Outfits of the week 29/01/21

Posted on 29/01/2021 by The Librain

Well, it’s only one outfit this week. I did try, but I have had to spend most of my time in bed with the usual set of issues. Anyway, I did manage to put together one nice set of clothing plus accessories…

Outfit of the day 26/02/21 with Hermès’ Daimyo

Outfit of the week:

  • Cobalt blue cashmere v-neck jumper – John Lewis.
  • Navy ribbed pyjama trousers – Lands’ End.
  • Gold tone and crystal Ginkgo necklace – Swarovski. The green crystal matches the green of the scarf.
  • Small and simple gold earrings.
  • Blue enamel and gold Agama bangle – Halcyon Days.
  • Gold tone scarf ring – MaiTai Collection.
  • Silk scarf, 90cm, in green, gold, silver, blue and pink – Daimyo Princes du Soleil Levant – Hermès. Tied in a simple bias fold and held with the scarf ring.

This scarf is particularly special as there is a pattern of ginkgo leaves and berries actually woven into the silk before the pattern is printed. I deliberately turned the scarf so that the bright blue areas would stand out against the cobalt of my jumper – you can just see this in the photo. I really had to stretch my arms out!

In addition, I realised very quickly that the chain on the necklace was very short so I ordered some necklace extenders. These have arrived today, so I am now wearing the necklace again as I write this post!

Right, that is all for this week. I will spend the rest of the day planning a suitable outfit for my first trip out in months – to the hospital for my COVID-19 vaccination! I have no idea how I will get from the car park to the right place as I cannot walk very far. Anyway, I will tell you how it went in Monday’s post.

Happy Weekend to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 27/01/21

Posted on 27/01/2021 by The Librain

Sorry that the usual Reading Roundup post has been postponed until next week, but I am too keyed up to write properly because…

Pandemic concept, close up of scientist injecitng vaccine into the earth

I have been offered my COVID-19 vaccination on Saturday!

Whoop!

I hope it isn’t too long until everyone who wants one gets theirs.

Bye for now,

Anne

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Image credits

Pandemic concept, close up of scientist injecitng vaccine into the earth by Jernej Furman on Flickr

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Update 25/01/21 with a final sale purchase

Posted on 25/01/2021 by The Librain

OK, it is now very clear that I simply cannot resist sales! In my defence, I see items that I like and will fit into my wardrobe plan and I stalk them for weeks until the price drops. I very rarely pay full price for anything (except Hermès scarves, ahem!!!). So, I saw a set of Swarovski jewellery that I thought would look great with one of the scarves that I rarely wear. I waited until the January sales and then looked again. Unfortunately, I missed the earrings, but this was still available at a reduced price…

Ginkgo necklace – Swarovski

Pretty, isn’t it? I would have loved the matching earrings, but perhaps they would have looked OTT. Anyway, I am planning to wear the whole ensemble during the week and I will show you what it all looks like in Friday’s post.

If you like this, there are several matching items (necklace, bracelets, brooch) that may be still available wherever you are.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Outfits of the week 22/01/21

Posted on 22/01/2021 by The Librain

Earlier in the week, I spent some time going through my Hermès scarf collection, looking at the ones I haven’t worn for a while and making a pile of those most suitable for winter wear. I intend to work my way through them all and wear them in turn over the next few weeks with nice outfits and jewellery. After all, I bought them to wear not just to look at!

So, my first outfit of the week was this one that I wore on Tuesday with Hermès’ 90cm silk twill, Cosmographia Universalis…

Outfit of the day 19/01/21 with Hermès’ Cosmographia Universalis

My second outfit of the week was based on the Hermès’ men’s cosy wool mix 100cm scarf, Sweet Dreams…

Outfit of the day 20/01/21 with Hermès’ Sweet Dreams

I wore my new loungewear from Marks and Spencer with the first outfit and kept my new pyjama trousers from Lands’ End on with the second. Appropriate knots were tied with each scarf and I found some lovely jewellery too.

