Walking, rummaging and an exhibition

Hello again. Another two weeks have flown by...

Earlier this month I meant to join in with Gail of 'Is this Mutton'  (HERE) and her 7 day skirt challenge which started on 3rd January, but forgot! Although it did make me try to wear more skirts. However, when I looked back at outfit photos from the middle of November 2021 to approximately the middle of January 2022 - roughly 8 weeks - I found I'd worn skirts on 13 occasions and only wore the same skirt twice in that period. So for someone who thinks they don't wear skirts that often I actually surprised myself!

I didn't walk with the group last Wednesday as the walk was quite far away in Baldock. Instead I went for a walk in the morning walking 6 miles. It was very cold but bright and sunny; really good walking weather. Some of the walk was along a path beside the woods and across a field; my goodness was it muddy and slippery after the several days of rain we'd had. Horrible. I hope the mud dries up before I lead my walk on the 2nd February; I must recce it before then but the mud puts me off!

After the walk I changed into this. I had been wearing jeans and had planned to change my top only but the jeans were so mud spattered they went straight into the wash instead. I bought this when OH and I went on a Cambridge rummage. It's wool and made by Max Studio. The hounds tooth cardigan, a favourite now, was also charity shopped; as were the boots and the snowflake patterned tights.

Unfortunately the dress doesn't have pockets...

All jewellery charity shopped.

After the walk I popped into the local Daycare Hospice shop with a bag of donations and picked up some ceramic birds for the mantel piece and a brooch. I collected youngest grandson from school. I sorted out the fire; lit it and made dinner for OH and both grandsons. Daughter had also come down with Covid on Tuesday; testing positive that evening so that meant more testing for us; again we were all negative with no symptoms. 

I was still Covid free on Thursday morning. It had been 4 days since I saw my daughter but I cancelled the Thursday afternoon food bank session just to be on the safe side. I went swimming and swam 48 laps or 1 mile in the morning. I went to the hairdresser; drove to the farm shop to pick up more kindling; did the food shopping also picking up shopping for my daughter at Lidl. I dropped the shopping on her doorstep; rang the bell and drove off! We continued watching 'Bordertown' in the evening (there are 3 seasons) which was going from strength to strength. I'd also reached number 23 on the 'Slightly Foxed' podcasts. By the time I post this blog entry I should have completed all episodes and will have found something else to listen to - hopefully.

This was Friday's outfit. The weather continued to be cold but bright and sunny and so much better than the endless grey dreary days we'd had. I do find that sort of weather very dispiriting and I'm always a really cheerful person.

Everything was charity shopped; the denim skirt with a kick pleat by Pure and the short sleeved jumper by M&S; polo neck by Isle. Red boots found on the Cambridge rummage. They lace up the back but are a bit too small for me at a size 3 when I'm a size 4. That means I can't wear them for long walks as they pinch my toes but are fine if I'm not walking far. I wore them to the charity shop on Monday and was glad to take them off when I got home.

All jewellery charity shopped except the earrings which were from eBay.

I wore this Fenn, Wright and Manson caped jacket and long navy blue gloves for outerwear - both charity shopped.

I love Fridays as I usually have a free day with no commitments and no cooking. After doing yet another Covid test (negative) I went out for a walk of 4.5 miles sticking to pavements to avoid any muddy encounters. I had some errands to run so went to town to the library to collect a reservation and to get my eyebrows done. I then went to buy a new iron as ours was about to die. It was originally bought as our caravan iron a few years ago but we can only use a travel iron (low voltage) in the caravan. We have to be careful not to exceed the voltage in the caravan otherwise the electricity cuts out. This iron became our spare one and when my daughter needed an iron; I gave it to her. She eventually replaced it with a better one and returned it to me. It was only a very cheap iron to start with but has lasted for about 5 years so far which is surprising. The new iron is a cordless one by Blauplunkt that charges up on a round plate. I was very tempted to buy a small clothes steamer instead of the iron; which was the same price as the iron, but decided to stick to what I know. I have a handheld domestic steamer already which I use to steam clean my curtains, rugs and upholstery; I've never tried it on clothes as it's a bit fiddly to assemble. We watched Monty Don's new gardens programme about gardens in the Adriatic - very good - and watched the penultimate episode of Season 1 of 'Bordertown'. I listened to another podcast when I went to bed and on Saturday morning saw that 'Slightly Foxed' had aired a new podcast - they issue them monthly on the 15th of each month. Another thing to look forward too!

