Style Not Age Challenge: Inspired By the Sky and Sea

It's the last Monday of the month and time for the Style Not Age Challenge, featuring five of us from the UK and Ireland. 

This time it was Hilda's turn to choose the theme and she chose "Inspired by the Sky and Sea." It's a great idea but I found it surprisingly tough. I have very little in blue, nothing blue and patterned, and the greens I have are mostly solid and bright.  

Originally I thought of a precious Zara top which I haven't worn for years because the fine chiffon is starting to tear in places.  It was a lovely pale turquoise floral print. I went looking for it, but then remembered I had thrown it out not too long ago. What a pity.

So I came up with this alternative, prepared for a trip to the beach with my new gold sequin beach bag and wearing a denim skirt (blue), wedges (emerald) and top in iced aqua (green).

The emerald wedges were bought on the island of Ischia, near Italy, many years ago. I can't remember what I bought them to go with, but it was clearly essential as I do remember scouring the shops!  The sunglasses and denim skirt are also new, and come under my category "summer essentials."  I recently had my eyes tested and the sunglasses are prescription, which I always think is the height of luxury. The denim skirt is by Levi's. The gold sequinned beach bag is from Moda in Pelle.

Let's see how what my blogging friends have come up with. Emma from Stylesplash has made another of her astonishing vintage finds from eBay. The pattern of the dress reminds her of light shimmering on the water, which is why she chose it for this theme. She has added new cloud earrings from Xander Kostroma and a cute bird print bag bought in Abu Dhabi a few years ago.

Hilda from Over the Hilda, whose challenge it is, is wearing a Zara purchase a few years ago, but seldom worn. She took her inspiration from the blue seas and skies. The orange and yellow flowers perhaps represent the sun!

Jacqui from Mummabstylish is wearing a stretchy pale blue embossed skirt, layers of pale blue cami tee, and a new Zara blouse that reminds her of clouds, topped off with a demin shirt as a jacket. 

Anna from Anna's Island Style  is lucky to live by the sea so it's her natural backdrop. She's wearing jeans that reflect the sea coloura of the Isles of Scilly, and a pale blue and white shirt  by KEW 159, a pre-loved piece is to reflect the sky. The belt is from Benetton and shoes from Primark, sunglasses by Quay Australia.

I hope we inspired you with our inspiration from the sky and sea. There are more pictures on each of the blogs featured.  Join me for a fashion post on Wednesday and the #WowOnWednesday link-up.

Sharing this post with:  Beauty by Miss L, Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Chic & Stylish at Mummabstylish, #SpreadTheKindness  at Shelbee on the Edge, #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Thursday Moda at Elegance and Mommyhood, Turning Heads Tuesday at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish,  Style with a Smile  at Stylesplash, Style Six at Coast to Coast, TFF at Doused in Pink, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style,  #Iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb, Lizzie in Lace Confident Twosday at IDoDeclaire,Rena at Fine Whatever, Fabulous Fridays at Lucy Bertoldi, #Neverendingstyle at The Grey Brunette #TheWednesdayLinkUp at Claire Justine

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Friday Favourites: TV, Books, Podcasts - May Edition 2021

 

Welcome to the May round-up of this month's favourite podcasts, TV and books. It's a bumper edition because with Mr Mutton off on his two week bike ride, I have had full control over the remote control.  

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Bright Pink and Khaki - Plus Link-Up

 

I can't tell you how long I've been looking for a pair of khaki cargo pants.  Khaki is such a great neutral and it goes wonderfully well with bright colors like red, pink and orange. 

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Casual Chic: Blazer, Jeans and White Blouse

 

Greetings all. The weather has been atrocious for the last fortnight, so when it started off sunny today I had to grab a few pictures. 

This is a "casual chic" outfit, ideal for when you're meeting a friend for shopping, or you just want to up your game going to the supermarket.

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Meet My Pink Thug - And Link-Up

Some good news for the island this week  (my name for the UK). We're now allowed to mix indoors, six people from two households. And eat indoors in restaurants and pubs! Also on the list: cinemas and theatres are reopening  (socially distanced seating) and gym classes can resume.  We can also go on holiday to countries on the green list. In reality, this is Portugal.  Although the list includes places like Australia, they have not opened their borders.

So some good news in terms of getting back to some sort of normality, although it's all slightly clouded by the Indian variant of Covid 19 and the havoc it may yet cause. The government didn't restrict flights from India until April 23, purely because Johnson was going there for trade talks  (flights to Bangladesh and Pakistan had been suspended on June 9).  

Our next round of freedoms, to be announced in June, may yet be curtailed because the boffins are concerned that numbers will start to rise again.

I may be experiencing some of these new freedoms myself today (Weds).  I have the day off.  Mr Mutton is off on his bike holiday, cycling a thousand miles from Land's End to John O'Groats.  It's been a fraught few weeks for him. Was the holiday going ahead? Would GWR be running any trains? (The service was more or less suspended for a week because of cracks that were discovered in carriages). 

But now he's ready to go, Covid tested, sleeker of frame, having lost 8 kilos (16 pounds) and weighed down with new cycling apparel and gadgets.  

