56 Years and 359 Days!

Where on earth has the last week gone? 

We spent a large part of Saturday tackling the leaves. Whilst Jon dealt with the driveway, I cleared the pavement that runs alongside our fence - a 100m stretch - sweeping them into the gutter and making sure the drains were clear. Despite looking like the Wreck of the Hesperus in my bobble hat & combats I still had to endure predatory men kerb crawling and beeping their car horns. Honest to god, do they really think I'm flattered? 

On Sunday we popped out to the clearance charity shop and spent the afternoon doing housework. 

I wore a 1960s beagle collar all-wool maxi with a vintage embroidered suede jacket and a Monsoon fedora along with some Kuchi earrings and an Arts & Crafts brooch from 1901 (snaffled for £3.03 on eBay a fortnight ago)

On Monday a friend & I assisted a chap who'd recently inherited a large amount of jewellery, sorting through it to ensure that there wasn't anything of great value before it was sent to auction. There were a few pretty pieces but I was very good and didn't offer to take anything off his hands. 

I wore one of my vintage Afghan dresses with a sheepskin waistcoat, some Kuchi earrings and a Rabari dowry necklace bought in India almost a quarter of a century ago.

Tuesday kicked off with an early morning swim followed by breakfast at Wetherspoons and a mooch around the town centre charity shops. Back at home, with Lord Jon's assistance, I touched up my roots, it had been 6 weeks since I'd last done them but as I'm getting progressively lighter with my hair colour the regrowth isn't that noticeable any more.

I didn't get round to posing in Tuesday's outfit so here's a flatlay (that's hip kid speak for photographing your clothes on the floor). Charity shopped from head to toe, I wore a 1970s Suede & Leathercraft Ltd coat, Yasmin Le Bon for Wallis pendant, Piccadilly for Paskal Italian-made leather boots, a River Island felt fedora and a satin maxi dress with flared sleeves which was originally from Zara but snaffled from the clearance charity shop on Sunday morning for £3.

I haven't used a hairdryer in years, when I wash my hair I plait it and leave it to dry overnight. For a change I wrapped my newly dyed hair around this Night Waves band I found in a charity shop a couple of years ago (Claire's have them in their sale for £1.50 HERE). It looks a bit strange but it stays put when I'm in bed and the waves it creates are a nice change to my usual Pre-Raphaelite crimped locks.

Jon's been part of the NHS's Grail Trial for the last three years and Wednesday morning marked his final blood taking (you can read more about the trial HERE). Once he got back we popped over to our favourite Black Country town for some charity shopping. I wore a vintage Louis Caring maxi dress (if my friend Max is reading this she'll recognise it) along with a navy thermal polo neck, vintage felt hat and my trusty Afghan. With sub-zero temperatures, it was a bitterly cold day but at least the Midlands avoided the snow that dusted Scotland & the North.

As I never expected to own an it bag, I'm reluctant to let this navy leather croc embossed Victoria Beckham tote bag go especially as I'm also called Victoria B so it's got my name written all over it. 

It originally retailed at over £3000 (HERE) - I paid £3!

I also wore a 1960s gilt chain belt and a pair of enamel and brass earrings bought from FabIndia in Mumbai back in 2020. 

With another bastard cold start to the day, today (Thursday) I dug out this early 1960s embossed silk cheong-san bought from a house clearance stall at a car boot sale over a decade ago. It's quilted, lined with feathers and astonishingly warm plus that additional padding gives me an arse like Kim Kardashian's! Before you say it, no I've never watched the show either but I've seen photos of her online.

After this morning's swim and 'Spoons breakfast Jon did a tip run whilst I tackled more of the leaves. I've put the eBay shop on holiday for a week so with the time I usually spend photographing and listing stock I've been curled up in the lounge reading.

I've dropped into wartime Belgium to accompany English Intelligence officer, Kay Connelly whilst she locates Nazi Germany's rockets, launched from occupied Holland and wreaking havoc in London in Robert Harris's V2; I've followed the incredibly brave real life Secret Operations Executive, Noor Inayat Khan as she transmitted hundreds of radio messages to the London from occupied France before being captured and murdered by the Nazis at Dachau (Code Name Madeleine by Arthur J Magida is on loan from my friend, Nikki) and I'm now in 17th century Madrid with celebrated artist Diego Velazquez sampling life in the court of King Philip IV of Spain with Amy Sackville's Painter to the King. 

