Investment

I am at the age now where I am starting to realise the value of staple wardrobe items rather than fad fashions.

I admit that I don't like spending loads of money on clothes. It somehow feels 'wrong' & I think I've probably got this from my mum. I do buy clothes but they tend to be in the sale or from outlet type places.

The most I've ever spent on boots is £100 & that was my long leather riding boots. But they are a true investment as I enjoy my riding & I wanted a boot that would last me & last me & with care my boots still look as good as new.

I see lots & lots of things I like when it comes to fashion but when push comes to shove, I find it difficult to splash the cash on something unless I can honestly justify it.

Anyway, this year I have been scouring the shops for a decent Winter coat. I have plenty of dress coats but they are just that & useless for actually keeping me warm. I have to be careful what I look for because as much as I may like something, particularly a coat, when it comes to trying it on I look swamped in it. The arms are very often too long & the proportions aren't right.
I also wanted a style that wouldn't date & one that was at least 50% wool but that wasn't heavy or bulky.

I was beginning to give up until I found this...



Stud Trophy Jacket

I love it. I got it in an 8 as that way, I can wear jumpers underneath it as well as just a top. The arms will definitely be too long but a dressmaker is a friend of the family so I'm sure if I speak to her nicely, she'll alter it for me :o)

Another bonus is, my mum let me get it on her account card which I'm very glad of because otherwise I would not have been able to afford it!

I can't wait for it to arrive. I just hope it's as good in real life as it looks on the internet.

I'm so pleased with it!

Track for today - Little Jack Frost

Sniff

I do get hay fever in Summer & it seems to be getting worse & worse each year. The puzzle is, why am I still getting hay fever-type symptoms in November? Sniffly nose, random attacks of sneezing, runny & itchy eyes.

I'm thinking I'm allergic to something or someone.

It's either;

Dogs. Not too likely as I wasn't allergic to Sam last year.

Dust mites. Never had any problems before with them though.

Flowers. My mum loves them & has one or two massive vases in the living room/hallway.

My horse. This option does not bear thinking about to be honest.

The sister. Not only is this a highly feasible option but also a glimmer of light at the end of a very long tunnel. She's 12 years old & a walking moodswing. I am torn between bashing her over the head with a mallet or just doing the clean & quiet pillow thing ;o)

If indeed I am allergic to her & her flouncing & hair tossing then it's perfectly reasonable to put her down on the 'For Adoption' list. Or just leave her tied up to a faraway lamp post with a 'Please, do NOT return to sender' sign strung round her neck....

On a serious note, I really do not know why I am still getting hay fever symptoms in Winter & I am just wondering what it might actually be.


Track for today - Lovegame

I know, it's not even proper music.... Inexcusable & the lyrics are filth but it's got in my head. I usually hate all things GaGa too.

Something is obviously wrong somewhere!

I ♥ Winter

I love the Winter. It is definitely my favourite time of the year.

Unfortunately, the rest of my family think I am a freak for having this view.
There's so many good things about Winter time, like;

1. Frosty weather. Walking out of a warm house & in to a sparkling morning or afternoon & having the cold air hit your face is one of the best things.

2. Dark Winter evenings are the perfect excuse to wear sequins & glitter.

3. I have an English Rose complexion. Summer sun turns me a not very fetching shade of red & I get very red cheeks. Winter just makes me look pale & interesting with a rosy glow.

4. I get to wear as many pairs of boots as I please. Although not all at once, obviously.

5. My fair skin means bright colours don't really suit me. Deep, rich Winter colours look much better.

6. Being able to wrap up in my snuggly jumpers & go for walks.

7. Burying my cold hands in my horses mane. Even better when I can pretend she actually likes me for me rather than the Polo's I always have in my pocket. Lol

8. Fireworks & bonfires.

9. Christmas is round the corner & hearing little children chatter about Father Christmas is something that would melt the hardest of hearts.

10. The hope of snow.

11. Freezing cold mornings that make you ever greatful for fluffy slipper boots & hot, strong coffee.

12. The Festival is drawing ever closer.

13. Feeling like the only person in the world on a really early, crisp & clear morning.

Bad things about Winter;

1. Slipping A over T in mud at the stables. Then having to get home with a mud stained rear end. So not a good look.

2. Slipping in puddles & missing the wet bit by the skin of my teeth. If I had bigger feet I estimate about 67% less slippage would occur!

3. Being jumped on by a not yet totally trained Irish Setter who leaves sticky, muddy paw prints on my nice cream, knitted hoodie. It's a very good job I love him....

Now the hedged meads renew
Rustic odour, smiling hue,
And the clean air shines and tinkles as the world goes wheeling through;
And my heart springs up anew,
Bright and confident and true.

Robert Louis Stevenson.

Track for today - How Can I Keep From Singing.

Soldier Boy

I hate feeling negative about this but I can't help it. My brother, the brother who has been a complete twonk the past 10 years has decided to join the army.

