Today I Ran Away to the Circus.

Ok it was actually yesterday but I was too tired to write this last night and ended up sitting outside wrapped in a tartan blanket drinking beer and annoying Himself by talking at him when he was trying to watch things on his laptop.

I had another couple of days off work (can you tell the end of my leave year at work is coming up? Use it or lose it so I'm using it thank you.)

I had the dentist on Thursday morn. Thankfully all was well, the dentist said "hmm the last time you had an x-ray was December 2011" so I said "yes for THE tooth" and he went "Oh yes! THE tooth, how's it holding up? everything alright?" "Oh yes, fine thank you" says I "Well keep looking after it" he says. "I shall, I never EVER want to go through that again" I reply and then he proceeds to tell me many tooth based horror stories as I edge desperately towards the door and freedom.

Mostly we go to the dentist en famille as we have all been registered there for nearly 30 years now but Thursday it was just me and Pops (he hates it when I call him that hehe)
He has a cracked tooth that needs a filling and never has an injection when he has work done, he just sits there and takes it, he's mental!
Poor Mum was at a funeral for one of the lady's from her Age Concern group, kind of an occupational hazzard when you work with the elderly but no less distressing. So we decided to take her out to lunch.
We went and collected her and took her to a little place on the industrial estate in the village they live in called The Picnic Hamper. I know that doesn't sound very glamorous but it's fitted out to look like a diner inside and the food is all home made and delicious.
From there we went back to my parents house, I had a tour round their garden, Mum's pride and joy.

 I think you can see where I get my gardening genes from!

Look what we spotted.

Mum's latest wild animal to be nursed back to health was Esme the duck who is sitting there on a nest of 10 eggs. Mum was gobsmacked, she had been knee deep in the flowerbed the day before weeding and there was no trace of a nest then. It has to be said whilst Esme might be a quick nest builder she is a terrible mother, she has had 11 ducklings already and lost the lot.

Now I did kind of have plans for my day
*but*
my Mum is a do-er, an organiser, a woman of action and before Dad or I quite knew it, our day was mapped out.
First we went the house of one of my Mum's Age Concern ladies Peggy to drop in some stuff. She has the kind of garden that makes you weep with joy, whether you are a gardener or not.
It's absolutely stunning and she does it all herself aged 90! I just hope I am still as agile and able to enjoy pottering in my garden when I am her age.

From there to a garden centre (where of course I bought a few bargain bits) and then back to my parents house before finally ending up at my brother's. I eventually got in at about 7.30pm having spent most of the day in the back of my parents car, to be honest it was like being trapped in some BBC sitcom and not at all the plans I had made for my day off work.

and yes I know this has nothing to do with the circus, so on to that part of my tale.....

This is what Dad and I spotted as we drove to pick Mum up for lunch.

Gifford's Circus on the village green. Somehow I had managed to forget when it was they were due and as you know from previous blogs I am a big fan. A sign said 'Box Office open' so Dad and I swerved off the road and bought some spur of the moment tickets for Friday afternoon.

After a trip out to Dunelm Mill where I wasn't going to buy anything and ended up with 2 lampshades we headed to the circus.

This year's show is called Lucky 13 and was about Transylvanian gypsies arriving to join the circus. As ever it was pure magic and the highlights for me were of course the bear. (I know I have blogged before of how I was laughing so much at the bear I couldn't stop and everyone was staring at me.)

He did not disappoint, this year doing Michael Jackson's Billie Jean dance, moonwalk and all before shoving the magician into a cabinet and sawing him in half.

The other was the acrobats at the end, who were so mindblowingly good I'm afraid some very less than ladylike language came out of my mouth whilst watching!

At one point all 4 were standing one on top of the others shoulders with the top guy then somehow turning himself upside down and balancing on the next guy down's head with one hand!?! How can you not exclaim?
I really must train myself to say 'Good Heavens' or 'I Say!' rather than 'Whoa! jesus christ! look at that!' and 'Fuuuuck!' most undignified, especially when out with the parents.


It was all over too soon, I wish I had taken more pictures but you get so caught up in the show you forget.

