Making Good Use

Lights Out

For the past eight-and-a-half years I've been used to living with a street light practically in my garden.  In Wickford the street light really was in our front garden (though I believe technically the first two or three feet of our front grass did belong to the council.  I know, an odd set up but there were grass verges along our road - which the council would cut - and somehow, at some point in time, our front grass had incorporated this grass verge.)  When we moved back to Bristol, yet again there was a street light right up against the wall of our garden - and very handy it is too for jamming the wheelie bins against when they go out for collection.  Without that lamp-post, I fear our bins could go hurtling down the precipitous hill we live on.

Anyway, I digress.  After having lived in such close proximity to street lighting for so long, I've become incredibly used to the house being bathed in the orange glow from said lights all night, every night.  It makes nipping to the loo much less fraught when there is ambient - albeit VERY orange - light to see by.  Not any longer.  South Gloucestershire Council have decided to switch most of their street lights off at midnight (and switch them back on at 5.00 am - when necessary.)  It has been quite a change - though I'm amazed how much I can still see despite the area now being like the black hole of Calcutta - and I've noticed (on my nocturnal wanderings to the bathroom) how many people now seem to have landing and / or bedroom lights on at night.

According to the council website they are doing this to cut down on their carbon footprint - a sentiment I heartily agree with - though I suspect the £250,000 savings on electricty may have an awful lot more to do with their decision in these austere times.  Personally, I quite like the lights being off - and the consequent saving of our collective carbon footprint - but have heard that there are rumblings from people who are going to complain about the decision. 

Apparently, it has all been done in strict consultation with the Police and the Highways Agency and lights on major roads are still staying on all night.  If the crime rate soars the council says they will think again about their lights out policy.  What do you think?  Does your local authority switch lights out during the night?  Or are South Glos. the forerunners of such an idea? (they are draconian when it comes to recycling, so that may be a possibility.)

Photos - or lack thereof.  Apologies for the lack of photos on the blog of late but Typepad changed something a few months ago which means I can no longer add photos because my Internet Explorer seems to be too old for the updated Typepad (no idea why that should be as I'm using a loptop that is less than one year old.) 

I know I could a) change from Typepad to Wordpress or Blogspot, or b) upload another web browser to solve the problem.  P did look into uploading Firefox for me when he was home on leave but it wanted to usurpe Internet Explorer totally so he decided not to proceed with the download.  Anyone got any other ideas about how to solve this problem?  All suggestions gratefully received.

Surprisingly Successful Thrifting

Normally when I set off to have a hunt through the local charity shops, I don't go with finding anything specific in mind - 'cos that would really be pushing the 'luck of the thrift hunt' just a leetle too far.  Last week, with the heatwave in full swing, I went specifically to find something (anything) to increase my very capsule heatwave wardrobe.  Surprisingly enough, I was rather successful.

My first foray netted me: one sleeveless cotton vest top - in a rather loud orange shade (but beggars can't be choosers - though as the inimitable Dave Allen once asked 'why the hell not!!'); one pair of scarily-bright jade shorts (strictly for home and garden use); and a not-strictly-necessary purchase of a swimming cossie.  Both the sleeveless vest and the shorts are George items so were never very expensive even new - I think I paid £2.49 and £1.49 respectively.  The swimming cossie only cost me £1.00 (as did a rather spiffy pill box hat - now listed on ebay) as that particular charity shop was having a closing-down-for-refurbishment-everything-half-price-sale.

I'm rather sad that that particular chazza is being tarted up as it was the only one left in Kingswood that was of the total-glory-hole-but-you-never-know-what-you-might-find-reasonably-priced variety.  No doubt the shop will have a 'Mary Portas' overhaul and the prices will sky-rocket accordingly - grrrrrrr!!

