It's all gilded mirrors

Hi! Hey! Aloha! I am particularl jubilant this fine day, because that awful intstitution they call school is OVER (well, for 7 weeks anyway). We, the poor little caged student birds have been released to fly free in the wild, and like the birds of my analogy we now have no idea what to do with ourselves. Well, that's not strictly true, but you get my jist! I am so happy to be able to wake up late, and wear what I want! Today, having annoyingly middle class parents, we went to Kedleston Hall! - which is a lovely National Trust property nearby. And, of course - what could I do but take stupid amounts of pictures until the battery on the camera ran out?

 This is a collage I made of the gorgeous outside of Kedleston - I love the stone, punctuated by greenery! (Pretty proud of this, if I do say so meself...)

After we'd been through the whole tickety-rigmarole-thingy we were ushered into the SPECK-TACK-YOU-LAR marble hall. None of the photos really capture the mahoosiveness of this hall, but it was truly stunning. Tons of marble everywhere!

I just wanted to show you this lovely velvet chair - faded, battered, loved, but still most gorgy!

 This was me getting in everyone's way crouching one the floor to balcance my camera for this shot!

And yet more evidence of why all the American tourists hated me - I kept lurking behing doors to get a peeking-round-the-door-shot. I don't blame them really!

There was an arts initiative going on, so they had dotted sculptures here and there. I wasn't too keen on most of them, but I found this massive gilded head - and to my suprise quite liked it! And now..we come to the most exciting part! One of the Curzons who lived at Kedleston was the Viceroy of India (don't quite understand what that means, but he was trés important!) Anyway, when Prince Edward the Somethingth got made king, there was a mahoosive celebration in India to mark it, and the Viceroy and his wife were the most important people there! (I think this is the wife, but don't count on it!)

For the party the Viceroy wore some militry thing, BUT his wife wore the peacok dress. Which is below. It is spun gold, handstitched in Paris, covered in ridiculously valuable gems and sparkles, lace and silk and stuff. In the eye of every peacock feather there is a tiny irridescent beetle wing (which is pretty cruel, but I guess it looks lovely!)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gorgeous, right! So, I was a bit annoyed because they had had a costume exhibition on, but we had missed it :(. After that excitement we went to the café and had a lovely hot chocolate! A lovely end to a lovely day!

Before I leave you (To skip off and read my New Exciting David Attenborough Book!!!),I would just like to inform you that during the whole visit I was proudly sporting my NEW EYELINER, bought on Friday! I love it!

Oh, and before I go I should say that I'm going off to GERMANY on Friday, so you might not hear from me until I get back! (I'll miss you too!!) Stay classy dinosaurs - enjoy the holidays! *Me out.*