Honolulu Nights, Purple Days

I took my new-to-me 1960s Hawaiian maxi out for a whirl last Saturday evening.

Show-stopping colours, aren't they?

I went round to Tracey's for dinner with three other friends - Thai green curry, delicious!

And I made a start on the Task of the Summer, a house tidy up/clear out, by donating a lot of clothes which I never wear to Trace for her work wardrobe - she's got a new job!

1960s maxi dress (vintage fair), bangles and hair flower (charity shopped), Fly wedge sandals (retail, several years ago)

So that was sunny Saturday; this is today. 

Yep, back in tights and boots...

... and umbrella. 

  

Inspirational colours.

1970s dress (Ebay), tights, cardigan, beads, bracelets (charity shopped), boots (Second to None)

Jess found an alternative use for an umbrella - keeping one's fluffy bum off the wet grass.

Where did the sun go? I want summer back now please!

   xxx

Come together

We are back from our stay at my sister's in rural Buckinghamshire, and we had a lovely time. We got to spend time with family, and the weather made it feel like we were really on holiday. 

There are photos (later) but I'm starting by showing my enthusiasm for the London 2012 Olympics - I am genuinely looking forward to it all!

 

Yeah, where the hell is my invitation to joing Team GB's Posing squad?

They don't know what they are missing. I'm Gold Medal standard.

I enjoyed the opening ceremony last night, despite not really expecting to, I loved all the music, and actually laughed out loud at the Queen parachuting in with James Bond (although we were on to our second bottle of wine by then, which may have influenced things a little...) Made me consider that there must be a sense of humour behind that rather grim royal facade after all.

Eldest stayed up to watch the whole thing, testing her parents' geographical knowledge by asking where various countries are (err... Nauru? Palau? Sorry, kid, look in the Atlas!) and singing along enthusiastically with Sir Macca. 

My little Olympians decided swimming was their sport of choice, governed entirely by the fact that my sister's beautiful house has a swimming pool in the garden.

We went to Cogges Farm in Oxfordshire for a picnic in the orchard and to check out the animals.

How inviting is this gateway?

Beautiful Oxfordshire stone farm buildings.

The cow shed has been converted into a cafe.

Despite all the bunting and the Mind your head signs on every low beam, OH still managed to whack his head...

Bear of very little brain.

My abiding memory of childhood family picnics on a Sunday afternoon is my mum choosing a church to visit, and my dad lying down and going to sleep on the picnic blanket. Seldom Seen Kid has the manly pose down pat. I wonder if it's genetic?

Hmm... I appear to have become my mother, here we are at Winslow church (where I was christened).

Stripey t-shirt, belt and bracelets (charity shopped)

Bathing beauty skirt (Ebay) - last seen here

Sunnies (darling Sarah)

Surely the Synchronised Swimming team must need me?

I'm right here waiting!

 xxx

PS. No film of the performance, but we loved Sheffield's own Arctic Monkey's version of Come Together, and I heartily approve of Alex's hair cut! Which would please him no end, I'm sure...

Downtown

It wasn't exactly scorching, but at least the sun shone today for the Tramlines festival in Sheffield.

It's a free festival with various stages and venues around town.

I wore;

this 1960s Designed for California by Tom Jones of Mayfair maxi dress, last seen here.

Along with charity-shopped bangles aplenty, Art Company wedges, and sunnies from everyone's favourite freaky catwalk model Sarah.

The girls and I caught snippets of music as we wandered around, but we headed for the City Hall, where there was a vintage fair.

I looked like crap in the turbans but the girlies were rocking them!

I bought;

A 1960s Hawaiian maxi dress (£5) and a 1980s vinyl bucket bag (£1).

I really wanted;

That dress was so pretty and fit me perfectly, but I couldn't afford the £30 price tag.

I was dithering, and almost caved (it was gorgeous) but the seller put me off by saying how cheap the price was, and she could get double that amount at other fairs, and didn't I realise what 1950s dresses go for on Ebay?

Well, yes, I appreciate all of that. Her price was her price, and that's fine. But I'm not very good at being lectured, so I politely said I would have to love it and leave it, since I didn't have £30.

 I wonder if it sold?

Gorgeous pillars and light fittings in the City Hall ballroom. And gorgeous ever-so-slightly cross-eyed me, ha!

Mes filles.

The famous-in-Sheffield 1950s Muffin the Mule ride in Atkinson's shop - still only 2p a go!

Ooh, snooty bitch face!

Tomorrow, we are off to stay with my eldest sister and her family for a few days. 

See you when I get back!

 xxx

The sort of blue between clouds when the sun comes out

The kids have started their school summer holidays. Apparently the weather is set to improve, and it is lovely to have more time, especially of the in-bed-in-the-morning variety.

We get up very early to fit in Littlest's skin care regime, which includes a long soak in the bath every morning. The pressure is off in the holidays and we can take a more leisurely approach. Thank goodness for that.

