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.

The week of missed walks and some charity shopping

Just a few bargains to show you...below one of the 50p tops I bought last week. I've gone from zero orange items in my wardrobe to six - four tops; one pair of trousers and one skirt. I don't know why I've suddenly started to like orange. Old age is a funny thing.

The earrings are, on the right, the brown spotted ones bought last week in Royston and the blue spotted ones I bought on Monday in Save the Children for £1.00.

This is a not very good photo of me wearing the blue ones today

These pyjamas are not the ones mentioned below but another charity shop find in Donegal for 4 euros. I shall keep them for when I go away somewhere for the weekend and stay in an hotel. They have a matching camisole which is why I call them my posh pyjamas.

Can you believe my six year old grandson took the three following photos? Kids today are so technically competent  - or is it just that phone cameras are so easy to use? Or a combination of these two things?

I bought this top in an Ampthill charity shop back in the Spring, I think. It was intended for the holiday in Spain, being very light.  It's such a lovely, soft green. But I forgot to pack it so thought I'd get a wear out of it whilst the weather is still so hot.

Everything is charity shopped. The trousers came from Barnardo's in Ampthill. Can't remember where the sandals came from but they were charity shopped. Earrings and necklace charity shopped.

This week is Bedfordshire's Walking Festival. There is a walk of some description everyday; from ambles, to middle distance walks, classes on map reading and opportunities to try Nordic walking. On Wednesday, I had planned to walk with the Ramblers, but the start time was earlier than usual and would have entailed leaving home during the morning rush hour.

One of the biggest pleasures about being retired, apart from not actually having to go to work, is that there is less need to rush. In fact, the older I get the more I dislike rushing. So, if anything involves a rush, unless it is absolutely necessary; I simply don't do it! This walk would have been one such thing; a rush to get ready on time and leave the house on time - no thanks; I did that for 45 years. 

I went walking by myself instead, did just over 8 miles and had a lovely time. I saw rabbits, pheasants, rooks, blackbirds, skylarks - although I didn't hear them singing. I also didn't see any birds of prey and I usually do on this route. I saw and heard the usual countryside wild birds. That reminds me, I'm getting long tailed tits on my bird feeders now. (Stop sniggering at the back, there!) That makes three types of tit that come to the bird feeders; blue tit, great tit and now long tailed tits.

John Bunyan - author of Pilgrim's Progress

On Thursday I planned to walk with the group again. We were to meet at the statue in town at 10 am. I set off early, called into a charity shop nearby to have a browse, then went along to the statue to find no one there! I hung about puzzled at the lack of turn out -  and no walk leader and then the penny dropped. It was the other statue at the other end of the High Street. I'd been standing by the John Bunyan statue (Pilgrim's Progress) when I should have been at the statue of John Howard! (Prison Reform -The  Howard League of Penal Reform take their name from him). I raced down (or up?) the High Street but I was too late - they'd left.

John Howard - Prison reformer and philanthropist

So once again I set off on my own. As I was near to the river I decided to do a river walk and walked along the river for a few miles. I then decided to walk back via a 'new' village, Great Denham. (Since I've lived in Bedford there have been three new villages constructed to my knowledge). It makes one wonder if there will be any land left that isn't occupied by housing in the future but people have to live somewhere, don't they? I had walked just over seven miles by the time I got home.

I was clearly meant to go this way back because I found a new to me charity shop in the village! A Barnardo's. Luckily,  I had brought my purse with me. I bought a BNWT pair of pyjamas for £3.49; a pair of linen harem pants £1.99; a pair of checked leggings for winter £1.99; and a sweet little shopping bag for 99p.

When I go to town I usually bring a shopping bag and not a handbag - in case I get lucky in the charity shops!

I thought I might wear these harem pants with the soft green top, above, for my daughter's birthday meal on Monday evening. We're going to a Caribbean restaurant in Wellingborough. She is having a weekend away in London with some friends and I'm child sitting. I thought I'd take him blackberrying on Saturday.  The elder of the two grandsons is going to let me know if he wants to come or not. I think he's probably grown out it by now and wants to let me down gently!

I saw lots  of blackberries when out walking and they're looking fat and luscious. I can feel the making of pies/ tarts/crumbles coming on. I won't make jam because nobody likes the pips in blackberry jam.

My final missed walk happened today (Friday) because it began to rain extremely heavily at 9 am this morning and continued to do so for the rest of the day. I love walking - but not in the rain.  It was also a lot cooler today and is forecast to remain so. I guess the summer is finally over. If Sunday is dry I shall try and drag the OH out for a nice long walk and if not I'll go on my own or I might even make one of the walks from the Walking Festival on its final day.

How are you spending your weekend?