Sound and Vision

Despite not being Winter's greatest fan,  I seem to get more compliments on my outfits at this time of year than any other when I'm out and about. Here's what I've been wearing in both photograph and video form.

On Friday, for drinks and nibbles chez Lynn and Brendan I wore a 1960s embroidered Moroccan kaftan in green velvet with a shedload of tribal jewellery and some suede knee high boots, which in hindsight weren't the best choice. Although Jon drove, negotiating the icy surface from the car to our friends' front door was pretty scary!

The charity shop I bought my boots from had sealed bags of jewellery on the counter for a quid. I spotted something interesting in one of the bags and handed over my £1 coin. Back at home I took a closer look....

A Jean Paul Gaultier charm bracelet which some crazy fool is selling on Etsy for £98!

In the same bag was this Jimmy Choo rhinestone star brooch, an identical one is listed on eBay for £83! I passed this on to Lynn as she loves a festive brooch. The remainder of the contents of my bag was blingy diamanté jewellery and not really my cup of tea so I redonated it.

The snow showed no signs of going away and I was glad of those stompy boots I'd found in the charity shop the previous day on Saturday morning when I popped down to the lockers to drop off my parcels.

These cropped jumpers were a thing at festivals a couple of years ago and I found this one in the 50p bargain bin last year. They're ideal for winterising a lightweight maxi like this snazzy 1970s Polly Peck number I've had since the dawn of time (or, at least, several years before the pandemic!) 

After a lazy-ish afternoon it was time to get ready for a night on the town....

This Kharibu dress is the most expensive dress I've ever bought and it's been worth every penny. It's a winter staple, layered with polo necks and thermal leggings by day and heaps of tribal silver by night. Here it is, captured by Nikki, when I met her in Coventry back in January, 2024.

Those boots got another outing, worn to trudge the mile or so across town in the snow where we met up with Liz and Adrian in Walsall pub, The Fountain followed by an Indian feast at Laboni over in Aldridge.

It was -5°C when we walked down to the pool on Sunday morning and, unsurprisingly, it was very quiet. At one point the lifeguards outnumbered the swimmers!

What to wear to the pool is always a dilemma, it's got to be easy to take off and not too bulky so it'll fit in the lockers. I opted for my Anokhi maxi (I can get on and off without having to undo the zip) and this alpaca blend jumper, also snaffled from the 50p bin on the same day as the cropped black jumper. 

 

The snow was still with us on Monday morning and I piled on all the layers for a parcel drop off.  Starting with a thermal polo neck, I added a 1970s Anokhi jacket, a recycled sari silk maxi skirt with a cotton underskirt Liz made me for Xmas, a sheepskin gilet, a sheepskin hat, cashmere wrist warmers, thermal leggings, socks and boots....and the obligatory jewellery, of course! 

The day had started with a Wii Fit workout and, after breakfast, we popped out to drop our Vinted sales into the lockers returning via the charity shop where we donated the books we'd recently read and - for a change, coming home with (shock, horror!) nothing.

This fella is very happy in the catio on his heated blanket despite endless invitations to come inside.

We normally swim on a Tuesday morning but decided to swap for Wednesday instead. Despite not being forecast, it was snowing quite heavily when I was doing my Wii Fit workout.

Wondering when we'd last had any substantial snow I consulted my blog and discovered that it was back in 2021. It was also the last time I'd worn this vintage Tricoville cape, bought back in 2012 from a car boot sale and, for many years, a festival staple!

I dug it out of its long hibernation, chucking it on over this vintage Afghan dress to walk down to the parcel shop to drop off our Vinted sales and it was admired twice along the way. 

I'm already halfway through my second book of 2026.

 

#1.The Secret Pilgrim. After a lifetime of loyal service to the Circus, Ned, a soldier of the Cold War, is approaching retirement but with the Berlin War toppled and the Iron Curtain swept aside, he's forced by the explosions of change to revisit his secret years. I'm a huge fan of John Le Carre and this is up there with his best.  

#2. The Traitor.  On his way to the Western Front, Captain Alan Clinton spends a night in Paris with Marie, a beautiful Frenchwoman. Seduced by her charms, he discloses military secrets with disastrous consequences. Seventeen years later and Europe is again teetering on the brink of war. As the political situation grows bleaker, Clinton's son, Bobby travels to Europe and seems dangerously close to repeating the sins of his father. Written in the 1930s by the prolific and largely forgotten British writer, Sydney Horler, it's proving to be great read, if you can look past the outdated language and the antiquated attitude towards women.

With our social engagements, we've watched no films since Thursday. Instead we've been gripped by itv's Frauds. A female-fronted heist drama starring two of my favourite Northern women, Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker, it's set in Southern Spain but within minutes of tuning in, I spotted a dragon tree and the distinctive architecture and topography of the Canaries and a quick internet search revealed that it was, like the BBC's riveting The Gold, filmed mostly in North Tenerife. 

I can't sign off without wishing myself a Hippy Anniversary! Twenty years ago today my life changed for forever when I had a total hip replacement. I've just raised a glass to Walsall Manor Hospital, my fabulous surgeon, Mr Siddique and the amazing team of NHS staff who looked after me. If you've followed me for a while, you'll already know my story but, if not, you can read all about it HERE. 

See you soon!