Christmas Presents

We had a great family Christmas and it all seemed to be over so quickly after such a long build up.

Our daughter, Hannah, wanted some advanced photography equipment and couldn't wait to try it out so on Christmas afternoon she got me to pose by a floral decoration in a top which my husband bought for me.

Regular readers of my blog will not be surprised to see it is in my favourite colour, turquoise. It is slightly figure hugging but I am sure I will wear it a lot next summer.

We bought Hannah a white jumper and she let her father try out her new lenses yesterday and he took some photos of her wearing it. She has grown considerably taller during the past year and we are now nearly the same height. I forget that she will soon be 16 and is fast becoming an adult. 

The top came from M & S and has an interesting pattern below the shoulder line. She was really pleased with it and will wear it when we go out at weekends.

Did you get some lovely clothes as presents this year?

Christmas Celebrations

It is my office Christmas Party on Monday and I will be wearing my Christmas Jumper once again.  I bought this jumper last year in Peacocks. It has a robin skiing and wearing a red woollen hat.

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 to Hannah's School Carol Service last Thursday 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!

Party Outfit

I am not one who regularly dresses up for formal occasions but we had a works function a few days ago which doubled up as a presentation event for someone who was leaving and our Christmas meal.

I was feeling a little under the weather with a heavy cold but as I had already purchased tickets for my husband and myself we decided to go - and we enjoyed ourselves.

I wore this maxi dress in pale pink which I had in my wardrobe for several years without wearing it. It still had a charity shop ticket on it for £7.50! The dress had a matching scarf. I also wore a white jacket which recently cost me £6.00. It is fairly light-weight but gave added warmth on a cold night. The colour is not very practical as it will show every mark but it is useful for this sort of occasion when I need to look my best!

What do you think?

White Belt

I bought this red dress with a white floral pattern a few weeks ago when my favourite charity shop had a sale of their remaining summer stock. It only cost me £2.50. I tend to prefer dresses with sleeves and I don't normally wear red from choice. However, at that price I was happy to make an exception!

The white belt had been in my wardrobe for a long time and I think it gives the outfit a finishing touch. Do you agree?

Boots

You won't have seen me in leather boots before as I have not had a pair for some 10 years or more. However I spotted this pair, which were quite high, in a charity shop a few days ago and did not think that they would fit. I tried them on and was most surprised that they did and were extremely comfortable!

They cost £10.00 and will be ideal to keep my feet dry and warm during the coming winter.

Do you like wearing leather boots in winter?

Royal Blue Shirt & Carnival

I bought a Royal Blue Shirt this week for £1.50. In the photo I have paired it with my black work jacket and trousers. I think the colours compliment each other but would welcome your opinions.

The weather has certainly got colder recently here in the UK but luckily it was dry and fairly mild for our local illuminated carnival a few days ago. Some 40 floats (decorated tractors and trailers) and some individual walking entries formed a spectacular procession which took nearly 2 hours to pass.

Turquoise Dress

This photo was taken a few months ago as I would not be wearing this dress outside without a coat at the moment. It is much colder and foggy in the UK.

I bought this dress a while ago for £4.00 and it is in one of my favourite colours. It is also a length which I prefer reaching my knees and is nice and modest around the neck.

My sandals are shaded by the bush but are actually gold in colour and cost £2.50.

No new charity shop purchases this week but I will keep looking as always and hope to find something to tell you about next week.

Green Top

I have been feeling much better this week and back at work again.

My post this week shows a green top which I bought several months ago in a charity shop for £2.50. It is more suitable for evening wear and has a "tie effect" detail in the front. I wore it recently for a family meal in a restaurant and I am pleased with it.

My trousers were new from Marks and Spencer. I needed a new pair for work during the coming winter and these are a generous cut, with straight legs and front pleats. They cost £29.99. It is always difficult to find smart trousers in charity shops which fit properly. I have occasionally been successful but often you find slight blemishes on them afterwards which mean they are destined for wear in the garden!

Autumn

Sorry for a lack of a new post recently but I was off sick for about 10 days and then had a lot of catching up to do both at home and work.