Saturday was a tad cooler so I made another foray to Lodge Causeway - they also have a very convenient Tesco Express along with two charity shops and my fridge was looking very depleted so I killed two birds with one stone.  There I found another George sleeveless cotton vest top - in a slightly less scary bright blue colour - brand new with tags for only £1.50 plus a rather spiffy pair of over-sized sunglasses for £1.00.  It wasn't until I got home and gave them a good wash that I realised they were originally from Next - nice.  They'll make a welcome change from my Aldi sunglasses that I've been wearing for the past five years or so.

So, now I've got a slightly larger heatwave wardrobe it is, of course, sod's law that the weather is on the change.  I'm quite looking forward to being able to wear my usual jeans and long top combo and I'm keeping everything crossed that we get a really good thunderstorn in the next day or so.  I do like me a good storm.

My Shorts Are Nearly Old Enough to Vote

Yup, I'm wearing a pair of shorts that I worked out are nearly old enough to vote.  I remember buying them in the Ann Harvey shop in Nottingham in the summer of 1996 - which makes them 17 years old.  Luckily for me the fabric is something manmade which has proved impervious to wear, tear or any sign of fading (wish I could say the same for myself) over the past 17 years!!  They make an appearance every summer - though only worn around the house and garden - and though I have a couple of other pairs (also only worn when no one else can see me), this pair are my absolute favourites.  Most years they only get worn a few times but with the prolonged heatwave in the UK, this year I'm certainly getting some mileage from them.

This very hot weather has meant I've had to resort to wearing skirts - it's far too hot to have my legs encased in their usual jeans (even the long-sought-for white jeans have had to remain in the wardrobe as it is just waaaaay too hot and sticky for them too.)  I don't like wearing skirts as I have quite swollen feet and ankles (a nice little inheritance I got from my Dad, who got it from his Mother, who no doubt got it from one of her parents too - there's no getting away from genetic inheritance, is there?), so I only possess three of them - two from charity shops and one from a jumble sale. 

Those three skirts are in constant rotation at the moment as are the three tops I possess that are short enough to wear with them.  (I usually choose tunic-length tops to cover my behind when I'm wearing jeans and that length most certainly doesn't lend itself to being worn with a skirt.)  One of the T-shirts is actually a pyjama top that I've had to start wearing as outerwear - apparently it looks OK as I wore it out on Saturday and no one raised any eyebrows!!

I do have to venture to a Post Office tomorrow (I'll be out and about mega early to try and beat the heat) and am hoping that I may be able to find a few more skirt-friendly tops in one of the three charity shops whose doors I will have to pass.   Failing that, I may have to resort to retail - yet again - to bolster my 'capsule' heatwave wardrobe.

Yay, Finally - The Continuing Saga of the Search for White Trousers

Well, the jeggings from M&S turned out not to be such a good idea.  I looked like a cross between Max Wall and Humpty Dumpty plus, as they were a tad too short as well, my swollen ankles were prominently displayed when I tried them on.  Not really the look I was aiming for!!  They were hastily dispatched back to M&S.  So, like Lord Sugar, my search continued .... eventually I found what appeared to be just the ticket on Cotton Traders - white jeans with an elasticated waist (I know the white trousers will only be worn when the sun's shining so an elasticated waist is a comfy addition when the weather is warm.)

The jeans promptly arrived Saturday lunchtime and I finally tried them on when I came back that evening.  They were nice - good quality fabric, nice straight-leg style (though not skin tight like those awful jeggings) and just the right length.  I was rather pleased, though a bit surprised to find they were rather loose in the leg and round the waist.  Never mind, thought I, I must have lost a bit more weight and Mum always says Cotton Traders' trousers are generously cut.  I went to hang them in the wardrobe when I noticed the size label on the waistband was a size larger than the size given on the swing tag and the bag they came in.  Dag nabbit, no wonder they were a bit loose, they were the wrong bloody size.

