Happy New Year 2021!

 Happy New Year to everyone! I would like to thank all my blogging friends and followers for their support and positivity over this last horrible year. Blogging is pointless without comments so please keep reading and commenting; your comments are precious and much appreciated! Now on to more practical matters:

Winter Coat/Jacket No.10

Sorry for the crappy photos - the light was not good on Wednesday before Christmas. It rained all day. Just as well my group walk was cancelled.

This is my trusty black leather jacket bought for me by my daughter some years ago. I should have zipped it up for the photo; I wore it zipped up whilst I did the Christmas food shopping on Wednesday. It wasn't too manic; the food shopping, but I was glad it was finished. I unpacked the shopping took the youngest grandson home after making him some lunch. I did several washes including washing all the cushion covers from the living room sofas. I then made a South African dish for dinner; cabbage beedie. It's basically a lamb stew; using neck of lamb braised with cabbage, ginger, garlic, cinnamon and onions; and par boiled potatoes are added last so it's a complete meal in one pot.

All jewellery charity shopped.

The skirt was bought in a Bury St Edmund's charity shop this year; it's by Red Herring. I wore this navy fine knit jumper by Next with it also charity shopped; and my red boots are by M&S and bought from a local buy and sell group.

We started watching a Belgian drama 'The Twelve' and I also watched a rather odd movie called 'Phantom Threads' with Daniel Day-Lewis. I remember the movie coming out in 2017 and as it was about fashion; I wanted to see it. Well, three years later I have! The frocks were gorgeous...

Winter Coat/Jacket No. 11

I went to Sharnbrook to buy more coal and kindling on Thursday. Normally the drive between Bedford and Sharnbrook is flanked on either side of the road with fields and the occasional glimpse of the river - The Great Ouse. On Thursday's drive however it was like driving past a series of mini lakes. The river had overflowed its banks in places and the fields had turned to lakes; complete with water fowl! It had rained heavily and there were flood warnings so I shouldn't have been surprised; but I always am when I see the fields like this. It was also a very cold day and I wasn't warm enough in my Susan Bristol woolen jacket:

I bought this in the Red Cross when I volunteered there in 2015-2016. I paid 5.00 for it. The previous owner of it had kindly put press studs betweens the buttons so it doesn't gape. I'm a little tired of it now and I don't wear it that often so it will be donated to the charity shop.

Everything charity shopped except the leggings by M&S retail. Dress by Boden; no label on the navy chevron patterned cardigan. Boots by Vanilla Moon from my Barnardos; as was the headscarf.

That's my chicken door stop on the floor in case you're wondering why I have a dead chicken on my floor; it was of course charity shopped!

All jewellery charity shopped.

OH arrived home early on Thursday which was Christmas Eve with this:

 

Normally, he gets an Amazon voucher (which he prefers!) from his company at Christmas: but this year he got a posh Fortnum and Mason Christmas Hamper which was full of:

And buried in the straw/hay (which we'll use as kindling on the fuel burner) were these:

Wine, champagne, posh biscuits; shortbread; teas x 2; coffee x 1; a Christmas pudding; some posh jams (conserves if you're posh) brandy butter; a large jar of cranberry sauce; (I'll be using that jar for something else) chocolate reindeer noses and a chocolate gingerbread man! Within minutes of unpacking the hamper I'd scoffed the gingerbread man and had a cup of Fortnum and Mason coffee with it. Then I took the empty hamper upstairs to my study and filled it with my wool collection. All my wool is in one place now instead of spread over half a dozen different places. The hamper has the added advantage of having a flat surface so I can rest my cup of tea on it instead of on the floor...

It was such a busy day on Christmas Day I just had time to take a selfie and that was it. I wore the Oliver Bonas dress I bought in my Barnardo's for 5.00; lace tights and some long black suede boots with a small heel I found for a 1.00 back in the summer in the Barnardo's in Ampthill. You can see the dress (above) is a lovely rich green. All my jewellery was charity shopped. 

