Ultra Violet Pipedreams

Helloooo.  How's your day?

Our day is amazingly beautiful ... but cold.  We're about to enter a Polar Vortex phase, potentially.  (Yeah, I had to google it too!).  Sounds a bit Star Trek but the good news is that we get about 10 days of brilliant sunny (but cold) weather, so I'm going to have to wrap up warmly and get out there with the camera.

What I'd like to share with you today is what I'm starting to refer to as my Christmas Storage Dividend.  It started with storing  Christmas decorations in see through plastic containers (SEE HERE) and the ripple effect keeps on paying me surprise dividends. 

Today I share with you one such dividend.

 It's a pretty pinky lilac suede skirt.  It's probably about 20 years old and I was reunited with it when we started on the loft clearance last month to create space for those Christmas storage boxes

All suede skirts found in the loft (5) were bunged in the washing machine on a gentle cycle and hung out on the line to dry.  Good as new!  Have you tried washing your old suede, BTW?  If it's old and you've got nothing to lose because you would otherwise chuck it out, why not eh?

The skirt length is below the knee, but I'm seeing that as not so dated as I've noted from store websites and bloggers' posts that a longer length is sort of trending, so I'm perhaps bang on trend with this little beauty.

At a stretch, the colour could be seen as Pantone's 2018 Ultra Violet.  It's perhaps not quite there but it's a very close relative - if there were DNA testings for colours I think it's Ultra Violet blood line would be confirmed.  But for now, I'm kidding myself that the colour is bang on trend too.

I added my cute leoprint and leather cross-body/clutch bag.  It's from Accessorize and was a much welcomed Christmas gift.  It's the perfect size for stuffing my essentials in when my outfit is lean on pockets.  Phone, a couple of lip balms, a handy size pack of tissues, oh and just occasionally a debit card! 

I chose this outfit for a birthday dinner with a close and special friend.  The meal was just perfect but what was also perfect was that we picked her up, as the birthday girl deserved a little pampering, ca c'est sur, but I got a little pampering too - TP drove the "posh car" and for me that meant a spacious ride and warm

bottom!  The seats are leather and heated.  Oh the joy of that on a cold winter's night!!

Earlier in the day, we popped into town for a few things so we made an occasion of it with a stroll around one of the piers and a little picnic lunch courtesy of M&S.

Fancy joining me on my little stroll?

Starting with a few little gin palaces.

Then on to where the fishing boats moor.

Boats are taken up during the winter for cleaning, painting and repairs.

I love the shiny stainless steel used on boats.

A little fishing boat leaving the harbour.

And a bigger one carrying passengers to France.

A glimpse of the old castle at the end of the pier.

Oh and I had to point this out to TP.

Havelet Bay, on the other side of the pier.  Its a pretty little bay.

And it's where a former brewery looks out on the castle and the islands, and it's being converted into luxury flats.

And I pointed out to TP that I could quite see myself in a new life here,

looking out on this view.

And TP pointed out that "we are not quite ready for apartment living here".

Perhaps he is right on this.  Or perhaps he was thinking that these flats may just be a tad too pricey?

Perhaps he was diplomatically telling me that I'm punching above my weight, that these beauts are going to be way outside of my pension pot.

Perhaps I'll just dream on this one ...

Do you allow your eyes to wander when it comes to property?

Do you find yourself wanting to taste a little bit of luxury?  Punching above your weight?

Or are you like me, for in reality I snap myself out of my reverie and tart up my existing home - a lick of paint, a few new shelves .... for, to paraphrase Stephen Stills' song, 

If you can't be in the house you love,

Love the house you're in.

A la perchoine.