Elegancemaison

HELP! Seeking Primary School contacts in London for PGCE student

2010-09-06T21:35:00.001+01:00

Calling all bloggers who live in London who might have connections with primary school teaching in London. My son's lovely girlfriend who was until recently working on a Phd in astro-physics (!), is now starting a PGCE to teach maths. She urgently needs to do some observations at a school next week. Any help gratefully received. Please contact me via my email on my profile page or leave a comment so I can contact you. Thank you!

VENDETTA - keep it on the nails. There's no beauty in an angry face

2010-09-02T20:44:00.000+01:00

My furious nails showing my anger

Recently I had an unfortunate brush with an someone who purported to be professional but reneged on a contract and then lied about it. Although I have written evidence, the notion of having to sully myself by any further contact with this person is too upsetting too contemplate. Trust once broken is not easily repaired. But I am sorry for others who might be taken in. Especially as it was a fellow blogger as well. I was seething after the event and this is reflected in my 'bleeding' nails above. I was touching up my Chanel Rouge Peche (Red Sin) varnish that evening and clearly my hands were shaking with anger.

But after careful reflection helped by a G'n T, I decided that ugly feelings of revenge would soon show in my face - and I am spending enough on miracle anti-wrinkle creams as it is! I am a firm believer in "what comes around , goes around" and so left it at that and have moved on to happier things.

Pretty rings - clear resin carre by Jackie Brazil and an Abbey horn ring

Leaving Vendetta to the nails! With the Jackie Brazil resin 'rock'

I adore this Jackie Brazil transparent resin square top ring and it always brings compliments.

Even Elizabeth Taylor might be envious of this ring!

The stunning abbey horn ring worn this way

Or that - beam me up Scotty!

I also love this horn ring which spreads across the top of two fingers. This one too, always gets noticed, Though I do sometimes feel I might be in an extra in a Star Trek movie wearing my communicator or translator device.

Anyhow this is also a tip for you if you're not into the usual tidy traditional rings or especially if you feel that your hands are ugly. Just wear a big ring. And try painting your nails. You can have a lot of fun too, because you can be fashionable or rebellious and, best of all, any dress size. That brings a smile to my face.

The Phantom Brocanteur

2010-09-02T00:41:00.000+01:00

Where will the phantom brocanteur strike next?

Wilton House to the left and...

Car Boot Sale to the right.

Actually only the very edge of a very popular and huge car boot arranged each year by Rotary and held at Wilton House, near Salisbury, Wiltshire. Wilton house is the most popular stately house visited in the UK. Do visit if you ever get the chance - some stunning artworks and interiors as well as lovely grounds. It is also the place where Operation Overlord (D-Day Landings) for the invasion\of Normandy was planned by Winston Churchill and others. Some of the older staff here have told me of stories related to Churchill - especially his impatience with female secretaries.

Wild mushrooms in Wilton House Park

Was this the work of a secret woodcarver? Very strange.

The Wilton House car boot was where we spent a very enjoyable Bank Holiday Monday morning, followed by a delicious lunch in the garden of this nearby country pub in the village of Netherhampton just along the road between Wilton and Salisbury.

The best pub if you're visiting Salisbury - forget the city centre ones

Hands That Do Dishes Shouldn't Wear Chanel Nail Polish

2010-08-26T20:42:00.006+01:00

France, pastis, Chanel and free perfume samples

I was so excited when I purchased the latest Chanel nail polish Paradoxal on my recent visit. As always in France there were free samples thrown in. One each for Mr EM and me. Time for a relaxing sit down in the sunshine in the town square to enjoy a pre-prandial pastis.

But all I could think of was the name of other Chanel colour I saw - Vendetta! How great a name is that - whatever the colour. I realised that I just had to have it as well. So as soon as my feet touched the ground in Blighty, I rushed round to my local parfumerie which I shall call Debenhams. Cleverly flashing my Beauty Card for more points, I grabbed a bottle of Vendetta as quickly as I could from the sales adviser who was anxious to demonstrate that Paradoxal was a cross between Particuliere and Vendetta. I KNOW! I have them both. But they are all equally and maniacally desirable. What was she trying to say - "buy one and save yourself"? Thank goodness Mr EM was not around. But just as she dropped the tiny bottle into a wonderful white and black Chanel carrier bag, I realised that no free samples were to be offered. But I had spied a display of the new men's fragrance 'Bleu' by Chanel, and asked if a sample was possible? Yes! Actually it's quite classy without the awful chemical undertones of many other 'designer' male fragrances, which was just as well as it lasted overnight after I had sprayed it behind Mr EM's ears on my return. I was then chuffed to see that The Sunday Times Style mag had Bleu listed in it's 'Going Up' column last weekend.

Anyway back to the meat of this blog.

Paradoxal, Base coat, Vendetta

I love Paradoxal (left) - it's a sort of mole grey with a lovely sheen and hint of purple in certain lights. Very flattering to medium skin tones. Vendetta on the other (right) hand is a crushed blackberry - deep and dangerous. But not a bit 'Goth'. The only problem, sadly as usual with Chanel, is that they flake off quite quickly even if you have a dishwasher! Vendetta was the worst. You can't quite see in the photo but it's quite 'chippy' on my index finger. Yet I had used Chanel base coat first on both hands. I am thinking of checking out Boots 17 Lasting Fix varnishes to see if they have a similar colour to Vendetta in their autumn range as I find that they go on much easier and last much longer than Chanel. My summer fave was Boots 17 Parma Violet (yum) which did almost last five days as claimed. Sigh. So why do I chase and pay for Chanel? Gotta have it baby!

Oh - and if you would like a chance to try Paradoxal for free - nip over to Make Do Style (http://makedostyle.blogspot.com/2010/08/chanel-509-giveaway.html) where she is very generously offering a giveaway. To enter you just have to become a follower and give your 'make do' tip on fashion, beauty etc. Easy peasy as I shan't be entering of course, though I do love her blog.

Summer in Normandy - A Carrot Festival and Vide Greniers

2010-08-25T10:40:00.001+01:00

The Carrot Festival Parade begins...

