Friday Five (1 of 5) How Green is My Inspo?


A little bit green or is it aqua? Or both? I really loved that pic that dropped in to my Pinterest browsing area this week. The colours just felt really fresh. And the important thing is you don't have to embrace that look whole heartedly - just take something from the pics (like the colour) and see what you have already. I've taken the idea up there and chosen to make it more wearable for everyday and half the things in the pic below, I have or something similar.

Friday Five (2 of 5) Scented Italian Broom


I was browsing the flower stall at the start of the Shambles Market in York and was oohing and aahing over the lovely roses, proud tulips and the uptight hyacinths and then I found this mass of stuff with tiny flowers on and leant in further to read the label. Scented Italian Broom. This is the stuff that was on the Italian Hills where the hubs and I honeymooned and I cried at the top of one of the hills saying "I don't want to do any more walking and I understand if you might want to divorce me now". He didn't divorce me but he did suggest that we don't try and do any more walking holidays. I agreed wholeheartedly. And the Scented Italian Broom - I bought a bunch of it and popped it in a vase and it has filled my living room with the most delightful fragrance like the most gorgeous jasmine tea. I can also look fondly back on that memory now up on that hill but at the time I was praying for Mountain Rescue.

Friday Five (3 of 5) Socks


I'm quite enjoying dressing really simply. Black jumper or grey? Black jeans or blue? And then a coat different from the day before and repeat daily. I am finding that socks are still needed though and the regular black ankle socks are not cutting it especially if I'm wearing cropped slightly wider leg style jeans. Sometimes the socks slide down a little and then there's a little bit of skin showing which I don't like as it looks like my jeans are too short so I've bought myself some argyle knee high socks from H&M this week - the subtle argyle pattern on these make them just funky enough. However for my longer length jeans, my current favourite ones are those above from COS. I like that little peak of yellow.

Friday Five (4 of 5) Gold Spotted Skate Pumps


Catchy title eh. But that's what they are and that's what I'm loving this week. They're white ponyhair and gold spotted skate pumps1! Squee! Are they a big blingy? They would look fab with a gold Jerome Dreyfuss Bobi bag which I will never own. But a girl can dream and play the lottery!

Friday Five (5 of 5) Fatface

We had a powercut the other week and after about forty minutes of sitting in the dark I decided I'd treat the boys and take them out for something to eat. We headed out to one of those out of town places and pulled up in the car park.

"Is that where we're eating?" asked Ben pointing at the Fatface store. "It sounds like somewhere you would eat and come out with a fat face".

He has a point.

• I'm giving myself a pat on the back for myself for not missing a Friday Five yet this year. Pat pat.

• February tomorrow. I'm just wondering if I can make it a Frugal February?

Friday Five (1 of 5) Loafers and Scarves

Grazia popped through my letterbox and it mentioned all the fashion game changers like coloured leather, power puff sleeves, animal print etc and I went nope, nope, nope, nope.Then I went yes. I'd got to the page about scarves and loafers - a nice easy trend. I must have a sixth sense as I was already on the loafer train having tried the gold ASOS ones a couple of weeks back. I didn't re-order them by the way and that's because my first loafer crush belongs to the Jonak Fripouille loafers which I first spotted on Francesca Saffari. I do love a good nanna loafer with a block heel and these have a cool sixties vibe to them which I can imagine with lots of cute little outfits with straight crop jeans. A little bit A.P.C. crossed with a touch of Rouje to give them a bit of va va voom. I have stalked them coming down 30%, 40% and they're now at 50%. Sit on those hands girl!

But whilst I was browsing for something else this week, I also spotted some Vans Style 53 leopard shoes. These are a cool reissue style from way back and are also the easiest way to get on board the loafer trend if you're actually a trainer girl! They did them in a plain nude suede at one point which I would have snapped up if I had known about them at the time and which were very similar to a Loewe espadrille pair I couldn't afford a few years back. I still can't afford them but that's not the point. Lordy, I love shoes.




Friday Five (2 of 5) Lazyitis


I have a choice of two trains in the morning. One at 09.48am which gets me in at 10.01am and one at 09.49am which gets me in 09.59am. I get the earlier train even though it gets in later. Why? Because I'm lazy and it stops on platform 1 which is nearer the train station exit than the later train which arrives on platform 7 and I have to navigate additional stairs and the concourse.

