here shall he see no enemy but winter and rough weather

Top: Topshop/DIY      Skirt: New Look      Necklace: River Island

On Thursday, I took a trip to Stratford to see As You Like It at the RSC Theatre. I didn't really know much about the play beforehand, except that it is one of Shakespeare's comedies, meaning it was a fairly safe bet that it would be good! Especially when performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. And it really was fantastic.

Set (mostly) in the forest of Arden, the plot was not dissimilar to that of A Midsummer Night's Dream, with a cast lovers getting themselves into hilariously sticky situations under the magical shadow of the woods. I won't say anymore, (incase you decide to see/read it for yourself!) except that the cast were truly phenomenal, and had me constantly in stitches!

Also, the songs in the production were arranged by the incredible Laura Marling (with the lyrics based on those originally written by Shakespeare), and were really very lovely. Infact, that's an undstatement. The music was gorgeous, and really added to the whole ethereal atmosphere. Though the actors themselves sang in the play, you can hear Laura's rendition of one particular song, Under The Greenwood Tree, in the trailer below - which, incidentally, is really beautifully filmed.

Right, anyway, to the clothes! Thursday was gloriously warm and sunny, so I thought maxi skirt, cropped top, sandles - job's a good 'un! I don't normally wear so many pastel colours as they tend to wash me out, but I really like the way that this top and skirt look together. The top used to be a lot longer, but a while ago I got paint on the bottom edge (a casualty of A level art class), so I decided to crop it shorter and give it a new lease of life!

Sandals: Jones Bootmaker

I bought these sandals for my travels as I needed a good, strong pair to get me through the endless walking - and they served me well! Not only did they last the trip, they're still looking pretty presentable. And they're soooo comfy.

Ever the gullible tourist, I was persuaded to buy a few souvenirs from the theatre's gift shop. Ofcourse, I had to buy a programme, that's a no-brainer. I also spotted a tiny edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which has been my favourite Shakespeare play ever since I was Helena in our primary school production.(Lol!) I've never owned a copy of the play, and the cover was so pretty, I couldn't resist. Finally, I found this silver swallow ring for just a couple of pounds, I knew I had to snap up that bargain!

Stratford itself is a beautiful town - quite touristy, yes, but not to the point of being spoiled. I couldn't resist taking a few photos as we wandered around the town during the day. I took my little compact camera,  rather than my DSLR, so the quality isn't as good as it good be. However, I decided to mess about experiment with editing to jazz the photos up a bit!

This last picture is inside the theatre, after the play was over - you can still see the fairy lights! 

All in all, a brilliant day. 

Helen x