Chef de Confrerie de Carrottes (King Carrot?)

and the obligatory accordion player - there are a few leeks about as well

Oo-er Ladies can be carrottes as well!

The traditional early morning welcome to a Normandy vide grenier

- the sausage stand wreathed in smoke

Dressing your building in carrot colours is a must

Mmmmn - this season white is the new orange!

So back to business (hehehe) - brocante I mean!

What would you store in your old enamel or ceramic bedpan?

Early morning arrival of vintage French van,

scattering the brocanters to left and right

I saw Flora and her sewing sisters at several vide greniers
and so wanted her.But why was she removed from her base?
Sold into bistro table slavery?

Early morning in Bricquebec as vide grenier stallholders set out their wares.

The proud 11th century castle at the top of the hill was built by Duke Robert,

brother of William the Conqueror ( known disrespectfully as Guillaume le Bâtard in Normandy)

What to wear at a vide grenier if you're 70 - love it!

Some of my loot - soon to be on sale at a vintage fair

Whistle and I'll come to you ...13 times in fact

Pretty pretty flower lined shallow cups or are they cider bols?

Lovely traditional French tablecloth and eight (!) napkins

Oh the beauty - a tiny perambulator made in French crystal

Pretty eau de nil tin tray - with Savon de Marseille (appropriately) covering a rusty spot!

Could these be the most beautiful vintage lace topped French dresses to be found this summer?

Hello Sailor Skittles!

Hope you enjoyed this round up. It's not quite as extensive as I imagined because I was looking at stuff with a view to enjoying and buying rather than just photographing it, so most of the pics were in my mind's eye. But hey - that's real life and you should live it not just record it.

I should perhaps explain about the carrot festival in Creances. This is a town in the Cotentin area of Normandy which is situated along the western side of the Cherbourg peninsula opposite the Channel island of Jersey. All along this coast the sandy soil continues inland for quite a distance and is very popular for the small-holders who grow various vegetables - predominantly carrots but also leeks among others. I believe that it's the seaweed used for centuries in fertilising the soil has contributed the terrific quality and taste of the local produce. Certainly the carrots are sweet and best of all uncontaminated by chemicals. We have bought crates of them over the years, bringing the sandy covered carrots home to the UK after our summer holidays here. At the annual fete local people sell carrot cake ( no relation to that American import) which seems to be a madeira/almond cake with added grated carrot and tastes so sweet and delicious. There's also carrot confiture ('jam') - usually mixed with other flavours. This year we bought a jar of carrot and citron confiture from a charity stall for aid in Ruanda.

And by the way a vide grenier is literally "empty attics" except that a grenier ( originally grain store) is usually at the side of a barn or house not above it like an attic. The equivalent 'attic' was probably the hayloft. Vide greniers differ slightly from a car boot in that cars are usually not on site - they deposit the stuff and move away to park because sellers must be local by law. Most vides are held in the streets, winding out from the central square of the village/town. In fact many stand holders just put stuff for sale outside their front door onto the pavement. Vide greniers are also strictly controlled by the tax and local authorities in France. Professionals have to register and are limited to the number of local events that they are allowed to stand at. Of course France being so bureaucratic, all sorts of ruses are employed by the local dealers to ensure that they manage to get a stand in as many of the vides or brocantes (supposedly higher level of bric a brac) as possible during the key summer season when fleecing the tourists is a high priority and a great game. It's all lots of fun and generally good high spirits and friendly banter ensure a satisfactory and pleasant outcome for all. Having enjoyed this for over 25 years we still love every minute of our visits.

Do tell your experiences of French vide greniers and brocantes. Have you a favourite region? One of the reasons we love Normandy is because it is reasonably close to the south western coast of England and has a similar countryside though less populated and reminiscent of our 1950s/60s childhoods. The Normans are of course of Viking heritage - similar to the Scots. Mr EM is forever gaining new best friends by declaiming that he is "Ecossais - pas Anglais"

(ps - please excuse the varied font size in this post - dunno what happened but can't seem to correct it.)

Catch up - August Birthday and Newbury Antiques and Collectors Fair

2010-08-20T19:17:00.000+01:00

1st August Birthday Boy and his Missus

(his vintage Hawaii shirt a perfect foil for my coral outfit don't you think?)

Antique Fair at Newbury Racecourse on 2nd August

This pic and the one above are of BusyLizzie's
(The Washerwoman) stand

Tracey's (The Vintage Bothy) stand
starring gentle Michael (back left)

Pretty chair from Tracey's stand

And nice chair that I found earlier!

Sadly due to my camera running out of battery and then my old phone malfunctioning I have lost the other photos I took at the antiques fair. Curiously the weather looks quite dull in the later pics but in fact it was a blazing day and very hot.

Lizzie - one for you. A new Dry-Cleaners/Laundry has opened in our local French town - I think you must be related!

Watch this space as loads more pics to come. Will be showing a round-up of vide-greniers we visited on our recent French trip and a quick look at some of my booty! Not to mention the tale of a Paradox and a Vendetta...

Gourmet memories from our Normandy holiday

2010-08-19T00:00:00.000+01:00

Nasturtium flowers in the Brittany Ferries salad

Caramelised salted butter crepes with petit noir coffee from a stall at Valognes vide grenier

Brick de jambon et fromage ( ham and cheese wrap in filo pastry) first course of a 12 euro cafe meal

Simple lunch a maison - rosette sausage, roquefort and walnut salad, pain aux noix, rose wine

Handpicked blackberries from our ferocious brambles served in vintage Normandy named 'bols'

The Provencal garlic seller

Market fare -freshly prepared French takeaway - bank cards and luncheon vouchers accepted!

Small-holders selling their produce at market

Dark chocolate flavoured with crystals of fleur de sel - sea salt hand gathered from the shore in the Guerande region of Brittany. Yum.

