At a civil union ceremony this past summer. Skirt I dyed myself; leather rose pinned under hat brim; three kinds of sunblock.

So how’s that revamp working out for Ever So Scrumptious? Just as at this time last year, I’m distracted. It’s been a landmark summer in New Zealand and there were lots of road trips and weekend jaunts and beach walks. I cut back on some volunteering and on doing quite so many burlesque gigs, which gave me some breathing room.

Re: style, I find that I’m blogging about what I wear less than I’d planned. As much as I love what style bloggers do, I’m not a hardcore fashionista. But this year, I’ve been pleased and confident at how I was presenting myself via clothes. Which is the point, yes? I’ve got some great finds to share with the blogosphere, and some answering-readers posts to come.

Writing-wise, I’m feeling the gravitational pull of more substantial pieces, and I’d like to get back into the Making It Happen interviews, not least because these are what really resonate with readers here at ESS. Last week,  I was at a burlesque show. A dancer in the audience said she’d been amazed by the interview with Judith of Unseen Censer, and she’d gone on to read Unseen Censer avidly. “A whole world of perfume that I never knew about, things like dirty amber. What is that? I have to smell that!”  Backstage at the show, I wound up surrounded by spangled showgirls, who agreed about their favorite post on the blog this year – the one about buying a car. With witty eyes behind her lush eyelashes, one showgirl said, ” Could you do a post about reviewing a used car yourself? Such as, if you’re buying a used car, always rub some of the engine oil between your fingers – if it’s gritty, that means there are engine problems.” I’ll make it so. Is there anything else you’d like to read here at Ever So Scrumptious?

Later this year, the burlesque break will be over when Wellington’s burlesque calendar fills up. I’ll be doing some events, both burlesque and steampunk, and we’ll be blessed with flying visits from some international performers, culminating with the New Zealand Burlesque Festival this coming October.

Right now, I’m hammering myself with a ferocious workout program that’s reminding me how much I love weight lifting. It’s only six weeks until my trip to the U.S. of A. I’ll be celebrating my mother’s 70th birthday, and going to my 20th university reunion – has it been so long? And as time passes, and the expatriate years stretch out, this will be the last trip that falls into a certain cozy pattern of returns-home as parents age, friends drift away, and old haunts close or change. So any readers will be following me on my travels, as I freak out returning to the heartland of preppy and exploring places new and old.