Brighton Revisited, with Annemarie

Hi peeps!  

Is there something in blogging etiquette that prevents me from kicking off this post by kicking off ?

Well if there is then permission to ignore it?  Just today?

Because I decided I'd have another bash at writing a post on his laptop and it has taken me, hmm quick check. 45 minutes to log on and get to this page and commence typing.  

The alternative is to type posts on Kindle and that's one finger typing and probably takes just as long as firing up this thing.

Moan over, but I just wanted to let you know that there is a lot of blood, swearing and tears behind the scenes when writing a blog.  But we're here now, so let's see what I can do.

Long post alert: to be read curled up in an armchair with a cuppa and with no plans for the rest of the day.

Putting typing posts aside (please!), there is a wonderful side to blogging - getting to know great ladies through the blog (readers and bloggers) and just occasionally meeting up with a blogger IRL.

It's a challenge for me to do this as I live off mainland Great Britain.  When I'm over in England I try to meet up with bloggers whenever I can, and I've been lucky enough to meet up several times with the lovely ANNEMARIE OF MUTTON YEARS STYLE (here) and we're getting to be like old friends.

During my recent visit to Sussex we met up in Brighton.  I've  visited Brighton thrice before in my life: to watch someone eat 12 doughnuts on Brighton Pier (a challenge and I had to pay for them), to mooch and eat in The Lanes, and a tour of the shops.

But I'd passed the Pavilion there on my mooch and was very keen to see inside the amazing building, which resembles the Taj Mahal.  In a Sussex city.  Yeah, I know, surreal.

So I arranged my blogger meet in Brighton so that I could see this cracking building's interior décor.  I was not disappointed!   

Let's look back on our day in Brighton.

Here's a potted version of what we did.  Me.  Anna.  Brighton Pavilion.  The Lanes.  Gin Palace.  And a Mexican eatery.

 

Me with Pancake Hair  - READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.

And if you want to read no further, then these two pics give you a brief overview of our day out.  I will think no worse of you if you walk away now.  But you will miss out, so your loss my friend ...

Ahhh, you're still here.   Phew!

Let's put some more meat on my pic collage's bones then.

For starters, we arranged to meet at  the Royal Pavilion, "in the café"

Who was to know there'd be two of the blighters.  So TP and I munched on scones and slurped coffee whilst the logistics were sorted out and Annemarie and her hubs tracked us down.

It wasn't long before I was put on the naughty step.

Apparently photos are not permitted in the Pavilion's display rooms.  So Annemarie and I we suffered one hour of bloggers' anguish as we frustratedly held back our clicking fingers.   So difficult as there was oodles of beauty we wanted to share with you - the place is a.maz.ing!!

Please go to Royal Pavilion

to read all about this amazing building's history and marvel at the sumptuous interiors.

I've taken a few pics from the site to whet your appetite.

credit: aforementioned website

 And then, the gift shop.  There's always a gift shop eh?  

But this one was probably the most stylish gift shop I've ever darkened the doorsteps of.  

If you are in Brighton and have just an hour or two to spare, this is where you must spend it.  Trust me.

The surrounding gardens have a nice relaxed vibe.

But after an hour or two of culture, a girl must seek refreshments.  In a Gin Palace.

Annemarie introduced me to this.  Tanqueray Sevilla.  Orange gin.  Peeps, one sip and I was smitten.  

TP bought me a bottle when we got home as my Easter pressie (I'm not that much into chocolate but I AM into GIN!).  And he bought a second bottle as back-up, so serious is much love of this stuff that we cannot risk there being none in the booze cabinet.

Tanqueray Sevilla, Fevertree tonic, 1 slice each of orange, lemon and lime, ice cubes.  Job done!

It also makes a refreshing drink without the gin.  So I'm told.

We moved on to a Mexican restaurant.

And moved on from the gin to the cocktails.  Pink pineapple punch (already consumed) and P#rn Star Martini which comes with its own cava chaser.

Yes, being savvy shoppers Annemarie and I availed ourselves of the DOGOF (drink one get one free, is my interpretation).  I left the "buying" part to TP so it was more DOGOF than BOGOF.