It was a lovely boozy sort of day with much food being consumed. There were members of the family missing but that was to be expected. I just hope next year's Christmas will be back to normal. My eldest grandson was most put out we were having Christmas at his mum's instead of at my house! Here he is on Boxing Day with his girlfriend:

As you may have heard we had really bad flooding in Bedford. I felt so sorry for anyone who lived near the river. People were evacuated to the Athletics stadium and one of the outlying village halls; if they had no relatives or friends to stay with.  Tier 4 restrictions on households mixing were suspended for people in this situation. The flooding had subsided  somewhat by the end of Boxing Day; but when I drove the grandson and his girlfriend back to London on Sunday; the fields were still flooded in many places. I can't see me doing much walking across fields for a while; it would be too muddy and horrible. 

Last year we decided that instead of all the adults buying all the other adults presents we would do a Secret Santa instead. We buy a gift for one adult up to the value of 30.00 and it can be cash - some of us are very lazy when it comes to Christmas shopping; yes I'm looking at my brothers here! I had to buy for grandson's girlfriend this year and bought her a new embroidered rucksack; some Nordic thermal socks (I liked them so much I bought myself some, too); a Christmas mug and a fold up shopping bag that fits in a pocket or bag, so that you always have a shopping bag when you need one. I still buy for OH and for my daughter, son and three grandsons.

My daughter bought me this lovely Buddha statue made by a local man for my garden. I just have to find the right spot and choose the right plants to surround him.

She also bought me three books and got this photo of OH and I framed. The glasses holder was a gift from son's family; it has my name on it; along with an Amazon voucher and bottle of sparkling rose wine. I spent the voucher on another book; I preordered a 'London Grammar' CD due for release in February 2020; and even had enough left over for a pair of earrings!

My Secret Santa gifter was my eldest grandson. He bought me these PJs and slippers, the Buddha head and mustard tights below:

The yellow PJs were also a present from my daughter; OH bought me the perfume and a couple of CDs. Didn't I do well? I bought OH more than he bought me. He got a new tracksuit; a lightweight top for Spring; a new scarf; some aftershave and a new pair of headphones. Unfortunately, he won't be able to use the headphones with our TV as it doesn't have Bluetooth. However, the TV in the spare room does and we may swap it over...

 I did go out for a 5 mile walk on Sunday and felt better for the fresh air and sunshine. It was very chilly, though.  I made soup with the leftover turkey which I had bought fresh from Sainsbury's; and I also had my one and only turkey sandwich on Sunday; complete with Fortnum and Mason cranberry sauce - delicious! It won't be long before that jar is empty...

On Monday we did the housework we usually do on a Sunday; and I went to Sainsbury's to see if there were any bargains to be had. I often buy crackers and Christmas items when they're on sale after the Christmas festivities are over; but nothing caught my fancy. I still have a box of very reduced crackers I bought last year sitting in the loft ready for next year! The weather had turned very cold since Christmas Day and today it was 1.5 degrees. I wore one of my warmest winter coats to go to Sainsbury's.

Everything charity shopped. Roll neck top by Oasis, pinafore dress by Matalan, animal print leggings by New Look. Boots; Sainsbury's sale in the summer. 

All jewellery charity shopped. 

Winter Coat/Jacket - No.12

Although this is not a very good picture; this coat by Autograph (M&S) is a fake Astrakhan coat and is very warm with full sleeves.  I paid 25.00 for it which is the most I've ever paid for anything in a charity shop. I found it in the RSPCA in Newport Pagnell just before Christmas 2019; the purple gloves were charity shopped in the BHF in Huntingdon.

The weather was set to to get colder as it neared the end of December 2020 and it did! We kept the heating on all day and we lit the stove daily by 4pm. I'm dreading this quarter's fuel bill. When I'm here on my own I try not to put the heating on until after 3pm. On Tuesday, there was no food bank volunteering for me as it wouldn't reopen until 4th January. When I went to Sainsbury's yesterday the food bank donation bins were full to bursting so I am assuming our (volunteer) drivers are still picking up from the supermarkets...

I stayed with black/white/grey outfits for some reason. Everything charity shopped except boots as above. The dress was bought in a Co. Longford charity shop; but I can't remember where I got the cardigan from and I've had it for years. I'm wearing a full length slip underneath this dress and would like more of these as they do keep you very warm. The downside is that sometimes they are a little long and hang down under the clothes; but can usually be adjusted at the shoulder straps.  They do occasionally pop up in charity shops so it will give me something to look for when they eventually reopen. Another thing I need to look out for is a new meat plate. I had to keep my lovely Staffordshire meat plate in the cupboard under my sink as no other cupboard was large enough to accommodate it. It fell out when I opened the door and smashed and broke on the floor tiles. Two things on my charity shop list now!

