Bargains to be had Good and Bad.

Last weekend Soo came over for a much needed catch up and a trawl of the shops (charity and high street).
Couldn't have done it this week because it has snowed, and is indeed still snowing even as I type. As anyone knows the U.K grinds to a complete standstill at the sight of a snowflake. I only just got home from work on Friday for which I was eternally grateful, visions of being trapped at work fill one with despair I can tell you.

Soo had Christmas money burning a hole in her pocket and she spent it wisely and well on all manner of wonderous Charity Shop bargains. I on the other hand had no Christmas money and a strict budget because I spent far too much money in December and am skint. Thankfully there weren't rails full of bargains to tempt me into blowing my budget and I snaffled a few bargains with money to spare.
Comedy moment was when we were both cooing over a very unusual and cute wooden chair and the guy behind the till having overheard us felt he was duty bound to come and point out said chair was actually a commode!



So what did I buy??

                                          A lovely pair of Clarks shoes for £3.99

                                 An elasticated belt and a leopard print head scarf £3.

                                        An unusual brass and copper cuff for £1.50

                                             and some knitting patterns for 20p.

 I remember my Mum having the lamb pattern when I was little and the sailor duck spoke to me in a 'Isn't it about time you started knitting again and made me?' kind of a way.

 I learnt to knit when I was 7 and knitted right up until my 20s when I suddenly stopped. I haven't knitted for the best part of 15 years now, indeed I don't even have any equipment, I left it all behind at my parents house when I moved in with Himself 11 years ago. High time I got my knitting mojo back I think! 

After tea and scones we did a quick browse round the other shops. I have fallen in love with a forest green jumper in New Look but it wasn't in the sale so it stayed on the hanger and I even put a leopard print dress that was in the sale back because I couldn't justify it.

Don't worry I am in no doubt this new found resolve will vanish very soon! It did impress Soo though :)

I did splash out in Clarks on a pair of boots in the sale. As you may recall ( I have wittered on about it for a while) I need a new pair of black boots suitable for work. I had a £50 budget and these came in at £54 so slightly over but pretty much what I was after.

 Of course I am bound to see the perfect boot everywhere now I have finally bought these!
and talking of work the consultants have finished PRAISE THE LORD and I survived to tell the tale.....just.

As I did not spend all of my designated £20 (the £54 doesn't count as that was on the credit card.) I took to the bay of E and came up with a beauty which I'm not sure I have the balls to wear and a disaster of the first degree.

Firstly I just fell for this slip/dress, I can't even explain why, it's not a style or colour I would usually go for, I don't even know if it will fit/suit me hmmm. I shall have to channel my inner Desiree 
I think. The thing is it is so very flimsy and see though....

as for the disaster. It only had one picture and absolutely no description at all which probably should have rung warning bells, but I liked the fabric, I thought the style would do for work, it was by Oasis (apparently) whose dresses I like and it was starting price 99p. I won it for £2.70 and when it arrived not only was it NOT by Oasis grrr, it also had a huge cut out at the waist at the back and the bodice at the back was just 2 flaps of fabirc held together with a button!?! It's pretty horrible and I can't understand why you would have all these 'holes' in a long sleeved heavyweight winter dress. Bizarre.

 See looks alright doesn't it?

Bizarre back! Obviously the cutout is much bigger when worn yuck. Maybe I should wear it the other way round and show my flabby belly off to the world hahaha er no.

Finally I did one other bit of sale shopping and when you think I usually go mental in the sales this level of restraint is unnerving.

I had to go to the post office and the bank so I called into Debenhams on my way back to work as their sale had increased to 70%. As ever it was mostly nasty stuff left at this point but I had seen a make up palette by Ruby Hammer in there at Christmas and decided to check if there were any left on the off chance. There were indeed a couple left and they were massively reduced. Both palettes for £9 now that is what I call a result.

So yesterday I sorted out my make-up instead of going out into this.

These Boots Were Made for Walking.