He will be going by train to Land's End so I'm going with him to Paddington station to help if necessary. The carriage for bikes, and the carriage where he's sitting, are at opposite ends of the train so if the train is late, or on time, there's barely any time to accomplish both.

Last time I did this was at Euston. I had to push his bike along the length of a very long train, with interested mamils (Middle Aged Men in Lycra) casting their eyes over his fancy wheels and thinking I was lucky to own a bike like that, even if it did look a bit big for me.

Once I have waved the train off, the rest of the day is mine.  Some of the museums are reopening for the first time in months on this very day, as are some of the cinemas.  I'm quite tempted to see Nomadland, although it isn't showing in the Leicester Square cinemas. Or I could go into a clothes shop for the first time since before Christmas, even if it's just to indulge in the atmosphere of somewhere like Selfridge's. A nice little lunch, indoors, is also a possibility.

Meanwhile there's talk of a team lunch next week, which will involve going back into the office for the first time since February last year.  At the moment you can book using an app if you want to work in the building, but there are only a limited number of places. I was quite keen, but some of my colleagues, being in their 20s and 30s, were less so because they haven't yet been vaccinated.

Today's Photos

The clematis was looking so wonderful I had to take some photos. There are three clematis montana along the fence, two pink and one white;  it actually looks best from the lane, outside the garden, because I often chop too much off during the summer when really it should only be pruned immediately after flowering. I'm going to try to resist the temptation. The smell is wonderful, a bit like marzipan. 

They're often described as thugs because they're so rampant, but I love how they have hidden the fence, and how they help to enclose the garden and make it seem more complete. 

I shopped my wardrobe: everything is old. The skirt is regularly stocked in M&S each summer and I have it in 3 colours. 

I was thinking of doing a post where I talk about how I created the garden, with before and after pics. Would that be of interest?  Let me know in the comments. Also - what are the first things you plan to do following the relaxation of rules?  (Or what did you do, in countries where the rules are already relaxed). 

Sharing this post with: Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Chic & Stylish at Mummabstylish, #LinkupOnTheEdge at Shelbee on the Edge, #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Thursday Moda at Elegance and Mommyhood, Turning Heads Tuesday at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish,  Style with a Smile  at Stylesplash, Style Six at Coast to Coast, TFF at Doused in Pink, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style,  #Iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb, Lizzie in Lace Confident Twosday at IDoDeclaire, Beauty by Miss L, Rena at Fine Whatever, Fabulous Fridays at Lucy Bertoldi, #Neverendingstyle at The Grey Brunette

Now it's time for #WowOnWednesday, where readers can find new blogs to read, and bloggers can find new readers. Last week we had a bumper number of entries which I was thrilled about. 

Readers' Favourites - Most Clicked

Laurie from Vanity and Me with her post "HM spring summer linen neutral style." showcasing the elegant, luxurious style that Laurie is renowned for.

Cheryl, from Cheryl Shops, with What to Wear in May - a colourful skirt, a denim jacket and a cute bag. Love.

Is This Mutton Favourite

I was thrilled to see Canadian blogger Sheila from Ephemera joining the link-up for the first time. Sheila's post:  Mom-Day and Jab-Day Greens, and a Fascinator Flashback. Sheila puts together beautifully colourful outfits and has the most amazing shoe collection.  A lot of her finds are thrifted.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Stop Editing Older Women

 

I was shocked this week by the front cover of a magazine I've read for many years, Woman and Home. TV presenter Lorraine Kelly was unrecognisable, such was the degree of retouching and smoothing. Lorraine is a positive role model for older women, so it was particularly galling to see her face and neck completely bare of  the light wrinkles you'd expect in any 61 year old woman.

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Find Your Perfect Yellow - and Link-Up

 

Of all the colours, yellow is the most divisive.  Many women say they love it - and it's hard to resist with its gorgeousness freshness and vivacity - but it doesn't suit them.

I've news for you: there's a shade of yellow for nearly all of us, with the exception of those who have summer colouring. 

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April 2021: Sentence a Day: Bluebells, Vaccination 2, Family Reunions

 

Covid-19 Update:  In the month of April the lockdown in England was relaxed slightly in that we can now dine outside at pubs and restaurants; team sports have resumed and non-essential shops and hairdresser/beauty salons reopened. We can meet with 6 people (two households) outside in a park or garden. But we can't mix indoors with other households, eat indoors at a restaurant or pub, go to the gym on go abroad on holiday. 

Thurs April 1

Fairly bright. Day off. Had eyes tested and chose a pair of glasses and prescription sunglasses. Did some weeding. I get a lot of square stalked willow herb in the back garden, which grows tall with pale pink flowers. We watched Made in Italy, a film with Liam Neeson. Terrible. 

Friday April 2

Good Friday.  Cloudy and cold. Did reluctant walk 4.8 miles. J did long bike ride. After lunch planted everything I bought in the garden centre a few days ago.  Sun came out briefly.

Sat April 3

Cold, cloudy. Walked to Waitrose, came back with a chicken on my back.  My long awaited delivery from Canada came: Anna Wintour necklaces.  I treated myself to these with my mum's very generous birthday money gift when I was 60. 