I took some photos in the garden on Thursday morning, after the school run. It had been raining (no! really?) but the rain had cleared and the sun was breaking through. 

I ambled around the garden, snapping myself, the cats and the flowers. It was peaceful, solitary, and bright.

Without getting all raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens on your asses - it was a lovely quiet morning. 

Good for my weary soul.

And this is a quiet sort of dress. Pretty print, subdued colours, knee length, unremarkable really. But it felt comfortable and right.

1970s frock (Ebay), jewellery and tights (charity shops), boots (Second to None vintage shop)

I love spending time with my family and friends, I love my friendly local commuity and having a place in it, but I also love time on my own.

In the evening, with my dear friend Joanne babysitting, OH and I went out for a meal, together, without kids - a fairly rare event.

We chose a smart Thai restaurant where the food is wonderful, which the kids wouldn't fully appreciate - pearls before swine, we reckoned!

Austin Reed silk blend frock, £5, and shoes £4.99 (charity shops)

Didn't take any other photos - too busy eating and drinking!

Good for my greedy gut!

xxx

True colours shining through

I couldn't choose a favourite colour.

I don't think there is any colour which doesn't feature somewhere in my wardobe (though I have tried to eliminate beige.)

I do find that I can be drawn to the same colour over and over again for a while, as though my colour wheel gets stuck.

I seem to be in my orange period at the moment.

I know some people have all sorts of rules/guidelines about pattern mixing. I'm not especially analytical about it, I just felt that the bits of orange in the frock would "go" with the orange flowers on the cardigan. So I wore them together. That's all.

 This 1970s crimplene maxi dress was an Ebay purchase for £4.99. It was listed as a UK size 10 (it's not, or it wouldn't fit me) and described as twee. What an odd word to pick for this big bold splashy colourful print! Twee is an overdose of bunting, cupcakes and kittens, not a 1970s crazy chrysanthamum print.

And the cardigan is from a charity shop (£3.25) as are all the bangles.

I received a parcel of delight from the zombified perky-boobed artist's muse who is Sarah Misfit this week. She's obviously feeling the orange love too!

She sent me a wildly colourful 1970s frock, a wooden bracelet (already dubbed the pencil bracelet and pinched by Littlest), a fuck-off daisy brooch, fabulous sunnies, and a helpful tome on Understanding the female orgasm.

Published in 1973, the blurb says;

 Seymour Fisher

 records the results of his own attempts to discover, with the help of some 300 married women, what things help or hinder a woman to attain orgasm.

I'm sure those married women (he wasn't interested in the likes of us unmarried types then) were happy to help, in the name of science and discovery. Do you think Seymour had sex with all of them? Oh Seymour...

Thank you Sarah. You are an idiotic darling.

Oh and if anyone wants to read the book after me, let me know, and I'll pass it right along. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Orgasm, anyone?

Lets get back to orange, for goodness' sake.

Look at all the orange gorgeousness in my wardrobe. I think it might be impossible to feel grumpy when you wear orange. 

You might even have better orgasms. I wonder if Seymour knows?

Nope, not working yet...

Now you're talking!

Hope you are having plenty of orange orgasm action this week!

    xxx

Step in, step out of the rain

Non-UK residents are probably heartily sick of British bloggers moaning about the weather.

I'm sick of moaning about it too, I'm boring myself.

But it's so crap!

Still, in my attempt to adopt a glass-half-full, look at me, I'm positively reframing philosophy, I will say that the low temperature and rain gave me the perfect excuse to wear my new boots.

 (I so want to say new boots and panties, but the undies aren't new at all. You probably don't really want to know that, do you?)

This little dress isn't old, the label's been cut out but I expect it's from some high street shop I'd turn my nose up at! I bought it in a charity shop for £3, drawn to it by the funky 1960s-inspired print and the colours.

 I knew it was short - I just didn't realise it was quite this short...

... but I have decided I can get away with it, so there.

I don't need to hide behind my umbrella...

See?

tunic dress, bangles and umbrella - charity shops
leggings and hat - Ebay
boots - Second to None vintage shop (Walsall)
ring and necklaces - flea market

I had a little look at the traffic sources stats for my blog this evening. Being featured on our darling Vix's blog has sent a ton of folk my way, she is such a popular blogger!

Other searches which have ended up misdirecting some poor fools to my blog are; 

mom's leather punishment belt
priapic boy
exhibitionist wife
porn punk pussy pitchure*

* Any poor spelling is nothing to do with me. 

Well, my belts are all purely decorative; the only reference I have ever made to anything priapic was describing some flowers in the garden; I am neither exhibitionist nor anyone's wife; and the only pussies I have shown the world are tabby or black and white...

... so I fear I am a disappointment to some "readers".

Yeah - no porn, no punishment, and only boring pitchures of cats!

Hopefully you find something you like here!

I so appreciate my regular followers, and all your lovely comments. My reasons for blogging are all about that wonderful sense of friendship, community, and the relationships that can be built with other bloggers along the way.

Thank you.

xxx