Saturday was dreary, dank and very cold but still Covid free! I went for a 6 mile walk in the morning getting my feet soaked. It was so damp the trees were dripping moisture. It was also extremely misty. At one point I was close to a water tower but it couldn't be seen through the mist!

 I took these photos after 5 pm when it was dark and they didn't reflect the true colours in this outfit. The top was pink and was made of merino wool; I often wear it when I go walking as it's very warm. The skirt was black (M&S) with pink dots. The cardigan was grey and from Jigsaw. The boots were grey from Debenhams. Everything was charity shopped.

All jewellery charity shop and the necklace was bought in Hitchin.

After the walk when I got home OH had cleaned all the downstairs windows. He's such a star. We decided to go to Hitchin for a rummage as we hadn't been for a long time. Hitchin is a small market town in Hertfordshire about 15 miles from Bedford. It has a very good market and I picked up a couple of hyacinth plants there. I hadn't seen any in the shops in Bedford. We visited 12 charity shops in total and spotted another one as we made our way out of the town centre to go home. It has a really lovely church but I forgot to take photos. It's a flint built church which is quite unusual for this part of the country; although the church in Luton near the university was also built using flint and Hitchin isn't far from Luton...

I did remember to take a photo of these lovely art deco tiles which fronted and flanked a shop; currently a mobile phone shop but who knows what shop it was in the past? It was on the High Street.

I found some great things on our rummage. A pair of leather three-quarter Clark boots for 5.00. I used to have 2 pairs of knee length leather boots in brown and black. When I sent OH up in the loft to get them down for me before Christmas; he couldn't find them and when I ventured up there I couldn't find them either. I had a horrible feeling I took them to the charity shop; as I didn't wear them much (if at all) in 2020/2021. I think I was too hasty in donating them so when I saw the Clark's boots I snapped them up. I also bought a burgundy coloured animal print dress; a black knitted waistcoat; a warm turquoise M&S jumper for layering and a Joules yellow striped top - all, apart from the dress, from various 1.00 rails. It was so cold and damp out we were grateful when we entered the different shops and were greeted by a warm blast of air...

I got up on Sunday and made a meatless chickpea meatoaf. It was tasty if a little dry and that was my fault as I added all of the rolled oats instead of a little at first and then adding more if required. Also on reflection I realised I drained the cans of chickpeas and the recipe didn't ask for that so would have contributed to the dryness. I haven't had any feedback from my daughter as yet but I probably won't make it again. Not too bad as out of my vegetarian/vegan experimenting so far that's only 2 dishes that weren't worth the effort.

We also did the usual Sunday housecleaning and I made a casserole for OH and grandson's dinner. The middle grandson is a picky eater and has never in his 17 years; eaten anything in a sauce or gravy so I made him some steak I'd had in the freezer. Sometimes cooking a meal in this family is so complicated; one only eats a plant based diet; two family members don't eat pork; another one doesn't eat red meat and grandson only eats dry food. Thank goodness I don't have to feed them all everyday...

I think this skirt is the oldest I have. It has to be about 9 or 10 years old. I remember wearing it to work and I retired almost 8 years ago. It's by Next and was of course, charity shopped. The jumper by Tu was a charity find and the boots by New Look as before.

Earrings by eBay and necklace charity shopped. In the evening we watched 3 further episodes of the new BBC 4 drama which aired on Saturday night.; 'Hidden Assets'. We only had one more episode to complete the series and we had missed 'The Great Pottery Throw Down' so decided to watch both on Monday evening. I'd planned to listen to another podcast in bed but fell asleep five minutes in!

I was still Covid free on Monday after testing myself first thing. Daughter texted to say she was testing negative too but still not feeling well. Back to Barnardo's on Monday. It was cold but bright and sunny. I wore fleece lined leggings under my outfit and of course I only stop wearing a vest/camisole under my tops if there's a heatwave!

The skirt by Betty Barclay and the jumper by Seasalt: both charity shopped. I wore the boots my daughter bought me for Christmas and the jacket by Chico's was picked up in Bedford market on Friday on the 1.00 sale rail on the clothes stall. The stall owners occasionally have 1.00 sales which are a mixture of their 'new' (slightly flawed garments; flaws often not visible without close examination) and some secondhand. The jacket was a secondhand. I once bought OH a very smart grey jacket from their 'new' 1.00 sale rail and he looks fab in it. We always laugh about the 1.00 price tag...

