Outfit mistake and other things

Wearing 50p earrings from Cancer Research shop in Rushden. All jewellery charity shopped.

I'm determined once again to cut down on my clothes charity shopping. I've said this on several occasions since I started blogging three years ago. I've tried adding up what I spend on a weekly and monthly basis - scary. I've tried limiting myself to once a month trips and most recently trying to only shop from the sale rails. I've been good at clearing stuff out and have a friend who is collecting clothing to send to the Gambia, so that's an incentive but I have to curb my addiction! Christmas is an expensive time of year and I am hoping to go to Devon for a weekend in January so need to stop spending money unnecessarily...I don't need anymore clothes!

I'm experimenting with tunics over skirts at the moment and will, at some point, try tunics with dresses. As I'm bulky round the middle I find it tricky to find the right sort of top to wear with skirts and because of this I don't wear them as often as I would like. I'm hoping tunics over skirts will solve this problem...

Everything charity shopped. If you look carefully you can see I'm wearing a  black skirt bought from Barnardo's sale rail for 79p. Spotty tunic by G21 but can't remember where I got it from; striped shirt under the tunic was from the Red Cross 1.99. I wore these boots to town to run errands last Thursday afternoon and wondered why my feet felt a bit wet. When I got home the sole had dropped off the left boot! It will cost about 12 to 15 pounds to have a sole replaced and as I only paid 1.99 for the boots (from Barnardo's but by Miss Selfridge) it really isn't worth it. Into the bin they went.

On my trip to town I went to the Mercy in Action charity shop. I bought a lovely tunic for 2.00 and the scarf I'm wearing in the photo above. Not only is it yellow but it has this lovely chintzy print.....only 1.00!

It needs an iron...

Here's the 79p skirt again. I wore this type of skirt a lot in the 1990's with thick tights and ankle boots. Not Doc. Martins. I've never owned a pair of Doc. Martins or even worn a pair; I find them very clumpy and no good for short, chunky legged people like me!  I do love them on other people though, and what a fab range of colours and designs I've seen.

Picked up an Xmas jumper for 1.00 for middle grandson  (on radiator) - they're having an Xmas jumper day soon at school and I refuse to go to a big chain store and buy a new one...it later transpired the one I'd bought was for girls!

Everything charity shopped except the boots which were from Sainsbury's a few years back. Knitted tunic - or it may just be a long jumper - from Kim and Co and was 99p from Barnardo's in Ampthill.  Animal print shirt -  charity shopped but can't remember where or how much. There was a time when I was desperate for an animal print shirt and I seem to have ended up with three! Green tights. charity shopped. I'm on the look out for striped tights at the moment; I already have a purple striped pair.

Oh dear, I must have been rubbing my eye... all jewellery charity shopped except necklace which was a present many years ago from my middle grandson's mum.

Well, so much for my restraint re
 charity shopping but at least it's not clothes! I had more errands to run on Friday morning and as I've been looking for a knitting bag,  although without success so far, thought I'd look in the Keech Hospice shop. They didn't have a knitting bag but they did have a velvet draped model covered in brooches - all 2.00 each. You can see my choices above. I could easily have bought ten more!

My third outfit of skirt plus tunic. Everything charity shopped. Skirt by Topshop. Sweater and blouse both Primarni and both from 99p rail in Barnardo's, Great Denham.

Boots; on line retail. I''m very hot in this photo hence the red face; I'd just put more coal on the fire...

All jewellery charity shopped.

Went to see my son on Saturday and these photos were taken when we got back. This is the 2.00 tunic by Masai bought in the Mercy in Action charity shop in the week.

I wore it with a black jumper underneath for warmth but I turned the jumper backwards. The neckline didn't sit properly as a result so when I wear the tunic again I will wear another long sleeved top the right way round! I love the colours in the tunic; cream, silver grey and fawn. I thought my copper, gold and silver necklace went really well with it.

I bought this jacket for 1.00 in the 3:16 charity shop. I thought it was vintage; it's not - made in China but it has lovely beaded embroidery on one side and tiny pockets, cuffs and lapels trimmed in satin. It also has lovely shaped buttons. I can see me wearing it a lot.

Black stretch trousers by Phase Eight; 79p in Barnardo's, Great Denham. They were a little too big for me and have been redonated. You may remember I was looking for black leggings but had to resort to buying a pair retail - M&S. All jewellery charity shopped.

Monday's outfit, Joe Brown dress, boots and tights charity shopped. Yellow cardigan Christmas present from OH.

All jewellery charity shopped.

