As you can see, Mom and I are both bundled up. Apparently warmer temps are on the way for this weekend - which is a long weekend in Canada for Victoria Day ("the 24th of May is the Queen's birthday" I learned as a kid).
I'll believe it when I feel it! I dressed for warmth but also to be fashionable.
Mom-Days are special!
- Dress - No. 6 Store, consignment; first worn here in September 2021 with brown boots
- Boots - BCBG Max Azria; last seen here in April with two-tone pink and houndstooth
- Leather coat (below) - Baez Leather, consignment; last worn here a couple of weeks ago
This dress is silk, so good for staying warm.
It has pockets, as I am helpfully demonstrating.
I love the wide neckline on it.
As expected, this belt rocks with this dress.
A nice full swooshy skirt.
And a V in the back as well. Showing my badass ink, heh heh.
Outerwear - I varied my combinations over the course of the day.
I was only without my accoutrements while we ate lunch.
Masked up.
Mom and I both masked up for the restaurant, and I wear my mask on the bus and in stores.
Fully done up.
Accoutrements:
Very little of the orange in the scarf shows when I'm wearing it, so it nicely matches all the brown accents.
I was like this for most of the day.
- Purse - Ted Lapidus, vintage 90s, vintage fair
- Silk scarf - Lanvin, consignment
- Leather gloves - Ralph Lauren, consignment
- Mask - Lazy Susan's
The stuff:
Brown bling:
These caramel tones worked well with the blue and brown of the dress.
- Belt - Fendi, thrifted; last worn here in February
- Necklace - vintage 1920s, gift from L
- Amber ring - c. 1997
- Smoky topaz/silver ring - Anneli Neuman, vintage mall
- Filigree cuff - St. Paul's Cathedral gift shop, London
- White metal bracelet - vintage 1920s, vintage mall
- Earrings - Weiss, vintage 1960s
I spent the early morning dealing with the plumber who came to fix our toilet, which has been possessed by demons for the past several weeks. It's a relief to have it fixed (we only have one bathroom). While I waited, I worked on my sewing/hemming pile, and put a good dent in it. As I rushed to get ready by the time Mom came over, I actually forgot my camera - and didn't realize it till we were nearly at the gardens.
Mom had the brilliant thought to use her camera (in her purse), but when we checked it on arrival...the battery had died! So we drove back to her house (closer than mine) and got her older spare camera, and then we drove back! I was mad at myself, but gave myself a stern talking-to - I'm not perfect, and I make mistakes...and then I let it go and enjoyed my day.
So, all of that to say that these pics are with Mom's camera, and although it's old, it has a bigger lens and took awesome pictures.
Mom asked me to take pictures of her coral bells in her garden which are the tall skinny stalks of coral red flowers blooming around her azalea.
And here's her rhubarb, which is the descendant of one she grew up with and has moved from house to house with her over 70+ years.
Looks like it's time to make more rhubarb crumble!
And now, we've arrived at the gardens.
Big grey clouds loomed while patches of blue taunted us.
It was still windy, but not as stormy as the evening before. Mom lost power for several hours, and there were branches and debris all over.
It's interesting to see the garden in spring as opposed to late summer.
I noticed a lot of things I'd missed the first time.
But there were a few things I remembered and was looking forward to.
Like those lawn-mowing sculptures in the field down below us.
I can't identify everything, but these bluebells were pretty.
The dark hellebores were admired by Mom, who is a fan of them.
I don't recall this sculpture from the last visit.
It was probably covered with greenery.
The rhododendrons were in full bloom.
Look at all the colours!
I've never seen yellow ones before.
This is called "Windsong".
This one was so red.
It's almost neon!
Mom took the smooth path, and I went up and down the stair sections.
We met up to go over the bridge.
The water was covered with leaves from the storm.
That Japanese maple is gorgeous.
A heron!
It would have been hidden in September.
Looking downstream.
Mom's sold every painting she's done of this section!
Looking back from that bridge at the first one.
There were quite a few people in the gardens.
I see you, Mom!
That little red bridge is only about 18 inches long.
I don't remember this house from before.
That timber looks fresh.
The view from it, looking down at the pond.
In the distance are marshes and hills.
Looking back at the house from the pond.
It's so calm and peaceful.
There's the mermaid.
Clouds scudding through the sky in the reflection.
The giant trees all around us.
Swaying in the wind.
Mom and I both liked that they've planted in the natural glacial rock formation here.
This will be lovely in a few months.
Now we're down at the marsh level near the field.
I love her dress. I would also mow the lawn in a mermaid dress - although upon closer inspection, I think she's about to do a spot of roto-tiller-ing.
This was a very brief sunny moment.
There are the mowers!
I put my hand in for scale on this peony.
Massive!
Time for lunch - we wandered back uphill.
The irises are out - I see white, purple and orange.
Look at these ones!
So pretty!
The giant eucalyptus tree.
They remind me of the local arbutus trees.
This bright yellow begonia caught my eye.
So lovely.
This frog made me giggle.
Someone make that into a purse! I need it!
The entrance to the Veggie Garden.
It was starting to become overcast.
This tree caught my eye - the strange little buds? I don't know what they are.
Mom pointed out the old-man's-beard lichen growing on the branches.
These alliums (I looked it up) are very much to my taste.
They are the Drama Queens of the flower garden.
