Cats and Cowboys

 

I wasn't intending on publishing a blog post today but I'm currently trapped beneath a cat so I shan't be going anywhere for the next couple of hours. Here's what we've been up to so far this weekend.

Saturday was another icy day but with a sack of parcels to drop off (and a couple to collect), we wrapped up and walked into town.

As they say, there's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes and despite the sub zero temperatures I was toasty warm in my vintage sheepskin hat, 1970s corduroy coat and chunky soled boots and I'm sure that the brisk three mile walk helped, too. I laughed when Jon presented me with these Pachamama wrist warmers in the 70°C heat of Tenerife for my birthday in 2023 but they've rarely been off my arms lately. 

Back at home I photographed & listed a few things on Vinted, selling them within minutes, before settling down for an afternoon with Charles Manson.

As we say round these parts, he was a wrong 'un and one can't help but draw parallels with what's going in the world today, tell the disaffected what they want to hear and they'll follow without question, often committing the most appalling atrocities in your name and, if you're clever, you can even get them to take the blame.

We'd popped into B&M to look for de-icer and, as always when one sets foot in that place, came out with something else entirely. This time it was a Punjabi Chana Masala meal kit, easy enough to make from scratch at just over a quid, having tried others in the same Spice Tailor range (Fiery Goan and Keralan coconut) I know they're usually both tasty and authentic.

It was delicious with some of Jon's homemade aloo chat, basmati rice and a glass or two of vino. I might have to buy a couple more for the festival season!

With a few days left of our months subscription to Netflix we started American Primeval. Based in Utah Territory in 1857, Wild and untamed, the United States army, Mormon militia, Native Americans and pioneers are all locked in a brutal war for survival. Caught in the bloody crossfire are every man, woman and child who dare to enter this American primeval.  Not for the feint-hearted, its pretty brutal but the cinematography is breath-taking and the story had us on the edge of our seats, we're halfway through it already!

 

 It was a balmy 3°C this morning, the warmest it's been for almost a fortnight. After breakfast we popped down to the clearance charity shop to drop off a bag of books and deposit the Vinted sales in the Lidl lockers. 

It's the third time I've worn this reworked Uzbek coat and it continues to draw compliments, a hip young woman even chased me into the shop to tell me how cool I looked!

It was the first outing for my new-to-me cowboy boots, handmade in El Paso and bought from a thrift shop in Texas thirty years ago by the Vinted seller. These are my eighth pair of cowboy boots, Houston, I think we have a problem!

Needless to say, we didn't leave the charity shop empty-handed, with a pile of books and shirts for both me and Jon.

Not sure what Jon's done with his shirt but here's mine, the print is a Liberty knock-off. 

Along with a cheeky Vinted purchase, I've managed to increase my blouse count to 22 this week. I get a insane amount of pleasure from opening my wardrobe and sighing over the colours and prints (simple things....)

I managed to finish Charles Manson with a mug of tea in bed this morning and I'm now a quarter of the way through Trust, Herman Diaz's 2023 Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It's phenomenally good.

Tonight it's a squeaky cheese tea (Haloumi with roasted veg), more of American Primeval and The Pottery Throwdown. It's my weekly hair wash, too - that's if William ever gets off my lap!