Last Chance Salon Success

Hellooo.  Hope all goes well with you, my ether friends.

I've been out enjoying our sunny start to Spring.  Just a couple of days after our Siberian freeze, I was out on the beach enjoying temps that had moved from -5c to 7c.   Who would have thought? But it was still chilly at 7c.

So I wrapped up warmly and headed for the beach.

Look who's got old lady eyes!

This was a good opportunity to show you a success from my Last Chance Salon (See HERE)

I was considering dumping this jumper, then gave it the Last Chance Salon treatment (See HERE).

Well, the good news is that I've worn this jumper at least once every week throughout the whole winter.  Turns out it's a go-to for jumper and jeans days (and there are many!), so it's not a dumper jumper after all.  Success!

It was a bit blowy on the headland but this infinity scarf kept snuggly in place.

The scarf was thoughtfully knitted for me by a dear friend.

The grey jeans are from the M&S sale, £8.  I didn't like them because they felt thick and clumpy on the back of my thighs.  Claustrophic.  I think they are what Anna of Mutton Style describes as Farmers' Jeans.  You know, thick work-wear rigid denim that you struggle to move in.   

I washed them but that didn't affect the thickness and that feeling of being hemmed in.  

Too thick for our winters thought I (not knowing what was lurking in the east ...).

But hey, only £8 and too much faff to return to M&S so I kept them even though I suspected they'd end up as dumpers.  

Then last week, when it was really cold and warmth around the legs was suddenly a pleasing thought, I gave them their LCS opportunity.

Well, I've worn them 3 times in the last week and I don't know if it's the wear the fabric is getting or it's me not bothering about them so much, but you know, I'm starting to like them.

So I really do recommend taking a LCS approach to items of clothing you are feeling iffy about.  Give them that last chance.

So tell me, has your snow disappeared?  From the Northern Hemisphere's readers' comments I think this transitional period is all over the place, with temperatures swinging 10-15 degrees within a few days.  It's still snowing heavily in parts of northern Britain, yet here we're about to hit 12c. 

Oh, enough of this weather talk, Pout!  

I'll let you lovely readers go about your busy days/evenings.

I'm working on some outfit posts

 so please pop back and check out what I'm wearing now that Spring is popping in on Chez Pout, and hear about some of my plans for this exciting season.

A la perchoine.

Self-nurturing with Cocoa

Just a quickie today because we're finally able to get out and about so we're walking at every and any opportunity.  Feels so good to stretch the old legs and feel a hint of spring around us.

The weather may be mellowing but it's still nice to enjoy some cosy times indoors too.

(and yes, I DO label my pine cones!)

Cocoa with mini marshmallows stirred by a festive little person dressed for colder days.  Oh and maybe a Jaffa Cake or two, or six ...!

Why don't you give yourself a few moments for a bit of hygge ... a candle, a warm drink and your favourite cardi cocooning you through the fresh spring chills.   Allow yourself time to think, time to look out the window and see nature and birds go about their business in the crisp spring air.

Now that's what I call self-nurturing!

Wishing you a hyggelig day.

A la perchoine.

Something In The Air?

Hi my dearies.  Well, here we are, February already!  I feel in my waters that this will be a year that will fly off the shelves.  Not great for us oldies who want to savour every single moment, but by taking my Light Touch 2018 approach to the year I've got a feeling it's gonna be GOOD!!  It's going to be the year that I feel some sense of actual achievement.

Another feeling I'm getting is that there's something in the air that I'm breathing at the moment. 

I'm seeing what's happening in this wondrous world of ours and thinking, OK, surely we can do this better?  Hold on, can I do things better?

Maybe there is something in the air and it's Spring!

I feel like I'm waking up from hibernation and I'm hungry for change. (Or just plain hungry!)

Today, the wind has dropped, the rain's not teeming down and the sun is out.

It's bloomin' cold but at least it's beginning to look a lot like springtime.

Primula (Paperwhites) and daffodils have burst out along the hedgerows.

That says spring to me.  Maybe spring is the time for change.  Maybe this is my Pout Spring! 

But enough of this quiet reflection.  That's not what you pop in here for, is it?

Yesterday wasn't about quiet reflection or walks through country lanes.

It was a day of action, delivering more decluttering to various charity depots.

So, did I want to wear jeans and a gilet to go about my charitable works? 

A tweed skirt and cardi to keep my arthritic limbs warm?

 Naah.  Ever the iconoclast, I wanted edgy feminine casual.  That's what I'll call this look.

I took my biker jeans (edgy) in the direction of something girlie and ruffled (feminine). topped with a snug jacardi (casual).  Ipso facto.  Edgy feminine casual.

And what about this, my dears - my silver leaf necklace?

I mentioned some months ago that I'd discovered an exciting innovation.  And here I demonstrate it.

On the left, the pendant is long and lost in all that rufflage.