As I intend to re-organise my records for the collection, I am spending quite a lot of time moving the 1000s of photos into folders for each scarf. I will then put some of these, plus the purchasing paperwork, into a file to be kept safe in case of disaster!

I think this might take me ages to do, but then I have a lot of free time these days!

Wishing you all a very Happy Weekend…

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 20/01/21

Posted on 20/01/2021 by The Librain

It’s Wednesday again, already! Even though I don’t feel that I am doing very much, time seems to be speeding along very quickly. Perhaps it’s because I have enjoyed reading so much in the last week? Anyway, here is my first book…

Keep Your Eyes on Me by Sam Blake

Keep Your Eyes on Me by Sam Blake was an intriguing book. Here is the blurb:

You won’t be able to look away

When Vittoria Devine and Lily Power find themselves sitting next to each other on a flight to New York, they discover they both have men in their lives whose impact has been devastating. Lily’s family life is in turmoil, her brother left on the brink of ruin by a con man. Vittoria’s philandering husband’s latest mistress is pregnant.

By the time they land, Vittoria and Lily have realised that they can help each other right the balance. But only one of them knows the real story…

I really enjoyed reading this book – it has a similar structure to the famous film “Strangers on a Train. This is the short review that I posted on Goodreads:

Keep Your Eyes On MeKeep Your Eyes On Me by Sam Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a highly entertaining book to read. Yes, I know that the theme has been done before, but this version was a quick and easy read with plenty of mayhem, mystery and murder. I really enjoyed seeing two despicable persons getting their comeuppance!

There were sections of the book which went on a bit too long and, for that reason, I can only give three stars rather than four. I would definitely, however, read more books by Blake as I am sure that I would enjoy them.

View all my reviews

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

My second book of the week was a surprise return to Young Adult fiction: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. First of all, here is the blurb:

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

I read this book pretty quickly as I really immersed myself in the story. Enjoying a YA book  in this way, really took me back to my days as a School Librarian! Anyway, this is my response on Goodreads:

An Ember in the Ashes (An Ember in the Ashes, #1)An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I haven’t been in the world of Young Adult writing for such a long time. So, I am not one of the readers who have been swept up in any hype about this book and the series. In fact, I hadn’t heard about it at all and simply chose it from a serendipitous wandering around our Library Service’s ebook offer.

I found the mix of reviews, love or hate, about the book quite interesting. I myself really enjoyed it. The pace of the plot was swift and exciting, and the characters, in my opinion, were mainly varied. Some of the relationships were also quite nuanced too.

So, if you like a lot of action and excitement, intrigue and plots, you may find that you enjoy this book as an adult! I’m certainly going to try the sequel, when I get to the front of the long queue.

View all my reviews

OK, now we have got to the end of this week’s post and I will sign off, then turn to my ebook app so that I can decide on my next read! See you next week…

Until then… Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 18/01/21

Posted on 18/01/2021 by The Librain

I have made quite a few New Year’s resolutions for this year. I probably won’t disclose all of them, but one was to try to help out more with household tasks than I was able to last year. Lovely Husband and Elder Son do as much as they can, but there are some things that simply need me!

So, recently I have been making two To-Do lists, one household and the other personal. Today, I managed to complete a couple from the household list: finally packing up the artificial Christmas tree and changing the spent lightbulbs on the chandelier in the dining room. “Is that all?” you may ask. Yes, it was, but those two jobs have completely finished me off and I am now in bed again. I might manage another such task later, but it depends on whether I feel strong enough.

And whether my “Chaps” feel strong enough to help me balance on the step ladder!

Doing just two items on the list gives me a sense of satisfaction. For a short while, I don’t feel like a useless drag on my family but a fully contributing member.

