Reader Requests - My Capsule Wardrobe and Long Hair Regime

Fifitr commented that she'd be interested in seeing the capsule wardrobe I'd created so, while Jon was out tinkering with engines on Tuesday afternoon, I commandeered a corner of our bedroom and took some photos. It was one of those days when the skies kept switching between gloriously sunny and ominously leaden, as you can see from how the colour of the wall, painted in Valspar's "Meet Me In Morocco", changed throughout. Our bedroom is quite dark so the colours of the garments - annoyingly - aren't true, especially the blue ones.

I'm not sure why I chose what I did, I love all of my clothes and wear them pretty much all year round. There's a few I don't wear as often as I should so I locked away a few old favourites to give the neglected ones a chance to shine. 

It's interesting to see a pattern emerging as I took photos. If I wasn't already aware of my taste, creating these collages confirmed that the vast majority were made in South Asia (India, Pakistan & Afghanistan) and none were made in China. I rarely wear synthetics, prefer loosely fitting styles and I'm drawn to rich, earthy colours, Indian block print and hand-embroidery. Of the 66 garments I've selected, 15 were purchased new, all but one of which were bought from companies with transparent ethical policies. Forty-four of my choices are vintage (ie., at least 25 years old).

Much as I love wearing skirts, since we started our twice weekly swims almost a year ago, dresses are a lot easier to pull on and off so I've only chosen a handful. Up until a few years ago I only ever wore minis or maxis calling midi "midi-ocre", now half the dresses I've chosen are midi length.

All the dresses I've chosen work with polo neck jumpers worn underneath and can accommodate a waistcoat, coat or jacket over the top. 

 The boots I wear the most often, along with my only pair of shoes, are out on the rack. I've stashed a few pairs in the bottom of the wardrobe. I've not packed away any of my hats or my bags. The drawer in my dressing table holds my trousers (three pairs of jeans, denim dungarees and combats), skinny polo necks, two cardis, a jumper and a tank top.

Here's this week's choices....

Sunday (clearance charity shop and an afternoon of sewing): Vintage Phool Indian block printed midi with the only pair of shoes I own.

Monday (Tony's birthday outing to The Ashmolean, Oxford): Vintage Indian embroidered velvet maxi with a 1970s velvet jacket

Tuesday (Swimming, breakfast in Spoons and an afternoon of photography): Vintage Anokhi maxi skirt with a 1970s Ayesha Davar shirred cheesecloth blouse.

Wednesday (a morning of charity shopping and an afternoon of washing, mending and reading): Dilli Grey block printed cotton maxi dress.

Thursday (Swimming and breakfast in Spoons followed by an afternoon of crochet & cleaning): Vintage Pakistani block printed kaftan with a 1960s English-made fringed suede waistcoat.

And on the subject of reader requests, Kristin, a fellow long-haired lady, asked about my hair care regime back in January. (Sorry, I've not posted sooner!) As of today, my hair from root to tip measures 30" (76.2cm) and the last time I had a trim was 1st April, 2022. 

I wash my hair once a week. For years I've used Lush's shampoo bars but recently spotted Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo Bar in Delicate Oat on offer so gave it a try. I'm really impressed, it smells lovely and my hair feels really soft. As we live in a hard water area some brands of shampoo bars leave a horrible sticky residue, Lush & the Ultimate Blends don't.

I've always used Lush's solid conditioner bars but for the last few weeks I've also been using this Daniel Galvin Jnr's Organic Head Argan Oil Detox Masque found in the clearance charity shop (B&M's organic coconut oil is a decent alternative). I apply it to dry hair, comb through, wrap my hair in a warm towel for 20 minutes then wash and condition as normal. 

I never use a hairdryer. After I've washed my hair, I towel dry then French Braid it before I go to bed (brilliant tutorial HERE). I also do this most evenings (with dry hair) as I love the wavy effect and can't bear to go to bed with my hair down. The only styling products I use are The Hair Lab by Mark Hill serum and, on the rare occasion that I use my ceramic curling tongs, his heat protection spray. 

If I ask him nicely, Lord Jon dyes my roots every five weeks. I'm currently using Castings Creme Gloss in Cool Chestnut (currently 2 for £12 in Superdrug). In between dye jobs I use L'Oreal Magic Root Re-Touch (often on offer in Lidl).

My hair has grown like mad in the last year. Don't quote me on this but I think it *could* have something to do with the high strength Ginkgo Biloba I take every morning (as recommended by Arthritis UK for my suspected Glaucoma). As it also boosts brain, mood and memory it doesn't hurt to try. 

On the subject of hair, I've just treated myself to a new Speedo silicone cap especially for us long haired swimmers (I've chosen spearmint). £8.39 (free postage) on Ebay.