I once read a blog post accusing fiction lovers of having empty lives and reading to escape their reality.  I don't know about you but I read to enhance my life not to escape from it. 

Until a few months ago, never in my wildest dreams would I have considered setting foot in a branch of Sports Direct but with my reignited passion for swimming I've popped in for goggles and left impressed with their range of women's sportswear. These Slazenger performance swimsuits (unlike fashion ones, these won't get ruined by chlorine) have been reduced to clear - the geo print is down from £29.99 to £6 and the retro floral down from £33.99 to £10.99. 

This is what 57 looks like (well, 56 and 359 days!), I reach that epic milestone next week!

Don't worry I haven't completely sold my soul to the devil, the circular economy is where my heart belongs. Here's this week's secondhand finds....

Clockwise from top left: Contemporary Nicole Farhi tweed & velvet jacket; Cape Cornwall recycled sari silk kimono; 1970s Maurice Henri velvet waistcoat & midi skirt suit; 1980s Mushroom by Perlei boned cocktail dress; River Island denim chores jacket (now in Jon's wardrobe); 1980s mohair hand knit; Monsoon fake fur gilet; vintage 1960s gents Afghan; 1970s Dereta printed velvet jacket; 1970s old skool sports top; Reversible felted wool hooded poncho ( made in Nepal). 

Clockwise from top left: 1980s leather belt with novelty Swiss watch buckle; 3 x beaded evening bags (made in India); 1980s English sheepskin hat; Pink leather gloves; 1960s vinyl handbag; Italian leather & pewter puckle hip belt; Nepali cap; Harris Tweed & leather gloves (now Jon's); Italian red leather hip belt; Vintage Mexican leather cowboy boots; Elbow length vinyl gloves and wool beret with sequin bow.

I found these two unworn Wonderbras marked up at £1.50 in the underwear basket yesterday and excitedly handed over my £3. As they're labelled Made in the UK and are manufactured by Gossard they're over thirty years old and therefore officially vintage (Gossard lost their licence to manufacture Wonderbras in 1994). Back in the day I used to go out clubbing in a hot pink Wonderbra, platform boots and leather hot pants - thankfully that was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and people rarely took photos on nights out!

These feats of engineering really are a wonder, they even give me, Ms AA Cup, an impressive cleavage!

I'm escaping the UK for a few days and celebrating my birthday in the sunshine. (Don't worry, this little monster will be well cared for in our absence.)

Thanks for reading, see you on the other side.

 

Not Tonight Josephine!

Going by how he carried on with Josephine in Ridley Scott's latest blockbuster, I doubt if Napoleon ever uttered those immortal words. 

We went to see Napoleon at Walsall Light on Wednesday, the day it was released, and despite it being bastard freezing in the auditorium we were transfixed from start to finish, so much so that we felt the need to dress up (or, as the kids of today call it, cosplay) on Thursday afternoon.

My grandma always maintained that if you bought whatever garments took your fancy, no matter how outlandish, then the right occasion to wear them would eventually present itself . So for Jon's play on Tsar Alexander I's Cossack soldiers during the 1812 Russian Campaign he wore a charity shopped Zara jacket, a couple of my belts, a vintage military balaclava and my vintage Tuscan lamb hat.

Paying homage to the magnificent Joaquin Phoenix, I'm wearing my Great-Great Grandfather's Cheshire Rifleman's jacket & matching waistcoat (what normal person doesn't have 19th Century militaria hanging in their wardrobe?), a 1930s Akco gents' silk foulard and one of my fedoras pinned at the front to turn it into Napoleon's trademark bicorn hat - a trick Mum deployed with her own hats for me & my brother's infant & junior school plays. 

I answered the door to the postman dressed like this and he didn't even bat an eyelid, he's that used to me!

Thursday was mild enough to forego the coat so I thought I'd give a nod to the Duke of Wellington (played by an almost unrecognisable Rupert Everett in the film). Long time readers may remember this maxi-length waistcoat I made from my brother's childhood bedroom curtains using a 1969 Buttericks pattern. They'd hung in his bedroom since 1971 until my Dad chucked them away in 2013 and I rescued them from the bin in the nick of time. 

If you're wondering, the barkcloth fabric features David Whitehead's iconic Soldiers print which was inspired by Napoleonic-era uniforms and was sold through hip London store, Heal's. (My parents had very good taste.) The vintage hand-embroidered Indian dress was a birthday present to myself back in 2021.

