Whoop! I managed to go out today! Lovely Husband took us both to the garden centre where we had tea and a short walk. Not very exciting for most people, but an achievement for me. We couldn’t stay very long as they are undergoing a major refit and the dust was pretty awful. Luckily, it didn’t set off a cough. TMI coming here, but I am going to be honest. One of the reasons that I don’t go out much is that so many things cause me to cough, and when I say cough what I mean is a cough so bad that I lose continence, feel that I am about to die from the choking and often vomit. So it really is that bad!

Things that set off the cough: perfume, polish, cleaning sprays, dust, ash, smoke, strong smells, eating, drinking, stress, worry, anxiety, fear, pain…. You get the idea? And there is no cure. Amongst other meds, I take a low dose of morphine every day which has the side-effect of suppressing coughs, but also has other nasty side-effects too. Which means more meds and then even more meds to counteract the side-effects of those meds. Hmmm….

Anyway, on a more cheerful note… this is today’s outfit, based on this lovely Hermès scarf called Daimyo Princes du Soleil Levant. It is a silk twill 90cm in a wonderful green (I cannot manage to capture the exact shade in a photo) with blue, pink, fuchsia, gold and silver. The pattern has samurai swords with golden ginkgo leaves. I will write a post focusing on this scarf at a later date.

• Silk scarf – Daimyo Princes du Soleil Levant – in a cowl knot with the lower edge tucked into the jumper – Hermès.
• Navy cashmere v-neck jumper – John Lewis.
• Navy wool and cashmere cardigan – WoolOvers (image shows similar).
• Indigo jeans – Klass.
• Navy leather shoes – Hotter.
• Diamond stud earrings – Blue Nile.
• Navy enamel and gold bangle – Halcyon Days.

Outfit of the day 07/02/17 with Hermès’ Daimyo Princes du Soleil Levant

I haven’t said anything yet about my growing love of vintage handbags, but will probably write a post soon. It is rapidly becoming an addiction. There is something so beautiful about the neat, structured and well-made bags which remind me of my childhood. Not that my Mum could afford anything expensive in those days. My love of Hermès and Ferragamo does not mean that I can aspire to their handbags – they are far out of my league! Anyway, I had an email from eBay yesterday about a bag I have been watching. The price had been dropped really low and so it is now on its way to me. I will post more when it arrives. I hope it is as good as it looks:

Vintage cream ostrich leather handbag – Waldybag (photos from eBay seller)

I managed to get a bit side-tracked with my reading over the weekend and instead of starting the book I had planned, Mary Kubica’s “The Good Girl”, I put it to one side and read “The Kill” by Jane Casey. Simply because I am enjoying this series so much and I am reading them out of order – oops!

“The Kill” by Jane Casey

When I finished this, I began to read the last book in my other favourite series of the moment: Neil White’s “Cold Kill”. I will update the blog with how I get on with this one.

“Cold Kill” by Neil White