The weather here in the UK has been strangely mild for mid-October and we experienced air from Africa a day or so ago which deposited a film of red dust on everything and gave the sun an unusual hazy but red glow for a few hours.

Anyway, you may notice my red hair - I did some experimentation when I was confined to the house and it went wrong - far more vivid a colour that I intended.

The blouse is from a charity shop - 50 p in a bargain bin! It is a fairly loose style. My skirt is shorter than I normally like but it was £2.50 and is suitable for work. It has a Next label. 

My shoes cost £4.00. Red is an unusual colour for shoes in my case. However they are comfortable and give a bright flash of colour to an otherwise plain outfit.

What do you think folks?

Sky Blue

I have been off sick for most of the past week - so no new charity shop finds to show you. However I did find a photo of an interesting short sleeve summer top which I forgot to include in a post earlier in the year.

It is in various shades of light blue and has an unusual design which makes it appear as two garments. The bottom half is plain and tight fitting whereas the top is patterned with decorative edges. The top cost me £2.00 and I wore it on several occasions when the weather is warm.

My problem stems from a chemical imbalance which makes me feel light headed and I tend to lose my balance. It is likely that I will need a minor operation in the future to deal with an overactive gland.

New to me Coat

Autumn is now officially with us and there is definitely a chill in the air as I walk to the office in the mornings. I was therefore pleased to find this camel coloured coat in a charity shop a few days ago. It was in my size and in excellent condition. It cost me £10.00 but it will keep me nice and snug each morning. It is of a wool/terylene mix and is also waterproof for when we get wetter periods.

Is it getting cooler where you are yet? (unless you are lucky enough to be in the southern hemisphere)

Blue Shirt

Nothing very exciting to report this week. My only charity shop find recently was this blue shirt. It cost me £2.00 and is casual in appearance, ideal for holidays.  It is in mainly cotton and has a George label.

The weather has turned colder here in the UK and I doubt if I will be wearing this shirt very often without a cardigan or jacket.

The flowers are coming to an end earlier than usual in the garden this year and a few days ago I removed the tomato and cucumber plants from the greenhouse as they had finished cropping. The runner beans may last a few more weeks.

We are wondering if the early onset of autumn will mean a colder winter this year. We have had very little snow for about 5 years.

Walk in the Woods

The recent Bank Holiday weekend was unusually warm and sunny so we all decided to go for a walk in the countryside and the footpath we followed lead us to a lovely natural woodland. Hannah took her camera as usual and took these photos for my blog with some nature pictures for a school assignment.

This top was from a bargain bin in a charity shop - it was a £1. I am unlikely to keep it though as I have some concerns with the design being slightly see through particularly when wet and consequently having modesty issues. It will be donated back so it can be sold again to help the charity. It shows that we all make mistakes!

My trousers were new from Primark. They are in lightweight cotton and I thought that they would be ideal for warmer weather. Sadly, it has been cool and wet here in the UK so I have not worn them as much as I had hoped. The dusky pink colour is a new one for me. The trousers are super comfy and cost me about £15.00.

Do you like this outfit?

Polkadots & Blue

At least we have had some warm sunny weather here in the UK as we said goodbye to August and move into September.

My charity shop find this week is this polkadot top which, although not easy to see in the picture, also has blue lines between the dots. The top cost me £1.50.

I have teamed it with this royal blue pencil skirt which I bought for £2.50 a few weeks ago. The skirt started life in M & S.

The sandals were a present from my husband for my birthday.

Autumn Top

My latest charity shop find is this top. It is fairly loose fitting and has autumnal colours in the design. The top cost be £1.50 on a bargain rail. It is sad that we are talking of autumn already but it will be the first of September next week. Apart from a week in June we have not really experienced any really warm long settled periods this year so summer has been  little disappointing.

The brown, gold and green colours on a white background means that the top goes well with my summer trousers. The belt is more decorative than functional but it adds a little interest to the outfit - we were out for a family meal when Hannah took these photos. The cool damp summer weather meant that I wore these trousers more than summer dresses this year which is a shame.

Perhaps we will get a warm sunny autumn!

Vintage Fair & when your daughter starts to grow up!

