P is for Picnic

Yesterday hubby and I paid our monthly visit to SeeWoo in China Town to stock up on green tea, tofu, soya, seaweed & other odds and sods.

We thought that as we were going into town anyway, it would be nice to have a picnic lunch in St James's Park before shopping, so we packed adzuki bean pie, salad, bread sticks, fruit & beer.

We were going to bring the vintage Brexton picnic case that I scored from the car boot sale last year but decided that it would be too much of a pain in the backsie to carry, especially as we'd be laden with carrier bags after going to SeeWoo's.

  It was just as well that we didn't bring it cause contrary to what the man on the telly said about the weather, mid picnic it started pishing down.

It was alright though cause we continued our picnic sheltering under a majestic tree that had umbrella like qualities ;)

Here I am getting ready to crack open a bottle of non-alcoholic Cobra beer...

I've only just come across the 0% Cobra & I have to say that although it's very nice I still prefer Becks Blue to anything else that I've tried.

St James's Park is one of my favourite London parks.

My sister took me here on my first visit to London when I was ten years old and I've been in love with the place ever since. 

Hubby and I worked & lived-in at a pub off Trafalgar Square in the late 90s & in our spare time this was where we went to chill out or excercise; 

slothing out on tattered pub accommodation blankets or playing Frisbee, those where the days ;)

I have some really happy memories attached to this place.

Here's the Brexton that never made it to the park, thankfully!

Here's hubby sheltering under the tree, at this point it was merely spitting, a few minutes later the sky ripped open and it poured down for atleast half an hour.

Even the ducks looked a bit miffed by the end of it.

Then we strolled up to China Town to restock our supplies of oriental goodies.

Green tea is ridiculously cheap in China Town, this huge box of 200 teabags is less than £2.

I actually saw this tea when we were in Malaysia earlier on this year and they were charging a lot more for it over there, which I found somewhat stange considering it's so much closer to China.

We always pop a few things in the basket that we've never tried before and this month that turned out to be these four items...

I'm sure I've had black sesame seeds on bread rolls before but I've never cooked with them.

We go through a bag of white sesame seeds every two weeks, I like to scatter a handful in salads & sauces.

Did you spot the print on the dress I'm wearing in the pics?

I bought the dress on eBay cause the print reminded me of the Homemaker print ;)

Retrotastico!

When I was googling for a pic of a Homemaker cup I came across a really awesome blog called H is for Home, if you're into your retro stuff then this is definitely one for your blogroll.

Here's a pic from that blog of a Homemaker pattern cup...

I also found out that the blog owner has a fabulous on-line shop that is amazingly well stocked & an etsy shop too, where you can buy some of this amazing fabric...

 I almost fell out of my chair with delight when I saw it, it's really gorgeous, alas I have no spare pennies to buy some myself at the moment.

I did score some fabulous vintage fabric at the car boot sale earlier though, so I really can't complain too much ;)

Hope everyone has had a smashing weekend!

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

Dampening discord & nurturing nostalgia

In the light of what's been going down here in the urban jungle of late, I've not been in a good mindset for blogging and I'm still feeling a bit off key; the figurative grand piano has taken a great big knock and it's playing woefully out of tune.

So I'm just going to give you some pictures of my mummy instead cause I'm missing her very much at the moment.

It's at times like these I wish I could turn around to the nearest adult and ask them to phone my mummy to come and collect me cause quite frankly...
"Jennie doesn't want to play anymore!" ;)
Here's my beautiful mamma Ewa:

I believe she was 15 years old when this was taken. I wish she'd held onto that frock ;)

These two photos were taken when mum did a spot of modelling for a local photographers studio. She was only 16 years old but looks atleast twenty I think. A year later my  mum gave birth to my oldest brother Pelle.

Tea & fag break on the balcony in August 1965.

I think this was taken on a trip to Poland in the 60s, check out the groovy print on the dress...yeah baby!

This is one of my favourite pics ever, my mum looks amazinlgy stylish & beautiful. I return to this photo for style inspiration again & again.

A knitted ensemble this time teamed with a cute smile. Check out the funky furniture...I'd so have that in my house today.

Here's mummy clad in a fabulous floral blouse with her pigtail plaits, giving yours truly a sink bath ;)

My mum became involved in local politics in the 70s, I guess that's where I get my activist streak from ;)

She smoked for years and years but then one day when she was fourty-odd she binned her stinky sticks and haven't smoked since ;)

Here's a local news clipping from 1976, it reads "Mother of five & ninth name on the town council list Ewa Andersson,29, demands more childcare opportunities & jobs for women, 5 year old Jessica & Jennie who is almost two agree" ;)

Here's the three of us again, several years later at Christmas, all wearing Laura Ashley style fine frockery.

Yesterday's outfit incorporated one of my mum's dresses from the late 70s.

