Holding myself to account

My weekend passed peacefully enough  - even with the two grandsons staying! Let's put it this way - there was no bloodshed. Just low level constant sniping and bickering. They both got into bed with me on Sunday morning having woken me up at 7.30 am (aaagh the horror!); we had a very strenuous play fight and tickling session. I think I was the winner.

We went to visit my son on Saturday. I was glad I wore a jumper because it's definitely jumper weather now. This is the top I bought in the 3:16 sale and the trousers were bought last week in a new charity shop for a local day hospice in Kempston (just outside Bedford) for £4.00. Brogues from Tesco sale. All jewellery charity shopped.

I remembered to wear one of my brooches!

 I've had these earrings for about 20 years.

I finally had a really good sort out of my wardrobes at the weekend. OH had put a floating shelf in the top half of my wardrobe to hold my handbags (my idea) unfortunately the combined weight was a bit much and they kept toppling off. I removed them from the shelf, put them in plastic storage boxes and pushed them under the bed - which is where they were originally kept. This allowed me to remove all  trousers off their hangers, fold them up and stack them on the shelf instead. 

I now have less packed wardrobes with a rail for skirts, cardigans and waistcoats. Another rail for tops and tunics. I keep dresses and jackets on the bottom rail of what was my son's wardrobe along with evening/going out wear; whilst coats, long dresses and walking gear are hanging in a cupboard next to the bathroom. I cleared all my stuff out of the shared (with OH) chest of drawers so it's all his and moved mine to the drawers in the cupboard in the bedroom. So, almost all my clothes are in one place now. I still don't have drawer space to store my slips, gloves and swim suits so I keep them in boxes under the bed. I'm not complaining (really) as for much of my adult life I shared a double wardrobe with the whole family!

On Monday I wore these green Next shoes (BNWT) bought in the Spring from the 3:16 charity shop for £2.50. Although the heel is small I just find walking in any heeled shoe an uncomfortable experience.  I was glad once I got home from volunteering in Save the Children to get them off! I tried the 'half tuck' thing with the green top into the skirt and I like it.

The cardigan is from M & S and bought in the Red Cross shop for £1.99 last week. The green top was also bought from there earlier this year and was a staple of my summer wardrobe - it has short sleeves and it's green! The green and black skirt I've had for ages and this was the first time I've worn it. The pendant is from Age UK in Newport Pagnell and the earrings are from Bedford Market.

I've decided to keep a log of what I spend in the charity shops and this week I've spent quite a lot. I spent £11.00 in Save the Children on Monday alone. I bought a striped maxi dress for next summer at £3.00; an Irish made cardigan for £4.50; a necklace for £1.00; 2 pairs of school shorts for middle grandson at £1.50 and a ball of green wool for £ 1.00. I'm hoping to start a new crochet throw in greens and blues any day now...

On Tuesdays I'm at the food bank and its pretty chilly in the warehouse, so I wrap up well. Everything charity shopped except the trousers which are from Lidl. All jewellery charity shopped.

Excuse the tree trunk arms!

We did a 6 mile local walk on Wednesday. This is us approaching Great Wood in Ravensden - just before the rain came down!

Thursday's outfit

Continuing with the charity shop spending theme I bought this 100% wool jacket/cardigan in Barnardo's on Wednesday afternoon for £3.99.  It's by C. Gilbert designs and it has a phone number on the label! I think it's a Liverpool code...I bought one of the grandsons a winter jacket for £1.99; a necklace for £1.99 and a bracelet for £1.00.  I then went on to visit the Cat's Protection League shop in Kempston on Wednesday and bought a pair of cuffed blue, black and white trousers for £1.99.£21.99 spent so far...

The  purple and blue top was charity shopped last winter and I think this is my first wear. It's made by Nomads, (never heard of them) and is a Fairtrade label. The leggings are from an on line retailer and the boots were donated by my daughter.

Necklace from local retailer 'Simi and Lola' and earrings were customised from a Sainsburys pair. I was playing around with the edit function on my phone camera here hence the fuzziness...

Talking of technology; I managed to get my USB sticks and Chrome Book to talk to each other yesterday. This means, in theory at least, that I can connect my camera to the Chrome Book via the USB connection so I can use my camera to take photos. I shall experiment at the weekend.

