Monday, 2 November 2015

ME ON MONDAY - ACTIVE NOT BUSY

I started to write an update about how I am getting on with changing habits but decided to have a gentle start to my week... an unwinding of the weekend kind-of-day. So instead I am waving at Sian over at 'High in the Sky'. 

Life-work balance is really important.  When I worked full time I used to manage the long commute and demanding role by working longer hours on four days and having Friday off.  Yes, it was physically demanding but it meant my weekends were longer, more time to rest and play. So I saw Friday as the start of my weekend I and still do.

And it started as a sitting-at-the-computer kind-of-day. A webinar to watch live, blog posts and letters to write. And a browse of blogs kind-of-day with comments left. Because that is what I am doing more of, and I did more of that over the weekend too.

It was a sort-out-the-sock drawer kind-of-day. You know the ones that lurk in the back forgotten, because they are too tight, too this, too that. Or perhaps you are more organised than me and throw them out straight away! I am getting into practice for that....

Saturday was a bathroom cupboard clearing kind-of-day. An emptying of shelves, throwing out of bottles that have stood the test of time, and rearranging what was left neatly kind-of-day. Meanwhile the washing machine spun and clothes were pegged on the line, but that was a 'what-a-waste-of-time' because the air was too damp for them to dry, despite the hazy sunshine.  

It was also a dash to the shop and feeling smug coming home kind-of-day. Because instead of overloading my trolley I hesitated if things were not on my list. I am reading Marie Kondo's book 'The Life-changing Magic of Tidying'. And it is working. Instead of picking things up that I like but do not need I reminded myself they will still be there next time. And they will.


It was also a book 'making' kind-of-day. Or should I say, finishing, because I made the pages last weekend at the retreat. Now they have spiral binding and I am pleased with the result. Three books for three special little girls.



And there was book reading of a different kind and I was sad to finish Elizabeth Gilbert's 'Big Magic'. It came into my life at a good time.

Sunday we defrosted the freezers. There was chipping of ice, mopping
puddles, and some throwing out. Because like the sock drawer some things had got relegated to the back because they had lost their label or appeal. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has taken out rhubarb for a crumble only to find it is braised red cabbage and onion!  There was also a couple of pairs-of-sausages. You know the ones?  When the pack you bought has more sausages than you needed so you freeze the rest thinking they will be just right to go with a
mixed grill or in a sandwich? The ones that slip to the back and get forgotten and are never enough for a meal for two on their own. 

They were home-cooked meal kind-of-days, custard tart treats, and cosy evenings watching the tv. A catching up of favourites programmes like Gogglebox, Four in a Bed, and Come Dine with Me.
Sometimes I just like to switch off and watch something easy. And other times I like something more captivating, so let's not forget the films I watched. I love films! And one in particular grabbed my attention throughout: 'Hector and the Search for Happiness'.  Have you seen this?  It was one of those films that I want to watch over and over again. I know I won't, because as Marie Kondo says, we have every good intention but rarely go back to read a book or watch a film because others take their place. But I reckon I will watch this at least once more, because it ticked all my boxes! And Big Magic? I'll be looking at that again too!

But right now another day looms ahead, so on this Monday morning:


I hope your own weekend has been enjoyable and I'd love to hear what you have found lurking in your own cupboards and freezers. Meanwhile I'll be back tomorrow with another post for my 30 day Blogging Challenge. Thanks for popping by!

Sunday, 1 November 2015

KNIT AND NATTER - VINTAGE PATTERNS AND FASHION TRENDS

Last week I was given a pile of vintage knitting patterns and I wrote about how they triggered memories. 
And they also triggered questions like:

Did women really have such naturally small waists or did they wear girdles to create this hour-glass look?



And how would people react if a child went out today wearing this outfit?


Because remember the red and white outfit Prince George wore to his sisters christening earlier this year?  The one that was a near-copy to one his father once wore? Well, my daughter tells me that other mothers like to dress their children in retro clothes too. 

As a baby, Jools Oliver, wife of celebrity chef Jamie, had a hand-me-down embroidered nightie. Later, her own children wore this too and she was so inspired by the design and nostalgia that she designed her own range of retro children's clothes. 

But some mothers, I discovered, do not want copies made from modern fabrics. No. They seek original vintage and retro clothes and when I saw photos I instantly recognised some of the clothes that my own children wore. In fact I still have one or two in my wardrobe. You know, those ones that hold special memories?  They are carefully folded with the shawl that my nan knitted, the same nan who knitted those swimming trunks and bikini. 

I wish the dress that my nan crocheted was there too. It was peach colour, sleeveless and scoop necked. Under the bust line it was a shell pattern, with a  self colour lining.  There was just one problem. When I first wore the dress the weight of the yarn and the lacy design caused the skirt to drop. I seem to remember my nan undoing several rows of shells so that it hang level again with the lining. Sadly, I don't have a photo of this dress but it is funny how some clothes stay in your memory.   

In todays massed produced, throw away society, I wonder if the next generation will be able to say the same?

I wonder whether they will get excited by vintage patterns, as I do? 

But I am not alone in this. In fact there is a revival. And I'll be back soon to tell you how I know. 

If you missed my previous post about vintage knitting patterns you can find it here.  Have a good Sunday, what ever you are doing. I'll be back tomorrow with another post for my 30 Day Blogging Challenge.
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