Last post before Ireland!

This will be my last post for a while as I'm taking a blogging break whilst I'm on holiday in Ireland. Those of you who have been following me for a while will know that I spend quite a lot of the summer in Ireland at my mobile home in Donegal. There is virtually no internet access and I have to rely on free wifi in cafes and pubs and restaurants; which of course makes blogging difficult. I do my best to keep following your blogs and try to comment where I can but actually writing a post is pretty difficult so I take a break.

This was Monday's outfit worn to the charity shop to volunteer. The top is from Bedford market; a 1.00 bargain bought  a few weeks back. Trousers from Monsoon; bought from the 3:16 charity shop. The Mary Jane shoes from Clarke's  were also charity shopped but I can't remember where.

I've just realised that I have broken my #slowfashion pledge by buying the 1.00 bargains in the market. I was fooled by the cheap price;  forgetting they weren't second hand...although come to think of it,  the striped linen top I bought and wore on my previous post had a very clever mend on the front. Maybe these 1.00 bargains are customer returns because they have flaws? I will have to ask the stall holder the next time I see him. All the items he had on the stall for 1.00 had tiny flaws; I believe they're called 'cabbages' in the trade. They also all had 'Made in Italy' labels or at least all my buys did. He probably buys a job lot of 'cabbages' from the manufacturer and then flogs them as cheap as he can.

And why not? I assume they'd only go to landfill otherwise.

Scarf and jewellery both charity shopped.

This top has a bit of fraying at the shoulder seam.

I wore this to the Food Bank on Tuesday. It was a scorching hot day. Dress charity shopped; can't remember where, it's by Mantaray.

All jewellery charity shopped and scarf.

White cardi charity shopped. Shoes by Clarks; charity shopped 10.00. Could have worn my pink top I bought in Teignmouth with this - see below!

On Wednesday I walked with the group. It was a lovely sunny day again. We walked from Eynesbury - Eaton Socon - St. Neots and back to Eynesbury. Most of the walk was by the river.  The good thing about Rambler's walks is that you never come back by exactly the same route. We did 7 miles in total.

This is the church of St. Mary the Virgin in Eaton Socon seen through the trees.

An Oast House in St. Neots. Used for drying barley and hops to make beers and ales.

This was the site of Payne's Brewery in St. Neots. Now converted into flats.

Some wild flower planting in the meadow by the river bank.

I went to Sandy in the afternoon and had a rummage. I bought some bits of jewellery and a M&S coral linen top for 2.00; and that was it.

Thursday was a busy day as I had to take youngest grandson for a doctor's appointment;  which meant collecting him from school and later in the evening taking him for football training. I also did the food shopping. I went for a 4 mile walk whilst grandson was at football training.

On Friday, I took him for a hospital appointment then onto school in the morning. I had planned to go for a swim; but as my muscles were still quite sore I thought I would give it  a miss this week. I completely forgot that the school holidays start the following week; and that apart from 7 am to 8.50 am; there would be no more lane swimming.  Oh blast it. I might have to try evenings when it will be quieter.

Lovely gladioli from Lidl.

 I spent a few hours on Friday looking around the town centre and High Street charity shops and I bought nothing!

I went to see my son on Saturday taking my middle grandson, as I always do. Another beautiful day!
I bought these trousers and top from the Children's Society when I was in Teignmouth. Both were 2.99 each.

I did start out with a cream jacket but it was too warm so opted for this lace waistcoat instead; also charity shopped. I have to wear something over the top because when I was removing the price tag from the top I stupidly ripped it instead of cutting it; resulting in two small tears. As I can't do invisible mending I have to cover it up.

Sandals 3.99 my Barnardo's. Scarf from Primarni retail last winter.

All jewellery charity shopped except the earrings which were bought in the New Look  winter sale. I didn't have any gold coloured hoops and these were reduced to 2.50.

On Sunday OH and I ventured to our local car boot sale which is only held once a month. Although I had decided not to buy anymore clothes; I did! A red maxi skirt by Simon Jeffries for 1.00; a green embroidered jacket by Olsen for 2.00; a white lace coat for 2.00; and an African print skirt for 1.50.

The jacket needs an iron!

I wore this to the charity shop on Monday. It was hot and humid. The pale pink trousers are by Dotty P and were from the 1.00 rail in the 3:16 charity shop - another pink item added to my wardrobe. The top I've had for years and the lace shirt too; both charity shopped. I can't remember where I bought them. Pink shoes charity shopped  in Donegal for 3 euros.

Necklace 1.00 from my Barnardo's a few weeks ago. All jewellery charity shopped. Scarf from Primarni.

Tuesday's outfit.

I don't know why I thought this M&S: 2.00 coral linen top from Barnardo's in Sandy, would go with this skirt by Classics and charity shopped, too. Maybe because there is a faded coral flower in the pattern? Not that discernible in the photo  - sorry. Although I love the print on this skirt I can never really find anything in my wardrobe that goes with it. It's gone into the charity shop bag which is almost full again. By the way, the pink cotton top I bought in Teignmouth is a faded pink and would have gone better; I had washed it but hadn't tried it on and when I did on Tuesday morning it didn't fit! I'll wear it as a cardigan instead; over my short sleeved maxi dress above with the blue and pink pattern.

