I had to laugh. When I was at the hairdressers yesterday, a very flamboyant lady came in to have some highlights. She was quite a character, even making me appear quiet! She chattered on, happily letting the stylist pull threads of hair through the plastic cap. Once this had been completed, she got up from the chair, pulled a plastic bag over her sprouting hair, got her coat and went outside onto the main high street. In full view of all the passersby, she lit up a cigarette puffing smoke all over her newly bleached hair. No wonder she was complaining it looked yellow. I have to say I thought she had guts. Even when I smoked, I don’t think my addiction was so bad I would be happy to look like she did in front of all those strangers. Hope she enjoyed it.
Apparently Lady Gaga has been seen sporting purple hair. Well so am I. Just shows that I can still be fashionable and out there – even at my age. Apologies for the bad quality of the photo. Hubby took it on my iphone, without wearing his specs. My hair looks great -really.
I love it.
Yes, barter. Well, not quite. Bartering is usually the about exchanging services of equal value so, as this wasn’t done, I suppose I actually mean haggle. I’ve just come back from a short break in my fave UK city, Norwich. Loads of shopping opportunities including 4 department stores and many fab little boutiques and vintage shops, such as the one I wrote about in yesterday’s blog. I love it. I also love the fact that you can feel free to knock the price down – a bit like you would in a foreign bazaar. It’s not my usual way of shopping and, to be honest, I am quite embarrassed about doing it but my husband is not. Not once did we pay full price for any of the clothes I bought in a boutique or small store. After asking for a ‘deal’, the discounts offered to us ranged from 10-25% plus one store also gave me an added bonus of a beautiful scarf, totally free of charge. It would never have occurred to me to ask for a discount but my husband sailed on unchecked, and it worked. So ask. They can only say ‘no’, and as one shop keeper told us ’if we don’t sell it now at a slightly reduced price, it will only end up in the sale with a much higher mark down in a couple of weeks time’. It’s a recession, so use it to your advantage. The stores want to sell to you, but we also need to be able to afford the asking price. This is the best of both worlds and everyone wins in the end.
I’ve never been keen on second hand clothes, however good they are. Probably because nearly all my clothes had been worn by someone else when I was growing up. But, eagerness overcame me, when I spotted this faux fur coat in a vintage shop in Norwich the other day. It was bitterly cold and that coat was certainly beckoning me across the street to ‘come buy me’ please. As soon as I had it on my body, I felt I’d come home and that was before I’d even looked in the mirror. My husband and the shop owner were gasping and cooing – my husband even wolf whistled! How fortunate that faux fur is really on trend too. Needless to say I didn’t take it off for the rest of the day. I also got lots of admiring glances!
The shop keeper and I agreed that when a garment finds its true owner, it gives such a sense of delight and makes what we do for a living totally fulfilling.
My coat was purchased from Retreat Vintage 26A Magdalene Street Norwich, housing a fabulous selection of vintage clothes from the 1920′s – 80′s plus some brand new designs manufactured in unusual vintage style fabrics. Well worth a look as my coat was only £60!
If you love the idea of having the softest feet on the planet, then you need to find the Garra Rufa fish. These tiny little fish originate from Turkey and love nothing more than to nibble, lick and suck (they have no teeth) at the hard skin on your feet. I visited Dr Spafish in Norwich for my treatment and it’s fabulous sensation, a little like tiny (painless) electric shocks. Fabulous value for £10.
