Outfit of the day 08/06/18

Posted on 08/06/2018 by The Librain

This is going to be a short post. I have been very ill and low for the past couple of days. When I get stressed, my health suffers, both physically and mentally. Lovely Husband is going through a lot of health issues himself and is having several unpleasant and serious hospital procedures. This has brought huge fears to the fore in my mind. I am terrified about the future, simply terrified. Yesterday and today my body has reacted really badly, to the extent that I can hardly think straight.

Anyway, I will try to pull myself back together over the weekend and hope that I can post in a better mood next week.

Today’s outfit:

  • White cotton round necked t-shirt – Sainsbury’s Tu.
  • Bright navy cotton mix cardigan – Lands’ End.
  • Navy and white linen trousers – Isle Collection.
  • Aqua glass and silver earrings.
  • Turquoise chip bracelet – ArtDeTerre, formerly known as Teresa Mare, via Etsy.
  • Silk scarf, hand painted, in blue, pink, beige, green and silver – ArtDeTerre via Etsy. Tied using a MaiTai horn scarf ring.
Outfit of the day 08/06/18 with ArtDeTerre scarf

Outfit of the day 08/06/18 with ArtDeTerre scarf

I hope that you all have a great weekend.

Best wishes,

💙💜💚💛❤

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Reading roundup 06/06/18

Posted on 06/06/2018 by The Librain

My iPad TV viewing via Amazon Prime has taken another turn after I finished all four series of Battlestar Galactica – now I am watching Bosch. My excuse, if I need one, is that Bosch is based on the book series with the same name by Michael Connelly, which I have also been enjoying.

Well, there you have my excuse for only reading two books this week!

After the Fire by Will Hill

After the Fire by Will Hill

My first read of the week was Will Hill’s After the Fire. Here is the blurb for this Young Adult book:

Father John controls everything inside The Fence. And Father John likes rules. Especially about never talking to Outsiders. Because Father John knows the truth. He knows what is right, and what is wrong. He knows what is coming.

Moonbeam is starting to doubt, though. She’s starting to see the lies behind Father John’s words. She wants him to be found out.

What if the only way out of the darkness is to light a fire?

I have mentioned before that, since I retired as a school librarian, I have found it very difficult and almost traumatic to read YA literature. So I was very pleased that I was able to read this. It was worth any effort that it took and I gave it four stars. This is my short review on Goodreads:

An excellent book. Although it is aimed at the Young Adult market, it is a very good read for adults. The book structure, moving backwards to the past and forwards to the present day, was interesting and kept the momentum going. The main character, Moonbeam, was developed well throughout the book. The whole plot, based around a religious cult, was gripping and chilling in the light of real events. Highly recommended.

If you are interested in this book, do have a look at the other reviews on Goodreads to get a fuller picture. It really is a useful and interesting site and I enjoy tracking my own reading on there.

Artemis by Andy Weir

Artemis by Andy Weir

My second book of the week, Andy Weir’s Artemis was, sadly, less successful. I had been really looking forward to reading it as I had really enjoyed both the book and the film of The Martian. Here is the blurb:

Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you’re not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you’ve got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she’s stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.

I rather generously gave this two stars. This is my verdict:

I absolutely loved The Martian and was so excited when I found this at our local Library. Such a disappointment! The idea of setting the story in and around a Moon base/city was interesting, but the execution was so poor. Where the heavy dose of science and technology was so integral to The Martian (as a non-scientist I struggled a bit with this, but still enjoyed the book), the details of welding became simply boring. Also, I really didn’t like the main character at all and found her “voice” annoying. I hope that Weir’s next book is a return to form rather than a repeat of this.

Thinking about this review, the problem with the main character is that Weir doesn’t appear to be able to write women well. Jazz sounds like a teenage boy, not a woman in her twenties. It all felt off to me.

The Court of the Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark

The Court of the Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark

Moving on, I am part way through some ebooks, starting with The Court of the Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark, and I have now been to the Library to choose my next book pile.

Until next week: Happy Reading to you all!

Best wishes

📖📚📖📚📖

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Outfit of the day 05/06/18

Posted on 05/06/2018 by The Librain

I did manage a small outing today! It is amazing what the “pull of the library book pile” can achieve. Or the “I have nothing exciting to read” complaint. So, yes, Lovely Husband was kind enough to take me to our local Library and I chose six new-to-me books….ah, lovely 😊.

The rest of the afternoon was spent sorting out our new printer. It’s amazing how, just at the very moment when I needed to get the printer working quickly, my laptop decided to download tons of update and then spend what felt like hours installing them. I did get the printer working in the end and felt pretty pleased with myself. I am also pretty pleased with the printer itself so far.