We went, as a family, to a local Vintage Fair this weekend where there were lots of antique and second hand stalls and well over 100 classic cars, tractors and steam engines on display. We also had a fly-past by a World War II Spitfire. It was difficult to get  good photo as it was flying very fast but Hannah did manage to get one  somewhat distant shot. You can just see it.

Hannah took a lot of pictures of the classic cars for her course work portfolio and a selection follow.

A 1930s Morris 8 and a 1930s Austin 10

It was this Triumph's 50th Birthday!

Some Morris Minors from the 1950s

An historic London Cab new in 1933

A Royal Mail delivery van from the 1940s

One for my American friends - a Ford Mustang and a Cadillac.

Henry enjoyed this steam roller which later was in full steam

Hannah is growing up fast and, being a teenager, is getting very fashion conscious. As you all know I do not mind whether or not my clothes have designer labels as long as they are comfortable and fit properly. Hannah now has to have certain trainers - usually with an expensive price tag, and a few days ago she needed new jeans and, you are right, they had to be a certain label and style the same as worn by her friends.

I don't wear jeans (even though Hannah is trying to persuade me to buy some) as I am not keen on the image so I was completely out of my comfort zone in a store which catered for the younger generation. Hannah quickly found a rail of Levi jeans (which seems to be the current favourite of her year group) and eventually settled on some Demi Curve skinnies.

 They cost £39.99 (and that was with the benefit of a price reduction). I could almost buy a whole new wardrobe in a charity shop for that money but I don't think Hannah will be satisfied with second hand clothes now.

They do seem to fit well and she couldn't wait to show them off to her friends.

More Tops

This week I have added two new summer tops to my collection. Both are charity shop purchases and they cost £1.25 each. The first one is in lavender and has short sleeves and a button front. I added a white belt to enhance my figure and in the photo  I am wearing it with a white skirt which has been in my wardrobe for several years.

The second is in a light orange colour with white polkadots. This is a fairly unusual colour for me - and tones well with my new lighter hair colour this week! The sleeves are mid length. I would have liked it to have been a little longer to cover my bottom a little more when wearing trousers but at £1.25 it was too good a bargain to resist!

The trousers are fairly new - they came from Primark and I think they were £9.99. They have a high cotton content and, although a little tighter than I would like, are very comfortable.

Normally, I don't wear trousers that often during the summer but here in the UK the temperatures have barely reached 20 C recently and we have had constant wind and heavy showers. Totally different from Southern Europe where we read of temperatures well over 40 C! I don't think I could bear heat like that each day.

Summer Top

I found this top for just £1.00 in a bargain bin in my favourite charity shop last week. It is a different style for me and rather an interesting black and white design. It goes well with my black skirts or trousers. I would have preferred it to be slightly longer to cover my bottom a little more in the interest of modesty but for £1.00 I couldn't really complain.

Have you had any good buys recently?

Red Dress

I do not own many red clothes so when I came across this red dress with a white floral pattern in my size in my favourite charity shop last week, I just had to buy it. It cost me £4.50. It has a white belt feature which enhances my waist and is knee length - the length I always prefer.

It will make a change from my usual blue/turquoise outfits and will look good with a cream cardigan for cooler evenings.

Regular readers of my blog will know that I don't like jeans. I am probably the only woman in her late 30s who does not own and has never owned a pair of jeans. My daughter, Hannah, has recently been persuading me to start wearing jeans - and I have to admit a pair might be useful to wear around the garden - but I have something of an aversion to denim.

A few days ago, Hannah spotted a new pair in a charity shop and nagged me until I tried them on. She had her camera with her (I didn't know at the time) and took my picture in the changing cubicle.

They just didn't feel right on me somehow - too tight around my bottom which looks rather large in this picture - and restrictive. I decided not to buy them - Hannah was disappointed - but they were not comfortable.

Is there anyone else who shares my views on jeans or am I alone on this one?

Black Top

It's been an indoors sort of day today as we have had light rain for most of the time. It is ideal for the garden but it is a pity it came on a Saturday as I have a lot of jobs to do in the vegetable plot.

My charity shop find this week is this top. I bought it to wear casually but it is in new condition and has rather an interesting leaf decoration which adds interest and I think I could wear it successfully for evenings out.

