Wednesday, 14 April 2021
We Will Miss Philip - and Link-Up
Wednesday, 7 April 2021
Patterned Trousers for Summer - and Link-Up
Tuesday, 6 April 2021
Sentence a Day, March 2021
Background Update: For the last 12 months I've been covering the UK Covid situation in my Sentence a Day posts. In March 2021, we are still in lockdown - a slight easing of the rules for England came later in the month but means only that six people can meet outdoors: no pubs or restaurants, or non-essential shops, are open yet. We are told to work from home if we can, and not to leave our local area. The vaccination program is going extremely well but the UK still heads the chart showing the highest number of deaths per million of population, worldwide.
Wednesday, 31 March 2021
Covid Learnings, Miscellaneous Outfits - and Link-Up
It's just over a year since the UK went into lockdown for the first time. I looked over my March 2020 entry for Sentence a Day to see what it was like. On the first day, March 24, I went into the local Co-Op and was horrified to see empty shelves. It was as if locusts had been and stripped the place.
Monday, 29 March 2021
Stealing from Boys - Style Not Age Challenge
Stealing from Boys is Emma's brilliant prompt for the March Style Not Age Challenge. Fortuitously I had just bought an over sized unisex jacket in lilac and I thought it would work well as part of an androgynous look with a shirt and tie.
Friday, 26 March 2021
Friday Favourites March 2021 Edition: Books, TV, Podcasts
Welcome to the March edition of Friday Favourites, the monthly round-up of what I've been watching, listening to and reading. You may find yourself disagreeing with my views - there's nothing wrong with that. Let's start with books - I've powered through a few.
Books
Truth Be Told by Kia Abdullah
An advert in The Times steered me to this one, a novel in the John Grisham-type genre where a court case is at the centre of the story.
Kamran is a privileged 17 year old at a boarding school he loves. His perfect life crumbles when, in the middle of the night and drunk after some mid summer revels, he finds another boy in bed with him. Was it rape? The court has to decide which boy's version of the truth is the reality. Meanwhile Kamran's conservative, wealthy and emotionally closed off Muslim father is finding it hard to deal with what happened to his son and why Kamran didn't fight off his attacker.
I found the book a bit ploddy and there's repetition about "blood pounding in people's ears and their lips turning white from being pursed", but there is a good twist right at the end.
Promising Young Women by Caroline O'Donoghue
Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker
You Me and the Sea by Elizabeth Haynes
The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
Which Podcasts Go Into The Is This Mutton Hall of Fame?
Against the Odds (Wondery)
Consciously Coupling
Sideways (BBC Radio 4)
TV Viewing
Line of Duty: BBC and iPlayer
Family Business (Netflix)
The Flight Attendant (Sky)
Unforgotten (ITV, ITV Hub, Netflix for seasons 1-3)
The One (Netflix)
FOR MORE MUTTON
Wednesday, 24 March 2021
Polka Dot Skirt 2 Ways - and Link-Up
Wednesday, 17 March 2021
Lime Green and a Dash of Florals - and Link-Up
When the bag of long-lost treasures came down from the attic recently, one of the finds was this lime green jumper, an impulse buy a few years ago in Sainsbury's.
It was perfect to team with a new scarf I bought from Culture Vulture. I was attracted by both the bright and colourful Susulu Liberty print, which will work well with pink too, and the magnetic fastening.
I didn't bother with scarves until recently because I found them impossible to style, and life is too short for YouTube tutorials. But scarves like this, or the Rew scarves with a button fastening, or the Kettlewell infinity scarves, well, they're all ideal for a scarf-phobic.
Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Can I Wear a Tiered Skirt Over 50? And Link Up
Tiered skirts all the rage for spring and summer, a progression from the ruffles of last year. I am not big on either ruffles or tiers. I usually go for clean, straight or asymmetric silhouettes. Tiers remind me of wedding cakes. I wasn't looking for a tiered skirt but in fact a khaki skirt when I stumbled across this beaut, which combines both.