These are just a few memories from our summer holiday in Normandy. We have been holidaying in this area with our children for 25 years in various properties. They have now spread their wings but still like to visit occasionally or at least see reports of changes in the local towns and villages and hear of progress on our latest renovations.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY TWO DARLINGS

2010-07-30T19:46:00.001+01:00

Grandpa and Granddaughter heading for a dip in the waves

We shall be celebrating two birthdays on Sunday 1st August. Mr EM's shares the day with our beloved Australian granddaughter pictured here hand in hand together last Christmas, on the breathtaking white sands of Jervis Bay (http://www.southcoast.com.au/jervisbay/ ) New South Wales. She will be three and he will be ahem (cough) a wee bit older.

Sadly only Skype will reunite them on Sunday, nine hours and some 11,000 miles apart. But we shall be celebrating with our other children and will raise a glass or two to our far flung family.

Happily Mr EM and I will be going travelling next week, slightly nearer shores though as we are off to our house (ruin) in France. Just a few days to prepare it as best we can for the following week when eldest daughter and boyfriend are joining us. And lots and lots of happy brocanting to do as well!

I will be sure to take my camera and new phone with its own excellent camera, so hopefully plenty of jolly pictures for you all soon. So sorry about my long period of absence but apart from some other 'stuff', I have endured the total breakdown of both my internet connection and my mobile which resulted in the inevitable struggle with unhelpful phone store assistants and more useful, though expensive, "helplines". On the bright side I have found a great new colourist and hairdresser, who wielded a pink Parlux hairdrier so beloved of Faux Fuschia gosh, wow!

BTW Blighty, I have started searching for my photo of the snake's dinner and will post it asap I find it! And dear elite band of followers, if you have never read Blighty's blog, go there immediately!

Break the silence, buy radios for Burma « Protect The Human

2010-07-09T23:39:00.002+01:00

Break the silence, buy radios for Burma « Protect The Human

Catch Up Miscellany

2010-07-01T21:14:00.001+01:00

Decorative entrance to venue of Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair

Charming Ukelele Lady in the Tearoom

Helpful and talented seamstresses do alterations

Beautiful Japanese visitor to my stand

Beautiful Japanese visitor's hat

Nice Chelsea Shop!

Even Nicer Chelsea Shop!!!

Silk animal print rose headband

Tracey@ The Vintage Bothy at Newbury Racecourse

More luscious goodies from Tracey

Tracey's vintage fashion rail

Did I buy? Yes I did!

Happy Shopper! (Having stashed bargains in car)

Back to The Oval this weekend

We are off to London tomorrow to enjoy our last flat minding weekend for daughter and boyfriend as they return from their wonderful World Cup holiday in South Africa next week. Pity about those footballers, but it hasn't affected the great time they've had with their old and new SA friends.

The roof terrace overlooking The Oval cricket ground

I had a very successful Antiques Fair at Chelsea Town Hall where I showed my old Durham and French quilts, Uzbekistan coats, and other old textiles. Afterwards our son joined us in Kennington to be 'chef' and cook up a tremendous roast chicken following Jamie Oliver's recipe. We were fascinated at the array of ingredients required as for us a French roast chicken needs a lemon and some butter under the breast skin. We also loved his recipe 'book' - aka his laptop! We sat out to eat on the fourth floor terrace as dusk fell and continued to chat as the stars came out. We overlooked the darkened and world famous, Kennington Oval cricket ground. Because of its proximity and the low lights we were able to see something of the night sky and stars above London. Son's girlfriend amazingly is an astronomer. I proudly earned my astronomer badge while in the Girl Guides and as a family we are all fascinated by the stars and space travel which enlivened a lovely evening, accompanied by Australian wines.

How many veg are in that pan?

World Cup winning dinner is served!

Young at Heart and Out of Africa

2010-06-29T22:16:00.000+01:00

We're going to be a grandmother again!

Our lovely Australian daughter has confirmed that she is expecting her second child, due in early January 2011. We are so excited and have started saving for our airline tickets.

And look who's going to be a great-grandmother for the sixth time:

Home and recovering well from her op

Today my mother was looking cool and channeling safari style from "Out of Africa" - quite topical in more ways than one. Her linen dress is from M&S and she accessorised it with a wonderful chunky blue and silver bead necklace. (Sorry that I forgot to remove her Aid-call pendant for the photo.) She is happy to be home and very much enjoying the tennis from Wimbledon. She also followed the football and has a lot to say about Wayne Rooney.

In case you have been missing me (!) I haven't been able to blog or comment on others for a few days, partly because I've been away in London but mostly because my Internet connection suddenly became very erratic. Happily I think I may have discovered the cause. It seems that I had somehow become attached to the unsecure BT Openworld instead of my usual connection. Quite disturbing and I'm trying to find out how this happened.

I now have some catching up to do - especially about Clerkenwell vintage fashion fair, Chelsea antiques fair, and most recently, Newbury Racecourse fair where I met the lovely Tracey of The Vintage Bothy .

I leave you with this Thought of The Day from the London Underground at The Oval last Tuesday.

Duty, Honour, Sacrifice or cheating millionaire footballers

2010-06-21T02:26:00.000+01:00

The RAF ensign

21st June is usually the longest day in the northern hemisphere. It precedes Midsummer's day which is celebrated around 24th June. But for me it is the night my father was shot down from his aircraft when returning from a bombing raid on Germany in 1943. He survived thanks to his ingenuity and the help of brave young Dutch resistance heroes. I wrote about this last year and you can read it here.

He survived, married the young woman who became my mother, and served as an RAF career officer travelling his young family around the world including Australia. He died aged 73 suffering from Parkinson's disease. My mother was the love of his life as he was hers. My loyal followers will know from reading my blog recently, that she is now 90 and currently in hospital and recovering well from her second hernia op. The white rose is flowering beautifully and we shall take it to my father's grave as soon as she is sufficiently recovered.

And as for spoilt cheating millionaires pretending to play for the honour of representing our country and not the £150K per week they earn for running around a field being outsmarted by third world teams paid peanuts but who love the game ( and the honour etc).

"Football is a gentleman's game played by ruffians, and rugby is a ruffian's game played by gentlemen."

