Weird weather, Mary Poppins, and the Perfect Man

Hot and sunny yesterday; humid, thundery and wet today.

The British summer continues on its unpredictable course, making the decision of what to wear each day just a little more challenging.

There's a short sleeve maxi dress under there, and I started out with my trusty denim jacket on top, but I found this little Gap jacket on a stall at Chesterfield flea market this morning, and rather liked the Victorian riding outfit vibe.

I have been on the lookout for ever for a vintage carpet bag I could afford. Today was the day!

Love! Handmade carpet deliciousness with a gold frame, cute clasp, and bamboo handle. 

At £15, it was more than I usually pay for anything, but the stall holder reduced it from £20, and it's less than I have seen them for elsewhere. 

These photos were taken at around 11.30am. You'd never know it, it looks so dark and dingy.

I feel a bit like Mary Poppins today, with my umbrella and carpet bag.

I love the original Mary Shepard illustations. And the books are so much better than the Disney film.

I was out last night at our local pub quiz, doing badly as usual.

I've mentioned before that we bring our own prizes to share among our team, since we are clearly never going to win the jackpot...

I won...

... this fabulous 1970s cocktails book, just the thing to inspire me to fill my 1970s glasses.

I donated, but managed to win back (the rules are complex, I won't bore you)... 

If any of you single gals out there would like an Instant Inflatable Perfect Man, just let me know! I've got to warn you though, he's a little on the short side...

I love the Please keep packaging for future reference instruction. 

So if it turns out he does go to the pub and plans stuff without you, and gets drunk, and he stops cuddling and understanding you, you can presumably get a divorce refund.

Other scores of the week (to add further credence to Vix's assertion in her recent post that there are still bargains and vintage goodies to be found in British charity shops;

1950s Peggy Page polka dot dress (£5) and Liberty print cotton tiered gypsy skirt (£3.25)

And one other find...

The lovely Vintage Bird Girl featured her collection of these plastic-covered card sewn boxes (what a thoroughly inelegant description, she calls them hanky boxes) in this post, and I commented at the time that I had never seen one before. Then what do you know, I stumbled across this in a charity shop. 

It's so true, you never know what you're going to find next, just keep looking and prepare to be surprised. 

A motto for life perhaps!

Now the sun is shining again, the hem of my dress is drying, and Four Seasons in One Day is playing on my internal jukebox.

      xxxxx