Bag Bonanza

Well it's bee quite a while since I bought any bags so in true to me fashion I have gone on a bag buying bender.

First up I bought this little pink, yes yes you read that right I said pink, evening bag only because of the super cute doggy press stud. Now this first picture is the one on the Ebay listing

The description said It is in shabby vintage condition. Grubby on the inside and out and bits of wear to the material judging by the picture above it didn't look too bad so for £3 plus postage I took a punt.

When it arrived it was smaller than anticipated and a damn sight dirtier than the picture above would suggest.
Words cannot describe the smell when I unpacked it either, just be grateful this post doesn't have an smellovision or I would have made you all suffer!

My first instinct was to cut off the little dog and bin it, but on closer examination (with breath held) it was so well made and quirky I figured I would take a punt on cleaning it. Worse thing that could happen was it would fall to bits or just not clean and then I'd cut the dog off and bin it anyway. As it stands the crepe like fabric is so fragile did just fray apart in a couple of places despite me being as careful as possible, and as it is it currently drying it's hard to say how clean it is, but at least the smell seems to be gone! I'll see how it dries and I may still just salvage the clasp. 

Next up I snagged an unusual shaped Corde bag to add to the collection at a bargainous £7.99

 I then took a punt on a collection of bags listed on Ebay starting at a penny. Again the description wasn't positive and said many were well used and all had been in storage. I liked the look of the green one and thought the blue and cream one was cute too so did a maximum bid of £2.48 which is what I got them for.

The top burgundy one was as mouldy as it looks in this picture and went straight in the bin! 
Of the rest, I am keeping these

The others have been cleaned and will go in the next charity bag. The box they came in seemed to have this weird brown powder in the bottom which was all over the bags and was particularly bad on the green bag, which is real leather by the way.
I made silly jokes about ricin or anthrax which clearly stuck in my mind because I dreamt about someone finding asbestos last night! (which is not as random as it seems because my last workplace was riddled with it and they often had to get people in to remove it when some more was discovered.)
Anyway I came to the conclusion the weird dust was coming from the green bag. Indeed it was, to the point I ended up having to rip out the lining to find there was literally a cup full of the stuff underneath!?!

I carefully tipped it out and thoroughly vacuumed the bag inside. I have come to the conclusion it must have had a very thin layer of foam between the leather and the lining which had disintergrated over time as I have seen a similar result from old foam crumbling. Of course this means I will have to try and make a new lining of some kind for it lord only knows how.... 

Finally the handle of the blue and cream bag had pretty much come apart so after cleaning it I glued it back together and strengthened it by supergluing a piece of stiff plastic to each side. Meaning it will live to fight another day.

The September Spending Continues.

I knew I'd blogged to soon. Himself and I headed to Reading just at the end of the month as I was after a new pair of walking boots. Eee mind that was a saga, I did get some in the end, I'm wearing them in as they didn't have a size 6 in any of the boots I liked so I had to go for a 5 and a half.

I am a little bit in love and they are very comfortable though I wouldn't want to do 10 miles in them just yet.

Talking of boots and love I found this mad glittery ankle boots in the tale end of the summer sales,  Marked up at a bargainous £6 they rang up as £3 at the till = Result!

I couldn't resist these Halloween brooches at a £1 each in Flying Tiger.

I've also done a bit of un-blogworthy preparing for Autumn/Winter clothes shopping like new jeans, 2 jumpers, 2 breton tops and a sweatshirt. 

I went to Marks & Spencer to buy a card and came out with no card but cardigans.
As you do.
I need more cardigans like a hole in the head but both are new colours to me so they will get plenty of wear.

Actually what I really want is a lovely chocolate brown one.............

Work has eased up a little. The new class are in and we have already started the cycle of recruiting the next. The highlight for me was a drinks reception at The Natural History Museum in Oxford called imaginatively Drinks with Dinosaurs. Of course I was there for work so no camera but imagine if you will being able to wander wherever you fancy in this stunning place with a glass of prosecco in hand. There's worse jobs...... like getting up at 5.30am one day this week to be in for a working breakfast ZZzzz

Anyway I so need to go back on a free afternoon, it's been far too long since I browsed it's collections.

The new recruitment cycle also means I'll be on my travels again, I have no say in this I've just been informed of where and when. India in February, it looks like (steady now) I may actually get one whole free day in Delhi!?! I'm going to have to cram a lot in!
April will be New York again and possibly Singapore. I know this may seem glamorous but believe me there are more downsides than plus points. Bloody long flights, straight into two full days of interviewing, writing up notes and promotional evening events and maybe *maybe* one day free time if you are lucky. Also it's a time in the recruitment cycle where adding annual leave is not possible (Boo) so you get just a tantalizing few hours somewhere you would love to do tourist justice too.
Also because I am merely a lowly administrator I get to travel economy whilst those above me (yet doing exactly the same as me when they get there) travel business or better. I genuinely am not paid enough for this shit, but I digress and at least I get to drink prosecco with a stuffed dodo once a year.

Talking of feathered friends I can't keep up with feeding the blighters in my garden but oh they do give me joy. At one point there were 26 goldfinches on and around the feeders, it was an amazing sight.

This is not a goldfinch, this is That Fucking Squirrel! TM
I'm amazed he manages to get up there any more he's so damn fat.

We also have a resident cat. He's old and mangy looking and always has his tongue sticking out to one side, but oh this is quite the cunning disguise of a formidable killer.
In the day time he likes to use our garden to sleep in and feels the need to pay rent for his keep in either furry or feathered currency.
I really wish he wouldn't, especially when it's a mahosive rat at 7.00am when non morning person that I am, I am delicate and I haven't even had my first cup of tea. Himself doesn't do corpses, whereas I, having grown up with cats I see them as an occupational hazard, but even I baulk at that. On the plus side I guess if I have to have a rat in my garden a dead one will always be preferable, just not before breakfast.

They had a sale at my Dad's care home and I picked up these for a fiver.

I have spent the last few weeks stitching snowman bunting and watching from start to finish.

Now to anyone below the age of 45, Tenko will mean nothing to you but it was groundbreaking when it aired in the early 80's.
Filmed in Australia on the 40th anniversary of the events, it is based on the diaries of a British female prisoner of war under the Japanese in Singapore. It starred some of the big British TV actresses of the time and was pretty no holds barred in terms of the suffering and torture. I remember absolutely loving it at the time and have thoroughly enjoyed watching it again.
It's held up well to the passing of time, though the third (and final series) does sort of peter out towards the end and, if I'm honest, the reunion episode is an embarrassment that frankly should never have been made. I have the book on 'the making of' in my book mountain upstairs and plan to fish it out and read it next.   

Well I'm off to bed, it's been a full on housework weekend and I'm shattered! You'll be pleased to know the October spending has already commenced and it's shaping up to be a busy month socially which is lovely in lots of ways except for my waistline because if I don't stop eating soon I'm going literally burst, Mr Creosote style. Me and that damn squirrel certainly have our winter rolls in common, at least his skin expands with him my clothes do not.

Oh I also seem to inadvertently have bought some Christmas presents? Already??