Rainy Day Yellow Mac...

I'm interrupting the sunny posts from Cornwall to bring you a newsflash. It's raining here. A lot. But the temperature isn't too bad and last year I had a realisation that 17 degrees is my perfect temperature.

Any hotter and all I can be faffed with is some shorts and a top; any colder and we're into four layers including vests, tights and a coat. But 17 degrees? Well that's just perfect. It means that I can wear those clothes that sit in my wardrobe the rest of the year and which I look at longingly, before resorting to jeans, boots and a roll neck.

Everyday this week I've managed to wear something that I haven't worn for ages because it's been too cold to do so and today it was the turn of this Whistles dress. Please excuse the photo - I have to get a snap in in between the workmen arriving/someone using the portaloo/a delivery lorry appearing etc.

And because it was raining (but not too cold) it gave me a chance to wear my Petit Bateau coat, which really does keep the rain off - on the bit that it covers anyway. As to the rest of me? Well by the time I got home my dress had pretty much risen up to the bottom of the coat, so the dress didn't get wet which was good.  Luckily I didn't take the route which went via the police station.

No, I didn't go via the police station. But I did go via Sainsbury's because we had reached that dire stage of running out of everything that a house needs to function properly - loo roll, toothpaste, clingfilm, silver foil, bleach, bathroom cleaner, kitchen cleaner, milk. With our current living conditions I feel slightly like a student - but I'm trying to embrace the general mess and disorganisation rather than fight it. Anyway, whilst in Sainsbury's, the lady serving me commented how much she liked my coat and asked where it was from. I told her that it was from Petit Bateau and that Warehouse had a similar one last year and then, when I arrived in town, look what I found in Topshop - a yellow hooded rain mac (£55).

So I googled the number of our local store, called her and told her the good news. I think that she thought that I was slightly crazy but she was very happy too and on her day off, she's going to go and buy one. So that was all good. Given that the rain will probably hang around on and off for a while yet, I thought that you all might like to know about this coat too. Happy splashing!

Beach time but not a bikini in sight. Nope, for me it's a petit bateau yellow coat...

[Raincoat petit bateau, shorts GAP, Jumper Reiss, Wellies Joules, Sunglasses Jigsaw]

Sometimes when there's a mammoth task in front of you (in this case building an ancient sandcastle city) the only thing to do is to throw yourself into it wholeheartedly. I find that new buckets and spades which co-ordinate with your outfit helps, as does a whole lot of energy and enthusiasm. Then when everyone starts to fade, it's time for lunch and one of these for dessert.....

This spectacular treat was from Scoops in Caernarfon, which is famed for its Dutch pancakes and Artisan ice cream. It's definitely worth a visit if you're ever in North Wales. Hope that everyone is enjoying their hols!

44 and off to V-Festival - Oh help, what to wear?

 

Going to a festival in the middle of August should be hot right? Wrong! It was absolutely freezing yesterday and as you can imagine, I wasn't exactly without my layers.  In fact I had four in total but still I was cold.

I really hadn't given much thought about what I was going to wear (clearly, it's hardly ground-breaking) apart from my coat, but more about that later. However what I did know was that I didn't want to look like I was trying to be a teenager again (I've got one of those for real).  So any notion of cut-offs was abandoned (as I think it is fair to say - without being mean - it should have been by many others. Or at least they should have worn slightly longer ones. Too much bottom cheek on show is never a good look, whatever your age) in favour of jeans. I have had the Joules wellies for ages and given that the coat was so bright, I stuck to more denim and white. Neon accessories were my only nod to anything vaguely festival like really and many thanks to Emma from Marianna Boutique who very kindly (but very naughtily) sent this lovely ChloBo necklace to me after I wrote about Marianna a few days ago.

This just made me laugh (through chattering teeth). What a great name for a food stall.

Now I don't often post pictures of food but this is exactly what was needed to warm me up. The most enormous tub of porridge with banana, nutella and granola - not my normal porridge toppings but they worked!

These were who we had really come to see. I have spent so many hours running to the Killers' music that I actually know the words - as in properly know the words - which is rarity for me as usually I just make them up. Other than when it comes to 1D of course as I know their words too - but maybe that's something I should keep to myself.

The one thing that I had given some thought to was the coat that I was going to wear. I've been after an excuse for a bright yellow jacket for a while now and V Festival seemed to give me the perfect opportunity. Not only that but we do spend most of our holidays in either Guernsey or Wales, both of which seem to have their own particular kind of horizontal rain which soaks you in seconds.

This was one contender, the Sea Folly jacket from Seasalt (£79.95)

...but I decided that the colour wasn't quite bright enough and it also looked slightly short for me.

So there really was only one other option...

...the "iconic Women's Raincoat" (that's what they called it, not me!) from Petit Bateau (£132). Our son had one of these when he was 3 and it was always so sunny and bright that I loved it then, as I do now. For info, the website states that they take 6 days to arrive but I rang the London store who posted it to me from the post office next door and it arrived the very next day. Fab service!