'Tis The Season ...

What's happening with you, my dears?

Here things trundle on.  As does my blog format. So many bloggers have changed their sites in recent weeks.  Am I the only one not to get the memo on this?  I've had this format for nearly two years.  It's probably very granny-like, but I like the format and the colour and I think my overall look is in keeping with who I am, so I think I'll stick with what I have right now.  I do hope you're OK with it

The Photographer and I had a Date Afternoon recently.  We went to our local cinema to see Daddy's Home 2.  Hilarious.  I looked over at TP a few times as I didn't think the film was really "him", but there he was, snugged down in his seat and laughing his little head off ... phew!  It's a great Christmas film and I liked it so much I ordered the first film off Amazon.
So that's a film you might want to catch leading up to Christmas to get you in the spirit of the season.


And what's the season?  Well ... 'Tis the season of boughs of holly and sweater dresses.

Yup, this fawn sweater dress from Monsoon was my outfit of choice for a belated birthday lunch with a dear friend.  BTW, I hope you're not starting to think I'm a one-trick pony with a queue of sweater dresses coming your way.  It's just that, well 'tis the season for sweater dresses.

• Brown boots and opaques, Gabor and M&S respectively.

Tried here with a furry muffler.

The piled on with a brown suede jacket.

Then I tried that dreaded blanket scarf look again.

Did it look any better with a long East cardi, I wondered?

Nah, I'm really going to have to google some blanket scarf tuition, as a helpful reader suggested.

Have you mastered the blanket scarf look?  Is it getting any better for you?

 I think a few of us are struggling, there's so much of it.

Maybe a little muffler is simpler.  Yup, that's the one,

And those were the stages required to dress The Pout for lunch.

I met with my friend in the golf club a 3-4 minute drive away.  I'm not going to give you lots of food shots because some may be being careful with calorie intake to fit into something gorgeous for a Christmas party and I don't want to spoil things.

But just gotta say that I've been eating Mrs Fisken's chicken liver pate for about 15 years and it still does not fail to excite my taste buds when I take my first forkful.  Served here on a toasted brioche slice and with a beetroot relish.  So, so yummy.  It's locally made so Guernsey readers may want to dash round to Forest Stores for a slice or two of this lovely yumgrub for a pre-Christmas treat.  You're welcome.

My friend treated to my lunch and she gave me pressies.

Some fab Clarins products.  It must be obvious to those who know me that I love Clarins products and I was so thankful to family and friends' generosity and thoughfulness, as ever.  I have some more products to share with you soon.  Such a consistently good brand

Well, that was a lovely lunch with a lovely person.

That's me done, I'm off to chose an outfit to tonight's meal with friends.  I hope it's good enough to share photos with you!

A la perchoine.

p.s. I apologise for the abundance of selfies right now.  Normal service will be resumed shortly.



White Jeans On, Trois - Beaucette Marina

Welcome, dearest people of the Blogisphere.

Hope you are enjoying September, we're more than half way through already.  Can you believe that?  Maybe you've been enjoying a bit of an Indian Summer, as we have here in Europe.  So nice.

It's that time of the year when I hang on longingly to white jeans, trying to eke out yet another outing in them before they are packed away for the winter.  I am thrilled when they come out of the archive in spring and I mourn their parting when they return to their box in autumn.

I know that some wear white jeans way into winter and they look really nice.  I stop in autumn.  I find my white jeans take on an awfully cold and uncared for look in winter.  I look somehow, what's the word, neglected.  Maybe it's our winter sunlight, our climate's "colour" that does that. 

Are your white jeans just for summer or do you carry on through, oblivious to season changes?

Last night we met up with friends down at Beaucette Marina, firstly for drinks on board their boat and then a meal in the marina's super restaurant.

The day was very blustery which was a challenge on the golf course earlier that morning.  And although I would have loved to slip into another summer dress, possibly the last of the season, the wind kept the temperature down a bit and leg cover was called for.

So a good opportunity for white jeans then!  I wore a black Next crepe de chine shirt (last year's) over a black camisole, with white Peacock jeans and my Adesso taupe heels.  I wanted to feel sassy and those heels do that for me!

The Photographer observed that they were not boat-appropriate shoes.  As a compromise (to shut him up), I threw some flatties into my handbag.

I accessorised with my turquoise jewellery again.  It's old, a mix of Barbados airport and Accessorise, methinks.  But this summer I've been drawn to the mix a fair few times.

And it must be a sign that autumn is in the air because I slipped my Peacocks pleather waterfall biker over the ensemble.  First airing since Spring for this little baby.



My old Jones handbag completed the outfit.  Yes, the flatties fitted in this little thing.  It's a Tardis.

Now, I'm sorry that my black on black on black doesn't show up any detail in the photos, but I liked the outfit and one doesn't chose an outfit for its photographability, eh peeps? Besides, I did feel smart casual, which is my mission in life, so it's all good eh.

And off I went to ...

Beaucette Restaurant

But first, drinks on board our friends' boat.

The taxi dropped us off at the top of the ramp down to the pontoon.  The ramp was steep.  I was wearing my highest heels.  I have a fear of falling.  So it took me about 200 6-inch long steps and holding on desperately to The Photographer's arm in order to get 3/4 of the way down the ramp.  I changed into my flatties and then continued comfortably down the last 1/4 of the ramp and on to the pontoon. 

Yes, OK, you were right - happy now!

 

Guess which glass is mine?  Yup, the Daddy of glasses, filled with Hendrick's gin and tonic with a couple of slices of cucumber.  So nice.  Our nibbles were delicate slices of cheese and a sugar snap pea crispy thing - delicious, must get some of those (possibly Tesco's).

View from the restaurant table.

On to the food.  Warning: those of you on diets should now scroll through to my sign-off! 

I get excited when a menu bursts with so many things I want to try from the starters section.  That is a menu struggle that I enjoy.  This was one such menu.  So I ordered two starters, with one served as a main course.  The Photographer did the same.  This allows us to try different dishes without feeling uncomfortably full at the end of the meal.  We can't eat the quantities we could in our youth.

My starter. Crab three ways - bisque, spring rolls and a beautiful spoonful of crab mayo-ish stuff.

The Photographer chose a crab and prawn remoulade, with a cold fruity coulis and a fruit sorbet topping it all.  Very different.

We swapped starters half way through so that we could leverage our taste experience.  We do this quite often when we are spoilt for choice and want to try it all!



My "main", prawns in tempura batter.

We shared a rocket and parmesan salad.  And a bowl of chips.  But we did also share that bowl with our friends, so I was quite light on the chippage!

The Photographer's "main" was a scallop and chorizo salad.

Our maitre d' and the lady front-of-house/owner were so attentive and knowledgeable about what they were serving.  The Photographer and I shared a Tourraine Sauvignon Blanc and our friends a Fleurie. The food was super and the menu had so much of what I like.  I really was spoilt for choice.  So I will have to return soon.  To work my way through the rest of the menu!

Not photographed was a little bowl of honeycombe icecream.  The charming, pretty and witty young dessert waitress called it V.I.I. - Very Important Icecream! 

We had a wonderful time with friends, enjoying fantastic food and drink.

How was your Friday night, dear reader?

You know, I really would love to hear from you.  This blogisphere thing isn't a one-way street.

Go on, make my day.  Tell me what you've been up to.  Tell me where you stand on white jeans.

I'd love to know.  Pretty please!

A la perchoine.