If there's anything else you want to ask me, please let me know in the comments.

See you soon!

The Distancing Diairies - 28th & 29th March, 2021

 I was stunned to discover that it was almost 9am when I woke on Sunday morning. The previous day's leaf collecting must have wiped me out! I made tea, brought it back to bed and we lay and read for a while. When we got up we caught the end of The Andrew Marr Show and had a couple of slices of toast each for breakfast.

Despite the grey skies, it was dry which meant another day in the garden, Kitty from next door had the same idea. Jon moved the third of the raised beds we'd collected a couple of weeks ago whilst I potted up some of the bamboo & and moved it to beside the pond. Jon moved a couple of clumps to fill the gaps in the hedge - we've no problem if that area gets taken over by the stuff. 

While Jon mulched between the raised beds and filled them with compost I raked over the bed in front of the wood store and the leaves piled up beside the compost bin. 

Jon had planted an array of seeds he'd collected every time we were out last summer and they had all sprouted, we moved these into the cleared bed.

I wonder what they are?

After a break for noodles, we planted sunflowers, dahlias, sweetcorn, mini munch cucumbers, more Greek beans and potted up the tomato seedlings. I then did a litter pick of the avenue (and our hedge). A man waiting for a friend told me how much he loved the craftivism sign hanging from the gate. He lives in a house by the Arboretum, Walsall's largest park, and on just one day last week his wife picked up 13 discarded bags of dog sh*t from their front garden. I realised after he'd gone that I should have given him one of my signs. Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing?

My new-to-me quilted jacket is the perfect gardening attire and I was more than happy to wear it again as part of my Wear:Sleep: Repeat challenge, this time over one of my vintage block printed kaftans (from Old's Cool Traders), a me-made hat and my embroidered polo neck from East. 

The details: My vintage wellies (a permanent fixture of late!), Indian jewelled cuff (charity shop), Kashmiri papier mache bangles, Mum's 1970s pendant, Turkomen earrings.

Whilst Jon worked on his music I made another couple of banners. I can't take the credit for the words, Cozy Cottage in California left me some fantastic anti-littering quotes in her comments last week. If you feel inspired to make your own, I recommend half a square of craft felt (I bought mine from this eBay seller), writing your message in indelible marker pen and then chaining stitch over the top. I then stitch the felt to a strip of fabric which I hem and thread with gardening wire, leaving the ends long enough to tie around railings or lamp posts.

Tea was an aubergine & spinach masala Higgety Pie Tony had bought me, accompanied by with some veg. Later we watched another Walking The Dead and episode two of Line of Duty, as always it was stupendously good.

Gah! It was still dark when I got up on Monday morning, bloody clocks! My first task of the day is always to scrub out the cat bowls and fill them with fresh food & water and yet the lads go straight outside and gobble up the stale cat biscuits left out for the birds. 

After my Wii Fit workout, I wrapped the last of the eBay parcels and joined Jon in the kitchen for breakfast. After the dismally cold weekend, we'd been promised a mini-heatwave for the early part of the week and Jacob was already creaking around the lounge keen to get into the sunshine.

While Jon was doing the post office and supermarket run I sat outside and finished A Woman In Berlin, which was astonishingly good despite the harrowing subject matter. I've never read a war diary like it.

After our lunchtime noodles, we'd planned on an outing to the tip but Jon checked the live feed and the queues were insane so we decided to mulch another pile of branches, yielding four containerfuls which we spread around the garden.

We went for a walk around the block, hung our craftivism banners and were pleased to see that the McD's trash that had blighted Saturday's stroll was being picked up by another litter collector.

I wasn't sure if it would be the polo neck or the kaftan I'd be rewearing today but the forecast was spot on and it was the latter that got given the Wear:Sleep: Repeat treatment. This time worn with a vintage quilted Phool waistcoat & some vintage sunglasses.

The details: Lotts from Stockholm highwood taupe clogs, Phool waistcoat, Afghan earrings, Mum's 1960s turquoise, vintage Tropical sunglasses and copper pendant (Sheila has its twin!)

Tea was halloumi with roasted veg, a glass of wine & lashings of Henderson's Relish which until Allie Jane mentioned it, I'd never been aware of this veggie alternative to Worcester sauce (which contains anchovies). 

It's Liz and Adrian's birthdays! Liz & Al are on their way round as I type (it's legal to have friends visit your garden as of today) and we're visiting Liz & Adrian at the weekend. Must dash!

Stay safe & enjoy the sunshine!

