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I left the house at 7.40am on Tuesday morning wrapped in all the layers but, by the time we'd got home, it had warmed up and I was able to cast off a few layers and change into my Lottas (with bare legs!)
I've not worn this dress in ages - hence the inclusion in my Spring capsule wardrobe. I bought it from Anokhi's flagship store in Jaipur, back in 2018.
A sure sign holiday season is approaching, the baths were full of people trying to shed a few pounds before hitting the beach. There wasn't a cubicle to be had after my swim so I had to strip off, dry myself and dress in the middle of the changing room, not that I've ever had any issue with baring all.
After dropping some boots off at the cobbler's I had a smashed avocado muffin in 'Spoons before we popped into Lidl for a £1.50 Waste Not box.
Carrying 28 apples, 8 bananas, a punnet of grapes, a bunch of spring onions, mushrooms, aubergine and a pear (plus two large pots of Greek yoghurt) between us back up the hill home was a workout in itself! Back at home it was sunny enough to peg the washing on the line before we drove over to visit our friends, Brendan and Lynn.
The most exclusive restaurant in the Black Country! Bren & Lynn's dining room, a spectacular blend of William Morris textiles, religious iconography and retro ceramics. The food, drink and company were pretty amazing, too - pure veg pakoras, samosas & bhajis, Bren's delicious South Indian-style veg curry with roti and a box of Indian sweets from Dimple in Bilstonia. The box was so pretty I brought it home with me.
The main purpose of the visit was to find them a well-deserved getaway to somewhere beautiful with bags of culture, great food and decent weather - I enjoy helping our friends book holidays as much I love booking them for ourselves, I should have been a travel agent! Happily, we managed it without much stress.I think we're as excited as they are.
Happy travels, amigos!
Back at home we got a right telling off from a rather disgruntled black cat, camped out on the doorstep, awaiting our return.
On Wednesday I was allowed to sleep until 5.50pm before being roused by a frantic miaow! After my Wii Fit workout I wrapped the ebay sales which Jon dropped off at the post office on the way to the dentist, leaving me photograph and list stock. Several items sold within minutes, I love it when that happens.
Jon was only back for an hour before it was my turn. After months of root canal removals, revisions and temporary caps my amazing NHS dentist finally fitted a state of the art E-Max crown to my lower incisor which looks so much more natural than the yellowing 20 year old veneer.
More from the Spring capsule - an Indian cotton embellished blouse, block printed maxi skirt and a fabulous vintage Zardozi belt courtesy of Lynn! The earrings were my Mum's.
I've sold a few items from my wardrobe recently and, as I shop mindfully and take care of my clothes, I always get back the money I paid for them (and often, significantly more) so, of course, it's the perfect excuse to buy more!
A saffron block printed maxi skirt from Kharibu...
And an Indian block printed "Avalon" maxi dress by East via eBay.
These will be included in my next capsule wardrobe unless the weather changes dramatically or I'm too impatient to wait.
Using some of the contents of the Waste Not box, I've had griddled aubergine for tea...
And oaty apple & sultana crumble for pudding (made by me). Mine was accompanied by Greek yogurt whilst Jon's was hidden beneath a mountain of squirty cream.
I've been up since the crack of dawn, thanks to a hungry feline, giving me time to squeeze in a blog post between parcel wrapping, my workout and a bit of housework. I'm off on a Black Country tour with Claire today, I shall report back with photos and tales of adventure very soon!
I agree with you. I find booking holidays fun. Maybe we should set up a side hustle!
ReplyDeleteA trend is emerging. It seems rare for you to get a photo of William with his mouth closed - you naughty pair leaving him like that!
I spotted that gorgeous yellow fabric on the Kharibu site. It's going to look amazing on you.
See you in a bit! xxx
What a fab day we had, I'm still chuckling about Stourbridge's answer to Gerald! A travel agency sounds like a plan, let's do it! xxx
DeleteI love your new dress and skirt. Mr Cat is quite at home it seems :) The apple crumble looks delish, if you have the time and inclination please share your recipe for a fellow vegetarian (me). Thanks and Regards, Lise
ReplyDeleteHello Lise and thank you! I rarely measure anything so my crumble recipe is a make it up as you go along one! Basically peel and slice five large apples and pop into an ovenproof dish along with a generous handful of sultanas. Decant around 6oz of plain flour into a mixing bowl and gradually add olive oil stirring with a metal spoon until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, toss in approx 2oz of demerara sugar and a couple of handfuls of rolled oats, stir to combine then spoon over the apple & sultana mixture. Cook at 160°C (electric fan oven)/180°C (normal electric oven) for around 25 minutes or until topping is golden brown and the apple mixture is bubbling. This serves 4 generous portions. xxx
DeleteThanx Vix! I am also make it up as I go along cook (but not a baker), I will give this a try.
