I took a short break last week which I booked in the dead of winter in February to be exact..fully expecting the weather in mid April to be totally dreadful (as usual..) and well much to my (and probably the nation’s) surprise a mini heat wave hit, for which I was truly unprepared for, resulting Read More
A year ago I did a post called “My High Street is closing down” where I detailed how quite a few shops on my local High Street had closed..Now with the recent news of Toys ‘R’ Us and Maplin going into administration the question is still very relevant. Over the year a small number of Read More
I can tell you I’m so over this snow situation, that it’s becoming tedious. Being trapped indoors and not able to travel or walk anywhere without great difficulty…and…why oh why? Didn’t I buy those snowshoe grips I saw in the Charity Shop the other day? The ones I comfortably thought “I’ll never use those” and Read More
Apart from scouring Charity shops and Bootsales another place I love to browse are Vintage shops. There are not a huge amount near me, but what there is generally very good. I don’t buy the clothes as they are not ‘my style’ per se, but I will indulge in trinket or two, and I Read More
Walking past a local hotel I noticed that the Wedding Fair was on again and as I was going past anyway, I thought why not? I went last year for the first time, though I can’t say it was extensive…it was ‘Bridal’ and only down the road. It was in a rather grand Hotel on the Read More
I’ve been making the effort this summer to get up early on a Sunday morning (no easy task…) to go to a variety of boot sales around my local area. Some very large, some small, but all containing a ‘bountiful’ of expectant interest…in that you have no idea before you go what you’ll find or Read More
Yet another Charity Shop ‘bit the dust’ I discovered this week, and I was very sorry to see it go. It was small with some very friendly volunteers and I used to look forward to going and ‘having a chat’, they even let my dog in (which is getting rarer these days unfortunately…). I wouldn’t Read More
I haven’t been down to my local Charity Shop for a long while…(shame on me), so I thought I better go get back there pronto, to check out what’s the latest ‘fashion scoop’. Where…I could discover by beating my tracks back…to one of my favourite local fashion icons ‘Stephanie’, the Charity shop mannequin! You never know Read More
It all started with BHS shutting it’s many doors across the land…which has escalated to create a ‘domino effect’ down my local High Street…and let’s not forget preceding the sad BHS demise, the frankly shocking crash of Woolworths back in 2008. Walking down my High Street this week, I discovered even more shops have shut Read More
‘Strange’ museum displays, ‘spooky’ shop windows, wig’s on sideways, missing limbs, crinkly clothes, dusty appearance, an occasional ‘musty’ smell, and dynamic poses…what might I be describing? Well it’s those favourite’s of mine…mannequins! Sadly it seems they are disappearing fast…so what is to be done about it? Times are a changing with minimalism, clean lines, and Read More
It’s being Halloween I decided last week that I would ‘search my archive’ for some photo inspiration..a while ago I visited the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle Cornwall. A most fascinating collection of intrigue! Searching through my pictures I came across a ‘Get lost’ box which piqued my interest..I read that this spell involves placing a Read More
So seeing a smart phone photography workshop on a recent Groupon deal, I thought maybe I could go for that! It’s all very well getting ‘appy’ with apps…but what about improving on things before the apps stage? I was especially miffed with the glare I was getting around objects and mannequin heads…and don’t even get Read More
This week’s date came round to my pre-booked coach journey to Margate, a day trip paid in advance for £18 return, so I got myself ready and waited in anticipation for the arrival of the coach. It was probably was one of the hottest days this summer, with a predicted temperature of 30 ºc (which Read More
(This post was prepared before I heard the tragic news from France of the massacre in Nice. In tribute to the French people, their customs and bravery I decided to upload this feature. To the noble nation of France we salute you). Read More
So I was pleasantly surprised to find that down at my local Museum was an exhibition celebrating the eponymous fashion brand Biba, which was founded (shock horror) in the early 1960’s even before I was born! Originator Barbara Hulanicki wanted to bring ‘hip n happening’ fashion looks to the masses, this she achieved and more with Biba. Read More
Feeling the need for a ‘bit of a change’, I decided that a day out was required, a ‘change of scenery’, to experience ‘new sights and sounds’, to blow away the cobwebs (or maybe blast away in this case..). Therefore I decided to take a short(ish) train journey to another Essex town, rather different from Read More