After doing the weekly food shop on Thursday I went into town to run some errands and stopped at the Red Cross shop. Of course I couldn't leave without buying anything and spent £1.99 on a M&S showerproof jacket in a silvery grey colour and £1.99 on a long, 100% wool, brown and black trimmed cape coat. It should be nice and warm so I've donated my black Puffa coat bought 3 winters ago in the same charity shop. I also donated a brown velvet blazer I've had for years but which was bit tight on the sleeves. Two items in and two items out.

Total spend this week in the charity shops = £24.97. Rather a lot, so I won't be visiting any more charity shops this week! I'm going to try and refrain next week as well as my best friend Hilary is coming down next weekend and we'll have a day out charity shopping  next saturday accompanied by tea and cake.  I just need to decide where we are going to go...I can't wait!

I'm walking on Friday and Saturday weather permitting. I have a child free weekend this weekend so I'll make the most of it.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.
x

A week in the life of....

Saturday's outfit

I bought the cardigan last Thursday in the 3:16 charity shop for £1.00 - it's from good old M&S. Navy with a yellow trim and white embroidery - what's not to like? I also bought a grey, cable knit, roll neck jumper for £1.00 as well. It's the sort of jumper that needs something underneath; a shirt or long sleeved t shirt.

Everything is charity shopped except loafers; Tesco sale and earrings from Sainsburys.

I wanted to change my living room around on Saturday. Unfortunately, the Virgin cable from the TV only allows the TV to be in one of two places so I couldn't change the sofa to where I wanted it to go. In the end I moved the TV onto the chest and put it at an angle. It no longer seems to dominate the room - thank goodness.

I went out for a walk on Sunday morning quite earlyish as I thought we'd have rain later on. We didn't. I tried a different route and enjoyed it very much; I'll walk it again in the week and try and extend it a little. And take some photos. It was 5.5 miles and I'd like to make it 7 at least. My aim is to build up a resource of at least a dozen 6 - 8 mile walks that I can do easily and quickly. This one will be number 4. By quickly, I mean in about 2.5 hours.

Two of my brothers came over for dinner on Sunday to celebrate what would have been my mum's 84th birthday. OH made curry goat and I made an apple cake for dessert. They both went down well. My 11 year old grandson went swimming with a friend on Sunday - the first time he's ever been swimming without an accompanying adult. How quickly they grow up. He had a great time and jumped off the top board 5 times! So he says...

I don't think children today have enough freedom. My children were lucky; they grew up playing in fields and streams and running free in the countryside. I ran free in London as a child. I took my two younger brothers to school by myself from the age of 7. I was allowed  to travel on buses, alone, from the age of 10. When my mum was at work during the school holidays; I was left in charge of my brothers from the age of 9.  No harm ever came to us. We'd probably be on the at risk register today if that happened!

Monday's outfit. I've worn my first pair of tights since Spring and I cracked and got one pair of boots down out of the loft...I also had the heating on for a hour....

Everything charity shopped. I bought the pinafore dress for 49p in Sandy a couple of weeks back and the top with the big sleeves came from the Red Cross shop (everything £1.99) in the late Spring. I love the mix of colours in the top; its got every colour you can think of  - and I love the sleeves.

Earrings; Sainsburys and the beads were a present from my youngest grandson's dad.

I popped into the 3:16 shop on my way home from volunteering on Monday and bought this lovely necklace: for £2.50

It's three different colours of metal interspersed with diamonds...

On Tuesday after a morning of lifting and bending at the food bank filling up the food parcels with tins and packets; I decided to take advantage of the lovely sunny weather. I went walking by myself.  I walked 6.5 miles through the streets, through a wood and a park and back through streets to home. A  lovely warm and sunny day.

Wednesday's outfit

I walked on Wednesday  with the Ramblers - from Broom! Yes, that's the name of the village. We walked 7 miles. Another lovely bright day but with a cold wind...

Do you like my pink brothel creepers? £1.50 in the 3:16 charity shop at the end of this Spring. First opportunity to wear them today - very comfortable. Everything is charity shopped. The t shirt is from Tu at Sainsburys and bought from Save the Children last week for £2.00. I can't remember where the shirt and trousers are from.

