Spooky Weekend

It feels like a while since I dedicated a whole separate post to meetup stuff. But it’s also been a while since I frilled hard all weekend whilst actually doing stuff rather than just sitting at home. And since it’s also spooky stuff (or half spooky and half just seasonal), so it would fit with this month’s Bibliotheca theme of Halloween, there was really no reason to not make this into a separate post.

SATURDAY

| Grove Deer Moon of Eternal Day OP | Innocent World Rose Lace Millefeuille bolero | Innocent World Fleurs Checkered OTKs | Hush Puppies boots | After Midnight beret | Cutie Creator headbow | offbrand earrings | My Inspiration brooch and necklace | Axes Femme collar | Angelic Pretty Melty Ribbon Chocolate ring |

Sometimes you think you pin your beret securely enough and then it turns out not to be the case.

Next vintage fair I go to I'm looking for more fur layers, even this faux fur one was great for keeping warm in the wind.

On Saturday my friend and I went to a pumpkin patch. Don’t let the indoor outfit pictures fool you, I did have a moment of sanity and changed out of these very well coordinated shoes into my more practical plain brown boots - which was a godsend because pumpkin patches are, you know, pretty muddy. Still considering how I coordinated this whole outfit around: a) the seasonal colours; b) comfort (all that full shirring baby!); c) being practical for the weather and activity (i.e. will it match my brown boots and brown leather jacket), this is really quite nice. It was a bit of a last minute burst of inspiration too, since I had no clue what to wear until pretty much the night before, so I’m very happy that it worked out like this.

I had never been to a pumpkin patch before. Not having a car, which is sort of required for getting to them, was the chief obstacle, but I also never particularly felt the incentive. After however-many months of being cooped up at home with no possibility of fun outdoorsy stuff? Yeah, I was definitely ready, willing and excited to try new things. Plus it’s the company that makes it.

Not sure what do the Minions have to do with a corn maze - other than colour - but this was very clearly for kids.

Honestly, same.

I understand the appeal now, it's satisfying to see a field full of orange dots like these.

So off we went, starting out with a trip through a labyrinth within the field of corn, which is where we picked up most of the mud from. It was really no joke and I looked at the people in wellies with considerable envy, even though my Timbaland boots did very well all things considered. The theming around it was somehow mostly Harry Potter, not sure why, definitely don’t see this being legal given the royalties and stuff - if they only gave me a stuffed JKR that I could stab with something, that would’ve been fun, but as is I’m just happy that she won’t see a penny of that money.

A little photo op for the criminally inclined, I guess?

No shrieking happened whilst we were there.

What you don't see here is the awkward half-squat I had to do because this was not adult-sized.

Having completed the labyrinth through the longer route (which wasn’t that long at all, this must’ve been longer for children rather than adults), we entered the pumpkin field and had our pick. My friend went a bit mad, picking three in the end, after talking herself out of a fourth one. I wasn’t going to get any, but then the good mood spread to me and I picked a cute baby one, or as baby one as I could find, and will figure out what to do with it in due course. Most likely I’ll cook something because I don’t trust myself to carve it and the thought of watching all that edible stuff rot for the sake of aesthetic (especially as I don’t have an outdoors to let it rot on) just makes me feel bad for wasting food. But how I’ll hack into it without hurting myself or what I’ll even end up doing with it - that is future Paulina’s problem to figure out.

I found my baby.

Words cannot express how happy village bakeries like this one make me.

Afterwards we had a very brief wander round the village the pumpkin patch was next to, since it was very quaint and picturesque. We tried to stop for lunch somewhere, but the pub didn’t look to be serving any food and the chippy literally closed as we were about to go in there (that was before 3pm, so that must be one very quiet village!). But I did pick up a loaf of bread and a millionaire’s shortbread from the local bakery, so between those and the pumpkin I was really a very happy bunny indeed.

SUNDAY

| AatP Sugar Plum Fairy Princess JSK | Sentaro Star Sleeve blouse | Putumayo Celestial Light OTKs | offbrand shoes, earrings and ring | Vierge Vampur bonnet | Puvithel Crystal Heart necklace | vintage ring | handmade bracelet | Dalao Home wig |

A new pair of lashes from Lola's Lashes - someone save me from myself, please, I think I may be addicted to these now.

How long have I owned this dress now? Only now found out that there are crowns in the print.

Then on Sunday the same friend and I went for a spooky afternoon tea at Ordsall Hall. A fancy location and a much calmer activity warranted a much fancier getup, so we have this decidedly gothic ensemble. Even though the fabric of this blouse annoys me a little with how it has absolutely no give, the dramatic sleeve works beautifully with the flocked velvet JSK, and there is really no way to go wrong with black and wine red.

Immediately upon arriving at the Great Hall, the staff were totally in love with our outfits and really sweet about it. Since the event coincided with the beginning of the half term school holidays, it was marketed mostly at families with kids, though I was very pleased to notice that we weren’t the only child-free party there. Having said this, the fact that this was primarily aimed at kids showed not only through the decor, but the tea spread itself. Granted, at £12.95pp, I can see where the money went and wasn’t expecting loads - I’ve had plenty which were much worse for much more, though also a few which were much better for about the same. But since some of that money also goes to support a local historical landmark, I really am not mad and being able to have even such a basic kiddie afternoon tea in a literal Tudor manor was aesthetic enough. And Ordsall Hall does claim to have a ghost on site, so extra spooks there.

I love Ordsall Hall so much and to have tea where nobility would've hosted banquets like half a millennium ago is incredible.

My first hint that the tea may have been aimed more at kids than adults.

To paraphrase a meme, it's not much, but it's an honest spread. Very sweet though!

A friend.

And the aesthetic touches. Most of these shop-bought sweets I brought home with me.

As the tea service was pretty short and the hall was very clearly trying to close for the day, we retreated to my place for a bit of more tea and chatter. Whilst I totally would’ve done this on my own too, it’s great to have a friend to join you on little adventures like this, so hopefully there will be more like it. And after those two days I feel sufficiently filled up on spooks to last me. Even though there is one more official Halloween meetup which I will attend, since Halloween is not my season, this already feels like I’m doing so much more. Let’s hope that I will be able to channel that level of energy for Christmas again because I sure wouldn’t want my favourite time of the year to feel like it fell short compared to one that I don’t necessarily care for.