Onto another New Year’s resolution…

Christmas presents 2020

You may remember that Younger Son gave me a gift of skincare for Christmas. As I am determined to improve the state of my complexion, I asked him for some Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. I used this for many years during my working days and found it really effective. So, I have now been using this at bedtime for a couple of weeks, together with a nighttime moisturiser and I can already see an improvement. OK, the wrinkles won’t disappear – I am 64! But my face feels much smoother and softer.

My plan is to use up all of the odds and ends from my moisturiser jars before choosing a new one for my skin type as it now is. That will take quite some time as I have so many small jars with little bits of cream left over!

When all that is underway, I will begin to work out a similar plan for the rest of my skin. As someone who had very greasy skin for most of my life (and cursed it regularly), having really dry ageing skin is quite a surprise. It must be tackled before it gets worse!

Right, I think that I have confessed enough for one post! I will now turn to my latest book as I want to finish it before Wednesday’s Reading Roundup post so that I can tell you all about it!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Outfit of the week 15/01/21

Posted on 15/01/2021 by The Librain

Oh dear! I have to confess that I have worn only one “proper” outfit this week and even that was based around loungewear/pyjamas. Yes, I have draped a scarf or a shawl over my shoulders on occasion, but I have spent so much time in bed and have been too weak to dress properly.

The other day, when discussing my scarf collection with Lovely Husband, I happened to mention my first ever Hermès scarf purchase: La Promenade de Platon. Looking through my posts on this blog, I realised that I haven’t worn it for ages! So I decided to wear it today.

This is today’s outfit…

Outfit of the day 15/01/21 with Hermès’ La Promenade de Platon

Putfit of the week:

  • Dark blue lounge rib sweatshirt – Marks and Spencer.
  • Dark blue wide leg lounge trousers – Marks and Spencer.
  • Bronze Art Nouveau style earrings.
  • Silk scarf, 90cm, in turquoise, beige, brick, and purple – La Promenade de Platon – Hermès. Tied in my favourite asymmetric knot. The colours are so bright and cheerful on this typical damp grey winter’s day.

I think that I am going to try to work my way through my Hermès scarf collection and try to wear as many of the winter season designs as I can over the next few weeks. Even if I can only find the strength to pair them with pyjamas or lounge wear, it may make a difference to my mood which can help the general feelings of my family. Too often, my thoughts turn very dark and I don’t want to impose these on my loved ones.

Now, what would be a suitable scarf to wear when I am eventually called for my vaccination. Ideas please for something very cheerful, because I will be celebrating! Well, maybe not until the rest of my family and friends have been vaccinated too.

I wish you all a happy and healthy weekend.

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Reading roundup 13/01/21

Posted on 13/01/2021 by The Librain

In contrast to last week’s post, this one will be about only one book. There is a bit more to say about that, however. When I had finished the first book of the week, I actually started reading, and gave up on, not one but two other books. This was because they turned out to be second books in a series – both of them! I really must get in touch with our Library Service and inform them of this as I am sure that they don’t intend to purchase second and third parts of series and not the first book!

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Anyway, having got that off my chest, I must give you the blurb of the finished book: Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson:

Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.

But when they meet the neighbours next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder—an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either…

I found the book pretty absorbing. Here is the verdict that I wrote on Goodreads:

Before She Knew HimBefore She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, if you want a creepy, twisting plot that leaves you puzzled and then hits you with a big surprise, then you must read this!

It is virtually impossible to review this book in any detail because that would give away important parts of the plot. Let me just say that, since my stroke, I have found it very difficult to focus on books and remember the plot from one reading session to the next. Not with this book! I was completely drawn in and totally immersed from the beginning.

I am now going to search out more books by this author – I really hope my library has the ebooks!

What a great start to my 2021 Reading Journey!

View all my reviews

The Catch by T M Logan

I am now about two thirds through another book, which I will write about next week: The Catch by T M Logan. I am really enjoying it so far and have more of Logan’s books on reserve. When I have finished this post, I will read a bit more.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Update 11/01/21 with a lovely reveal!

