Take Me Outside, Sit In The Green Garden

What a miserable few days...rain, rain and more rain. Despite the inclement weather it hasn't stopped us from going out stock hunting. Crazy season is rapidly approaching, we're booked into seven festivals and our vintage stall needs to be bursting with interesting stock all Summer long. In contrast to the bleak grey of the towns we visit, the lush spring greenery of our garden serves up a far prettier backdrop to this week's outfits whilst our urban forest provides welcome shelter from the incessant rain. Tuesday's dress, a 1970s maxi by Australian label Lady Lichfield, which I've owned for five years, blends in almost seamlessly with the last of the bluebells.

A few people commented that this photo looked like a painting so, as you can see, I messed around with a free programme I found to turn it into one.

A lucky £5 charity shop find last year, my 1960s-does-Edwardian gauzy cotton dress by Dollyrockers, had an outing on Wednesday (with added thermals, the UK has been subjected to unseasonably chilly 8° temperatures all week).

I don't often wear brooches but at 50p I couldn't resist this vintage agate monster found in a charity shop last year, just look at the size of it.

On Thursday the insane giraffes made a welcome return.

Bought a fortnight ago, this print never fails to provoke a reaction, even the DPD man - delivering Gilbert's replacement skylight - remarked that he'd never seen anything quite like it.

Check out the £1 Art Nouveau brass belt buckle from Age UK that Jon treated me to this week, he certainly knows how to spoil a girl! Sometimes I think he's a better charity shopper than I am.

Today (Friday) I'm wearing another of my 1960s gauzy cotton Dollyrockers dresses. This one was £10 back in 2009, so on a cost per wear basis - even if I'd only worn it once a year - it would be value for money.

I won't share a photo of the label as it's identical to the one on Wednesday's dress.

We've had sunshine with our showers today and, in between the regular deluges, it's actually felt quite warm. Jacob's emerged from his straw bedding to demand wild rocket, forget-me-nots and dandelions and he's lucky, they all grow in abundance in our wilderness garden.

As it's rapidly approaching festival season I thought I'd better get these Docs worn in which, if you recall, I found unworn and still in their box in a charity shop last year. The actual foot bit is brilliant but the tongue is still a bit on the stiff side so I've been pottering around the garden in them and just walked round the corner to the post box to mail our postal votes for the Euro elections. A few more hours a day and they might be ready for Glastonbury....

See you soon!

Joining Patti & the gang for Visible Monday.


PS Today's post title inspiration? It's taken from Green Garden by fellow West Midlands girl, the drop-dead-gorgeous Laura Mvula. A track guaranteed to lift even the blackest of moods.