A very elegant 40s inspired frock...

I've teamed it with a pair of vintage heels, Coach bag, 80s sunnies and a pair of crochet & stone heart earrings... all from car boot sales ;)

I love wearing my mum's old clobber, it makes me feel a little bit closer to her ;)

Close-up for you fellow print geeks ;)

Here are some other treasured bits & pieces that used to take pride of place in my mums wardrobe...

She LOVED clog boots back in the late 70s & early 80s.

This top was handmade my a woman that lived up the road from mum when she was a teenager. Mum wore this on the night she got together with my bio-dad.

This was another staple in my mums 70s wardrobe, I remember admiringly looking up at that yellow sleeve when I was the size of a midget ;)

That's all for today folks!

Hope you are all keeping safe in these crazy times.

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

Supermarket Sheep

We've had yet another sizzling day here in London.

The only downside with this heat is that I find it extremely hard to stay focussed on work.

 All I want to do is to grab a blanket and a cool bag full of chilled drinks & hit the park.

It gets horrendously hot in the flat during the day and horridly humid at night and as a result we’re going through rocket lollies, squash & ice cubes as if they were going out of fashion.
We had to pop up to groTesco earlier to replenish our stock of these very items...

I like to read the label on everything cause there are so many things that I'd really rather not consume...aspartame & corn syrup being top of that long list!

Hubby and I both loathe big supermarket chains & I really feel like the biggest hypocrite alive when I wander down the isles of groTesco.

I buy most our fruit & veg from either the £1 a bowl man or a family run greengrocer not too far from our house, they sell freshly baked Turkish bread and delicious olives too.

However for every year we've lived in this area the number of these small family run businesses seem to dwindle and yet another 'groTesco local' or one of the other supermarket giants move in.

The variety seemingly shrinking in favour of more of the flipping same.

What are you looking at ;)

Another thing that really gets my goat about these supermarkets is that the prices seem to change every time I go &  in my experience contrary to what the TV adverts proclaim it is more often a hike in price rather than a drop.

  There are so many things that I detest about groTesco but the thing that I hate the most is that I actually shop there.

I'm a self-confessed bread-o-holic but I find that if I bake it myself it's more filling, supermarket bought bread is often full of air & additives.

It still makes me laugh cry when I see how warped food pricing is in this country, especially in the light of the damaging effects that it has on the general public.

It was one of the first things that stunned me when I moved to the UK from Sweden back in 1994, I couldn't for the life of me understand why bad stuff like microwave meals, crisps, soda pop & biscuits were so cheap compared to good food.

I grew up with these things as rare treats and they were not at all part of the daily diet.

I was briefly acquainted with a young mother back in the 90s and was completely appalled with what she was feeding her kids...frozen pizza (that's why bad mums go to Iceland), chips, ready meals, white toast bread, chocolate spread and crisps. 

Never a meal cooked from scratch and never a piece of fresh fruit, horrible & if you ask me, tantamount to flipping child abuse!

The government should in my opinion subsidise fresh fruit & veg and make sure that supermarkets prices are regulated, so that the good stuff is affordable to everybody. 

If the powers that be really don't want a nation of morbidly obese people on mobility scooters in the future then surely this is what needs to happen?!

Busted! There I was thinking I could get away with sneaking a bag of delicious vegetable oil laden potato bits in the basket without hubby noticing ;)

Hubby and I are both vegetarian. 

When people ask me why we're vegetarian, I tell them to go on YouTube and check out the PETA's 'Meet Your Meat' video cause that should bring it all home.

Today's frock is vintage 50s by 'Global' and was an eBay purchase from a few years ago.

So what did we buy at groTesco?

Two bags of carrots for juicing (I've been juicing everyday lately and I'm developing a nice little David Dickinson glow)

Coffee for the cafetiere (we both need a daily fix)

Bottlegreen apple & plum cordial (I've been drinking pints & pints of this stuff)

Ice lollies (you've got to have them, when it's hot)

Mushrooms & garlic nan breads (for tonights curry)

As you can see above, I was caught lurking in the crisp isle...

I know I really shouldn't but we got a bag of potato sticks to share ;)

Close-up for the print & label lovers ;)

That's me all ranted out for one day!

So where do you stand?

Are you a supermarket sweeper or a supermarket weeper?

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

A surprise parcel from the undisputed queen of quirk

My other 'KATI' dress was delivered this morning but its arrival was totally eclipsed by the content of another mystery parcel.

For a moment I thought I’d been sleep-eBaying but after peeking at the sender address I realized that it was from the tremendously fabulous Helga.

What a darling she is surprising me with a parcel of goodies all the way from New Zealand, thank you ever so much my lovely!