On Tuesday I went to the foodbank. There is so much food!  Over 5 tonnes of food were donated through our Tesco collaboration. In the afternoon I went for an 8 mile walk with my friend, Lynne, from the foodbank. Quite a chilly day with occasional bursts of sunshine.  We walked through three villages; Biddenham, Bromham and Stagsden back to Biddenham. This is Stagsden church - you can see it was a rather dreary day.

Striped leggings 79p Barnardo's rail; knitted tunic 1.00 rail (don't like it - into the charity shop bag it goes). Italian cardigan bought from the Sally Army a few weeks ago for 4.99. Boots from Oxfam.

All jewellery charity shopped.

Now to my outfit mistake...

I wore this outfit to my Ramblers Christmas lunch and carol singing event last Wednesday. It was a lovely lunch and I always enjoy the carol singing. It was always my favourite Christmas activity at school; singing carols. I might think about joining a local choir - if I can find one who would have me!

Crumpled and rumpled as usual! All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

Anyway, the outfit above.  It was a mistake of an outfit.  I nearly didn't post a full length photo but as you know this is a warts and all blog! The white gathered top is a go to wardrobe staple of mine, bought in a La Redoute sale some years ago. The top and trousers have been in my wardrobe - unworn - for at least three years. The trousers are beige, high waisted with pockets; by Mary Portas bought for 5.00 from Oxfam. I wore them with brown suede ankle boots but the trousers make me look short and dumpy because they're too long for me.  This outfit is not helped by the voluminous M&S Autograph top for which I paid 1.00 from a sale rail  somewhere. I liked the top because it's kimono-like but the sleeves are very big and at the back it has an elasticated waistband like a blouson.  I also should have worn something patterned or at least more textured as all the materials are pretty similar. Having analysed what's wrong with the outfit I will redonate the top as I have plenty of kimono type tops and try to shorten the trousers to see if that improves them. They are dressy trousers and I only have one other dressy pair...They also need different shoes; possibly sandals would be better and as they are very lightweight trousers they would be good for summer wear. I wore leggings under them on this occasion!



I've started my second 'Sunburst Blanket' and have 12 squares made so far...not sure what I'm doing with it when I've finished it but I'll think of something or someone who might use it. Possibly my brother, Julian, he said he'd like a blanket ages ago.

More tunic and skirts, trying for the Gudrun Sjoden look here - layers, patterns and colours.  Must try harder...Everything charity shopped. Skirt by Red Herring 3.00. Top by Bon Marche 1.00 rail. Striped top by Papaya can't remember where.

Tights, boots, scarf and all jewellery charity shopped.

I was very good this second week of December. On my trips to town I looked in several charity shops but I only bought a long green cardigan for 2.00 in the Independent charity shop and a yellow necklace (yes, another one!) for 1.00 in the Sally Army.

The weather turned really cold this week. Not very conducive to walking.
Everything charity shopped but cardigan from Primarni.

Top 1.00 rail 3:16 charity shop. Checked trousers can't remember; boots from Oxfam.

All jewellery charity shopped except earrings bought  in Oxford market by my lovely OH.

Another couple of outfits worn last week...

Rupert bear trousers charity shopped last year. Kimono Christmas present from daughter about four or five years agp. The striped shirt is by Tu and was from the sale rail at Barnardo's - 79p. I love the sleeves...

Boots daughter donated.

All jewellery charity shopped.

East dress; charity shopped and Houndstooth cardigan from F & F; also charity shopped. Check leggings: New Look charity shopped. Boots charity shopped in Northampton.

All jewellery charity shopped.

Everyone is coming to us for Christmas and we should have a fun day.
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and if you don't celebrate it have a wonderful festive season and break. See you in 2019!

Same old, same old...but some new charity shop finds.

I seem to have lost my blogging mojo just lately. My third year blogoversary was in November and I forgot to mention it.  I tend to have a quite routinised lifestyle and seem to talk about the same things all the time; charity shopping finds; walking, crocheting projects; excursions with family/ friends etc. I worry that I'm boring! 😢 The thing is I love reading about other people's everyday lives; it's the details I find so fascinating, so I can only hope that many of you are the same.

Our weather turned very cold in the third week of November. On Wednesday 21st the temperature dropped to 1.5 degrees and reached the giddy heights of 3.5 degrees later in the day! I hardly walked all that week. Just managed a 4 mile walk with my daughter on Friday before the school run.

