OOTDs and Edward Bawden

Look - a sunflower! Probably courtesy of one of the birds who feed at my bird feeding station - they dropped a seed and it grew and grew. We used to have a huge sunflower on the other side of this one but after several years it has ceased to bloom. That's okay we have a replacement now.

 A Saturday outfit. All jewellery charity shopped.

This outfit excluding the jewellery cost 7.98 in total!

Trousers from Tesco; 99p rail at Barnardo's in Ampthill; tunic Tesco Outlet 5.00; jacket, 99p rail Age UK, Wellingborough. Pumps; 99p at Barnardo's Great Denham.

Scarf, present from my friend; Natalie.
On Saturday 16th, OH suggested a visit to Emmaeus which is in a village called Carlton about 10 miles from Bedford. Emmaeus is  a UK based charity and community working together to help the homeless. It was originally started by the Abbe Pierre in France but there is a network of shops all over the UK.

 They sell mostly second hand stuff but very little clothing!  Hurray - no temptation for me! We were looking for a stool for the bathroom; our old one broke last week; and a wok and cafetiere to take to the caravan. We found neither cafetiere nor stool, but I did find this gorgeous dressing table set for 1.00. Most women had one of these on their dressing tables when I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s.

I also bought this lovely throw which I'm going to use as a Christmas tablecloth.

It's doubled over and look it has tassels! It was 2.00.

We also bought  an elephant cushion for the caravan; we have two already so this one makes the third; a wok for 5.00, and a a kitchen bin for recycling with a slow close lid for 2.00. Bargains galore at Emmaeus on Saturday.  They do lovely tea and cake, too. Only another month to go before I can have another rummage...

Some OOTD photos.

Friday 15th September outfit. Linen trousers (which for some reason look shiny in these photos) 1.00; Red Cross Shop, Navy blue top 5.00 sale Forever 21; Kimono - (1 of 4 that I bought in Ireland); 3 euros in a Donegal Town charity shop.

Pale pink suede shoes 3 euros in Killybegs charity shop.

All jewellery charity shopped except earrings and watch. I need a haircut...

During the week of 11th September I managed to get some wear out of my linen tunics/dresses. I don't get to wear too much of my summer wear when I'm in Ireland (it's usually too cool) so I was trying to get as much summer wear worn as possible using leggings/cardigans/jackets for warmth. Transitioning, in other words! I wore a vest/camisole under my tops throughout my stay in Ireland and have continued with it since I got back. I'm turning into an old lady...

Deep blue dress/tunic, made in Italy; charity shopped; striped top underneath M&S; charity shopped; orange shoes; charity shopped. Leggings; M & S; charity shopped. My feet are a mess; I have sun burnt patches in the shape of my Mary Jane shoes and where the sun didn't reach, my skin is pale. The end result looks as if I have dirty feet!

All jewellery charity shopped.

Navy blue linen tunic also from Italy charity shopped; top and leggings charity shopped. Shoes from PJ shoes but they've been relegated to the charity shop bag as the red coating is beginning to wear. Look at those white legs...should have put on some fake tan.

All jewellery charity shopped. I was wearing three bangles; two red and one navy, but I took them off to do the washing up and forgot to put them on for the photo!

I've managed to get back into a walking routine. The first week I was back I was walked twice on my own: 6.5 mile walks each time. The week of 11th September I walked three times; I did 10.5 miles trying to recce a new walk and got lost - so what's new? Then a 6.4 mile walk and on Sunday 17th bright and early I did 4.1 miles making a total of 21 for that week. The week beginning the 18th I did my first walk with the group in about 2.5 months. It was good to meet up with everyone again. We walked 7.2 miles from Westoning to Harlington; onto Pulloxhill and back again.

We saw these lovely creatures:

Alpacas! They have the cutest faces and were very friendly.

I wore this to the Food bank/library on Tuesday. There were only three of us in at the Food bank so we were busy. The dress was bought for 1.99 in the Red Cross before I went to Ireland; I didn't take it with me because I didn't think the weather would be warm enough, but I had a brainwave and put a top underneath it  (charity shop 1.00 rail) and a pair of green leggings (Sainsburys retail). Shoes are from PJ shoes. Scarf charity shopped. These dresses were being sold on Bedford market in a range of colours for 15.00 each back in June.