The bonus of the day was when a member of the audience got called onto the stage and I realised it was a friend I haven't seen in over 2 years. It was so lovely to have a quick chat with him and his wife after the show, the result being we are going out for a drink and a proper catch up very soon.

What did I wear to the circus?

 Silver sneakers and a Pearl Lowe chiffon tea dress, what else?

With a Bowler Hat and a Salty Seadog.

Dammit I was going to Blog last weekend and somehow it never came about, clearly I am destined to be a once a week kind of a gal.

I had a couple of extra days off work when we got back from Torquay which meant I got to trundle into town and ransack the charity shops. I came back with a dress, a cardigan, a mini pig (pottery not real) and an egg cup,I bet you can tell from that list I gave them no mercy.

I also went to the real shops and bought some solar lights for the garden. I always forget to bring mine in in the winter so inevitably they rust up and stop working. As it happened they were on a special offer so I ended up buying some little blue stars to go on the fence too.

I liked them so much I went back on saturday and bought some more! Overkill? a bit twee? who cares? I am thrilled with them and their lovely blue twinklyness. 

I spent the rest of the weekend pottering about and even tackled some of my giant sewing mountain (steady now) whilst waiting patiently for the new Poirot on TV.

I also ended up washing 50 million hairdressing towels as my brother's washing machine had a nervous breakdown in the middle of a cycle which meant said brother arrived in a foul mood with 3 laundry bags of sopping wet towels in various stages of cleanliness.

Monday I was back at work and instead of having a sensible week as planned I managed to go to bed after midnight nearly every night!?!
Once was due to going out with friends, once was due to going out to see Nephew Number One's end of college show (at the O2 Academy in Oxford no less!)
The rest was down to the TV making me wallow in 70's nostalgia with 3 programmes on The Eagles and one on Agnetha from ABBA.(Why they felt they had to show all these programmes so late I will never know! Grr)

I have to say fascinating as it was, I was put off The Eagles documentary by the fact Don Henley seems to have morphed in to my much hated ex-boss, the likeness was truly uncanny to the point I ended up looking away whenever he was interviewed because I couldn't bear to see him and just listening instead!
All this resulted in my wimping out early from the end of year barbeque at work last night and going to bed with a book before 9pm, SO rock and roll.

Without further ado let me showcase my latest purchases.

I hope you are all sitting down because there is an outfit shot!!!

 I decided to channel a little Eddie Izzard after seeing him last week.

so this in me in my £2 bargain dress and hat that I love and Himself doesn't because according to him it looks like the kind an old lady would wear to a funeral.

It was actually wet and windy that day hence the umbrella and hat but of course the sun had to shine the moment I got the camera out. I also managed to cut my legs off because I didn't stand far enough back for the picture, oh well.

The black denim jacket I have had for years. I forgot all about it and then found it again during the mould in wardrobe saga, I have been wearing it ever since. I love it because it has purple glittery lurex woven into it!

Piggy and snail eggcup.

Cardigan.

and now to the tale of the salty seadog.

It all started one day in June when the department store that is Debenhams had a sale. As I had vouchers I went along, mostly to look at the handbags. I need a new one for work but I am very particular about my work handbags so it is always a saga trying to find one.

I ended up buying a pair of 3/4 length jeans and this purple parrot broach.

As I am a fan of the designer Henry Holland I nipped up the escalator to womens wear just to have a quick look at the Henry Holland concession. I'm not really meant to be spending money on clothes but no harm in looking right? Well the minute I saw this jumper I knew without a fragment of doubt it had to be mine. It was in the sale too, so even better. It makes me very happy.

I shall end with the orphan elephant I bought in Torquay. Himself was on his eternal quest for new trainers in TK Maxx and I spotted this poor chap for £2. He has lost a tusk and his tail, but is still handsome in my eyes.

 He's now happy in his new home at the front of one of my flowerbeds.

 Huzzah for elephants and bulldogs in breton tops and sailor's hats says I.

Fun in the Sun on the English Riviera.