I am now far too tired to do very much and need a rest (and a read), so I will just show you today’s outfit. I adore this Hermès Mythiques Phoenix Coloriage scarf and this outfit is perfect with it as everything mirrors the colours so beautifully. The denim blues of the scarf are reflected in the colour of the linen trousers, the coral pinks of the scarf are reflected in the cardigan, lipstick and bangle, and so on.

Outfit of the day 05/06/18 with Hermès’ Mythiques Phoenix Coloriage scarf

Outfit of the day 05/06/18 with Hermès’ Mythiques Phoenix Coloriage scarf

Today’s outfit:

  • White cotton crew necked t-shirt – Sainsbury’s Tu.
  • Bright coral cotton mix cardigan – Lands’ End.
  • Navy and white linen trousers – Isle Collection.
  • Pearl stud earrings – John Lewis.
  • Coral enamel and gold Agama bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Cream enamel and gold Byzantine bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Bluebell enamel and gold Chain bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Silk scarf, 90cm, in pink, white, denim blue and coral – Mythiques Phoenix Coloriage – Hermès. Tied using a bias fold with a MaiTai horn scarf ring.

I am planning to write the weekly Reading Roundup post tomorrow.

Best wishes,

💗💗💗💗💗

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Update 04/06/18: More purchases

Posted on 04/06/2018 by The Librain

I must admit that I have been feeling quite low for a few days. It was only a week or so ago when I was much perkier and actually managed to go out with Lovely Husband on several occasions. My health, however, seems to have deteriorated again and I have been unable to stay out of bed for more than an hour or so. I really hope that things start to improve very soon. This warm and muggy weather doesn’t help as it aggravates my asthma and breathing difficulties.

Anyway, I will try not to moan!

Pyjamas have been my clothing today, so I am not making a collage. Instead, I will show you two more pieces which I ordered last week as part of my attempt to find “bottoms” for warmer weather to replace those that don’t fit any more due to my weight gain. Isle Collection (link in the sidebar) is part of Edinburgh Woollen Mill and can often be found in garden centres. Most of their offer is pretty frumpy, but I have occasionally managed to pick out some nicer items. Therefore, I know that their clothing usually fits me OK. This time I had to order online, rather than being able to try on items in the shop. I found a linen mix skirt and trousers on the website and they arrived here yesterday:

Linen-mix skirt and trousers - Isle

Linen-mix skirt and trousers – Isle

The skirt is nice on – as I am quite short, the hem is just above my ankles and the A-line shape is reasonably flatttering. Let’s face it, a round tum is difficult to flatter! The trousers are cut a bit tight over the thighs, so I am not sure about them. I may keep them anyway as I am too lazy to sent them back. When I am feeling strong enough, I will try them on again and decide.

Oh, and by the way, Isle clothes look a lot better in their shops rather than on the website. Yes, I have told them that their photographer needs retraining! As does their web designer.

As you can see, I am buying all of these staple skirts and trousers in navy, which is my base colour/neutral. My only base colour as I am dropping brown. If I keep all of the four items, I will have a nice range of tops and bottoms – vests, t-shirts, cardigans, short-sleeved tops, skirts and trousers – all in navy. My accent colours – cobalt blue, turquoise, purple, coral pink and cream/white – will then look good with these. I think that I need to revisit my colourwheel and adjust it to recognise these changes.

I have a couple more purchases to show you later in the week – accessories this time. Just waiting for the last one to arrive!

Best wishes,

💙💜❤💚💛

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Scarf of the moment: Bibliotheque

Posted on 01/06/2018 by The Librain

As a Librarian, I absolutely had to snare Bibliothéque for my Hermès scarf collection! The design is a classic by Hugo Grygkar and has been issued several times since its debut in 1996. My researches have shown that the scarf also appeared in 2010. The design has also been used over the years for wallpaper and textiles, resulting in beautiful clothing and cushions, for example. My own version was re-issued as a silk twill gavroche for the Hermès Spring/Summer collection in 2017.

Bibliothéque by Hugo Grygkar for Hermès

Bibliothéque by Hugo Grygkar for Hermès

I didn’t immediately purchase the scarf in 2017 as I was not sure if any of the colourways would suit me. They didn’t appear to fit with the colourwheel I use for my clothing and accessory choices. So, I missed the boat. Some time later, I saw the simple blue and white version (shown below) on eBay, but didn’t win the auction. Then, earlier this year, two different colourways became available on eBay and I realised that this bright little scarf (colourway #22) would actually work well for me.