On the right, it's sitting neatly proud of the ruffles.

My silver leaf is showcased, as it deserves.

The innovation is soooooo simple.  My jeweller (gadds that sounds so grand!), let's start that one again.  My mate Paul, who happens to be a jeweller, fitted a slightly larger link on the chain as seen on the right.  Subtle, huh?

The lobster claw fixing can fit into the ring.

This means that I can close the chain at the very end, making a long pendant for jumpers etc.

Or I can fix it through the additional link  and it becomes a shorter necklace! 

Is that Taadaaah or what?

I'm showing you this because if you want to double the mileage on gold or silver chains to create different drop lengths for different outfits, pop in to your local jeweller and I'm sure you'll get this smart little innovation fitted for a quid or two.

If this is my Light Touch 2018, then I think I can notch that one up as small step making a big change.

So, how about you, my dear readers, are the spring flowers starting to come through where you are?

And are you feeling Something In The Air?

A la perchoine.

The Perfect Spring Jacket - The Hunt Is On!

Yes, indeedy, the hunt is on for The Perfect Spring Jacket. 

But I don't know if it exists.

Actually, I don't believe my needs can be fulfilled in one jacket alone.  I need a casual utility style with lots of pockets and a smarter jacket that looks equally good with jeans and summer dresses.  Also useful would be a patterned, lighter drapey sort of wrap-ey thing that can be rolled up and shoved in a bag.

So, it seems like I've identified my needs.

But being a buxom lass I have to be careful with jackets to avoid that dreaded sergeant major look.  That means steering clear of masculine-style jackets.  And boxy jackets aren't good for my body shape either, in them I look ... errr, a box-like!

Softer, drapey jackets hang better on a larger lady but are limiting.

This is what I've tracked down so far.

At the smarter end ...

I love this M&S jacket but its sold out so I need to source something similar.

An HM pink jacket might work well, but I have something similar from River Island so that's on back burner.

Straddling smart and casual ...

This  H&M jacket straddles, so is the sensible option if I'm going for just the one jacket.

More casual ...

These from H&M look like they'd work well with jeans and chinos.

And casual ...

Now, a practical Next utility jacket is probably what I would wear most, through summer and the shoulder months. 



And as my Sleeper has had so much use, maybe this Next shirt-style utility jacket would work for the life I lead.

I love the look with that skirt, but oh! - my knees would look awful in this length :-(.

More from Next.  Shorts? You did see what a panic I just got in above at just the thought of exposing my knees!!!  My legs were last paired with denim shorts in Greece, 1971 ...

The warmer jacket is just what I needed these past few cold Spring days!

I have something similar to this, from Cotton Traders.  It's on the masculine side of jackets so doesn't quite work for my body shape.

So, let's recap, what have I achieved so far?

Needs assessment. Done.

Research. Done.

Analysis.  Done.
Puchases.  TBD.

TBD.  Hmmmm.  Decision time.  But, I am a procrastinator and during my hunt I have noted that things are selling out.  Fast.
I need to move, con prisa!
So if you can help me make some quick decisions, I'll be a happy bunny.

A la perchoine. 



A Spring in my Step

A sign of Spring

Daffodils budding along the side of the lane. 

But the temperature seems to be going in the other direction, it's dropped to around 5-6c, considerably down from the 11-12c we were enjoying just a week or so ago. 

Not complaining of course as we get off lightly, living on an island.

I've been a bit lax in outfit postings of late,  Knowing I will have photos taken is a key driver in getting me to smarten up my act, which is the raison d'etre of this little blog. 

I may have a long way to go before I put the pout back in this pensioner, but let's keep the momentum going with a few outfit piccies. 

Yesterday, day-time.

Next sculpt jeans, Clarks heeled boots (so springy to walk in) similar here,  Woolovers navy long-line jumper, East paisley and beaded, scarf, and a little string of pearls underneath there somewhere.

Then it was party time! 

We were invited to celebrate the birthday of the fiancé of a friend.  They are both super-special people and as well as celebrating his birthday with a fab meal and lots of dancing we discovered that we were also celebrating ... their recent wedding! 

It was a truly wonderful evening.

Ok, I'm going mostly vintage on you again.  The Peacock fake-leather waterfall jacket is getting another airing, this time with an M&S black lace-necked top, H&M black/red/taupe paisley skirt (both ca. 2004), and Clarks snakeskin nubuck heels, AW15, similar here.

Now, I love these Clarks shoes, they are proving to be truly comfortable but they hadn't yet been put to the ultimate test yet, dancing.  To give you an idea of how comfy these heels really are, get this: I had to be dragged, yes literally dragged off the dancefloor when the taxi arrived because I think I could possibly have danced the night away in these babies, totally pain-free. Amazing shoes. 

Thank you, Clarks, for putting

A Spring in my Step.