He phoned my mum up last night to tell her he wanted to join. I don't know exactly what he is signing up for but his reasons are for a steady job & so that he can try to discipline himself more. He thinks the discipline would be good for him & he thinks he needs to grow up.

I'm really pleased that he realises he needs to grow up but I know what L is like & it will go one of two ways, he will either take to army life like a duck to water or he will rebel & leave when his time is up, coming out worse than he went in.

I hope it's the former. And I do know I sound negative & maybe I'm being unfairly harsh but I haven't let my views be known to him. I just let him know I was pleased for him.



Track for the day - Sho Heen

Remember Them

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Flanders Fields by John McCrae has always conveyed perfectly to me the massive loss, grief & pain that war brings. Please remember those that have paid the ultimate price in going to war, those that have had their lives altered beyond recognition through physical & mental injuries & the loved ones who also have to adjust & cope with the aftermath. Today is for them. May they never be forgotten or the respect for them lost.

Amazing

That's all I have to say for my new sparkly bits. I went to the Chemist the other day to get the boring usual of shampoo etc & got magnetically drawn to the makeup stand. Mainly because it was sparkling like Aladdins Cave.

I could not resist buying two of Collection 2000's glitter wands. I bought silver & gold & the other colours are next on my list.

I admit that I am a fully signed up beauty junkie & will always check out the new makeup in Boots just in case I find a wonder product. Usually the new products are overhyped & rarely worth the money, not so with my new buys. I had not even seen these glitter wands advertised so was like a child in a sweetshop with the testers *blush*. For £2.99 each they are totally amazing.

I tried both on when I got home & I was stupidly excited at the sparkliness.

I can honestly say there are no negative points. I usually am really careful with glitter around my eyes & very rarely use it because the stuff I have used has irritated my eyes. These wands come with a clear (looks coloured in tube) base coat & then you just pat the glitter on with applicator. Really easy to do, very accurate results & not in the least bit irritating. When I had mine on the other night I didn't even feel like I was wearing makeup.

My New Years makeup is sorted. I will be out-sparkling the Christmas lights!

Song for today - Addicted To Love

Awww

I love my sister. I have had 'hmmm' thoughts over someone & as I couldn't speak to her without being overheard, we were texting each other (private & free - perfect!) & her text in response was;

"He better not mess my sister around, the naughty boy! Or I will spank him. :-P"

It made me laugh out loud & was actually what I needed to kick me from 'what shall I do' mode to 'more important things' mode.

She's a moody cow, but she's the best moody cow there is ;-)

Gah!

Twice in the last month I have been ID'd for stuff I'm more than old enough to buy.

I went to Asda a few weeks ago & took advantage of the 3 for £10.00 wine offer they have on at the moment. I'm not a big drinker but I am partial to some wine occasionally. I got to the till & was getting the cash ready when the checkout man asked me if I had any I.D. I went to look & realised I'd forgotten it.
Cue five minutes almost of me persuading him that I had turned 24 the week previously & was defnitely old enough to buy alcohol.
It was a near run thing as he didn't believe me fully & it took all my persuasive powers to get him to agree with me. I succeeded in the end by promising that he wouldn't get in to trouble because I was definitely old enough!

Second occasion was last week. Tesco had a clearance sale of DVD's & I bought one 12 cert. & one 15 cert. Nothing major.
I went to pay for them & the woman at the checkout asked for ID. For a 15 cert. DVD!! I had to get my sister to pay for them for me. She's 18 & I'm 24, & she didn't get ID'd!
Ridiculous.

I've been told I have a babyface so maybe that's it. I'll be glad of it when I'm 30 probably but it bruises the ego somewhat when I'm on a date & get asked for ID. Oh the shame....

Song for today - Solsbury Hill

It's That Time of Year Again

The time of year for boots. *wistful sigh*. Already so far I have spied about 4 pairs of boots I really, really like. Every Autumn/Winter is the same, I go in to town & see the new Winter stock in the shops & without fail, I delight in the new boots that are in.

I really don't care that much for shoes but as everyone who reads this knows, I have a major love affair going on with boots. Ankle boots, knee high boots, thigh boots, pirate boots, shoe boots. ANY boots!

So far this year I have my eye on the below;











Erez Flat Boot from New Look. £35.00. Practial which means I'd get a lot of wear out of them & I think they're a rather timeless style that won't date.










Leather Brogue Boot from New Look. £70.00. I absolutely adore these. But they have a very high heel & I'd need to wait for the sale. And the smallest they do is a size 3... Maybe thick socks would fill the toe up a bit?









Same boot as above but in brown. I actually prefer this colour of the two but black is probably more practical.






Tassle Boot from New Look. £35.00. They're over the knee though & as I have short legs, they'd probably look wrong.









Military Detail Shoe Boot. Again from New Look & £40.00. I absolutely adore these & I really, really want them! I think I might be able to get away with a 3 as they're ankle boots rather than knee boots.