All jewellery charity shopped.

We weren't terribly busy in Barnardo's and I spent the morning processing donations. One of the clothing rails collapsed and had to be put back up and everything re hung. I found a metal peace sign for the garden;  I bought that and hung it on the wall by the dining room window when I got home. I also washed the kitchen floor as I hadn't had time to do it on Sunday, did a wash and sorted out and laid the fire. Not much cooking required; there was enough casserole left over for OH to have for dinner and I had left over chickpea meatloaf. All I had to do was to make vegetables and potatoes to go with the leftovers. I spent the rest of the day writing my blog and catching up with blog land which I nearly always do on Mondays and Tuesdays. In the evening we watched the final episode of 'Hidden Assets; which we thoroughly enjoyed. Partially set in Antwerp (hello Ann!) we got to see a fair bit of the city. I think there may be another series in the future.

I'd been testing myself everyday as Covid seemed to be spreading through the family. Middle grandson came down with it on Wednesday and his mum had it it the week before. I was negative on Tuesday morning so went to the food bank where I made up lots of hygiene bags. It was really, really cold in the warehouse although I had layers on and never took my coatigan off...

I just can't remember now where I got this dress from but it was charity shopped. The blue M&S jumper underneath was found in Hitchin last Saturday on a 1.00 rail; the boots by Manteray were bought from Barnardo's; as were the thick, cable knit, grey tights.

All jewellery charity shopped.

In the afternoon I went swimming and did 46 laps in the hour I had. I felt shattered by then so after hanging out my whites wash and sorting out the fire; I decided we'd have takeaway fish and chips for dinner and chilled out for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening we started watching a new series of 'Bordertown'. I also gave up on my book 'The Crow Girl'. Set in Sweden it was full of sadistic acts, torture and sexual abuse and I couldn't take anymore! I started reading 'Oh William' by Elizabeth Strout instead which I'd reserved from the library. What a contrast...

The group walk on Wednesday which I'd booked was in Milton Keynes. When I woke up I felt as if I had a cold and cancelled my place on the walk. When I tested myself an hour later I was still Covid negative (whew!) and felt better. I went to collect more Lateral Flow Test kits from the chemist having used my last one that morning. I went to Aldi to pick up some bits for dinner and when that was put away set out for a walk on my own. I had planned to walk 6 miles but walked 8.75 miles just making it back in time to pick the youngest grandson up from school.

I wore this;  just adding walking boots and socks and a waterproof coat on top. Everything I wore was charity shopped; skirt by M&S; jumper by Next and the hounds tooth polo underneath was another layering top I picked up on Monday whilst at Barnardo's. There was a lighter coloured one too and I'm sorry I didn't buy it as well. So useful and warm as the jumper is made of very thin knitted material. I do like a bit of black/white/grey pattern mixing. The boots were the Clark's boots picked up in Hitchin last Saturday.

All jewellery charity shopped.

As it usually tends to be Thursday was a really busy day. Yes, I wore another skirt.

Everything charity shopped. The skirt and polo underneath by M&S; jumper by Tu. Boots present from my daughter.

All jewellery charity shopped.

 

I started out with a swim of 46 laps then came home to get ready before going to the food bank again to help out. I made up 65 single/ couple hygiene packs and 8 family packs in just over 2 hours. From the food bank I went to Lidl to do the weekly food shopping. I had put a wash on before I left so I hung that up and put the shopping away. I cleaned out and relaid the fire and after a 40 minute sit down; I'd been on my feet since I got up at 7.30 am, I then made dinner for OH and I.

I love Fridays!

It was freezing on Friday. I wrapped up well against the cold. Everything except the boots were charity shopped. The jacket; can't remember where I got it from; the yellow scarf was a 1.00 find in Hitchin last Saturday. The yellow leather gloves were bought as part of a street jumble some years ago for 1.00. Cross body bag charity shopped somewhere quite recently.

I wore thick tights under these wide legged cropped jeans by Oasis; the floral tunic by Indulgence; charity shopped in Co. Galway a few years ago; the top underneath by Isle.

All jewellery charity shopped.