The England football team is a disgrace, especially to hundreds of fans like my own daughter and friends who have saved and spent thousands of £pounds to fly to SA to support the home team only to watch a laughing stock. Thank goodness SA offers more to enjoy as a holiday destination than the p**s poor showing of most of the leading national teams in the World Cup.

Watch the cricket and the rugby say I! No falling over in agony because an opponent player breezed close by. It's unbearable. Watched Brazil and their dirty players against the Ivory Coast and theirs, this evening. Brazil should be ashamed at their tactics, Ivory Coast - I shall be buying your bananas! You did well and could probably beat "Engerland" who have yet to score in this dismal contest.

All Well!

2010-06-19T17:07:00.000+01:00

Not out of hospital yet!

Happy to report that my mother is recovering well from her op this morning. She was propped up on pillows and despite the oxygen nose thingy and countless tubes, she had a huge smile on her face when we visited this afternoon. I had brought flowers and other bits and bobs, but when I asked if she would like me to get anything else she grinned like a naughty schoolgirl and said, "Chocolate!" I put an order in with my brother to bring this evening, although I'm not sure she is allowed to eat it so soon. She is still pretty high on morphine at the moment, so not feeling the pain thank goodness. She has a lovely young surgeon too - actually all the medical team there look as if straight out of central casting. So she's happy, and I'm relieved. She'll be in good hands there for three or so days while I'm away in London at various Fairs and my siblings will visit until I return and take over again. Thank you for all your kind wishes yesterday:)

Off now to London to be ready for this Vintage Fashion Fair tomorrow.

Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair, London

I've been wanting to do this Fair for a while but had too many clashing dates. Now is my first chance so I'm hoping for a good day meeting lots of new enthusiastic vintage fashionistas.

90 Not Out

2010-06-18T22:46:00.000+01:00

Lovely mummy last week

My mother aged 90 who is also a great-grandmother, has always been a terrific fashionista. She's channeling Chanel here. Slightly arthritic (two replaced hips) and a minor stroke and a daily drug mix of seven tablets at different times. She copes so well with the (to me) bewildering mix of tabs, sorting out the 'before food' from the 'after food', and the 'dilute in water' from the rest. So well in fact that she recently caught out the Boots dispensary with two separate mistakes. (We go elsewhere now).

But tonight she is in the local hospital awaiting surgery tomorrow morning after a sudden recurrence of a hernia which was operated on last October. She had been distressed for a couple of days then suddenly experienced considerable pain, as I tried to ease her symptoms. Luckily the GP, who eventually made a house call, immediately called an ambulance and referred her back to the surgical unit at the hospital.

She is so brave and so sweet. I will visit tomorrow lunchtime-ish as soon as I am advised after her surgery.

Book Learnin' and Pants to the Boys!

2010-06-15T21:11:00.000+01:00

Striking endpapers in The Pictorial Guide

Practical 19th and early 20th century books for the ladies

Exciting 1950s/60s books for the boys

High Standards for young girls starting at 6 years old

Barrowcoat - wot this?

Well now we know what it's called in the West Country

Time for some Glamour ( is that a ciggy in her elegant hand?)

I want one of these!

Not sure about the woolly swimsuit though!

Blighty this is for you!

Timothy's Space book

Boys had the best books (I always wanted to be an astronaut)

Monkeys in rockets, Oo-er. And Woomera - field of lost (British space race) dreams

Absolutely the BEST explanation I've ever read

From the LADYBIRD Book of London 1964

Pony-rides at London Airport? Surely some mistake?

Hope you enjoyed this voyage round my recent car boot bargains!

Capsule Wardrobe in London: Sanderson, Zandra, Scallops and Samphire

2010-06-12T00:45:00.000+01:00

Scary London construction site

Looks to me like the vision of a future city from hell - the "artist's impression" photo-montage on the hoarding round a construction site seen on my way to The Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey, south London. It is more or less directly opposite the vibrant, but also historic, Guy's Hospital. I feel for the inmates - patients, doctors and staff alike. Don't they suffer enough? (I will leave my rant about town planners who have allowed the desecration of towns and cities across our once fair land for another time.)

The Fashion and Textile Museum, London

Early Tulips - Very Sanderson

The Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey Street SE1, was the original creation of Zandra Rhodes and now taken over by Newham College of Further Education. Small, but almost perfect in construction, it is huge in inspirational and practical application opportunities for anyone interested in these subjects. The Very Sanderson exhibition I visited celebrates the 150th anniversary of the famous British wallpaper to fabrics to paints, company. I really recommend a visit but it ends on Sunday so you need to be quick.

'Early Tulips' a 1929 Sanderson design

"Very Sanderson" brochure and FTM leaflet against an old Sanderson curtain

While I was there I popped into the shop (as you do!) and found the last three Zandra Rhodes designed handprinted silk scarves from an earlier exhibition. Better still they were reduced to almost half price. As a scarf collector, and wearer, I couldn't resist. This design was my choice:

Zandra Rhodes hand printed silk scarf

Borough Market fish stall

When near London Bridge the must visit place is Borough Market. More or less under the railway arches this modern gastronomic dream is the new incarnation of the old traditional fruit and vegetable wholesale market that has occupied the site for hundreds of years. I first visited this place as an art student in the 1960s when it was quite different - more rough and ready wholesaler business than high fashion gastronomy as today. However the food on offer is terrific. Mostly British sourced but also lots of top French, Spanish, Italian, Polish and other, lovely fresh foods and drinks. So what did I buy?

Orkney Scallops

French Samphire

I was delighted to find that the samphire on offer was from France as I was just explaining to the young city gent beside me what it is and how to serve it. He was attracted to it and wanted to buy but never having heard of it was fascinated when I bought a handful. It is a delicacy from sea flushed marshes and rocks. East Anglia is a good source in the UK where is it also known as "sea asparagus" but I know it best from lower Normandy where it is prolific on the marshy outcrops. There like the French we use it in salads though in the UK it is more usually cooked or pickled.