Description

The design depicts a set of bookshelves with rows of old-fashioned looking books in a range of colours. Some of the books stand neatly upright, others lean against their neighbours. There is a ribbon bookmark which curls elegantly downwards. Some of the books have titles which relate to a range of activities – equestrianism, hunting, coaching – for which the house of Hermès is noted. The name Bibliothéque and also Hermès Paris appear as titles on two of the books. Most of the book spines have detailed decorations in shades of grey and white, which appear almost silver from a distance. Some of the books have coloured ornamentation.

Colourway #22 is (according to Hermès) rose indien, vert, blue. The border of my scarf is a bright fuchsia pink and the “shelves” are shades of orange. The books themselves are coloured cobalt blue, mustard yellow, green and the same pink. The spines are carefully shaded so that they have a proper rounded appearance.

I have noticed that some of the older versions of the design have more ornamented bookshelves. The shelves on the newer issues are more simply depicted.

Colourways

Spring/Summer 2017 gavroche colourways:

Colourways from previous versions:

This design has also been used for Hermès clothing and other items, including wallpaper – now I would really love to have that in my home:

A dress or a blouse in this design would be heavenly for me!

Design story

There does not appear to be a design story for this scarf.

Details

Here are some closeups of my scarf in a sideshow format:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

How I wear the scarf

When I purchased this scarf, I knew that it would look great with my Lands’ End cobalt blue cotton cable jumper and twinset. These two collages show just how nicely these combinations work. I am so pleased!

I will also wear the scarf with white, or navy blue, but I don’t think it would work with pink. Cobalt is the best.

Outfit of the day 24/05/18 with Hermès’ Bibliothéque gavroche

Outfit of the day 24/05/18 with Hermès’ Bibliothéque gavroche

The gavroche was tied in the collage above using my little “device” – I wrote a post about this a few weeks ago – see the link below.

Outfit of the day 12/04/18 with Hermès’ Bibliothéque gavroche

Outfit of the day 12/04/18 with Hermès’ Bibliothéque gavroche

As you can see, I have a few pretty accessories which look lovely with these outfits. But this scarf really needs lipstick!

Scarf ties

Here are a few scarf knots which work well with this cute gavroche:

Bibliothéque - scarf ties

Bibliothéque – scarf ties

1) Top L: necklace knot using the device which lengthens the scarf.
2) Bottom L: simple bias fold.
3) Centre: cowboy knot using the device.
4) Top R: cowboy knot.
5) Bottom R: necklace knot.

Here is a reminder about the little contraption or device that I made from some brass D-rings and Bolduc to help lengthen gavroches: Wardrobe planning #27: Wearing pocket squares.

Finished article – my “contraption”!

Background information

I have only been able to find a couple of links about this scarf design. The first is a lovely post showing possible scarf ties using a 1996 version of Bibliothéque:

Happyface313
How I Wear My… Pocket Scarf

The second link shows some Bibliothéque wallpaper!

Elle Decoration
Hermès Wallpaper

I hope readers have found this exploration of Bibliothéque both interesting and useful. Once again, if you find any errors or have any additional information that I could add, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Best wishes,

💙💜❤💚💛

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Outfit of the day 31/05/18

Posted on 31/05/2018 by The Librain

It has been quite a pleasant day so far. I felt well enough to go downstairs for a while and I managed to complete a couple of household tasks, which always helps with my depression. Our new printer has arrived (it is huge – eek!) and Younger Son is going to set it up later on. I could most probably do it myself as I have done all of the techie stuff for the family for more than 20 years, but it is nice to “outsource” a job like this sometimes!

Today’s outfit:

  • Navy cotton crew neck t-shirt – Sainsbury’s Tu.
  • Navy floral pyjama bottoms – Sainsbury’s Tu.
  • Eye of Horus gold tone earrings.
  • Navy enamel and gold large Geometric bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Silk gavroche, 45cm, in turquoise, blue, green, yellow and pink – Appaloosa des Steppes – Hermès. Tied in a simple cowboy knot.
Outfit of the day 31/05/18 with Hermès’ Appaloosa des Steppes gavroche

Outfit of the day 31/05/18 with Hermès’ Appaloosa des Steppes gavroche

I think that this outfit looks fine with my grey hair.

Now on to a couple of purchases which arrived this week: navy midi skirts from Marks and Spencer. As I mentioned the other day, I was very upset to find that hardly any of my warm weather “bottoms” fit me this year. I still have my trusty jeans, but these can get far too hot. My linen trousers and variety of skirts are, in the main, too tight. So, I have decided to look for some fairly inexpensive items in larger sizes. I don’t want to spend a lot just in case (ha, ha) I do manage to get back to my previous weight and size. Anyway, I found these two skirts on the Marks and Spencer website and they will probably fill some of the gaps in my wardrobe.