It was a very good week for charity shopping, though.  This was last Saturday's outfit. We went to Emmaeus for a little rummage and I bought 3 bangles for 50p each, a flower brooch and a green necklace. They had quite a lot of wool which they don't usually have, but I was very restrained and didn't buy any! I also bought a winter coat BNWT by for 3.50 in the Wood Green Animal charity shop during the week as well. 

These were last week's purchases, too. Yellow kimono: 4.50 and Phase Eight wool dress 2.99 both from Great Denham, Barnardo's. I was checking the sale rail and spotted them, I find it hard to resist kimono type tops...

Boots bought a few years back from The Reuse Centre 2.40 and yellow shiny tights I've had for years and cannot remember where I got them from.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

It was my youngest brother's birthday so we went to Kettering on Saturday evening for a birthday meal celebration. We went to 'The Hare' in Loddington. When my mum was alive she loved to come here and it's also where we celebrated her 70th birthday; on that occasion she arrived in style in a white limousine accompanied by all her grandchildren!

Here we are waiting for our food to arrive.

I bought this jacket in the Cat's Protection charity shop a while ago for 3.50. Checked/gingham tunic charity shopped but grey leggings bought from Sainsbury's and boots online retail.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

On Monday I walked 8 miles along the river to Great Denham. It was a chilly day and a bit gloomy but I enjoyed my walk; I feel guilty if I don't go out walking at least three times during the week. 

On Tuesday I went to the food bank and in the afternoon I went to Rushden on Tuesday for a quick rummage. The Sally Army yielded a brooch; a necklace and a pair of summer trousers. I bought a grey Italian dress (see below) for 2.99 in the Cancer Research shop and a pair of earrings for 50p in The Heart Foundation. I like buying some summer items in the winter. I put them away after washing them and they're such a nice surprise when I swap my wardrobe over in the Spring.

I really like this kimono - it's yellow!

Black jeans 79p sale rail in Barnardo's; blue top by Gudrun Sjoden charity shopped in the same place  for 3.99. Boots bought in Oxfam. The yellow bangle is one of the three I bought at Emmaeus last Saturday.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

Because the weather had been pretty miserable I concentrated on my crocheting. I got to 72 squares and decided I had enough for a reasonable size blanket  as if I continued with the original plan of 144 squares I may not have had it finished until after Christmas - and it was for a Christmas present. So, after having played around with the squares I ended up with ten rows of seven squares. Then I had to crochet them together....

One of the best things about crocheting as far as I'm concerned is choosing the colours. With this project  there is one row of pinks, blues, purples, greens, grey and oranges and red and yellows, and one row of mixed colours drawn from the ones I've listed.

It might look a bit wavy but once the squares have been crocheted together using grey wool in single crochet  stitch and a border added, it will look both squarer and more finished.

 I'm already planning the next stash busting project which is a slightly different version of the same pattern; and this time I'm going to go for completely random colours! No colour scheme whatsoever just random colours. I'm quite excited by this as I always have a colour scheme in mind when crocheting but I'll use a toning colour to join the squares which will bring it all together - I hope!  I've  still got so much wool left to use up...

As I've been crocheting as much as I can I haven't got much reading done this month - only 5 books in November.  I read 9 in October. If only I could crochet and read at the same time I'd be laughing! I am catching up with 'Vanity Fair' on my laptop as I crochet so the brain is being stimulated. We've been watching 'Beck' on BBC 4; it just goes from strength to strength, I think.  There are 10 books in the original series and I've read them all;  of course they are now extending the story lines. We've watched 'Little Drummer Girl' on BBC 2. H'mmnn, she did all that for love? I don't think so - but of course I haven't read the book and screen writers do take liberties sometimes...

This is the grey Italian dress I bought for 2.99 in the Cancer Research in Rushden. Charity shopped, Monsoon cardigan from the Red Cross a couple of years ago for 1.99; orange tights from the Cat's Protection League and shoes from Primarni 5.00 in the sale.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped.

I bought this tunic recently but can't remember where; it may have been the Willen Hospice shop  in Newport Pagnell and it's by Lily and Me. Cardigan 1.00 rail in the 3:16 charity shop and leggings 79p from Barnardo's. Boots on line retail.

We had a national food bank drive in partnership with Tesco last Thursday. I had a two hour stint in our largest branch of Tesco; giving out food bank shopping lists. Most people were happy to take a list and many people donated items. I'll find out when I'm next at the food bank how much was donated; it's usually several tonnes of food!

I also went to the hairdressers...

All jewellery charity shopped.

I walked for 8 miles on Friday; just around the area where my daughter lives.   There's quite a lot of concrete paths around where she lives; a combination of concreted farm/bridle tracks and an old RAF base. It had been very wet for days so I wanted to avoid fields.

