Looking Forward to 2017

I would like to wish all my blogging friends a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

I hope to be able to continue to post on my charity shop finds in 2017. Everyone knows that I am a charity shop addict and cannot resist touring the local shops each lunchtime! For my readers in the USA charity shops are rather like your thrift shops. People donate their unwanted items and the shops sell them with the proceeds going to support the charity.

I have had the opportunity to go through my wardrobe during the break from work and will donate a bag of my clothes and another bag of Hannah and Henry's clothes which they have outgrown. My husband never likes to throw anything away and wears clothes until they are well beyond the end of their life and therefore not suitable for resale! Are other men like that? 

We all return to work/school on Tuesday. We have enjoyed the break and, as the weather has been really bright and sunny, we have managed a number of good healthy walks in the countryside. My husband has also booked a family break to Scotland at Easter. We love Scotland with its wonderful scenery and as Easter is much later this year (mid April) the weather should be warmer and days a little longer.

My charity shop find in this post was actually purchased in November. I have a number of tunic tops and liked the colour of this one. It cost about £3.00 - £3.50. I would have preferred it to be a little longer to cover my rear when I wear trousers in public to increase modesty but I am gradually becoming less self conscious of that issue. It is now over three years since I started to wear trousers which does not seem possible!

I added the belt to add interest and as without it I felt that the tunic made me look rather large!

What do you think?

Christmas

It was my office Christmas Party last night and we had a worst Christmas Jumper Competition. I wore this jumper which I bought in Peacocks. It has a robin skiing and wearing a red woollen hat.

I didn't win but it was great fun and my husband and I really enjoyed the evening. 

I don't have a charity shop find this week as I have been really busy with Christmas preparations and not had too much spare time to tour the shops. Don't worry normal service will be resumed in the new year.

We went as a family to Henry's Nativity Play on Tuesday. Now that Henry is a little older he is not so keen on a major part and was happy to be a shepherd in the background. On Thursday it was Hannah's Carol Service and we joined a packed school hall and sang about 12 traditional carols - it was wonderful!

On Sunday we are going to another Carol Service - this time in our local Church where we will have the Christmas Story told from the Bible with our favourite carols.

I firmly believe that we should celebrate the true meaning of Christmas rather than the commercialism we experience today. We will, of course, exchange presents - but nothing too expensive. We will attend Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and enjoy the Church Bells announcing the coming of our Lord as we walk home.

I would like to wish all my blogger friends a very Blessed and Happy Christmas!

White Jacket

I bought this jacket for £4.50 in a charity shop this week. It is light-weight but water proof and will be ideal when the weather is unpredictable during milder conditions. Although the weather has turned mild again here in the UK at the moment (11 C) it is likely to get colder again soon and this jacket will not be warm enough for icy conditions.

I attended a course for work in Bristol a few days ago and visited this German Christmas Market during the lunch break. There were a lot of little wooden huts displaying Christmas decorations and other goods. Some other huts were selling speciality foods from different countries. There was a great atmosphere and it made me feel really festive. I took home some continental chocolates for the family and they were delicious!

Warm Woolly

Sorry about a lack of a post last week - a combination of internet problems and being busy with family events. We had a visit from relatives and then attended a lovely Advent Service at Church which I always feel is the beginning of Christmas.

It has been unusually cold here in the last few weeks and I was pleased to find this woolly in a charity shop for only £2.00. It is a different colour for me but is lovely and warm for wearing around the house and it has two very useful pockets. I would have preferred it to be slightly longer to cover my rear when I wear trousers but it was too much of a bargain to resist!

We love to go for a brisk walk around our local lake when it is a crisp dry winter afternoon and we are always greeted by the occupants of the lake waddling towards us looking for food. We are always careful to feed them the correct bird food and not bread crusts which are not healthy for them.