Good grief, I go away for a few days and it's like everyone I follow has blogged about 10 times!?! I have just spent most of the afternoon inside catching up on blogs instead of being outside catching up on sun.....

So yes we headed off to Torquay at the arse crack of dawn on Sunday morning to visit with Himself's sister and family. The reason being I had a ticket to see the comedian Eddie Izzard at the Eden Project on Monday with them.

The Eden Project is a visitor attraction built in an old china clay quarry, it has artificial biomes or domes that house plants that are collected from all around the world. Sadly due to timings we couldn't visit for the whole day so I didn't get to go in any of the domes. *Boo*.

It's been a shockingly long 17 years since I last saw Eddie Izzard live (god I feel old) so I was very excited to be going. Himself was left at home babysitting Nephew Number Two, (is it very bad to say I was half expecting sirens and engines and a bulletin on the evening news??) Actually it all went very well, probably because I asked Nephew Number Two to please look after his uncle for me whilst I went out!

It was an outdoor show and despite taking many layers I was bloody freezing by the time it ended. I think that was because at a rock festival you are jumping around to music where as for a comedy show you are stood still the whole time and I went as if preparing for a rock festival.....

Having said that it was a fantastic night in a glorious setting. Eddie was very, very funny and we bumped into another comedian John Bishop and got a cheeky photo so that was the bonus of the night.

Though I confess I feel like I have let the glamourous Vix down by going to a festival in a t-shirt!

Next day Himself and I had the morning to ourselves so we went for a walk along the sea front and a mooch round the shops.

 We walked out along one harbour wall thinking it joined the other but it didn't, so we had to walk all the way back and round, the sea was a gorgeous colour though.

as was the sky.

 Apparently the millenium wheel is back for the Miss England contest which takes place next week in Torquay. I wonder if it is still as tacky as it used to be when it was on t.v?

 Have I ever gone anywhere and not found an elephant to photograph??

We both bought some bargains, Himself a new most favourite ever shirt and myself two gorgeous vintage frocks from Pop up Vintage and Retro

This wonderous shop was meant to be a 6 month pop up shop but as they had done so well they are still open!
I had a lovely chat about how business has been, what events they have coming up and how amazingly crap Oxford is for vintage when you think it is a city and one with a University no less, oh and what a fricking nightmare it's one way system is too!
All whilst browsing their incredible stock, I highly recommend the shop, apparently they are also online though I forgot to ask for the website (doh), I thought there stock was fabulous, a real eclectic mix of eras and styles and very affordably priced too. They also had a decent sized men's section which is their busiest apparently.
 My two frocks cost me £23, how can you go wrong with prices like that?

After a cheeky glass of vino we headed back to the in laws who had been occupied with the very important task of having a baby scan in the morning. All was as it should be and it looks like we will be welcoming a Niece into the family in October!
I am beyond excited about the fact, especially as it means I now have an excuse to buy Hello Kitty things in dinky sizes.
We spent the evening watching the glorious sunset and 80's music videos on the TV and mostly crying with laughter.    

 Wednesday we 'popped' into town on the way to taking Nephew Number Two to the park, where I ended up buying some jewellery in another gem of a shop.
It's called All The Small Things and is all sparkly and glittery, a magpie's dream!

A fab mix of retro style, actual vintage and just plain blinging jewellery and bags.

Jennifer who owns the shop was so welcoming and friendly, just plain lovely in fact, she explained she has a house full of males so the shop is her girlie outlet!

I bought the lion brooch, the antique silver flower brooch and the purple turtle ring there. The black glass beads where from a charity shop.

We finally got to the park to play. I loved the fact that a lot of the equipment could fit both adults and children so I got to have a go on the swings alongside Nephew Number Two.

I look so unimpressed in this picture because it took Himself so damn long to take it I no longer felt like smiling but I assure you great fun was had by all.

Finally it was time to collect our cases and have goodbye kisses and cuddles with the Nephew before heading home on a train journey that was seemingly endless.

Before I sign off I wiil share my two frocks.

This lovely green spotted tea dress was £8

and this green and gold number (currently in the dry cleaners even as I type!) was £15.

Now I know, I know it is almost identical to the one I bought off Vix back in February (currently languishing in my sewing pile waiting to be altered!) but you can't have too many green dresses and this one has gold and embroidery on it rather than the silver of that one.

I like this dress not just because it is green but because it is rather shapeless. Usually vintage dresses are either tiny which I most definitely am not, either in stature or in girth! Or they are shapely which again I am not, unlike the average hour glass vintage girl I am solidly rectangular, with hips only just bigger than my waist and no boobs to speak of. I will need to alter this dress as it is too big *but* it means I can alter it to fit me properly. Usually if something fits my waist I have handfuls of spare fabric at bust and hip.
Having said that I have so many sewing projects either underway or waiting to start it may be some time before you see me in it :-(

That Was Another Bank Holiday Just There.

and my my it was gloriously sunny AGAIN!!!

This does not bode well for the summer....

I have been meaning to blog all last week but haven't, I've been a bit 'Meh' really. Now as a rule I don't put any faith in horoscopes and rarely read them unless for amusement, but on the train coming home tonight I had nothing new to read, so re-read my magazine including the horoscopes. For once they summed it up perfectly in one line 'You're a bit out of kilter in general' Yup that is about the size of it, I just feel out of kilter and unable to focus.

I had a lovely long weekend due to the bank holiday and spent most of it restlessly half doing things but not being able to finish anything, half watching tv or half reading, then getting up and pacing aimlessly about. Now that for me IS bad, not even being able to focus my attention on a book for any length of time, very bad.
Mind you on Sunday I was trying to read outside and the neighbours next door but one had music on outside so fucking loud I was forced to go inside, and then forced to put on my I-Pod full blast because I could STILL hear it!?! Nice to have such considerate neighbours isn't it *sigh*



I did a bit of housework, I kind of did a bit of sewing, I even did a bit of gardening but just couldn't settle. I've been like this for over a week now and I have no idea why Hmmm.
(It has to be said I was slightly more focused last night at 11.30pm when I noticed we had mould growing in the bedroom wardrobe!?!&%*£! which of course I couldn't just go to bed and ignore. Picture much cursing and swearing and the delicious aroma of bleach to eventually fall asleep too.)

There have been highlights of course. I was out at Fire and Stone for Thursday night 'All pizzas £6' with the girls and what an absolute tonic for the soul all that laughter and gossip was.

Turns out 3 of us are all due to be aunties within weeks of each other later in the year!
 One of us has moved in with her beau and is in that blissful glowy stage (I just about remember that!)
One of us has a new job (huzzah) which does mean her moving away (boo hoo)
and I am being sent to Chicago for a conference in July.

So yes America here I come, sadly I only get one full day of tourist time then it is full on presentations a go-go for 4 whole days, starting at 8.30am every morning and ending at 5.30pm every evening
*weeps*
We do get a cruise on Lake Michigan with fireworks one night which should be fun and I get to go with my Amsterdam partner in crime Paull which means I fully expect us to get bollocked about our expenses again when we get back!
I just need to figure out just how much I can cram into one day as a tourist, Chicago is a big place and it's not nearly enough time to do it any kind of justice.

Just to emphasize before I sign off how bad my inertia is, I bought this glorious sunny yellow vintage frock the other week and I haven't even tried it on yet, just can't get up the enthusiasm.

 I can't even be bothered to go shopping.......

I am most definitely out of kilter.

  

Birthday Celebrations by the Sea.

As mentioned in my last post we were at the coast for Himself's birthday last Friday.
Before we left went to see the new Star Trek film, which was ok, much too long and not as enjoyable as the first one, though thumbs up to Benedict Cumberbatch who was a magnificent villain.

Friday morn I presented Himself with his presents. It was a big birthday and he had steadfastly refused a party, going out or going away so I came up with the (at the time) magnificent idea of buying him 40 presents for his 40th.
If only I would have known just how damn hard, and just how expensive that would prove to be!

I figured for me it would have been to easy, you know tons of nail polishes and other biddy bits, but for a bloke, and one who just goes right out and buys things when he wants them irrespective of whether it's a week before his birthday/christmas/etc or not, well it proved to be a nightmare and it nearly broke me.

I started a few months early and was quickly just over 20 gifts so I got blaze, I was well on the way and had ages to go.......... Suddenly I found myself with 10 days to go and about 15 gifts still to find......FUUUUUUUCK.
 Let me tell you that man of mine ended up with wine, lots of bags of sweets and the 40th gift was a box of Jaffa cakes!!
As a quick overview I got him a couple of shirts, t-shirts, some award wining vodka, The Avengers on Blu Ray, Star Wars books, various lego mini figures, commissioned him some Star Wars dog tags and an anniversary bracelet, a vintage traveling wash case and tickets to the 40th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Show. 
By the time he got through opening that lot we had to rush for our train so we ended up taking the breakfast bottle of Fizz and drinking it en route from plastic cups! We are all about the class, oh yes.

Margate was as wet and windy as anticipated, though it suddenly cleared when I had to head out to meet my sister for which I was very grateful.

It looks glorious right? sadly it didn't last. Gabs and I had a great night. I finally got to give her her birthday gifts too (only 2 months late!) and take her out for dinner. We both ate lamb and drank some more fizz, bliss.
Next day it was my friend Kay's birthday so whilst Himself went to catch up with his old boss I delivered some more presents and spent the day drinking oceans of tea, eating cake and talking nineteen to the dozen while the rain hammered down outside.
I got back to the in laws just in time to get changed and head out for dinner as it had also been Himself's Dad's birthday that week too!
We ate delicious Italian food and then battled through the driving rain to the nearest pub for more liquid celebrations.

Sunday we went out for breakfast with one of Himself's best friends before collecting our bags and moseying to the station via the Old Town to see how much of an effect being a Mary Portas pilot town has had on Margate.
It was heartening to see a fab new pub/bar and loads of other little shops that have opened in the last 6 months in that area.
It really is vibrant and buzzing, with vintage and independent shops, galleries and of course across the road the new Turner gallery.

                    Not the most attractive building but it's certainly pulling the visitors in.

Sadly the rest of the high street is still a mess and until they sort out the run down seafront I don't think things will ever go back to how they were even when I first started visiting 15 odd years ago. Back then I can remember having to stand all the way down because the train was so packed with families loaded with sandwiches, towels, buckets and spades.
I truly hope they get the retro theme park idea for the old Dreamland site going (http://www.dreamlandmargate.com), though as the years go by it seems doomed to wallow in red tape and never get off the ground. It would be the making of the seafront and the resurrection of Margate.

Musical Nostalgia, A Frock and A Bag.

Last night Himself went to the cinema again and instead of knitting I ended up browsing YouTube. I went on there to find Ellie Goulding's song Explosions as they keep using it on ITV for trailers and I wanted to hear it all the way through as I love her voice on the song.
I also listened to some others to see if I liked more of her stuff, turns out I don't. I love her voice but not what she sings with it, oh well.
Anyways so you know how they always have a list of other stuff on the right hand side, I never know if it is a 'other people who listened to this track also listened to these' list or a similar sounding songs to the one you have just listened to list, but I spotted an old 80's Glam/Hair metal tune called 'Waiting for the Big One by Femme Fatale' and yes it is as cheesy as the title makes it sound but I clicked the link anyway.........

That was the rest of my evening gone in a wave of video watching nostalgia as one list at the side leads to 'oh there's a good track' or 'I haven't heard that in years!' or 'I wonder if this is on YouTube? It is, excellent.'
I had forgotten just how many gorgeous long haired boys there were that I used to swoon over, I watched them and swooned again, I got quite carried away. Instead of going to bed I was still up when Himself got in and subjected him to another hour of me playing songs and reminiscing until his eyes glazed over from how I saw this band play in London, or I saw this band live in L.A or I was at the show where they filmed this video! On and on I wittered lost in the rose tinted past.

I forget these days that music was my life then, I lived it, breathed it, and went to see it instead of eating. God how I wish I had kept a diary there is so much I can't remember (actually that is probably no bad thing in some cases!) I blush at how little clothing I used to wear but I had youthful arrogance and 50 pounds less weight on my side. I marvel at the fact I survived fairly unscathed from the insanely stupid and dangerous things I thought were a great idea at the time. I wonder what the hell all those gorgeous boys look like now and what the hell they are doing now.
I also like to smile at the irony that Himself and I would never have got together back then as I was into Glam and he was into Death/Thrash metal and never the twain shall meet, the fans just did not mix back then oh no. I did finally go to bed, good job I wasn't at work today really.

We have a long weekend as it is Himself's big birthday tomorrow and we are off to Margate to enjoy the bracing sea air ie; be blown to shreds by the gale force winds and driving rain. Oh I do love the British seaside!

This morning I received two wonderful purchases in the post. As I have said before the downside of selling on Ebay is I end up browsing and buying on Ebay.

I found this rather lovely Pearl Lowe dress, as you know I have a thing for her frocks.....

and this one just happened to be purple and new with tags too, even better.

I also found this stunning vintage lucite bag. Photos just do not do it justice it's an absolute beauty.

I'm a happy girl.

Bank Holiday Fun in the Sun.

No idea what's going on with our weather this year, first we have an endless winter and then a hot and sunny Bank Holiday!?!
Unheard of!
Usually they are cold and wet and we Brits gamely carry on in the rain and the storm because it is a national holiday dammit.

Anyway this year it was wonderfully sunny and what a difference it makes. I got to knock off work slightly early on Friday and came home to a huge plate of fishfingers and chips (diet what diet?) and a delicious glass of wine. It's the little things you know.

Saturday my brother asked me to advise him one bit of his garden, he promised faithfully he wasn't expecting me to do any work, honest guv, just look at it............a couple of hours later and I'm scrubbing mud off my hands having been roped into weeding, lifting and splitting perennials and transplanting shrubs. Yup I never learn.

Sunday I actually got to spend in my own garden, after a delicious boiled egg breakfast, as I say it's the little things (and in my case they always seem to involve eating!)

Monday I was up and off out with the girls. We had a blissful day at Buscot Park a local National Trust property for some gentle ambling about, much gossip and of course the compulsory Cream Tea. 
I haven't been there for more years than I wish to mention. That time I was a wide eyed art student studying The Pre-Raphaelites as part of my Art History course. My brave tutor took a minibus load of us to see the wonderful Briar Rose Panels by Edward Burne Jones

and Pandora's Box by Rossetti

After which we ran screaming through the gardens and to a man decided to roll down the bank towards the lake much to the horror of a party of pensioners walking round the grounds at the time!

Of course this time I was perfectly behaved and it was wonderful not just to see the Briar Rose panels again, (I have a life long love of Burne Jones) but also many of the other amazing art works the family have collected over the years to form the Faringdon Collection.
 As I say it's been many years since I was an eager art student but I surprised myself by recognizing the artist of a few pictures just by the style in which they were painted. Clearly some things stuck in my brain during my time at college despite my best efforts to drink/smoke/party it into submission, miraculous.
I particularly loved the few pictures by Eric Ravilious another artist I really like.

                            (Not one from the Faringdon Collection but one of my favourites.)

No photography was allowed in the house so all of mine were taken in the gardens which were stunning, here are a few

You'd think from these there was no one else there but the place was packed with people, I had to wait quite some time to get that last picture without anybody walking up the steps!

we had to queue for quite a while for our cream tea but it was well worth it, quite delicious. All in all we had a wonderful day out and I definitely won't leave it so long between visits next time.

Only downside? No biggie,  but it would have been nice to have some manner of little gift shop, I am a woman who likes to shop after all, and the incredibly rude lady working in the ticket office. Admittedly they were very busy but everyone we saw in the queue round us was cheery and good natured, just patiently waiting to pay, so I could see no reason for snarling at us as she did. We did come out ticket in hand feeling somewhat savaged and I was left to quote Himself, who once pondered 'what makes a person choose a job where they have to work with the public when they clearly fucking hate people?'