New dress alert!!! Well, new to me, courtesy of a very dear friend of mine who wanted to expand my office wardrobe, and gave me her confidence boosting full on pink dress (as well as a selection of black, grey, and navy garments).
I loved it!!! I wore it on my first day back in the office. Well, after all, I have a reputation as a “trendsetter” to uphold!!
I have never realized before there was a confidence boosting shade of pink. Now I know! Don’t stop me 🙂
I have a serious weakness for new dresses. “New” to me that it is. I am especially happy if they come from charity shops – WIN WIN! – when it comes to so many tick boxes.
But every now and then Jack has “gifted” me with a new new dress. I seem to be growing fussier though. Perhaps it is because “my style” of dresses does not seem to be in fashion right now. I see lots of pretty dresses – but they don’t appeal, or I can tell they won’t suit me.
Jack had three dresses sent to me and he said he was happy for me to keep or return one, two or all three dresses, for a certain upcoming event. I am too nervous to write about it in case the spread of this variant changes the plans dramatically.
So, these were the three dresses….
I liked all three. They are beautiful dresses. One went back, and two I am really keen on. Can you guess? I will give you a clue. One really is a very obvious choice for me based on my current wardrobe. Jack should have known that if I looked at these dresses before, there is one that would definitely appeal to me. One was not what I would ever pick, but the dress was better than the picture, and when I tried it on I was amazed at how great it looked.
I could talk about dresses all day long with you….but I can’t I am afraid. I have to go to work!!
Jack and I have not really had a lot of discussions about money. We have both sacrificed paid work for many years in order to volunteer for charities. But additionally. we have both worked in paid roles. Before Jack became a full-time volunteer he made a lot of money in the entertainment industry. But he has let go of most of that, but still retained enough for him not to worry about money at all. (It makes you sick – doesn’t it!)
Jack has been able to earn a better rate of pay than myself, but he is still sensible on the whole with money. He does not think in terms of luxuries. He knows what money can do to help people, so he does not think in terms of five star luxury and spending crazy money on silly things. However, he has occasionally been spoiling me in one specific area.
Bear in mind he knows that this year I have been sending a lot of my wages to family. He bought me a couple of dresses in August – the one time I have seen my family this year. Well, in preparation for a weekend with my family at the end of this month, Jack wanted to buy me another dress. Only I could not decide which…so he bought me two dresses. You may be able to tell that I have a real thing for navy at the moment! It makes my engagement ring stand out.
The good news is, the second dress was in the half price sale. Also I had a special code from Phase Eight allowing me another 20% off the order. So, I did feel a little better about the indulgence of two dresses. I wore the first dress you see on Tuesday when Jack and I did an official visit to a site to thank some of full-time volunteers for their extraordinary sacrifices this year. I loved wearing that dress. It was perfect.
Sometimes I feel bad for buying anything new. I have a good conscience that most of my wardrobe is from charity shops. But Jack pinches me and tells me after all the chances to earn we have given up and all the money we have given away, it is ok to have a couple of new dresses and enjoy them. I know that it is ok. I still can’t help but think of people who don’t have enough money to feed their families and therefore go to bed hungry.
This world has such disgusting extremes – the wealthy wasting money on lavish parties and absurd amounts on homes and cares and private aeroplanes. I feel guilty for having two new dresses. Jack tells me to let it go. I must. You would go crazy if yourself everything because of how the money could be used.
It is still not right that people are allowed to earn absurd amounts of money and spend absurd amounts of money on trivial luxuries. I find it almost criminal. But who would be that person who marks the line? Can you say to the wealthy, “look, you have a hundred times more money than the average person in a Western land. So we are going to take half of your wealth and use it to aid people who need farming tools and fishing equipment, and tools to dig a wells, and educational materials for their children, and equipment for hospitals”. Who can do that?
Can you believe I only started writing this post because I was so excited about my new dresses – but I felt guilty writing about them! I wish everyone had equal resources. I hate this world of absurd inbalances.
Family summer garden party for a special celebration coming up very soon. I opened my wardrobe and groaned, “I have nothing to wear” (which is not true). Jack picked up on my whining and told me he wanted to treat me to a new dress. This is exciting to me because all my dresses came from charity shops or as “hand-me-downs” from friends. New dress!!! It’s like the most exciting thing to happen this year!!!
Do you think I can pick one? Jack is being patient…but he has to place an order very soon to get it on next day delivery. I have narrowed it down to five dresses…but I am stuck now.
I would love your opinion. Bear in mind I am a caramel blonde (my hair is very long at the moment, but I am ringing every salon I can find to ask of I can make a last minute appointment to trim my straggly ends) and of an hourglass figure. That means Dress 2 and 5 are not the style of dress that suit my shape. Anyway…what do you think?
