Parklife

I took baba to the park today with my sister-in-law and niece. The weather report had promised a sunny day, but it was dull,dull,dull again with the sun making just a fleeting appearance.

As much as I love spending time with baba, I find days at the park quite difficult from a dressing point of view. The reason for this is I just can’t do casual.  Don’t get me wrong, I like jeans as much as the next woman, but I just can’t live in them.  My sister-in-law is style supreme in casual dress, avoiding excessive black for softer charcoals, with fab La redoute silver leather sandals and just a splash of bright with a large white leather bag. On the other hand, I find jeans to be a major problem. That problem being that I need a size 17!

SIZE 17!!!

Yes, size 17. 18’s are too big on the waistband, leading to the need for a belt. I have yet to find one that doesn’t dig into my stomach when it is tight enough to hold up my jeans, hence I loosen it and spend all day hitching up the jeans. Frankly, it’s just not a good look. So, as a consequence, I spend lots of time avoiding jeans.

Today was no exception. I wore my trusty wallis size 14(yes!) skirt. It has the calf length that is already a hit with Alexa Chung and will be everywhere next season. I like calf lengths because I am quite tall and find them flattering. Calf lengths need to avoided by the vertically challenged as they merely look stumpy and frumpy, not exactly the desired effect. My skirt is thin enough for summer days and is so versatile I’ve been wearing it for years and wouldn’t swap it for anything, except maybe for Mui Mui shoes. I wore this with a thin black camisole top, topped with a khaki lace t-shirt. The camisole was a primark bargain – £1 in a million colours. The quality isn’t great but it is perfect to wear under things, dresses that are too low cut, tops which are too sheer, or even worn with pj bottoms for bed.  The khaki lace t-shirt is a new favourite, and one which will carry me into autumn when teamed with wide leg trousers.

The park we visited does have a hidden attraction. It is very close to a charity shop called the cats whiskers, which supports a cat sanctuary. The cats whiskers is the sort of charity shop I love, no snazzy shelving, no laminate flooring, no fancy carrier bags for 10p, just pure bargains. I got a coast pure silk evening dress for £3, a vintage bangle and beads for 50p each, and a baby pink m&s sweater for a pound. Not bad for 20minutes shopping time.

There was no more shopping for me this afternoon. My gorgeous niece and I had more pressing matters to attend to, namely that her disney toy horses manes had become so tangled she could no longer brush them and so needed urgent attention. I am pleased to say we sorted the matter and I would like to commend Avon advance techniques spray for its services in the detangling toy horses manes!

Tonight we paid a trip to a giant Next store in order to pick up last minute Holiday clothes.  Thankfully the Next sale had finished. Now, I know that Next sales are legendary, and that queues form outside them, but quite frankly, I hate them. They resemble a rugby scrum, with perfectly respectable people turning into ravenous, vicious animals in a fight to the best bargain.  Tonight, all was quiet on the Nexton front, and I managed to get a floral tunic top and a pretty cotton top for my hols. Resisted the new season caramel shades in search of keeping it summer, at least until the end of August. And who knows, an Indian summer might await us, leading to a few more opportunities to wear the cottons, florals and maxis for just a few more weeks.

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