Cheekbones like geometry and eyes like sin

Yes, well, in reality I have neither...

Nor Perfect Skin.

But I do have a new-to-me faux fur jacket, although I was rather hoping the weather would improve sufficiently for the furs to be packed away.

Never mind;  I'm happy with my find, and the shorter length works well for those days when a full length coat is too much, but a denim jacket not enough.

Edited to add; I'll link my beret to Judith's Hat Attack; she's probably sick to death of my beret collection, but at least I'm consistent!

Lloyd Cole was great last night.

He's obviously a man who lets his music do the talking, but his reticent, self-deprecating style is appealing nonetheless, while the songs are as melodic and wonderful, and his lyrics as Baby-strewn and clever as ever.

He's a local lad, born in Buxton, just down the road from here in Derbyshire. 

Ahh, lovely Lloyd.

So speaking of clever; the Ladies Purse aren't. We did shockingly, possibly our lowest score ever at the quiz on Wednesday night, but oh we did laugh.

I won a panettone (don't ask), while Trace went home with this;

and Joanne was obviously delighted with this;

Who wouldn't be?

1960s dress - Second to None

Faux fur jacket and tights - charity shopped

Boots - retail

Beret - gift

1960-70s steel pendant and 1950s umbrella - flea market

Right - just a quick post today, as I need to pack for our weekend away, and make some sandwiches for the train.

We are going down to Buckinghamshire to stay at my eldest sister's, and all the family are convening for lunch on Sunday to celebrate both Mothers Day and my mum's 90th birthday.

See you when I get back!

xxx

Hold tight, we're in for nasty weather

The UK's weather has been dreadfully wet for most of this winter, and today is no exception. Add gale-force winds to the mix and we are in for a stormy night. Hope the slates and chimney pot are still on the roof in the morning...

 

I was despairing of getting outside to take any photos, but managed to dash out when the rain slowed from a downpour to a drizzle this afternoon.

I was forced back indoors though; I'm really not keen on taking my photos in the house, but needs must.

 

Dress, cardigan, bangles and leggings - charity shopped

Boots - retail

1970s apple necklace - flea market

 

 

I was volunteering in school today, and although that doesn't mean I have to tone down my outfits, I have found that sitting on tiny chairs and squatting down next to little kids  rules out very short or very long dresses. The kids tread on my maxis, and one of my flouncier skirts ended up draped over the back of a chair when I sat down, showing rather more of my backside than any 6 year old needs to see. Thank heavens for granny pants and thick tights.

My chazzing drought continues; I went to five with my mate Jo on Tuesday, and didn't find a thing. 

Thankfully, blogging has brought me into contact with wonderfully generous friends who source vintage treasures for me which see me through the hard times. Look what lovely Shelley sent me!

A floaty dream of a 1970s Tricoville dress, and a 1970s Canadian-made wool maxi skirt. Of course I love them both, and couldn't resist giving the frock a quick try to show you.

It's my third Tricoville dress;

 

the 1970s frock on the left was a gift from darling Vix, and the one on the right is part of a 1960s suit (I seem to wear the matching coat more than the dress, it's that pesky turtleneck that bothers me.)

So does that constitute a collection? I think so.

 And if you search Tricoville on Google images, I pop up in the results, which makes me chuckle. Our Vix is usually the Queen of Google images, she's everywhere! 

 

 

 

 

 Thank you, Shelley, these are the perfect gifts to cheer up a rather gloomy day.

 

And thanks go to Sacramento too for being kind enough to include me in her latest Stylish Friends round-up. I'm below Vix and next to Jan, and Sara, Senora Allnut and Mel are in the mix too. Lovely.

 

Hope you are keeping warm/dry/cool wherever you are!

 

  xxxxx

 

 

Hold onto yourself, Bartlett, you're 20 feet short

                      

It's been a quiet weekend; I felt like staying home and drinking tea and reading and relaxing and watching films, rather than braving the wet and wild conditions outside.

So that's what I did. 

I passed up a jumble sale and a vintage fair. What's wrong with me?