Friday Five (3 of 5) James Brown


Not the Sex Machine one. I'm talking about the illustrator/artist who has his work stocked by the Keep Calm Gallery or that's where I used to find his prints. I popped in to Costco and had a nosey in the books section and found these beautiful books which he collaborated with Richard Platt in 2016. I picked up the World of Information one and was delighted to see a lot of his previous prints/illustrations were in the book including the The Phases of the Moon print which I have in my family/kitchen room. They are full of interesting facts but the best thing is you could tear out the illustrations and frame them. I don't usually advocate ripping pages out of books but I'll make an exception in this case. There seems to be a whole series of these and if you're in to beautiful books - they make a wonderful birthday present for children (which their parents can steal for their own selfish purposes - I'm sure they won't miss a page or two).


Friday Five (4 of 5) Take the Inspo and Run


Right, you know how I like a little bit of Sezane every now and then? Well I think I fall in love with the imagery more than anything. And if you strip it all back, it's full of prim little knits worn with an extra button or two undone and a whole host of prim and proper blouses worn with a twinkle in a French girl's eye. Anyway, have a nosey through what you have - it's usually a frame of mind and an attitude which makes things extra but if you don't think you have anything suitable, I spotted the following from the La Redoute sale - I think they took the inspo and ran with it. They're definitely worth a look.


Friday Five (5 of 5) Happy Chinese New Year

• Yes I know my Friday Five is late and it's Saturday - I'm rubbish.

I've been a bit obsessed with rucksacks lately. Yes I know I was gifted a lovely Gaston Luga one recently but the one I chose turned out too small for my daily commute as I decided that I wanted to fit in a drinks flask, a food flask, a 13" laptop, laptop charger, a phone charger and a kitchen sink. I didn't see that coming. I thought I was just going to take a flask and a Kindle to work at the most and that was it. So I ended up dragging out the old faithful Lowe Alpine rucksack that I've had for as long as the Grumps which is quite some time now and started carting that on the daily commute and  looking like I was going to tackle Everest. Even the neighbour asked if I was going on a trek when he saw me. So I felt I needed something a little less "outdoorsy" and a little bit lighter. The Lowe Alpine is a great rucksack (it's our holiday rucksack) but it's weighty even without everything I need to put in it which is why the hubs normally carries it. I narrowed the list down to Sandqvist, Fjallraven, Kipling and Eastpak. I considered an Eastpak as my friend Marlene has one which she takes everywhere and if it's good enough for Marlene, it's definitely good enough for me. I did order one before I decided I needed to fit my world in and though nice, it turned out to be smaller and cuter in real life than I wanted. I don't do cute.  Kipling got a look in as a gazillion Chinese people can't be wrong as they seem to love this brand with the gorilla keyring - my son was quite enamoured with the little gorilla - me not so much and like I said - I don't do cute. Fjallraven is a classic but I felt it also wasn't me unless it was going to be the expensive black one with the black leather handles and that felt a bit ouch for something I wasn't heart and soul in to. But Sandqvist - I loved their designs and that was cemented by the fact that I tried to keep up with a guy through York the other day to see if I could see the brand on the rather lovely rucksack he had on his back. It was a Sandqvist. Sold!

What was my criteria? I didn't want to look like I worked in the I.T. department with one of those big black industrial beasts - you know the ones that half the male working nation cart on their backs. I needed something more casual looking and I didn't want black though that was the most neutral colour to go with. I needed a pocket somewhere on the outside so i could pop my keys and phone in for easy access. I also didn't want fiddly buckles or magnetic catch straps and I didn't want a drawstring top inside as the drawstrings always get in the way and look messy. I wanted it to be super easy to open and not have a hidden zip which was recessed. I also wanted it to look good as a bag in general and not like a rucksack. And I needed to be able to carry it by it's handles without the straps or the bag dragging on the floor. That's all. But  all this did come about as a result of quite a bit of research and a few trips in to Mountain Warehouse, Sports Direct and The Hip Store to weigh up all their different rucksacks. I'm nothing if not thorough.

And I ended up with the .... Sandqvist Tony.

Don't go - eugh. I like it. I like that it's slightly utilitarian, simple, has a zip top straight across so I'm not fiddling with any hidden zips around funny bends and I can see straight in like a regular tote and you know how much I love my tote bags. Basically, the Sandqvist Tony IS a big strong tote bag with some straps on the back. Anyway, I'm happy and I know it's got that casual vibe about it so that when it comes to summer, it will look just as good being mugged round wearing a blue shirt and jeans and sandals as it does with a winter coat and boots.



And before anyone has a pop at me for dissing the people who work in the I.T department - I actually have nothing against looking like I work in the I.T. department because .....

....... I used to work in the I.T. department.. 😄

• For the eagle eyed - you may have spotted this rucksack in my last blogpost. 

