Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending a lolita meet-up at Grounds for Sculpture. It is such a strange and wonderful place! There are (unsettlingly lifelike) sculptures placed throughout the grounds. Many of them are inspired by Monet paintings and are dressed in Victorian garb, which was quite appropriate for the occasion. 
The weather was as gloomy as ever, but it added to the eerie atmosphere. At one point I heard some very loud, distressed noises; it turns out there was a muster of peacocks nearby. Oddly enough, many peacocks live at the park. What’s more, one of them is completely snow-white. It was so strange-looking and yet so beautiful. Its feathers reminded me of dandelion puffs.
In addition to strolling through the grounds, we also took lunch at Rat’s Restaurant, an adorable French restaurant in the park. I cannot express how cute this restaurant is. A few girls commented that it felt something like a hobbit-hole, and I would agree with that comparison. The ceilings were quite low, all the furnishings were rich and wooden, and there was even a fireplace burning near our table, with a little nook filled with blankets and pillows for cozy fireside reading. The food was excellent as well. I had a croque-madame, followed up with a spiced creme brûlée and blue-flower Earl Grey tea for dessert. 
The cherry on top of a wonderful afternoon was that one of the co-hosts of the meet, Lucy, very generously gifted us some goodies to celebrate the launch of her brand Cottonbook. Her designs are a mix of casual lolita and mori-kei styles, and they look so comfy and cute! We each received an envelope (which the hosts went through the trouble of sealing with wax and flowers— so cute!) containing some beautiful printed postcards. We also got face masks and loose-leaf tea. 
It was such a nice getaway from the cold weather and homework I’ve had to deal with recently. I hope I will be able to enjoy more frilly outings like this in my last semester of college~
