in Macedonia, called Honeyland. My sister and I are Australian with Italian and Macedonian backgrounds but we have never ever seen a film set in Macedonia, so this was a novelty for us. My sister wanted to take my Dedo with us as she thought he might enjoy it.

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My Dedo is 90 years old and he's not really into the cinemas, but for this, he was happy to go. On the drive there, we asked him when he last went to a cinema and he said that he'd been once or twice, back when he was living in Macedonia, which was close to 60 years ago! We got there half an hour early, so we went into Brunetti and had a delicious gelati before the movie started. 

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Honeyland is a documentary film that follows the life of a Turkish woman Hatidže Muratova, a bee keeper, living in the mountains of North Macedonia. Filming took place over three years, with 400 hundred hours of footage being collected as Hatidže cares for her elderly mother and deals with the changes that occur when a nomad family arrive and exploit the land. It is the second ever Macedonian film to earn an Oscar nomination. I was so glad to read that the award-prize money won by the film was used to purchase a new house for Hatidže in a village near her relatives and friends. 


After the movie, we went to my Dedo's house and spent some time in his wonderful garden. He grows lots of fruit and vegetables. We picked figs, grapes, plums and my sister even took home a bit of a stinging nettle plant to replant in our garden.


My sister and I are sentimental about my Dedo's massive fig tree. We have so many memories of standing under its branches with my grandparents every year, delighting in picking fresh, sweet figs. My Dedo let me take home a little off-shoot of the fig tree, and I'm hoping I can grow my very own fig tree now.



My Dedo even grows flowers to adorn my Baba's grave every week. 


In our garden, I have been picking kilos of peaches. They are so delicious and of course more flavorsome than those sold in supermarkets. The roses are in bloom and seeing them in the kitchen and on my bedside table makes me so happy.


I am LIVING in this horseshoe pendant that I mentioned in my last post. 

Outfit details:
Vintage suede and faux fur bag- $6 opshop find.

Turquoise rings & horseshoe pendant- bought from my favourite secondhand jewellery seller Leo. He's also trades and buys jewellery and I was delighted to trade a silver bangle I had for this horseshoe pendant.

Vintage turquoise cuff - treasured find from a day out with my nonna. I collect turquoise and have been wearing it for years.

Boots - secondhand market find.

Dress-  retail (shock horror)! I really enjoy secondhand/vintage shopping and it's not too often that I find a retail piece that I really like. I love the shape and leopard print of the dress but remind me to avoid buying from retail stores again, because after only two wears, the fabric is balling! Shoddy quality and all that, that's why I prefer vintage. 


On Sunday, I wore my mum's navy blue, floral dress to the market. We are getting quite good at sharing clothes now. I have to admit, we never used to be. Although once we realised that we can fit into some of the same clothes and that we like similar styles, then we figured why not shop each other's wardrobe! 

I've seen people on instagram do clothes swaps with their friends and I think it's a wonderful idea. My friends aren't really into vintage/60s/70s style clothes, so sharing clothes with my mum comes in handy. It's like double the wardrobe and double the fun!

This vintage, plastic basket perfectly reflected the blue and pink floral pattern in the dress. And oh, the turquoise, it goes with everything. I hope you don't get sick of seeing it because I never do. 

 And check out my finds!

Brown turtleneck, $4 - A lady was looking at this before me and I was waiting and waiting for her to put it down and then I had to restrain myself from pouncing on it. I LIVE in turtlenecks in winter and brown is so versatile. 

 Vintage belt, $5 -  made in USA and 'ARIZONA' is printed on the back, which I love. Tooled belts are always a good thing, but what drew me to this belt was the silver buckle with the turquoise bird detail. I cannot wait to wear this!

 Candle in a vintage, amber glass, $5 - I bought this from the lady who sold me the belt. She made the candle herself and it has a sweet lychee and guave scent. She initially wanted $10 for it but as I bought the belt from her, she was happy to take my offer of $5.

 Elvis LP to add to the collection - $5. I have been watching Elvis collections on YouTube and I am seriously considering making an Elvis room filled with posters and my LPs when I buy my first home!