But it is always sensible to soak up alocohol with hearty food.  So I'm told.

This chicken enchilada with refried beans was de.lish!

Now fed and, er, watered, we debated going on a hunt for a blouse Annemarie was desirous of.  But it started to rain.  And we felt a few drops of drizzle would spoil the mood of the day so we stayed in the restaurant and formed a Plan B.  And possibly imbibed another cocktail whilst we constructed said Plan B.  So I'm told.

I should mention here, for the record, that I've never been exposed to much cocktail drinking - but I am now ardently planning to change that!  They really do not seem anything more harmful than very pleasant fruity drinks, but there is a peril to taking this view … one peril being unable to do up one's own coat buttons.  So I'm told.

We then decided fresh air and exercise were needed, so braving those last few rogue raindrops we left the lovely restaurant and walked through The Lanes (READ visitbrighton FOR MORE).  This little warren of bustling streets is another must-see if you are in Brighton.

At one point we were in danger of losing Annemarie …

... but I followed the perfume trail and found her in this pleasant smelling pop up shop, buying a super aromaed shower gel.

I've put together my snippets of film to share a little of the atmosphere of the day, which I hope you watch (duration around 3 minutes, I think)

 

So I hope you've enjoyed your day out with Annemarie and me.  Please pop over to her blog to read her take on the day brighton-my-new-boho-scarf-and-mary., HERE; her posts are always a joy to read.

Here's to the next meet-up in June, Annemarie.  Cheers!

A la perchoine,

Mary X.

Barnstorming

No, this is not me descending the tourelle staircase at Chez Pout.

The outside of the tourelle staircase can be seen behind me in the pic below.

I've been taking in a bit of history.

A medieval barn adjacent to an old farmhouse has been painstakingly renovated by our Guernsey National Trust.

It's taken some years.  I popped in to check the work.  

Please join me on my barnstorming walk-through.

A cider press.

A hay fork.

Cider bottles.  I had a few of these beauties at home.  I call them empties.

Now here's a challenge. This is a fisherman's basket, carried on the back, BITD.   I remember as a child my dad bringing his back home, filled with mackerel or crabs if we were lucky. He wasn't a fisherman but he enjoyed fishing and was good at it.

The challenge is the name.  I can't remember quite how to spell it but it's something like pannier'cou, which translates as derriere basket, for that is where it rests on the "lower back"!

,

These carts would have been laden with apples for pressing.

The refreshment tables groaned under the weight of sandwiches and cakes.

I like a groaning table.

 A cider barrel by the fireplace.

Paraphernalia.

The barn has been beautifully restored inside and out 

Specialist thatchers were brought in to re-roof the building.  We have very few thatched properties on the island.

It's such a pretty barn.  Granite of course 😆.  I had to rely on website pictures at this stage, as my phone ran out of battery just as I was approaching the attractive front facade.  And I have the audacity to call myself a blogger!

My barnstorming outfit of choice: a Marks khaki linen shirt and Peacocks t shirt over white Marks jeans, picked  up for just £8 in the January sale.  Bargain!  

I find white jeans lose their whiteness when washed so much through the sumner months.  I look out for sales bargains in winter and stock up so that I can wear starkly white jeans each  summer.

Other ways I've worn the khaki linen shirt

I thought I'd check out how I've worn this shirt during my two blogging years, just to see if my style has evolved.

Do you ever do this?

Back in 2016 I teamed it with shorts to create an urban guerrilla look ... Che Guevara meets Wolfie Smith!

In a more feminine mood in 2017 teamed with a fave charity buy, my pretty  flowery skirt. Channelling Kellyann, I wore it knotted, followed the colour through to the shoes to top and tail the outfit.  Then I channelled Chanel and Kellyann both in one big glammy zing with a chunky pearl strand.  I like this mix, a lot. 

This look from last year was similar to today's, here with a white cami and cropped jeans. 

From these pics, I see a smidgen of evolution has taken place, my dressing mood seems a tad lighter, more playful maybe?