Navy midi skirts - Marks and Spencer

Navy midi skirts – Marks and Spencer

The skirt on the left is straight, has a fully elasticated waist and two side slits. The fabric is polyester (yuck, but needs must). The right-hand one has a dipped hem front and back, is more A-line than the other, has front pleats and the waist is elasticated at the back only. The fabric is a thicker viscose jersey, which hangs nicely. Both skirts have pockets, which I am very pleased to see. I am quite satisfied with both of them, although nothing will look that great with my awful tum. As I can’t do much about this, I kind of have to live with it. Both skirts might also be a bit too dressy for my casual lifestyle and would have been fine for work. But, all in all, I am going to keep them and wear them with my better t-shirts, twinsets and silk tops. My smarter sandals will also work well.

I will continue to keep my eyes open for another skirt, in linen or a linen mix, and some trousers in the same. Perhaps I will find something if I can get to a garden centre? I prefer to try clothes on rather than have to return items bought on the web.

I am hoping to have a scarf profile of my Bibliothéque gavroche ready for tomorrow. If that doesn’t work out, I will post it next Friday.

Best wishes,

💜💙💛💚❤

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Reading roundup 30/05/18

Posted on 30/05/2018 by The Librain

I have to admit that my avid viewing of Battlestar Galactica on Amazon Prime really got in the way of reading this week. I was so addicted that I simply had to binge watch it until the very last episode and it was so worth it. Such a fabulous series!

Maestra by L S Hilton

Maestra by L S Hilton

So, only one book was finished this week, although I am halfway through the next one. My only book was Maestra by L S Hilton. Here is the blurb:

Judith Rashleigh works as an assistant in a prestigious London auction house, but her dreams of breaking into the art world have been gradually dulled by the blunt forces of snobbery and corruption. To make ends meet she moonlights as a hostess in one of the West End’s less salubrious bars – although her work there pales against her activities on nights off.

When Judith stumbles across a conspiracy at her auction house, she is fired before she can expose the fraud. In desperation, she accepts an offer from one of the bar’s clients to accompany him to the French Riviera. But when an ill-advised attempt to slip him sedatives has momentous consequences, Judith finds herself fleeing for her life.

Now alone and in danger, all Judith has to rely on is her consummate ability to fake it amongst the rich and famous – and the inside track on the hugely lucrative art fraud that triggered her dismissal.

Set in the exotic palaces and yachts of Europe’s seriously wealthy. With a heroine as wickedly perceptive as Amy Dunne and as dangerous as Lisbeth Salander, this marks the beginning of a sequence of novels that will have readers around the world on the edge of their seats and holding their breath.

Um, well it might be part one of a series but I certainly will not be reading the rest! I awarded this book only one star on Goodreads and wrote this review:

I am sure that the author thought she was writing amazingly erotic sex scenes in this book. Well, IMHO, when most of the male partners in such scenes are really unattractive, repellent, often with flabby bellies, then the main female character must be some kind of masochist! And most of the sex seems to be quite unpleasant too.

This has a really confusing plot, a main character who changes into a complete psycho with no obvious motivation, little real tension for a thriller and far too much hype. Not recommended at all.

Yes, of course it was compared with Fifty Shades of Grey and yes I have read that utterly dreadful book too. To be honest, this was simply unpleasant. Thank goodness that there are plenty more books in the library! Or the bookshop…

After the Fire by Will Hill

After the Fire by Will Hill

I am now almost halfway into a great Young Adult novel (yes, I am managing YA! Yay!) by Will Hill called After the Fire. It is really good so far and I will give you my verdict next week. I need to stock up my book pile again and will try to get to the Library later in the week.

Happy Reading to all of my bookworm friends.

Best wishes,

📚📖📚📖📚

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Outfit of the day 29/05/18

Posted on 29/05/2018 by The Librain

I am having another very “droopy” day. The humidity is getting to me and I don’t feel at all well. I did try to go downstairs for a while, but Lovely Husband saw my pale face and sent me back to bed very quickly.

After the last couple of weeks spent wearing purples or bright blue, I have decided that pink should have a turn. My main pink shade is coral, but I do have this nice silk and cotton top and cardigan in cerise from WoolOvers, which I have had for ages. Anyway, I thought that the colour might brighten me up a bit! The scarf is a very cheap silk stole with a pretty floral pattern from Accessorize and the earrings are my Halcyon Days cream and gold Agama drops.

