Life in Quarantine - One, Two and Free!

I was up at the crack of dawn on Friday morning to book a National Trust slot for next week. After my last Wii Fit session of the week, Jon joined me in the kitchen for our fruit and yogurt breakfast. He'd ordered some replacement back lights for the van from eBay which had arrived the previous day and, after watching a tutorial on-line, went outside and fitted them. I left him to it, layering up and taking stock photos in the garden.

Friday was cold and out came the warm layers - my 1970s knitted turban (worn backwards), orange polo neck jumper and roaring lion buckle belt were all charity shop finds, the vintage Papillion Indian block print wrap skirt & original 60s Afghan waistcoat were eBay finds. I don't think the waistcoat's featured on my blog before even though I wear it loads. It was listed in the wrong category, cost less than a tenner and is insanely cosy. The previous owner bought it when he went to a fancy dress party as fellow Black Country-ite, Robert Plant.

After a break for noodles, Jon did a stock take of the cupboards and placed a smallish order with Asda for delivery on Sunday. 

This week marked the 30th anniversary of Some Friendly, The Charlatans debut album (you may have spotted the gold and silver discs that hang in the bathroom). Jon spent a happy afternoon reminiscing with friends on social media of those crazy times.

Link to my eBay shop HERE

Meanwhile I uploaded my photos and listed another twenty items on eBay then wrapped up the latest sales ready for dispatch on Monday morning. 

Link to my eBay shop HERE

Any further plans for more photos were scuppered by a hailstorm mid-afternoon so after dashing outside to lock up the Kinky Shred I started on the gargantuan task of soaking the houseplants.

Tea was a salad with the rest of Ray's sourdough bread which Jon had managed to revive by soaking it and warming it up in the oven. We spent the evening watching more Spooks and Gardener's World with some rum for company.

On Saturday Jon got up first to see to the lads. He brought mugs of tea back to bed and I made a start on A Man Called Ove having finished The King's Witch on Thursday night. I'm loving it so far.

Jon started on the breakfast whilst I stripped and changed the bed and took the houseplants out of the bath. I loaded the washing machine but as it was peeing it down had to dry the bedding in the tumble dryer. I put another load of houseplants to soak in the utility room sink, and on a water-filled tray next to it, before enjoying my Cauldron veggie sausage & fried egg sandwich.

Once dressed I wrapped up more eBay parcels and, once the rain had slowed down a little, took more photos under the shelter of the bastard massive lime tree and listed another fifteen items on Ebay.

Link to my eBay shop HERE

As we're going to be at home all winter (the first time in over twenty years), I thought I'd better invest in some new thermals, not having found any in the charity shop this year. Just like when I buy new knickers& bras I search the Marks & Spencer website for what I'm after and then search eBay for traders selling over-makes - the same product just with the store logo removed. I liked the look of the skinny fit black polo neck jumper and leggings in their Heatgen range and was happy to find both in my size, at a third off the current retail price.  They were from different sellers but both arrived with the postman on Saturday lunchtime. Winter, I'm ready for you!

On Saturday I wore my vintage India Imports of Rhode Island maxi with a 1970s Anokhi short sleeved jacket with patch pockets (both eBay buys) along with a Moroccan atomiser pendant given to me by a friend. Jon found my Clarks' Orinoco Club Chelsea boots in a charity shop earlier this year.

 It's just as well Asda were all out of pickling vinegar, our green tomatoes are starting to ripen up nicely. For tea Jon roasted some of them which he served with a flatbread from the depths of the freezer, chips and salad.

We watched the first episode of Grayson Perry's brilliant new documentary Big American Road Trip before another couple of episodes of Spooks in which my all-time favourite agent, the beautiful Ruth, made an appearance. Needless to say that, being a Saturday night, more rum was consumed.

On Sunday I was up first, seeing to the lads, swapping the plants in the utility room sink for the final few and making tea. I brought the tea back up to bed where we read for a while before I got up and washed my hair. 

We had toast for breakfast in front of the Andrew Marr Show. I painted my nails in the newest addition to my Barry M collection, Black Pistachio, which I love.

And the rest of my outfit......

WEARING: Anokhi block printed maxi dress (bought from their flagship store in Jaipur, 2019), vintage pixie jacket, River island velvet boots and Aldo fedora (all charity shop finds)

 

I might not be a fan of the season but Autumnal colours make my heart sing....russet reds, burnished bronze and rich deep greens...all things I love to wear.

Happily it's velvet season so I get to give my vintage pixie jacket & ankle boots an outing for the first time in months.

Sunday marked the end of our fortnight of quarantine. How did we celebrate? By grabbing our masks & a bin bag stuffed full of donations and heading to the charity clearance shop. As I've mentioned before, it's a huge place just out of the town centre and open seven days a week. All the clothes, books, records, bric-a-brac & accessories are priced at £3 or under. While the clothes are mostly of the Primarni cheap and nasty variety it's a pleasant place to browse with hand sanitiser stations & a screened-off checkout and, as it's so vast, it never gets crowded. The soundtrack is always excellent, this morning it was 1990s dance music. Happily each & every customer was wearing a mask unlike the horror that is Poundland, where we popped in to get batteries for my Wii Fit. Chazza shoppers are obviously a far classier bunch than the scutters who frequent pound shops.

If there are any vintage clothes they're more often than not hideous 1980s acrylic dresses with whopping great shoulder pads and dropped waists so I was really excited to spot a bit of crisp cotton poking out from the skirt rail. I loved the print on this skirt, an eclectic mix of pink flamingos, exotic leaves, prowling tigers, sleepy cheetahs, blue antelopes and lilac cacti. At first glance I thought it was 1950s but with the zig-zagged seams its possibly a later piece. Although I can't find anything out about FINEWEAR, when model is written a label it generally means that the garment was a sample, sent out by the rag trade to individual boutiques for the owner to decide whether to have an item made to order. I love that it could have been the only one of its kind ever ever made. Once I've washed it it'll be stashed in my summer suitcase ready for my next trip to Greece, it'll be perfect with my yellow clogs and a vintage basket. A steal at £2.

This pretty embroidered Indian cotton cami, originally from Topshop, will also be going in my Summer suitcase (£2). Jon was excited to find this deadstock Bogart 1970s novelty Spanish print shirt with dagger collars, a real rarity to find one in a large size, they're usually too small even for me! That's destined for the eBay shop. Wild Thyme in Ibiza sounds right up our street, the memoirs of a man who lived there in the 1960s & 1970s, before the advent of mass tourism to the island (50p). The houseplant complete with ceramic pot was from Wilko (£5), we'd popped in for soda crystals & bird food and you know that it's impossible for me to pass the plant stand without picking something up.

Back at home we'd just finished our noodles when the Asda order arrived, brought by Ian, the delivery driver we'd met last week. We were his last drop of the day and, with a shared interest in music, festivals and classic cars, Jon and he stood on the step chatting for ages. 

After the groceries were sanitised and stashed away Jon set to work on erecting the replacement for The Egg, our outdoor shelter for the winter months. We bought the bronze chiminea for a pittance from the closing down sale at Focus back in 2011. I always knew it would come in useful one day.

Link to my eBay shop HERE

Meanwhile I listed a few more things on eBay before giving Jon a hand with moving the pot plants. We were planning a celebratory walk round the block to celebrate our freedom but that can wait until tomorrow, the charity shop, Poundland and Wilko is more than enough excitement for one day.

Stay safe and see you soon.

PS I've spent so long with my eBay listings that I'm way behind on replying to comments and visiting blogs. Normal service will hopefully resume shortly.