I  booked to go and see the Laura Knight exhibition at the Milton Keynes gallery called 'Laura Knight: A Panoramic View' at 1 pm on Friday.  On the blog I previously mentioned going to to see an Evelyn Dunbar exhibition but it was Laura Knight, I meant.  You knew that of course didn't you?  I'd come across Laura Knight though the Persephone Books website HERE and as I'm very interested in female artists I decided, as it was practically on the doorstep, I should go.  After I'd got ready I went to the farm shop in Sharnbrook to pick up some kindling and also went to drop off some fruit for my middle grandson who came down with Covid in the week. He was fine with no symptoms but he had been testing himself daily as he's at Sixth Form (they provide the test kits). Then I set off for Milton Keynes. It was 2 degrees C when I set out and 6 degrees when I returned so it was bloody cold! I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition and would have loved to buy a programme; at 25.00 I couldn't really justify it.

The exhibition surveyed Laura Knight's career (1877 - 1970) a 'pioneering painter of performers, war and marginalised communities with a long and successful career that saw her break conventions and achieve many first for female artists' (from the Milton Keynes Gallery flyer advertising the exhibition above). I took so many photos and would like to give you an idea of Laura Knight's work so have just included a sample of the work I saw; broken down into the different categories to give it some structure. You can see all the photos I took HERE and for more information about Laura Knight; see HERE.

CORNWALL

LONDON

Chelsea Embankment

Hampstead Heath Fair

(I used to go every year when I lived in London; it was a yearly ritual)

THEATRE AND BALLET

Laura Knight was famous for a number of artistic themes including backstage scenes of the theatre and ballet. She also designed costumes for both the theatre and the ballet. She painted a lot of circuses and circus folk but as I don't like circuses I didn't take any photos. However, the circus paintings I saw were full of movement and colour. She also designed this wonderful circus themed dinner service.

CIRCUS

She collaborated with Ella Napier and produced these exquisite enamelled miniatures of dancers as well designing ceramic and glass for Clarice Cliff and others. She also designed a cover for Cadbury's Chocolate boxes!

SECOND WORLD WAR

Laura Knight was the only female artist to be given war commissions in both world wars and she was the only artist commissioned to cover the Nuremberg Trials.

And of course the very famous war painting of 'Ruby Loftus Screwing a Breech Ring, 1943' which was used for the exhibition flyer above.

BALTIMORE

(Laura's husband Harold Knight also an artist received some commissions in Baltimore; whilst there Laura Knight visited a public hospital and got to know some of the staff and painted several portraits of them).

GYPSIES

PORTRAITS
Ethel Bartlett 1926

Joan Rhodes 1955

My favourite artworks of hers are the portraits and I love the war work, particularly.

I went for a rummage on the way home stopping in Kempston where I visited the Cat's Protection League and the Day Care Hospice charity shops. I picked up more books in the CPL - at 5 paperbacks for 1.00 it would have been silly not to. In the Daycare Hospice shop they had a sale rail which is always a magnet for me.  I picked up a White Stuff yellow/white/orange tunic and a Tu black and white spotted dress. There's something about spotted garments that attracts me; I don't know why. OH had the day off on Friday which wasn't pre-planned and he made dinner that evening.

On Saturday, I went out to recce the walk I'd be leading in less than a fortnight for The Ramblers. The walk was 7.3 miles and it was such hard work. The ground was very soggy and muddy in places. There were also several freshly ploughed field and unless you have walked across a muddy ploughed field with pounds of clayey mud clinging to your boots feeling like lead weights; it's hard to describe how awful it was. I am just praying the ground may have dried out by the time of the actual walk and it wouldn't be such hard going! On the positive side I saw skylarks; 2 Mistle Thrushes or Thrushes (too far away to see enough detail to distinguish them); Buzzards and Red Kites. The bird life in general was in fine fettle as far as singing was concerned but I can only identify a few birds by their calls. I was looking for signs of Spring (increased birdsong being one - I can tick that one off) but so far have only spotted some tiny daffodils growing in a garden. In the evening we went to see this at the cinema:

It was shot entirely in black and white; something I only realised near the end. It was a wonderfully evocative film which showed the horror of the sectarian divisions and the consequences in 1960s Belfast; without being hectoring or preachy. Definitely a feel good film and I loved the soundtrack by Van Morrison. I knew every song in the film but as I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s that wasn't surprising.

This was Sunday's outfit. The dress, which I am re-donating, is very thin and doesn't hang properly.  It was picked up last weekend in a Hitchin charity shop. I'm wearing a merino wool jumper underneath; the kimono on top had no label; boots from New Look; both charity shopped.