At the weekend OH and I went for a rummage in Newport Pagnell. I picked up a leoprint soft jacket for 2.00 in the Hospice shop. We stopped at the Barnardo's in Great Denham on the way home and I bought from the sale rail: a spotted blouse/tunic for 79p; 2 pairs of leggings at 79p each; a skirt for 79p and a jumpsuit (in thin material so only for the summer) - also 79p and finally a multi-coloured necklace.  All for less than a fiver. Didn't I do well?

Cardigan bought from the Independent Charity Shop. Dress by Primarni retail. Boots present from daughter. Tights and scarf charity shopped.

All jewellery charity shopped, except earrings from Bedford Market about ten years ago.

There are some flowers that look just as good as they start to fade as when fresh; hydrangeas, for example. I don't know what these are but they're beginning to fade and I think they're lovely.

The Karina blanket is finished!

Joined with grey single crochet stitch and six rows of double crochet in the border. I might just join the next one with an 'invisible' join..

I'm very pleased with it.

Not a lot going on

Hello again and how are you? I've had a pretty quiet time with not too much going on. I've been busy with the crocheting as I'm trying to get the blanket, which I've called the Karina blanket, finished in time for Christmas as I'm going to give it to my eldest grandson's girlfriend.

I had a good week last week for walking. I walked on my own and recce'd my longer walk on Tuesday - just on 7 miles. Walked with the group on Wednesday; 8 miles from Great Denham to Bromham and back. Unfortunately, after the first hour it rained solidly! On Thursday, I walked with my friend Lynn from the food bank and we walked 8 miles; I slightly changed the route I want to take when I lead this longer walk for the Ramblers and this new route was better and just under 8 miles. Phew! Job done. Now I'll just keep walking the routes until I can do them blindfolded - and in reverse. That's the true test of knowing where you're going...

                                                        All jewellery charity shopped.

This was Tuesday's outfit. Everything charity shopped except the boots. Tunic from Primarni; 2.00 in The Childrens' Society last year; cardigan Tu; 1.00 rail Barnardo's. Leggings bought in Store 21 sale for 5.00 a few years back. Still haven't found any black leggings yet...

Scarf charity shopped recently.

 I lost my watch in the house somewhere (you can see the outline of it on my arm above!) and was lost without it. I have 7 watches, 4 of which were gifts and the other three from charity shops, but only one with a working battery! It costs between £4 and £5.00 to have batteries put in watches but I do need to get some put in urgently. I've tried putting in my own batteries in in the past using the batteries from the Poundshop, but they don't last...

This was Thursday's outfit:

All jewellery charity shopped

Jeans; John Rocha for M&S; Top; Next, Cardigan: Mystify all charity shopped.

Boots; Christmas present from daughter. I bought the alstromerias flowers from Lidl. They lasted for three weeks!

 Our expected visitors cancelled their visit to us for Saturday and are coming in December instead which meant I had a free Saturday. I had a lovely lie-in as I had stayed up till 3.45 am the night before to finish my library book; 'Lethal White' by Robert Galbraith AKA J.K. Rowling author of the Harry Potter books. This book is the fourth  in the Cormoran Strike series and very good it was too. I ran some errands in town and then went for a rummage to Great Denham and the Cat's Protection League in Kempston.

Look what I found there!  I asked if they had any wool and the Manager said she had a bagful at the back and would I like to look. So I did, and then picking up vibes from her that she wished to be rid of the wool, I asked if she could do me a deal for the whole lot - all this wool for 8.00! I was so pleased. Of course the whole point of crocheting my current blanket is a stash busting project to reduce the amount of wool I already have -  and then I go and buy all this. But you can't look a gift horse in the mouth as my mum used to say...

Saturday's outfit.

These trousers were from the sale rail in Barnardos in St. Neots last weekend - 49p. The cardigan came from the Sally Army and was 5.00. It's an Italian label. The lace top came from a sale rail somewhere last year.

Beetle crushers charity shopped in Wellingborough about three or four years ago.

All jewellery charity shopped.

Outerwear. Hilary sent me the beautiful paisley scarf. Embroidered wool cardigan bought in the Donkey Sanctuary charity shop in Ballyboffey, Co. Donegal. It has sequins and beads sewn into the embroidery as well.

I went to my son's on Sunday. I wore my new maxi dress. I wish I had put my hands in my pockets so you can see them; they're not very obvious in these photos. Everything charity shopped except the boots - online retail.