All jewellery charity shopped.

I browse our local FB buy and sell group regularly; and on Christmas Eve I picked up some drawer dividers for 2.00. There were enough to fit two of the drawers in my bedside table; the third drawer already had some Lakeland dividers in it and it's where I keep my knickers. I'm sure you wanted to know that...I had to ask OH to cut down the drawer dividers I bought as they were too long; but when done I was able to reorganise the two drawers. One has my bed socks, foot, hand creams and slips in it; and the other has black and navy tights in it. I keep the rest of my socks in three baskets (divided into patterned socks, walking socks and plain black, trainer and mini ankle socks) at the bottom of my wardrobe. The remainder of my tights are kept in two baskets under my bed where I store the different colours (blues, greens, yellows, reds/oranges/pinks and floral) in shoe bags in one basket; and in the other I store dark reds/brown and purple tights. When you have as many clothes as I do organisation is key; otherwise I'd never find anything!

I walked into town on Tuesday morning to pick up some items I ordered for middle grandsons sixteenth birthday in early January. I don't know where that time has gone and how he can possibly be almost sixteen. I can still clearly recall the phone call my son made to tell me his partner was pregnant; I was working at the Further Education college then. I wasn't present at his birth but I was for my other two grandsons.

On Wednesday OH and I did something quite mad. We went here:

Woburn Lido - 13 miles from Bedford; and we swam! Water temperature: 12 degrees and air temperature: 1.2 degrees. I swam 20 lengths (it's a 25 metre pool) and got out because it was - believe it or not - quite crowded with only two lanes! Getting out and partially dressed was the coldest part; no changing rooms so just removed my cossie and put my dressing gown and boots on. Then it was into the car, heater on,  hot coffee and a mince pie.  I would like to come back to Woburn Lido for a swim; but I hope it's less crowded when I do!

It was also announced on Wednesday that our Tier 4 restrictions would continue and more parts of the country would be joining us. In fact three quarters of the country would now be under Tier 4 restrictions.

Thursday was freezing; 0.5 degrees! I drove to Sharnbrook to the Farm Shop for kindling then went to Aldi and Lidl for the weekly food shop. When all the shopping was packed away I went to QD to top up on bird stuff; and on the way stopped off at the Community Larder charity and bought three bunches of flowers at 50p per bunch:

On the left Alstromerias and on the right some Lisianthus and a couple of roses. Jug on left by Anthropologie; charity shopped at my Barnardo's and jug on right also charity shopped but from 3:16  charity shop.

Winter Coat/Jacket -  No 13

This camel coloured cape was bought with a Christmas M&S voucher OH received about 6 or 7 years ago from his company. He doesn't like M&S men's clothes so he always passed it on to me. I bought this in their after Christmas sale. Scarf and gloves charity shopped.

I wore my Alpaca skirt and top for warmth; charity shopped from the Cat's Protection League a few years ago. Worn with OTK boots online retail.

All jewellery charity shopped.

Winter Coats Nos. 14 and 15

Suede coat by New Look bought at a car boot sale for 2.00! It's full of wavy lines around the collar, up the front and around sleeves - no straight edges anywhere. I didn't wear this in the end but opted for the knitted jacket below:

On Saturday I had to go to our nearest Asda in Rushden to collect new underwear for OH and me; bought in their online sale. If the charity shops were open we would have had a browse but as most of the country is in Tier 4 lockdown only essential shops are open. I do wonder how the decision on essential shops has been made. I've seen Vape shops open and a wine merchants. Are either of those essential?

On Saturday evening we watched, with great excitement, the latest and final series of 'Spiral'; a French crime drama series on BBC4. I shall be so sorry when it ends; it's been one of  my all time favourites. We're also enjoying 'Before we Die' a Swedish crime drama and in fact are working our way through the entire collection - well those we like the look of - of 'Walter Presents'. We usually watch in the evenings only; but so desperate were we to find out what happened next; we watched a couple of episodes of 'Before we Die' in the afternoon. That's lockdown for you; normally we'd have gone for a rummage instead!

Knitted jacket bought from Donegal Donkey Sanctuary shop for 5 euros.

Everything charity shopped except boots; online retail. Top by Isle, trousers by Matalan and shirt underneath by Primarni - bought at a church jumble sale in Ireland.