Outfit of the day 29/05/18

Outfit of the day 29/05/18

I did manage to complete a few useful tasks this afternoon, although one was rather frustrating. Our printer is a mess and, after I had spent ages trying to clean the print heads, I decided that it is finally time to give up and get a new one. Younger Son is now starting the process of looking for a new job and will need a decent print quality for applications and his CV.

Reading Roundup post tomorrow!

Best wishes,

💗💗💗💗💗

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Update 28/05/18

Posted on 28/05/2018 by The Librain

What a storm we had on Saturday night! I don’t think I have ever seen or heard anything like it before. The lightning was so plentiful and rapid that the night sky looked like day. And as for the rain…

The air felt so muggy and heavy over the weekend that my various conditions were aggravated considerably. I have been a little better today and so feel able to write a short post.

I did my twice yearly task of swapping my summer and winter clothes over between wardrobes and was pretty shocked to realise that I have very few “bottoms” suitable for warmer weather. As I have embraced my grey hair, I decided to remove most brown/beige clothing, apart from a pair of chinos and a leopard print top. I held all of the tops up against my face and they did nothing for me. In fact, I looked really ill! When that was done, I tried on everything left and realised that hardly anything fits as I have put on so much weight since last year ☹️☹️☹️. I have decided to keep my small number of tan accessories (boots, sandals, handbags) as they look good with navy, my main neutral.

Anyway, my next task is to try to find some inexpensive skirts and trousers for warm weather that actually fit me. Nothing looks worse than trying to squeeze overweight flesh into clothing that is too small! I had a look around for a couple of navy skirts and will also seek out some new linen trousers. All will be revealed when I find the right items.

I don’t have a good outfit from today as I have been, basically, slobbing around, but here is a selfie from Saturday’s attempt to dress up a bit:

Outfit of the day with Hermès’ Au Coeur de la Vie scarf

Outfit of the day with Hermès’ Au Coeur de la Vie scarf

Saturday’s outfit:

  • White cotton crew-neck t-shirt – Sainsbury’s Tu.
  • Cobalt cotton mix cardigan – Lands’ End.
  • Indigo jeans – Cotton Traders.
  • Multi-colour enamel earrings.
  • Cobalt enamel and gold Curb Chain bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Silk scarf, 90cm, in yellow, turquoise, blue, green, pink and orange – Au Coeur de la Vie – Hermès. Bias fold tie to show off the amazing details of this scarf, using a MaiTai horn scarf ring.

Best wishes,

💛💚💜💙❤

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Outfit of the day 24/05/18

Posted on 24/05/2018 by The Librain

I am so happy and pleased! After yesterday, when I spent the whole day in bed feeling sorry for myself, today has been such a contrast. 😀😀😀

Yesterday evening, I set up a new alarm clock as I have been wallowing in bed until really late in the morning. Younger Son is going through some difficulties at the moment and one of the things we are trying to help him with is living a more regulated and organised life. So, I decided that I should work on similar issues myself and have set my new alarm for a more sensible time in the morning.

Today, I got up, put on a nice outfit and some makeup, and went downstairs to see Lovely Husband. As he needed to pick up a new pair of glasses, we went into town this afternoon,  did a few errands and then went to a garden centre for a cup of tea. I pushed myself to walk further than I have done for ages and really enjoyed pottering around the concession shops. When we got home, I sat reading in the garden for an hour or so.

Yes, I know that, to most healthy and fit people, this is not much of an achievement, but, to me, it is wonderful and thrilling!

Anyway, here is my collage with today’s outfit:

Outfit of the day 24/05/18 with Hermès’ Bibliothéque gavroche

Outfit of the day 24/05/18 with Hermès’ Bibliothéque gavroche

Today’s outfit:

  • Cobalt blue, cotton mix twin-set – Lands’ End. The cardigan in the collage is representing the whole twin-set!
  • Indigo jeans – Cotton Traders.
  • Bright blue crystal and silver earrings – Sonrisa Boutique.
  • Cobalt blue enamel and gold Agama bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Cream enamel and gold Byzantine bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Blue and cream enamel, crystal and gold Owl bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Silk gavroche, 45cm, in pink, orange, blue, green and yellow – Bibliothéque – Hermès. Tied using my home-made contraption to show off more of this vibrant little scarf. More about this in an earlier post.

I really enjoy wearing bright colours like these and am happy with my casual outfits as they are appropriate for my current lifestyle. I really don’t want to descent to “bag lady” style – perhaps like this Moschino design…

Ha! Ha!

Best wishes,

😀😀😀😀😀

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