DeleteMy pleasure, enjoy! x
DeleteIt is hard to believe you haven't worn that dress in ages. It is so pretty! Sometimes we forget the prettiest items in our wardrobe. You do look absolutely stunning in it! Nice to hear about being to wear lottas on bare feet. Spring is being good to you!
ReplyDeleteI know! It's one of my favourites and I feel rather ashamed that it's been overlooked for so long! xxx
DeleteBooking holidays (or any travel for that matter) is a lot less fun in the US these days where you have to factor in being stranded possibly for days at the airport. I usually end up driving, even if it is 1500 miles so I can be sure of arriving on time. Can you tell I've been planning a trip, and not enjoying it?
ReplyDeleteYour new wardrobe additions are beautiful. I know I couldn't wait to wear them.
Those veg boxes you've been getting are incredible. You'd pay 10x that here.
Hello Anon. Why do you have to factor in being stranded at an airport? Weather, strikes, cancellations? With the price of fuel here we'd be bankrupt if we drove that far!
DeleteI'm excited about wearing new things, mind you, I'd need thermals at the moment. April's been a massive disappointment.
Those boxes are great value although I'll probably end up looking like an apple once we've eaten 28 apples! xxx
I haven't heard of a cobbler for ages.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe.
Haven't you? We're always popping in to get boots reheeled and keys cut! x
DeleteYou can come over and book a vacay for me any time, Vix! Aw, William is so funny - what a character he is. Looks like you've been adopted! Hooray for visiting pals, wearing, selling and buying new (or new-to-you) clothes! You look fab as always. Glad you got your tooth taken care of - I have two root canal implants from 1985 and one veneer, all front top teeth. Sending you good vibes - you have a gorgeous smile!
ReplyDeleteI'm up for that...when can I come? William's hilarious this morning, he's refusing to go outside into the rain. I keep telling him that he's a stray cat and should be used to it but the last week's transformed him into a softie!
DeleteTeeth are so important, aren't they? A good set of gnashers is far more youthful than a faceful of Botox! xxx
It is very kind of you both to help your friends arrange their holiday. I have often thought your kind of trips would make for a wonderful discovery of a new area. You should go into business. Where do I sign up? ;)
ReplyDeleteThey're new to independent travel so I'm hoping they'll love it as much as we do. I'd love to do travel planning as a sideline! xxx
DeleteThat's so good you're able to help your friends book a holiday. I hope they have a fabulous time. I can see why you took the sweet box home...
ReplyDeleteLoved your new acquisitions and loved both of your outfits; especially the skirt and top. Mum's earrings are fab! My mum only wore clip on earrings which irritate me no end so I have none of her earrings, but I do have a gold chain with pendant of hers (never wear it as I don't like gold jewellery) and her wedding ring which is too small for even my little finger!
What a great Lidl veg box - that's an awful lot of apples...I was very surprised at the lack of cubicles you mentioned; either your pool has limited numbers or huge amounts of people decided to go swimming! I hope the numbers dwindle soon; I hate it when the pool is too crowded but I suppose the booking system our pool uses avoids that.
That was a handsome fella you had waiting on your doorstep!
xxx
The sweet box is beautiful, isn't it? No way could that go in the recycling. I'm almost as excited about their travels as they are, it's been a long time since they left these shoes so, understandably they were a bit wary about the booking process.
DeleteMy Mum loved costume jewellery, there was so much of it that after she died I picked out a few pieces for me then I invited all of my friends (and hers) around, threw a drinks party and let them choose what they wanted. She'd have loved that.
28 apples! I couldn't believe it! I think I might make an apple cake tomorrow to use up a few more.
There's single sex changing rooms plus a unisex family changing village so probably about 38 cubicles in all. I expect there was room in the family area but it's still quite new so a lot of us tend to stick to old habits and use the single sex areas. It was unusually busy on Tuesday though, a sure sign beach holidays are imminent.
He's a handsome boy, isn't he? He'll be the size of a tank if he keeps eating the way he is doing! xxx
Your gazebo is gorgeous! Arilx
ReplyDeleteThank you! My grandma ordered it from the small ads in the Daily Express in 1977! xxx
DeleteBoth of your outfits are fabulous, as usual, although it boggles my mind that you hadn't worn that Anokhi dress in ages! Loving both of your new acquisitions as well: that saffron block printed maxi skirt is particularly delightful. How will you be able to resist wearing it until your next capsule, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteHow lovely that you helped your friends book a holiday, I'm sure it was much appreciated. That curry looks absolutely delicious by the way, and I'd taken that sweet box home too.
