Monday 31 October 2022

All The Leaves Are Brown....



It was chucking it down on Thursday but unseasonably mild so I didn't bother with a coat when I went out charity shopping. It remained murky and depressingly gloomy all day but my block printed Dilli Grey dress, vintage Janet Wood for Monsoon Afghan waistcoat and Aldo fedora (all secondhand) succeeded in bringing some colour to my fellow shopper's lives, or so several of them told me. 


Pickings were slim but we found a few bits.....


Clockwise from top left: Superdry "Black Hawk" motorcycle jacket; Mint Velvet zip utility jacket; Billabong snow jacket; Beaded earrings; Clarks Victorian-style leather knee-high boots; 1960s Harrods gents dressing gown; Schott NYC recycled polyester snorkel; 1980s Domino batwing jumper.


Halloween isn't my thing and I absolutely loathe all that plastic themed tat that'll doubtlessly end up in landfill on 1st November but I couldn't resist this Liberty Hera print fabric pumpkin, handmade to raise funds for a local charity for the visually impaired. 


Named after the Greek goddess whose sacred animal was the peacock, Hera has adorned Liberty designs ever since the mid-1890s. Keeping it classy, that's me!


Without much to occupy me in the clearance chazza I had a look through the denim rails. These Levis jeans grabbed my attention as they looked like they'd never been worn. Labelled Superior Quality and priced at £2 I thought they were worth a punt, if they didn't suit me they could go on eBay. Back at home I did some research on the 311 "Shaping Skinny" label which claims to Slim tummy and contour curves. Features an innovative tummy-slimming panel. Lifts seat and lengthens legs. Despite the fact that my tummy doesn't need flattening or my seat lifting - that's what exercise is for - I love them! I wore them to walk down to the baths on Friday morning for the second of our twice-weekly swims. They retail at £80 and I'm not surprised, they feel wonderful.


With them I wore a Miss Selfridge Victorian-style ruffled cotton blouse, my River Island olive green velvet boots and a vintage tooled leather belt with a lion's head buckle (all charity shopped) along with a vintage Indian block printed waistcoat Liz bought me and a sari silk tote bag bought from a festival neighbour at Beautiful Days. 


We've been watching Ivalo (Arctic Circle) a subtitled Finnish thriller on Walter Presents. As is not always the case, the cast are all likeable and it's been compulsive viewing over several nights. 


I haven't photographed them recently but we're still getting great value from the Lidl £1.50 Waste Not boxes. The contents of last week's included two punnets of English button mushrooms of which Jon used a handful for Saturday morning's breakfast along with sun-dried tomatoes, poached eggs, wholemeal sourdough and a generous sprinkling of oregano seeds from George's parents' garden on Rhodes.


This denim boiler-suit has become my Saturday staple. Bought from a chazza at the beginning of the Summer for £2, with a long-sleeved top underneath, my Nordic socks and Clarks Orinoco Club boots (eBay find) I'm cosy and comfy for all my tasks. I spent the day pottering around, listing stuff on eBay, gardening, reading and baking....if I was married you could almost call me a proper little housewife!


There were two bunches of bananas in the Lidl box so I made a vegan banana loaf - half of which I wrapped up ready to send off with Tony and Marcus to keep them going on their early morning flight to Malta. 


I also made another tray of vegan flapjacks. No medjool dates this time, I used some sultanas left over from our chutney making earlier in the month.


The previous day Gisela (who blogs at Miss Magpie's Musings HERE) messaged me to ask what size shoe I took. Someone she knew was helping her 94 year old mother have a clear out and she'd seen a pair of boots she thought I'd like....as luck would have it, me and the lady were both size 7 and these 1960s suede beauties arrived on Saturday. Was there ever a boot more perfect?


On Sunday Jon was up at the crack of dawn to take the boys to Birmingham Airport although, with the clocks going back at hour, it wasn't quite as early as he'd originally thought. After breakfast we nipped over to the clearance chazza.


Needless to say, I wore my new old boots with my vintage Ritu Kumar for Monsoon block printed midi dress. 


In Greece, Lord Jon often fondles the linen shirts by Greek label, Moraitis but is reluctant to splash out £80 on one so he was really excited when we found one of their granddad shirts for £3. 


