Two-Fer: Mom-Day and the Equinox Party; plus Funky Chunky Friday

Woo, life has been so busy! Sorry for the absence, Gentle Reader - I've visited Mom, gone to a party, and then had a stoopid-slammed day at work on Friday. And I am eager to start my weekend, so forgive my brevity. 

I wanted to feel springy, so I pulled out this gorgeous floral dress that I knew Mom would love to see in person. 

I layered this thin wool-blend sheer sweater underneath it for coverage and warmth. 

• Wool-blend sweater - Diesel, vintage 90s, consignment; last worn here in December 2025 (horrid outfit, got rid of the jeans)
• Dress - Eliza J, thrifted; first seen here (2nd outfit) for the VFF Gala
• Boots - Bond Girl, Fluevog X Anna Sui; last worn here in January with velvet leopards
• Elmo coat (below) - , consignment, Powell River; last seen here in February

Mom liked that she could sort of see my rose tattoos through it and that they matched the pattern of the dress.

It was the perfect day for my suede boots - and I had to go with the matching belt. 

I needed a walkable shoe that would be easy on my feet for a long day. 

Because after I spent the afternoon with Mom, I bused home, fed the kittens and bused back to town to go to a party hosted by our dear friend Casey. 

Incognito. 

You couldn't miss me! 

The stuff: 

These boots were great, but by the time I pulled them off at 9pm, my dogs were howling. 

Minimal bling: 

I liked how the turquoise worked with the colour mix in the dress' pattern. 

• Belt - Fluevog
• Carved cinnabar bangle - consignment
• Silver/turquoise bangle - consignment
• Silver/green stone ring - thrifted
• Silver/turquoise ring - consignment
• Snake earrings - Betsey Johnson, gift from L 

The boys were settled in for the day of naps.

"Do you mind?"

Yikes, sorry to bother you, Whateley! 

Will you miss me, Barnabas?

"I'm sleepy."

Very well! I'm off! 

Let's start with Mom-Day! 

I rode a total of 5 buses on Thursday, including the one that drops me off at Camosun College/VI Technical Park. 

Cloud drama! 

Looking back at Camosun (cuh-MOH-sun) College. This was all rural when I was a kid. 

I passed by the track and PISE, the Pacific Institute for Sports Education. 

It was a bit chilly out, but my fuzzy Elmo coat kept me warm. 

A hill and the cluster of evergreens. 

I'm getting used to this route. 

There's the Stick Tree. 

Go left! 

What's this place? It's nice - there's a bench for you to sit and enjoy. 

Oops, I missed a turn-off. 

That's okay, I can walk back along the usual path. 

I had to wander all over to avoid the puddles. 

Mom's forsythia is looking lovely. 

This part of the garden does more in the summer when all those blueberry bushes are full of berries. 

The daffodils are still going strong. 

So many varieties! 

Oh, who's that?

"Oh, curses."

Hi, Rodney! He ran off - not a super-friendly cat, but he loves Mom. 

Aw, happy to see the yellow and orange polyanthus blooming. 

This is the original plant that was in the garden when Mom was a kid - it was originally one of her dad's plants (he loved his gardens). I remember this from the house I grew up. It's moved many times.

Mom and me selfie! Mom is almost fully recovered, and is champing at the bit to get back to her "real life." 

I'm so proud of how well you've handled this whole situation, Mom! I love you! 

I cooked up a couple of grilled ham and cheeses. 

These are possibly my best ones ever. They were delicious. 

After a lovely hour working on a puzzle - the time flew! - I realized I had to get home to feed the cats.

No sheeps today. 

Home, kitttens, then back to town. 

Club California (nightclub of my youth) was in this building. It's being turned into a hotel - they are keeping the front and back facades. 

That's Casey in his jaunty red neckerchief, and three friends (none of whom I talked to). 

The soiree was to celebrate the Spring Equinox. What a spread! 

Hey, it's my buddy Steve! 

Good to see you, man! 

And we sent a picture to Nick, who is in Australia. 

Me, Caro, Yvonne, Cat and Jean. Great to see you lovelies at a mid-week party! So decadent! 

I was exhausted when I got home, hence the lack of post. L and I both crashed, and of course, we had to work on Friday. 

I felt like getting a little funky. 

• Vest - Indochino, consignment; last seen here in January with snakeprint bookends
• Mesh top - Jean Paul Gaultier, vintage 90s, consignment; last worn here in May 2025 with white and Issey
• Cotton trousers - Calvin Klein 205W39NYC by Raf Simmons, c. 2019, consignment; last seen here (4th outfit) in December 2025 to see Jake Vaadeland in concert
• Sneakers - Soul Speed Duesy, Fluevog; last worn here (2nd outfit) in February for a shop down Oak Bay Ave
• Loomed Lady coat (below) - vintage 60s, thrifted; last seen here in October 2025

I'd been wanting to wear these awesome chi-chi designer cotton pants again.

I love the super-baggy fit - it's not something I'd wear every day, but it's fun.

I'm shocked that it's been 10 months since I last wore this sheer mesh Gaultier top! 

"No one cares."      "I'm streeeeetttchhhy!"

I was fully kitty-bombed this morning. 

Incognito. 

Hooray, it's the Loomed Lady! She is a very pale yellow-cream, with blue woven threads. 

The stuff: 

My feet were very happy in these. 

• Silk scarf - Halston, vintage 70s, thrifted
• Stick pin - Mango's, L's (I stole it)
• Wool gloves - Parkhurst

Punk bling: 

All my red stuff! 

