While the Sun Smiles, Stick Around and Laugh a While.

What a most excellent week off work it's been, I was more than ready for some time off and I feel I have certainly got the most out of it.
Rather than just pootling round at home as was originally planned, I have ended up with something to do on pretty much every day.

Monday my Mother came over. She has a posh dinner to go to today and needed a top to wear, nothing like leaving it to the last minute to add an air of desperation to your shopping trip!

My Mum is a challenging person to buy clothes with, and for, so it was never going to be an easy day. Without going into all the gory details, 4 hours later we did return with a suitable top and once she had left I took some aspirin and collapsed in a heap, my work done.

We did go into every chazza we came too because my Mum loves to browse charity shops but my Dad (much like Himself) hates them with a passion so she doesn't get to go in them too often!

I didn't buy much, just a chunky white bead necklace and this shirt and bag.

I bought the bag with my friend Kay in mind, I know she will love it.

Tuesday was my no plans day so I alternated doing nothing at all cos it was too hot, with doing manic bouts of housework.
I finally got round to hanging the new lampshade I bought for £2 in a chazza a few months ago, I  promptly broke it but put it up anyway with gaffa tape. Himself came home, examined the join and said "you really are all about the gaffa tape aren't you?"
 I do use it a LOT to fix things it has to be said.

No one would ever know it's being held on by tape......

I also finally framed my tea print which has been waiting since Easter when I bought the frame.

I didn't get around to framing my match labels, I've only had that frame and mount for about 2 years now *cough*.
I did clean the thick dust off said frame and lay them out in an order I like so it's a start right?

I might get Himself on the case, he's far better at lining up and measuring so things are exact.

Talking of Himself, he had managed to win 2 tickets to the press screening of 'Guardians of the Galaxy' in Leicester Square.

So after a lazy morning I met him at the station to head off to London. Unlike Himself who was very, very excited to see the film, I wasn't expecting great things, I have seen the trailer if nothing else, which did the film no favours at all.

 I'm happy to say I was proved very wrong. It's a great action film with lots of laugh out loud humour and one liners which is very unusual for a Marvel superhero film.

I can't remember the last time I have been to the cinema where the audience burst into spontaneous applause and cheering at the end, but they did and it was well deserved.

I did love how a representative from Disney came on at the start and introduced the film and made us all swear not to tweet, blog or otherwise until the film had had it's official premier the next night. How important did we feel? We were both good and didn't say anything.

We grabbed some chips after the film as neither of us had eaten yet and took a gentle stroll towards Oxford Street. Who should I bump into on Regent Street but Sara from Hello The Mushroom
What are the chances of that? It was lovely to see her and have a quick catch up.

Himself and I then went for a quick beer before heading home on the slowest train known to man, seriously I think I could have walked home faster. A 40 minute journey took just under 2 hours.

I finally gave my Hell Bunny apple dress an outing and yes I am as hot, bothered and tired as I look in this picture.

Thursday I was up and off to London again for the Glamour of Italian Fashion exhibition at the V&A.

For an exhibition that says 'strictly no photography' having just done a quick image search there are a lot of pictures online if you want to check the frocks out.
My conclusion is that from 1945 to 1980 Italian fashion was lovely, from 1980 - 2000 it was hideous and from 2000 onwards it got lovely again! 

I bought this dress on Monday when out with my Ma it was £19 in the sales and I decided it was perfect for looking at Italian fashion.
As I walked past a busker down the subway to the V&A he started playing 'Great Balls of Fire' which amused me mightily.

Striking a pose.

Would you believe having bumped into Sara the day before this time I happened to bump into my friends Melissa and Dan on the underground, how weird is that?

Once home and re-hydrated and showered, Himself and I went out to take a walk to visit the power station. At 3am on Sunday morning the cooling towers are going to be blown up.

I'm very sad that the towers are going to be demolished, I wish they would leave even just one. They are such a landmark in Oxfordshire and have been here for 40 years. It's going to take 30 seconds to demolish them and 3 years to clear the site which then can't be built on for 75 years!

As Himself works nearby he knows you can brazenly ignore the 'Private Property - Trespassers will be prosecuted' signs and walk right up to the boundary.

Weirdly right next to the power station was an orchard.

Radioactive plums anyone?

Today I trotted off into Oxford for a lunch date with Jenny and Soo. We had a lovely leisurely feed in Bill's and caught up on each others news. What a wonderful way to end a great week.