Monday 15 February 2021

More cold weather...

Hello again!

This another of the dresses I bought from Vinted. I love the sleeves. Worn with my OTK boots which were online retail and leggings underneath.

I went for a 5.5 mile walk along the river on Wednesday. It was a mild day with a bit of a cool breeze. The river had flooded its banks in places and footpaths were closed. I had to cross at least three bridges to follow my usual route whereas I normally need to cross only one.

All jewellery charity shopped.

Both the left and the bottom right photo show an area by the river that's normally a grassy path; now swans and other waterfowl had taken it over! The top right photo is of the Suspension Bridge over the river; one of three the I had to cross to avoid closed, flooded footpaths. This bridge was built in 1888.

(Source: Bedford Borough Council artist impression) A second bridge; the Butterfly bridge was built in 1998; as the Suspension Bridge was difficult to access for people with disabilities and for those with pushchairs.

(Source; Bedford Borough Council) In 2019 a third bridge was opened and linked a new leisure complex; 'Riverside;' making it accessible to all on both sides of the river. This is usually the only bridge I need to cross on my walk. I don't think it has a name and if it has I don't know what it is!  Looking straight ahead you can see the spire of St. Paul's Church; to the right part of the court buildings. We only have a county court left; both the juvenile and the magistrates courts were moved to Luton. To left and just peeking over the roofs you can see the tower of St. Peter de Merton Church. Both churches date back to the 13th century with St. Peter's having a door dating back to the 11th century. We also have two road bridges that cross the river taking vehicles into and out of Bedford.

I finally made a start on my next crochet project on Wednesday evening. It's going to be very colourful...



Thursdays outfit. Everything charity shopped except the purple velvet cardigan bought from TK Maxx about 7 years ago. 

On Thursday it was grey and gloomy. We had heavy rain in the afternoon and it got steadily colder. Whatever the weather the shopping doesn't do itself so I set off at usual to the farm shop at Sharnbrook;  then onto Aldi, Sainsbury's and Lidl. When that was done I had to go into town to the bank; they shut early these days. After I'd put the shopping away I spent some time reading before making dinner. I'm reading this: a Victorian Gothic fantasy very steam punkish. And a stonker at 750 pages. I'm not a huge fan of the fantasy genre but this is pretty gripping and I'm enjoying it. I also loved 'The Rivers of London' series (by Ben Aaronovitch) and introduced my brother to it. Highly recommended.




All jewellery charity shopped. The necklace is by Laura Ashley. I  didn't even know they did jewellery! They've been gone for several years now; we used to have one in town but it closed down and now it's a Marie Curie charity shop. I noticed, too, when I was at the food bank on Tuesday the business opposite the food bank was gone. It was an engraving company and had been there for 38 years. They did the engravings on trophies for all the schools in Bedfordshire; also for lots of local and national sport organisations including the Premier League. Covid had brought all that to a halt and they couldn't carry on. 15 employees out of work. Just think they are one of probably tens of thousands of small to medium businesses gone.

On Friday it was bright and sunny at times. I took advantage of the weather and went for a 6 mile walk. On the way back to extend the walk a little I walked along a road called 'De Parys Avenue' and it boasts 3 blue plaques:

Dora Carrington went to school in Bedford and one painting
of hers is called 'Bedford Market'. I have a copy on my bedroom wall.

I wasn't too surprised by this one. We're only about 14 or 15 miles from Bletchley.


I've never heard of this performer although I may well have heard hm on the BBC 'Light Programme' when I was growing up.



Everything is charity shopped. Trousers by Laura Ashley; top by Primarni; jacket/kimono no label. Boots by River Island.


Ring and earrings retail.

On Saturday after getting up at my leisure and getting ready OH and I set out for a drive to Kettering where we dropped off my brothers Christmas presents. We had a brief doorstep chat; we stayed in the car and then off home we went. It was lovely to see them; what was also a bonus was due to a road diversion on the way there we found a lovely riverside village called Ringstead with a lock and a fabulous looking pub. It looks like the perfect place for a meal or a drink and a wander on a warm summer's evening. With Storm D'Arcy on the way I needed to hold onto images of warm summer evenings!

On Sunday I got up; cleaned the kitchen, had breakfast and went for a 5 mile walk. It was very cold and I was glad to get back indoors. The usual housework was done and I made a roast chicken dinner. OH and I finished watching 'Bullets' another Finnish crime series; it made for very tense watching in parts . 


Everything charity shopped except the boots by M&S. Local buy and sell FB group. Green jeans by New Look; green striped top by Primarni and the green tunic has no label.



All jewellery charity shopped.