I was not the happiest bunny on earth at that point and became even less happy when I realised that it was too late to phone Cotton Traders with a complaint that day.  Bright and early Sunday morning I was on the phone to them and they were most helpful and apologetic.  Another pair of white jeans - this time deffo the right size - have just been delivered and the other pair taken back free of charge.

Yay, I finally have the white jeans I've been looking for all summer.  Let's just hope the sun shines now and I can get some wear from them.  If anybody else out there is looking for some really good quality summer jeans / trousers in a plethora of leg lengths then I can highly recommend Cotton Traders as a website to take a look at.  They're not the cheapest option out there but the quality of their goods is excellent and their call centre staff are lovely.  And they certainly correct their mistakes lickety spit!!  And, no, I'm not being paid to big up Cotton Traders, I was just so pleasantly surprised by their ability to quickly put things right - and to apologise for their error - that I wanted to mention it.

Reduced to Buying Retail

I've had a real yen for some white summer trousers ever since I stupidly put a pair back in a local charity shop, realised my mistake once I'd got home, went back a couple of days later and - they were gone.  He who hesitates and all that!!  Then I ordered a pair from Cotton Traders but had idiotically ordered a size too big and they had to go back.  I tried to order a size smaller but by then they had sold out.  So I've been perusing ebay on a regular basis and stalking the local charity shops - nothing, not even a hint of the white, narrow legged trousers I was after.

Then I saw a plus size blogger - the uber stylish Lilli from Frocks and Frou Frou wearing a gorgeous pair of jeggings.  I had no idea exactly what jeggings were but it seemed that good old Marks & Sparks sold rather a lot of them (turns out they're tight-fitting jeans) and they had a pair in white and in my size.  Before I knew it, I'd ordered them!!  I did strike lucky in that there was a 20% off 'bottoms' promotion - an odd expression by M&S, if you ask me - but there went my incredibly long run of not having bought anything retail.  I honestly cannot remember when I last bought something new to wear - certainly not since I've been back in Bristol, so that is at least seven months - and I'm suspecting it is actually well over a year.

I've been very lucky with finds in local charity shops - I'm on a cardigan phase at the moment after having bought a beautiful 100% pure Tasmanian wool one, that still had its original tags on, in a chazza in Keynsham back in March.  That cardi has proved so useful that I've realised I needed a few more - especially as the weather is so changeable in the UK this summer (quelle surprise!!)  Last week I found a lovely mint green cardi - its by George but you can't have everything in life - and a nice long-length black cardi by M&S in the same charity shop.  I think they were approx. £4.00 each and the black one has already had an airing out and about.

I've also found quite a lot of summery tops, in fact the yen for white trousers is because one of the tops I found would look gorgeous with white - and doesn't look so good with my ubiquitous jeans.  Luckily, as my jacksy is approx. the size of Avonmouth Docks, the top is question is really long so should cover up my large white-clad behind rather nicely.

Should my jeggings be delivered today - and should my derrier not be too frightening in all white - I may wear them out tomorrow for my birthday meal.  Mum, my sister and I are off for a Mexican lunch at Las Iguanas in Clifton, followed by a tour of the charity shops in Cotham Hill and Whiteladies Road - my idea of a good day out.  Then we'll meet my nephew from school and go for a cup of tea somewhere.  Can't have my birthday pass by without getting a hug from my best boy.

Alone Again, Naturally

After the most wonderful two weeks together poor old P has had to return to Hong Kong - he didn't want to go and I most certainly didn't want him to go  - but what can you do when that is the only job in his speciality he could find.  After more than two years unemployed, and having tried everywhere in the UK and Europe, it was Hong Kong or bust - so Hong Kong it was.  It's a bugger to be separated by so many thousands of miles but it is how it is and neither of us can change it at this point in time.