We also came back with a Y2K Topshop shift dress in a very groovy Mid-Century print ( I bought this the first time round!); a Topshop crochet top (new with tags); a pair of 1990s Flower Power ankle boots by Picnic; a 1980s "Poppy" bejewelled batwing jumper and some snake print workout leggings. The printed 100% pima cotton jacket is by Peruvian Collection and originally retailed at £395! 


Using more of the Lidl mushrooms and some of our home-grown potato crop, Lord Jon knockered up a  delicious Punjabi style tikka.


After a cup of tea and a catch-up with Liz, I spent the afternoon working on eBay whilst Jon booked a cheeky European getaway for next year. We love having a trip to look forward to! Later we watched the compelling Netflix documentary Tinder Swindler. Last week we'd watched Trainwreck, Woodstock '99 and are still utterly gobsmacked by it.... and we thought our experience at Truck (HERE) was bad! Many years ago I had the privilege of meeting the late great Michael Lang, what on earth was he thinking?


As a perpetual early riser it was lovely to see a bit of daylight whilst I got myself ready this morning, thanks to the clock change. I wore my vintage block printed kaftan (from our mates, Old's Cool Traders) along with a charity-shopped Monsoon beret and Accessorize leather belt. I did wear a coat but after our half-mile swim I was glowing and had to carry it home.


This afternoon will mainly be spent sweeping up the carpet of Autumn leaves and then bolting the gates to keep out any Trick or Treaters - bah, humbug! 

See you soon!
 

37 comments:

  1. Our clocks go back next weekend. I made a banana chocolate chip bread this weekend. Ones froze for future consumption. Great deal in the Levi's. Sadly all the h exercise in the world won't reverse my damage, so the tummy panel and butt lifter would be great.

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    1. Good idea on freezing your banana bread - with three blokes to feed mine didn't last that long! xxx

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  2. The new to you boots are magnificent! Fab match with the tights; are they purple or cobalt blue? Loved all your outfits and it's great to see you in jeans - you look fab in them. I love boiler/jump suits too for comfort but when it's toilet time it's a pain. I need to find a full front fastening jumpsuit....

    I loved that Jon found the shirt of his heart's desire in the chazzas.

    Thanks for the heads up on the Finnish series - we've finished 'Wisting' and are looking for something to watch!

    Have a great week.
    xxx

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    1. Aren't they amazing? They are purple and match my Suffragette Snag tights a treat!
      I'm okay with the boilersuit loo issue as long as I've got a long sleeved top on then I don't freeze when nature calls.
      The Finnish series is so good, I think you'll love it! xxx

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  3. You're not only bringing some colour to your fellow shopper's lives, but to mine as well, with all your glorious mood-boosting outfits! Your Dilli Grey and Ritu Kumar dresses are such a delight, as is that gorgeous block printed kaftan. And I can't believe how fab those skinny Levis look on you.
    How absolutely sweet of Gisela to think of you and send you those magnificent boots.
    Also loving the Hera print fabric pumpkin - I would definitely have picked that one up too in spite of my aversion to Halloween. I just heard some Trick or Treaters in our street, so we're dimming the lights and pretend we're not at home! Bah, humbug indeed! xxx

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    1. Thanks, Ann! Much as I'd prefer an eternal summer it's nice to crack out the dresses with sleeves again. I was so impressed with those jeans, I might be wearing them on repeat.
      Those boots are incredible, aren't they? They're so comfy, too! Gisela is a star.
      You can't say no to a Liberty pumpkin can you? It'll be out on display all year round. Fortunately we've got torrential rain tonight - no annoying teenagers or fireworks - hooray! xxx

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  4. Love the new old boots and they are perfect for you. Unlike you and many others, we enjoy Halloween and the kids all out Trick or Treating. My husband and I were married on Halloween in costume, so I have another reason to celebrate. We will hand out candy until 8 pm or we run out, which ever comes first. We love seeing the little ones in costume and last year, every child thanked me and many wished me a Happy Halloween! Living in a smaller town, the kids are usually younger, not high school, so much more fun. Ranee (MN) USA

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    1. Happy Anniversary, Ranee! Great to hear from you. I hope you and your husband celebrated in style.
      Hallowe'en has become huge in the UK in recent years, I can't even walk into the bank without fighting my way through nylon cobwebs and skeletons. Like Xmas, it's fine if others want to celebrate, I just don't want it rammed down my throat. xxx