Earrings and necklace charity shopped.

On Thursday I went to visit my friend in Cambridge. I should have got up early and gone for a walk as I have both grandchildren this weekend and won't get another chance, but I got up early and made my friend a coffee cake instead. We went out for lunch. She's doing well considering she has lost her son but she's a very brave and strong woman. She enjoyed the cake.

Everything charity shopped. The blouse was bought in a Donegal charity shop. The waistcoat is from Zara. The boots came from a charity shop in Newport Pagnell and I can't remember where I got my checked flared trousers from.

All the jewellery is charity shopped, too. This is the necklace I bought on Tuesday.

I went to the hairdresser on Friday. All jewellery charity shopped.

Everything charity shopped. I bought the trousers at the end of last winter and hadn't worn them before.

The top was one of the 50p bargains I got when I went to Royston some weeks ago. Red brothel creepers/beetle crushers bought in a Wellingborough charity shop last winter.

I'm going to have a busy weekend with the boys - I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Autumn's here....

Sunday's outfit

It was officially the start of autumn last Thursday with the Autumn Equinox. You can feel it in the temperature drop  in the evening and of course it's getting dark earlier. I've been wearing a camisole/vest under everything for the past week and on Sunday I put my open shoes/sandals away and got out the loafers and brogues. Not the boots - yet...

Trousers from Lidl a few months ago. Brogues from Tesco's sale. Top charity shopped in Northampton earlier this year.

Beads and bangles charity shopped. Earrings from Sainsburys.

I did manage to make the final walk of the walking festival last Friday and a very good one it was too. We walked about 7.5 miles from the village of Cople via Willington, Blunham and back to Cople. It was a lovely day again; warm and sunny with a nice breeze.

On Saturday I went to see my son and forgot, once again to take an OOTD photo. I have really got out of the habit of taking photos and need to get back into it or I'll have nothing to write about on the blog! Anyway, to return to clothes; the good thing about autumn dressing, I think, is that you can hang on to some of your summer clothes but by layering can begin to introduce warmer, winter wear. I find I get very bored with my winter clothes; because generally I wear them for about 6  to 7 months of the year, so I'm in no hurry to get the boots or coats out.

On Monday I made soup. This usually marks the beginning of autumn and the winter months for us; the return of soup to the weekly menu...chicken soup made from left over Sunday roast chicken and adapted from a Mrs. Beeton recipe for left over Christmas turkey. It's delicious and I usually add West Indian dumplings to it (which I don't like being hard and chewy) but the rest of the family do. I also make the same soup using lamb if we have roast lamb - which isn't that often as it's a scandalous price!

Once again I couldn't leave Save the Children on Monday without buying anything so I came home with a red plaid pencil skirt from Topshop £2.50 ; a blue floral t shirt from Tu (Sainsburys) £2.50, and a rather nice red top from River Island with big floaty sleeves; £2.50.  .

Look at the back!

It's very impractical. I can't imagine doing the washing up or even my eating my dinner wearing it, but I couldn't resist it! Not quite sure what I'll wear it with either but I'll find something. Probably the red plaid skirt would go..

I wore this on Wednesday after walking

Everything charity shopped except yellow loafers - Tesco outlet store. I bought the bangle on Tuesday at the Red Cross shop for 50p plus a pink, and a purple one!

 I also bought a black knitted M&S jacket for £1.99 whilst I was there.

Earrings bought in Topshop in London, March, 2002. I remember the date so well, because I'd gone with my colleague at the university, where I used to work to present our research to the Women's Equality Unit in the House of Commons. It was my treat to myself for a nerve wracking presentation.

I went walking with the group on Wednesday - another 7 mile walk in glorious weather from the village of Wilstead to Haynes and back using some not very well known permissive paths. There were some spectacular views over the Bedfordshire countryside and of course I didn't think to take a photo.

This was Thursdays outfit - only managed a selfie. Dress, beads and earrings charity shopped. Cardigan online retail. I wore yellow tights and red shoes with it but I have discarded the dress as it is not very flattering on and a bit too long. I tried to cut it to make it into a tunic but that didn't work either. C'est la vie!