Grilled Scallops ( Coquilles St Jacques)

The scallop shell is the symbol of St James ( as well as a certain petroleum company) and for hundreds of years has been the identity badge of pilgrims on their way to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain where the remains of St James are buried. In France scallops are commonly sold and as coquilles or 'St Jacques' - quite independent from the restaurant chef's classic recipe which involves white wine and mushrooms. I prefer them simply cooked in the shell under a grill with a herb ( tarragon is delicious) and garlic butter as my daughter did here.

And of course accompanied by a briny samphire salad:

Samphire and plum tomato salad with brown sourdough bread

Sourdough bread from Degustibus artisan bakers in Borough market

Free for the very first time...

After a lifetime of living and working in London and buying the evening paper at the tube station every weekday after work, I picked up my first ever free edition yesterday. To me it was memorable but sad not to hear the street cries, " Evening Standard!". I don't live there any more (wish we did and lament the day we left) but luckily two of our children still do and kindly welcome and accommodate our visits.

Capsule Wardrobe Day 4: I wore exactly the same as Day 3 - because it was cooler than expected when we set off for London and I needed the long sleeves and trousers. But when we arrived in London there was a chill wind so I borrowed a lovely large camel coloured pashmina ( not pictured) from my daughter but that is an accessory so doesn't count!

So onto Day 5 - the final!

"Does she ever get off her backside?" ( critical and unpaid photographer)

M&S linen blouse from last year

Gap chinos from 30% sale last Spring

White buckskin sandals from Pedalos/Padders ( so comfortable after a day in heels!)

1930s long silk scarf

Basket, bracelets etc as yesterday.

I have so much enjoyed Jane's Capsule Wardrobe Challenge. It has really made me think again about what I wear in terms of working my existing wardrobe. During the Challenge I was quite taken aback by a friend who remarked that I always wore lots of new clothes. I certainly did in my high profile PR career, but that was then, when I was much slimmer as well as much richer. Nowadays on a limited budget I am much more circumspect and search out lots in sales, charity shops, car boots.

What are your favourite special fashion 'finds' I wonder?

Day 3 Capsule Wardrobe and Lunch

2010-06-09T22:39:00.001+01:00

The photographer is getting creative

On the way to lunch at Tea at The Top we just happened on this Honda Shadow cruiser ( had to look that up though my photographer aka Mr EM identified it immediately - funny I thought he was a MOD not a Rocker when I met him in the '60s lol!)

Today wearing:

Gap linen cutoffs ( as yesterday)

Fairtrade organic cotton dress I wear as a top because it's a bit thin for someone of my tender age to wear on it's own. Bought at the India Shop for £10 last year. Very cool to wear and great sleeves for the mature lady!

Accessories galore

Lovely gold/bronze leather peep-toe shoes by Van Dal from Russell and Bromley last summer ( must have been the cheapest shoes in that store at only £65!)

Soft knitted basket tote bag £1.99 from Oxfam two years ago.

Jade ring necklace from Takashimaya department store, Singapore 2006.

Two wooden bracelets from Senegal trader in French market three years ago

My favourite Citrine and silver ring - sitting in toe of shoe!

My three other capsule items

Just so you know - two tops (one worn today) and a pair of chinos.

Brie and grape salad

Tea at the Top is the prettiest and friendliest cafe in Salisbury. I often go there two or three times a week, meeting friends or just with Mr EM (when he pays!) They serve the best coffee in town. Far superior to all the national chains. It is furnished with eclectic vintage tables and chairs, surrounded by old paintings and prints and other interesting objets d'art for sale. The food is served on a lovely mix of old china and it is run by the charming Brenda and her beautiful daughter Jessica.

Fishing for compliments

Look at the plate on which my salad was served. Beautiful old porcelain from Bavaria. Delightful grey flying fish - leaping by my almost finished meal. Adorable.

Tomorrow I shall be in London visiting the Sanderson Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum followed by the Twenty Twenty Cricket match at Kennington Oval - watching free from a balcony terrace that overlooks the ground. These matches are quite exciting as they are fast paced and enjoy great crowd support. Of course a glass of tincture in hand helps to increase enthusiasm...

Wonder how you are all getting on with your wardrobe challenge?

Jane's Summer Capsule Wardrobe Challenge

2010-06-08T18:36:00.000+01:00

Today's accessories

Haha - I thought I'd lead with the accessories as my actual outfit is pictured below and the photo is not so good (or flattering!)

Above: straw basket with raffia flowers ( rescued from my mother's charity shop donation bag two summer's ago). Rieker sandals also two summer's old (SO comfortable, especially in the muggy current heat). And notice how the decorative detail references the flowers on the basket. A dark blue and white 1970s plastic necklace from a local antique market '£1 box', a white plastic bobble bracelet bought years ago, and pretty 1960s citrine and silver cocktail ring from Gunula, my favourite vintage jewellery seller at Frock Me! Happily for me she has the neighbouring stand and I can't resist browsing her fantastic stock of vintage costume jewellery from 1920s to modern day, unsigned and designer. Sadly she doesn't have a blog or website so if you want to see for yourself you will have to come to Chelsea Town Hall on 18 July. Email me if you would like complimentary tickets. I will be blogging about it nearer the date.

I blame the photographer

First two items out of my five:

Monsoon dress, bought in their spring sale this year

Gap linen cutoffs - bought in sale three years ago and worn every summer since including the Australian summer during our visit in December 2009. Now sadly wearing very thin at top of legs (!) so best underneath a long top or dress as here.

I have also chosen another pair of trousers and two blouses to complete my five items.

I also wore the dress on its own yesterday but didn't bother photographing because I have been having trouble with my internet connection for the past week. Also with Bluetooth and couldn't upload photos from my phone - it's taken ages to just get these up.

If you want to see what this challenge is all about go to Jane's very entertaining blog The Small Fabric of My Life.

Good luck to my fellow participants - will be checking your blogs to see what you've all chosen and how you'll manage.

Flying Visit - now she's flown..

2010-05-28T12:03:00.000+01:00

Farewell my lovely...

Feeling sad today because my baby's gone. Our beautiful 'Australian' daughter has departed London on her way back home to her husband and little daughter in Sydney. Just a flying visit and somehow it pulls at the heartstrings more than a longer stay. Especially when I see all three of our beloved children together - just larking around, so happy in each other's company, so close, so supportive, so loving. As a colleague observed to me recently when I was talking about my grown up children, "You are blessed". I am, we are.

