Sunday 1 July 2012

Weekending: secret strawberry thief and misunderstanding regarding a wedge!




It had been a busy half week. Then a last minute panic when the mercury rose to 25 degrees...Which I know is not very hot at all. But when:

  •  It's muggy sticky two-shower-a-day weather and we need a storm  to clear the air and I know people elsewhere are having scary horrible weather, so don't want to complain.
  • The dress that I got two months ago for the  a formal event is much too hot to wear now. 
  • I'm not really a dressy-dress kind of person. 
  • I hate clothes shopping for formal do's and begrudge spending money on things I can't wear everyday. 
  • Would really rather have up-clycled, hand made or vintage. 
  • Have already had an attempt to find alternative apparel and taken two dresses home that 'A' said weren't dressy enough, so had to return.
  •  I don't really want to go.
  • I want to be digging up the garden or foraging in the woods instead of in town shopping.


Then the salesman who was very  nice and helpful, asked me if I needed to borrow "a wedge" to try a dress on and I had to ask him what he meant! 


I'd forgotten that we'd been debating wearing 'flats' or 'heels' two seconds earlier...so when he mentioned wedges my head just went off on a million non-shoe related tangents! Was it something to help me squeeze into a dress...or a wedged shaped cubical larger than the ample square one that I was in? The concept that he was offering to lend me a wedge heeled shoe hadn't even entered my head...


After five hours of trying on all kinds of outfits in every possible shop in Oxford and wishing all the time that I was digging the garden at home, I finally chose long wide-legged black georgette,  forties inspired trousers (I just wrote courgette...I think my head is in the garden now) and a cream georgette blouse and black"wedges."  More "me" and much more comfortable...Now I was happy to go...and had a great time...


But weekend was  just the antithesis...lovely and chilled.  H arrived late Friday evening on a stop-over before being taken with boyfriend B for a week in France by his parents. 


Saturday began with leisurely reading in bed. When I got up to make coffee I discovered that my strategy of leaving the courgettes to the slugs hoping that the strawberries were safe was foiled by a cute strawberry thief. Excuse the bad filming and rain on the lens. If you look carefully you can see him run in behind the plant pots...his naughty little face munching strawberries and then running off again...


Then we took H swimsuit shopping and managing to exchange my  too-warm dress for the full value, despite the receipt being out of date and the summer sales having started!  H and A persuaded me to get two tops and a fine linen dress, even though I wanted to get something for them instead. It is very dressy for me, but fits perfectly. I can wear it now dressed down with converse and a little jacket or cardigan and will be an amazing Christmas dress. The perfect colour! In the autumn if it's really cold I can wear a fine wool sweater underneath, wooly tights and boots. Dress shopping isn't so bad when you've got someone to advise you... 


...A really spoiling day was topped off with even more spoiling. The first Indian take-away in months. Chicken Jalfrezi, Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Saag, Pilau  Rice, nan and yoghurt eaten picnic style on big trays on the living room floor by the three of us whilst watching a Harry Potter film on TV.  Can't get better than that for Saturday night...


...Then helped H to pack before A dropped her off at boyfriend's ready for 3am start next morning...


Sunday a lovely lie-in pootling around in the house and garden, in PJ's all day. Text from H to say she'd arrived safely in France and that where they were staying is beautiful. Then supper cooked by A...






I have been so undeservedly spoiled this weekend and feel as though I must do altruistic acts all next week...


linking over here to check what everyone else has been doing this weekend...are you coming too?



10 comments:

  1. starting saturday morning with a book sounds so good! as does your indian takeout...yum :)

    and i had to laugh about the wedges, i'd have been wondering the same thing and trying to figure out how a wedge would get me into a dress and what would get me out ;-)

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    1. I seem to have to little time to read these days and get to bed so late that I just zonk out!

      He He...I'm sure the shop assistant had a good laugh too once the curtain was closed! I don't mind, I like to make people happy!
      Deb

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  2. Great weekend! We all love HP movies here :) I'm with you on dressy dresses! I rarely wear them and avoid formal events like the plague. Glad you found something!!

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    1. Yey I'm glad I'm not the only one! I'm all for informal gatherings they are much more fun.

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  3. Debby, first off, I love the dress you found, it's beautiful. I have to buy a dress for my son's wedding in October and keep putting it off. It's an outside wedding, I have no idea if it will be hot or cold and like you I detest shopping for dressy clothes. I have given myself till the middle of September and then I will start to worry! And shoes? No idea either!:)
    Your strawberry thief looks very similar to my pecan thieves, nasty little buggers! Last year they ate almost all of my nuts from the trees.
    I adore Indian food, but we don't have a place here in town so I have to make it myself or drive over an hour to get it..it's worth it though.
    I hope you have a super evening.

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    1. Oh what a nice long comment Tracey. Thanks for taking the time. And the nice ones about the dress too...it is lovely and really nice fabric.

      I'm sure you'll find something gorgeous. I really recommend taking someone who you can trust to give an honest opinion.

      The ST was naughty but cute...they used to pinch all the apples off the trees when they were just growing and we would have no harvest. Thankfully now the trees produce enough for us and the squirrels and lots of others too. But it is a battle in an organic garden to provide enough for us and all the critters out there!

      The Indian Take Away was a treat that we rarely do so it was even more special. I must try making som. myself I just watched Jamie Oliver in a new series making Indian flat breads called Dosas with a spicy sweet potato filling last night that looked amazing...I must have a go.

      It was a great evening thanks Tracey...hope your week is too...
      Deb

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  4. Oh your dilemma over what to wear sounds so similar. It can make me also just not want to go. So glad the event went well and A was recognized for all he does. Love the wedge confusion too. So much goodness in so few days. I think you deserve it.

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    1. It seems it's a common problem...but everything was lovely in the end thanks Heather.

      It was funny about the wedge...I kept giggling to myself all day afterwards about how silly I'd been.

      Ah thanks.

      I hope that the rest of the week continues to be as good as your weekend.
      Deb

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  5. Oh, I hate it when it's hot and sticky like that ... I get quite out of sorts. I found myself nodding in agreement with your dot points - I'm not so much a dressy dress person either, and I hate shopping for something that may only get very limited use (I like my clothes to be multi-functional). 'Digging up the garden or foraging in the woods' rather than shopping sounds like my preference too! :)

    But in saying all that YAY for outfit success! And oh my you made me laugh with that 'wedge' discussion ... haha! It's funny how your mind can be off on a completely different tangent! :)

    Your weekend sounds lovely ... and would you look at that little strawberry thief!?!? Cheeky little so and so! (but oh so cute).
    xx

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  6. I'm glad I wrote about my shopping experience. It seems to have hit a nerve with a few other people too. It's quite therapeutic to share experiences and good to find that it's not just me!

    I keep giggling myself when I think about "the wedge" Tracey...I can't believe how silly I was...

    Hope you have a good weekend too...I'm popping over to catch up with what you've been doing.
    D

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