Mom-Day at Home and Garden in Green and Blue, and a Wee Shop

Welcome back, my friends! I was thrilled that Mom was up for a Mom-Day, and even a proper walk! What a treat. 

We explored her blooming garden, then had a stroll around the nearby park, and enjoyed a light lunch. After that, I bussed back to town and had a browse in a couple of thrift stores. Treasures were found! 

Outfit first, though. 

I started with the boots, and went from there. Another green dress (I have about five of them). 

• Dress - Cos, consignment; first worn here in May 2023 with cowboy boots and peacocks
• Denim jacket - G-Star Raw, consignment, Powell River; last seen here in January with a bunch of blues
• Boots - Woodland East End, Fluevog; last worn here in November 2023 with Romeo Gigli
• Poncho (below) - no label, Welsh, thrifted; last seen here in November 2023

Only Mom saw me like this - I also briefly stripped down to just the dress while trying things on.

This green Cos dress was only worn once last summer, just after I acquired it. 

It was a little thin for today, so I was glad of my wee shorts and a cami underneath it. 

The denim jacket gave me a couple of pockets and a warmer layer. 

I wore my matchy poncho. 

Showing my yellow purse, layered under it. Clever! 

Just a peek of the purse showing. 

I liked all the bright colours. 

Accoutrements: 

The purse holds a lot more than it looks. 

• Scarf - vintage, thrifted; purchased here for $4.00
• Leather purse - Julia Sanchez, vintage 70s, consignment
• Gloves - Parkhurst

The stuff: 

A little bit of green and yellow on the suede part of the boots. These were fine, but my feet were tired by the time I got home. 

Blue and green bling: 

Some favourites. 

• Blue eelskin bangle - 80s, thrifted
• Silver/malachite ring - consignment
• Silver/aventurine ring - consignment
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Silver/kyanite ring - consignment
• Bird brooch - thrifted
• Silver/glass/hematite earrings - vintage 1920s, vintage mall

Before I left the house, I went looking for Vizzini.

"I always sleep here."

Untrue! I put the blanket there, hoping he would snooze on it - the sun streams in right there and I thought it would make a nice bed. I'm happy he's using it - FINALLY. 

Look how pretty Mom's garden is! 

Her "surprise" daffodils are blooming, and the tulips are just coming out. 

Mom bought a bunch of exotic daffs, and had her gardener plant them. When he asked where she, she said, "Surprise me!"

Look how curly and fluffy these are! I love the yellow tulips in the back too. 

So cool. 

Mom hired a gardener about a year ago - she's loved gardening her whole life and her Post-Polio Syndrome means she isn't able to put the time in that it needs. 

He's doing a wonderful job and loves chatting flowers and plants with Mom, who is very knowledgeable. 

Mom checking out her forsythia. 

I had to go inspect the rhubarb. 

Mom's taken this from house to house her entire life. 

That's a 100+ year old core there. 

This is a "strawberry rhubarb" - the stems are skinny, bright red and it's sweeter than regular rhubarb. 

We had a stroll up to the baseball fields and back. 

Natural Garry Oak and native plants in this area. 

Big firs and arbutus trees. 

It was overcast for most of the day. 

A little bit of brightness here and there. 

An inviting track down a green hill. 

We heard lots of birdsong.

A little red-headed bird way high up. 

So pretty! 

A few more weeks and those buds will be leaves.

Raptors circling overhead. 

"No rabbits or mice out here," said Mom. 

Hey, who's that?

"They've seen me."

Hi, Rodney! 

"Nothing to see here."

He could use a good brushing. 

Mom made us a lovely lunch of grilled turkey and cheese on baguettes and fruit and yoghurt for dessert. "Stop chewing!" I commanded. Mom could barely keep from laughing.

Looking lovely yourself in your teal, Mom. Thanks for such a great day! I love you! 

I walked down to the bus stop. 

It's nice to get out into nature. 

I thought I'd missed the sheep but they were all crammed down into one end of their pasture. 

Some workers were unloading some gear from a truck, and the sheep were very intrigued. Look at the lambs! 

I stopped downtown on the way home and had a longer browse in the Beacon Avenue Thrift Shop. 

This is a very nice Hawaiian shirt - not too chintzy of a pattern, good neutrals. 

Love the pattern. 

