5th year anniversary and a mini lockdown (I hope!)

Hello again - on the 3rd November it was my blogiversary; I 've been blogging for 5 years now. How the time has flown! I started out blogging weekly but changed to fortnightly as blogging can be very time consuming. I've made so many blogging friends and find the blogging community to be very supportive. It's great to find like minded people and read about their lives. Long may it continue!

This is what I wore for the foodbank last Tuesday. Jacket by John Rocha; my Barnardo's, skirt by Red Herring BNWT in Bury St. Edmunds last weekend; jumper 1.00 rail somewhere. I'm wearing red boots bought online retail; I rarely wear them as they're cheap and plasticky looking (one of the drawbacks of buying online - they looked fab in the photo!) but they are very comfortable and easy to get on and off.

Scarf and jewellery charity shopped.

After the foodbank I had to go into town to do some errands: when I had done that I went off for my pre-booked swim. I did 41 lengths but at the start I almost forgot I was wearing makeup; luckily I spotted it in the loo before I went in the pool. I have a swimming toiletries bag which is always packed and ready; I keep it in my swimming bag so I was able to use the wipes and clean the makeup off! I usually swim on a Friday but changed it to Tuesday in case I was doing something with the grandsons on Friday as it was still half term. The younger grandson had a busy half-term week; bowling, a visit to the London Dungeon to name just a couple of things. The middle grandson, almost 16, is harder to find things to do with; understandably few 15 years old want to be seen with their Nan...

On Wednesday I walked with the group in a local village called Turvey; we did a 6.5 mile loop around the village. The village houses are mostly made of limestone which can range from a pale grey to an almost sandy colour...

Took this view from the top of a hill

Everything is charity shopped from my Barnardo's; top, jacket and jeans . The jacket is by Zara. Boots bought online.

When I got back from the walk I changed into this outfit and set off for London; where I was picking up my ex sister-in-law. She was coming to stay with me for a while. I hadn't seen her for a long time as she had moved back to South Africa but was now back in the UK for good.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

Thursday was my usual food shopping day; but this time I had some company! We also went to pick up coal from the farm shop in Sharnbrook. In the afternoon, I took Dawn my S-i-L, to a couple of our charity shops including Barnardo's. She found some great things and was very pleased with what she found. I started the day with a trip to the hairdresser...

On Friday, my daughter had booked for us to have afternoon tea in a hotel in Newport Pagnell.

Daughter and S-i-L.

The tea was delicious and we had lots left over which naturally came home with us...

It was a strangely mild day but I wasn't too hot despite wearing this wool dress by M&S; jacket by Honor Milburn. Boots bought online as before.

All jewellery charity shopped.

On Saturday after much stopping and starting; Boris announced we're set for another lockdown starting on 5th November up until 2nd December. The first thing I did was rebook my Friday swimming session to a Wednesday one - it will be the last one I do for four weeks. I shall miss this the most.  I plan to swim twice a week when this mini lockdown is over.  There is something about swimming which is completely different to when I'm walking. Of course, the activity and the medium is very different; but with walking I am thinking things through and sorting out stuff in my head; whereas with swimming I don't think about things very much, if at all. I seem to concentrate on what my body is doing; from my head to my feet and focus on getting from one end of the pool to the other; and how many more laps I have to do until I hit 40. I worked out this difference between my two major activities whilst walking!

We had a quiet weekend overall and I took Dawn into town with me to run a few errands and to familiarise her with the town and surrounding area. She will probably be  here with us throughout the latest lockdown.

 On Sunday, everyone came for dinner except middle grandson who was feeling very tired...

This was Monday's outfit worn to volunteer at Barnardo's. The shop will be closed from Thursday onwards. Trousers by M&S, BNWT bought last Monday at my Barnardo's. The top is a Primarni one bought for 1 euro in a Donegal charity shop. Boots bought at my Barnardo's, too.

All jewellery charity shopped.

Tuesday I was back at the foodbank. We won't be closing so I will still be volunteering on a Tuesday morning throughout this mini lockdown. In the afternoon I was supposed to be taking the youngest grandson to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge; as he had an audiology appointment. They cancelled  the appointment that morning; but Dawn and I decided to go to Cambridge anyway for a rummage and a wander around. We visited the city centre; saw some of the colleges and visited Burleigh Street where there are 10 charity shops all very close together. I bought a handmade green woollen skirt and a couple of necklaces - well, I had to buy something -  the charity shops will be closed for the next month! Unfortunately the green skirt was too large on the hips and has gone into the charity shop donations bag...

