Earlier this week I took my daughter and her best friend shopping. The weather was nice so I decided not to wear jeans but instead another new maxi - from Dorothy Perkins. The irregular stripes and the colouring was what attracted me to this dress - and then the price.
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| Dorothy Perkins maxi |
It doesn't look bad at all - but it's not nearly as flattering as the other maxi I just bought - or as comfortable! This one is made of a much thinner fabric, it's not lined and it's a lot tighter although it's the same size.
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| A rear view |
I should really have worn a slip underneath it, but it was too hot. Had I not put on the cardigan lines from my bra would have shown. The sandals are a gift from my mother a couple of years ago.
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| Gabor sandals |
Since shopping calls for a large bag I chose my new blue bag, and a few of my favorite bangles!
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| Adax blue bag and bangles |
In the evening the girls made us a lovely meal of Andalusian soup, Salmorejo and Zucchini Tots. The recipe for the soup came from Mis Papelicos and the little Zucchini Tots (baby muffins) from The Frugalista Diaries.
Here's the result:
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| Salmorejo and Zucchini Tots |
It was so delicious that we were fighting over it - they should've made a double portion of both! The girls are usually very picky and will never eat fresh tomatoes, but this way - No problem!
The day after we took my daughters best friend home to her parents. They live in a straw bale house that my husband and I helped to build (mostly my husband!). It was finished five years ago - well sort of finished. There's always something to improve on a house!
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| Relaxing with a glass of white wine |
The "carpet" I'm standing on is the wife's old horse, Moda (an Icelandic name as they breed Icelandic horses). The floor is made of stone bits that actually was scrap from a company that makes kitchens.
Yesterday I went shoe shopping - something I do very often but almost always with depressing results. But luck was on my side yesterday - and I got a pair of walking sandals. With these on, my feet are almost pain free! There's certainly nothing stylish about them but I really do need them for walking the dog (and being a tourist on my vacation!).
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| New sandals for long walks |
At the bus stop on my way home there was an art installation. It's just for the summer, but the idea of book shelves with lots of pretty plants as well as people's old books and magazines to help kill time when waiting for the bus, is brilliant! It looks great and it looks as if people really like it.
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| Book shelves with plants at the bus stop |
When you get closer you can see that it's not built to last, although I wish it was! Anyone can donate books and magazines, and anyone can borrow as well.
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| These shelves are hanging inside the bus stop shelter |
A close up of the plants that people are free to water. The bus stop is in front of the train station and the shopping mall, with lots of people passing through every day.
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| Plants at the bus stop |
This installation will certainly brighten many people's day, and reduce graffiti and other types of vandalism. On top of that it adds to CO2 reduction and recycles old books and magazines - a true winner!
Have a great weekend everyone and see you on Monday for Patti's Visible Monday at the Not Dead Yet Style blog, and hopefully a colour blocking outfit on Everybody Everywear on Tuesday.
So long!
you're so pretty :D
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Antonella!
ReplyDeleteYou look lovely in your maxi! I don't think Dorothy Perkins clothes are very well made, but then they are quite cheap, though they aren't at the ultra-low price/fast fashion end of the market. My floral jumpsuit is from DP. Your Country Casuals maxi is bound to be much better quality!
ReplyDeleteLove that bold blue bag.
And what a great idea - public shelving, plants and books! The books would get VERY wet in the UK at the moment! xxx
Thank you very much Curtise! I think they've made the shelves so that they don't catch rain where the books are. But it is very wet indeed here too - and the humidity is unbearable!
DeleteI loved your jumpsuit from DP, but it will be a while before I'm buying more from them anyway.
Such a fun post! I loved hearing about your friend's home that you helped to build. We know some people working toward building the same kind of house up in the hills here. They're going to have a work party too.
ReplyDeleteLove this maxi on you and have you acquired more bangles since you've been blogging? ;) They look great!! I've been looking for wood bangles too.
Thank you so much Joni!When you build your own house you can get a lot of little dreams come true - but it's so much hard work! It's not a task for everyone, and it always take longer than you think.
DeleteI have been getting myself a few new bangles - well not new. I bought them on the Danish equivalent to Ebay, so they're pre owned, and not wood but clear plastic!
Love the blue bag, gives the oufit an extra ooomph! ;) such cool art installlation, I love it when art is portrayed in a city centre, riight in our face, no way to miss it. :) first time Ive seen a rug from horse used inside. My parents have a rug of one their cows, its really great!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Izzy! The "fun" thing about the horse is that their oldest daughter was three when it died, and as soon as she saw the rug she recognized the horse and threw herself on the floor, saying the horses' name and rolled around on it - not in sadness but because it felt so good! Maybe I should do the same with my dog, when that time comes?
DeleteSo much in this post to comment on! The bus stop library is a charming idea. I'm really intrigued to know more about the hay bale house and what they have to do to maintain it every year. I want to sample one of the zucchini tots. And I love the fabric of your new dress.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Terri! The house is very easily maintained as the outer is a very thick layer of clay combined with a wooden shell on the North side, and wooden shingles on the roof. The wood of course has to be coated with some product every few years, the clay too - but not every year. So it's very much like conventional houses. I think it's all in the way the house is built - the clay was applied with pressure, with something that looked like a spray gun so it not only sticks to the bales but actually "sinks in" - about four inches.
DeleteThis house is adapted to our Scandinavian climate. The wooden shell that protects the clay to the North is made of 3 inches thick oak, which may be overkill for other climates. So prior to building it's vital that all the proper investigations have been carried out.
A post filled with adventures. Maxi dresses suit you and the pattern in this dress is beautiful and fluid. The installation is remarkable and I've never heard of a straw bale house. Talk about sustainable living!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delayed reply, but thank you so much Judith! Straw bale houses are actually an American invention, but quite big in Denmark as all eco friendly trends are.
DeleteWhere do I begin?!! First of all, I love this dress. The colors are beautiful, the fit looks perfect, and you've styled it in a way that suits you to a T.
ReplyDeleteNext, the straw bale house is FABULOUS!! My son has introduced me to so much of this movement in sustainability. He does landscapes with native plants and lectures on permaculture. I love it and am so enamoured of the aesthetic as well. He has also worked with an organization called City Repair which builds community spaces at intersections in neighborhoods, very reminiscent of the library space you featured. It's remarkable.
Lastly, I LOVE the fact that your recipes have come from a community of bloggers. I love to cook and am inspired to include that in my blog! I hope to meet you someday. Clearly we are in a parallel universe of embracing the positive, and living a life of wonder and beauty as best we can!
First, sorry for the very late reply, but thank you very much Jean! I'd love to meet you (and your son!) too! I've been fascinated by sustainable living for some years now, and my family and I don't own a car but use public transport and our bicycles, and we live in a flat. We've also chosen not to tumble dry our clothes and to buy organically grown foods if possible. This way we've reduced our impact on the environment considerably. But I still enjoy discovering new projects like the bus stop library, recycled materials in new products and so on. Sustainable living is about celebrating life and all things living, not about limiting yourself!
DeleteI am in LOVE with your blue bag! It is just the right length, and the pop of colour that you get off of it is incredible. Also noted, how happy you look in the photographs, its absolutely infectious!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late reply but thank you so much! The minute I saw the colour of the bag I imagined all the outfits it would work with - so although I bought it on impulse it's a very sensible purchase!
DeleteI love straw bale houses, public art, maxis, BLUE, and meals like that so there is much to love here. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSorry for my late reply, but thank you so much Vix! There will be more blue outfits in the future I can assure you!
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