At last I have been able to get my hair cut! I have made several attempts since last year but have always been too ill to leave the house. Today’s attempt was successful!
Here is the evidence below. On the left you can see my straggly hair and on the right is my new hairdo. I took several photos when I arrived home, but I was so tired that none of them came out well. This is the least worst!
Haircut 18/03/22
As you can see, I wore my newish purple cashmere jumper from Pure Collection, together with the gorgeous Hermès 90cm silk scarf Le Premier Chant. For the “before” photo, I rolled the scarf into a basic bias fold, slipped on my purple MaiTai scarf ring, and tied the scarf behind my neck. When I got home, I changed the tie into an asymmetric knot. In addition, I also wore navy cord trousers from Lands’ End, three enamel Halcyon Days bangles in white, lilac and purple, and my amazing purple suede boots by Duo Boots (links are in the sidebar). To overdose on purple even more, I carried my amazing Africa leather handbag from Massaccesi.
This is a reminder of the scarf:
Le Premier Chant by Hermès
Right, I think that I need a rest now, so I will return to my book.
Apologies once again! I think that this has never happened before in my life!
I haven’t finished my book this week either…
As I am now halfway through I hope to finish it by next week. Only severe illness or being in hospital has ever prevented me from reading. I have just been reading this book very slowly and my memory issues have distracted me.
I am sitting in bed, looking out at a lovely cloudless blue sky and wishing that I felt strong enough to go outside. Unfortunately, however, I had two horrible coughing attacks in the night and I am feeling very weak and poorly today. I hope that I will be able to venture forth later in the week as I have booked a haircut for Friday afternoon. It’s about time as I haven’t been to the hairdresser’s since before Christmas! My hair is too long and very unkempt at the moment, as you can imagine.
I am pleased to write that I was able to leave the house for a dentist’s appointment last Friday. A couple of weeks ago I was eating a bar of something rather nice and managed to break a tiny piece off one of my front teeth. I thought that it was a nut at the time and swallowed it! Anyway, I had a full check up, which was really necessary as I haven’t been to a dentist since before the pandemic, and my tooth was neatly filed down, which only took a couple of seconds.
In all of the rush, I forgot to take a photo of my outfit. I wore my gorgeous jade green and gold Hermès Daimyo scarf with my John Lewis cobalt cashmere v neck jumper. Here is a very similar outfit from last year:
Outfit of the day 26/02/21 with Hermès’ Daimyo
The bangle is by Halcyon Days, the ginkgo necklace by Swarovski and the scarf ring by MaiTai. The whole outfit feels bright and cheerful. I have mentioned this before when I have worn this scarf, but I will say it again: it is very special because the silk is a jacquard weave. Images of ginkgo leaves are actually woven into the silk. These scarves are fairly rare and the jacquard is one of the reasons that I bought the scarf in the first place.
This is a larger image:
Daimyo Princes du Soleil Levant by Françoise Façonnet for Hermès
A solitary small, white, fluffy cloud has appeared in the sky as I bring this post to an end. I do hope that your day is bright and cheerful wherever you are.
So, it’s Friday again! I know that I promised to show you some modelling photos of my latest Hermès scarf, Hermès Story, but I have not been well enough to organise those. Instead, here are some photos of scarves that I have worn recently:
Outfit of the day 06/03/22 with Peacock scarf by Bien Abyé
I like this particular scarf tie as it works well with this smaller scarf. You simply make a bias fold, then wrap around the neck securing with a scarf ring. This one is by MaiTai and has navy enamel on the reverse, so it’s very versatile.
Here is a reminder of the whole scarf:
Peacock silk scarf by Bien Abyé
My second image of the week was taken in circumstances rather different to usual. When I model scarves or jewellery, I stand in front of the wardrobe so that I have a plain background and light from the window. For this photo, I was feeling too unwell to stand, so I took the photo whilst sitting in bed. Apologies! Anyway, here it is with one of my favourite non-Hermès scarves: She Was a Feminist at Heart by Karine Assaf.