 Rainbow candles, $2 - I instantly knew these candles were made in Sovereign Hill because of their unique colours and shape. I made a rainbow bumpy candle years ago at the open-air museum that commemorates Ballarat's discovery of gold in 1851. From memory, it only cost $5 to go through the candle making process and dip-dye your own candle . It is so fun and just the thought of it makes me want to return to Sovereign Hill. 
In addition to an Elvis room, when I have my own house, I also want to grow vines and olive trees, as seen in this beautiful park.

See you in my next post where I'll take you along for a trip to a winery where I spent Labour Day (Monday).
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Title: Candle in the Wind by Elton John. 


Comments

  1. Vix03 April, 2020

    Hi Jess! Both your dresses are fabulous (and perfectly accessorised), you're so lucky to be able to share clothes with your Mum. That's a real pain about the leopard print dress going bobbly already, I spend (or used to) so much of my time rummaging around secondhand shops bypassing racks and racks of tatty fashion that I've learnt that the vast majority of new stuff isn't made to last so I've learnt to avoid it no matter how pretty it looks.
    Ypur finds are fab, I'd have definitely bought that polo neck.
    Honeyland sounds right up my street, I'll have to see if Jon can download it. I'm glad you Granddad enjoyed his rare outing to the cinema.
    Your Garndad's garden is beautiful and as for those peaches, I'm salivating. We're lucky if we get a basket of wizzened apples!
    Stay safe and fabulous! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 04 April, 2020

      I know, being about to share clothes with a mum/sister/friend is such a great thing!

      It's a shame that the leopard dress started balling so quickly, but now that I've got it, I'm going to wear it for as long as possible and wash it inside out so it doesn't ball on the outside.

      I think you'd enjoy Honeyland and it was pretty special to see it with my granddad. X

      Delete
  2. Sheila04 April, 2020

    I am pretty sure that "Honeyland" played at the Victoria Film Festival this year - I'd like to see it. I'm glad you got to take your grandfather.

    Love your leopard dress, but OH NO, that dreaded cheap fabric pilling! It's so frustrating, isn't it? I love all your turquoise - the bird on your belt buckle is a roadrunner, FYI. Is the buckle removeable? Check the snaps/studs - you might be able to remove the buckle! I have a couple of belts and now I (and L) have a collection of buckles that we've found for cheap to put them on.

    Your turquoise jewelry is beautiful - I also have my own turquoise stuff out for spring/summer. Love that beautiful blue dress on you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 04 April, 2020

      I think you'd enjoy Honeyland, Shiela.

      I'm determined to wear the dress despite the balling - I like the shape, length and leopard pattern. Ooo, the bird is a roadrunner, I didn't know that! I'll have to check if the buckle is removable, I'm not sure.

      Turquoise is a forever favourite. I can't wait to see how you style yours with your spring/summer outfits. X

      Delete
  3. Polyester Princess05 April, 2020

    I'm making fully use of my time machine too, Jess. Even in such a short period of time, it is sometimes hard to remember those virus-free, carefree times, isn't it? I'm sure you are thankful that you were able to take your Dedo to see Honeyland before it all came crashing down! His garden certainly looks fabulous and I'm practically drooling at the sight of those juicy peaches. Shame about the dress, though. Vintage quality is so much better! How wonderful that you and your equally lovely Mum can share wardrobes. Your blue and pink dress is a delight and so is that charming plastic basket. Great finds too. My husband used to be a big Elvis fan back in the 1950s and early 1960s. Can you imagine he all experienced it first hand? He has a lot of the original albums, including many 45s. xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess 05 April, 2020

      Ahh, the good ol' time machine. I'm glad I preserve some memories on here.

      My Dedo's garden is the best. In times like these, thank goodness he doesn't need to run off to the shops all the time to get food, he's growing so many vegetables at the moment.

      How cool that Jos got to experience the Elvis phenomenon firsthand during the 50s and 60s. I'd love to see his original albums in your blog one day. X

      Delete

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