We woke up to snow on Monday and it was bitterly cold. I didn't warm up until the evening when the fire was lit! Homeschooling with the youngest grandson; I was a bit flummoxed by the algebra. I'm quite sure I didn't do algebra until I got to grammar school aged 11; and it baffled me then. Grandson is not 11 until June. I was very good at maths at primary school but at grammar school I was awful at maths and hated it. I had planned to take the grandson into town and show him how to pay money into the hole in wall (ATM); he knows how to withdraw money but it was so cold neither of us wanted to do it. I made chicken soup with the leftover chicken from Sunday. OH got an a message from our doctor's practice to book his covid vaccination. He booked for Saturday. I hoped my invite would be following on shortly...


I treated myself to 3 pairs of Snag tights as so many people in Blogland have recommended them. I realised as I sorted my tights out recently that a lot of my coloured tights are fine so I have got rid of those and only keep the warmer 60/80 denier plus coloured tights. I'm wearing bottle green Snag tights here but also bought a red pair; and an orange pair which I'll have to wait until March to be delivered. The tights were a great fit; nice and warm for the food bank although it was so cold there I put the heater on for the first time ever. It didn't make much difference as the doors are always open. My boots are by River Island and charity shopped in my Barnardo's; skirt by Red Herring and top by Lulu H both charity shopped. I usually wear my navy blue coatigan, a scarf and gloves as well when I'm in the warehouse.

 

All jewellery charity shopped.


In the afternoon I had errands to run in town. All my hand towels, which are white, have gone that yucky greyish colour. Nothing brings the whiteness back; I've tried boiling and bleaching to no avail. I used to have white bath towels too (all charity shopped)  but replaced them with coloured ones eventually for the same reason. I usually buy bath towels at Sainsbury's when on sale as their towels are very good quality. I've also  quite recently bought wonderful bath towels from Cancer Research; part of their own merchandise. I went to QD in town and bought five new hand towels; more bird food and a new shopping list pad. I also succumbed to some balls of green and blue wool as my stash of these colours was almost non-existent; my previous crochet project used up most of it. Aldi does very good wool; usually in packs of 4 x 100 grammes for 3.99. 4 of one colour is not always what I need although the Aldi wool is definitely the best value. When I got home I suddenly thought I could have bought some fabric dye and dyed the old hand towels. I will do that as well - you can never have too many hand towels! UPDATED. My goodness have you seen the price of fabric dye? I'd need possibly three to dye all the towels and at that rate it would cost as much as I paid for my new hand towels! They're off to the ragbag unless my neighbour wants them for her animal sitting business...

On my way back from town I stopped at the food charity and bought some flowers



The house was
 filled with the scent of hyacinths.

Wednesday was another freezing cold day. I decided to brave a field walk as I thought the ground would be frozen over. It was and so much easier to walk on than wet, slippery mud. I broke lots of iced over puddles; sinking up to my ankles in water on several occasions. Luckily, my boots are waterproof and the water didn't get in over the top. I walked from  Milton Ernest to Clapham, 6 miles; I wished I had a balaclava to keep my cheeks warm. It was a very bright day which made up for the cold; and the air was full of birdsong. I heard my first skylarks of 2021!

Thursday was yet another day with temperatures below freezing. I wore thermal leggings under this M& Co skirt. I found it in my wardrobe and have no memory of when or where I bought it. All I know is that I've never worn it before. I wore it with a polo neck by Tu and this cardigan by John Rocha. All charity shopped; boots bought online.




All jewellery charity shopped.

As it was Thursday that meant food shopping. I went to all the usual places; farm shop in Sharnbrook (no queue for a change) Sainsbury's, Aldi and Lidl. After it was all put away I had to go out again to collect my prescription. I also went to our biggest international supermarket which stocks food from all over the world and has a halal butcher in it too. I buy all my seasonings and spices here and I also bought some oxtail to make a stew for next week. I haven't tried out the pressure cooker yet in my pressure cooker/rice cooker/slow cooker/steamer thingummy. I received a text in the late afternoon inviting me for a Covid vaccination; I booked an appointment for Saturday at the Gurdwara!

Another freezing day on Friday with an icy wind. I forced  myself to go out for a walk and I walked to Queen's Park along the river to Great Denham on to Biddenham and along the by pass back to Bedford 6.7 miles. There were many huge iced over puddles like this one:




Saturday was V Day. Vaccination day for OH and I! My appointment was at 4.20 pm and everything was organised extremely well; just a small scratch and that was it. Back in 12 weeks for the second dose. We have been so lucky to have the vaccine but also enough vaccine to allow the Borough Council to start vaccinating the fifth section of priority groups the 65 - 69 year olds. I was both pleased and grateful to receive mine. I had planned to walk to the Gurdwara for the vaccination but it was so bitterly cold I drove!  

                                                                   

This was Saturday's outfit worn with leggings underneath. Everything charity shopped.
Skirt by Rapp. All jewellery charity shopped.


