Dear friends. Jewelry (jewellery in the UK) is one of my greatest pleasures. It's the fastest way to update a look and needn't cost a fortune.
I was thrilled when Meideya Jewelry approached me. I discovered their fashionable range looks far more expensive than it actually is.
Dear friends. Amazing to think we are already nearly at the halfway point of the year. I've decided to change the format of this post, so instead of covering each day of the month and what I did, I'm summarizing and grouping the activities, and adding my fashion buys.
It was a fairly quiet month in terms of outings. The weather was very mixed, a few sunny days but also quite a few cloudy days with showers.
There were two meetings with Kettlewell Colour Club members: the second gathering of the Colourful Croydon Coffee Club (below), and the first meeting of the Kent women, near Maidstone. As I discussed in this post, these meet-ups are a wonderful way for midlife women to meet and connect.
And here are the shoes I wore with my jewel blue and teal outfit. They're from Embassy London and come in a rainbow of colours. Socks from Boden (old).
I went with Meet Up for a walk along the local canal, down to the Walthamstow Wetlands where some of us had lunch. The plan was to visit the William Morris Gallery as well, but unfortunately it was closed, so that's been rearranged for later in June.
John's daughter and son-in-law had their first baby, Olive Ree. I now have two step granddaughters. We will see a lot of Olive because they live very close to us.
April and May are my favourite times in the garden - the garden springs back to life and the bulbs shoot forth, while in May the roses are in their full glory, along with the other cottage garden plants. I had a couple of sorties to the garden centre. I've now planted several containers and squeezed a few more plants into the border.
Trying Auriculus
A few years ago I bought a plant theatre with a view to having auriculas, the wonderfully complex primulas. They look as if they are works of art. I did once use the theatre for a display of purple polyanthus, but I've never had any auriculas until now.
I bought four, and now think I've bitten off more than I can chew. They like very specific conditions and are ideally displayed in vintage terracotta pots. I haven't yet got to grips with it. But I have started following auricula growers on Instagram for their tips and pictures.
Below: the roses at the front of our house in May. I got rid of three which were in the middle row because there was too much over crowding. It's much easier now for me to get into the bed and tackle the weeds. There are two varieties of rose, Gertrude Jekyll and Scepter'd Isle. They're both repeat flowerers. I will feed them after the first flush and they'll give another display in September.
I rediscovered Pilates, and thanks to an excellent teacher, am keen to start taking regular classes. My legs are often a bit achey, and one of the knees "pops out" during the night, which is very uncomfortable. But after one class with this teacher, my aches and pains had gone, temporarily.
I probably did fewer walks in May because I was fed up with the weather. But I saw the longhorns a few times - a group of them stayed out all through winter, because the weather was fairly mild.
Meanwhile Yates Meadow, which is a steep climb, now has a new bench at the top of the climb.
Getting Well Armed
I'm on a mission to tone my arms and shoulders ready for a beach holiday in Greece. I've been doing several different exercises and following a YouTube workout by Caroline Girvan.
One thing that has made a huge difference to my arms is retinol. I've been using Lixirskin Universal Emulsion mixed with their Night Shot Retinol (not gifted). They recommend using it on your arms, hands and decolletage as well. Well, the difference is amazing. The crepey skin that we older women get on the "bingo wings" has more or less disappeared. I buy Lixirskin directly from the brand because they usually include a few samples.
New Clothes and Jewellery
I keep a record of all the clothes I buy, mainly because with my Kettlewell collection it's useful to have a list of what I've got and the exact colour names.
I bought a skirt in the Kettlewell sale, the Millie in pink leopard. I don't normally "do" animal print but the shape and length of the skirt is perfect for a gamine, and the colour goes well with my other winter pinks, hot pink and fuchsia (shown in a different print and colour).
I also bought a silver sequinned skirt from French Connection, reduced in price at Asos, (sold out) and a beautiful hot pink dress with a roll collar from The Pretty Dress Company, which I'll wear on a couple of big occasions that are coming up. It needs taking up about four centimetres.
In May I bought a few necklaces - Georgian collet style, for layering. There are two shops on Etsy where I buy them: Lynn's Gem Creations (UK) and Sacred Cake (US). They're quite pricey when bought to layer up, as Anna Wintour does, but they are heirloom pieces.
Dear friends. It's my turn with this month's Style Not Age Challenge, and I chose "This old Thing" as the theme. How many times have we said that to a loved one, when asked about something new we're wearing?
Dear friends. So this is my 10 on the 10th post, except that it's the 13th.
It was yesterday afternoon when I realized something was missing. A post for today! I had no content or photos ready, which I put down to my holiday last week, and then having a lot of chores to do when I returned at the weekend.
But then I remembered 10 on the 10th, which I was keen to do because of the diamonds theme. So here I am burning the midnight oil and making sure you have a post to link up with.
Thanks Leslie and Marsha for the easy format of this 10 on the 10th, the Diamond edition! I wrote a series of posts about all the birthstones so I'm looking forward to answering the questions. Let's go.
Diamonds are April’s birthstone. What is your birthstone? What do you like or dislike about it?
I was born in November and my birthstone is the topaz. Now most of you will think of topaz as pale blue, but the blue stone is really rare, so many are irradiated to create the color artificially (read more in my post about topaz).