All jewellery charity shopped.

I'm looking very serious here...sorry about the 'demon' eyes

As we are all Covid free now (hallelujah!) everyone came for Sunday dinner which was roast chicken and all the trimmings. OH and I did the housework first thing and I also washed the kitchen mats which is a weekly occurrence. I am a creature of habit and routine - except on Fridays...In the evening we continued watching and enjoying the Great Pottery Throw Down and watched the first in a new series about a bomb disposal squad called 'Trigger Point'. That's Sunday evening's viewing sorted for the next few weeks.

Monday's outfit. I wore this to volunteer at Barnardo's. Everything charity shopped. Boots and tights as before; cardigan by Next via Barnardo's; dress by Tu from The Daycare Hospice shop. It has pockets...

All jewellery charity shopped except the earrings from eBay.

We weren't too busy but the donations came in thick and fast...

I'm a little worried about my new next door neighbours. They're 4 female dance students aged around 18-19 years old. They are the quietest neighbours I've ever had! I hear them go out to dance classes in the morning before 9 am and they're back home around 6 pm. They never seem to go out otherwise or have visitors - other than food delivery drivers. It seems almost unnatural behaviour for that age group; at least if I compare my children and the children of my friends at that age. I'm not complaining by the way - just a bit puzzled!

In the evening we watched the first episode in another new (and brilliant) new series called 'Responder' - very gritty and some wonderful acting by Martin Freeman. I listened to my 33rd 'Slightly Foxed' podcast so only 6 left before I'm up to date...

I'm at the food bank tomorrow as per usual and middle grandson is coming to stay for a few days. Hopefully he'll being doing his revision - he has exams the week after.

See you on the other side and with a bit of luck it might be looking a bit more like Spring!

Hello 2022!

 Happy New Year to you all!

I thank you each and everyone for your support and lovely comments throughout the year. I appreciate them all and derive much pleasure from reading them. 

2022 is the start of my 7th year of blogging. I can hardly believe it myself...

The weather over Christmas had been wet, dark and so dismal but mostly quite mild. On the Wednesday before New Year's Day I was determined to go for a good long walk, having not walked for over a week. My group was walking in Woburn Sands but the forecast for the morning was rain, so I decided to walk on my own later in the day when no rain was forecast. I walked along the river to the village of Cardington (8.5 miles) stopping on the way back to stock up on bird peanuts at Wilco. It's the only shop that does small packets of bird peanuts. I've noticed the peanuts go 'off' very quickly (the birds won't eat them) so there is no point putting lots of peanuts out. When I do put the peanuts out the squirrels get more than their fair share, too!

I spotted a Grey Heron perched on a branch over the river whilst on my walk. It's not a good photo as I had to zoom in on the maximum amount - the Heron was quite far away.

I hadn't worn this skirt in over a year. It was a present from my daughter found in the 'Mind' charity shop in Camden town on my birthday a few years ago. It's by Armani; the green jumper by Jaeger and the lacy jacket by Roman Originals; both also charity shopped. These chunky boots by New Look 9-15 range (children's) - OH calls them my 'bovver boots' - were found in the Cat's Protection League just before Christmas. All jewellery charity shopped.

I was pretty tired after the walk and my hips and calves ached. It's amazing how quickly you can get out of condition after just a week. I've noticed when I swim on a Tuesday afternoon, having been at the food bank in the morning; I rarely manage to swim the 48 laps needed to swim a mile. However, when I swim on Thursday mornings I find I can usually swim more laps. I made dinner when I got back from the walk and sorted out the fire. In the evening we started a new to us 'Walter Presents' series called 'Inspector Borowski'. I also finished reading my 'Slightly Foxed' magazine; it's a quarterly magazine about books that have mostly now been forgotten. I used to have a subscription several years ago and let it lapse. However, it does tend to send me off on a voyage of discovery trying to track down some of the books that have been reviewed... I was delighted to discover that they have 36 podcasts that I can listen and look forward to. I usually read in bed before I go to sleep but I also like listening to the radio or just lately;  lots of podcasts - I've finally joined the 21st C!

I left OH in bed on Thursday morning and set off for the swimming pool. I swam 48 laps or 1 mile. After I returned home I got ready wearing this outfit. The dress had no label and the cardigan by F&F both charity shopped from Barnardo's. Green boots by River Island; same.

All jewellery charity shopped except eBay earrings.