Posted on 11/01/2021 by The Librain

Oh, I am soooooo bad and greedy! Naughty me just couldn’t resist the new season from Hermès after all!

Can you remember  I said, only a few days ago, that I didn’t like any of the new scarves for the Spring/Summer 2021 season? Well, scratch that! I really surprised myself with this choice and here is the reveal…

First, the neat packaging…

Next, the smaller than usual iconic orange box with its Bolduc ribbon tie…

A close-up of the ribbon for this year…

The open box with a hint of the contents. Those are nice colours!

The whole scarf. Now, this is very different from my usual Hermès 90cm silk twill scarves!

This is a close-up photo of the centre of the scarf…

So, what is it? The scarf is a 70cm bandana called Grand Manège Love by Henri d’Origny. The colours are: Bleu Jean, Rose Pâle, Bordeaux. The order number is: H183447S 08.

Basically, over the last few years Hermès have taken some well-loved old favourite designs and re-imaged them in bandana style, in a range of sizes. This has also meant limiting the colour palette, probably to save money, and simplifying the original drawing. In the case of Grand Manège Love Bandana in this colourway, we have a blue/grey shade which is closer to what we in the UK call “Airforce Blue”, a pale pink, a lovely rich and deep red, plus white. I intend to research this more thoroughly before I attempt to write one of my Scarf of the Moment posts as there are multiple versions of the original Grand Manège design in an array of complex colourways. Another comment that I will make about the design now is that this version of the bandana style has replaced dots and circles with hearts, hence the “Love” in the title!

I haven’t worn the scarf yet, so I can’t take any modelling photos. I suppose I could leave it until Valentine’s Day! Anyway, here are the images from the official website…

Grand Manège Love Bandana – H183447S 08

That’s all for now!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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Outfit of the week 08/01/21

Posted on 08/01/2021 by The Librain

At least I managed to wear one nice put-together outfit this week! OK, the bottom half was a pair of pyjamas (which I will show you later in the post), but the rest was nice.

Here it is:

Outfit of the day 06/01/21 with Hermès’ Plumes en Fête shawl

Outfit details:

  • Mid-grey cashmere v-neck jumper – Marks and Spencer.
  • Navy ribbed pyjama trousers – Lands’ End.
  • Silver and gold feather earrings – birthday present from Younger Son.
  • Cashmere and silk 140cm shawl in grey, purple, pink, blue and orange – Plumes en Fête by Hermès. I simply folded the shawl in half and draped it around my neck with a pretty scarf ring on one corner for a bit of drama! The scarf ring was a lovely present from a kind friend.

I bought two pairs of these pyjama trousers from Lands’ End in their sale. They have very wide legs, (not too long this time), pockets, a comfortable elasticated waist, and the fabric is mid-weight and very soft. The pyjamas are also suitable for loungewear and you could almost get away with wearing them outside, although I probably won’t do that! Anyway, they, plus the recent purchases from Marks and Spencer, have replaced worn garments and updated my day-to-day outfits rather well. The image below is from the Lands’ End website. It is not very clear, but does give you the idea of what the trousers are like…

Navy pyjama trousers – Lands’ End

I wish I had long legs like hers!!!

Before I sign off for the week, I just wanted to show you this. I get some lovely kind comments on the blog, which are really appreciated. I also get some spam, most of which is deleted before I see it. Generally, I delete the few which do get through straight away. But, this one really made me laugh, so I thought I would share it with you. It kind of reminded me of the current fad of “negging”: people, usually men, leaving nasty negative comments by text or on dating sites. I am not sure what the perpetrators hope to achieve and I am certainly baffled by what this spammer was aiming for!

What so you think? This was the message in its entirety…

The subsequent time I read a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, but I actually thought youd have one thing fascinating to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you possibly can repair should you werent too busy in search of attention.

I think I will now turn my attention to a nice cup of tea…

Have a great weekend!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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