Sunday, May 24, 2020

Winesday Weekend!

Hello, my friends! It's been a very chill weekend over here, with the one and only highlight being...Winesday! 
I dressed very "event-specific" for this with comfy trousers and lots of layers and good walking shoes, but I also took the opportunity to wear this "shopped from the giveaway" blouse that I'd rashly removed from my closet a few months ago.


  • Blouse - Catherine Malandrino, thrifted; "shopped" here, and first worn here in April 2019 with the slouchy pants I also rescued
  • Cords - J. Crew, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in September 2019 with turquoise and floral for brunch
  • Shoes - Truths Makena, Fluevog; last worn here with beads and velvet for Valentine's Day in February
  • Coat (below) - Lord & Taylor, thrifted; last seen here last weekend
  • Sleeveless coat (below) - Only, thrifted; last worn here in March



It's 100% silk and the body is fully-lined with a duplicate of the top layer print, so that it's not as sheer as the sleeves.
I love all the colours of the blouse, but it's tricky due to the overall grey/olive/taupe-y neutrals in the background.

I decided to pair it with these very stretchy fine-wale cords, knowing I'd be sitting for several hours, as well as walking for about 30 minutes each way.
 I love this bright acid yellow.
 Pockets!

We were hoping it would be another warm weekend, but it's been very windy the past few days.
Better wear layers!

That thin coat would definitely not be warm enough.
I added my sleeveless black wool coat over it, plus a cashmere scarf and a pair of fingerless wool gloves.


  • Scarf - Portolano, thrifted
  • Gloves - Parkhurst


I met up with Cat and we walked together to Beacon Hill Park where we all met last week (here).
I loaded up everything I would need for my "solo picnic" in my trusty backpack. It holds a lot!

The stuff:
These are fabulously comfy shoes for walking. The floral inserts make them just a wee bit more squishy for my old feet.


  • White gold earrings - Frances Jewelers, 10th anniversary gift from L


This is what I packed for my evening. Typically, Winesday is an "all sharesies" format, but not in these times.
Barbara's baked Cheez Puffs, a tub of strawberries and grapes (my nod to healthy eating, hee hee), a baggie of Rockets candies, chocolate (two kinds), sour gummies and wine gums (I've been self-medicating with sugar), and a 2L bottle of fizzy water and a 6-pack of Zevia ginger beer (non-alcoholic). My pack was much lighter on the way home - yes, I ate it all. I regret nothing!

I made Cat pose beside this California lilac. 
She's also burdened with all her own picnic goodies, and a folding chair.

We hung out near Yvonne's place, in the same park as last weekend, but in a different corner.
It was really busy when we arrived, around 6:30pm. Behind Cat, on the bleachers, were a group of young guys who lasted till nearly 9pm. Beyond them was a group of musicians - unfortunately, we missed hearing them! There's another group on the left too.

Marian arrived! Her husband and her two kids are in the distance - they dropped her off for a couple of hours, then picked her up later.
Joanne is on the left. We were very good with our distancing!

Joanne and Linda are "bubbled' so sat together.
You can see 3 more groups in the background there. We had dogs, kids throwing Frisbees and a dad/son tossing a football around.

Yvonne in her chair. I used Randall's chair, as I don't have a collapsible chair. Maybe I need one?? Those trees behind Yvonne are where we sat last weekend.
We all had our bags and coolers with our own Winesday goodies. Yvonne did a full charcuterie on her wooden cutting board.

Vero arrived a few minutes later, so we adjusted to get her between Marian (who's poured herself a glass of red wine), and Joanne/Linda. 
It got really chilly as the evening darkened. The puffy coat was needed!

As Joanne and Linda set up, I swapped my shoes for...
Slippers! These were a godsend. My feet were so nice and toasty! I've become that person who brings her slippers everywhere.

Caro cycled over (that's her bike chained up to the sign behind her) and set up beside me.
She wore amazing high-waisted wide-legged jeans, and sat in a "rocker"chair, that supports your back, but is smaller and easier to carry than a full chair.

We were treated to a parade of classic cars!
 They cruised by us, then headed for the waterfront. They came back the same way an hour or so later. 
I love that two-tone truck!
 We stood up and cheered, and hooted and hollered at them, as they tooted their horns at us.
I love this beauty. One of the cars (I missed getting a picture of it) had really high hydraulic shocks and did a two-wheeled turn for us, to much cheering!

We hung out until about 9pm when we couldn't see each other anymore (and had to use the bathroom badly!) and then 3 of us ventured to Yvonne's place.
Caro, Cat and Yvonne - we were very careful and kept our distances, with lots of hand-washing. It's the first time most of us have been in someone else's house since the pandemic lock-down order back in March, so we were being super-cautious.

My province (BC) has had around 2,500 cases of COVID, with 155 deaths, and on Vancouver Island, and fewer than 10 deaths this entire time. We have gone nearly 14 days with no new cases, so we are feeling very positive, but still being vigilant and exercising a lot of care around contact.

