2017 So Far

Wow, what a year it's been, huh? Holy cow! It's been windy, rainy, snowy, melty.

Sunny, cloudy, dark and light.

There's been fly-tipping in our local town.

What a tumultuous year so far - and it's only beginning!

our view on a misty morning

But seriously, I am incensed at politics in both the US and UK, and I am about to go cold turkey and quit reading or watching the news at all. That'll show 'em! If politicians give a damn about my opinion (they don't), they'll be sorry I'm not watching their fake news, platitudes and Twitter regurgitations. But I don't want to sully my pristine blog with politics. I want to talk about something important, which is - is anybody blogging anymore?

abandoned chapel near us

I've become very dilatory about blogging - and especially about commenting - since I drank the Instagram Kool-aid. I'm doing this post because I wanted to practice writing again using all ten fingers to type instead of just thumbs. (Actually, I just use my right index finger to text, hunting and pecking on the phone keyboard. Is that a typical old lady thing? How do you text - fingers or thumbs?)

near the abandoned chapel

So I'll throw in a few photos here, because I have loads. And I'll encourage you all to ignore the news and politics and instead have a shot of vodka and play a game of Scrabble. Spring is just around the corner!

spring lamb on butcher shop sign in Llanidloes

door in Llanidloes

door in Winchelsea

church window in Winchelsea

London!

Val

Teddy Girls

Blazer, jeans, scarf - sounds like my ideal outfit.

February 2015

Throw in some comfortable shoes and a bit of sass and I'm infatuated.

Photos of the Teddy Girls are by Ken Russell - yes, that Ken Russell - circa 1955,
and were sourced from the two websites mentioned below.

Meet the Teddy Girls. I first read about them awhile back on Messy Nessy Chic, and there's more about them on AnOther.

Who or what are Teddy Girls, I hear you ask. Well, they are the grrrl equivalent to Teddy Boys, who were British guys wearing dapper, pseudo-Edwardian clothes back in the 1950s. With a reputation for causing trouble, they instilled fear in the heart of a very young Mr. S when he saw them in his childhood days in London. (I asked him if he'd ever seen Teddy Girls, and he said he didn't really see any girls on the streets in those days. I suppose they weren't allowed out much.)

Source

What a cool style! Dressy but rebellious. Church clothes with an edge. The girls, though, would have been kicked out of Sunday School for wearing jeans. Like they would care.

So I made my own Teddy Girl. Her name is Eleanor, but her friends call her Lee.

The paper in the background is what I used for Lee's body, which is why she has gingham on her face and leg. I like the mix of traditional and new, an English rose nurtured on nihilism in post-War London who kisses her mum goodnight, then sneaks out the window to go running through the rubble with her mates, smoking fags and snogging blokes.

Source

I wonder where these women are today?

Val

I Hate Logos

Happy New Year! I haven't checked in here since before the jump (ha ha, using trendy online jargon - incorrectly), and I don't have a huge post or anything major to report. I've been busy sorting and purging and shredding (photographs of old boyfriends, incriminating tax returns, communications from the Mothership). But I also managed to do a little tiny bit of creative work - I customized a logo'ed handbag that I bought in October.

You got a glimpse of it here.

It's a lovely bag, rich dark-red leather, cross-body strap as well as a shorter strap, and just enough pockets and space to keep me organized and content. Except I hate logos.

I vowed to cover this glaring advertisement in some way, to personalize my purse and show Liz where she can shove her shiny vanity plaque. So I did this:

I took the flowers off a hat (seen here) that I had added them to. I rarely wore the hat, so it's now gone to St. Vincent de Paul's thrift shop, and the flowers are here, attached with embroidery thread and a tiny bit of glue.

 Of course, after finishing, another great option presented itself. My mother gave me this:

It was purchased on our family trip in 1964 (which I wrote about here). The badge would fit sideways over the logo, and I'm tempted to try it. The original adhesive might not hold, but I'm sure I could make it stick with some E-6000. Still haven't decided about this.

Anyway, I've been "doing" a little embroidery. The quotes mean that I'm mostly thinking about it and getting ideas. Now that I've said it publicly, I'd better follow through!

Val