Blue Monday

 Not so much as Blue Monday but more of a teal one. On this, said to be the most depressing day of the year, we've just taken delivery of a new velvet Chesterfield.

And, as we've had the chance to do some serious cleaning after moving our 20 year old settee out of the way, here's what the rest of the lounge looks like ..

No (as Kevin McCloud so accurately describes it) Bloody Fashionable Grey in this house.

I made today's video in its honour!

This morning's choice of outfit was an All About Audrey maxi dress which I bought new in 2024, a vintage Afghan velvet waistcoat and a pendant made from sea glass which was a birthday present from Liz and Adrian.

If I wasn't already excited by the long awaited settee, I've been waiting over a year while Jon dithered over it...I'm buzzing after smashing a personal best at swimming this morning, completing a mile in 42 minutes which, to anyone who isn't interested in fitness, is probably as interesting as watching paint dry but as someone who has never really considered herself as sporty, I feel like Superwoman. I filmed this before Xmas but my goofy smile sums up how empowered I feel after swimming!

@vixbrearley #over50women #swim ♬ Underwater Love - Chris Le Blanc & Bes & Meret & Karmaloft

With the Gala closed on Sunday for water polo there was no swimming, I've had a pretty lazy weekend although with a couple of dryish days I was able to get outside and take some stock photos for Vinted, selling several items within minutes of the listings going live.

My outfit for dropping off my sales parcels on Saturday morning was the Jaase maxi dress I'd bought from a charity shop the previous day. It's a lovely relaxed fit and should work with a polo neck underneath on colder days. Here it is in action....

On Sunday, with chores out of the way, I finished This Little Life through tears. It wasn't an easy read but it's a book that'll live with me for ever.

I made the skirt with some vintage Anokhi block printed cotton I'd found for a pittance on Ebay during Lockdown. 

Viewing-wise, this weekend we've caught up with The Night Manager & The Great Pottery Throwdown and, as I'm trying to cure myself of my David Tennant-phobia we watched The Inside Man but, unfortunately, he was back to his usual spitty, twitchy ways. To be honest, I didn't particularly like any of the characters with the exception of the always lovely Stanley Tucci.  

We've also been bingeing Can You Keep A Secret? A quirky black comedy on the BBC produced by Simon Mayhew-Archer, the man behind my favourite ever comedy series, This Country.  

It's great fun and well worth a watch if only for Dawn French's fabulous Gudrun Sjoden outfits and the interior of her gloriously maximalist cottage...papered in Josef Frank wallpaper, the 19th Century Swedish Arts & Crafts artist. I've used some of his designs in one of my Lundby dolls houses.

I must dash, I've got a cunning plan for part of the old settee, you know I can't resist an upcycling project.

See you soon!