It cost me £2.50 and has a WCF label which I am not familiar with. I tones quite well with my dark grey trousers.

Do you like it?

Evening Dress

We do not normally attend a lot of formal social functions but we have been invited to a garden party in about 10 days time. It is connected to my husband's work and it is important that we attend. I am sure that I will feel a little uncomfortable as I am not that good at mixing with people that I know and engaging in conversation. I also have to avoid alcohol whenever possible due to a chemical imbalance in my blood.

Anyway, I have been searching for an outfit and have two possibilities. Firstly this yellow dress with a black belt. It has been in my wardrobe for rather a long time. It was a charity shop find but I can't remember how much it cost. Probably no more than £5.00.

An alternative would be this polkadot dress I bought this week. Again it has a belt detail and a sort of pleats which adds interest. It cost me £5.50. This dress is longer and I am slightly concerned that it may cause me to trip as I am not used to wearing dresses of this length.

Which would you choose?

Sky Blue

Another top to tell you about this week. This time in sky blue with an unusual decorative tie detail. It cost me £2.50 in my favourite charity shop and it is in a cool cotton fabric.

The weather has cooled dramatically this week from 30+ C down to 18 C. It was a bit of a shock to the system and I wore trousers to the office on Thursday and Friday which is unusual for me at this time of the year. We have had spells of rain though which is very welcome for the garden and saves me the task of watering each evening. 

How are you coping with the weather?

In the Garden

A quick post from my garden this week to show you another top. This one is different with a feature colour and front tie together with the usual button front. It is short sleeved and in a pale pink which I think tones reasonably well with my black skirt.

It cost me £3.00 and is ideal for wearing in the warm summer weather we are enjoying at the moment. Thankfully it is only about 20 C today -  the temperatures reached a humid 34 C last week which made any work unbearable.

Pale Blue Top

I am not sure about this loose fitting pale blue top. It is my latest charity shop buy and it was in a bargain £1 per item clearance box. It has decorations to add interest around the short sleeves but I feel that the style does little for my figure. I thought it might be cool to wear in the current heatwave we are enjoying as most of my tops are close fitting but I don't think it makes much difference.

Do you think it suits me or should I donate it back?

The hot summer sunshine has enabled me to catch up on a lot of jobs in the garden. The summer bedding and roses are now in full bloom and a splash of colour greets me when I return home from work each day. The vegetable plot is also looking good now that I have cleared the weeds and in a few weeks we should be enjoying fresh home grown produce!

New Dress and Old Cars

Apologies for no post last week - I was unwell for a few days and then had lots of catching up to do.

This dress is my latest charity shop purchase. It is a different colour for me (making a change from turquoise!) and cost me £4.50. It has a black belt and black button details on the short sleeves. It is knee length - the length which I prefer.

We went as a family to our local classic car rally recently. My son Henry and my husband both love looking at classic cars and my daughter, Hannah, likes to takes photos to add to her photography portfolio.

Henry's favourite was this wonderful 1971 Ferrari - he would have loved a ride in it!

This was Hannah's favourite - a beautifully restored 1930's Morris 8 Soft top

My husband chose this 1930's Austin saloon

I had to choose this 1950's MG saloon as it's colour scheme includes turquoise!

We had an enjoyable hour looking at the gleaming cars which are lovingly cared for by their owners.

Do you like looking at cars from a bygone era?

Summer Trousers

No real charity shop bargains this week so just for a change I thought I would post on an item of clothing I actually bought new in a High Street shop!

I had some vouchers for my birthday back in March and over the Easter Holidays we went shopping. Hannah and Henry needed some new school clothes and I bought these trousers with my vouchers. Trousers that fit properly without the need for alterations are not easy to find in charity shops although I have been lucky occasionally. 

Regular readers of my blog are all too familiar with my love of turquoise so when I saw these cotton trousers in my size I just had to buy them. They may be a little tighter than I normally like but they are so comfy and lightweight, ideal for the warmer weather.  I am not so self conscious of my bottom showing when I wear trousers as I was when I first started to wear them. I did not really have any trousers suitable to wear in the summer so I am sure these will get lots of wear in the next few months. They are a George label and cost about £15.00.

Are they something you would wear?