Dark khaki is great as a neutral with bright pink, red and orange. I'm wearing it with a fuchsia pink top from Kettlewell, metallic pink boots and a three-string necklace dating from the 60s, from Etsy. I love Etsy and often buy jewellery and secondhand clothes there. It's lovely to buy directly from women who make it or have a pre-loved business.
The skirt, from Oasis at Asos is quite long - initially I thought too long, but it's balanced out by the heeled boots. It has an elasticated waist which is fabulous in these Covid times. The tiering is there but the colour and fabric makes subtle, so there's no wedding cake effect going on. The skirt is in the sale at £22.
The bright pink is a great colour for not looking invisible over a certain age!
Last Week's Favourites (Most Clicked)
Is This Mutton's Favourite Non-Fashion Post
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Rediscovering My Fashion Sense in Shades of Purple
I lost my fashion mojo for a few weeks. After seeing the UK government's roadmap for getting us slowly out of lockdown, I felt there was no reason to keep on dressing up for life at home, so I reverted to jeans or leggings with hoodies.
Wednesday, 3 March 2021
The Happiest of Times: Childhood in the 60s - and Link-Up
Whatever decade you were born in, you probably think you had the best time of it. Even today's children, driven to school, never allowed out to play and given ipads for distraction, will probably look back and said the 2020s were marvellous.
I have very happy memories of childhood - it was a rough tumble time of grazed knees, skipping, dens and fields full of wildflowers.
Tuesday, 2 March 2021
The Jab, A Quiz, 200 Miles Down: Sentence a Day February
Covid situation: The UK is still in lockdown, imposed shortly after Christmas. Non-essential shops, restaurants, pubs and gyms are closed. We're allowed out for daily exercise and trips to the shops. Workers are encouraged to work from home if it is feasible. The vaccination program reached 15 million by the end of February with the goal of all adults having been vaccinated by July. I am working from home, full-time, as a digital marketer.
Monday Feb 1
Did a workout at home. J's jab booked for Thurs. Hand held vacuum came. I can't stop using it everywhere.
Tuesday Feb 2
Didn't do a walk, looked like rain. Also v busy with work. Not a very satisfying day. Lots of irritating things to deal with. Captn Sir Tom died aged 100. What wonderful achievements he had, particularly in the last year of his life when he inspired so many to walk and to raise money for charity.
Wednesday Feb 3
Did 4.4 miles trails. Good to be out even though it was raining lightly. Quiche and salad. Busy day.
Thursday Feb 4
No walk. So busy had to do Zoom calls without any makeup on!! J had jab.
Friday Feb 5
Beautiful day. Had day off. Did a tabbing walk Tesco (large loaded-up rucksack walk). J took a lot of old electrical items to tip.
Sat Feb 6
Did trails walk. J and his son went for a run and you can see them in the distance. Pick of the Pops was unusual in that it featured 1976. Radio 2 is so determined to get younger listeners it is now banning POTPs from playing music earlier than 1976. I tried a home gel manicure -see what I thought.
Sun Feb 7
Did workout. Did a blog shoot in the conservatory which J has tidied. Roast chicken for lunch.
Mon Feb 8
Woke to snow, not v deep. Minus 2 degrees. Did golf course walk with J so he could use his 360 degree camera to create a snow video. Horribly busy and felt under pressure. Watched The Great, The Bay
Tues Feb 9
Slept badly for just 4.5 hours. Was visualising the village where I grew up. Busy day but got a lot done. J got down a sack of clothes from the attic I hadn't seen for years - see more on this.
Weds Feb 10
Still a lot of frost but blue sky so did trails walk with water jump. Squidgy texture of mud and frost. Tech issues with blog and link-up didn't go live. Was afraid I'd been hacked (I hadn't).