Studded Boot from New Look. £35.00. I actually have a pair very similar to these so I won't be buying them. The only difference with mine is they are not studded & they're real suede otherwise they're quite similar. Very comfy & very practical but still look quite smart with skinny jeans.









Slouch Boots from George@Asda. £18.00. I am definitely getting these. They are much nicer in real life than they look online & the chain detail is really pretty. They look much more expensive than they are, are really nice quality, have a sturdy rubber sole & are practical without being old-fashioned etc. Plus I get £5.00 off the price as I have a voucher!








Cracked Leather Boot. Again these are from Asda & are £20.00. They look much nicer in real life & not nearly so tacky as they look online. However, they are on the right side of sexy & I love them. Especially as they are a good price. Quite a high heel though so not the most practical but they look good, so I don't care that much ;-)
Very tempted...








Same boots as above but in a plum colour. Not nearly so tacky as they look & I am sorely tempted to get both colours. Will have to see what the sales bring or what funds are available.



I think that's it for my Boot Lust this year. Unless I see any more pairs, in which case I will be sure to post them :o)

PS; I am updating my links & so if you link here & I haven't returned the favour, or if you'd like a link from here, then let me know via the comments. Lots of blogs on my links have been closed/archived/died so an update is sorely needed.

Home Again

Well I'm back from the holiday. It wasn't actually that bad & turned out to be quite fun despite some misgivings that I may end up killing C or myself after four hours in the back of a car with her...

Monday - Set off & spent 4 hours in the car getting to very pretty Norfolk which also happened to be a very rainy & grey Norfolk. After 30 minutes I got bored of the incessant chat, switched my mp3 player on. soundtrack - The Prodigy. Coldplay. T-Rex.
Unpack, go for a walk on the beach & get to sleep by 9.30pm! So unlike me that I don't think I've ever gone to sleep that early but not much sleep the night before coupled with travelling knocked me out completely.

Tuesday - Go down to the beach for a little while but give up due to the rain & the breeze coming in off the sea.

Wednesday - Visit The English Whisky Co. I could quite happily have raided their shop & stayed there for the rest of the holiday!
I had a taster of all three liquers & the Blackberry I found much too sweet. It reminded me of syrup & just wasn't my taste at all.
The cranberry one was too tangy.
The blueberry one was perfect & it is absolutely delicious :-) I bought one of the 350ml bottles and for the quality of the alcohol I think it is a very good price.

I also tried some of their Single Malt Spirit (they aren't allowed legally to call it Whisky until it has been in the cask for at least three years) & it is delicious. I couldn't afford any but my step-dad bought some. I keep tasting it to make sure it isn't poisoned...... ;-)

Strop bought some Norfolk Nog & I keep tasting that too. It is yummy & has successfully cured my Baileys addiction, the Nog is far nicer.

I am so taken with their products that I'm even willing to go to the effort to mail order them. And if you do go near them then call in, they are extremely friendly & you're made to feel very welcome. The lovely lady there didn't even make me feel bad about requesting three tasters of the individual liquers, difficult decisions!

Thursday - Redwings! We were also made to feel very welcome there & I fell in love with Darcey. I really, really wanted to bring her home with me. She is beautiful & so trusting after what has happened to her.
Horses legs are deceptively delicate. To be hauled back & forth across the channel while receiving no suitable nourishment has meant her legs are damaged for life & she is unrideable. Some real awful stories of neglect, like headcollars fitted so tight they dug in to the flesh behind the ears & the headcollar had to be cut out of the head. There were at least 4 instances of this happening that I learned of. Another pony having to have it's eye removed as it was so badly neglected. Another that had been left in it's stable for four years. Others that had been turfed on to common land for somebody else to sort out & various other terrible & evil stories of complete neglect & disregard for the horse/pony.
As for stealing Darcey, I'll just have to settle for adopting her instead :-)
The evening was spent going to the chip shop & when Strop received a call on her mobile, I decided to make her have fits of giggles by standing in front of her & suggestively eating a saveloy.... It worked & she was laughing so much she had to end the call early. Success!

We then went for a long walk had one huge girly gossip. In the last few years a strong bond between us has grown & we tend to confide in each other. Being close in age probably helps but the gist of the conversation was anything from debating over whether to accept dates recently offered (a verbal pros & cons list) to how she really needs to stop wearing heels in my presence when I'm in flats. She is 5'8 in bare feet. I'm 5' in bare feet. It's just not fair!! ;-)

Friday - Mad dash to finish packing & get off early only to be caught in traffic & spend five hours getting back home.
It has to be said that Strop was really good company again & for 4 hours of the journey we spent the time quietly gossiping & smothering giggles at 'inappropriate' comments one or the other of us had made under our breath. The other hour I got bored & listened to my mp3 player. The music was The Kinks, The Beatles & David Gray.

On a seperate note; The Queen visited Cheltenham today & had I been home, she could have stopped for tea as she went almost past my front door. Next time I shall be sure to notify her of my social plans & she can plan her visit properly!