Outfit of the day 08/03/22 with A Feminist at Heart by Karine Assaf
This lovely scarf in orange, white and blue was again tied using the same scarf ring, but using the navy blue side this time. BTW, the other corner says “She Was a Bookworm”, so this scarf could have been made for me!
Here it is so that you can see the details:
A Feminist at Heart by Karine Assaf
Well, that’s all for this week. I do hope that you all have a great weekend…
I must admit that something very strange and unusual has happened this week…
I haven’t finished a single book!!!
It appears that my long list of illnesses/conditions has really got the better of me and I have been unable to concentrate on my current book. As I really want to do it justice, I will have to wait until I feel a bit better before I try reading further.
Well, here it comes! I thought that I had finished with Hermès’ Spring/Summer 2022 season, but this amazing scarf continued to pop up regularly on The Purse Forum and I simply fell in love with it. I am not sure, however, whether it loves me back! I am going to reveal it today, then model it for you on Friday and then you can let me know what you think.
Here we go, from orange box to the scarf itself…
The light wasn’t very good when I took the photo of the whole scarf, so here is the image from the Hermès website. Please remember that the website images are not accurate with the colours to help prevent copying…
Hermès Story by Jonathan Burton
Yes, this is the beautiful and playful Hermès Story by Jonathan Burton, marron glacé, bleu nuit, pétrole. In real life, the colours are rich and amazing. The brown background glows like molten chocolate and the blues…
I can really see why this is such a hit this season. What do you think?
More of this scarf on Friday and I will begin to compile a full Scarf of the Moment scarf profile as soon as I can.
On Monday 28/02/22 I revealed a lovely new scarf called Peacock, by Bien Abyé. I also wrote that I would upload some outfit collages showcasing the scarf in today’s post. Unfortunately, I have only been able to make one because I have been too poorly to get dressed properly this week, but this collage will give you an idea of what the scarf looks like with suitable clothing and jewellery. I don’t wear dresses these days, but this scarf would also look great with a plain dress in navy, turquoise or teal.
Anyway, here is a reminder of the scarf:
Peacock silk scarf by Bien Abyé
And this is the outfit collage:
Outfit of the day 01/03/22 with Peacock scarf by Bien Abyé
Outfit details:
Navy wool mix cable cardigan – LL Bean.
Teal cotton top – Cotton Traders.
Navy cord trousers – Lands’ End.
London blue topaz and silver earrings – Blue Nile.
Teal suede Vara wrap bracelet – Ferragamo.
Silk scarf, 21in x 21in, in teal, navy, green, gold and red – Peacock by Bien Abyé. Folded into a triangle and tied around the neck.
The scarf is quite small – it comes between the Hermès sizes of 45cm x 45 cm (gavroche) and their 70cm x 70cm. This does make it easy to manage and I could also use my lovely double sided scarf ring from MaiTai, which is navy on one side and teal on the other. I had hoped to show you a tie with that ring today, but perhaps I can do that at another time.
Here is a photo with the ring as a reminder. The gold one might be too heavy for this size of scarf.
Scarf rings by MaiTai Collection
I hope you have enjoyed today’s post. All being well, I plan to have another reveal on Monday for you! In the meantime I wish you all a lovely weekend.
Apologies, but this is going to be a bare bones post this week as I am feeling very ill today and can hardly type. I managed to read one book this week:
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
The sharp eyed amongst you may spot that lighthouses are a part of another book, after Emma Stonex’s The Lamplighters from a couple of weeks ago! This one is The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley.
First we have the blurb:
“A time twisting alternative history that asks whether it’s worth changing the past to save the future, even if it costs you everyone you’ve ever loved.
Joe Tournier has a bad case of amnesia. His first memory is of stepping off a train in the nineteenth-century French colony of England. The only clue Joe has about his identity is a century-old postcard of a Scottish lighthouse that arrives in London the same month he does. Written in illegal English—instead of French—the postcard is signed only with the letter “M,” but Joe is certain whoever wrote it knows him far better than he currently knows himself, and he’s determined to find the writer. The search for M, though, will drive Joe from French-ruled London to rebel-owned Scotland and finally onto the battle ships of a lost empire’s Royal Navy. In the process, Joe will remake history, and himself.”