All jewellery charity shopped.

We took down our decorations on Sunday. I kept the tree in its pot and put it in the garden as it will make a useful bird feeder and it's already festooned with fat balls etc. 

This was our Christmas mantel. Next year I shall have lots more greenery which I can forage for when I'm out walking; but at least we had a Christmas cactus this year! I also picked up another illuminated 3D Christmas scene on Sunday; reduced, as the one below was to 1.49 - bargain!  The rooms do look bare when the decorations are down but we soon get used to it.   

                                                                  

I've found a permanent resting place for my Buddha in the front garden...he looks like he's always been there.

I've done my annual count up of how many books I've read this year; the total is 109 or about 2 per week, roughly. That sounds a lot but I regularly read more when I was working! I don't know how I managed that. In 2020 I discovered a new to me author; Ann Patchett; who I highly recommend and have read everything she's written so far; but am saving her final book which I have on my Kindle to read soon. Other highly recommended books (you can see all that I've read at the top of my blog on the tab 'Books Read') are those by Sue Gee; 'The Mirror and The Light' by Hilary Mantel; 'I Know This Much is True' by Wally Lamb and 'Ironopolis' by Glenn James Brown.

On Monday I childminded my youngest grandson as his mum had a teacher training day; and his school is not opening until later in January. Usually on a Monday I drop him to school in the morning. When he had gone home I walked into town for some bread and eggs and then set out for a 6 mile walk around Bedford. It wasn't that cold but the wind was icy and my cheeks were frozen. I wore this grey knitted headband my daughter bought me some years ago to keep my ears warm:

Winter Coat - No. 16

This is the last of  my winter coats. I've only featured a couple of winter jackets and I do have more to show you in future posts. This is a Welsh wool cape bought at the Red Cross charity shop about five or six years ago. I usually get a couple of wears a year out of it every year. Red leather gloves charity shopped in Bury St. Edmunds.

Everything charity shopped. Striped roll neck by John Lewis; black loose trousers by M&S and black and white tunic; unknown label.

All jewellery charity shopped.

As I write this there is another announcement by the Prime Minister due at 8pm today. It looks as if we will go into a full lockdown again as the virus continues to spread far and wide. Scotland has already announced it is going into a full lockdown from midnight tonight. I think it's what we have been expecting so here we go again, folks...

See you in a fortnight!

A Collection of Coats and Jackets for the Winter Months

I walked with my group on Wednesday; the first time in 5 or 6 weeks. We met here in Ickwell Green and walked 4.5 miles; shorter than the advertised walk but the mud was a problem so an alternative route was walked. It was cold but bright; and when we stopped for our break near the end of the walk; we had mince pies and sang the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' in a wooded glade! I don't know what the wild life made of it...

There were several pretty thatched houses in the village and I didn't think to take photos until the very end of the walk. I also wished I had worn a warmer top as I never really warmed up.  It took the car heater going full blast for several minutes on the way back until I felt warm again.  On the way home I stopped at the Bedford Daycare Hospice shop. I bought a cool green top by Quiz and Co; a yellow patterned shirt by Tu and a real bargain; a brand new never worn M&S  grey coat for 3.00! I stayed in my walking gear after adding a warm jumper when I got home.  Feeling very pleased with myself ;I then ventured into town to buy some more decorations; I tried the Christmas pop up shop but their prices were ridiculous - £5.00 for tinsel! I went to Wilco in the end and got plenty at much cheaper prices.

On Thursday I did the usual food shopping and spent the afternoon finishing the present wrapping. It was a warmer day and if I'd had the energy I would have gone to recce my walk. I need to do so soon as the walk is next Wednesday...yikes!

This is the green top bought yesterday worn with green jeans and brown suede boots. Everything charity shopped.

Winter Coat/Jacket - No. 1

This is the M&S coat bought yesterday, too. I'm going feature my winter coat collection over the next week or so, following Penny's lead HERE over at 'The Frugal Fashion Shopper'. This is coat number one. Not really a winter coat but still quite warm, as Thursday was warmer than the previous few days. Do you like my gloves? I call them my Kandinsky gloves as they remind me of a Kandinsky painting. They were charity shopped in Huntingdon; I think.

All jewellery charity shopped.

