A shoo-in for springtime

Let me just start this week with a little life event update which I know you all will be so excited to hear. Yes, I have finally passed my driving test. The level of relief is really quite ridiculous when you think about it, as it's just sitting into a car and driving, but I have to say it was possibly one of the most stressful things I’ve ever had to do.

My first attempt was a complete disaster, I was a bag of nerves and I seemed to have abandoned all sense of reason and almost forgot how to drive a car. I came away from that test fully prepared to be one of those people who just ends up taking the test about twenty times and possibly passing in ten years time when a tester finally takes pity on you.

Anyway, I left the test centre and rebooked my second test straight away because I was just determined to pass it and I knew if I left it for any length of time I would possibly never reapply. So last Tuesday, in the midst of storm Ciara with a little bit of snow, hail and blinding sunshine thrown in for good measure, I passed my test in Wilton. I must say I had a very nice tester bringing me around this time and you’d be surprised, how just by being normal and smiling every now and again, can just calm the nerves that little bit. I’m just so delighted that I’ve passed and I will never have to do that again, even if I don’t drive that much, it’s great just to have a full driving license.

I wish I hadn’t left it until my mid thirties to do it, and in my opinion, it should be a compulsory class you take in school.

In other news, I’ve been thinking a lot about shoes of late and of what I’ll be wearing this season when it gets a bit warmer and I won’t have to live in boots anymore.

I’m all for investing in the basics and having a few core pieces in your fashion arsenal, and footwear is no different. While it might seem a bit mad to be considering anything but boots at the moment, before we know it, we will be discarding the socks and exposing our poor feet to the elements.

These are a few of the styles I’m looking forward to wearing; first up is my black high top converse which I bought last autumn, and while I’ve worn them a few times, I want to wait until it’s a bit drier before wearing them more as the canvas and puddles don’t mix well. I’ll be wearing these along with my new pink Adidas Falcons as a boot substitute when I wear midi dresses and straight leg jeans.

If you’re in the market for new trainers, definitely shop around because I spotted the Falcons on one website for 100 quid but I ended up finding them on the Schuh website for €35. For a dressier shoe situation, I’ll be wearing either a heeled or flat loafer. I bought a pair of heeled leopard print loafers in Next a few years ago and they always make an appearance every spring. I also recently purchased a pair of leopard print loafers from Amari on Drawbridge St and I’ll be jazzing up a simple blazer, jeans and t-shirt look with those.

You might have guessed by now that I have a thing for a leopard print shoe. I’m not really one for a heel but I recently spotted a taupe leather, strappy kitten heel in New Look which would be the perfect shoe for a night out for the gal who likes to look good, but most importantly, likes to throw some shapes on the dance floor with not a painful foot or blister in sight.