Well I think the mini heatwave has taken everyone by surprise over the last few days – we certainly aren’t used to it in the North! The weather forecasters must too scared to tell us when it’s coming in case it doesn’t and they’re then lambasted by the Daily Mail. Anyway when it comes from nowhere it certainly gives you a problem with sunny weather outfits. I was doing a bit of people-watching in town the other day whilst the boys had 15 minutes of pocket money heaven in Home Bargains. I noticed how fresh and lovely the women under about 30 looked and how faded most of those over 30 appeared, then it struck me that the missing link was whether or not they had children. Obviously before you do, you spend a lot of time buying and thinking about new season fashion. Once you have a buggy to push your priorities change in so many ways and you pull out whatever you have in the back of your wardrobe. This means that there are lots of chewing gum coloured t-shirts and baggy three quarter length trousers around. I wonder if there should be a wardrobe strategy that says buy cheap for high summer but renew it every year so that it looks fresh and on trend. Anyway here’s what I’ve thrown together as the temperature has risen.
Friday catch up
A day of shopping, washing and packing for the youngest’s school trip
- Breton: Johnnie B (out of stock)
- Coral jeans: Wallis (old)
- Silver pointed slingbacks: Boden
- Necklace: Accessorise (out of stock)
- Sunglasses: Whistles sale
Saturday – a pre-birthday party
Our birthdays are close together but for 4 long weeks of the year my lovely friend N luxuriates in being younger than me. This means that when her birthday finally approaches I like to make sure it is fully celebrated. On Saturday she came round for a late lunch en famille – they’re all a bit hesitant about being in the blog so I had to stand somewhere else for my photo (plus Mr MC wanted to show off his winter woodpile)!
- Sparkly silver blue scarf: Zara (not online but in store now – the photo doesn’t do it justice, it elevates a boring outfit into something a bit special)
- White long sleeved t: Mint Velvet (old)
- Hampton boyfriend jeans: Jigsaw
- Silver pointed flats: Boden
But I did catch them from behind! We had a lazy time and they stayed to watch the sun set over the sea which is always a nice thing to do on the longest day – I hate the thought that the nights are now getting shorter.
Seaside Sunday
Sunday was hotter still and we went down to the Kite Festival on the beach. It’s lovely, people come from all over the world to fly their kites together, there’s live music and a really chilled atmosphere. We took some left-over rose and strawberries that needed finishing and found a quiet spot where we could relax for a couple of hours.
- Breton: Boden (past season)
- Chino shorts: Boden
- Necklace: Cassam
- Bags: Cath Kidston
And a rare appearance from Mr MC (who is wearing Zara linen t-shirt and denim shorts, black Birkenstock Arizonas). We never seem to get a shot of the two of us so I was pleased that our budding photographer caught this one despite the rather large expanse of white thigh (and the photobombing by the middle son).
Farewell Monday
On Monday the youngest went off on a week’s trip to the Isle of Man with school. Mr MC and I had a lovely picnic on the harbour until the boat sailed and we could wave them off. My little one is my main photographer so I’m going to struggle for outfit pics this week!
Birthday Tuesday
Yesterday was N’s actual birthday so we spent the day mooching around the shops in Kendal – we had a fab lunch and having been given licence to spend in lieu of a gift by her husband, we made sure that she did. For those of you who have been urging me to try independent boutiques, I tried several and you’re right, there were some great white jeans … but not in my size – aaaargh!!!! Here’s what I wore:
- Marcy top: Boden
- Relaxed skinny jeans: Next
- Sandals: Clarks
Working Wednesday
Today is a day in the office catching up on emails and phone calls (and blogging). It’s cool, cloudy and grey so I’ve brightened up a neutral outfit with a neon scarf to keep everyone awake!
- Long sleeved t: Gap
- Relaxed skinny jeans: Next
- Sixties heel: Boden
- Scarf: my first ever Primark purchase – in store now!
So what does my quick round up of the last week tell me? That like everyone else I’ve been pulling old clothes from the back of the wardrobe for summer – as you can see it’s very Boden heavy and as regular readers know, I’ve been trying really hard to diversify since I started this blog. Must try harder – although the sun seems to have disappeared which makes me even more reluctant to spend on high summer clothes. I have, however, solved the denim shorts crisis by cutting down an old pair of straight jeans and rolling the hem up boyfriend style. It has worked a treat – they look vintage but not distressed and are the length that I’ve been trying so hard to find – and will be featured as soon as the sun comes back. In the meantime I will be counting the days until Friday when my smallest boy returns. I hadn’t realised what an important part of the family dynamic he is until I tried to get the 2 older ones chatting over dinner last night – it must be because he annoys them that they usually talk to keep him quiet! They are now silent and although I usually long for peace I don’t like it one bit. Stay in touch, as always I love to hear from you.