I dropped yet another bag of donations off to the Daycare Hospice charity shop and then went to do the weekly food shop at Lidl. I had a 10.00 off voucher to spend and treated myself to some stuffed Medjool dates. I forgot to buy some at Christmas...Middle grandson came for dinner.

On Friday, OH and I went to Cambridge for a good old rummage. I had Secret Santa money to spend. We went to both Burleigh Street and Mill Road. Two of the charity shops on Mill Road were closed but all the rest were open. We both did pretty well. I found a pair of mid length red boots for 6.95; a black wool dress by Max Studio for 6.50 and a BNWT Laura Ashley animal print skirt for 5.50. I also found some beads in lovely autumnal colours; a yellow bangle and a rather pretty bangle in green and white. And I still had 5.00 left to spend! On our return journey from Cambridge we picked up the youngest grandson who was staying the night; his mum had gone away for a New Year celebration to Bournemouth.

 It was the first wear of the chunky animal print boots my daughter bought me for Christmas. Dress; charity shopped in a Co. Longford charity shop; cardigan by from Barnardo's. I've had the plaid tights for years but had to bin them as they were completely gone at the toes. It always happens with my tights. It was a strangely mild day at 15 degrees centigrade and I didn't need a coat at all.

Earrings by Sainsbury's; all other jewellery charity shopped.

This was the first chunky necklace I bought about 7 or 8 years ago in our local Oxfam shop. I saw the same one on Vinted recently for 8.00. We spent the evening chilling out and watching TV to see the New Year in. The fireworks in the neighbourhood went on for absolutely ages; the most I think I'd ever heard. I also did what I do every new year and counted up how many books I managed to read in 2021. I read 110 in 2021 - better than last year by 1! I have kept track of my reading since 2007. I originally recorded the books on a spread sheet but when I started blogging in November 2015 I used the blog to keep a record. If you're interested in what I've read there are a couple of pages on this blog called 'Books I have Read 2015 -  2022' and '2022'.  I had to start a new page of 'books read'; it was getting difficult to add information as the page was loading so slowly. You can click on the link at the top to take you these pages.

Saturday was another surprisingly warm day but there was a brisk breeze. The sky was blue and the sun shone but by midday it rained and went grey and miserable again. It stayed that way for most of the day. It was quite a lazy day for me. I needed some vegetables and walked into town. Iceland was open and managed to get what I needed there.There were very few people around because the shops were closed; I assumed.  I made a casserole for OH's dinner and took grandson to his Dad's house at 5 pm. I made a start on listening to the 'Slightly Foxed' pod cast. I should manage to listen to all the episodes over the next couple of weeks. 

I wear this old faithful of a skirt a few times every year. By French Connection it was charity shopped somewhere many years ago. The blouse underneath is a vintage one by Del Mod. It was on the 1.00 rail at my Barnardo's and I felt sorry for it as it had been in the shop for months. I'm afraid I do this quite often take pity on a garment and buy it. Hopefully, this will get worn a lot as it features red and blue; both colours I wear a lot. The top by F&F was also a charity find whilst the M&S boots were from a local buy and sell FB group and the tights are by Snag.

All jewellery charity shopped.

On Sunday we took the Christmas tree and all the decorations down. I went for 4.5 mile walk with my daughter then cooked a roast lamb dinner for OH and the grandsons. We started watching 'The Tourist' on BBC and watched 'The Great Pottery Throw down'.

Monday was a Bank Holiday but Barnardo's was open and I went in from 10 am to 1 pm. We had lots of donations in all morning. I find it quite overwhelming as I want to sort it all and get it off the floor, but processing the donations can take ages. I processed a huge IKEA bag of books, cleared the sorting table of bric-a brac and put it out on the shelves; then processed a large black plastic sack of men's sports wear.  This was as well as serving customers; answering customer queries, answering the phone; making tea and tidying things (toys etc) off the shop floor and replacing items on hangers on the rails. 

We did the housework in the afternoon and OH cooked dinner. He would go back to work on Tuesday having had a good break.

In the photo above you can see the difference between my phone camera in selfie mode on the left and normal view on the right. I can never position myself properly for this type of close up but I find the selfie view often gives this gauzy, opaque effect when the light is poor.

Monday was the first cold day in a while and I had to put the heating on when I first got up.