Anyway, I think I need a shocking pink top; preferably in linen or cotton and with sleeves.  I have three maxi skirts it would go with and various other things. I've spotted a gap in my wardrobe! This will be my charity shopping mission for the next few weeks. I'll probably find something in Ireland...

I don't look hot in this photo but I was! The sweat just ran down my face all day and I hate it.

My plans for walking this week were totally scuppered by the heat. We had really high temperatures. 26 degrees on Monday; 32 degrees on Tuesday. I wanted to go for a walk after the food bank on Tuesday but it was too darn hot. I decided to go to Olney; a small town I haven't visited for a while; which has about 4 or 5 charity shops. Unfortunately, there were road closures and although I tried to get there via a different village the road was still closed. I couldn't be bothered with sat navs and maps; it was too hot and my brain goes to mush in the heat. I went to Kempston instead. I didn't find a shocking pink top but I bought a brooch for 2.45 and 3 items for 1.00 in the Cat's Protection league. A wooden box; an earring holder and a paper lampshade still in its box.

On Wednesday it was 31/32 degrees. Definitely not walking weather. My face was running with sweat as I tried to put my make up on! I persevered with it and went to volunteer at the charity for another four hours. At least they have air conditioning. Otherwise, I'd be at home twiddling my thumbs. The charity shop was very busy and I was mainly out the back processing the donations - we had dozens and dozens of donations.

Top and Phool skirt charity shopped from the Day Hospice shop in Bedford.
Shoes; Tu retail. I saw them reduced to half price when I was in Sainsbury's the other day. Don't you just hate it when that happens? I did buy mine in March or April though!

All jewellery charity shopped.

I wore this on the hottest day of the year. It reached 37.8 degrees in the Botanic Gardens  in Cambridge. For us it was about 35 to 36 degrees. I did the food shopping early and then my daughter and I went to Leighton Buzzard. We had wanted to go to Ascott (home of the Rothschilds) so I could make use of my National Trust pass again; but it was simply too hot to be walking about gardens and houses. We had lunch in Leighton Buzzard and a quick look round the charity shops - about 4 in total,  then came home. I bought nothing.

Striped top by M&S charity shopped in Ireland for 1.00 euro; skirt from M&S also charity shopped but can't remember where. It's a few years old and I have a similar one in the caravan!

The headscarf came from my Barnardo's. Shoes bu Tu at Sainsbury's; retail.

All jewellery charity shopped.

On Friday I spent the day with the middle grandson. I took him to Cambridge for the day.  He's very interested in History (and Politics). It was a black and white day for me. Everything charity shopped. Linen top by Next:; trousers by New Look; sandals by Clarks.

Kimono by Halys and charity shopped  in Ireland.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

   We went to the Whipple Museum in Cambridge at Grandson's request as it was about the history of science. There are 7 museums in Cambridge so you are really spoilt for choice. I'd also booked a tour of the colleges and I wanted to take Grandson for a punt on the River Cam. We didn't manage the last as by the time the tour finished we were both pretty tired. Plus, I'd got stung by a wasp when we sat down for a cream tea! I was trying to bat it away from us when it got lodged under my big yellow ring (!) and stung me. I was able to pull the stinger out but my hand became swollen and sore. The last time I got stung by a wasp was when I was 17 and walking with my maternal grandmother back from the little town where she lived in Ireland.

These photos were taken before the tour began.
We started our tour at The Round Church; bottom left. Grandson is never off his mobile phone..top left photo; part of King's College - we didn't go to this one but it's where the Christmas Carol Service (Carols from King's) is broadcast from on Christmas Day. The top right photo is Thomas Harvey; the man who discovered how blood flows round the body. He is holding a heart in his hand!

This is Christ's College, Cambridge.
There are 31 colleges in Cambridge and the older ones have a similar layout. There is an imposing gate; (top left and middle right) and an inner part called a court at Cambridge and a Quad at Oxford;  the court usually consists of the dining hall, a chapel, the Master's house (bottom right); student and Master's rooms/offices. Some of the larger colleges have more than one court.
 The tour begins:

Trinity College - the richest of all the colleges.

St.John's College. Two prominent abolitionists studied here; Thomas Clarkson and William Wilberforce.

Sidney Sussex College (and below). Oliver Cromwell studied here as it was the Puritan college.

We also visited Magdalen College but I didn't take any photos.

On Saturday we went to Kettering to celebrate my brother Mark's birthday. A good time was had by all! We went to the local Thai restaurant which we've been going to for nearly 20 years and it's still as good as it was when it first opened.

I'm wearing the same outfit twice on the same post!  I think this could be a first for me.  This trouser and top combo is very comfortable and I jazzed it up with the white lace jacket bought from local car boot sale for 2.00. It has no label in it but it's going to be one of those really useful pieces. It rained for most of the day on Saturday and was a lot cooler. Our mini heat wave was over!

All jewellery charity shopped, as well as scarf and sandals from my Barnardo's.

Shiny!

That's all from me folks; I'll see you in mid September!
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