• The Sandqvist rucksack is made from 65% organic cotton and 35% recycled polyester. The canvas is unwashed and will fade and hopefully take on a lovely weathered appearance - that's different from dirty 😉. From their website, their sustainability and production methods seem commendable.

• For anyone interested, the New Look coat was something I bought last year with a good discount but have only just got round to taking up the sleeves on it. I liked it as it reminded me of my old Mango jacket circa 2013 which finally went in to a charity bag after many years of service and the last time I tried it on, I actually thought - I don't look good in this at all - what was I thinking back then? It also reminds me of the current Sezane Monroe coat in terms of shape and style. But thankfully, not the price.

I know it's Saturday and not Friday so it's not really a Friday Five but it would have been if my wifi had been playing ball yesterday. Round about 8pm each evening this week, it goes kaput so I can't do anything online. Which is good as it means you're not on your phone and bad as you can't get online to get your Friday Five done on time and for once, I could have got it out on time. So I'm putting it out now on a Saturday as a two fingered salute at BT. #wherestheupyoursemoji

Friday Five : (1 of 5) Greggs


Greggs are doing alright aren't they? Got to love a steak bake (me) or a sausage roll which has kept many a small child quiet for a while going around town - I tried but my boys don't like sausage rolls. Things I do know - a steak bake has 20 syns on Slimming World which stopped me for a bit whenever I had a moment of weakness charging around Leeds needing nourishment - that's your whole day's syn allowance used up in one pasty and some. And my sis-in-law made the observation a year ago as we drove past a Greggs, that they were bucking the trend and business was up since they started these sit down cafes. But do you know what is annoying? You can't really get a normal triangle packet sarnie in them. I did manage to find one high up on the fridge shelf but there were only about three to choose from and the rest were all done in crusty bap things and rolls.  Me - I just want a sarnie in two slices of bread with the filling clamped in because it's a nice tidy way to eat. I don't want a messy roll where everything looks like it's going to fall out of the bottom when I pick it up. It's not that much to ask is it? Except it is apparently. But I am really pleased  to hear on the morning news that because they were doing well ,the staff all got a little bonus recently.

Friday Five (2 of 5) H&M Cream Cardi


That one above looks quite nice doesn't it? A bit like the Arket ones which are a fraction more expensive. The H&M one is actually 100% wool though and it looks like one you can de-pill or shave when it needs a bit of user maintenance.



Friday Five (3 of 5) Princess Ting Ting


Princesstingting1@hotmail.com - yup you read right! My email usually elicits a little chuckle when I mumble it to the shop assistants when they ask if they can send me an email receipt. It is quite memorable and I've had it so long, I can't change it now. Even George's old cricket coach used to say "Ahh Princess TingTing! How are you?" and smile indulgently at me. And now the ladies in the York Toast store are getting acquainted with me and my email address since I've been in a few times recently to do a couple of returns (and purchases). And our relationship is only one month old. #embarrassing

Friday Five (4 of 5) Alexa

Alexa in my bedroom is on the blink which means I have no Lewis Capaldi seranading me as I iron currently. Hard times.

Friday Five (5 of 5) How to break up with Fast Fashion



I've just started reading this. I ordered it after having a bit of sales splurge this year. I'm normally quite good but this year, I went a little cray cray but consequently, I do now have a few useful bits for spring/summer 2020 to work in with my existing wardrobe. With all the talk about sustainability and how we should be buying less clothes and wearing more of what we have, I ordered the book to see if it could stop me in my tracks. Well slow me down a little.

• For anyone who is not familiar with my Friday Fives - it's just a load of gumph which comes off the top of my head or things which have caught my attention this week. Deep it is not. Shallow and random it is.

• I tried Slimming World two years ago and lost half a stone which is all I wanted to do. I've put it all back on since and I had a jam doughnut for breakfast this morning. I enjoyed it very much - thank you.

• Anyway, drop me a line any time you want on that fab email address of mine.

Hello there! Friday Five time. No, no, sorry, it's Monday - that makes it a Monday Musings. I do like my little Monday Musings get out clause. I actually got home on Friday and could only muster up a Friday Four and Friday Four just doesn't sound right does it? So I've left it to Monday - that's how I roll.