What a week it has been and there is still a day to go. The management consultancy people are taking their toll, or should I say spending between 2-4 hrs a day with them 'troubleshooting' (but not being negative!) and 'blue sky thinking', then frantically trying to make headways in our actual work which is falling further and further behind is taking it's toll. I find January hard at the best of time but this is bloody tough.
On top of that my best friend Jenny's Dad died on Sunday, He has been seriously ill for a while now so in some ways it has been a blessed relief, but no matter how prepared you are it is never easy.
I was also filled with guilt because I never rang her last week when I had been meaning too and that got me pondering on all sorts of things like how friendships mature and change and how easy it is to put things off just because you are tired or have had a bit of a pants day, and that that is actually no excuse whatsoever.

My healthy eating plan has also been a big fat fail this week and I haven't done any exercise at all, tell a lie I did some stretches on Tuesday and then went to bed!
All in all not a good week.

I did get a little something in the post to brighten my day, ok rather a large box to be precise, holding a wonderous pair of boots. Yes yes need them like a hole in the head etc but I loved them and even Himself approved! (Unlike the bowler hat I bought that he said looked like an old lady's hat,and the hat that she would wear to a funeral at that, he knows nothing.)

                                                                Behold!

Finally I met my friend Melissa for lunch today, a much needed slab of chocolate cake and much gossip later and I was almost a woman restored. She also passed on to me a memory stick with photos from Katy's wedding and would you credit it? The only picture of my lovely frock full length is one of me stuffing my face! Oh the irony.

Bloggy Swaps and Awards.

I too joined Lakota's 'Faith, Hope and Charity Festive Blog Swap' and thought it was about damn time I posted about the lovely gifts I received.

I was teamed up with the lovely Hannah at Make Time who hasn't blogged in a while which doesn't surprise me in the least as she is one seriously busy lady!
I am still in utter gobsmacked awe of the to make/to do list she set herself before Christmas and don't quite understand how she is not wibbling in some corner like I would be if I were her. Instead she sailed through Christmas and a houseful of illness like the superwoman she is.
Hannah I for one salute you even if you do make me feel completely hopeless/helpless/hapless.

Behold my parcel.

Hannah told me she was going to wait for Christmas to open hers (boo hiss) so I felt obliged to do the same even though there was a wee tear in the paper giving me a tantalizing peak at what was within......

There were the most AMAZING little, little buttons from her Gran's work basket that I promise I will wait to find the perfect project for. I lovely reel of snowman ribbon (always a winner in this house.)

The item linked to a Christmas song was an LED snowman 'Frosty The Snowman' seen here with 2 friends.

The thrifted item was a book of spine tingling ghost stories and the handmade item was this awesome little book bag.

Thank you Hannah, you are a star.

I have also been awarded another Blog Award by Dixie Rising at The Everyday Pinup Girl at this rate I shall be struggling to get my swell head out of the door in the morning!

It does mean having to root round for another 11 mind blowing/numbing facts about myself.

1.I get nervous if I'm in a field with cows, they can go mad and trample people they also sometimes have bulls in the field too, so I will not walk through fields of cows but take very long detours around them.

2. I once had my belly button pierced, it went septic and I had to take the ring out with a pair of pliers. I do not recommend this course of action.

3. Stand and Deliver by Adam and the Ants is the ring tone on my phone.

4. I have close to 200 bottles of nail polish and still can't quite believe I actual took the time to count them all.

                            (many more have been added since this picture was taken.)

5.I cannot bear to have my hair played with, Himself does it deliberately to wind me up which means I get to punch him when he does.

6.I have suffered 3 broken bones, 2 toes and one finger not bad going when you are as accident prone as me.

7. I once got whistled at by Matt Dillon.

8.I cannot walk in high heels, I cannot even balance in high heels, I just look at them and fall over. It's a good job I'm tall.

9.My life's ambition is to see a moose in the flesh.

10. I hate having to empty the recycling and leave the bin wedged full to bursting which drives Himself demented, conversly I LOVE rubbish/garbage collection day as I like the idea of it all being gone.

11. When I was at college I always used to get the giggles in the library and often got thrown out for disturbing other users, bizarrely I ended up working in one for over 20 years.