• Belt - vintage 90s, consignment
• Bowie balsa wood pin - vintage fair
• Leather/steel cuff - Rimanchik
• Silver/gold bracelet - JLA, vintage fair
• Silver/red enamel ring - antique store, Sidney
• Silver/crystal ring - Soul Flowre
• Kilt pin - Mom's, vintage 50s
• Crystal necklace - thrifted, Vancouver
• Silver/acrylic earrings - Tania Gleave, Granville Island

You know there were a couple of cuddles in the morning. 

Sweet Barnabas boy. He's such a little cuddle monkey. 

Whateley came in for some loving too. 

He's a bit less cuddly, but he likes the attention. 

And now...signing off for the weekend! Enjoy yourselves, spring is here! Thank you so much for dropping by - please make sure you pop in on Sunday/Monday for tales of adventure! 

Floral Brocade, Amber Blob and a Broken Queen

This gorgeous brocade skirt needed another wearing before it's packed away for the season. 

It's not really a warm-weather skirt. 

• Silk-blend tux blouse - thrifted; last seen here in December 2025 under my leather pirate top
• Merino wool sweater - Gap, thrifted; first worn here in November with mustard and dragonscale
• Skirt - Erdem, consignment; last seen here for Sweetheart Week in February
• Shoes - Queen of Prussia Louise, Fluevog; last worn here in March 2025 with my denim Kenzo suit
• Shoes - Coffee Sumatra, Fluevog; last seen here in October 2025 with a corduroy duster/dress
• Leather coat (below) - Tibor, vintage 80s, consignment; last worn here in February

I was very pleased with how well my burgundy stretchy silk shirt worked under the thin wool sweater. 

The ruffles on the front were completely hidden. I knew they were there! 

I picked out these lovely ankle-strap Fluevogs - I haven't worn them in a year! I knew they'd be high, but I also knew I wouldn't really be walking around in them much. 

But as I was coming back inside from doing my Stair Pic (which happens here chronologically when I'm taking pictures), I felt the heel give on one of them. UH-OH. 

The composite plastic heel had fully cracked all the way through, exposing the steel rod that's in all heels for support. My Queen of Prussias are broken! 

That's not fixable. Boo...I was sad, but then I realized that they ARE too high for me. And it's time to let them go. 

I bought them here in March 2015, and Flashbacked them here in January 2021. That's a total of 26 wearings, and I likely paid $299.00, so $11.50 per wear. That's great! 

However, that meant I had to grab another pair of shoes! 

I opted for my black, cream and burgundy Fluevogs. They were fine (and also feel high) and I like the outfit with them as well. 

 

Oh, well! 

Same weather: all of it! But it was warm enough just to hold this jacket closed. 

The stuff: 

Another pair of shoes that will be retired along with me.

• Silk scarf - fake Louis (Lewis!) Vuitton, thrifted
• Wool hat - Delux, Saanich Fair, c. 2008
• Wool gloves - Parkhurst

I don't think I shared my anniversary gift from L: a beautiful bracelet of four large blobs of amber set in a hefty amount of sterling silver. 

I spotted this in the window of Old & Gold on Fort Street, and sent a picture of it to L. He heartily approved, I bought it, and he paid me back. Thanks for the anniversary gift, my love! 

Amber bling: 

I liked how the amber went with all the shades of wine in the outfit. 

• Silver-tone/glass bracelet - R&G Co. Nu-wite, vintage 1920s, vintage mall
• Silver/amber ring - consignment
• Silver/amber thumb ring - consignment
• Big amber/silver ring - consignment
• Silver/amber pinky ring - consignment
• Silver/amber blob bracelet - consignment, gift from L
• Amber/silver pendant - vintage mall, gift from L 
• Amber/silver necklace - vintage mall, gift from L
• Silver/amber earrings - thrifted

The boys looking outside at the rain.

They're getting bigger! 

Spring Goth: Pirate, Tulle and Pink Boots

I've been wanting to wear these shiny pink booties for a while.

I also really wanted to wear this skirt again - and the shirt too! 

• Leather top - Danier Leather, consignment; first seen here in December 2025 with a swooshy silk skirt
• Skirt - TwinSet, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in November 2025 for brunch with bronze and leopard
• Boots - Mellow Bebop, Fluevog; last seen here in December 2025 with sunny colours for Book Club
• Raincoat (below) - Avoca; last worn here in October 2025, the day we got the kittens! 

I felt very Spring Goth in my leather pirate shirt. 

What a good purchase that was! It's such a pleasure to wear. 

This is how I handle stairs with the voluminous skirt. 

I also gathered it into my waist when in my office chair to avoid the hungry wheels. 

It poured rain in the morning. This lovely pansy-print raincoat repelled it fully!

It was sunny and very windy on the way home. 

The stuff: 

Very comfy boots! My colleagues loved them. 

Silvery bling: 

First wearing of the stretchy cuff bracelet - it pinched my wrist once (but I was carrying a big box).

• Stretchy silver-tone bracelet - vintage fair; purchased here for $20.00
• Silver S bracelet - Mexican, consignment, Sidney
• Silver/gold/amethyst cobra ring - vintage fair; purchased here for $85.00
• Silver snake ring - BC Museum Gift Shop, 1986
• Earrings - c. 1996
• Silver/onyx necklace - Mexican, consignment, Powell River

I love the cobra ring so much, but had to be careful not to snag it on the skirt! It's got fangs!

And now, Barnabas plays fetch. You may think he does it once or twice...

"I'm the best fetcher in the world!"

...but he does not stop. If you throw the ball, he will chase it and bring it back, dropping it at your feet, over and over.

"Fetching, fetching, fetching!"

Whateley wants to chase it, but Barnabas always brings the ball back. 

"Now you throw it!"

This is the scene every night when I'm writing my blog and Substack. 

"I'm bringing the ball to the Woman!" 

Note Whateley lurking in the hall, so he can chase it.