About Words because Pictures are being Problematic

2010-05-25T22:37:00.000+01:00

Charity shop bargain reads

Here's a post I planned earlier so thankfully had the pictures ready uploaded to my computer. Sadly after several successful weeks my Bluetooth mojo suddenly refused to work while I was transferring pics from my mobile to the laptop on Sunday evening. Admittedly I was watching The Stones in Exile at the time and maybe the two were incompatible. Anyway it's rubbish as now I have to learn how to use the cable thingy or take my mobile to Boots and be charged for downloading to a stick. I gather Bluetooth isn't regarded as very high tech by those who know but I think it's magic and it did the trick simply and efficiently for me. Well, until Sunday night. Aaaargh! (Any advice gratefully received.)

So back to books. I read a lot - though not as much or as fastidiously or high-mindedly as some of the famous bookbloggers. In fact I've wasted money I can't afford by buying on their recommendations. Which just goes to show that even if you like lots of the same reading matter and admire much the same authors as others whose taste you respect, they can also admire and rave about lots of books and writers that you regard as duds. I read to escape, to travel in space and time, to explore relationships ( is that what CS Lewis meant by " to know we are not alone"?), to learn., to discover, to be enthralled, to be mystified. To make me smile, to make me laugh, to make me realise that I'm loved, that I'm blessed, that I miss people and places that I once knew as well as those I will never know. Sometimes I think I have acquired false memories so strong is my familiarity with some stories or themes. Like looking at old photographs of family or strangers, books are snapshots of other lives, other times, other places. Even the popular self-help and business manuals can inspire even if only momentarily. I love art books and reference books. I have/had 50 books on textiles alone. I tried to weed out a few for a vintage fair recently but felt so bereft when they had sold.

Funnily I used to have as many if not more cookery and wine books. Actually I probably still do. But I rarely visit them with the same delight as in the past. I used to love reading cookery books and I was thinner in those days. Now, when I don't, I am struggling with my weight. Mmmn, note to self: read more about food and eat less!

Back to the pic above. These three cost £2.98 in total from my local Hospice shop. I particularly want to read The Ghost as it is now an acclaimed 'major film' as they say - but starring George Clooney so it must be good. I have usually read the book before the film comes out, but not in this case so was briefly in a dilemma. but the film has already been and gone from our local cinema so I may as well read the book and look forward to the DVD later. I've now read the Agatha Christie in the lovely old green Penguin cover. It is very dated but still enjoyable for me. Curiously the current British government in the story set in the late 1930s was Liberal - having won an election from the National (coalition) Government. The Beatrix Potter is for my granddaughter and was half the price of later editions I saw in Oxfam.

Old and new

On the same day I crossed the street to Oxfam and found these two delights. The grey cover on the left is the sign of the famous and wonderful Persephone imprint. If you don't know of Persephone - go there immediately!The book above, "William- An Englishman" by Cicely Hamilton is No 1 in their list of reprinted neglected classics, mainly by women authors. One of the many lovely things about Persephone books is that they have book jackets even though they are paperbacks. But the best thing for me (apart from the written content of course!) is the endpapers which are printed with images of wonderful vintage textiles.

The Endpaper in Persephone No 1- 'Pamela'by the Omega Workshops

The dedication in How To Be Idle ( 2005)

The dedication in The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1901)

The comparison of the dedications inside of the two 'Idle' books that I've bought this year amused me. Funnily enough the modern book seems to try too hard and is rather intense compared with the gentle humour and dry wit of Jerome K Jerome. But I have enjoyed both, though again the modern one purchased in Oxfam was twice the price of the other bought at a flea market.

Quilts for free

A couple of weeks ago I was thrilled to received a free gift from the publishers of Selvedge magazine that I used to subscribe to but gave up because I thought the articles were very lightweight compared to the admittedly wonderful photography. But this issue covered the Victoria and Albert Museum's Quilts: 1700 -2010 exhibition, with some excellent contributions. Do try and visit Quilts or you will have missed a terrific collection and very informative and decorative exhibition. I recommend that you hire the Ipod guide as it's excellent and gives close-ups of many details that sadly can't be seen from the sidelines. Actually although the content is terrific, the display and lighting is yet again confusing and murky and many of the quilts laid out in such a way that the essential details were difficult to view without binoculars. My despair of modern curators who have 'gone designer' and over dramatise their displays continues.

PS: on the subject of photographs - I never know how large to make my pics in the blog. I wonder if it takes ages to download when you visit? I know I had to stop looking at some blogs because of download issues. I would be grateful for your views on my blogs - how easy or difficult to open?

Stitching Up the Competition, In praise of Slow Fashion, My Mother's dress

2010-05-22T23:04:00.000+01:00

Sewing a channel for the elastic

Such delicious fabric - 1930s or 1950s? It's rayon and the garment is very much of the 1930s. But the fabric design looks so '50s. I'm thinking Agatha Christie heroines or femme fatales.

When I bought this from BusyLizzie last year I knew that it was an unfinished homemade garment and that I would have to get stitching to make it more appealing to my London buyers who tend to prefer everything 'ready to wear' as sadly sewing skills are not taught at school in the way they used to be. I know that several enterprising modern seamstresses have set up popular sewing courses including pattern-making. In fact I have tried to book a local corset-making course myself but was too late as places were snapped up as soon as the print was dry on the programme flyer. When visiting Liberty's store in London recently, one of the assistants in the fabric/haberdashery/wools department was knitting at a table by a display of wools and I asked if they had seen a resurgence in knitting because I seemed to be seeing more and more people interested. Interestingly she said that actually a renewed interest in fabrics for various creative purposes was the big thing now.

