Poppies

As we move into Autumn, charity shops are starting to organise sales of their remaining summer clothes so you can find real bargains if you search hard enough.

I could not resist this dress with large poppies on a purple background for £1.00!

It comes with a belt mainly for decorative purposes and it is knee length which is the length I prefer.  It also has a high neck. The weather is still quite warm and sunny in the UK at the moment and I may get some wear from it this year with the addition of a cardigan.

Would you have bought it for £1.00?

Yellow Jumper

Autumn will be with us in a few weeks so when I saw this yellow jumper (I think my American friends call them sweaters) in my favourite charity shop in my size I couldn't resist buying it. It cost me £2.50 and I thought that the colour would brighten up the dreary days in November. The jumper started life in M & S.

We have had some rain at last in the UK and my lawn has now reverted to its normal green colour and I am having to cut the grass again. Nature is wonderful as my potatoes continued to grow during the long dry spell and I have a reasonable crop and my runner beans are continuing to produce in abundance. I also have a wonderful crop of tomatoes and cucumbers and have supplied my friends as we could not possibly eat them all.

I hope to be busy in the garden during the last few weeks of summer.

New Colours for Me

As soon as I bought this sleeveless dress in a charity shop for £4.00 the weather has cooled down considerably and we have actually had some rain!

The dress is an inch or so shorter than I normally wear and has a striking pattern in the shape of flowers on one side and horizontal stripes on the other. I do not have many clothes in purple or pink so the colours are a change for me - away from the usual blues and turquoise!

The label is Mattex and it has a high percentage of cotton. I will no doubt need to wear it with a cardigan during the rest of this summer!

Latest Charity Shop Finds

My latest charity shop finds include this casual grey shirt which cost me £1.00 in a bargain bin. It has long sleeves and is of a cotton mix with white detailing around the neck. It is very comfortable and I am wearing in the photo last weekend on a trip around a historic house. At that price I am sure of getting my monies worth even if it only lasts for the current summer season.

I have said previously that it is quite difficult to find trousers in a charity shop that fit properly. In fact trousers are one of the few outer garments that I buy new from High Street shops rather than charity shops. I was very surprised but pleased when I spotted these white cotton trousers on a rail for £4.00 in my size. I tried them on and they fitted really well.

They are slim fit and my husband thinks I look great in them! They are my second pair of white cotton trousers that I have bought this year. I have worn the first pair a lot on holiday and during the long hot spell that we have had this year in the UK as they are so comfortable, practical and cool. This second pair will no doubt be equally as good.

What do you think?

Pale Blue Shirt

I bought this pale blue shirt with tie detail this week for £3.50 in my favourite charity shop. It is something different for me but I am not sure if I will keep it as the "tie" does sometimes get in the way and it can be annoying. It has a Manirva label which I am not familiar with.

I also bought these trousers for £4.00. They appear to be virtually new and  are chinos. They started life in Primark. You may also notice that my hair is darker than normal. I had a change of style and colour last week. My husband quite likes it but I am not so convinced that it suits me and I may revert to mid brown next time.

Casual Jacket

My latest charity shop find is this lightweight casual jacket. I paid £5.00 for it and fits really well. It has zip pockets (useful for carrying phones or purses safely in crowds) and is showerproof. I am sorry that Hannah didn't take a full frontal shot.

With the current hot dry weather continuing, I have not had the need to wear much it yet but I am sure the current high temperatures won't last much longer.

The photos were taken on an evening walk through some local woods. I am wearing my white trousers far more than I thought I would during this summer. They are so comfortable and practical during walks and shopping expeditions - one of my better buys!

Turquoise Again!

You would never guess that turquoise is my favourite colour! I couldn't resit this cotton top when I saw it in a £1 bin in a charity shop. It is short sleeved and has some strange detailing around the neck. However it keeps me nice and cool during the long summer evenings when I am in the garden so I think I will keep it.

We have not had any rain now for about 4 weeks and the temperatures are just below 30 C on most days. We have not had a hot dry spell like this in the UK for many years and I must spend nearly an hour each evening watering my plants,