Goldfinch has a lot to do before he returns to Australia. So I honestly don’t know how many times I will see him before he goes. I am more than willing to travel up to the Midlands. Anyway…
…oh my achey breaky heart!…
Yesterday, all I wanted to think about was Goldfinch. The dress above is the dress I was wearing when I met Goldfinch – I like it, but it is a bit mumsy. I wore it yesterday because it reminds me so much of the night I met him. Thinking back to that night, I had curled my hair the night before, so my hair was kind of wavy and I had it loose and long. I cannot remember my footwear.
I do remember my phone fell out of my pocket that night. I only realized the next morning. He took me to find it the next day after we met for breakfast. He noticed the mobile phone I use is an old battered Nokia. He calls it the old tin can and string phone. Which reminds me, people send me messages which look like this: Hi [] [] How are you? [] [] [] Are you free tonight? [] [] [] [] [] [] [] []. I am left to use my imagination to interpret what those boxes might mean. Who knows what I could be agreeing to? They are obviously some kind of emoji or symbol. But if someone uses a lot of them…it looks rather strange on my old Nokia phone.
The dress I wore the day after I met him, when we had breakfast together was royal blue. Perhaps I was over dressed for breakfast, but I only had a choice between nice dresses and old jeans with me and I was not ready for him to see me in my old worn out jeans. I still prefer to wear dresses for Goldfinch. Although he has seen me in my old jeans too. Have I told you lately how much I love him?
I had a lot of running round to do though yesterday. I saw some friends in the afternoon. Somebody (a male friend) who I have already told in polite terms to back off, bought me chocolates.
I didn’t want them. But I decided I would give them to someone else. Well, I was passing work and I saw my Italian colleague I mentioned in a post yesterday was still there. So I jumped off the bus and went and knocked on the door (I didn’t have my keys) and I managed to sneak the chocolates in.
I have decided on a song that I want to include in a post when I eventually share with you my grand goodbye to Goldfinch. I have been thinking about it for ages, and today I finally settled on the perfect song!
I am going to start working on my Goodbye Goldfinch post now…and work on it a little bit at a time, because leading up to the day, it will be so overwhelming! In the meantime…I love the line in this song: “what are you waiting for?”
The last couple of weeks have been rather topsy-turvey for me. A lot has interfered with my normal routine. However, I am full of determination, you have no idea how much! I don’t want to miss out, so although it has been absolutely necessary for me to address the legitimate reasons I could not do what I had hoped, I am trying to not be discouraged by some of the interruptions to my life that have cropped up.
All is well…I am happy and determined – one tough cookie! I have three days of work now before I can rest again…and I am determined to get through them.
I am always pleased to take part in the “SHARE-YOUR-WORLD! questions from Melanie B Cee, the creator of sparksfromacombustiblemind.
This was her original post with this week’s questions outlined:
https://sparksfromacombustiblemind.com/2018/11/19/share-your-thankful-world/
I used to be a very early riser. I had to leave my flat by 6.15am in order to be at breakfast and my work assignment on time. Sometimes I would leave the flat at 5.45am and run the three miles to work and shower and dress there. (As volunteers who did not receive wages, our meals were provided.) I used to make an effort to be in bed early.
Since my head injuries – mornings are horrible! HORRIBLE! Until my pain-killers kick in, I am a wreck. I mentioned in another post that for a long time I have been able to just take pain killers once a day, first thing in the morning, which I am pleased about.
I do try to set an alarm to get up in the morning and get myself vertical so that the pain eases off. Once I am vertical my brain seems a lot happier.
I had a strange night on Sunday night. I had pain in my head but it was scary that I was having other symptoms which have caused me to have to pay several visits to hospital in recent months. I was struggling to breathe, my throat seemed to be closing up and it was making me feel sick, I felt like I was going to be sick, but I was not. I had a huge discomfort across my chest and back and my arm and through my jaw. I sat up in bed with my knees lifted – you know that “A” position they teach you in first aid – which eventually helped. My insides are still feeling rather sore and rough. But it will pass.
Please don’t worry…I have had plenty of tests and scans. This has happened many times. Yes, I could have called 999, but I was too tired. Yes, I called my GP first thing on Monday and was sent for some tests immediately. My heart and arteries and lungs are not the problem. The problem is they are dependant on my brain. It seems to be my brain has blips.