Back to the shirt.

This is a cool shirt (linen, go figure).  It's useful as a layer on a hot day, protecting my arms from the sun when sightseeing ... or as a sneaky way of hiding my derriere - it's my chemise'cou !

Worn Kellyann-style, this shirt moves into a whole new stratosphere.

But I'm not too good at moving out of my stratosphere.  I'm not very imaginative when it comes to shirts especially, probably because I rarely wear them.

So it's over to you, my dear reader.

I hope you enjoyed barnstorming with me today.  But are you ready for some brainstorming now, my friends?

Are there any ways you can think of to get this shirt looking less jungle warfare?  

Is there another stratosphere of femininity I can enter with it?  

And to all Guernsey people out there 

Happy Liberation Day !!

A la perchoine.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Different day, different weather, and it feels like a different season.  

Last week we visited Scotney Castle with SD and DF.  It was freezing cold and gloomy, but the magic of the castle shone through. 

The Sibs had seen their photos posted on FB and really wanted to visit the place for themselves during their visit.  So, oh dear, The Photographer and I had to go back to that magical place again!  No hardship, of course, especially when on this glorious Good Friday the castle's magic stepped several notches, as you will see below. 

Firstly, the medieval castle.

Meet Bro.  We're enjoying a little break in the castle's grounds.

With memories of the recent bitterly cold visit, we took warm coats but carried them round most of the day as this truly was a warm spring day.

I loved the Boat House, it sparked such thought.  

I imagined times gone by when boats would have been returned there - by children having enjoyed hours of Enid Blyton adventures on the moat, by young ladies wooed with evening champagne picnics by moustachioed young men, by more mature couples having fished for the elusive resident pike whilst enjoying the afternoon son a la the delightful pairing of Peter Fonda and Katherine Hepburn, On Golden Pond ...

Three Little Duckies enjoying the warm, sunny, spring day.

And two  bigger Duckies enjoying the day too!

I love the beautiful reflections on the still blue water.

Now, back into the newer Victorian Castle 

for some internal shots

The dining room, set up for a cosy supper for 10!

My favourite of the guest bedrooms, The Bamboo Room.

I love painted furniture and this was painted in a gorgeous jade/turquoise mix.

The Gentleman's Bedroom - dark colours, heavy wood furniture.

The Lady's Bedroom - airy, oriental, gilt and with a hint of cat

(pussycat lavender bag hanging on the right of the bedstead).

The last lady resident loved cats - a collection of cat ornaments adorns her en suite bathroom.

The owners' apartment includes a cosy sitting room with nice homely touches like floral-decorated black painted furniture and tapestry cushions.

I apologise if you are feeling a bit Groundhog Day having seen shots of the castle last week, but I felt I experienced a totally new castle on such a beautiful day and I hope that maybe you feel that way too.  Because, what a difference a day makes!

And look what I found in the grounds ...

Sweet spring primroses nestled by an old tree trunk

And an old jalopy - and I mean the beautifully restored 

and polished old Ford car, and not me!

Here's what I wore.

M&S navy bobble button cardi over a Primark longline navy/white stripe V-neck top, with Next slim jeans and M&S Chelsea boots.  All new!  From my recent shop here.

Worn with an M&S scarf from 2014, white with delicate navy & taupe patterning.

 

 These boots are made for walking!

Here are the Chelsea boots displayed on old banqueting hall flagstone, seeing action for the first time.  I wore them all day and my feet felt absolutely fine right to the end, despite the pounding they took walking miles and miles in new boots.  They passed their Initiation Ceremony with flying colours, so are an excellent sale buy.  Recommended.

Apropos footwear generally, I have found in the last year or so that shoe sizes are all over the place.  I currently fit in a range between 4.5 and 5 (37 and 38, continental).  I was even able to wear a 5.5  (39), albeit with a bit of tissue shoved down in the toe end!!  Yet I had my feet measured by a Clarks lady last week and they are still their old size 5.  What's going on?!

I hope you are having a glorious Easter weekend.

  

A la perchoine.