Everything I wore was charity shopped. Marilyn jeans by M&S; boots by New Look; top from Vintage Kilo sale in the summer and the jacket is a home made buy from the Red Cross; I've had it for about 5 years and it's one of my favourite items of clothing. All jewellery charity shopped.

This was Tuesday's outfit worn to the food bank. It was a very cold day and the food bank was freezing. It took about 2 hours for my fingers to thaw out. I made up the usual hygiene bags - 50 singles/couples and 20 family packs and put toiletries away.

Everything I wore was charity shopped.

Skirt and shirt by Next; jumper no label; boots by Matalan. I wore orange opaque tights underneath.

All jewellery charity shopped.

I'd been reading about the projected huge fuel cost increases predicted for April. I had been thinking about it a lot and I must admit to worrying a bit. I already pay a substantial amount each month by direct debit for our gas and electric and really didn't want to pay anymore. Our house is cold; it's old and we only have double glazed windows in the kitchen and bathroom. The other windows are all the original sash windows which don't fit that well anymore;  we have wooden floors downstairs and laminate flooring upstairs so there are lots of draughts. We do what we can in the way of draught proofing the front door and letter box; we have a curtain over the front door and curtains in every room. We also have rugs down in every room. I don't mind living in a relatively cold house as I didn't grow up with central heating and we never, ever had heating in the bedrooms; iced over windows on the inside in winter were very common! Once we light our fire in the late afternoon the heating, if on, is turned off as we stay in the living room for most of the evening. 

I was therefore very pleased to receive the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) early in December. This is a payment made to most people in receipt of a state pension and/or other state benefits. I normally save the WFP to go towards the large January quarter bill. Imagine my surprise and delight to find that I was in substantial credit with my fuel payments and could put this toward any increased cost when I get the next quarter's bill in April. I'm not struggling to pay my bills as so many other people are and know how lucky I am. It remains to be seen if the government intervene in the price cap which is set by the energy companies each April. Another reason to have nationalised fuel industries and not private ones...

I went swimming as usual in the afternoon and surprising myself did 48 laps or 1 mile. I was just coming to the end when the whistle blew. We spent Tuesday evening catching up with all the episodes of 'The Tourist' on BBC i player. I've also been listening to the 'Slightly Foxed' podcasts and have got to number ten. Only twenty-six to go!

I should have been walking with  my group on Wednesday but when I went to book it was full. Damn! I had to go to Aldi in the morning for some bits and pieces including Wednesday night's dinner. I then went to the Castle Rd charity shops to spend the last of my Secret Santa money. That was what I call guilt free shopping; it wasn't my money I was spending! I got lucky buying an interesting woollen skirt; a knitted tunic; another jug to add my collection but also useful for cut flowers which I like having in the house; and a tray to hold bottles of drink on the sideboard. On Wednesday, it was also back to collecting youngest grandson from school; the first day back at school for most of the children. It was middle grandson's 17th birthday. Where the heck did that time go? We went to his house later in the evening to wish him happy birthday and have some birthday cake. I gave him money for his present which was what he requested.

Another really chilly day on Wednesday but bright and sunny for most of it. Wearing my BNWT Laura Ashley skirt found in Cambridge last Saturday; Minuet top with no label shirt underneath; woollen tights; all charity shopped. Boots; a Christmas gift from daughter.

All jewellery charity including necklace picked up in Cambridge last Saturday.

I broke my own record on Thursday morning at the swimming pool; swimming 50 laps in 60 minutes. I had just started on the 50th lap when the whistle blew. I was very proud of myself. Don't know if I'll ever manage it again but at least I've hit the big 50!

Thursday's outfit. The knitted tunic was picked up in the Castle Rd charity shops yesterday; washed and dried overnight. Underneath charity shop long sleeved t shirt and charity shop Nike leggings. Red boots; local FB buy and sell group.

All jewellery charity shopped. The necklace came from a Co. Donegal charity shop.

I went to the farm shop in Sharnbrook and bought coal and kindling. Then it was off to Lidl and Sainsbury's to do the weekly food shop. By the time that was unpacked and put away it was time to sort out the fire and put the wash that I'd put on in the morning away. I'd made a butternut squash casserole on Wednesday whilst making dinner for the grandsons and OH so I had that for dinner and OH did his own thing. We're going out for a birthday meal in Milton Keynes on Friday evening to celebrate grandson's 17th birthday -  so no cooking on Friday either, hurrah!