We hung out until about midnight, and then Cat and I walked home. L had hosted Randall and Casey for an evening of music (also being super-careful), so he was up when I got home, and we chilled out for a bit before crashing into bed.

Vizzini loved having new people around (so I heard).
"I knew them already, Woman." 

It felt so good to see my friends and have this evening together! Have you had any "solo picnics" with your friends yet?

41 comments:

  1. It's so good you could all get together for a picnic and I love the bright yellow pants with that colourful top! :) We went on a picnic with my sister the other week but other than that we haven't taken advantage of the relaxed restrictions to do so - it's been a bit unseasonably cold here!

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    1. I know, it was the nicest thing to be able to see all my gals! It's been cold here too - I sat in my coats the whole time we were outside!

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  2. The picnic sounds like fun!
    Love that white coat BTW great details.
    We had friends over yesterday afternoon for drinks in our garden. They brought their own drinks and some popcorn and we served separate trays of freshly harvested asparagus from our garden. We are entertaining very differently now.
    Have a fab week Sheila.

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    1. Thanks so much, L! Oh, how nice! That sounds wonderful. I'm just glad we CAN entertain, even if it's distanced.

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  3. Question? What to do for a bathroom.... but then I read after 3 hours you went back to a friend's home. Are the park restrooms open?

    Diane C

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    1. We used Yvonne's place - we had paper towels, and a spare set of her keys soaking in alcohol, plus much hand-washing/sanitizing. I don't know if there are restrooms anywhere near there, but yuck, I don't think I would use them anyway.

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    2. Yesterday I had to pee in a bucket in my Mum's garage! The pair of us were killing ourselves laughing as I went in there to pee! I cleaned the bucket with a hose!

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  4. Oh what a lovely social distanced picnic you had.

    I would have cheered and hollered over the old cars too!

    That is great that your area has had no new cases in 14 days! I headed back to work today. Hopefully all goes well. X

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    1. It was so fun! We holllered when they came back too, Jess! I know, it's been so good here, but we're all kind of waiting to see if there's going to be another spike in cases.

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  5. What a fun picnic! I had the bathroom question in mind all along till I happened upon your answer.
    Your outfit was lovely, Sheila, I'm glad you rescued that top. It's a whole bunch of happy colours together. Perfect for your get together.
    We haven't been able to get out together as a group of friends yet. Our restrictions are being eased ever so slowly. We still have some new cases each day on the evening news but this is reducing, happily, day by day. We have a road map out towards July but it's cautious.

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    1. Yes, and we also had all our precautions + a spare set of keys in alcohol for extra bio breaks if needed. Thank you so much, Juliana! They are happy colours, and I'm going to keep the blouse for now.

      Aw, sorry to hear that. I hope the end is in sight for you!

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  6. Winesday looked like so much fun and you did make me giggle that you'd packed your slippers. I'm craving those cheese puffs! You definitely need a fold-up chair, mine's got a fold out shelf to accomodate snacks and drinks. I love that you were treated to a cavalcade of classic cars, that's proper classy!
    How fantastic for Vizzini to have friends over, I bet he loved all the attention.
    Love your outfit, that top is a beauty and the cords are perfect with it. I've just nipped inside to get a glass of water and I'm wearing a bikini, sending lots of heat and sunshine your way! xxxx

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    1. It was a hoot - I always pack my slippers, I'm such a granny. These are delicious cheese puffs. I know, I should get one, but I never think of it. We loved the cars going by and were an appreciative audience.

      Vizzini did love it, so I'm told.

      Thanks so much - I'm jealous that you're in a bikini! Thanks for the sun!

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  7. What a fun picnic! It's definitely a struggle right now because of the restrictions but I also want to make sure the people I love are safe.

    Btw those pants are AMAZING.

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    1. Thank you, yes, we also really wanted everyone to feel safe. Thanks!

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  8. The rescued blouse and the yellow cords are a fabulous combo! Absolutely gorgeous! It's a good thing you wore all those layers as it looks decidedly chilly. A bit like our weather yesterday. Your winesday picnic sounds like a lot of fun, and I'm salivating at the mention of all the treats you brought - and ate :-) I often self-medicate with sugar when I'm having a rough day at the office, but I haven't eaten any candy since lockdown started and I'm working less hours. I notice a difference as I'm less lethargic and my waistline seems to have shrunk just a little bit! Cheese puffs, though, I wouldn't be able to resist! You wearing your slippers in the park made me giggle :-) And what fun to be treated by a parade of classic cars. They certainly do not make them like that anymore. That rocker chair sounds like a great idea! Ha, look at Vizzini's face. Phoebe absolutely loves lockdown, as she hates having people around, although I'm not sure she's all that happy we are at home so much! xxx

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    1. Thank you so much, Ann! I was shivering once it got dark - so cold! I've certainly self-medicated with chocolate, that's for sure - good for you on cutting way back. I'm a sucker for cheese puffs! I had to wear my slippers - I'm so glad I took them, as my feet would have been freezing. I do need some sort of chair thing if these types of meet-ups are all we'll be able to do in the future.