Well I learned to sew at school in 19filthylie and made my own clothes in the fab '60s and my girl children's clothes in the 1970s. Then suddenly the choice and price range in shops made clothes much cheaper to buy. And it's been downhill all the way since - to sweatshops in the far east and high street 'collections' even in M&S having fresh new styles every couple of weeks or so. Some expensive clothes are appalling quality (designer ready-to-wear I'm talking about you) and some high street favourites are fantastic for the price but vary in quality so much and literally from garment to garment that you just can't rely on any brand and have to trawl to find the 'bankers' each mini-season. The Internet is helpful of course but I still prefer to " feel the quality". And of course to try things on.

I hit the fashion scene in the 1960s and made a lot of my own clothes but but also saved some of my meagre student grant for visits to Biba and Bus Stop (more fun, better colours and more variety in design than Biba), then in their heyday. I worked in every holiday and ate yogurt and none of us drank alcohol, yuk. OK the men drank beer. We were thin - not skinny like Twiggy. We preferred Jean Shrimpton actually. And Julie Christie. Where am I going with this?

Sewing. Making things. Appreciating quality. Looking at the seams and hems of 'bought' clothes. Looking at the vintage clothes I buy and sell and the lovely attention to detail in the making. Almost weeping for the times when there was a 'little dressmaker' in every village. Even in the late 1960s early '70s I could go into a fashion boutique and find a dressmaker on the premises who would alter clothes to fit. Not just taking up a hem. Clothes that lasted through several seasons. My mother bought a dress in 1953/4 in Norwich. I sat beside her as she tried it on. Beautiful red poppies on a white background. Tiny waistline, big skirt it was made by Nettie Vogues who many decades later designed a dress for Princes Diana. In 1963 my mother sold her dress to a younger friend in her 30s who needed a 'posh' frock because her husband was climbing in his career and she couldn't afford a brand new one. In 2005 this friend, now in her late 70s boasted to my mother that she had worn the same dress to an ambassadorial evening with her son. If she returned this dress to me today I could sell it to any number of fashionable young or older ladies who would wear it with pride and panache. Slow fashion - I love it.

The elastic going in on a pin

The PJs!

I had already packed the oriental style wrap top with mandarin collar so no pics, sorry. Don't you think they are wonderful?

Sewing cottons galore!

Just thought I'd show you my fab selection of sewing threads. Quite an assortment of colours which I love. Whatever I have to sew or repair I can usually find a matching thread in here. They are not the original cottons, but collected from various sources including a similar box which was in poor repair. Having been checking through them today to find suitable threads for a couple of sewing jobs, I realised that the names on some of the old reels were curiously reminiscent of modern nail varnishes. Mmmn - now wondering if that's where the cosmetic houses, many of which were originally haute couture fashion houses ( Chanel I'm pointing at you) found their inspiration?

Fashionista - read my label!

Back: Lt Beaver, Light Apple Green, Mustard Gold, Silver Slate, Bright Navy, Helio, Straw, Ivy Green,

In front: Slate, Coral Pink (exact spellings as on labels)

Heliotrope is my favourite colour - sometimes likened to lavender or lilac but it's not that sickly pale. A few years ago when I first visited the Christian Dior Museum in Granville, Normandy I spied some lovely deep purply flowering bushes in the gardens, which gave off the scent of chocolate (I kid you not). On enquiring of the young gardener he told me they were Heliotropes. Result! A double whammy. My favourite colour AND it smells of chocolate my favourite fruit!

Anyone for Tennis? Frock Me! at Chelsea, Normandy beach holiday

2010-05-21T12:25:00.000+01:00

1960s Tennis Dress and Racquet

Just a sneak preview of part of my vintage tennis dress collection that I shall be taking to Frock Me! at Chelsea Town Hall on Sunday 23 May. The nostalgic wooden Dunlop tennis racquet was a find in a local charity shop yesterday so that will go along as well to help my display.

I think mini dresses like these would also make great beach cover ups for today - although the young fashion crowd who visit Frock Me! are often so creative in re-inventing ways of wearing ("working") vintage fashion, without appearing like a pastiche of past eras.

Actually the painting on which I've rather casually used to hang the frock against is a lovely beach scene painted by a local artist of our favourite beach from our family bucket and spade holidays in Normandy. At first glance we actually thought it was our family and it brings back fond memories of those happy days before they all left us for faraway places.

Families on Carteret Beach, Normandy c1980s

Such happy scenes, nowadays played out on beaches in the rather warmer climes of New South Wales with our darling granddaughter. We miss them so, although my Sydney daughter is over on a flying visit to London just now but without husband or daughter. Thank goodness the temperatures are rising this week so she won't feel too chilly!

And The Winner is...!

2010-05-18T18:12:00.001+01:00

Mr EM steps up to the box!

It was late to bed for Mr EM last night, having to stay awake until the final chimes of Big Ben at midnight to do the Giveaway draw. So he deserved his lie in today poor thing!

But he did his duty manfully and and very carefully, so here is the winner - TA DA!

The Small Fabric of My Life!

Hurrah and well done to the lucky winner. I just need you to email me ( see my profile page) with your name and address so that I can post the parcel of treats to you.

A great big thank to all the dear readers and elite band of followers who not only visited my blog to enter the draw, but left such lovely comments. And especially to those who kindly posted links and pictures on their own blogs - you definitely received double entries. If you were just a passing visitor, do drop by again and if you feel moved to make a comment, please do so!

Finally, thank you to all those who have actually decided to become followers since finding this blog by accident or via another favourite blog.

So what next? For me I have just had the exciting news that my 'Sydney' daughter is to make a flying visit to see us and is airborne from Australia as I write. And tomorrow I shall be seeing my 'Hong Kong' nephew and his sweet little daughter before they set off back home after visiting my sister. We are a far-flung family at the moment and will become more so in the future as elder daughter and boyfriend are leaving for Australia in the autumn and son is working on that destination too. Although as the current girlfriend is from California, who knows!

Well I have another Fair on Sunday: Frock Me! Vintage Fashion at Chelsea Town Hall. Looking forward very much to that and have to get on with ironing some newly acquired 1950s frocks. More about that later.

Toodle Pip!

Monday, Monday So Good To Me, Giveaway news and antiques fair report

2010-05-17T14:51:00.003+01:00

"Oh Monday Morning still couldn't guarantee

That Monday evening you would still be here with me..."