I was watching the BBC news last Friday morning as I do every morning and they were talking about the growth of the ath leisure industry and how the demand for fashion trainers has grown about 20% since 2014. That's round about the time I started getting in to trainers too. Anyway, they interviewed members of the public and asked them what was the most they had ever spent on a pair of trainers. What are the chances that you pick the guy who answers £8000? £8000 people!!!! I heard Naga Munchetty mutter something about them being alligator skin or something so guess what? I googled them and I think they're these Berluti Trainers. I didn't like them so I didn't put a picture of them on here. 😂 I like that Mark Rothko print though so I thought I'd put that on here instead - I've been trying to track it down for years.

Friday Five ( 4 of 5) Nice Cuppa Tea


I haven't used my proper camera to take any photos since last year. I haven't charged the battery up or got the tripod out to take any outfits of the day. It's been quite liberating not thinking about what I'm wearing and whether I can factor a photo in of it that day. It's kind of nice just to go with the flow but the problem is, the longer you don't do it, the harder it is to take up the mantle again. I just need a little bit more daylight and a little more motivation because when I get in each day, I just want a sit down and a cuppa rather than whipping a tripod out and starting up a photo shoot. I'll get there but this was the best I could do last week with Basil.


(Gold)
Always believe in your soul
You've got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believe in, 'cos you are Gold!

In year 3 of Primary, George's class used to sing that Spandau Ballet number whenever someone got a gold star that day. I just thought I'd share that. And it also provides me with a gratuitous link to mention gold loafers. Last year, I was all over a pair of gold Primark sandals which were dupes for an expensive Rouje pair and this year, I'm all over a pair of gold loafers which are not dupes for anything remotely expensive. I just like them. I had them in my saved area of ASOS for ages and then I spotted they were in the sale so I finally ordered them. And I totally loved the look of them except they were a bit snug and for some reason, the right shoe kept squeaking when I walked. I took it on the chin and declared them not to be. But if they had been, I had high hopes of styling them as per the collage below which is based on loosely on similar things I already have in my wardrobe.



For early spring when it's ankle baring time again - I love the look of the gold loafers with a pair of ankle length jeans. I've already got the grey jumper, a little orange H&M bag but I've linked a similar one to what I have which is in the sale currently at John Lewis and a similar little neck scarf. If I'm wearing a high necked jumper, I'm more likely to tie the little scarf to the bag for a little embellishment to jazz up an outfit a little but if you're wearing a crew neck, wear it round your neck air hostess style. Err sorry, I mean like the little French mademoiselles. And Margaret Howell.

• Bog it. I might just order another pair of size 4 gold loafers to get them out of my system once and for all. The next pair might not squeak. #fingerscrossed

I'm a procrastinator. I'm a really good procrastinator.  I'm procrastinating now - I'm tapping on here instead of doing something. Told you I was good at it.

But I am getting better at not putting off things. I bought a book. I'm not sure if it was the title which grabbed me and I had a bit of time on my hands but I downloaded a sample of it and it kind of got me. It's called Unf*ck Your Habitat. Catchy title eh?

Basically I need to do a bit of decluttering. I need to do this to make everyday more manageable. I need less in the cupboards and I need less in my wardrobes. I hang on to too many things and it all piles up and I keep saying I will get rid of it all but I don't. And then I tackle things which don't really need doing and leave other stuff which does.

Anyway, there's a lot of decluttering books out there but this one seemed to strike a chord. And possibly the sample that I downloaded probably told me what I needed to do but I bought it and read it. And I took one main thing from it. Just do it. No matter how small. Just do it. See it, do it. Simples.

Those three bags of laundry that you've washed and dried. Take one. Sort that one bag out. Don't set out to tackle all three. Three bags is tough. One bag is manageable. Do the one bag and feel good that you did something. It's all baby steps and if you're happy with baby steps, stick with your baby steps. And things WILL gradually start to look better. Those cups on the side table, take them in the kitchen. It's one step closer to where they're supposed  to be at least. Take the win.

And don't expect miracles - they don't exist. You won't change overnight and you won't declutter your world over night. I know that but clearing out the kitchen drawer the other day made me feel tons better. Tackling the understairs cupboard didn't take long but it made me feel better. And then I sat back and had a cuppa. Not too over faced. And that's the important thing - don't cut off more than you can chew.

Anyway, what was I saying, yep, see it, do it. Next time you see it, there will be less. Feels good eh?

What's this? A Friday Five? First one of 2020 and hopefully not the last. We're only in January.

Friday Five (3 of 5) Colours 2020


This is not official by the way and has not been endorsed by Dulux, Pantone or any of the other colour bigwigs but I was browsing my Pinterest feed and was stopped dead by the above image. Oh my lordy, it's like someone ran the Year of Colour app on my Christmas presents and my most recent purchases. Spooky!

• Hope the new year is treating you kind so far.