The color I associate with the topaz is a beautiful orange, and this stone is known as Imperial Topaz. The reason it fell out of favor is that deposits are mostly depleted. But you can occasionally find vintage pieces. I love the rarity of this stone. When I was 12, I was given an Imperial topaz pendant but sadly it got lost over the years. Here's an example of an Imperial topaz.
Diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substance found on Earth. What is something hard you’ve dealt with in the past year or so?
It's something I'm dealing with right now, and it's the possibility of redundancy. Everyone in marketing, over 100 people, at my company has been placed "at risk". We won't known who's actually leaving until mid May. The uncertainty, and the high number of people affected (30%), is causing a lot of anguish. I am somewhat sanguine: I've had a good long career and have worked since I was 18. Maybe now is the time for me to stop working.
Marilyn Monroe is synonymous with the saying "Diamonds are a girl's best friend." Do you have a favorite Marilyn Monroe saying, movie, or picture? Please do tell!
I absolutely love Some Like It Hot. It's one of my favorite films. My mum and my brother Andrew also loved it, and we have seen it so many times we can recite some of the lines.
I love her quote (not from the film) "A smile is the best makeup a girl could wear."
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was in 2012. What were you doing in 2012 and would actually confess to?
2012 was a memorable year in many ways. London hosted the Olympics, and what a magnificent occasion that was. The hubster and I went to the opening ceremony of the Paralympics, and it was the most moving and enchanting event. The warmth and joy in the stadium was contagious. The hubster was a volunteer for the Olympics and had fun giving directions to tourists. Below: a few memories of the Olympics.
Name a song with diamond in the title and then tell us why you picked that one.
I'm going with Diamonds by the Boxer Rebellion. I love this song. It's got wonderful lyrics and is a bittersweet account of someone feeling he doesn't match up. "I'm no good with diamonds. When I'm too close to start to fade". Here's a video of them performing the song. The Boxer Rebellion is a London-based internationally known indie band.
Would you splurge on a large diamond, a grand experience, or a new car? Why?
Much as I would love a diamond, my hands are not my best feature so I wouldn't splurge on a large diamond. I'd probably buy a car instead. The hubster and I will soon be sharing a car: it's the first time I won't have had my own car since I started driving.
Do you have a sentimental diamond gift or bequest? What makes it sentimental to you?
My mum gave me her two diamond rings: she wanted to see me wearing them, and she can't wear them now because of arthritis in her hands. One is a solitaire, the other has three diamonds (below)
Why do you think diamonds have become such a desired gemstone? Do you like diamonds?
They're special because they are so hard, unlike many of the other gem stones. And popular because they come in several colors, although the default is usually the clear diamond, which goes with everything. I always wanted a big diamond cluster ring when I was young, but it wasn't to be. However - you can get very good imitation diamonds, and I have a few rings, below, which people often think are real!
I also have a diamond eternity ring.
Are you a traditionalist when it comes to diamonds, or do you like the colored stones? Why?
I prefer colored stones. My engagement ring is a sapphire. My real favourite is a large square cut emerald. I love the really vivid green. These don't come cheap in the color and size that I lust after, which is the reason I don't have one!
Find my post about the history of diamonds.
I hope you enjoyed this unusual post about diamonds and I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Do you have any diamonds?
Sharing this post with: On Mondays We Link Up at Glass of Glam, Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Chic & Stylish at Mummabstylish, #SpreadTheKindness and #Linkup on the Edge at Shelbee on the Edge, #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Turning Heads Tuesday at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, Style with a Smile at Stylesplash, TFF at Doused in Pink, Lizzie in Lace, Confident Twosday at IDoDeclaire, Rena at Fine Whatever, Fabulous Fridays at Lucy Bertoldi, #Neverendingstyle at The Grey Brunette, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style, Weekday Wear Link-Up at Away from the Blue Sunday Showcase with Chez Mireille and Elegance and Mommyhood (first Sunday of the month), Stylish Monday (first Monday of the month) with Ask Suzanne Bell, Talent Sharing Tuesdays at Scribbling Boomer, Link Up Pot Pourri and Traffic Jam Weekend at My Bijou Life
Now it's time for the #WowOnWednesday link-up. Bloggers/Instagrammers can find new readers, plus readers can find new blogs to read. I promote my favorite five posts on Facebook and Twitter every week, and feature the most clicked posts in Instagram Stories.
This Instagram post from Mary of the Pouting Pensioner was the runaway winner. Just goes to show that providing links for IG is a good way to grow your views!
Penny from Frugal Fashion Shopper gave us an update about her recent move to a a new town, Lewes.
My jaw dropped open when I read this account from Amber, Hungry Mountaineer, about her visit to Desert Hot Springs in California. She was warned it was quite windy, but not hurricane strength!
Dear friends. Today I'm thrilled to introduce you to Jovanka Ristich who makes the most stunning jewellery (jewelry to my US friends) from recycled beads and gemstones.
Regular readers will know that I'm very partial to a statement necklace. On a tonal outfit, or on bare skin, these add real drama. Jovanka, whose brand is called Bijou Rebooted, kindly gifted me two stunners which I'm showing you here.