 

 

 

Actually, nothing. As much as I like to browse, I knew I wasn't in a position to buy anything, and it felt quite liberating to let these events go on without me. 

I need to get selling again on Ebay before I can consider buying, and I never bother with January, it's been horribly slow in previous years.

 

 

 

We watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with the kids; I can't remember when I last saw it, it must have been when I was a child. I have to say I don't rate the songs much, but the kids seemed to enjoy it.

The real movie joy this weekend was watching The Great Escape with the Seldom Seen Kid. The girls weren't interested, but it was  great fun to watch such a familiar movie with someone seeing it for the first time. Simon and I kept saying ooh, this is a good bit, and asked him to guess who gets away (he was right about Danny, Willie, and Sedgewick, but gutted that he was wrong about Hilts.)

 

 

 

And we had a discussion about our favourite characters. You can keep Steve McQueen as Hilts the Cooler King; it's James Garner as Hendley the Scrounger all the way for me!

 

We are compiling a list for future film nights; SSK has quite eclectic and grown-up tastes, so we can extend the range beyond kids' films and action adventure movies. Some classic thrillers might be good, and not-overly-horrific horror and sci fi.

What else?

In culinary news;

 

I've tried again to make decent shortcrust pastry, always a challenge for me; Eldest (a fan of The Great British Bake Off) criticised my soggy bottom...

Homity Pie. Tasted good, but I think my hands are too hot for pastry. 

Any tips?

 

 

 

Minnie watched the rain from the safety of the back of the sofa, and tried to catch the raindrops.

 

 

1950s tweed jacket, cardigan, tights, scarf, beret and bangles - charity shopped

1970s dress - vintage shop (heavily reduced because it needed repairing)

Boots - Ebay

Leather gloves - gift

 

 

 

These photos were from earlier in the week, a day when the sun put in an appearance.

 

On this week's agenda;

 

  Littlest joins Cubs, there's a PTA fundraising cake sale at school, a parents' evening for Eldest, a night out for Tracey's birthday, and a sleepover at the weekend as a belated birthday treat for Littlest.

It's going to be busy. Hope my cakes turn out better than my pastry.

 

I'm joining in with all the Visible loveliness over at Patti's.

 

 See you later! 

xxx

Misty Blue

I don't seem to have got my act together to do an awful lot this week.

No, I'm not blaming the dreary weather (though it doesn't help the spirits).

 

I just seem to be struggling to get myself going - anyone else feeling like that?  

 

 

 

 

 So if I've got a touch of the blues, I might as well wear them too. 

 

This is a dress which lovely Emma Kate sent me a while back, in the same parcel as a wonderfully colourful patchwork maxi skirt, seen here.

Yeah, I know it is probably (oh alright - definitely) a nightdress. 

 

It's brushed nylon and has 1970s written all over it.  

 

So it's obviously far too fabulous not to wear out and about.

 

 

See?

70s-a-rama.

 

That little navy-gravy-petrol suede waistcoat is coming in very handy as an extra layer. A cardigan would cover up those delicious sleeves, and that would be a sin.

 

 

Yesterday, my mate Jo suggested we visit the Nichols Building, an antiques and crafts centre, so we did.

 

The area round and about has seen better days, there are plenty of boarded up businesses and pubs, the odd burnt out building, and it's all a bit desolate.

The Nichols Building used to house a grocery wholesale business, and still has the original Victorian tiles in the entrance.

There is an eclectic mix of vintage clothing, homewares and furniture, vinyl, and crafts.

 

A sale rail? 99p an item? That will do nicely!

 

 

 

Sadly this 1960s halterneck maxi dress wasn't on it...

 

 

 

 

Great kitchen display... 

 

...and the living room is rather cool too.

 

 

 

 

 

Plenty to look at and admire, but I only bought a couple of dresses; at 99p, it would have been rude not to.

The slinky black 1970s disco dress and the purple/white 1960s Hawaiian dress caught my eye.

 

 

All the other bits and bobs are charity shop finds from the last week or so. 