Sun April 4

Quiet day. Wrote blog post. Changed beds. Roast chicken.  

Mon April 5 - Easter Monday

Weather not as bad as forecast.  Did the mud walk. Now it's been dry for weeks there was no mud. 5.2 miles. As we're now able to meet family outdoors, we went for tea in R's garden,  then had hot cross buns in Christopher's garden. It was a few days after the birthday of a special child, whose face I have concealed. Wasn't too bad being outside as the sun was out and I was wearing a lot of clothes! 

Tues April 6

Sunny but v cold. Started work early. Busy and exasperating day. Started The Investigation, Danish crime series about a murder on a mini submarine. 

Weds April 7

Horribly busy working on annual plans. Did quick walk, King's Head circular. 

Thurs April

Trail walk in forest 4.2 miles. Cold. Busy day but finished by 5.30. 

Fri April 9

Prince Philip died. Did a workout.  Work was fairly quiet. John laid a trail of sawdust over my route "the mud walk" for an Orion race tomorrow. 

Sat April 10

Papers full of Prince Philip.  Radio 2 changed their schedule.  Did walk, 3.9 miles. J did photography at Orions Mercury race.  Watched last episode The Investigation.  Very good series.

Sun April 11

Blue sky quite cold. Mud Walk 5.5 miles. Roast beef. The mud walk starts with a lovely view of the reservoirs and City of London, behind this tree.

Mon April 12

Quiet day. Started early to write Wednesday's blog post. 

Tues April 13

Walk 3.9 miles including Connaught Water.

Weds April 14

Did Yates meadow mud walk. Sunny but cold. Didn't sleep well. Troubled by work things. Brain just wouldn't abandon it

Thur April 15

Didn't have time to do a walk as had a meeting at 9.30. Busy day but fairly productive. 

Fri April 16

Urban walk today Tesco. Second vaccination booked for Friday next week and J had his today.

Sat April 17

Sunny, cold. Did long walk with J nearly 7 miles. Fairlies Park including deer tunnel, obelisk and temple (below).  Watched Prince Philip's funeral.  In the evening saw Promising Young Woman - 7 out of 10. 

Sun April 18

Didn't go for a walk. Did some housework and gardening.  Roast chicken.  Even without the walk did  just under 10k steps, which shows how much you can move at home if you're busy! 

Mon April 19

Day off. Sunny and actually warm. Went to Jodie's to have hair done, a drive of 35 miles on the M25. It was a lovely day.Made chilli for dinner.

Tues April 20

Have a 3 day internal conf starting at 8.30 (three hours a day)  so did my walk later.  Difficult to get motivated today.

Weds April 21

No walk, clouded over and got cold by late morning. Good day. Some white gold stud earrings delivered.  Now that my ears are visible I need more earrings. Only small ones suit me. 

Thursday April 22

Finally warmer with blue skies.  Small cattle back in the forest. Long horns, very gentle creatures. Did trails walk 4.9 miles. Quiche and salad. 

Friday April 23

Sunny blue skies.  Did Yates Meadow, hilly, twice.  Had 2nd vaccination, this time at Walthamstow library.  Jab happened bang on time. Very thankful. 

Sat April 24

Sunny still cold. No side effects from vaccination. Walked to Tesco, got too much and was loaded down by a heavy rucksack on way back. Did blog shoot at 4pm when sun had gone in a bit. 

Sun April 25

Sunny, chilly. Sorted out last 2 bags winter clothes.  Spurs in final of Caraboa Cup.Lost 2 nil unfortunately  Roast chicken. Did a workout and more blog photography.

Mon April 26

Found out that another of the weeds which drives me mad in the back garden is ground elder. Difficult to remove as it grows from rhizomes and if you leave a fragment behind, it starts the growth cycle off again.  Did a trails walk 4.2 miles. Sun came out later but still v cold.

Tues April 27

Sunny and warmer. Did a workout and went to the post office before starting work. Productive day.  Started Mare of East Town - see what I thought in Friday Favourites. 

Weds April 28

Sunny start, not so cold. Trails walk 4 miles. Fair has arrived. Remember how exciting this was when I was a teenager in Plymouth.  Clouded over and actually rained !! Briefly. Quiet day.

Thursday April 29

Urban walk to Tesco and back. Saw a glimpse of bluebells in Larkswood so walked back that way (top picture and below).  We finished Expanse and John chose to re-watch Game of Thrones again (for about the fifth or sixth time!). 

Friday April 30

Long weekend ahead, Monday Bank holiday.  Quiet day, did some cleaning. Longish walk 5 miles including Yates. Fish and chips, 1st time from takeaway shop for ages. This is the garden today.  Tulips (Dynasty) are out, as is scabious and a few dianthus. Daffodils have largely ended. 

Sharing this post with  #LinkupOnTheEdge  at Shelbee on the Edge, #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings,  Fabulous Fridays at Lucy Bertoldi, Not Dressed as Lamb,  Rena at Fine Whatever

How was your April?  Link up your post if you have one, or let me know in the comments.  

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