We managed to fit in a couple of days in Switzerland last week,  P wanted to catch up with his family whilst he was in Europe and as neither of us wanted to be separated for those couple of days I went along for the ride.  It was only really possible thanks to the thrice-weekly flights directly from Bristol to Zurich.  Not sure how long they'll keep going as both flights were pretty empty but maybe they do better business in the winter with people heading of for ski holidays.  We were both delighted that these flights exist as it made travelling over much much easier (and considerably cheaper) as we didn't have to travel up to Heathrow.

Switzerland was looking particularly beautiful at this time of year - though the English countryside is also looking pretty spectacular right now too.  I was surprised to see snow still on the peaks of the mountains but the Swiss, like the rest of Europe, have been cursed with a six-month-long, bitterly cold winter which has meant everything is at least a month late this summer.

The house feels very empty right now but no doubt I'll get used to being on my lonesome again, and poor old P will get used to living in an apartment the size of a shoebox.  Our house is not large by any means but P said he felt like he was living in a palace compared to his accommodation in HK.  Plus we do have a rather stupendous view which P enjoyed looking at for ages (no view in HK, just the sides of other skyscrapers) and, during the first week of his holiday at least, clear bright blue skies - another thing which is in short supply in HK apparently.

Unless I go out to visit him (and I'm really not sure I could hack such a long flight)  it'll be Christmas before I see P again.  Much as I normally loathe the festering season, this year I'll be wishing it to come round as quickly as possible.  Or, maybe, a miracle may happen and he'll find a job in either UK or northern Europe - hmm, don't think I'll hold my breath for that!!

Six Months is Too Long

Finally, after six incredibly loooong months, P is home for two weeks leave.  We're halfway through those two weeks but we've managed to pack in an awful lot during the past week (and have much more planned for the coming week too.)  We visited the beautiful Dyrham Park which is practically on our doorstep and which I had never been to before.  I can highly recommend it if you enjoy visiting National Trust properties - and it is very easily located just off the A46.  (Don't do what we did and drive for miles around country lanes assuming the entrance would be in the village of Dyrham!!  The passing scenery was rather lovely though.)

On Friday P, me and Mum went for a splendid day out at Upton Cheyney (a gorgeous village between Bristol and Bath.)  We went primarily to visit the farn shop but had a wander around the lanes there too.  We then went on to The Old Crown in Kelston for a splendiferous pub lunch which we ate sitting under an old apple tree in the pub garden.  We timed it beautifully because within minutes of leaving the heavens opened and it chucked it down with rain.  Didn't stop us having a quick stop in a garden centre en route though.

Yesterday P and I went to the most beautiful village, Queen Charlton, that I have ever seen.  They were having their summer fete and it was a lovely afternoon out.  The sun shone, there was a brass band playing on the village green, cream teas in the village hall and it was like stepping back in time 50 years - I could almost have expected to see Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple go swooping by on her bike.  Perfect.  P is really enjoying being able to see so much green space and blue sky and I'm really enjoying having P around again - even if it is only for two weeks.

Apologies once again for no photos but I still haven't fixed the Typepad problem - though yesterday I forgot to take my camera with me so that wouldn't have been much use either!!

Shopping Ad Nauseum

During the nine years I was living in Essex, Bristol garnered itself another mega shopping mall - Cabot Circus.  To build it a lot of the 1950's monstrosity that was Broadmead was demolished and this paen to consumerism rose from the ashes.  I suppose it's nice enough as shopping malls go - it certainly has some very high-end shops in it like Harvey Nicks as well as every High Street name you can shake a stick at.  It is light and airy and has a mega Showcase cinema and lots of restaurants on the top floor.  On Saturday (as part of my nephew's 10th birthday bash) I visited it for only the second time (well, there might have been a brief third occasion but I was only looking for a loo that time.)

