Friday Night In Da Hood

Friday night out.  Much-deserved after a week of liberating shed clearance and other hard-graft.

So it was nice to have a break from working clothes and golf gear (yes, I sneaked in an early-morning round).  Oh what bliss to slip into something halfway decent.

We fancied going out for a bite to eate but we didn't fancy venturing too far.  We were pretty shattered, so my look was fairly casual.  And layered, as the day had been around the 20c, not the 32c of the previous week :-(.

Woolovers grey cashmere/merino frilled cardi.

Next layered ivory top.

Some much-treasured, beautiful grey/taupe beads given to me by a jeweller friend some years ago.

My taupe heels.  So surprisingly comfy.  I walk like a sassy lady in these!

So you'd think this would be layer enough for a July evening.

But no!  The Photographer wanted me to take a pash "in case it was cold on the way back"!

 

But needless to say, I did not wear this grey/cream patterned pash!  It was far too warm an evening.

So, keeping my pash stowed away in a capacious bag "just in case", I went here ...

Hotel Hougue du Pommier.

It's an old granite farmhouse building and is surrounded by lovely gardens to wander through.

It's just round the corner, a 5-6 minute walk.  It's in my hood.

So it should be on our list of local eatery stops.  It is now!

We experienced some disappointing service about 5 years ago, let's call it Lobstergate.  A rogue piece of chicken found in a lobster thermidor - the maitre d didn't handle the situation well, and neither did the chef.  So we had stopped frequenting the place.  Which is a real shame, being so close. 

We felt that we had distanced ourselves enough from the event for there to have been a full staff turnover.  And, we discovered, it was also now under new management and boy, could we mark the difference .  For last night's meal couldn't be faulted, it was pretty superb.  

The restaurant was packed, that really says it all. eh? 

We will be going back there again very soon.

A nice chilled Pinot Grigio to check out.



Yup.  That hits the spot.

The Photographer had what was listed on the menu as plain old scampi.  In reality it was full-sized firm prawns cooked in a tempura batter.  The Photographer declared it the best scampi he'd had in years.  And that's coming from one who is frugal with superlatives, so "best" is pretty big in his world!

I had the chicken breast burger served with a little red cabbage coleslaw.  And some cheeky onion rings were thrown in to the mix.  I was not unhappy with that!

The breast was beautifully cooked, tender, with a super salsa topping.  Simple food, cooked yummily.



A double espresso to round off a truly lovely meal.

Hotel Hougue du Pommier.

Location - brilliant.

Food - the best (The Photographer's words).

Service - superb!

And, as often happens, we met Henry the neighbourhood patrol cat on the walk home. 

I hope you note that after last Friday's Blistergate, I had packed Birkies in my capacious bag for the return journey through the ruettes tranquilles.

I paused to snap our neighbour's fine display of Michaelmas Daisies.  He is so good with this flower and his garden proudly boasts this superb daisy hedge each year.

Cosy-Fridayness is what was on my menu yesterday evening.  Hope it was on yours too.

Wishing you a lovely rest-of-weekend, peeps.  Thanks for popping in.

A la perchoine.

Mixing Pattern and Being Nora Review

Now I'm not good at mixing patterns.  There's a lot of mixing happening on the street, some are quite bold, some subtle.  Either way, they get it to work. 

I feel a bit uncomfortable mixing it up.  I think it's because in doing so I have to forget a fundamental rule that's prevailed through most of my life.  One pattern only in an outfit.   I know where I stand with rules.  Give me free-format and I waiver.  So pattern mixing just hasn't been my bag.

Last night I stopped the dithering and, dressing to meet with friends at home, I found myself boldly going where no Pout has not gone before.  I came up with this ...

An old Next grey patterned stretchy jersey jacket, an even older embellished grey patterned top, grey/taupe glass beads.  

I kept to the same tones. It seemed a bit cluttered but I think I just about pulled it off!?

Do you have any tips to share?   What are you like at pattern mixing?  A big no-no or do you love throwing yourself into some form of controlled pattern mayhem?

I've been "thinking Nora", reference the post here, for the last week.  Let's see where I've been.

Well, I've mixed patterns, as evidenced above.

I've worn a smart-end jacket with jeans

And a more casual jacket with linen cut-offs.

I've tried a "posh" blouse with a more casual look of cardi and jeans.

I've made more effort to mix the jewellery round a bit (I tend to stick to the same pieces for weeks!).

And, all importantly, I've worn heels with jeans and cut-offs!

These are all things I noticed Nora did and I didn't.  Until now!

I have felt that I've dressed a little more stylishly than usual.  I've been pleased with all the looks.  I've felt very comfortable with the outfits chosen.  And the process has been easier because I sort of channelled Nora without thinking too much about it.  And these outfits were the result. 

So, the idea of playing the "Being ..." is a keeper in Pout World! 

Now who am I going to have a bash at Being ... next?

A la perchoine.