Weekend Finds

So, this weekend saw the official end of British Summer time. Pfff. It always creeps up on me, I don't like it when it gets dark at 5pm. *stamps foot* It's really maddening and I wish we'd stop it and just leave the clocks alone, dammit.

Sorry - I have been waiting to get it off my chest all weekend. Give us back our rightful daylight! *shakes fist*

Sorry - I am a peaceable sort really. This weekend has been really quite busy, we escaped the rain and drear on Saturday and took ourselves off for a bit of ill-advised shopping. Ill-advised as we're fairly broke at the moment. But Iris needed new shoes and trousers and although I try to borrow things from friends and seek out second hand treasure wherever possible, sometimes, you just have to go to the big shops. So we did. And it was fairly hellish, busy, Iris uncontained and excitable. She saw Reiss and said, can we go in there'. I was obviously impressed and said, 'yes!, of course' and then ALL she wanted to do was go upstairs and look at the menswear and sit next to the plastic mannequin. Not quite what I had hoped for.

Then we went to Topshop, H&M, and Zara. It was fun in Zara, there was the endless riding on the escalators (Iris), the trying on of expensive boots (Iris). Again she sort of impressed me, she fixed her gaze firmly on Paul as he helped her into a pair of soft back fancy boots and said' I need these'. I like the courage in her own convictions. When it comes to fashion anyhow.

Anyway, the point of this rather rambling account is coming. It is.

I was waiting to pay for a grey cardigan (v-neck, very on-trend) for Iris, when I caught a tiny fragment of conversation.

A woman, talking to a small boy. I didn't hear what she said, not all of it, just one word really. 'Hector'. As I lifted my gaze, I saw the woman has very long thick blonde hair. Was it? I left the queue and went over. They were engrossed in their world, she was holding his hand. I said, 'Laura?' and then a little louder, 'Laura?' She looked puzzled, quizzical, all the while Hector was hiding and peeking from behind her legs. She may even have blushed a little. 'It's Natalie', I said encouragingly. Then realisation (hers). She said Nath! Then in a rush, we laughed, embraced and talked excitedly. Paul and Iris came over, I said 'Look, it's Laura from Cloud-Fishing!' and then I think I even pinched her gently. It was and she was. Read her take on it here. Maybe it seems silly, but it was such a perfect fateful sweet encounter. And makes me think that Anais Nin quote is even more pertinent.

Oh and I found a lovely vintage dress this weekend. I love it (even though it needs taking in before I can properly, officially, wear it. It looks really nice on, and the bottom part of the dress is that really nice swishy light wool gabardine. The bodice is lined with a pinkish silky sort of fabric and the sleeves are lacy so your skin sort of matches the bodice lining and the effect, is, um, quite alluring.



That's it for now - we're off to an Island today. On a boat. More later.