Cambridge & the Pink Balloon

Chapter, Fashionably Light

Apr 09 2013

Gold Tape

Outfit ~ Cambridge & the Pink Balloon

On Easter weekend, of course I needed to wear my fluffiest frock! The lovely Caroline (Sparkles & Crumbs) hosted some of us Blogcadet girls in her uni-town Cambridge. The day pretty much looked like this:

Outfit ~ Cambridge & the Pink Balloon

^ photo by Caroline, featuring me, Carrie (California Love Letters), Amy (Disguised by Zebras), Anita (Trawlergirl), and Lucy (LucyJLoves)

Caroline showed us around Clare College, the canal, some outdoor markets, and a secret garden before we arrived at GD Designer Style Hire, where we tried on glamourous rentable dresses in fabulous company of the shopkeepers, Georgia and Susan.

Outfit ~ Cambridge & the Pink Balloon

Easter weekend, and the flanel shirt and winter Docs were still necessary. But in a pink tutu amongst gigglingly fun ladies it didn’t matter – especially when I received my Easter present! We were walking down the street, same as we had been all day, when suddenly Hostess Caroline dashed into a shop and emerged with a pink balloon: “It’s so you, Xandra!!” she explained, handing it oh my gosh to me (adding “Don’t worry, they’re free. I didn’t steal it.”).

Outfit ~ Cambridge & the Pink Balloon

SMILE!!!

But wait. It gets better. After an evening of authentic Italian at the aptly-named Clowns restaurant + Roman Holiday viewing back at Caroline’s flat, followed by Easter Sunday brunch the next morning + Easter Parade + Prestat champagne truffles, Caroline asked “Are you taking the balloon on the bus with you?” – appropriate, as it had already accompanied me everywhere – to which I replied yes of course.

As I headed across the green to my bus, this plan changed. A couple approached me from the opposite direction, with a very small bundled up girl in between them. She froze at the sight of me, more specifically, at the balloon. Her face lit up with utter glee, and what could I do but offer to crown her the new guardian of the balloon? I knelt down to pass it to her, and she could barely clutch it in her tiny pink-mittened hand (I approve of her apparel). When told to “Say Thank You”, the girl (probably too young to articulate) exclaimed “Aaaahhh!!”. I didn’t get a picture of this, because that would be creepy, but one of Amy’s pictures from the weekend captures The Exact Expression of the small girl described:

Outfit ~ Cambridge & the Pink Balloon

And that’s my Happy Easter Story. The End!

Outfit ~ Cambridge & the Pink Balloon

xandra ★

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