Bank Holiday Gigging

 Hi my dear people, hope you are well.

I mentioned in my previous post that the weather was glorious over our bank holiday.

On Sunday I joined The Sibs at a open air gig just a short stroll from where I live.

I'm here.  Can you spot me?  Here's a clue, I'm wearing this hat ...

My outfit was v. simple, for the day was HOT.  White shorts, navy longline vest, silver oak leaf pendant, hat.

There are about half a dozen Sunday gigs on this balcony during the summer.  They are free, I can take a leisurely walk to the venue and the sun is always shining.  What's not to love?

 (You may remember us recently meeting up with family on their room balcony, HERE)

Me, Bro and Sis!

A visiting Fleetwood Mac tribute band was performing. The band started well, then went into what I would term as more obscure FM material, a bit Nicks/Buckingham-centric.  I never did think that this music genre suited their band's set up.

I have to say my jiggling and sing-alonging stopped and I disconnected a little.  Much of the crowd seemed to start talking amongst themselves.

I started looking over the beach wall.  I photographed a kayaker.

I photographed artistically positioned festival glasses, and yearned to be splashing about in that water, for the weather was very hot - perhaps I didn't stress that enough?

Oh and by this time the band had truly lost me.  My thoughts strayed to OOTDs.  I did a 360 from where I stood and observed that little dresses seem to be the thing for this sort of gig. So cool and lightweight.  I resolved to pull out something light and summery and one-piece for the next gig, Blondie (tribute of course).

And of course, my clicking finger couldn't resist a festival gig selfie.

But then the band got back on track ... my track.  They started back on the earlier stuff that we all know and love. 

 The crowd engaged with the band once more and there was much singing, dancing and air punching stuff.  I think the band had worked out where they'd gone astray and clawed us all back into their musical fold.

.

So all in all, this was a super afternoon with company, weather and music (mostly) pitched just right.

I think this picture says it all - what a day!

(aerial pictures from Chris George's Facebook page)

 

For my Sibs.

Do you like this type of open-air gig?

Maybe music's not your thing.  I know so little about you, so this post may be something you just scroll and move on from in the flash of a finger-scrolling flick.

But, as Fleetwood Mac would say,

Oh Well.

A la perchoine

Winter Berries in Summer

Hi my lovelies, thanks for popping in today.

OK, let's get the weather chat out the way ... it's bloomin' gorgeous!  The bank holiday weekend has been chocka with clear blue skies and warm, still days.  I'm so pleased that families have been able to get together outdoors, which is what I've been doing.  More on that in another post when I've got the photos collated.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

When I was having my try on session last week with yellow, coral and blue, my winter berry cardi and my chinos accidentally got together. An unusual pairing.  I was surprised how good they looked together, so as the following day was a touch overcast, I wasted no time in making this my OOTD for my lunch date.

I guess I'd been dragging my heels with my winter berry suite.  This had been MY colour during the colder months and there may just have been a little emotional tug during the seasonal wardrobe switch recently and these berry items may just have sneaked themselves into the back of the wardrobe ... and I'm mighty glad that they did.

I tried my multicoloured silk square with  the cardi and yup, it works as hidden amongst the rainbow of colours are shades at the lighter end of the berry range.

I am loving winter berry with these stony coloured chinos - winter berries in summer.

So my tip for today: don't consign all darker colours to the out-of-season pile, one or two just may be the wild cards that bring a touch of different to your summer wardrobe.  I'll certainly be wearing this mix again.

TPWFV preferred keeping the OOTD simple, like this.

So as a compromise, I sneakily draped the scarf inside the cardi just before we left the house for the restaurant.  There has to be compromise in a marriage, eh?

Now, I haven't posted my food shots from the day but just in case  Susan H asks, I have some pics just queued up waiting ... !

And though I've been draping myself in winter's berryage recently,  it's truly summer here now ...

... so I leave you with a pic of the sun going down on another glorious summer's day in Guernsey.

A la perchoine.

COMING SOON

My Bank Holiday Gig

I go in search of the perfect wedge

Chunky cream cardis in summer

Saturday Six #2

Yes. #2!  Doth two posts a series make?

Well, my dears, I'm surprising even myself with this.   A sequence of two, yes TWO, Saturday Sixes!  Consistency isn't my forte so to do this kind of post twice in a row and on the right day is getting me to feel like I'm reaching Real Blogger status.  Next thing you know I'll be posting on the same days each week, posting monthly articles on precisely the day of the month they should be posted ... A Real Blogger who meets her reader's expectations.

Anyway, that's "in my dreams" stuff, and perhaps in yours too?  A controlled Pout!?