Thursday Feb 11
Bitterly cold. Thin layer new snow. Did workout. J ran. Came back freezing and sniffing. Busy afternoon sorting ads for work. Had salmon fillets. Watched last Call my agent and started Valhalla Murders (we didn't watch it again).
Friday Fri 12
Minus 1. Day off but feel tired and sad. Social distancing may continue until autumn. Then had good news, invited to book my jab online. Watched News of the World film (6 out of 10).
Saturday Feb 13
V cold but sunny. Walked to Waitrose to get saffron (5 miles). Haven't been there since Dec. Watched Spurs, who lost: I captured a bemused Hugo Lloris after letting in a goal. Then we started The Killing series 2 ep 1.
Sun Feb 14
4 degrees. Didn't go out. Did a 3 outfit blog shoot. Roast beef. Seems we may not be out of lockdown until April. Sad to miss my 2 favourite times of the year again, Mothers Day and Easter. We didn't mark Valentine's Day - not for us. Bird bath and water butt are frozen.
Mon Feb 15
Walked Tesco in rain, back hurting. Seem to have pulled a muscle somehow. Snipped my fringe as it's getting ridiculous. Had quiet day work-wise.
Tues Feb 16
Set off on walk but had to turn back. Could barely walk. Back very painful.
Weds Feb 17
Jab day! Such a great day out. J drove me to the health centre as it was a few miles away and not one I've ever been to. The young man who vaccinated me with the Pfizer/BiONtech jab was more than happy to facilitate a photo - in fact his mum, also working there, took it. The feeling of relief afterwards is immense.
Thurs Feb 18
Blue sky walk, 'reverse ferret' which is a trail walk but reversed.. Clouded over when I got home. V busy. No side effects from jab (and never did have).
Fri Feb 19
Weather forecast was good so wore light jacket and short sleeved top. But the wind was colder than I expected so I didn't enjoy it v much. Busy day with a big virtual event happening from 1 March and lots to do. Normally it would be a live event in Nuremberg and it's sad not to be going there.
Sat Feb 20
First day in nearly a week that I walked without pain. Warm, 15 degrees and sunny. Walked to Waitrose, 5 miles, to get birthday card for R and daffodils. Did family Zoom quiz for the first time. Predictably lots of technical problems before everyone got into their groove. We finished the 2nd series of The Killing. Loved it.
Sun Feb 21
Did blog photos for a beauty shoot. Made a tagine for tomorrow and freezing. Roast chicken. Started The Legacy (Prime).
Mon Feb 22
Promising warm day. Did trails walk 5 miles. Took a wrong turn. Stressful day. The lamb tagine was nice but disappointing in that I couldn't really discern saffron dates or apricots
Tues Feb 23
Got straight to work at 8 as I had a lot to do. Finished at 6.30. I could have carried on until midnight as I had booked for a virtual marketing conference in the US. But work life balance important so will watch the sessions on demand.
Weds Feb 24
Trails walk. Beautiful spring day. Horribly busy at work. J surprised me with a new leather strip for my desk, under the keyboard, replacing one that had become very tatty. He likes to buy useful presents, he's not one for flowers or fripperies.
Thurs Feb 25th
Workout first time for ages. Hoped it wouldn't be too busy but it was.
Fri Feb 26
Day off, day of care. Our company allows us an extra day off each quarter. 12 degrees. Sunny. Did 5.2 mile walk with J. He showed me a clump of snowdrops hidden away in the forest. Sadly, they have now been dug up by thoughtless people. Did a couple of hours in garden, weeding brushing pruning. Nothing has died except possibly erigeron (fleabane). Cleaned bathroom, wrote Fri favourites.
Sat Feb 27
Another lovely day. Did the Mud Walk. Wasn't expecting quite so much mud, as it's been dry for last few days. 5.3 miles. Started watching Shooter
Sun Feb 28
Cloudy. Wrote blog post. Drove to Epping, first time since Jan 3. Got a few bits in M&S. Sadly the clothes have gone! Roast beef. So far I've walked more than 200 miles since Jan 1, so on target to do 1,000 miles in 2021, if I actually do it seriously again.
