If I spent less on clothes I could buy one of these wonderful prints by Hetty Haxworth

Check out her website here

Holiday reading

Until last year I would have described myself as a voracious reader, I could easily read for an hour most evenings, maybe more at the weekend. I do not know what has happened but even if I go to bed by 10pm I am so exhausted I fall asleep in minutes, I have neither the energy or inclination to read.
I find this shocking, yet I guess it's my age, I barely recognise my reflection in passing so it appears my stamina has packed it's bags too. One time I do read is holiday time. I no longer have to remember to hang up the washing, stack the dishwasher and think about the pack lunches for the next day. Instead, especially if it rains I read, well OK after my morning walk and drawing and painting..... so I have bought the following to add to the unread pile from half term. Really not sure about this but I am going on recommendation here.

I love Capote's short stories and I didn't fancy reading In Cold Blood, whilst miles from civilisation is a Scottish shepherds cottage so I though these would be more entertaining instead.

Having struggled to complete London Orbital I thought I might as well read this one too. I am mildly obsessed by literature the centers on London so this should hit the spot. I know some may think I should take a book of Robert Burns poetry which would be more in keeping with the location but it's a holiday not a bloody endurance test...isn't it?

Sartorial London

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in a coffee bar waiting for the NPG to open I took these photographs whilst waiting. In just 30 min's I saw some really well dressed women.

• On the left this girl had just stepped off a scooter and even managed to make her jacket look good.
• I love the green tunic with leggings, it has inspired me to wear leggings rather than trousers with tunics to create a lighter silhouette
• I could never wear white, I do not know how people stay looking clean but this looked lovely with the loose cardie
• I liked the layers of this one
• Finally how to look amazing on a bike, what I really loved were the tan brogues with some beautifully cut trousers. very cool.
  

Wish List

How lovely is this satchel? I am beginning to need/ want a new one as both my current bags are looking quite battered. This could be The One. Jas M.B leather satchel from asos

I am still searching for a pair of Khaki trousers, summer is nearly over yet none have appeared in the sale sadly. Maybe next year. Both these images come from Vogue Japan website, I went there thinking I would get loads of inspiration from Tokyo etc. Instead the street style section is a sea of western cities!

I particularly loved this top and trouser combination and even toyed with a cream top from Fenn Wright Manson, not long after I spilt something down the top I was wearing and realised a cream top was really just an accident waiting to happen! Plus it has sold out now.

Lairds hat shop in Covent Garden is an amazing shop full of highly desirable head wear, I will be taking one of Emin's hats to Scotland accessorising it with a very fetching midge net instead!

Hsppy Birthday Lucy

The final wardrobe watch

So here we are at the end of the journey, who would have thought I could sustain this for so long, and there are more in the 'box' that failed to make it! One reason this would be difficult to sustain is the light, once the mornings get darker it gets harder to photograph. However if I get time I will have a play over the holiday and slip in some specials that I am particularly pleased with. Monday 8/10
Not exactly Gallerina London, more Gallerina St Ives, yet it was lovely and cool to wear and made a change from black. Top from Jigsaw, skirt DKNY via eBay.

Tuesday 9/10

I went downstairs to hang something up in my 'other' wardrobe (my clothes are scattered all over the house because Emin has most of the wardrobe) and spied this top from COS. How on earth I had missed this all summer I don't know, it is a favourite even during the winter as it is easy to layer. This time I wore over some very light asos jersey pants, really comfortable.

Wednesday 5/10

Fine for the weekend but not a 'work' outfit, how could I get it so wrong? Well it was 'that' time of the month and I had lost the will to think so grabbed some stuff off the end of the bed. You know that walk the dog stuff that just hangs around. Really not good. Shirt from Zara, trousers, we are talking vintage here, are from River Island, can you imagine? I would not even look in the window of that shop now, yet I used to buy all my trousers from there.

Thursday 6/10

Another dull day

Friday 10/10

Yeah, you get to see my new COS dress, 1/2 price in the sale, is it not so very chic? It ticks both Paris and Gallerina boxes and I feel like a million dollars in it. I like the swishy tie bit down the side which give the dress it's extra weight. I have also realised the length of this dress is the perfect length for me, so I may be hemming some skirts this summer. I took off the necklace and replaced it with some carnelian studs, much less cluttered.

Overall this has been a very positive experience, I have learnt to;

• add some colour
• mix it up more
• focus more on shape less on shroud
• create different silhouettes using a belt
• wear dresses more often

Men at work

So, I am walking along the road from the station to work. Unlike my more glamorous sister who strolls to work across Trafalgar Square to Pall Mall I have to navigate the detritus of a Medway town.
Today it was a knocked over men at work sign which some witty card had graffitied 'black c**t' across but then strangely drawn a large willy hanging down. This inability to correctly label the simplest of anatomical drawings probably explains the high level of teenage pregnancy in this town.