This was Friday's outfit

 I bought the striped cardigan (Fenn, Wright, Mason) for £1.99 in the Red Cross shop

Everything is charity shopped except the necklace which was a present from my brother and the brogues from the Tesco sale in the Spring.

On Friday I finally succumbed and put my most of my summer clothes away and got out the winter stuff. Yet, today when I was out walking - the last day of September  - it was still warm enough to go without a jacket! It can't last - can it?

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Three brooches and some walking

I'm echoing Miss Magpie (here) again this week. She's been buying brooches and so have I!

I had a lovely walk at the weekend. I went out on Sunday for the last of the Bedfordshire Walking Festival walks to explore Mowsbury Hill Fort and then on for an 8 mile walk. I rarely get out for organised walks at the weekend because of family commitments so it made a nice change.

This was Saturday's outfit. 

I bought these green cuffed cotton trousers in Donegal for one euro.

I I thought I'd better wear them on Saturday as it looked like the summer was on its way out. It was chilly and wet and I was tempted to put the heating on - but I resisted it. Just as well, Sunday was a lovely day - warm and sunny.

That box you can see in the photo above is full of Lego. All three grandsons loved Lego and my middle grandson was completely obsessed with it for years. What's in this box is some of his old collection and now the youngest has got the Lego bug. 

It's great until you tread on a tiny bit in your bare feet  - ouch! I'm also, once again, constantly rescuing tiny bits of Lego from the floors and placing them carefully to one side. Oh, the hours I've spent in the past searching high and low for a Lego person's head/weapon/foot or a vehicle's wheel/light/gun...

Everything charity shopped. By this photo I finally realised my beads had fallen into my cleavage in the previous photos - oh well...

On Monday we went out for a meal to celebrate my daughter's 38th birthday. We had a lovely evening and two of my brothers came. It was Caribbean food and everyone agreed that the curry goat was not as good as OH's. A compliment indeed.  I had a shrimp curry, rice and peas and Guinness bread and butter pudding. I couldn't eat all of the pudding so brought it home and ate it for breakfast the next day!

Once again we forgot to take photos but I didn't mind. What I'd planned to wear didn't happen as after washing and ironing the harem pants I bought last week; I realised the elasticated waist had gone completely and there wasn't time to repair it or even iron anything else. I had to grab stuff that didn't need ironing - patterned leggings and a pink Ossie Clark top I bought in Save the Children last week for £4.50.

This is what I bought at Save the Children this week:

Three brooches at £1.00 each. I love them all and have vowed to wear more brooches. I've built up quite a collection now.

A marcasite pendant and chain £1.00. I also bought a bottle of Tuberose perfume by Zara which smells rather nice, for £1.50...

Wednesday's outfit.

Everything charity shopped. Next top; Next navy patent and suede loafers. Denim skirt; make unknown.

Silver pendant and chain - charity shop in Donegal two euros. Earrings; Sainsburys.

On Tuesday I was at the food bank and on Wednesday I walked 8.25 miles with the group, from the village of Everton via Sutton to Potton and back again to Everton. It was a lovely day; warm and sunny with a little breeze. Perfect walking weather.

On the way back home I stopped in the nearby town of Sandy and checked out the charity shops. I bought a BNWT M&S dress that originally sold for £39.99 - for 49p! I also bought a pinafore dress in a wool type material for 49p; a new rucksack to wear over one shoulder for £2.49 and a cute little box with drawer for £1.99. All these were bought at the Wood Green Animal Shelter shop. In Sue Ryder I bought a John Rocha top in the sale for £1.50.

I washed and ironed the top and wore it on Thursday with a maxi skirt from Phase Eight bought in a Donegal charity shop for two euros.

Shoes local retail outlet

Earrings Sainsburys, bangles and necklace charity shopped.

I had to go to the doctor's on Thursday to have my blood pressure checked. According to the nurse I have the blood pressure of a "young girl". I couldn't think of anything "young" I'd like more!

On Friday I'm doing a bus walk. We'll catch the bus to Cople from Bedford then walk back to Bedford which is about 7 miles. I hope the weather's good!

I hope your week has been to good to you.