Greenhouse plans.....

Today was 16 degrees, so any thoughts of baking are out of the window.
The usual Sunday morning routine of exercise, dog walking, dog hairdressing and washing is all done, and I am outside on the trusty old rocking bench enjoying the sunshine and Earl Grey (that'll be the tea not the local squire)
We got planning permission for the greenhouse/conservatory and I have found one that works perfectly for the shape that it needs to fit.
Since the cottage is so tiny, we do not have any entertaining space, last Summer ended up being a bit of a scorcher, we bar b qued and entertained up to 12 people fairly easily, but I'm feeling a little guilty about the number of dinners that we 'owe' through the colder months as we haven't been able to entertain at home.

 The groundworks have started and I have been looking for inspiration in order to grin and bear it as the bills start to roll in...

The first pic is almost exactly the shape of our design, and I love the blousey Summer day feel of the last image.
Keeping the temperature even is always difficult with t his much glass.  The idea for a 'dining conservatory' came from one of my favourite restaurants in Oxford, it started as a fruitier and has seen many incarnations, some good (Raymond Blanc was patron for a while before opening Le Manoir) and some awful, last time we went, we had one cold dish, one 'off' dish and one 'raw' dish, among a table of only 6 diners.  Probably the worst food I have ever eaten, but still one of the best locations.  We may have to go back just to see how the heating/circulation works, I am loathe to eat anything since the last meal was so terrible, I wonder if I can get away with just going for coffee...

I'll look for inspiration for dishes to serve from a new eatery just outside of Oxford called 'The Milk Shed', perhaps the least auspicious of locations, it is in a pre fab unit on a working farm, the food is incredible.  Think Ottelenghi meets good British cooking with farm fresh local produce and you have some idea, for any one visiting Bicester Village, seek it out, it is only minutes away and the difference between what they offer and the mass-produced 'chain' food offered at the shopping mecca is marked.  Plus main courses are £7 at their most costly!

 All the ice creams are organic and made on site (it was previously called Godwins Icecream parlour)

All this food is making me hungry, I am gaining pounds fast, no more lazy week days, it is up at 6am and to the gym before work, I have a surge of energy now that the sun is shining.

What are your favourite foodie haunts, do you go for haute cuisine or lowly burgers? I'm done with 'the middle', and erring more and more to simple, basic and fresh.

Tomorrow will definitely be diet cake recipe day...

In the meantime I only have pics of more clothes, since these were from the keep or return set blogged about previously.
These were the 'keepers'....
I love this shirt, it is from a British designer, I think Thakoon, the print is on both sides, but slightly different on each.
The skirt is Vanessa Bruno, a nod to the drop waist hem skirts, but isn't reminiscent of Whatever happened to Baby Jane.

 It is Bette Davis at her best and one of the most disturbing psychological dramas I have ever seen, but be warned, if you watch it, you'll be unlikely to ever don a skater style skirt again!

Grown up office dressing and dinners out...peplum Philosophy top with chiffon pleat detail on the back and silk trousers from Jaeger....

 Theory dress, it's almost wet suit material it's so heavy, but is a 'get up and go' doesn't need accessories, it's a banker for sweaty tube rides in the Summer.

 Paul Smith Black silk dress, love this, already worn it out to dinner, lightweight enough for Summer, but dark enough as evening wear all year around...

 Preen dress, this is missing a zip, I am not completely sure if I will ever do it up, but I love it too much to not try to save it....

 Acne dress, this is for St Topez only....

 By Malene Birger dress, was originally another holiday frock, but with a heavyweight jacket, might be Ok for work....

For me the moral of this haul, is that even 'high' fashion can be quite wearable, I have always preferred high street, thinking that the designs are more 'my lifestyle' than really way out designer garb, so price aside my first choice would be something more basic.  But trying this stuff on, the way it fits and flows, I am becoming a bit of a convert.

What is your take on high street vs designer, do you go for 'designer' if money were no object or do you like the simplicity of wearable basics that the high street does so well? 

London Boutiques event

It's been a mad week of conference calls, spreadsheets and ball buster meetings, yesterday, I did a sale from 8am-10pm at the Music rooms, everyone thought that was hard work, but it was easy peasy, such lovely people. A really positive vibe and we sold loads of stuff, I think I may have done more turn over than the mother ship at head office!

The event was hosted by London Boutiques, a great team with a beautiful website

The crowd were stunning, with the best hair I have ever seen in the UK all in one place!

The Balenciaga bag bottom left has my name on it...

I wore Phillip Lim top and Vanessa Bruno skirt....

What has your week been like? Are you longing for the weekend? (I bet your bunions aren't as painful as mine!)

Stina Auer

I read an interesting post from Stina Auer about the lack of 'dress up' opportunities in her home town.  The comments made for interesting reading as people discussed the reasons for the laissez-faire attitude that seems to prevail in most places.
For me, dressing up is as much part of a night out as the event itself, in the 80s, when we regularly headed to 'black tie' events, the glass of champagne in the bath, the smell of hairspray and heady mix of perfumes as the gang all got ready together, was as much part of a good night out, as the event itself. To be truthful, it was probably the sense of anticipation and Cinderella style transformation, that was the best part of the evening.
It all started to go a bit wrong in the 90s when effortlessly beautiful people adopted the 'grunge' look, perfect for flawless waifs, not so good if you are built like two ton Tess and need the structure of tailored clothes to look your best.
Glamour definitely came back to certain places in the 2000s, the arrival of the super rich and their super clothes in London, meant that in 'certain' places the dress code was back to OTT.  Cipriani, Nobu, Blue bar at the Berkeley, the Connaught bar, Zuma, Claridges, Mortons, The Wolsey all require a bit of effort.
But for everywhere else, be it in London or other cities in the South East, over-dressing is a big 'no no' anything more than jeans and a nice top in Oxford is seen as tragically try-hard.  I have heard rumour that in Northern cities you can really 'dress', but I am not sure if that applies only to 18 year-olds out clubbing.
And so there's a dichotomy, where thanks to the internet we have access to every 'look' under the sun and yet in the main we gravitate to a safe uniform of skinny jeans, shoe boots and ZARA sequin jackets, or is that just me?
I was going out to dinner at a friend's house last night and after reading Stina's post made a conscious effort to 'make an effort'.  Basically by looking at my wardrobe and thinking what would Stina wear?

The final selection was Chanel shirt (v old and inherited from mum, but still going strong), Herve Leger skirt (again v old, bought in the 90s, when after his 80s hey day, HL was well and truly off the radar and could be picked up for a song), Ash shoes (from Ebay £9.99) and Hermes cuff.

What is it like where you live? Do you get the opportunity to dress up for a night out or is the vibe more laid back and casual?

Getting the look...

I posted about my latest fashion obsession here
The coat has arrived, it is more purple than pink and I don't know if it shrunk in the wash, or it is my new desk job, but there is NO chance that I can do it up (and it is M & S size 8 which is usually quite generous).

Here is the Jil Sander one that I love....

And this is the ebay jacket with the collar removed and some bits that I picked up at the sample sale (on again next Thursday 6th March at the Music Rooms on South Molton Lane from 10am until 10pm)

 Tabitha Simmons dress, 50 quid (was £495)

Day Birger Mikkelsen silk dress, £30 was £325

Is it worth the effort? I have a feeling that I will always hanker after the real thing.  Are you influenced by looks that you like or do you bite the bullet and if you love them, spend the money?