And I see that William has got you under his paws, he'll be lording it over Stonecroft in no time! xxx
I've clearly got too many dresses (not that it'll ever stop me from acquiring more!) I'm very tempted to crack out that saffron skirt after all, rules are made to be broken.
DeleteThe contents of the Dimple box were as delightful as the exterior!
William is such a cheeky monkey. We were both out all day yesterday and he didn't turn up till gone 10pm - making us sweat, I expect. This morning he refused to leave the house so we left him inside when we went out - we didn't know what we'd come back to be he was as good as gold! xxx
Just a quick note this time...the gang is THRILLED that the kitty who roamed the neighborhood has chosen now to live with you! One of the workers at the gang's senior home brings her cat in, but she cannot let the little fellow roam very far, as the center's rules prohibit cats in some areas. The gang all love to find him and stuff him full of treats!
ReplyDeleteThe ladies are still atwitter about where Lord Jon is going to get to sit at the abbreviated coronation. They are all dismayed that this one will be so short compared to the previous. They all remember Elizabeth's coronation! They want to have a tea party for the event. Muggle standards at the Home may not allow it, so one guess as where they will all show up. (They selectively allow certain new members to their group of Ancients, based upon who can still DRIVE! Help me.) Love from us all, and kudos to your wardrobe choices, as always!
Hello Cool Miss K and the gang! I'm so excited about the kittycat! He didn't come back till 10pm on Thursday night and I was frantic, Lord Jon and I had been out all day and I was thinking he'd found a better place to stay. I think he was more worried than us and refused to leave to house till after midday on Friday. I bet the worker's cat is the size of a tank with all the treats and fuss. How lovely that the gang get to see him.
DeleteLord Jon's invite must have got lost in the post! There's lots of street parties going on in the UK. I bet Charlie would be highly honoured if you get one going over the pond even if Miss K will be doing a lot of washing up afterwards!
Much love to you all! It's always a thrill to see a comment for you pop up! xxx
What a fun thing to do, help friends book a holiday!. We once booked a holiday to Florida and our neighbours got so interested, so we ended up booking them too and having a fantastic time together. You have a very independent cat there who is sticking to his own routine and expects you to fall in with it! Mollie was the same when we got her but as I am partially deaf, she has had to work harder to get me to conform. I like your Jaipur dress, on my India travels 2019 and 2023 Anokhi had a very limited stock for UK size 14 so I didn't bring much home. They obviously weren't expecting me :) By the way, my son researched black cat history and found the domestic breed we see here in the UK originates from ..... India! Which reminds me ref history I still have not done my Ancestry search but will do this year.. Saffron skirt is fabulous - probably one of your best ever buys would look amazing with a bit of brown suede somewhere in the combo :) Bettyx
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny about you going on holiday with the neighbours. We did something similar when we booked a trip to Brazil. We went to the pub to celebrate, told the landlady about where we were going and she insisted on coming with us along with her sister who we'd never met before. It was interesting, if nothing else!
DeleteHa! If Jon reads your comment he'll probably try deafness, too. At the moment he'll nudge me in the ribs, shout "Cat", turn over and go back to sleep. I need to train him to jump on the bed and yell in his ear like Frank used to!
The sizes were very hit and miss at the Anokhi shop, luckily the staff were really helpful and rummaged in the stockroom for anything in an XS - just as well there was only that dress and the riding jacket or I'd have been bankrupt!
I'm excited about your Ancestry search.
Isn't that skirt gorgeous - and not unlike your East beauty? I was thinking brown suede, too! xxx
The curry and holiday booking sesh with your friends looks super fun Vix. I wouldn't mess with that black cat, or keep it waiting though. Look at those angry fangs!!! Good to see you are putting your Lidl boxes to scrumptious use :) xXx
ReplyDeleteSo fab to meet friends to help them to book a holiday and enjoy some delightful food too, totally a fab time!.
ReplyDeleteLooking gorgeous in that Anokhi dress and also in your maxi&blouse and love your recent acquisitions, that saffron colour is so beautiful!. Totally understand you keep on shopping dresses when they're so beautiful, and glad that you can still sell them in mint condition after enjoying them, that's brilliant!
William is such a character!, lots of attitude!
Besos
I hope your friends have a great holiday - you always pick such good places yourself, they're sure to have a great time.
ReplyDeleteGood to know the dentistry is sorted. It can be so annoying when it drags on.