I got up at my leisure on Friday - no more school run - and went for a swim. I did 40 laps (2k) and did it in record time time; 52 minutes. It usually takes me between 55 and 58 minutes. I wore my new M&S leggings with a charity shopped Store 21 tunic and online retail ankle boots.

Cardigan for added warmth bought in the Independent charity shop in town.

Scarf and all jewellery charity shopped. Hair's a bit wild as I'd just finished drying it from my swim and I still have the faint outline of my swimming goggles under my eyes! I bought a job lot of brand new lipsticks from our FB local buy and sell group; 15 lipsticks in total for 5.00. Several of them are too dark for me; but I've been experimenting with the remainder and usually end up mixing two colours to make the right colour. I shouldn't need to buy anymore lipsticks for a good while! Updated to say that I invested in a Maybelline lipstick; Superstay Matte Ink as recommended by Ann over  at 'Polyester Princess' HERE. She swears it stays on under a face mask. I agree. I add a bit of vaseline over my lips for a hint of gloss.

I went  into town yet again on Friday afternoon. The 3:16 charity shop had reopened and I bought a couple of Kilner jars for 50p. They were taking donations so I planned to drop off my large plastic sack of donations tomorrow. After doing various errands mostly linked to Christmas; I came home just in time to let middle grandson in; who was going to stay for  dinner and stay the night.

Saturday's outfit

Saturday was grey and wet. I went to Sharnbrook to buy more kindling and also picked up a large bag of logs for 4.00. We'll try these and if they're fine will buy more as OH usually gets much smaller bags than these from B&M. From Sharnbrook I drove a further 5 miles to Rushden where I visited my favourite charity shop The Salvation Army; and one other called strangely: 'The Swivel Club'. In here I bought a new shopping bag (my collection of shoppers is growing) a jar of my usual night cream for half the price and a deep pinky red spotted cushion. In the Sally Army I bought a knitted jacket; another scarf (with embroidery and red in colour) and a summer weight kimono. On my way back home I dropped off my bag of donations to the 3;16 charity shop and bought the last of their Kilner jars. Everything in the shop was half price. I've bought 5 Kilner jars in total for 3.25; and filled all of them already! I also bought more flowers from a local charity and here they are:

Saturday's outfit

Everything charity shopped except boots online retail. You may remember this jumper by F&F had humongously long sleeves. I had a brain wave while getting dressed and cut them off to just under the frill. Much more manageable now. Underneath I'm wearing the Tu shirt bought on Wednesday at the Daycare Hospice shop;  where you can see the sleeve ties hanging out of the jumper sleeves in the above photo. The plaid trousers are by Red Herring.

I wore this on top of my outfit and it's winter coat number 2. I forgot to take a photo with the coat on so here's an older picture of it. The cape coat is by Fenn, Wright and Manson; is made of 100% wool and is nice and warm. I wore it with maroon gloves bought in a Marie Curie charity shop in St. Neots.

Winter Coat/Jacket - No. 2

I waited for the forecasted break in the gloom which did eventually happen but not until after 3pm! It gets dark soon after 4 pm so there wasn't enough time for me to recce my 8 mile walk. That had been my plan for Saturday afternoon but scuppered once again by the weather. Looking ahead to next week's weather; it looked as if Monday morning was going to be fine - well, dry at least;  I swapped my shift at Barnardo's to the afternoon. I'll go on the recce walk as soon as I have dropped youngest grandson off to school and I'll hopefully be at the shop for 12 ish.

Sunday was such a miserable day. It rained all day. I did the usual housework and cooked Sunday dinner for both grandsons and OH. Wearing brown today; everything charity shopped. Trousers by Joe Brown; sparkly polo by Tu and top by Masai. Boots also charity shopped.

All jewellery charity shopped. That's the Tu blouse I wore yesterday hanging on the radiator; such a pretty pattern and of course it's yellow which makes it a winner in my book.

The weather forecast was right. Monday morning was bright and sunny and quite mild at 12 degrees. But what a miserable recce my walk was. Everywhere was waterlogged and muddy. Walking in mud is both physically exhausting and fraught with difficulty - for me at least. My chief concern is am I going to fall? I don't mind getting dirty or muddy. Just as well, as the mud splashes went up my thighs despite wearing gaiters over my leggings; and at times there was so much water  in the fields it was like wading through a stream! I don't think the sodden fields will have dried out by Wednesday but at least it will be more fun walking with a group and there will be someone to catch me if I fall!