We had a very nice meal in an Italian restaurant with nine or so 10 / 11-year-old boys who mostly behaved themselves very well, plus a couple of Mummys, me (the token auntie) and Mum - in her role as Grandma, of course.  The restaurant was fairly quiet with plenty of space to enjoy ourselves.  Outside, though, the story was entirely different.  It is a very, very long time since I have seen so many people all hell bent on such an astonishing display of consumerism.  People didn't just have one carrier bag of new items, they had whole armfuls.  There were groups, families, couples, singles - all trotting off across the weirdly-shaped bridge (famous for inducing feelings of dizzyness and fainting) back to the multi-storey mega-sized car park eager to store their mahoosive amounts of new purchases in the boots of their cars and then join the ginormous queue of traffic exiting the Circus.

I have to say the whole experience of so much shopping and spending by so many people left me feeling rather unsettled.  I know it's probably me who was the odd one out there on Saturday (though neither Mum nor my sister ever go near the shops in Cabot Circus either), and I do realise that we need to have people spending in order to get our stagnant economy moving again.  Plus, I know full well that if people didn't spend lavishly and buy new items then there would be very little to be found later in the second-hand market.  It really felt to me that these people, with their armfuls of carrier bags, were treating their whole shopping experience like some kind of religion - and if that is what makes them happy then good luck to them.  I'm sure most of those at Cabot Circus on Saturday wouldn't enjoy a grotty old charity shop or a good rummage round a jumble sale - it's horses for courses.   But retail shopping as an Olympic sport? - no thanks, not for me.

Mum's Birthday Present

It may be a tad unconventional, but what Mum really wanted for her 80th birthday present was a bit of a makeover to her front garden.  The bed in front of her living room window had become totally choked with brambles, a stupidly large buddleia and self-seeding aquilegias.  Add into the mix a couple of stunted old rose bushes and a large shrub which attracted all manner of slimey slugs and snails whenever it rained (and it certainly can rain in the West Country) and the time had come to get something done.  Cue one lovely young chap of a gardener, a delivery of pale plum-coloured shale and four or five hours hard work and ta dah!!

Mum's front garden has been transformed.  She is delighted with it all and it really does look so neat and tidy and should be easily low maintenance from here on in.  

A few pots have already been displayed and Mum is now talking about getting some lavender plants and a nice large pot to add to the mix.  I particularly like the display of pansies in Mum's old tin 'clothes washer'.    I'd like to do something similar with an old jam pan I've got - it would look very fetching outside my front door.  So it's a bit belated (almost three weeks belated) but Mum finally has her birthday pressie.

Just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone who left comments on the last post but one - I was very touched by your kind words.  I still haven't fully decided whether to carry on blogging or not, I'll see how I feel in a week or two.

Second-hand But New

A couple of weeks ago - when the weather seemed a lot more promising that it is now - I got my summer clothes out of their storage box.  When I'd hung them up in the wardrobe I realised that a) I didn't much like most of them and b) I didn't have half as many summer clothes as I'd imagined.  Well, luckily (!), the weather has been so miserable for the past week that I'm back wearing winter jumpers and long-sleeved T-shirts (oh, the joys of a British 'summer.)  Trouble is, I'm mightily fed up with all my warmer clothes too - having worn them pretty much continuously for the past eight months.

So, most serendipitously, this morning I found two never-been-worn-still-with-tags-attached tops which are warm enough for the weather at the moment but still fairly Spring-like in colour (I am hugely fed up with wearing 'winter' colours.)

Lilac coloured three-quarter sleeve T-shirt in a lovely long length.  Hadn't realised this one was brand-new with its original tags until I got it home.

M&S pure linen top, very nice quality.  Apologies for the 'frilly' effect to the sleeves but it's got one of those odd roll-up and button sleeve things going on - which I don't get on with so I unrolled the sleeves when I tried it on.  Both tops were £4.50 - which I initially thought was a bit expensive but, having realised they are both brand new, I now think were excellent bargains.  They both came from the same local hospice charity shop.

In case you were wondering why photos have suddenly reappeared - I took the opportunity of posting whilst being able to use Mum's camera and computer.  Normal photo-less service will, sadly, soon be resumed!!