Enough of the reverie, I hope your weekend is going swimmingly, which is what I hope to be doing shortly when the sea heats up.

#1.  Bertie.  He's old.

From Active Cat

To Telly and Slippers Cat, watching Cat Casualty

He's still off his food but has actually put on a smidgen of weight, according to his physician.  His problems may stem from a bug or from his aging kidneys.  We're trying various medications but the predominant diagnosis from yesterday's follow-up appointment was "He's old".

#2.  Cordless vacuum cleaner

vax-blade-32v-ultra-cordless-vacuum-cleaner/p3354126

Well, this little beauty has been a game changer in Chez Pout.  I'm actually vacuuming regularly and with enthusiasm.  It's such a simple and quick exercise to grab this beauty and whizz it round the house when I have a few minutes to spare, for that is all it takes when there's no faff with cables, and it can delve into the nooks and crannies with a simple flick of the wrist.  The central tube comes off to create a little stair vacuum.  Love it!

Have you entered cordless world?

You've probably had some nifty little vacuuming arrangement for yonks, and I'm the last to join the party.

#3. Steam floor cleaner

Vax S86-multifunction-steam-cleaner, HERE

Emboldened after our success with the vacuum, we bought this.  We have a large expanse of sealed oak flooring and it was a drag cleaning it.  The reviews put our minds at ease about using it on this type of floor so we got this little beauty a few weeks ago and ... Wow !   I put a dollopette of wood or tile cleaner in the reservoir with the water and voila, Robert est votre oncle!

But there's more!  It has an adjustment and attachment which creates a steam cleaner for horizontal tiles and glass.  Bingo! Squeaky clean and shining shower cubicles.

And there's even more!!  Our main bedroom carpet has got rather, err,  stained in recent years, what with the occasional nose bleed (TP), vomit (Bertie) and coffee spills (moi).  I've cleaned them up but the marks never truly disappear so recently I decided that it's time to replace the carpet.  Well, it's 15 years old and maybe cream wasn't such a sensible colour choice after all.

But then TP whizzed the steam cleaner around the room with water only and OMG, the stains have lessened considerably with just one five minute treatment.  I'm now even thinking the carpet might be good for another FEW years!

My dears, this little cutie is proving to be even more amazing than in my cleaning dreams (and yes, I do have those - sub-conscious guilt, maybe?).  So forgive me when I have a Kellyann moment now ... if you don't have one already, then get one, today!

#4. Golf

I deemed TP fit enough to try out a few holes this week as he is recovering well.   Well, I said we'd play 4-5 holes for his first time back but he had other plans.  He used his charm on me and we ended up playing 9 holes  (he's devious!).  And just from that one  half round he's now wanting to play three full rounds next week.  I see some patient/pseudo-doctor conflict ahead!

#5. Blue

Blue got a whirl during my try-on sesh this week.

T shirt (all from M&S), same as the yellow I've already sported on this blog.  Nice length.  Sized up.

A non-cotton T and TPWFV had issues with this one.  Something to do with its slightly flared bottom hanging off my slightly enlarged top.  I looked 7 months gone, apparently.

And a cardi.  I'd prefer a softer line, a more unstructured cardi in this statement colour but I've been unsuccessful.  Have YOU come across any?

I really have a concern about me and cobalt blue.  30 years ago I looked quite good in it.  Now, not so much.  I think it looks harsh against my (older) skin. TP likes it.  So I'm taking a very light touch approach with this one - I'm keeping just the one t shirt for a low-spend suck-it-and-see introduction to my wardrobe.

And that's my tip for today, peeps.  Unsure about a new colour?  Then try 1-bit-before-you-commit.  Buy the cheapest item you can find and live with the colour a while, best drive it,  see it in action.

#6. GDPR.

Yes, yesterday this piece of legislation came to even my humble and most parochial of blogs  - my privacy policy can be seen in the sidebar and Blogger's courtesy pop up should be popping up top for EU readers.

Rest assured, I am respectful of your privacy.

And now my darlings, it's over to you. Go forth and have the most splendid of weekends.  Take pleasure from everything you do, big or small.  Seek satisfaction in simple tasks, like floor cleaning - I certainly will!

A la perchoine.

COMING SOON

Winter berries in summer

Adding A Single Sizzle

Hello my summer sizzlers!

Thanks for stopping by.  Today I'm adding some colour to my summer wardrobe.  As much as I love my neutrals in summer, there are days when the sun or my mood, or both, draw me to colour.   

Coral has been creeping slowly into my summers over recent years. So I looked at the pieces I already have to identify gaps that need filling to get these garments to work as a coral team.

I don't have a coral t shirt and as I mentioned in a recent post, t shirts tend to be my day to day wear in warmer months.