Roman jacket; 1.00 rail in Age UK, Wellingborough about three or four years ago. Dress bought in St. Neot's two weekends ago for 5.49.

All jewellery charity shopped.

I was watching 'Only Connect' on Monday (BBC 4) and one of the clues on the 'Wall' part of the programme was about different types of pen. One of the four types of pen was the 'dip' pen which the presenter, Victoria Coren, had to explain to the participants! I used a dip pen at primary school when we did Italic handwriting. I don't know why we were taught Italic handwriting but we were and we used lined paper; dip pens, inkwells and ink. If you were lucky you got to be ink monitor. It's times like this when I feel my age... and when I see the age of Oscar or award winning actors and/or musicians and realise I'm old enough to be their mum... and when I remember having no other form of home heating except coal fires and paraffin heaters.

I took three of my watches to the watch battery van in town on Monday and got new batteries. Cost 13.50. Oh well, at least I have four watches that work now!

My daughter took this photo of me (on her camera phone) and youngest grandson losing his money in the arcade in Eastbourne where we went at half term.

The size of this photo has just reminded that a few weeks ago my photos on the blog began to shrink. I always select the X large size for my photo on Blogger but no matter what I did the photos came out smaller than they used to. I nearly always use my camera phone for photos and they used all to be the size of the one above - the one my daughter took - we have the same phone. Now despite using the same camera phone and selecting the same size; the photos are smaller. Does anyone know why? And if so, what can I do about it? I've tried checking settings etc but to no avail.

Pattern mixing and monochrome. Everything charity shopped. Trousers and lace top both from Next. Italian cardigan bought in the Salvation Army for 5.00 a week or so ago. Boots charity shopped in Oxfam, I think.

Scarf charity shopped; 1.00.

All jewellery charity shopped except earrings; Sainsbury's.

On Tuesday, I volunteered at the Food Bank as usual. There are now so many donations of food we are having trouble storing it all!

In the afternoon I combined some errands in town and a walk of 3.5 miles. One of the places I stopped at was the Reuse Centre.   The Reuse Centre has two premises; one is a charity shop which I pop into frequently and the other usually sells furniture only which I visit less frequently.  I visited this one on Tuesday and saw a queue of about 40 people; men, women and children queuing for -  food! This Reuse Centre now receives donations of perishable food from shops, cafes, restaurants and supermarkets and gives them to the needy. I saw a lot of bread, fresh fruit and vegetables. I was both shocked and horrified. I don't know why. I know there is a soup run on a Saturday afternoon in Bedford and homeless people in particular make use of it, but I think it was the sight of women queuing with children and buggies. It reminded me of news items where they feature disaster areas and people are queuing for aid. It is disgraceful that in the 21st century in a market town in the sixth biggest (richest?) economy in the world people have to queue for food because they can't afford to buy it. Why? Because of the number of people living in poverty, who are homeless or are the casualties of Universal Credit this charity now distributes perishable food to needy people on these premises.

I didn't walk with the group on Wednesday; I didn't want to get up so early. I did go walking on my own and walked my new route again. It was a bright, sunny day and cool, but lovely for walking. I walked just over 7 miles.

More monochrome and pattern matching. This was Thursday's outfit. I often stay in my walking gear on days when I walk...

All jewellery charity shopped.

Everything charity shopped. I bought the boots in Barnardo's in Great Denham earlier this year when it was too warm to wear them. They are very comfortable.

My daughter dislocated her shoulder playing netball and can't drive so I became a taxi service! It brings back memories of when my children were younger and I used to ferry them about to sports fixtures, friend's houses and when they got older parties and raves...

OH was just taking this photo when our weekend visitors arrived. Everything including jewellery charity shopped with the exception of the boots which were bought from Sainsburys as few years ago. The plaid skirt is pleated and was 49p from Barnardo's in Ampthill. Waistcoat by Zara but can't remember where I bought it or the green top.

I only went rummaging once last week. I took stuff to the charity shop in Great Denham and picked up two items from the sale rail at 79 p each; a sleeveless jumper and a pair of black jeans. Then when I was running errands on Tuesday I walked the long way home via the Children's Society shop where I picked up the navy blue coat  (see below) by 'The White Stuff; for 10.00.

Our friends L and B from Leeds spent the weekend with us. We had a lovely time and enjoyed showing them around our town and some of our lovely countryside. We ate  out on Friday evening and on Saturday we went for a walk along the River Great Ouse. Here we are on the newest bridge in town just setting out on our walk.

Everything charity shopped except boots - on line retail.

The weather has turned very cold here this week. Wherever you are stay warm!