 

Tiny 1950-60s ceramic elephants - 50p

 Hornsea OBD vase - £2

1950s (bakelite/celluloid/early plastic?) eggcups - 50p

1950s pitcher - £2 

 

 

I assumed this was a carafe for water or a milk jug, but apparently it is a syrup pitcher. I've never heard of one of those before, but I can picture one in an American diner in the 1950s. Although I must say that lid look pure Deco  to me.

 

 

That's what I love about charity shopping - you never know what you're going to find that you've never seen before.

 

Now if this rain could see its way to stopping, I'd be very grateful; there's a flea market with my name on it tomorrow, and it's tricky negotiating the stalls with an umbrella.

Thanks, Universe.

 

 

PS. I rang HR again. Still no news on the job front. 

It's not as though they're selecting a new Pope, is it? What can possibly be taking so long?

 xxxx

Stop dragging my heart around

No one is dragging my heart around, don't worry! 

But I am rather dragging myself through this week, with a noticeable lack of oomph or energy.

I have observed over the years that I often hit a slump after having a full-on, busy period of time, even if I have enjoyed myself.

And I have long since realised that it is best for me to challenge my vaguely cyclothymic tendencies, and keep going through the murk.

I thought some splashes of orange and a short-ish dress might cheer me up today.

 
I've been up at school as usual.

I do all sorts of stuff, whatever the teachers ask me, but I always love to hear the kids read.

Some of them find it so easy and just fly, while others have to try really, really hard to get to grips with it. I find I am far more patient with other people's children than I am with my own - why is that?

I adore the embroidery on the back of this top, and it works well with the Asian-inspired print on the dress.

The heavy rainfall has battered the last few remaining blooms in the garden.

Poor things. But the raindrops look beautiful on the flowers and leaves and spiders' webs.

The water droplets look like diamante embellishments on 1970s greetings cards.

 
The cats and I took advantage of the rain slowing up to a drizzle, we all had a potter in the garden this afternoon.


 

1980-90s Max Mara jacket, dress, tights, belt, bangles and necklace - charity shopped
1960s brooch - from my friend's mum's collection
Top - street market
1950-60s tapestry bag - vintage shop
Boots - retail, old

 
And look what lovely Gisela sent me!

A pretty skirt, fishnets and a gorgeous necklace (scruffily displayed here, sorry...)

Kind friends do a great job of lifting one's spirits!

As does Stevie.
xxxx

The Virtues of Vertical

Thank you so much for all your good wishes, healing vibes and sympathy, I'm sure they have put me on the road to recovery!

But bloody hell, it comes to something when your achievement of the day is being vertical!

Still, it's good that there is less of this...

 (move your head towards and away from the screen)

...and more of this.

Up and dressed and suitably autumnal, despite the highly irritating deafness.

Anyone know how long it takes a perforated tympanic membrane to heal?

I think this shot sums me up at the moment.

Dozy, half-asleep, crumpled, jacket askew, not quite knowing what to do with myself.

But let's not underestimate the virtues of being vertical!

1970s maxi dress - vintage fair

Cardigan, trusty denim jacket, boots, umbrella, leather bag, bracelets, bangles and necklace - all from charity shops

Here's a shot of the bag, specially for Kelly - she loves a brown leather bag!

A bargain at £1.99, suitably scuffed and worn in and ready to go with anything.

As I was about to take the pic of the bag, this is where I found it...

... Naughty Jess!

Can't be cross though, she's too beautiful. 

My good buddy Joanne, who has been an Angel of Mercy and helped out loads while I have been unwell, decided it was high time I had a change of scene this morning, and insisted on taking me out for coffee and cake, and a quick look in a charity shop.

Her instincts were spot on, I did appreciate being out, and picked up these two gorgeous 1950s silk scarves for £1 each (pictured here as found, unwashed and unironed!)

That made me feel better!

I'm doing my inaugural link-up with Lakota - being upright is surely worthy of a Ta-Dah!

It's good to be back!

xxx