I fell totally head over heels in love with the two fabulous frocks in the parcel.
In fact so much so, I had to shed all my clothing and pop one immediately.
Here it is, isn't it just flipping AMAZING!

The print, the colour, the cut...just WOW!

It's labelled 'Oriental Crafts' and the print is in my opinion art gallery worthy.

It's a wrap dress, but unlike some of my other wrap dresses the skirt on this one is gorgeously billowing.

As for the colour...a sumptuous terracotta red, simply stunning!

Helga is a complete wiz at getting frocks that fit me like a glove too, what a marvel!

It's been piddling down here most of the day, so I only managed to get pics of one dress outside before the sky ripped open again but I thought I'd rope Barbara in on the frock action too.

So here she is modelling the second fabulous frock...

Another art gallery worthy print, I think you'll agree & the cut is very 70s cocktail party hostess, I love it!

The label on this one reads 'Styled by Exclusive Frocks, Made in Christchurch New Zealand'.

I'll take some proper pics of this & the 'KATI' frock tomorrow...if it has stopped piddling outside by then.

Helga my dear, you’ve got me on a mission now to reciprocate your overwhelming kindness. 

This is not the first time that Helga has lavished me with gifts, here are some pics of other amazing stuff that has made the journey all the way from Christchurch into my vintage wardrobe...

Vintage 70s sky blue leaf patterned maxi (that I hitched up for this pic), The funkiest hot pink vintage cap ever & a very stylish 50s frock in navy blue.

Like I said 'FUNKIEST CAP EVER' & a vintage 70s dreamy pink swirl pattern maxi frock.

I almost wet myself when she sent this awesome Hawaiian vintage bikini. I brought it with me on our hols in Malaysia & Thailand earlier on this year. Mark (my hubby) wrote Helga's name in the sand before taking that sunlounger pic ;)

Goodies galore from the undisputed queen of quirk, anyone who hasn't got Helga on their blogroll hasn't lived yet as far as I'm concerned. 

Along with Desiree, Vix & Sarah she makes up my fantastic four 'Legendary Frockers' as featured in my sidebar.

If there is such a thing as a 'must-have' on a blogroll then surely these fab four ladies fall into that category, so if you haven't as yet...add them...they will make your life sweeter as they have done mine :)

Thanks again Helga, I LOVE my new frocks & the funky bag too.

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

Keeping Up Appearances and a visit from Penny Dreadful

Today I had a lovely visitor in the boudoir, namely the fabulous Margaret from Penny Dreadful Vintage.

Margaret is a bona fide vintage lover and is exceptionally versed on the subject.

Besides being a font of vintage knowledge, Margaret is also an extremely gifted gathering goddess & she has a cracking etsy shop brimming with delicious vintage goodies for all budgets.

Here are three of the stunning frocks that you can currently purchase from the shop, 

click the picture to go to the listing :)

I felt like I'd known Margaret for years after just a couple of hours, she's a really lovely gal!

She was the spark of inspiration for my boudoir of delights as she set up a charming  mini boutique in her spare room back in April.

I haven't been there as yet but it is definitely on my to-do list, yay, I can't wait!

I promised to post some pictures of my new 'Kanga Collection' dress, so here it is in all its 80s Hyacinth Bouquet-esque glory...

Next time you pop around Margaret, I'll bring out my Royal Doulton china with the hand-painted periwinkles, lets make it soon my dear ;)

To anyone else that wants to have a rummage in my boudoir of delights, the door of opportunity is still wide open, so don't be shy now.
Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

A post that Barbara Cartland would be proud of

After last weeks Barbara Cartland related frock post I had an urge to delve deeper into the world of pink ;)

So I scoured the blogs of a few of my fave frockers & found lots of pinky fabulousness on offer.
I think Helga could very well be Barbara Cartlands secret love child, just look at the magnificent use of full-on pink in these four cracking ensembles...

Vix mixes it up using a clashing shade of jewel green, 

that ties in beautifully with the print on her baby pink frock, awesome!

 I also came across Desiree wearing this amazing hot pink pajama ensemble (loving the contrasting chartreuse hair flower) & Sharon sporting a lovely summery pink floral print frock...

So the bloggers that I love certainly don't seem to shy away from the quintessentially girly hue favoured by Barbara Cartland ;)

What about you, do you rock pink?

I certainly do...

Where do you stand on men wearing pink?

Yay or nay?

Personally I'm not keen!
When I visualize hubby in the above ensemble & it actually hurts my brain a little.

Which is your favourite shade of pink?

Mine's got to be fuchsia.

Here's some more pinky loveliness...

Hope everyone had a fabulous Friday night & is not feeling too fragile this morning.

I actually managed to wake up with distinct hangover-esque feeling after drinking two bottles of groTesco's 1% cider...

I mean what is the world coming to folks ;)

Have a great Saturday y'all!

Jennie

xXx