You might remember that just before Christmas I 'rescued' an off white garden table from a skip in the road where I park my car. I looked online for 4 secondhand matching chairs to no avail; ordering them from an online retailer in the end. On Friday morning they arrived and I'm very pleased with how they look and go with the table.  We just need the weather that allows us to sit out outside and eat at the table again...

This was my outfit on Friday. I bought the skirt in Mercy in Action in Castle Rd. It's made of wool and has tweed panels but the waist had lost any elastication it may once have had. Hence the belt. Jumper by M&S and polo underneath by John Lewis. The red boots were found in a Cambridge charity shop last Saturday.

I wore my black corduroy fancy jacket when I went out (bought in the Donkey Sanctuary charity shop in Donegal) and some red suede gloves picked up in the Autism charity shop in Bedford some months ago. It was a cold day made even colder by the very chilly breeze. I did not want to go out for a walk in it. I went to Home Bargains to buy some bird supplies and popped into the Daycare Hospice shop where I found a jacket and a short sleeved red jumper on the sale rail. In the morning the chimney sweep came to sweep the chimney; a regular January occurrence. I made some mincemeat crumble slices in the afternoon and listened to several 'Slightly Foxed' podcasts. I discovered there are actually 38 episodes and I was roughly a third of the way through listening to them.

In the evening we drove to Milton Keynes for a birthday meal for grandson. He didn't even take his jacket off on the restaurant; it was air conditioned and a bit chilly. Daughter and her partner had gone out to vape when these photos were taken. Youngest grandson had his hair plaited and looks very grown up.

What a miserable day Saturday was. Grey and wet. I went for a walk in the afternoon; along the river from Biddenham - Great Denham - Queens Park; walking 5.2 miles. There was a heavy downpour for the last 5 minutes of the walk and I got drenched. It was good excuse to get out of my wet jeans and put my PJ bottoms on and sit by the fire catching up with blog land. Before I got the soaking, as I was walking I spotted this rather beautiful little bird - the smallest in the UK; smaller even than a wren; a Goldcrest - it just popped up beside me on a bush and a few paces later it, or another one, was there again.

We watched a new series to us  on Saturday evening on Netflix called 'Bordertown' set in Finland and featuring a rather intense police officer.

I took grandson to basket ball on Sunday morning. He had stayed overnight. Whilst he was at basket ball I went for 4 mile walk. I came home and made a lentil cheese bake (using vegan cheese so my daughter could eat it and making 'chia seed eggs' to replace the eggs in the recipe) for dinner as well as roast chicken. OH and I did the usual Sunday housework. Daughter's partner had come down with Covid (again) so we all tested ourselves as we'd been together on Friday evening, but thankfully all tested negative. 

This was what I wore to the charity shop on Monday. Everything was charity shopped. Skirt by East; jacket bought in Donkey Sanctuary charity shop in Co. Donegal; boots bought in Cambridge charity shop recently. I wore fleece lined leggings underneath the skirt and was warm all day.

Striped tee charity shopped; jumper by M&S;  found in the Daycare Hospice shop on Friday.

All jewellery charity shopped.

The donations didn't stop all morning. As fast as I cleared one bag; three more had come in. Despite working flat out, when I left after one o clock the floor was still covered with bags waiting to be sorted. There's very little space in the back of the shop (more donations) so it wasn't possible to put them there. Personally, I would have put a stop to the donations for the day but I don't make those decisions. I went home and put a wash on; sorted out the fire and caught up with my blog and blog land in general.

If it's Tuesday it must be the food bank. Everything I wore was charity shopped. I bought the jacket which I think is home made;  there are no maker's labels or washing care labels; from a sale rail at The Willen Hospice Shop in Newport Pagnell. Jeans by M&Co and the top was picked up from the 1.00 rail from Barnardo's.

Boots bought from the Cat's Protection League a few weeks ago.

All jewellery charity shopped.

At the food bank I made up 28 family hygiene packs and 50 individual/couple hygiene packs. I was asked if I could spare some time on Thursday to make up more. I should be able to manage a couple of hours extra in between going swimming; to the hairdressers and doing the weekly food shop.. I could go food shopping on Friday if necessary if I'm feeling too tired by then. I'm also determined to get to see the Evelyn Dunbar exhibition in Milton Keynes as it finishes in February and will book it this weekend and go next week if possible. I can say for certain that the one thing I never suffer from is boredom. There's always so much to do, see, watch, read and listen to. Long may it continue!