Then my response as written of the Goodreads website:
Oh goodness! I have no idea how to write a review of this weird, wonderful and confusing book. For anyone who has read any of my reviews: you must be tired of my mentioning the stroke that befell me in 2019, but that event is very pertinent here. The plot jumps across a range of timelines from the 18th century up to the 20th, with subtle and not-so-subtle changes to events, people and settings. Major historical events either didn’t happen or happened in a different way, battles lost or won, people died or did not die or were even not born. For most people the book is a wonderful and clever puzzle.
But for me? Since I struggle to remember a previous chapter when I return to a book the next day, this plot was a complete nightmare!!! I could see how amazing it was, after all I have awarded it four stars, but my brain now feels totally tangled. Perhaps I should have left it alone!
For all that, I feel that the book deserved at least four stars. After all, it’s not the author’s fault that my brain isn’t firing on all cylinders! Those of you who don’t have any comprehension issues might find the book well worth consideration. There are many five star responses on Goodreads that confirm this.
And now I will try to rest my brain. It is not up to reading today, which just goes to show just how ill I am feeling!
I do hope that you had a good weekend. Ours was fine and I was happy to have two deliveries to open. I will show you the first one this week and will hold the other over to next Monday. How awful of me!
Well, when I say “reveal” this first parcel had really minimal packaging, so I can’t do this in the “traditional” way. This is the image that I first saw on The Vivienne Files website:
Image from The Vivienne Files, post dated 14/02/22
I just loved this whole cluster of clothing and accessories! The colours of teal and navy fit beautifully into my wardrobe and I really like peacock feathers. So, I went to the Nordstrom website and ordered the scarf straight away. Now, that was rather impetuous, particularly because the site is in the US and I would have to pay a premium for delivery etc. But, scarf addiction is so difficult to shake off, isn’t it? It took a while for the scarf to arrive, but arrive it did. First of all, here is a better image of the whole thing:
Peacock silk scarf by Bien Abyé
The colours in the above image are very close to real life. I had a quick look through my wardrobe and, as I expected, I had several items that I knew would look great with the scarf. There were also lots of things in my jewellery boxes too! On Friday, I will upload some outfit collages to show you how I will wear the scarf.
Today, I am posting a slideshow so that you can see the colours and details:
Now, the silk isn’t as heavy and luxurious as Hermès’ silk twill, but this scarf has navy hand-rolled hems and it is nicely printed. As you can see, the colours are teal, navy, green, gold and red. The central pattern is cleverly shaded so that the colours glow. The size is 21in x 21in.
OK, I hope you have found this interesting! Modelling photos on Friday.
Well, I am feeling rather foolish. It is late afternoon and I am about to go downstairs to make my dinner, but I have something niggling at the back of my mind. Whatever could it be?
Oh! I have totally forgotten to write today’s blog post! Argh!
So, apologies for this hurried and very basic Friday post. I promise that something more interesting is coming next week!
Here is one of the outfits that I wore this week. It was on a really good day, when my health and brain function felt much better than usual and I managed to get quite a lot done…
Outfit of the day 23/02/22 with Hermès’ Bibliothéque gavroche
I love this cute scarf with its cheerful colours: bright pink, orange, blue, green and yellow. And, of course, the subject matter is very appropriate for me. I wore it with some earrings that I have had for 30 years, a navy cotton jumper from Lands’ End, one of my Liberty of London enamel bangles and my navy pyjama trousers.
Here is the bangle:
Liberty of London Hera enamel bangle
Aren’t the colours of the bangle lovely? I think they go with the scarf, quite well.
Anyway, that’s all for this week and I do hope that you have a great weekend.
Former professional school librarian, now retired through chronic illness. Trying to keep cheerful by reading, drinking lots of tea, blogging my new life, and my love of bling!
The Librain
The Librain......retired 
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