Ugh! I don’t really want to explain it all, but I have had over three years of brain blips that have effected by breathing. And of course those blips are causing great strain on my heart and causing damage. Ugh! It makes me sick just thinking about it. I have been seen by some wonderful and lovely doctors and head experts. But they have not been able to figure out what is the problem. I have almost become apathetic about the total lack of answers from the Doctors, but I feel for them. They do not know why this keeps happening.
I just want to stay out of hospital for as long as possible and live live live with every fibre in my body. I was so eager to leave on Monday and get myself back to the little nest. But then I came home from hospital and because I did not want to be alone, I carried on with my plans which was helping on a voluntary project I am delighted to have been working on for the past few months. My chest was feeling rather sore after Sunday night. So on Tuesday I had to rest up.
I wish I could sleep in a vertical position. I wonder whether the pain would be less. I have seen some unusual “beds” that would allow for that.
If I don’t set my alarm, I am in big trouble. I can sleep for twenty hours, or more, quite easily. Several times I have missed an entire day because of being unconscious. When that has happened, I wake up absolutely bewildered and with pain much worse than usual.
I have found that it has worked better for me taking on afternoon and evening work. Yes, it is much better in fact. Although I have an early start on Wednesdays and Fridays…but the other five days of the week I don’t need to rush in the morning. I can wait until the pain has eased before I attempt anything.
I don’t really like talking about all this…and I don’t want a long list of questions or advice. I am well provided for with medical advice. I have an amazing team who are looking after me and my brain. We will have to wait and see.
The most important thing is that I am not just alive…I am full of life and love and joy!Â
My hobby? Misconceptions about my hobby? Hmm…I am going to have to think about this.
Time often dictates my pastimes. If I had lots of time, I would be down at the local swimming pool more. That’s my first choice of free time. I could swim for hours. But I don’t think anyone would have misconceptions about swimming.
I guess a lot of people would think that baking is a hobby for me. I guess it is one of my hobbies in a way. I often bake something to take when I am visiting friends. I have had lots of appreciative comments and nice feedback from the cakes I have made. Lots of friends say: “You should apply to be on “The Great British Bake-Off”! They might just be being polite. Oh they do not understand! They have a terrible misconception about my baking abilities.
Whenever I bake, I am glued to a recipe. My head for some reason does not retain recipes. Neither do I understand what makes a recipe work, the chemistry behind the baking process.
I am rather boring when it comes to flavours – I like caramel of course! Ooooh and peanut butter! I like some fruit in baking, I like some spices like cinnamon. But my palate is not very refined. I just like naughty stuff.
I would not be able to attempt a technical challenge, and my flavour combinations would probably bore the judges. I like watching “GBBO” but I don’t want to be a contestant.
The only penguins I could imagine doing that…
….are these masters of disguise!:
…the responsibilities are limitless with these penguins!
For some reason, the majority of movies seem to be about aliens who don’t come in peace, but rather come for dinner.
Except in kid’s movies…like that one from the eighties – what’s it called? I can only remember the “ET phone home” line…I don’t think I ever did watch the whole movie in fact.
Having said that, I have not seen many alien movies – not my thing – unless they are cute and part of a cartoon movie perhaps. Definitely not scary aliens who want to destroy. Why do people enjoy entertaining themselves with death and destruction? I find life and peace far more gripping.
I am grateful for charity shops!
I am pretty skint at the moment. I will be earning more during December as I am going to be covering some extra days because my manager will be away during the holidays. But right now, I am pinching my pennies even more than usual.
However, I maintain my habit of nipping into charity shops just in case there is a bargain. I don’t like to miss out on an amazing find! This week I found a dress that I liked and fitted perfectly and snapped it up for £5.00. Aaaaah!
Goldfinch has seen every other dress I already own, so it is nice to have something he will not have seen before. He doesn’t really care. He has explained his a man’s take on a woman’s clothing several times – he thinks he can shock me!
But it matters to me! So I am very glad I have something new (well new to me) and it has hardly dented my bank balance at all!
________________
Right…I have in my head a song…but I have to say, I wish the guy singing it would calm down a bit and sing properly. So many couples have chosen this for their wedding song at weddings I have attended. I like the lyrics, but the voice is dire at times.
I am so relieved it is Friday. The week has actually been fine really. I had a pain that started several hours after Goldfinch left to go home on Monday. I would love to say the pain is heart-ache. However, it is much further down than I believe me heart to be…and in the end I had to take a trip to see my Doctor. The verdict is…well, you don’t really want to know that do you!!
I say “my” Doctor. I had never met them before. I have not paid a visit since I registered almost eighteen months ago. What an effort to make an appointment. Oh well… please remind me never ever to complain about a free health service! My friends who live abroad tell me about the thousands and thousands they have had to pay for treatment which we take for granted here. I must not complain about it being hard to make an appointment.