The Distancing Diaries - 26th & 27th March, 2021

Friday got off to a miserable start with plummeting temperatures, high winds and rain. After my final Wii Fit workout of the week, I wrapped the overnight eBay sales, did a load of washing which I hung up to dry in the utility room and filled the bathtub and utility room sink with houseplants.

After breakfast, Jon did the post office drop-off and the supermarket run and I listened to 6Music whilst hemming my new-to-me kaftan. After another try on I realised it was too big, so I put it on inside-out, pinned the side seams until I was happy with the shape, sewed up the sides and trimmed the excess fabric off with pinking shears. Whilst I was at it I decided to take in the vintage Chelsea Girl maxi dress I was already wearing.

Richard arrived with the post which included an appointment for my three-yearly NHS breast screen which I scribbled down on the calendar. What with our Never-Had-A-Wedding anniversary on the 1st, a trip to the hairdresser and meeting up outside with Liz, Al, Liz & Adrian when the rules are relaxed next week, April's starting to look almost busy! 

Liz, a vintage trader friend, was having a bit of a stock sale on her Easy Tiger page and when this jacket popped up on her Facebook page, I just had to make it mine. I was very excited when it arrived.

After our lunchtime noodles, the rain had eased off but it was far too cold to hang about outside for long. I did notice that the reduced to clear violas I'd bought from B&Q last Autumn had bloomed again.

I finished my replacement Only a shitter drops litter banner using the remains of a charity shopped shirt I'd made masks from last summer, trimming it with poms and rik-rak. The sequinned medallions were added after I accidentally stuck a needle through my thumb and dripped blood everywhere. That'll be a nice surprise if anyone decides to nick this one.

Here's the vintage Chelsea Girl dress I altered earlier and, in keeping with my Wear:Sleep: Repeat challenge, I'm wearing my deconstructed waistcoat I made from Marcus's old Levi's again. 

The details: Doc Martens (Facebook selling page), Jhumka earrings (Cheryl), Enamel pendant (from Rajasthan) strung on a Lamani dowry necklace (from Goa) 

I had a play in my wardrobe, taking out a few dresses that will be perfect under my new jacket.

After I'd removed the plants from the sink and the bath and given everything a good scrub it was time for tea (and wine!)

After pizza and potato lattices with a dollop of chilli mayonnaise from Johal's, we settled down in from of the TV with rum and watched Waking The Dead, a BBC cold case drama series from the early 2000s. 

On Saturday Jon brought tea back to bed and we lay reading for an hour. I stripped and changed the bed, loaded the washing machine and, despite the grey skies and miserable temperature, pegged the bedding out on the line. We ate veggie sausage sandwiches and watched last night's Gardener's World.  

Jon had decided today was the day he'd rehang the garden rope lights that Storm Ellen had brought down last year. Leaving him to it I tacked the pond area, managing to rake up 12 wheelbarrow loads of leaves, three empty wine bottles, another which used to contain vodka and a can of K cider which used to be my drink of choice. I'd like to say that it brought back happy memories of clubbing back in the 1990s but at 8.4% a can it's all a bit of a blur.

After a posh coffee in the shelter, I supervised Jon while he planted the gooseberry bush I'd bought from Wilko last year and then did an inspection of the crops. 

Purple sprouting broccoli, onions, leeks, Winter Marvel & Reine des Glaces lettuce, mizuna leaves, strawberries, wild rocket, cauliflower, Shiraz peas and Greek Gigantes beans. It's all very exciting.

We went for a walk around the block and noticed the groundsmen preparing the bowling green ready for reopening on Monday when Covid restrictions on non-professional sports will be lifted. (That modern building in the background is Wolverhampton University's halls of residence.) I didn't take my grab stick with me and was outraged when I saw that some inbred knuckle dragger had dumped the remains of their Mc*** on the pavement (it's always from there, maybe their customers are more stupid than those that frequent other fast food outlets).

Wear:Sleep: Repeat meant another outing for my 1960s Chelsea Girl maxi dress, this time worn with my new vintage quilted block printed jacket and, of course, a me-made pom pom hat.

The details: Afghan earrings (eBay), tribal cuff (charity shop), vintage amulet pendant (Gujarat), 1970s wellies (jumble sale), Black Pistachio nail paint (Barry M).

The rest of the afternoon was spent catching up with blogland (me) and making music (Jon). I had planned to plant my dahlia seeds but I shall do that tomorrow, I'm all gardened out now (sorry, Monty).

Tea was a salad with garlic bread, homemade potato salad and homegrown lettuce interrupted to pop outside and capture the lights. We'll be drinking rum and watching Grayson Perry's Art Club later. If you're a Brit don't forget to put your clocks forward before bedtime.

Stay safe, well and happy!