How was your month? What's the Covid situation where you are? Do let us know in the comments.
I'm back tomorrow with #WowOnWednesday. See you then.
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Friday Favourites: TV, Books, Podcasts - February Edition
Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Look More Radiant Over 50 - and Link-Up
I've been experimenting with a few new beauty products. It helps pass the time when we're in lockdown. None were gifted, so I will give you a completely honest opinion on what's working for me, and what didn't.
I have particular requirements for beauty products. For age-related issues like lines, pigmentation, dark shadows under the eyes, dull skin and dryness -we need specialist products to hide imperfections and help us look radiant.
Monday, 22 February 2021
Faux Leather: Style Not Age Challenge
When Jacqui set "faux leather" as this month's Style Not Age Challenge, I was a little flummoxed. I don't have any faux leather, I thought. Then I remembered the Spanx leggings I bought a few weeks ago. Relief!
I've styled my leggings differently to when I first showed you a mint jumper and beret look.
I've added a green coat (old, M&S), my new green velvet boots, a green metallic belt from Kettlewell, and a new top from Damsel in Distress, (affiliate link) which I leapt on because of the cute collar detail. My pink bag from Amazon and pink lipstick adds another colour contrast for interest.
Now let's see what the other girls came up with. Hilda from Over the Hilda was originally going to wear her Spanx leggings too, but she then found an old faux leather jacket to use instead. She's created a wonderfully stylish casual look. The jeans are no less than 17 years old (and, Hilda notes happily, back in fashion again). Her top is an old Zara one.
Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Print Skirt 2 Ways - and Link Up
Originally I was going to call this post "Treasures from the Attic." I had long known there was a missing bag of clothes up in the loft, but my husband kept insisting he'd looked everywhere and there wasn't.
You may be asking, well why didn't I go and look myself? Unfortunately I have a fear of heights, and also ladders, so I can't bring myself to go up.
But after insisting, when he was looking for a duvet, that he have another look, he found a box. A box! Full of treasures, including this Boden burgundy and navy print skirt.
When midi length came back into fashion, about two or three years ago, I stopped wearing all my knee length skirts. But as someone who's fairly petite (5'4) this length is better for my proportions.
I styled the skirt two different ways. First with a new acid yellow v-neck top from Kettlewell and a burgundy cashmere cardigan (old, Pure Collection), matching tights and white boots. The necklaces are from Claudia Bradby. Bag from Coach. I've never liked this cropped cardigan for some reason. It replaced another one which wore out, but the colour is less berry toned than its predecessor. But here it has a new lease of life.
For the second look, which is my default with this colourway, I added pink and silver. The cropped cashmere cardigan is an old one from Boden; the infinity scarf in silver is a new from Kettlewell, and the silver bag was a Christmas present in 2019 from Anthropologie. I love metallics as neutrals.
The infinity scarves are less fuss than a normal scarf: you simply loop them once or twice, and it's a great way to add a pop of a colour that suits you, so that it's near the face. Other treasures which came down included two pairs of jeans in my favourite style from M&S (long discontinued!), two more Boden skirts I thought I'd given away, and a couple of pieces of faux fur which are fun. But there's still more searching to be done, because my only pair of navy boots are AWOL, and no doubt in the loft somewhere. I will wait until Mr Mutton is in a good mood before I make him search again. (I have since refined my process so that when he takes bags into the loft at the change of seasons, I make long Samsung notes on what's gone up and what's on the label!).
Last week's favourites were:
Katie from Preppy Empty Nester and her post "Rules and Tools of my Weight Loss Journey" struck a chord. An amusing post full of great pictures, recipes and know-how. Congrats to Katie for losing 20 pounds over nine months.
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