1. What is your favorite place to shop online?
That would have to be Ebay.
2. Favorite perfume?
 I can't wear perfume, I'm one of those freaky people whose skin reacts and makes it smell weird. I love Bath and Body Works Sheer Freesia or White Tea and Ginger body splash.
3. What is something you regret?
Not doing as well as I was capable of at college
 4. Describe you dream vacation.
Being by the sea, with shops nearby and not too hot.

5. What are your thoughts on booties?

Not sure what this means? Booties are something babies wear on their feet in the U.K
6. Paris or Rome? Why?
I've never been to Rome so Paris I guess, I love it there.
7.  What is your favorite meal?
Lamb Shank.
8. How do you feel about Vegetarianism?
As you can see from my previous answer I am not one myself, though I will only buy organic and freedom foods when it comes to meat and dairy products. I'm happy to eat meat providing the animals have been well treated during their lifetime.
9. What was your favorite book when you were a kid?
Depends on what age, I have always been a bookworm.I loved Enid Blyton and still read Famous Five books when I am ill in bed.
10. Coffee or Tea?
TEA!!!! Don't actually like coffee.  
11. What is the most disgusting thing you've ever eaten?
A fuck off huge blue bottle fly that landed on my ice cream just as I took a lick, it tasted unbelievably disgusting and I spat it straight out.    

 

A Pretty Good Start.

Today began with a generous glass of Buck's Fizz while lounging in bed reading, if this is a sign of how 2013 is going to shape up then I'm all for it!

Yesterday 2012 ended in the same manner it has gone on for pretty much all year here in the U.K, ie; with torrential rain. We needed to food shop, the downside of gadding about the countryside is you get home to bare cupboards. It rained and then rained some more and I left it later and later in the hope it would ease, the bad bit of not owning a car is having to do everything by foot.
 'No' I was reliably informed by my neighbour when I got the bins in 'this is forecast for the whole day'.
Bollocks.
 Finally about 2.30pm we bit the bullet and headed out with umbrellas (and wellington boots in my case) for Sainsburys. It was hellish in there, like every person in this town had descended all at the same time to shuffle zombie like around the aisles. I flitted about grabbing what we needed and fled.
Now apparently we were meant to get '36 hours worth of rain in just 12 hours', well it seems to me that we actually got 36 hours of rain in just 12 minutes. The exact 12 minutes we were walking home to be precise! I have never known rain like it and all we could do was plod resolutely home.

I actually had to tip water out of the shopping bags.

and stick all the clothes we had been wearing in the wash, and stuff shoes and wellies full of paper, mop the kitchen floor dry and try to find ways of drying and repackaging all the sodden groceries.
Of course by the time I had finished that it had stopped raining *SIGH*

As I have said before I am not a fan of New year's Eve so we stayed in ate chip butties and watched rubbish t.v. Mind, to be fair, I did laugh my head off at the second half of Graham Norton's show and I also entertained Himself with my vitriol at some of the guests on Jools Holland's Hooting Nanny (as it is called in this house) other than that it was a blissfully quiet night.

So here is 2013 and as I went out to feed the hedgehogs and birds in the garden just now I spotted this

The first snowdrop which I shall take as a very good omen.

as is the first primrose just starting to bloom.

I don't have resolutions as such, too strict and doomed to failure, but I do have more plans for 2013.

 I need to get my weight loss back on track to keep my doctor and more importantly me and my dodgy knee happy. I intend to do this in a slow and steady way. The last 2 months have shown this is what works for me and what I can maintain.

I also want to get my spending back in line as it has spiraled alarmingly out of  control recently. I'm not going to try a complete shopping ban again I know now that for me that will never work, but I can and will stop frittering cash.

I plan to carry on with the things that worked well in 2012. Namely accepting more invitations, trying new things and being open to any possibility.
 It took me out of my comfort zone more than once last year but all in all it did me good. However this year I intend to find a little more balance, with a bit more 'me' time. Last year it was like I was never at home which on the one hand was ace, but on the other meant I was constantly knackered, often skint and my house and garden looked like a midden! Balance, I think 2013 will be all about finding the right balance.  

I want to find more time to read, I miss it.

oh and I also really should actually get round to using my sewing machine at least once in 2013!

Happy New Year to you all. x