Jacket by Fenn Wright and Manson.     


Sunday was a warmer day but it was bleak; cold, grey and breezy. Both OH and I had woken up feeling achy and my arm was sore where the vaccination was given.   I took some paracetamol and immediately felt better. Feeling guilty about not walking yesterday I set off for a field walk and walked 6.5 miles. I saw a flock of Fieldfares; they were stripping a bush of its berries. When I came back from my walk I  did the housework and then made a roast dinner. Then it was time to chill out. No home schooling on Monday: both youngest grandson and I could have a lie in if we wanted. OH and I watched the final 3 episodes  of 'The Grey Zone' a really tense Danish/Swedish thriller from Walter Presents. Have to find something else to watch now but we are spoilt for choice so that won't be difficult.

Monday was a huge contrast to the past weeks weather. It was warm and sunny with a bit of a breeze. Taking advantage of the change in the weather I took the grandsons to Stanwick Lakes where we had a walk; it's an archaeological site with human settlement there dating back to Neolithic times. We stopped for an Oreo McFlurry on the way back. I think the grandson appreciated out being in the open after being stuck indoors all last week. In normal half term weeks I always try and do something with the grandsons; trips to London or the seaside or to a place of interest. The lockdown has put paid to those trips. We have a week to wait to see what our government's plan is to ease us out lockdown. I, for one, can't wait!

Everything charity shop except the tights and boots. Skirt by M&S; striped top by Matalan and cardigan by B-Me.




All jewellery charity shopped. I lost one of these earrings on the walk. I'm off to clean out the fuel burner and light the fire; the temperature's dropped again.

See you in two weeks!
                                                      
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            









22 comments:

  1. I'm so happy for you getting your vaccination. It is the first step, but it must make you feel like there's an end in sight. I'm in a risk group, but probably won't get mine until April or May.
    Beautiful outfits this time around, the yellow and blue catching my eye especially.
    I'm so close to ordering some new tights-seeing everyone with their beautiful Snags really has me wanting some.
    Have a good week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Goody - hope your vaccination date comes soon!

      I'm pleased with my tights although they are more expensive that I normally buy. I find my tights (and socks) go in the toe first and so far the Snag tights haven't!
      xxx

      Delete
  2. I'm very pleased to hear that you and OH have had your jabs! Did you get fed at the gurdwara? I keep checking the vaccine calculator and we're now expecting ours around 24th April...yipeee!
    Sensational outfits as always! Love that first dress, gorgeous sleeves! The Rapp skirt is gorgeous and the green outfit is fab. Snag tights are great, I'm not even that keen on tights but they're warm and comfy and nice and thick.
    I'm not a fan of the fantasy genre but the cover of that book would have me buying it.
    Three blue plaques so near to one another, there must be something in the water round there.
    Fabric dye is expensive although there's often bargains on ebay.
    Isn't it lovely that the snow's gone and it's warmed up?
    Stay safe and see you in a fortnight! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Vix. No we didn't get fed...

      I did try eBay for the dye but as I need at least three it would have still worked out to be pretty expensive.

      Take care
      xxx

      Delete
  3. Glad to hear that you had your vaccination. Mr.A. had it and also suffers from secondary effects, as you did, but paracetamol worked!. I have to wait until my age group is called.
    Lovely to see some of the landscapes that you see in your walks, and swans!. Also lovely to see some blue plaques and brick architecture!.
    Lovely outfits!. The sleeves of your dress by Vinted are magnificent and it fits you like a dream. Looking elegant in your fab jewellery!.
    Lovely green shades and interesting prints, particularly the leaves printed skirt with the snag tights! (I'm very happy with them, as fab colourful tights are difficult to find in my size!). Looking lovely in your maxi skirts, both are fab but I'm loving particularly the yellow and orange color combo with the bits of blue, so delightful!
    Love the mix of stripes in your last outfit, so fabulous!. You Rock It!
    And I'm admiring your colourful crochet project, it's going to be a joyful inducing blanket!
    besos

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wonderful news that both you and OH have received your first jabs! I'm quite envious, as the UK seems to be doing so much better than here in Europe. Jos didn't even have his first one, and he's in his early 70s. As to when it'll be my turn is anyone's guess :-(
    I'm swooning over that first dress - those sleeves are something else - so this one is my favourite. I'm also loving the M&Co. skirt worn with the polo neck and John Rocha cardigan, and Saturday's colourful outfit.
    I loved the little nosey around Bedford and its blue plaques.
    I'm absolutely admiring your homeschooling skills. I don't think I remember anything at all about algebra. Like you, I was good at math until grammar school, getting even worse in the final years.
    I'm glad you were able to go for a couple of walks in spite of the cold weather. We had the most glorious, cold but sunny weather last week, which we made the most of by going for walks in the snow.
    I'm loving those bottle green Snags! I'll be ordering some in the future for sure, but I've still got boxes full of coloured tights!
    Stay safe! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Ann. I hope your vaccination dates come soon. We do seem to be cracking on with it here in the UK - the government finally got something right!
      xxx