Winter Coat/Jacket  - No 3

This is what I wore to the charity shop. Everything charity shopped except the leggings which were a present from my daughter. The top is a Primarni one bought at the 3:16 charity shop before the most recent lockdown. The jacket was bought in the Donegal Donkey Sanctuary charity shop - which had closed down when I went back in the summer. Boots charity shopped at my Barnardo's.

The scarf and all jewellery charity shopped.

The charity shop was pretty busy and I went a bit mad buying two (BNWT) dresses; a green one by Oliver Bonas and one by Biba in orange, black and mustard. Both are quite lightweight; but I plan to wear the green one on Christmas Day. I also bought a black/white/grey warm cardigan and a coral linen summer top. That's the last of my charity shop spending for this year as I've more than made up for the lack of charity shopping during both lockdowns!

Winter Coat/Jacket No.4

This was what I wore to the food bank on Tuesday. I made up hygiene bags, packed away toiletries and generally restored order. I really enjoy tidying things up and putting things away in their proper place. People mix the shower gels and the shampoos, for example, and it drives me nuts! Everything is charity shopped except the boots bought in Sainsbury's summer sale. The leggings were black with green splodges by M&S; from my Barnardo's as was the dress by Izabel. The jacket is made of orange, felted wool. I can't remember where I bought it from.

All jewellery charity shopped.

Winter Coat/Jacket No.5

I woke up on Wednesday morning listening for the sound of tyres hissing on the rain slicked road; but I heard nothing. It was dry and a quick check on the weather forecast showed it would only rain in the afternoon. Phew! I was very relieved and the walk I led was actually very enjoyable. There were eight of us (our rules allow ten people maximum; including the walk leader) and some of the previous waterlogged fields had drained off the rainfall. There were still several muddy sections and a tricky downward sloping field at the very end; but no one fell over and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves after our 8 mile trek. 

I changed into this outfit when I got home and wore this cape coat by First Avenue; charity shopped in the Red Cross for 1.99 in 2015. It's a warm 100% wool cape; but a bit itchy around the neck; and for that reason I would usually wear a scarf under it even though it has its own scarf attached.

Everything is charity shopped. The linen skirt by Country Casuals was bought in a charity shop in Bury St. Edmunds and worn with thick woolly tights underneath. The cardigan was bought at my Barnardo's and the top underneath from a 1.00 rail somewhere. I had a fancy for animal print on Wednesday afternoon and wore my animal print boots as well.

All jewellery charity shopped except the earrings which were bought online.

The skirt has a faux belt attached.

I had spotted a pair of red M&S ankle boots for sale (BNWT) on our local Facebook buy and sell group; and drove to Wootton, a village about 7 miles from Bedford; to pick them up. They'll replace the pair I have that have become very shabby and worn on the uppers and need re-heeling. To get them re-heeled would cost as much as I bought the replacement ones for and the uppers would still be scuffed and worn. 

I made a chicken casserole for dinner and I have a plan to use up some of my mincemeat by making a cake (even though I will probably end up eating it all) and possibly some mince pies this week. I have readymade puff pastry in the freezer that needs using up so I thought mince pies would fit the bill. I've also seen a blanket on IG that has sparked my crocheting mojo into life and I've begun to plan it in my head. There's no pattern for it so I'll have to improvise. There is a central section of very small granny squares; then the rest of the blanket is made up of rows of block stitch. I made middle grandson a block stitch blanket some years ago so at least I don't need to learn a new stitch!

Winter Coat/Jacket No.6

I wore this on Thursday to do the  weekly food shop. Looking at these photos I can see that my skirt is not on properly. The seam should be at the side NOT the front! You'd think at age 66 I'd be able to dress myself properly by now - apparently not! Anyway, everything is charity shopped. Skirt by M&S; top by Minuet; shirt underneath has no label; jacket from Co. Dublin charity shop. Gloves, scarf and boots also charity shopped. You can see the desire for animal print continued...

All jewellery charity shopped.

After I'd done the shopping and packed it away I met up with my daughter for a walk. Her school had been closed all week as three staff members and several children had developed Covid. Our walk stuck to solid tracks and avoided fields and was only 4 miles. We spotted two chickens; thoroughbreds I think, as they were white and the cockerel had a beautifully multicoloured, plumed tail. I didn't know if they belong to the nearest house or farm; both quite a way from where we saw the chickens.  I enquired at the first house and was told that chickens are frequently abandoned along this lane. The woman said she would contact the nearest farmer who often took the abandoned chickens in. There was also a dead juvenile fox near the chickens. I hope the farmer found the chickens or foxes may get them or even a vehicle; although vehicles are few and far between along this lane...

