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I left the house at 7.40am on Tuesday morning wrapped in all the layers but, by the time we'd got home, it had warmed up and I was able to cast off a few layers and change into my Lottas (with bare legs!)
I've not worn this dress in ages - hence the inclusion in my Spring capsule wardrobe. I bought it from Anokhi's flagship store in Jaipur, back in 2018.
A sure sign holiday season is approaching, the baths were full of people trying to shed a few pounds before hitting the beach. There wasn't a cubicle to be had after my swim so I had to strip off, dry myself and dress in the middle of the changing room, not that I've ever had any issue with baring all.
After dropping some boots off at the cobbler's I had a smashed avocado muffin in 'Spoons before we popped into Lidl for a £1.50 Waste Not box.
Carrying 28 apples, 8 bananas, a punnet of grapes, a bunch of spring onions, mushrooms, aubergine and a pear (plus two large pots of Greek yoghurt) between us back up the hill home was a workout in itself! Back at home it was sunny enough to peg the washing on the line before we drove over to visit our friends, Brendan and Lynn.
The most exclusive restaurant in the Black Country! Bren & Lynn's dining room, a spectacular blend of William Morris textiles, religious iconography and retro ceramics. The food, drink and company were pretty amazing, too - pure veg pakoras, samosas & bhajis, Bren's delicious South Indian-style veg curry with roti and a box of Indian sweets from Dimple in Bilstonia. The box was so pretty I brought it home with me.
The main purpose of the visit was to find them a well-deserved getaway to somewhere beautiful with bags of culture, great food and decent weather - I enjoy helping our friends book holidays as much I love booking them for ourselves, I should have been a travel agent! Happily, we managed it without much stress.I think we're as excited as they are.
Happy travels, amigos!
Back at home we got a right telling off from a rather disgruntled black cat, camped out on the doorstep, awaiting our return.
On Wednesday I was allowed to sleep until 5.50pm before being roused by a frantic miaow! After my Wii Fit workout I wrapped the ebay sales which Jon dropped off at the post office on the way to the dentist, leaving me photograph and list stock. Several items sold within minutes, I love it when that happens.
Jon was only back for an hour before it was my turn. After months of root canal removals, revisions and temporary caps my amazing NHS dentist finally fitted a state of the art E-Max crown to my lower incisor which looks so much more natural than the yellowing 20 year old veneer.
More from the Spring capsule - an Indian cotton embellished blouse, block printed maxi skirt and a fabulous vintage Zardozi belt courtesy of Lynn! The earrings were my Mum's.
I've sold a few items from my wardrobe recently and, as I shop mindfully and take care of my clothes, I always get back the money I paid for them (and often, significantly more) so, of course, it's the perfect excuse to buy more!
A saffron block printed maxi skirt from Kharibu...
And an Indian block printed "Avalon" maxi dress by East via eBay.
These will be included in my next capsule wardrobe unless the weather changes dramatically or I'm too impatient to wait.
Using some of the contents of the Waste Not box, I've had griddled aubergine for tea...
And oaty apple & sultana crumble for pudding (made by me). Mine was accompanied by Greek yogurt whilst Jon's was hidden beneath a mountain of squirty cream.
I've been up since the crack of dawn, thanks to a hungry feline, giving me time to squeeze in a blog post between parcel wrapping, my workout and a bit of housework. I'm off on a Black Country tour with Claire today, I shall report back with photos and tales of adventure very soon!