      Delete
  5. the first dress is gorgeous - and added the jewelry spot on - love that ring esp.!!
    and what a shame you never have worn that beautiful maxi skirt before...... and i´m impressed how fab the coral-y jacket looks over mustard yellow - genius!
    wish i would find that monstera leaf print as a fabric - imagine a sheet dress.........
    the stripey galore looks right like spring at the seaside!
    congrats to the vaccination - getting the vaccine at a gurdwara sounds great - we need every help we can get :-D
    chicken soup sound good - thanks for the idea - and interesting walks thanks to flooding - the 3 little bridges are all pieces of art in their own.
    my last 3 "walks" went on ski - walking was almost impossible in half a meter of snow :-D
    stay warm! xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Beate. I saw you on skis and I hope you're able to walk properly now...
      xxx

      Delete
  6. Lovely colourful outfits to lift the spirits on what has been a freezing and dismal February so far. Thanks for the tip about Snag tights. I used to be able to buy various coloured opaque tights from M&S or Boots but they only seem to sell Black or Navy here. I shall look out for Snag.
    Glad that you have had your first vaccine. I have to wait until May as I am only 64 - so young!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, JayCee. Yes, do go for the Snag tights. My tights always go at the toes first and these are still intact so the quality is good; hence the 6.99 per pair cost!

      May will be here soon...
      xxx

      Delete
  7. I'm so glad to hear you and OH have been vaccinated! Canada dropped the ball on it (grrr, government) and only the health care workers and the people in the eldercare homes - my 75 year old mom has not had hers yet! It will probably be summer by the time I get it.

    Some awesome outfits here, Vronni! I love hearing about all the things you do in your day-to-day life. I never ever buy white toweling - it's so gross when it goes grey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That does seem remarkably slow, Sheila. Hope you get yours soon.
      xxx

      Delete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wowzers Vronni !!! I have been on a blog break and during that gap your outfits and your beauty have got even BETTER, If that were possible. There are some beautiful outfits here and I love that LA necklace and the flared sleeve dress. Wowzers indeed!!
    I’m pleased to hear you have both been vaccinated, hubs and I too and he had his second a few weeks ago and my second is in April.
    It’s been great to catch up on what’s been going on in Vronniland, and I’ll try to catch some of those Scandi thrillers you’ve been watching.
    Hugs Mary x.
    thepoutingpensioner.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mary,

      It's good to have you back in Blogland and thank you for your lovely comments.
      xxx

      Delete
  10. That dress in the top pic with statement sleeves is a stunner with those boots! Glad you had your vaccination, I had mine last week too. Walking in the cold weather can be challenging- I like walking on frozen mud, but like you I had a few nasty surprises with iced over pudd0, but fortunately the water didn't go over the top. We're obsessed with Scandinavian progs - started The Legacy yesterday. Will take a look at your recommendations xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!
      The Legacy is brilliant, Gail; you're in for a treat! I am hoping for a new series soon - I think there were 2 or even 3...
      xxx

      Delete
  11. Oooh, I do love the sleeves on that Vinted dress - it's a very stylish outfit. And like you I've been converted to Snags - they fit so well, and they feel like they're really good quality too.

    I've read Glass Books! It's a bit saucy in places, which surprised me, but I really enjoyed it. If you enjoyed Rivers of London, you might also enjoy the Midnight Mayor books by Kate Griffin - A Madness of Angels is the first in the series.

    It is shocking to see how many businesses have closed during lockdown. We're going to come out of Covid to see the country in a very different state, I fear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mim,

      I'll check out the Mayor books. The Glass book was very saucy!
      xxx

      Delete
  12. I can't believe that this man is so real, how can I thank you enough, I can't fail to testify about the good things you have been doing for me and now you still went ahead and do same for my friend, please everyone if you have anything disturbing you please your solution is hear with Dr.osupalagba the great spiritualist who can solve any problem in a twinkle of an eye. No matter the problems, whether spiritual problem, you want to get your ex back, promotion in your workplace, spiritual cleansing, fruit of the womb, mental illnesses, protection for gun, protection for cutlass, protection for bottle, protection for snake and scorpion bites and cure. Are you a victim of any of the above listed setbacks, you can contact Dr.osupalagbavia Email: osupalagba.temple@gmail.com


    Call/WhatsApp +2347051667586

    ReplyDelete

A weekend visitor and an exhibition

 Hello!  I'll soon be off to Ireland  so let me tell you what I've been up to over the last two weeks.  I'll start with a whinge...