We will not dwell on our pains and aches though. Let us dwell on Friday and celebrate that glorious feeling of freedom. Freedom from 5am alarm bells. Freedom from wearing a stiff uniform that makes you feely sticky oo-ey goo-ey hot in this muggy weather. Freedom from being squished on a double-decker bus with scores of other commuters, wondering if it would have been quicker to walk because the traffic is so bad. Yes, its Frrrrrrrriiii
iiday!!! A fantastic reason to celebrate.
I have a plan for today…it involves Lemons, Leaves, Lattes and a Ladies Night in London. This morning I have a little bit of shopping to do and then I have promised to make a lemon drizzle cake for my friends. Their choice…not my first choice. But the thing about giving a gift or baking a cake for someone is this: You should pick what they like, not your own favourite. So lemon drizzle is the cake for today!
Some of the girls are meeting at my little abode before we head into town later. So I will serve the lemon drizzle cake and I have found a nice little tipple to offer round to those who indulge…besides the huge pot of steaming tea I shall also provide.
Just in case you had not picked up on it…we have a girl’s night out tonight. It is on account of The World Cup having started. We decided some time ago that we must make sure that we had a girlie night at some stage during the football fanaticism and this evening just happened to suit most of us. It is really hard to agree on dates sometimes. I am looking forward to this evening very much. We are all going to wear summer dresses and basically there will be lots of talking and laughing and reminiscing.
If you are not amongst those who are going to be watching football teams from all corners of the world run up and down a pitch after a ball…well, you may find that restaurants and busy public shopping areas are considerably quieter during World Cup season. It is worth making the most of it and visiting these places. You may notice a lot less of the lager loutish behaviour that sometimes mars a night out with your firneds. Hey…you could even come and meet me and the girls…so long as you wear a summery dress and come ready for laughter. I should really ask them before I throw out an open invitation everyone.
Now I think I know what I am going to wear. A dress I scooped up as an incredible bargain not too long ago but I have not worn outside yet because it makes me feel like a plant. But I thought tonight, I shall try it out. It is summery. I have noone to impress, it’s just my very good friends and me. It is just the shape I like – 
my sister tells me this is “fit and flare”. I don’t know…but it does hide my squishy hips well and makes me feel elegant and feminine.
But what do you think? Is it a bit too leafy? I do like green. But I am not sure of it at all. Still, I am 90% sure this is what I am going to wear tonight. I have a gorgeous little bolero that matches the colour of the leaves. I am wearing tan coloured shoes – flat – as I don’t need the extra height and I am at an age where I like to choose the comfy option.
You might wonder what we will be getting up to on our girl’s night out. Well, truth be told, we will be rather sensible. We just want to be able to chat and laugh without annoying anyone (so during the World Cup the best way to do that is making sure we leave the house). Men seem to get all uppity when you try to talk through a football match.  I am not complaining…I love an excuse for a night out with just the girls. Goldfinch is not a big football fan and if he lived locally, I have a feeling he might be more than happy to escort a group of ladies around town…but I have not invited him!
Aaaah Goldfinch – I do love him! Have I mentioned that? Truly truly!
I mentioned some of the girls are meeting at my place. However, we are then going to head into London and we are going to a glitzy hotel for nothing more than 
a coffee (a soya latte for me) while we wait for everyone to arrive. We are going there for the experience. It is much too expensive to have a meal there, but just meeting for a drink in a gorgeous location is a great way to start the evening and take lots of photos together. Most of the girls I am meeting tonight work with charities as volunteers so we all live life on a sensible budget. But we do allow room for occasional treats.
As there are so many of us…it will take a long time to move everyone along to our next destination. I start to act like “Tour Guide Barbie” again, marshalling my friends out into the streets, making sure they don’t wander into the road, and reminding them to cling to their handbags with all of their might.
We are going to a favourite location because of the views and the space and the indoor plants. I have just realized that my dress will be perfect there. I will camouflage into the background at Sky Gardens, it is full of leafy plants. Maybe you have been, maybe you have not. This is not a travel blog, or a restaurateur’s blog, or a nightlife blog…but I would give it the thumb’s up for a place to go with the girls when you are all dressed up in summery dresses.
I will leave at a very modest and respectable time to make sure I am back in bed tucked up for a good night’s sleep before a 9am-5pm workday on Saturday (better than my long 8am-8pm shifts mid-week). Don’t feel sorry for me, I am used to working on a Saturday now.  It flies by very quickly.
Why on earth am I thinking about work? It is Frrrrrrrriiiiiiday!!!
Caramel 