One last bunch of tulips still in bloom.
I like the "yarn-bombing" on the tree, but I am unsure about the bird hanging by its neck.
Mom and I had a lovely lunch at Charlotte & the Quail restaurant at the gardens.
Mom looks great in this colour.
She ordered their special hot chocolate, made with honey. It had a flower on top!
YUM. I had a small taste - it was like drinking cake mix. Delicious!
We both ordered the Harvest Pie, a crustless quiche. Most of their food is vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, or a combination. Mom had the salad, and I had lentil soup.
We practically licked our plates. I only left a few leaves.
I love you!
Thank you for such a wonderful day, Mom.
As I chatted with Mom over the morning and early afternoon, I realized I haven't done any shopping for L's birthday. As I mostly buy him second-hand things - you know I find some amazing stuff - I popped into a few shops on my way home. I may have found a few things for myself...
At the big WIN (Women in Need) store, I spotted these flat things.
Of course, anything with a stud gets my attention, but add grommets?
Oh, I am all over that.
I'm not sure if I'll actually wear these, but they were too good to leave behind.
The uppers and insides are all leathers. The sides are suede.
The soles are man-made.
I found a "made in Portugal" stamp inside.
They're a little small on me (I'm usually a 40/9.5) and my toes aren't quite the right shape for them.
I might give them to Cat.
I recognized "Sandro Paris" from my consignment shopping and knew they were expensive.
This is a high-end designer brand - and they were marked at $22.95. They don't even look like they've been worn.
Although these are a few years old (when were white-soled shoes in style?), their current styles of sandal retail for $345.00!
I also scored in the scarf department - I've been on a scarf binge lately. This is a giant 36" square silk scarf.
I LOVE that scrolly stuff around the edges. That is my jam.
It's by Echo.
The edges are handrolled, but not hand-sewn, so this is probably no earlier than the 80s.
Ah, good ol' RN and CA numbers.
The CA number provided the info that this design is from October 23, 1990. Cool!
I love the warm browny-yellows, with the baby blue and grey.
For only $9.95. Such a deal.
I can't believe I found another Halston scarf! In fact, the entire scarf department was bursting with some lovely silk scarves - someone's collection was donated. I sent a mental message of thanks to the previous owner - these two are going to a good home!
We'll take a closer look at that design - and I would like your thoughts on it!
I found a nice old-looking tag. This scarf is older than the late 90s one I previously bought here (pic here)
That's a woven label.
Not printed, and made in France! Very classy!
I won't keep you in suspense - it was $6.95!
Look at that groovy curvy Halston name - that looks very 70s to me.
You might be able to see the texture of the silk here - it's very thick and luxurious silk.
The edges are hand-rolled and hand-sewn.
But I have no idea what this crazy image is. Take a better look and see if you can figure out what this is. Here's the left side of the scarf.
At first I thought this was crystals or logs. L thinks it's pilings, like on a pier.
I don't know, I don't see that. This is the right side.
Is that a wedge of something overall?
What's this here in the middle?
Cliffs of Insanity!?
What is this nonsense in the middle?
Is that a toilet on the left? Are those statues on the right? A salt shaker?
I played with the resolution and contrast to try to enhance the image.
I see a ghost boy. Tell me your thoughts, creative readers!
Okay, moving on. I have been on the lookout for a black top - they are handy to have. This one caught me as I ran my hand across the racks, feeling for good fabric.
It's a t-shirt shape, raised in the front and lower in the back. It has a wide rounded neck - it pulls on over the head.
I blew out the colour here so you can see the front detail.
Grosgrain ribbon woven through long "buttonholes" in the fabric (it is one strip of ribbon). It's sewn down - this doesn't budge.
I knew it was silk! The body is fully lined - it surprised me that it was polyester, as it fells like silk too.
If the label had been missing, I would have been able to discover the designer by the RN number.
It's by Jason Wu! I have never ever seen this designer in a thrift store before! Do you know him? He became very well-known after designing for Michelle Obama. About him here (Wiki link) - he's Taiwanese-Canadian (Vancouver!). This is from his Grey by Jason Wu line, introduced in 2016 (link here - all links 'cause I love!) to be a more classic line of luxury items at a slightly lower price point.
I tried them on and they were heavenly.
Pieces ranged in price from $295.00 to $1,395.00 - so...I got a very good deal at $19.95!!
From there, I strolled over to Rich Rags where I finally bit on a pair of shoes I've been looking at for a while.
They are very Doc Martens-adjacent.
I like how the laces are done up. I also LOVE all the little bits of gold.
Again, a sole that has not seen any use!
We used to have a Geox store in the downtown mall - I bet these were from there.
These are Geox "Respira" (which I'm pretty sure means "breathe").
I couldn't find these online at all.
But they are really sweet! Here's a close-up of the cool lacing, and the gold trim with the subtle branding.
The proprietor gave me 10% off so these were $78.00.
Vizzini, did you miss me?
"Yes, you were late feeding me, Woman!"
Sorry, buddy. I hope you're enjoying this brief bit of sunshine!
"It's about time you made it warmer."
You know the humans get blamed for the weather! Cats!
And now, my friends, it's late, I'm tired, and while I have to work tomorrow, I'm going to sign off now for the weekend. Thank you - as always - for stopping by! I'll be back on Monday with tales of adventure!