Shiny!
All jewellery charity shopped.

I had a dental appointment on Thursday 21st and finally managed to get to the Edward Bawden exhibition at the Cecil Higgins  Gallery in Bedford.

Everything is charity shopped except the shoes which were bought at the Tesco outlet shop. The kimono is one of the 4 (!) I bought in Ireland.

Have you noticed I've changed where I take my photos? I was bored with the sitting room as a backdrop so changed it to the hallway. Did you spot a basket sitting on the stairs? It's a special stair basket designed in a step shape. The idea is you put the things that need to go upstairs in it and take it upstairs all together.   I'm the only one who bothers! I bought it ages ago in a charity shop for 4.00 but can't remember which one.

I bought this necklace at a car boot sale about 10 years ago for 50p. Earrings donated by my daughter.

Now to the exhibition:
During the years 1981 to 1989, Edward Bawden donated the contents of his studio to Cecil Higgins Art Gallery. This collection of over 3000 items covers his entire oeuvre, from his early student days at the Cambridge School of Art in 1919, to commissions from the Folio Society in the 1980s, and includes a series of linocuts based on commissioned work, and printed specifically for Cecil Higgins Art Gallery. The association between Bawden and Cecil Higgins Art Gallery began in 1977, when he was commissioned to design a tapestry to celebrate the tercentenary of the publication of Bunyan’s 'The Pilgrim’s Progress', and Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. For source see here

This had pride of place in the exhibition

The Edward Bawden (1903 - 1989) exhibition was very small but very interesting. What a prolific artist he was.
From posters for the tube...

Designing dinner services for Wedgewood to be used on cruise ships

Linocuts

Film posters

I didn't spend as long as I would have liked at the exhibition as I had to get back for middle grandson who was coming for dinner but I will visit the exhibition again; there's plenty of time as the exhibition doesn't finish until January 2018.

I finally got my hair cut on Friday and walked 5.5 miles I walked with a different group on Saturday and did 7.4 miles making my total for this week 21 miles.

On Sunday I went to see my son. Everything charity shopped. Top by East; white jeans unknown label; Navy loafers by Next BNWT, 5.00 last summer.

All jewellery charity shopped. I bought the necklace for 3.00 in the week from Cancer Research. I'm not buying clothes but if I spot a nice bit of jewellery I'm not going to pass it by now am I? I only popped in to say hello to the lady I used volunteer with at Save the Children. She now volunteers at Cancer Research and I'm at the Red Cross - but only until the end of October.

On the way back from visiting my son we stopped to take a photo of this house (just outside Newmarket) with the dancing/boxing hares on the roof! I've seen pheasants, cockerels, foxes and even a duck made of straw on a thatched roof but this is the first time I've seen dancing/boxing hares. Aren't they fabulous?

I have another cultural event lined up for early October. Through reading 'Jane's London' blog here I found out that there are a series of literary walks around London. Two of my favourite things combined; books and walking! I have to choose which event to go to and it will probably be a Thursday so I'll tell you more about that in my next post.

Sunday and Monday were lovely warm sunny days. This is what I wore to the Red Cross on Monday. I had a cardigan underneath but had to take it off as it was too warm. The tights were fine and didn't feel too warm; they were 60 denier which isn't very thick.

Skirt from Old Navy; charity shopped for 99p at Barnardo's. It's gone into the charity shop bag - it's not me. Shirt; 1.00 rail at Red Cross. Denim jacket; Dorothy Perkins; charity shopped years ago; Navy loafers as per Sunday's outfit.

Beads charity shopped; earrings from Sainsbury's.

This is what I wore to the Guild House and library on Tuesday. I bought the dress on the 99p rail in Barnardo's in June and put it away for transitional weather wear. The black top worn underneath is from Primarni retail. Shoes and jewellery charity shopped.

I've just had a lovely girl from IPSOS on the phone doing a survey about use of media. I was able to say quite truthfully that I spend less than 30 mins a day on my laptop and phone apps. I couldn't have said that a fortnight ago...