Going a size or two bigger allows a t shirt to do what it's designed for, hanging loose.

And of course, when I saw this t shirt's fine crop, I thought of my dear blogger friend Andrea Nine and her love of pineapples and the fruit sealed the deal!

M&S, £8.50

I wanted to rein in the t shirt and other tops I have with a simple cardi, but this one's too dark for the pieces I have.  No surprise really, the clue's in the colour's name, Lacquer Red.  Oops!  That one shouldn't have gone in my basket but it is a nice cardi if you're looking for a lightweight summer layer.

M&S, £17.50

I tried it with an old Principles cardi which has its own sprinkles, embroidered flowers.  TP doesn't like this cardi, don't even ask him why because he doesn't know.  He just doesn't!

Anyway, the day was warm and a cardi would have spent the day scrunched in my bag, so I winged it cardilessly.

Another day, another pair of trousers.

My chinos have arrived.

(with apologies for not buckling up my shoes due to some quick changes and TP's ticking clock!)

I liked the colour of these but they just seemed a tad baggy in every direction, so I need to give them another try out on another day - and perhaps with a different attitude!

M&S chinos with belt, £35

Now although these look quite ripply in the pics because TP is taller than me (most people are!) so the camera points down at me and creates more shadow than exists, well they felt pretty good on.

I think these are The Ones.

£25, M&S

Right, chinos done.  Back to coral.

This was colour is Flame.  Again, I should have paid attention to the name.

M&S, £9.50

This cardi was more of a salmon pink.  

And at this point I gave up.  

I realised why I needed to give up.  Too much in one dose.  I'd strayed away from my light touch approach to 2018. I need to drip feed the colour into my wardrobe.  So the pineapple t shirt is the keeper I'm going to build on.  Slowly.  Everything else goes back!

Thus, I walked away from this lemon infusion from M&S too.

But this slinky stripey lemon, now sized up from a few posts ago?

Well, it's a fresh little keeper too!

M&S, £9.50

So, what have I learned today?

Add one piece at a time.  

Let the piece settle down in your wardrobe, gently networking with the other pieces and colours you already have, working the room, so to speak.

Then ask yourself if something in that colour is still missing, then shop mindfully until you find just the right piece.

Don't rush, don't settle for "it'll do".

Remember, 2018 is the year of the Light Touch, for me at least.

Fancy joining me?

A la perchoine.

COMING SOON

Another Saturday Six?

Winter berries in summer.

Seafront Sunday

Hi my darlings, thanks for popping in again.  My page visits tipped over a big (for me) number yesterday and I am so flattered and thankful that you pop into my humble blog.  I'm so thrilled to receive comments and I never tire of the "penpal" aspect of blogging and the friendships that form with readers from all over the world.   So thank you, dear readers, and I do hope you keep coming back!

So, what have I been up to?

In my last post I was saying YES! to yellow. Today, I'm letting my pics do (most of) the talking. 

I took my yellow t shirt and chinos down to the seafront.

Once a month, on a Sunday, Guernsey's seafront is designated traffic-free.

I decided to stroll along into town to soak up a bit of the atmosphere and check out what's what.

An abundance of street food is available, offering all types of local and global cuisines

Other stalls offer crafty things or are raising awareness of local charities.

 The Photographer had a struggle getting me away from this stall!

 This marina was sleepily quiet in the noon-day sun.

The old harbour slipway.

Each Seafront Sunday has a theme and it became quickly clear that this one was in support of our local animal charity, the GSPCA.  Needing no further prompt, dogs poured into town with their owners.

The tannoy announced that the next competition was for the Prettiest Bitch.

I didn't score well on "prettiest".

As well as a variety of street food on offer, some restaurants offered al fresco dining.

So which food trough did TP take me to?

 A cute little wharf seafoodisterie?

Or the fish and chip van!

Yup, it was the latter.  In fairness to TP, I had chosen this eaterie myself.   Poor Bertie is not doing too well at the moment and is off his food.  I struggle to find foods I know he will eat so I can crush his medication into it.  There is one food that I know he absolutely goes crazy for - fish from the chip shop! So I took him home a fish supper.  OK, I did help him out a bit ... well, quite a lot actually.  But oh what an excuse !

But on a lighter note, we had a wonderful stroll around the seafront, soaking in the sunshine and the atmosphere.  I was so pleased to see the event supported by locals and cruise ship visitors alike (there were two cruise ships in that day).  Town was a-buzzin'

So thanks for joining me on my visit to Seafront Sunday.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

A la perchoine.

COMING UP NEXT: Introducing more colour into my summer wardrobe.