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  5. How lovely about the boots Mrs Magpie sent you! Match made in heaven!!
    I love the Greek shirt that Jon found and your pumpkin us gorgeous!
    I'm so glad you hate Halloween too. I really, really loathe it (& have done since childhood)& it just seems to have really intensified this year. Awful macabre decorations etc, gangs of trick or treaters.
    This evening, a gang of teenagers got into a fight inside the railway station I was waiting at and chucked lit fireworks at each other and even down the stairs onto the platform where loads of us were waiting for delayed trainz (due to trespassers on the line). I had/have an awful headache that was making me nauseous and it was really scary. I called the police.
    Your beautiful bright outfits make me really happy.xx

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    1. Oh Kezzie, that fight sounds utterly horrendous, good for you for calling the police. How unnerving and vile.
      I have no interest in Halloween - if other people want to celebrate it than that's fine but I don't see why I'm expected to buy sweets to hand over to children just so we don't end up with a firework through the letterbox. It's just money with menaces. Don't even get me started on all the plastic tat and the 22 million pumpkins (out of the 39 million purchased) that end up in the bin when there's people relying on food banks to be able to eat....okay, rant over!
      Those boots are amazing, aren't they? I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened Gisela's parcel. Jon's very excited about his shirt, too! xxx

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  6. I wish they would just keep clock same. Food look so yummy. I don't know what it is, but I like the fabric pumpkins.
    Coffee is on and stay safe

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    1. Me, too! That extra hour makes the day seemed endless and I hated it being dark by 5pm! xxx

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  7. The Levi's look is fantastic on you, Vix - I like that you're still mixing in your wonderful Indian block-print garments and your amazing vintage accessories (I covet that lion-head buckled belt!). Wow, how lucky that you had the same size feet - those purple boots are stunners!! What a gift!

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    1. Morning, Sheila! It's so exciting to find something like those jeans, they had a whole new dimension to my wardrobe!
      Aren't those boots wonderful? So comfy, too! xxx

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  8. Another exquisite-looking-Vix post. Really enjoyable to see whatever you're wearing. And the 1960s boots!!? absolutely gorgeous.

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    1. Thank you! Lovely to hear from you. Hope you're well! x

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  9. Those boots are stunning, and so very you 🙂
    We are getting a few things in the calendar for next year, it's nice to have something to look forward to for when we get past the shortest day.
    I loved your Vankey Burke post. Did you get chance to see the recreation of his living room at the Art Gallery a couple of years ago?
    I love the Liberty pumpkin. We have carved a real one, but we got a 'proper' one not one of the hollow ones bred for carving. I've roasted the seeds and made soup with the inside. Can't stand food waste, especially in the current climate. Xx

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    1. Hello Annie! Aren't the boots fab? Jon's just bought a new calendar and is very exciting about filling a few dates in, it's good to have something to look forward to and break up those long dark months especially with no India on the cards.
      I didn't see the Vanley Burke room. I wonder if the pieces he used are some of those lost in the fire? There's something similar at Birmingham's Back to Backs at the moment which sounds interesting - a bit like our Jambo Cinema trip in the Summer.
      I love pumpkin, the veg stall on West Brom market always used to sell the innards off after Halloween and I'd always make it into a curry or a spicy soup. The seeds are lovely toasted - my Grandma used to dry the seeds and make them into necklaces! There's been adverts at the cinema over the last few weeks highlighting the millions of pumpkins thrown out after Halloween with lots of suggestions about culinary usage, it's almost criminal to throw food away in the current climate, isn't it? xxx

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  10. I'm still in awe at how quickly the post office got those boots to you and just so thrilled the size worked. As ever so many wonderful looks, the jeans and the last vintage kaftan in particular.

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    1. I absolutely love the boots and they're insanely comfortable, too. You know me so well! xxx

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  11. Love your outfits and your fab attitude, bringing colour to our lives!, Lovely to see your blockprint dresses and those cool waistcoats that totally make a difference, so fabulous and interesting layers!. You even make jeans look hippietastic!, love the waistcoat and the hat, totally make a difference!.
    Also love that midi dress and your delightful kaftan with the beret and belt, you rock accessorizing!, looking fab whatever the weather dear Vix!
    That Liberty pumpkin is so beautiful, the Hera print is glamourous indeed!. So much better than having some ugly plastic decorations around!. I don't do any Halloween stuff, it's not a tradition here, despite many children wearing costumes and asking for sweets (I blame american movies). I prefer to enjoy some butternut pumpkins in a soup or casserole or cake!
    So lucky that those boots are your size, they totally rock (and match your tights perfectly! wow! perfect!!)
    Besos