Do yourself a favour, don't wait for it to reach your TV screen, get your arse down to your local cinema, immerse yourself in the Napoleonic Wars and you too will be prancing around the garden in a bicorn hat when you get home. 

Our other viewing this week has been Boat Story (BBC1/iplayer) which was so good that we watched the entire series over two nights.  Gratuitously violent, darkly comic and with an all-star cast, if you enjoyed the BBC's The Tourist & The Outlaws you'll probably love this as much as we did. Over on Channel 4's Walter Presents, our latest obsession is Carmen Curlers, based on the true story behind the heated rollers of the same name which were manufactured in Denmark in the 1960s and went on to become world famous. It's glamorous, stylish and utterly compelling and it's so refreshing to watch a Scandi series that isn't all about rape, murder, human trafficking and child abuse. The opening credits are so stylish they give the Bond franchise a run for its money.

I'm still dressing for Autumn, although I plan to be coatless and enjoying some sunshine for a few days very soon - well it is nearly my birthday...

In my trademark vintage block print....midi dress & quilted jacket both 1970s Phool, felted wool fedora (Accessorize via Sue Ryder charity shop) and green sheepskin collar (clearance charity shop).

Vintage Roshafi block printed midi dress, vintage quilted Indian waistcoat (Xmas present from Liz & Al, 2020), Kurt Geiger fake snake leather boots (Vinted), orange felt fedora (retail buy, 2018)

Block printed midi dress by Dilli Grey, bruise coloured leather coat (Banardo's), felt fedora (Accessorize, 2022), fake snake Spanish leather boots (Urban Outfitters sale, 2021)

1960s suede mini skirt (Graziella at Moseley Vintage Hub), vintage suede coat (my friend, Cheryl), slouchy knit hat & Clarks boots (charity shop).

Vintage Afghan dress (misdescribed as Peruvian and snapped up for a bargain price), 1960s suede boots (Gisela), my beloved Afghan coat (ebay, 2019) worn with a plum fedora (retail buy along with the orange one shown earlier).  

Inbetween eBay listing, our jaunt to Bilston with Liz & Al, our trip to the cinema to see Napoleon and our bi-weekly swim & Spoons breakfast we've visited Walsall's newest eatery (that's not a burger joint or a chicken shop, Joey Greek Restaurant in George Street.

The coffee was gorgeous (cappuccino for me, Greek coffee for Lord Jon) and the staff were very impressed with our pigeon Greek!

Don't moan that there's nowhere in our town to go, use it or lose it, Walsall people.

Food-wise this was this week's Katy Beskow vegan recipe, a Moroccan flatbread to die for from her Comfort Food book. Lidl beer an optional extra!

We've had sunshine this week as well as a pretty sunrise on Tuesday morning.

Here's our latest secondhand finds - some sold within minutes of being listed on eBay.

 Clockwise from top left: 1980s deadstock West German lace collar blouse; Vintage French leather & sheepskin aviator jacket; 1960s Mansfield cossack-style all wool jacket; 1960s felted wool hat; French cycling jersey; 1970s Jeepers sequin boob tube; 1980s deadstock beaded shirt; 1960s guitar; Suede tassel trim belt; 1980s Donkey jacket; Doc Martens "Aimilita Triumph" convertible boots ; Farm Rio midi dress; Marseille Des Torts track top; Limited Edition Pharrell Williams for Adidas baseball jacket; Vintage Belgian cycling jersey; 1990s velvet jacket; 1980s Tricoville midi dress; 1970s cable knit tank top; Marks & Spencer leopard boots; 1980s C&A shirt; Marks & Spencer top hat.

1970s fur coat; 1980s spotty satin top; 1970s Bear for Wear, California leather jacket; 1960s French-made paisley shirt; 1990s cord coat; 1980s Scottish-made tweed blazer; 1960s Samuel Sherman dress; 1970s fake fur; 1990s suedette & fake fur top; 1980s beaded cocktail top; Arabian kaftan; 1980s Alexon blazer; 1980s fake leopard coat; 1940s rayon jacket.

I'm not particularly adventurous when it comes to makeup but inspired by my new blog friend Looks of Love T , I couldn't help snaffling these boxed and sealed Sleek products which I spotted in a charity shop on the way back from the baths on Tuesday. At £2 it was a no-brainer!  

I'm not sure if this is true or not but it didn't half make me laugh and they say the English are filthy.

I'll love you & leave you as rum is calling, see you soon!