Winter Coat/Jacket No. 7

Coat bought from La Redoute about 5 years ago. Boots by M&S; bought from local buy and sell group. You'll never guess what I did. I dropped mayonnaise on the toe of the left boot. I sprinkled sodium bicarb on it to absorb the grease but it has left a a small mark on the toe. What a twat I am!

All jewellery charity shopped.

Jeans by Gerry Weber bought in a Donegal charity shop. The white top is from Monsoon and the black and white shirt by Glamorous; both from my Barnardo's.

I went for a swim on Friday morning but only did 32 lengths. There were a few very slow swimmers in the slow lane and I had to keep waiting for them to move off before I started another lap. After  my swim I had to go to the retail park to our only remaining M&S foodhall to pick up some Christmas Day food items. Middle grandson came for dinner. The schools broke up for Christmas today here in Bedford. 

On Saturday we moved in Tier 3 'Very High' restrictions along with most of the rest of England - 38 million of us! Saturday was a strange day weatherwise. It was sunny, it rained and we had hailstones. I had to go to town in the morning and wore this:

Winter Coat/Jacket - No.8

This is a coatigan that I wear a lot. It's very warm and I bought

it from The Cat's Protection League about two years ago.

I shall be redonating these Gerry Weber jeans as they are too short; usually I find most trousers are too long for me. Top by Boden; and the knitted jacket I bought at the Sally Army last Saturday. Boots by Vanilla Moon and were charity shopped at my Barnardo's.

All jewellery charity shopped.

It was yummy and I cleverly froze half...

I made a cake in the afternoon using up a jar of mincemeat - only two to go! 

I also listened to the Prime Minister's announcement and found we are moving into Tier 4 restrictions from Saturday at 12.01 am. The restrictions looked remarkably similar to the first lockdown we had back in March. Tier 4 includes London; most of the South east and the East of England.  We are not allowed to travel outside of tier 4; the Christmas relaxation has been scrapped entirely for Tier 4; all non essential shops are to close as are gyms and I presume swimming pools. Just what we need at Christmas - NOT. No charity shop for me on Monday then!

Winter Coat/Jacket No.9

Strictly speaking this isn't a winter weight coat but it's good for those milder day. It's by John Lewis and charity shopped from my Barnardo's as was the scarf. I bought the yellow leather gloves from a stall outside someone's house for 1.00!

I'm afraid this is yet another blue dress; this one by Apricot. At 1.50 it was a bit too much of a bargain to miss; spotted when I popped into the 3:16 charity shop to drop off a carrier bag of donations on Saturday morning on my way to town...

Blazer by John Rocha also from my Barnardos; yellow tights bought in an Asda sale and boots online retail.

All jewellery and scarf charity shopped except the necklace which is from South Africa; an (early) Christmas present from my ex mum-in-law.

It felt peculiar on Monday not going to the charity shop; but I wore what I had planned anyway, even though the only place I went was to the bank; and in the afternoon met up my daughter and we did a 3 mile walk.

This skirt was another find on Saturday at the 3:16 charity shop and at 1.50 a not to be missed bargain. Jumper by Oasis and jacket by River Island from my Barnardo's. Boots donated by my daughter.

All jewellery charity shopped except ring bought from Sainsburys a long time ago.

It was extremely busy at the foodbank on Tuesday. I stayed on for an extra 75 minutes to help make up enough hygiene packs to last over the Christmas period. We open again on 3rd January but I said if I was needed I would go back sooner. This was what I wore and I kept my cardigan on as the warehouse doors remain open all day:

Everything charity shopped except the boots online retail. Cardigan by Next; trousers by M&S; yellow top by White Stuff; all from my Barnardo's. Grey and yellow top by Primarni and bought in a Derry charity shop.

Scarf and all jewellery charity shopped.

I still have 4 more winter coats to feature; but they'll have to wait until my next post. I hope you all have a lovely festive season; and let's hope that 2021 sees the end of the pandemic; the vaccine widely rolled out and a return to a more normal life for all of us!