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    1. Thanks so much, Monica! I'm a bit like you when it comes to jeans, I like the idea of them but they require lots of thought so they don't end up looking boring or part of a uniform. Theses are so lovely to wear though, I think I might be getting my £2 out of them!
      The UK is getting as bad as America with the Halloween obsession, Guy Fawkes takes second place these days - sweets over a penny for the guy. I love pumpkins in a curry! xxx
      I love that Liberty Hera prin

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  12. It's been a long dry fall here and somehow the pumpkins loved it! Now there's an abundance of all sorts of squash, just the "secret ingredient" needed to plump up a casserole or Thanksgiving stuffing. * The wild hybrids among them sport an amazing variety of shapes and colors, but nothing as glamourous as that Hera print. What a nice pile of pillows that would make -- a "punkin patch" in Liberty prints!

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    1. I've seen photos of pumpkin farms and they are a wonder to behold. Apparently it's not been a good year fro them here with our long, hot summer. I love the weirder looking ones. Our local market had blue pumpkins a couple of years ago and they were delicious in a South Indian style curry (loads of chillies and coconut milk).
      In addition to my lone Liberty pumpkin the charity shop had an abundance of crushed velvet beauties in wonderful jewel-like hues - I was hoping there would be a few left today but alas they've been sent back to head office and I've got to wait till next year to add to my collection! xxx

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  13. Such a wonderful array of colourful outfits. Just what's needed on these dull grey days, and those boots are stunning. I love purple, and they look so vibrant. I actually made some of your flapjacks the other day, only changes that I made were to add some banana and some honey (because I have a very sweet tooth) and they are divine. I've never been much of a flapjack fan, but Miss D loves them, which is why I made them, and I'll definitely make them again.

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    1. Thanks, Louise! I love purple, it's such an underrated colour.
      I'm delighted that you both enjoyed the flapjacks, I can't bear anything too sweet so Jon ate his with lashings of custard! I bet the addition of banana and honey was lovely! xxx

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  14. Squeee! Those beautiful purple boots - utterly gorgeous - the Victorian-style boots look amazing too (sigh). I have a much-loved vintage Liberty dressing-gown in Hera which is a lovely winter layer (it's a fine wool fabric) over anything really. It needs a bit of TLC - someone has put a really big hem on it which I'm hoping I can steal some fabric from, as the collar has a bit of shredding going on.

    Lovely to see the Dillys out - and those jeans - what a steal, the 'innovative tummy-slimming panel' seat-lifting and leg-lengthening bits sound a bit worrisome ...

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    1. Hello Elaine! Those purple boots made my heart sing! I was gutted that I couldn't squeeze my hooves into those Clarks boots, some lucky small-footed person snaffled them yesterday!
      I bet your Hera dressing gown's a beauty. I did have a shawl but it had more moth hole than fabric so it ended up chopped up and sewn into my patchwork curtains.
      Those jeans sound like they should be torturous, don't they? Fortunately they're not! xxx

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  15. Oh my goodness those boots are stunning. Purple is one of my favourite colours and I'd wear them to death. X

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    1. I love purple, too! Aren't the boots amazing? xxx

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  16. There was no plastic orange Halloween tat for me either, it's getting ridiculous in the shops these days and it's all for sale at half price the day after and then swept into landfill. :-( Instead, I bought those two little pumpkins that you spotted on my blog ... which I have just made into soup today and eaten for my lunch. Very yummy indeed and something that hopefully I can repeat next year.

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    1. Your Halloween decor was perfect, tasteful and tasty! xxx

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  17. I remember in early High School Billabong was one of the cool school bag brands! That was around the year 2000!

    Those boots are truly amazing!

    The Woodstock '99 documentary was so shocking! It was the year before I started high school and I don't remember even hearing about it, although I am sure some other Australians did.

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    1. Billabong was huge here, too! I was surprised to see that it was still going and to discover the price of those snow jackets!
      Aren't the boots cool? xxx

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  18. I really like how you styled those jeans so that it still looks like a completely "Vix" outfit. The boiler suit also looks great on you. The boots are a very lucky score - definitely your colour.

    I am a fan of Halloween and have bought decorations from the dollar store, but I pick a theme, and then store them and re-use them to at least cut back on landfill. I did ghosts this year, last year was spiders, and I have some fab sparkly skulls that I purchased several years ago and are still in rotation.

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix