Travels in The North and a Vintage Fair.

I hope you are sitting down for this but Himself and I have actually been on holiday!?! It seems miracles do happen sometimes.

It's been 5 long years since we last went to Newcastle but when 2 birthday invitations arrived right when we were looking for a vacation destination, tickets were firmly booked. It was lovely to be back, when we finally got there!

The plan was to catch a direct train from Oxford on Saturday morning to arrive about 3pm, check in the hotel, have a couple of hours to unpack etc then get ready and head out. Instead we had just settled into the sandwiches when the driver announced that Sheffield station was shut so our train was terminating at Birmingham.
We arrived at Birmingham and for 40 minutes hung around with about 10 million other people, all trying to head North, watching train after train being cancelled. *sigh*

In the end we were advised our best shot at getting to Newcastle was to head to Manchester and see what we could catch from there.

So that is what we did.

From Manchester we were advised to head to York, so we off we went to York with about 20 million other people who were all trying to travel North. We arrived at York and finally, after a couple more cancellations, a train for Newcastle was announced, it was delayed, but it would arrive!

We piled onto that with the 50 million other people who were trying to get to Newcastle and spent the whole journey wedged uncomfortably against the train doors, the only consolation was when we finally arrived in Newcastle we were the first off the train.

All in all this meant we arrived at our hotel with just 40 minutes to check in, change and dash back out. Good grief.

Anyway we had a bloody fab night, despite being a bit fraught and a tad knackered The night also ended with the added frisson of the night bus back to Newcastle.

Sunday dawned gorgeous and sunny so we headed out to the Quayside for a mooch alongside the Tyne before meeting friends for lunch.

I was delighted to find the added bonus of a food & flea market to browse. There I bought myself a vintage Rupert annual for the bargain price of £4

Of course I didn't have a bag with me so had to spend the rest of the day carrying it under my arm.
The sight of which made a busker break into "Rupert, Rupert The Bear, everyone knows his name"  much to the amusement of everyone else.

We ate lunch sitting outside in the sun before dropping into Wetherspoons for a quick drink before heading in our different directions. We finally staggered out at 9.30pm *cough*

We had already planned to head over to South Shields on Tuesday so spent Monday reacquainting ourselves with Newcastle and taking artsy fartsy pictures.

 There really are some gorgeous buildings, sadly many were empty and in gentile decay.

Like the cinema above which is where Himself first saw Star Wars, it was sad to see it it still boarded up as it had been on our last visit 5 years ago. Another gorgeous sunny spring day, so much so Himself had to go and buy sunglasses!

We ate a delicious dinner at Harry's Bar opposite the theatre before meeting more friends for a drink. We headed back to our hotel along the quayside after another great night out.

Tuesday was seaside day, so of course it was raining, freezing cold and generally miserable. We managed exactly 3 hours from the moment we stepped onto the Metro to the moment we stepped thankfully back off it again!

South Shields is not somewhere I would hurry back to if I'm honest.Bleak is the only word to describe it.

However I was determined to go to the beach despite the bitterly cold wind coming in off the sea. I think we lasted about half an hour before admitting defeat and going to buy some chips.

Wednesday was the day of the second party so after a walk and a big lunch I gave my poor liver another battering.

I had done a bit of research before I left but can only conclude Newcastle is a wee bit crap when it comes to vintage. Two of the shops mentioned on Google had closed, 2 just didn't seem to exist at all and one was just men's clothes. Bah, so I didn't get to buy any lovely goodies, I was hoping for at least one handbag, but it was not to be.

At least I got to go to a vintage fair with Soo today to make up for it.

Bizarrely set in the upstairs restaurant of an out of town garden centre it was small compared to many I've been too.

It also meant you got an interesting mixture of families and pensioners as well as the usual vintage fans.

Soo was a vintage fair virgin but thoroughly enjoyed popping her cherry. We both bought some goodies.
For me

  The elephant brooch was £6 and the two gold tone ones were £1 for both! (The cards and super cute buttons came from the nearby town where we headed for lunch.)  

The floral jug was £4 and the quirky barrel one £1.99, I just had to put daffs in it. (yeah that's my toaster in the background! I'm all about classy settings me.)

Finally I shall sign off with brogues.

They are knocking down a shopping centre in Oxford, to build a bigger and better one of course, I picked these up in the New Look closing down sale.

Well how could I not?

Erstwilder and a Little Magpie Magic

It's kind of funny that I decided to write this post right when there have been a few blogs recently raving about Erstwilder jewellery. Specifically in their cases about the new picnic collection, which if I'm honest I haven't even looked at yet!

I first can across this fab Australian brand last year when I bought a brooch of theirs from our little gen of  a vintage shop in town.

 Later in the year I spotted their Hedgehog brooch in Greenwich, and nearly died at the price the chi-chi boutique it was in was charging for it.
So  I went online and ordered it and a very cute elephant brooch via an outlet store on Ebay. Both brooches and postage from Oz were still cheaper than the cost of the one brooch in London!

Towards the end of last year I spotted this brooch online

I'm not going to lie, I wanted it badly!

Cue much searching to try and track it down. I'm guessing it must have been from an older range because I could only find one via an Australian seller on Ebay. Again it worked out cheaper to buy two brooches which qualified me for free postage so I also chose this

 I have always had a soft spot for Cardinals ever since I first saw one of these amazing colourful birds in the wild in America.

The downside of the purchase was this time round I got caught with a hefty customs bill (insert much bad language here on my part) which made these two brooches a costly indulgence!

Around the time I was tracking down the pirate ship brooch I did find a website for a U.K stockist
Carnation Collectables 
I did end up ordering a couple of things there too, at a much later date than the above ones I will hasten to add, contrary to brooch buying appearances I am not made of money.

Whereas the Aussie ones took weeks to arrive plus the customs delay. The lovely lady at Carnation Collectables had my brooches to me in 2 days, and how is this for a mad coincidence?
When she emailed to say they were on their way she mentioned that not only did she only live 4 miles down the road from me, she was also the stockist for the vintage shop in town!
If I ever wanted another brooch from the website to just drop her an email and she would pop it into the shop so I could collect it and not pay postage. What a star.

So what did I buy off her?

Giggles the gorilla

and a rather gorgeous bluebird.

I know these brooches won't be for everybody. They are quite big, quirky and colourful, but frankly that is pretty much what I look for in a brooch. I wear one every day to work and I know I shall enjoy wearing these.

Whilst we are on the subject of brooches by sheer amazing good fortune I managed to find the one that I have had on my wishlist and then on my 'ones that got away list' for well over a year now.
I had been cursing myself for not buying it when I first saw it because it went out of stock very, very quickly and never came back in stock even though I kept checking regularly.
Anyway all this time later, there I was browsing the Museum Selection website for a couple of birthday presents and could not quite believe my eyes that they had my dream brooch listed as 'in stock' I ordered that baby as fast as my fingers could type in my card details! (I did buy the birthday presents too, it's not all just about me.)

Behold......

 An Art Deco Magpie was there ever a more perfect combination?

I would say my brooch collection is now complete but that would be a Big. Fat. Lie.

But I think I will lay off the brooch purchases for a wee while, and just sit here admiring and stroking this one whilst holding it very tight.

My Precious.

What Vintage means to me.

I suspect this will be quite a rambling post so apologies in advance. Whilst cooking the bolognese part of a spaghetti bolognese for our dinner tonight I was stirring and pondering what Vintage means to me. 

This has been prompted by not only reading a back issue of In Retrospect magazine (yes I was very late to that party! but what a great read it is) and the book I am currently thoroughly enjoying ‘Bang Your Head – The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal by David Konow’ not an obvious link I know, but bear with me!

In the magazine they were discussing whether the 80’s and 90’s should be considered vintage and in the book we have just reached the mid 80’s where metal was becoming huge and outlandish outfits and huge hair were all the rage, and this is where my brain kicked in with it’s thought process

 

I have made no secret of the fact I was a huge Glam Metal (Hair Metal) fan back in the day like many of my generation on the vintage scene we have come round to vintage via rock, punk or goth.

I was a skint art student who wanted to dress like her favourite bands I couldn’t afford to buy new so I scoured jumble sales and second hand shops. Here I found gold. 

My first purchase was a fabulous turquoise satin 1930’s men’s dressing gown, oh how I wish I still owned it now! 

I regret to say have no idea what happened to it, I suspect it literally got worn to death but like to think of it making a bid for freedom one night, tired of being covered in spilt beer and fag ash, of being knocked around and sweated on in the mosh pit, it was designed for cocktails and cigarette holders and laughs round the piano after all. I like to think it is genteelly living it up somewhere safe from my mistreating clutches. 

 

Another item was a 1960’s powder blue lace coat that I bought along with it’s matching elegant lace dress in a thrift shop. I loved it, my Mother loathed it, I didn't realise quite how much she loathed it until she admitted many years later to deliberately washing it too hot and shrinking it. 

I haven’t a clue what I did with the matching dress and again I curse myself for my lack of forethought in keeping it safely.

 

Among the items I still own are a tailcoat and matching waistcoat, (now over 100 years old!) a navy pinstripe waistcoat, various white dress shirts and a drawer of accessories. 

Delicate elbow length black lace gloves and pretty scarves and shawls of differing ages, all of these items went through the ordeal of pubs and clubs, beer, cigarettes, late night chips and drunken staggers or crawls home. Not what they were designed or made for at all!  

 

Back in the 80’s vintage clothes were in abundance and prices were cheap, I started out buying them because it was all I could afford and ended up loving mixing old and new, studs and bullet belts over Victorian lace was what it was about for many of my friend's at the time. 

With hindsight I think that is why I still happily mix it up now, new and repro with genuine vintage, and why I don’t understand the people who have a cow when they see someone dressed that way rather than top to toe genuine pieces. 

I recall someone getting their knickers in a twist about girls walking into her vintage shop in head to toe high street their outfit hideously completed in her eyes with a gorgeous vintage bag, she refused to serve them. 

I, very politely for me it must be said, pointed out that maybe that person was simply a collector of handbags?

The owner of the store felt the only way to do such a bag justice was to only ever wear the correct era outfit when using it, I disagree, a fabulous outfit from any era, can be finished to perfection with a gorgeous vintage bag, whilst also show off that bag as it deserves to be shown.

 

I know I’ve mentioned before that even if I did want to dress in true vintage from top to toe my height and girth make it pretty much an impossibility, there weren’t many tall fat women in the 1930’s or 40's and the few that there were didn't wear the kind of frocks I want to wear. I will admit I probably would wear more authentic vintage if I were a teeny tiny but I'm not so there it is.

Yes I love to frock up as much as the next person, but more often than not I’m up to my elbows in a wheelbarrow of compost or cleaning the bath, and frankly jeans and a hoody give me the comfort of movement I require for these tasks,

When I do finally get off my backside I’m very much one for getting stuck in and not worrying if I rip things or cover them in paint or mud.

  

Also if I’m honest, quite often I simply can't be arsed. I sit here typing now in jeggings and a huge purple jumper. Why? because it’s Sunday, I’m having a lazy day and frankly these were the nearest items to hand when I crawled out of bed this morning. I haven’t even brushed my hair, mind you for some reason I always forget to brush my hair, so that’s not necessarily me being lazy. 

I feel I can express myself more wearing a mix of clothes and eras. I know I would feel horribly stilted and trapped were I to dress one way for the rest of my life. I love clothes and fashion (even if you would never guess it from the shambling mess that types before you!) I love reading the blogs I follow and seeing the writers in the amazing vintage they have found, I kind of admire the ones who are true vintage wearers 24/7 but I know it's not for me.   

Thus endeth my Sunday ramble, I'm off to do the washing up. Time and Fairy Liquid wait for no woman.

 

 

Crime Uncovered and The January Sales.

I have just got back from the Enthralling The Crime Museum Uncovered exhibition at the Museum of London. The first time ever items from the Metropolitan police's 'Black Museum' were on display to the public.

All the items have been kept carefully catalogued since the 1870's when the museum was first created  by a serving policeman. (we both suspect the officer in question was really a frustrated Librarian, we instantly recognised a kindred spirit in his meticulous cataloguing!)

The museum has always been used as a tool for training new detectives and it was absolutely fascinating to be lead through the history of crime detection, via the particular cases which lead to, or individual officers who developed, the techniques of detection that are still used today.

And of course from a ghoulish voyeuristic point of view, seeing the hair (still wrapped around it's curler) of one of Dr Crippen's victims, or the gall stones of one of the acid bath victims sends a delicious shiver down the spine.

Having said that I found many items extremely sobering. The death mask cast of a hanged man where you could clearly see the imprint of the rope on the neck or the tools of the trade carefully packed into the executioner's case.
The stockings that had to be cut from a strangling victim's neck where you could clearly see that the heel had carefully darned more than once I found particularly poignant.

All in all a great exhibition.

Now onto more frivolous things!

My January sales shopping. There wasn't loads, but more than I planned when I got sucked into looking at the Collectif website. As a rule I don't shop there, After a few disasters I conclude I'm simply the wrong shape for their clothes, and yet I ended up buying a frock, I haven't tried it on yet, (even though I ordered it at the end of December it only arrived this week!) I loved the look of it and it seems a forgiving shape, we shall see.....

I also couldn't resist a couple of cardigans

 I know I'll get wear out of both of them anyway!

I bought 2 Hell Bunny dresses, I know I'm on safe ground with them.

I have this dress in 4 colourways now and this one was mine for £10.

A new summer holiday frock :)
I bought this frock for £4.99 in Peacocks, perfect for wearing to work.

Finally I bought this anchor print shirt in Sainsbury's when they had one of their 25% off all clothes deals.

 I got a bracelet from Accessorize that was broken and they didn't have any more so I ended up exchanging it for this bag.

and on the subject of bags I found this fabulous little green beauty on Ebay, it made me very happy.

lastly I shall leave you with this t-shirt Himself bought me for Christmas

Who you gonna call?

Better Late Than Never.

Well I did have a few things lined up to blog about in January but then the home computer decided to die and scuppered my plans.
Cue much cursing and stomping about by Himself as he set about fixing it.

I have to say it was a frustrating and strangely liberating in equal measures. I did feel like I was being forced to go cold turkey without the internets (before you ask, no I don't have it on my phone - I'm old school.)
I missed Facebook in a fashion that was alarming, but boy did I suddenly have a lot of free time in my day!
 It really brought me up short and made me realise just how much time I do waste 'browsing' throughout the day when I'm just knocking round the house. I browse along with my breakfast, and lunch, and the numerous cups of tea I drink in between chores.
Suddenly I had time on my hands. So I took that time to do a few of the little jobs that have been sitting round for well, let's just say quite some time indeed.

First and foremost I FINALLY finished the lampshade for the Elephant Lamp of Wonder (it's only taken me 18 months!). I cannot tell a lie, it was originally a suggestion of my brother and I just ran wild with it.

Now I just need to find a bulb and the right spot in the house for him.

Soo and I also went for our annual January Charity Shop Extravaganza and as ever we found some fabulous bargains as well as having a bloody good laugh.

I managed to acquire a stalker, who like the shop keeper in Mr Benn, would suddenly appear like magic at my side, but unlike the shop keeper would make some quip and elbow me in the ribs as he did it.
He appeared in not one, but four chazzas, and all with his wife in tow. Or perhaps she had started out that day browsing on her own and he had taken a liking to her too!

For myself I bought this leather jacket for a £10 (According to my stalker it suited me.)

 I also bought this fabulous carpet bag for £4

and finally this very loud scarf for a quid.

I also bought a tiny beaded bag and these cute little drawers for my Mum. She has always loved air balloons so it had to be done.

I'm sure you will be delighted to hear I may have already made my first disaster dress purchase of the year. Well start as I mean to go on right?

This heap of glitter is a tunic dress that was reduced to a bargainous £4. I love a bit of sparkle, I also loved the Art Deco style pattern and thought it was a lurex fabric, so I snapped it up.
The reason it is in the crumpled heap above is because as soon as I opened the bag and glitter poured ALL over me and the floor I realised it's not lurex at all.

*sigh*

To quote Ross Noble, one wear and I'll look like I have been out slaughtering pixies. So I'm still deciding what to actually do with it.

Now that January is nearly over I shall start my New Year's Resolutions. I never believe in trying to do anything in January.
So from February I will be watching what I eat, not dieting, but just less and healthier. Well that's the plan anyway.

I'm back at Pilates, and in February I go up into the next class EEEK! The teacher thinks I'm ready, I can't say I do.
There are some seriously fit people in that class, you know like a marathon runner and a mountaineer. Whereas I'm a bit fat, very unfit and bricking it.
They also have all the gear, so now I'm suddenly a bit self conscious about my cheap leggings and quirky t-shirts.

I want to read more. I never seem to have the time, or so I think, and I miss it. I have set myself the modest goal on Goodreads of reading 30 books this year. The is the Christmas gift book pile.

  and the next to the bed pile. .

Those two alone should cover it!

This weekend we down in Margate helping Himself's Dad with clearing and cleaning the house. I did manage to take a couple of hours out to catch up with my dear friend Kay. We went to the local garden centre where we drank tea, ate gorgeous mango and passion fruit cake and browsed the sales.

I found this navy fur jacket at half price and just had to try it on

According to the lady in the franchise it suited me (deja vu anyone?) and I have to say I loved it. I wavered for ooh at least 30 seconds whilst Kay insisted must I buy it, so I did.

Final sale purchase to share with you was another, spotted by chance, impulse buy.

Darth Vader vans for £20. Result.
 I showed them off in the office and got told by our young assistant they were sick, which apparently is a very good thing.

Are We Nearly There Yet?

And that was Christmas, I’m glad it’s done. I’ll admit I’ve let what I call the German gene creep in and ended up confessing to Himself that as my last 2 Christmases have been pretty crap I’m pretty sure that I’ll never enjoy another one again!

 

Never fear I’m sure my usual maddeningly cheerful Pollyanna persona will return soon. 

 

2015 continues to kick me relentlessly, like someone up there is trying to see just how much more I really can take. 

In the short period between Christmas and now this has ranged from getting in from work on Christmas Eve to find the fridge had decided that this was a perfect day to stop working, a bereavement on Boxing Day, a desperate relative in need, and to add insult to injury, being the only person with no gift in their cracker at Boxing Day lunch. I’m telling you, that empty cracker just might have been the straw to break the camel’s back. 

 

You may remember me ranting of old about the desperate battles we have getting anything in this house sorted by our landlady who has made being a tightwad into an art form. This time we just ordered a new fridge. No way was I spending the whole holiday without one. She can either pay us back or strike it off the inventory. Frankly I’d probably still be waiting this time next year without one if we left it to her to sort out!

According to the text from AO it was due to be delivered today by Mohammed (which tickled Himself) who as it goes was lovely, but did manhandle said fridge in an alarming fashion, it is now ‘resting’ for 12 hours before we can switch it on.

 I’m actually a bit scared to touch that switch if truth be told! After all there are still 3 days of 2015 left......

 

Saying that New Year is nearly upon us and for the first time in 18 years Himself and I will be spending it apart, each of us with a parent who needs us more instead. That’s going to be strange if I’m honest.

 

So yes, New Year, a time to reflect on many things including did I keep any of my resolutions from last year?

 

Hmm

 

I certainly didn’t lose any weight (Dammit) and I certainly didn’t go to America (Bah) but I did lavish lots of love on my garden, I did read more, and I did accept just about any invitation that came my way, some definitely better than others!

I also surprised myself by not only sticking with the Pilates, but finding that I absolutely love it! I’m already signed up for January and champing at the bit for it to start again.

 

I’m also proud of a lot of the things I achieved this year and also of the things I coped with this year. If you would have told me 12 months ago that with just a day’s notice I would stand up and give a presentation to nearly 100 people I would have laughed you out of the room, I’m not saying for one moment I enjoyed it, but fuck me, I actually did it! Yup that one still shocks me a bit.

 

Of course this is about the time I would be doing a ‘frocking round up of 2015’.

Despite all that has been thrown at me this year I have managed to buy my fair share of frocks, and well, it just wouldn’t be me if there wasn't at least one complete disaster, if not more (usually from Ebay) for every month of the year.

Unlike previous years I haven’t chronicled them all so I can’t do my usual round up with pictures, but trust me they exist, and oh boy do they exist!

 

Like the 1980’s does 1940’s number that looked SO cute on Ebay and even on the hanger when it arrived but which I don’t actually have words fit to describe just how hideous it looked when I put it on. 

Or the Nautical wiggle dress from Hell Bunny, which was actually more 'what the hell were you thinking woman' than 'Hello Sailor!'

 

There were more, many, oh so many more. 

 

If I’m honest I have had far, far too many disgraceful aberrations in taste this year when it came to buying dresses. You can take my word for it that it was a disastrous year on the frock front.

 

There were a couple of unexpected absolute clothing gems in all the chaos. Like the tartan skirt for £2 from Bournemouth that I only bought because it was tartan and £2, that to my surprise actually looked lovely on. Or the cute floral tea dress that I bought on a whim from a charity shop because it was just so pretty, even though I knew it would never fit. That as it goes actually bloody did! Sadly though they were few and far between.

 

It was however a very, very good year for my handbag collection though, at least my taste and judgement didn’t abandon me there!

 

I have just one or two new editions that I haven’t shared yet indeed I bought a narrow deep shelved unit only last month to display my new beauties in and upon. 

 

So on that note I'll leave you with my new handbags.

A couple of rainy day Ebay bargains.

This lovely little raffia bag arrived just in time to complete my outfit for Dan and Melissa's wedding.

These two were a job lot on Ebay. The top bag is in the middle of restoration. It was filthy dirty and has a broken zip. I've cleaned the outside, now I just need to clean it inside and see if I can do anything with the zip, otherwise I might just take it out all together.

I love the matching cigarette case with the cream bag. It's in a heck of a battered state so has clearly had quite a life, I wonder what stories it could tell!

Finally just to show it's not all vintage bags with me. I couldn't resist this little beauty from Accessorize.

 

Life's Rich Pattern

As anyone who reads my blog knows one way and another 2015 has been a tough year. I had hoped the year would just come quietly to an end, but instead it had a nasty sting in it’s tail.

Sadly Himself’s Mother died 3 weeks ago. Whilst she hadn’t exactly been in the pink of health this year, it was certainly not enough to even contemplate this, it was a completely unexpected shock.

So the last weeks have been busy with all the sad and difficult tasks you would expect. Made all the more challenging by the fact we are here in Oxford, Himself’s sister is in Torquay, his parents in Kent and not a car between us.

We are now back home, weary and sad, and in my case reflective. 

To pinch a phrase from the Queen I can safely say 2015 has been an Annus Horribilis for me. Being a glass half full type of person I’m optimistic that the worst has passed, but also I am realistic enough to know there is more to be done, more to be dealt with and always my family to support.

It’s there my biggest challenge lies. To put it simplistically my place in my family has always been ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. My role is to always be the sunny, positive and encouraging one. On the whole that’s not difficult, by nature it’s the kind of person I am. 
It is hard at times like this though, when I feel beaten down and all I want to do is crawl into my bed and sleep, or sit bawl my eyes out. Sometimes the supporters need some support.

But life goes on. 
I’m not exactly feeling festive, and as someone who usually flings herself headfirst into Christmas, it feels horribly forced this year.

We are visiting Dad with Mum, then going home with her for as long as she wants the company, she’s finding it hard to be on her own. 
We are also poised to flit down to Kent if needs be between Christmas and New Year.

So with all that it’s good to have some fun things to look forward too. We have a wedding to go to tomorrow which I’m really looking forward to being part of. I finally have my outfit picked out (as it’s a winter wedding it’s full on tartan for me!)

The Snoopy and Charlie Brown Movie is of course a must. 

It’s also the HUGE day in Himself’s life - Star Wars

We have tickets for the midnight showing in our local cinema and are guests at a special screening in London followed by a party courtesy of Cineworld. I’m not sure exactly how many times he will have seen the film between the 2 events but it could well be double figures…….