      Vizzini loved having Randall and Casey around - he's quite a social kitty. Aw, poor Phoebe!

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  9. Very good outfit. Love the lime yellow in the top matching the trousers.
    And I am glad you got to hang out with your friends. It is the best.
    Greetje

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    1. Thanks, Greetje! This is a very "you" outfit! It was awesome.

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  10. Winesday looks like a great time! Beacon Hill Park is a beautiful place to hang out and eat awesome snacks with your friends while wearing your slippers. My husband would have loved the classic cars. Glad Vizzini had a good time hanging out with L, Randall and Casey. Love your outfit! The acid yellow cords are too awesome!

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    1. It's always awesome - I got such a kick out of wearing my slippers on the park, ha ha! The cars were the cherry on top!

      Vizzini's missed his "regulars" who he sees frequently.

      Thanks so much, Cheryene!

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  11. It is good to see friends and family isn t it! That's what I miss most, spontaneous visite to my friends! Youre Hair is looking fabulous! Gracefull! Movie star like!

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    1. It really is, Nancy! It's wonderful to actually connect again.

      Aw, thank you! I'm due for a cut soon!

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  12. You're my fashion hero and this outfit shows why. Especially with the slippers. :)

    I'm glad life's easing up in your community.

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    1. Aw, you're a sweetheart, Ally, thank you. Me too - so good to see people again!

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  13. I'm officially smitten with the idea of using slippers in a picnic setting. That's genius, my friend, absolutely genius!

    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

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  14. So lovely that you could enjoy a meeting with friends (even if social distanced!). And I love that you've become 'that person who brings her slippers everywhere' ;DD
    Love your blouse, its colors and texture are awesome, and it looks fab with these trousers and shoes, such a fab combo!
    besos

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    1. It's SO nice to see people again! And yes, I'm "that person", hee hee!

      Thank you! It's a keeper. :)

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  15. It's fabulous you get to hang out in the park with all your friends and even to go into someone's home. Very envious. Those cars were amazing; did they decide to drive by for your delight, I wonder?

    I loved your outfit; flattering, colourful and stylish. Oh, and the slippers were the piece de resistance; you made me laugh out loud when I saw the photo. I thought only little old ladies took their slippers with them everywhere....

    Take care
    xxxx

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    1. I know, it was so awesome to see all their faces in person, Vronni! No, I think they probably do a couple of circuits around town and we just lucked out!

      Thank you so much! Hee hee, I'm now the Slipper Lady. I am owning it!

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  16. Dressing in style for Winesday! That's a great top and trouser combo. It must be lovely to see all your friends.

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    1. I have to! It's expected of me! Thanks so much - yes, it's wonderful to see everyone. I've missed them all so much.

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  17. I love that you dressed so stylishly for a long walk and a picnic. I had solo walks and a picnic of sorts (well, not sure can we call it a picnic, we had a boiled egg and some sweets by the sea?) with my colleague and my husband, it was strange walking at 2 metre distance from one another, but that's better than nothing. There hasn't been any new cases of the virus in Croatia for weeks now so the measurements aren't so strict. We don't have to keep so much distance anymore.

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    1. Oh, for sure - I like to look nice, even if I'm just sitting around. That sounds like a picnic, and a lovely one at that, to me. I know, it's weird getting used to distancing, isn't it? Same here - we are feeling pretty safe on the Island, but still distancing.

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  18. You know....this top.....makes me think of the Style Imitating Art inspiration this week...it has the blobs of colour quality that the pop art has also....could send this picture to Kim...but it is your choice of course... :-)

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    1. Sure, it sort of goes. I have a lot of things on the go, Kezzie - the blog, plus work both take up a lot of my time. Thanks for thinking of me.

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  19. I'm digging that outfit, especially the yummy yellow cords. I like the idea of a "solo" picnic. I haven't been to anyone else's house, nor has anyone been to mine, since the lockdown started in March. I miss face to face conversations with my friends, but I'm used to spending a lot of time alone when I'm not at work so I probably am coping with the required "distancing" better than some other people.

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    1. Thanks! I'm using a lot of colour therapy lately - yellow lifts my spirits. We've had several of these picnics, and a couple of our houses now have "safe" bathrooms. I like the alone time too, but I've realized how much I need to see my friends.

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  20. Lovely bright outfit. The top was worth keeping.
    We have not had any solo picnics and it must have been nice to see all of those cars parading by-

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    1. I agree, thanks, Lorena! It was really awesome to see people out. I hope you can picnic soon!

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