If girlie isn’t your thing then please feel free to skip this but I have times when it is and times when it isn’t because I tend to work out what I want, usually in the grey winters. Then have it all ready for times when I just want to get dressed, do my hair, add eyebrow pencil, lipstick and lots of moisturiser and be on my way. I suspect that deep down inside I think that doing this will make spring come faster, so please, don't spoil my illusions because this winter hasn't been a good one for me.
It hasn't been all bad though and now the snowdrops are coming out, and aren’t they gorgeous? Yes, they’re later than they have been in previous years but they’re still small and brave against the cold and seem to promise longer days and sunshine. So here’s a picture for you and you can think of my table, which today is laid with china with snowdrops on them. We’re having croissants with bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast and this wretched weather is the perfect time for me to slow down.
Or at least that’s the theory. In practice there’s so much that I want to do. There’s all my bedding to sort out and pillowcase embroidery to plan for summer days down on the beach at Harbourside because I love the feeling of a clean, freshly ironed pillowcase under my cheek at night and it’s so much better for my husband’s eczema-prone skin. So this summer, when I take my sewing out and about it will be pillowcases. And today I shall sort out all the old sheets and unpack the new ones. The old sheets and pillowcases will go to our local vets along with the old towels so they won’t be wasted and the bed will look like a posh hotel or self-catering let. And yes, Nadine in A Woman to be Reckoned With owes a lot to this side of my personality.
I’m also continuing my long held plan of finding the right way to display all my pretty hair accessories and earrings and brooches because I don’t use them when they're in drawers or boxes. My long term goal is to use an idea from a Fiona Ferris book, because I love her way of looking at life and making every day special. She describes a boutique where everything is exactly right for you, and I’m remembering this as I go through my wardrobe now that I’ve lost weight. I’m also proudly becoming a silver vixen so a lot of the colours for accessories and clothes aren’t quite right any more. My daughter thinks this is an excellent idea and loves my vintage accessories. Hey, I feel like saying, that’s not vintage. I bought that when I was… oh, oops. That is vintage, isn't it? They’re still pretty though and the gold colours suit her far better than they ever did me.
So from now on I shall choose a pretty brooch to enliven my sensible black, navy or grey coats and cardigans. I shall choose earrings to suit my mood and my outfit. I’m growing my hair at the moment too, and it’s right in the middle of the irritating stage so the barrettes and scrunchies are coming in useful. But I am seeing the first signs of it being what I want it to be and I’m enjoying looking at pictures while I say ‘yes, this is what I want.’ It’s not going to be long, long because I’m past the stage of wanting hair I can sit on, which I have had. About two inches below shoulder length seems right and my hair grows fast, so I should be there by summer. Then I can embrace elegant ponytails and plaits or twist it up in a clamp while I walk barefoot along the beach with the breeze playing with my hair. There will be sun hats with holes at the back to feed my ponytail or plait through. There will be elegant slip on sandals to make paddling easy. There will be pretty dresses, cut straight so I don’t show my knickers to the world. There will be sunshine and ice cream and cold drinks and rocks to sit on and I will come home to a house that shows the benefits of these grey days.
Life is good and there’s more to come…
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