I went for my final swim on Wednesday before the lockdown started. Did my 2k or 40 laps. After the swim we went into town to run some errands as many of the shops would be closed from Thursday. We went to Wilco for bird food and a new mop; my steam mop has given up and I thought I'd wait  until after lockdown to buy a replacement. The newly bought mop will be relegated to the bathroom mop once the new steam mop arrives. I returned one of my library books; the library will be closed again unfortunately. We also went to the butcher and to Superdrug and the Black Hair shop which sells black hair products and cosmetics and is always worth a look in. I'm forever looking for the perfect red lipstick. And talking of lipstick; I wear two colours of Essence lipsticks (by Wilco) regularly. I noticed in there they had a new range of Essence products which means the two I normally buy will be discontinued (aaargh!) but they had some of the old range in a reduced box. I was able to pick up one of each colour at the reduced price of 75p each!

This was Wednesday's outfit. Everything charity shopped. Skirt by M&S, jumper by Tu and shirt by F&F. The boots were also charity shopped but can't remember where...the tights are orange but don't look it in this photo.

All jewellery charity shopped except earrings bought in Debenhams sale last year.

It was a lovely bright sunny day on Wednesday - no rain, but it was chilly. OH said he had seen a gritter out on Tuesday evening so there might have been a frost expected. There was - I saw photos on IG!

All jewellery and headscarf charity shopped.

This was Thursday's outfit. The top is by M&S; it's made of wool and was a gift from my ex mum-in-law about 12 years ago. The trousers were charity shopped and the boots were online retail.

The last hurrah from the garden. The yellow chillies are very hot and to be used sparingly! The rose is having a resurgence after blooming earlier this year; I cut this one and there are two more buds waiting to flower.  One of the other roses is also reflowering. I still having fuchsias blooming, some begonias, a cyclamen and the unknown orange flower is still blooming well. The chillis have all now been used!

This is the Salvia Sebastian we bought in the reduced section at the plant shop at Anglesey Abbey. We went just before I went to Ireland and it's only just blooming...I bought the orange wooden plant holder at the charity where I buy the kindling from. They make them themselves out of salvaged wood.

I went for a 6 mile walk on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. My sister-in-law isn't a walker but we went on a stroll to our local park on Friday afternoon as she needed to get out for some fresh air.

I missed going into Barnardo's on Monday. I took grandson to school as usual; I made chicken soup and flapjacks and did two lots of whites washing. I've managed to draw up 2 family trees and only have 2 more to go. This was Monday's outfit; everything  is charity shopped. Trousers by M&S, jumper by F&F; look at those massive sleeves; it's a very impractical jumper but warm and toasty and mustard yellow! Green boots from River Island.

All jewellery charity shopped. I found a leather mini rucksack handbag in the loft on Monday when putting something away up there. It's from River Island and I think it was my daughter's from the late 1990s. It will be very useful when I go walking in Bedford and don't want to carry my normal big rucksack. Shopping my loft is almost as good as shopping my closet! The lamp in my dining room broke and I found one on eBay. I made an offer as I hate the bidding business.

The seller delivered it to me on Monday morning and I'm very pleased with it. On Monday too, it was announced that a vaccine may be available by the end of the month and that by next Spring it could be rolled out to everyone. If they have found a vaccine that's wonderful but so little is still known about how effective it might be. I think I shall be very cautious and do my research before I decide to have it.

At the food bankI had a busy morning unpacking crates and crates of toiletries. Then I sorted the baby food and finally marked up cereals and tins. This was what I wore. Everything charity shopped. Skirt by M&S as is the green cardigan. The top is by Next and the boots are from the Cat's Protection League.

All jewellery charity shopped.

In the afternoon; as it was such a bright, sunny day I took my sister-in-law for a drive around some of the local villages; and went to look at the two houses where we previously lived. She had come to stay with me at both of them in the past; and the whole thing was very nostalgic remembering the days out with our children. When I first came to live in Bedfordshire I lived in a house in the grounds of the hospital and that hospital and its grounds are now a luxury housing estate. 

That's what I've been up to - how about you?