it is yet another gorgeous day here in this ancient forest~even stepping outside into the garden the air has lost the chill of previous weeks and the wind that is setting off my chimes hanging from the forsythia is a warm wind.
'our' birds have been here feeding, a dunnock is sitting on the fence singly loudly and a buzzard has been circling high above me.
of course my thoughts are turning to the earthquake and tsunami in japan~and i am trying to remember if my second cousin is still there teaching. she returned home last year but i cannot remember if it were for a holiday and if she returned...
yesterday i was doing some crafting and listening to the radio and listened to this on radio 4~it was difficult to listen to, made worse because i remember it being reported at the time.
but it was a good reminder of the importance of acceptance and tolerance...
it also made me think of how society seems to have changed over the last 20-25 years.
when i was in collage the student body was a fine mish-mash of different groups/subcultures and we existed in harmony~this harmony existed beyond college to the clubs and events we went to.
the events around sophie makes me think how and why could such intolerance and dis-harmony exist and it makes me sad.
~*~*~*~
so onto thrifting...
i have always been a fan of the second...third...maybe fourth hand.
unlike some i have never had a problem with buying clothes or household items that others have worn~after a wash its like new without the crispy newness you often find with new clothes.
i first started to go to local jumble sales when i was still at comprehensive school and my best buy was a harris tweed jacket and a trip into an antique tent at the yearly new forest show gained me a black tailcoat which i wore daily.
i still thrift now~after my operation last year i was very ill and lost a stone in weight and never put it all back on, although i did have some to spare i have to admit!
as a result, all of my clothes, especially skirts and trousers, have become so lose i can put them on and off without unbuttoning them and my new super-strict 'dirt and worms' diet is also making me lose more weight.
so it was time for some serious thrifting!
i have a set routine~i stick with a few particular makes of clothes as i know my size in them, both top and bottom; they are brands that are generally beyond my budget in the 'real world' because then i know they are well made and will last and usually i wont pay over £10 for it...and the lower the price the better!
the only things i wont thrift are shoes~don't ask me why i just wont.
today i am in a combination of thrift and store bought in sales~my green 'kurt' cardigan, bought in a sale, orange and white striped top, a sale find in new york, over a thrifted white broderie anglaise sundress, over sale find blue/grey (one size too large!) linen trousers with striped socks and my 'milano' Birkenstocks...oh and a scarf given me by swampys sister hazel and a hand made necklace of a small vial of white sage.
well now, its too nice a day to sit here~time to go and look around the garden...