I know you are all waiting with bated breath to find out whether you are the winner of my little Giveaway! But relax, dear readers and my growing elite band of followers. Due to receiving so many entries from around the world I thought that I should let midnight (British Summer Time) pass before I do the draw as my deadline of "sometime Monday evening" might seem a bit unfair to those living in different time zones. So I will put all your names in a vintage hatbox as Big Ben strikes the midnight hour tonight. As you can see below Mr EM is standing by in front of Big Ben further down The Thames. Notice the furled brolly in case of rain, you can't be too careful in a British Spring and he doesn't want the names to get wet and indecipherable, having kindly agreed to stay up late and do the draw without fear or favour.

Mr EM standing by - ready for Big Ben to strike midnight

If you're still with me, here's a brief report on my day at the Antiques Fair at Chelsea Town Hall. First things first:

Boiled egg breakfast!

We deliberately arrived early so that we could have time for a proper breakfast at the wonderful Le Pain Quotidien almost next door to the venue. I see that they have branches all over the world, including Australia, though not yet New Zealand. I enjoyed my organic soft boiled egg and the yummy sourdough bread. I also bought a hazelnut and raisin bread 'flute' to snack on during my long day on antique duty. Delicious. And see the orange nails! Sadly at the end of the day while repacking and stacking boxes of stock the nails suffered damage, so will have to reapply today. I was wearing an M&S linen shirt from last summer, a cream 1950s plastic necklace, and unseen - Gap chinos and my lovely Cara nude leather sandals - with toenails still bearing my favourite Chanel varnish, Particuliere. Enough of me - back to business! Here are a few random shots of my stand:

Vintage quilts and a funky 50s/60s lampshade

Funky French quilt, 1930s/40s chenille curtains, 1930s evening gown and jacket, 1920s painted throw, 19th century French painted (original shabby chic) chair, and just seen at the front of the rail - an early 20thc child's embroidered white 'portrait' dress (see later for an interesting connection with a neighbouring seller's stand)

More quilts and coverlets, vintage fabric lengths, elegant black kid 1950s evening gloves with pearl buttons

Pretty things - Art Deco French enamel jug, 1930s plaster sunbather, large vintage Jeanne Lanvin perfume bottle (Arpege?) with replacement stopper, art Deco beaded evening purse, monogrammed period hat and clothes brushes, group of old cloth dolls in a French bed

OOh! Who's this?

A huge papier mache horse on wheels - not a toy though

This handsome fellow was facing me on a neighbour's stand. Clearly too fragile to be a toy, it's thought to be an early 20th century photographer's studio prop, possibly from Spain. In those days formal family portraits were very popular as personally owned cameras were rare. A child dressed in his or her specially bought or made 'portrait' dress would be placed on the horse for the family group. Similar to the more familiar photographs of the period where the sitters were shown standing in front of painted fantasy landscapes, leaning or seated on a very nice chair or often next to a jardiniere containing an aspidistra. If you fancy acquiring this lovely old steed, I could put you in touch with the current owner, but just make sure that you have £950 GBP handy!

Well I'm racing towards the finish now - of this post and the Giveaway draw. See you tomorrow!

( Acknowledgement: Lyrics quoted under first photo are from Monday Monday by the Mamas and Papas)

Antiques Fair Chelsea, Mystery Object and A Jacket with Amazing Sleeves

2010-05-15T21:02:00.003+01:00

This is where I shall be on Sunday

Along with my vintage textiles, quilts and the usual mixture of lovelies I shall be taking a mystery object - I wonder if any of my elite band of followers or curious passersby can identify it?

Corselet, waistie, bodice?

Silk bow at the back

The inside showing the mesh covering the sheathed boning

The little treasure is made of lilac silk with mostly fine machine stitching the the front edges and minute hand-stitching to the inside hems. The bow is puzzling but also made of the lilac silk with the long edges seem to have been stamped out with a scalloped edge as if with tiny pinking shears. The lacing is made of silk and is sewn fixed in place - can't be tightened. On the underside there seems to be three sets of bones each in two sections enclosed inside a double mesh - one side of which shows through the lacing to the front. I think this may have become discoloured over time as it is potentially a very pretty effect. The only bone I can see easily through the mesh appears to be entirely sheathed in another fabric, so not broken as I first worried it might be. The rest of the underside is lined in a pale cream or off white silk. The whole has been well loved with a few marks and a couple of tiny holes in the silk on the front.

So what is it? I've had a few suggestions but would welcome your views dear readers. I've never seen the like, though it's not really my period and I'll probably find it's as 'common as muck' in the period costume world!

Well to entertain you further, especially if bodices are not your thing, here's a Victorian velvet jacket with Amazing Sleeves.

Front view and see the length of those sleeves!

The back with soutache, deep lace and frill for a bustle

The lovely deep lace at centre back

An Amazing sleeve with lace and bow

Side view of one of those sleeves

This jacket is made of black velvet which is a gently worn around the top of the shoulders, mostly probably and sadly from poor storage, but somehow it does not detract from its appeal. Happily it is a reasonable size and would probably fit a modern day size 10 (UK) and is very wearable. The sleeves have double sewn openings so that the arm goes through the first and higher opening leaving a long section with large silk bows and deep lace to hang down below. Quite dramatic and very attractive. Sadly I did not have a model handy when I photographed it today. Though I had a slim friend try it on for me a couple of days ago and it looked fantastic.

Well I shall be taking both these with me tomorrow to Chelsea and hopefully not bringing them back!

PS re the Orange nail varnish. I wonder how you're getting on because today I found another dupe in Marks and Spencer of all places. They have a colour called Tangerine for only £2.99. I put a bit from the tester on top of one of my Rimmel Orange Fizz nails (which are lasting well) and could hardly distinguish the two. It also dried very surprisingly quickly - I was carrying my food shopping and had to get home so did not hang around!

PPS - only 48 hours to go before my Giveaway closes! Get your entry in now. Double entries for those who mention and give a link from their own blogs. Good Luck!