One of my guy friends may want this. 

It's made in Hawaii, 100% rayon. 

Washable, nice. 

The brand is E&K Fashion, which seem to have been from the late 80s to mid-90s. Many of the prints I saw online had a similar bold vibe to this one.

$6.00 is a solid price! 

I bought this top to re-sell also - plus, it's not my size.

It's a herringbone knit, with a Henley front. 

Custom shell buttons. 

The tag I expected to see. 

And surprise, surprise, it's Maison Scotch, one of my favourite brands. 

For only $9.00! 

Bargain! That would have retailed for ten times that. 

I bought this two-piece outfit to re-sell, but I after I got home I tried it on, and I may give it a whirl. 

It's an ice blue high-end 1970s jersey, very thick and slinky. 

The maxi skirt has big pockets. 

Also showing the mother-of-pearl buttons. 

I used to have a long dress in this same material by the same brand (go here, December 2013, 2nd outfit). 

Very old washing instructions! 

And the brand is Ports International. 

Made in Hong Kong, and that's pre-Great Size Shift sizing - it's equivalent to a modern size 10. 

I stand corrected, it actually has a third piece, the matching neck-tie? It's not long enough to be a belt, and I'm not really sure what to do with it! 

Oh, and this was $21.00 for both pieces. A steal! 

I plan to wear this once and then re-sell it. 

It's an adorable 80s dress, very blousy on top, with a stitched-down hip leading to a flippy flounce. 

It has shoulder pads and does up by undoing the black dome buttons. 

I love the graffiti style hearts. This stitching is the same on the skirt. 

It's by Albert Nipon, and it's an "executive dress" so I guess this was for the 80s woman climbing the corporate ladder. I encourage you to read his obituary here (all links 'cause I love) - he threw his wife into a swimming pool fully dressed when he met her! This dress is likely pre-1988 when he went to jail for tax evasion!

These sell online for between $100-200.00. This was $9.00. 

I strolled up to WIN and spent a leisurely couple of hours having a really good look, and came away with some treasures. 

One of L's scarves got moth-eaten, so I found him a new one. It's a two-layer soft woven fabric with fuzzy fringe. 

It's by Tootal, a UK brand that's been around since 1799! 

This is a rayon scarf (but "wash as silk"!), and was $6.95. These retail nowadays for $80.00 and vintage ones for over $100! 

I picked up a pair of orange tights for $1.95.

I can never resist tights. 

This amazingly bright scarf had to come home with me. 

The vertical line effect is a sheer/solid satin ribbon weave. 

I see a man in a suit and tie. 

And a Picasso signature! Much searching on the interwebz reveals that these exist in a million variations, which leads me to suspect that these were sold as some sort of tourist souvenir. 

$6.95 seems fair. 

I like the colours and will enjoy wearing it. 

This skirt was such good quality, even though it's an unappealing taupe/camel colour. 

It's a knit with a stretchy banded waist, and two pleats on each side. 

A size tag hidden down one side. 

M...Ports. 

It's another Ports International piece! Also made in Hong Kong and of pure virgin wool. 

This seems like the early 80s. 

It was $19.95 - I might wear it once this winter and then sell it. 

I inspected it very carefully for moth holes! 

I bought this to re-sell - it's tiny. 

It's a mid-weight cotton, fully-lined short skirt. I like the two metal/plastic buttons on each side. 

Nice, cotton and Lycra, acetate lining...

Silk? What silk? 

Made in the USA? Even better! 

Oh, there's the silk, it's the lining of the waistband. Milly is a high-end brand, and I spy a "Milly" in the silk pattern, making this a proprietary print. 

A plain Milly short skirt on their website right now is $295.00 (link here). 

I think I'll get a good return on my $14.95 investment. 

It's really a lovely piece - I wish I could be all sizes at once! 

Now we get to the "I bought these for me!" section. 

This tank fits my sporty aesthetic. I love the colour. 

It's by Vince Camuto, not a high-end brand at all. 

$7.47 felt like a good deal, though - the heart punch means it was half price. 

I found this tee by feel - it's really soft. 

I then spotted logos. 

Raw? I recognize that...

A little rubberized "G-Star Raw" on the sleeve. 

Yup, it's G-Star Raw, makers of the jean jacket I was wearing at the time I found it. 

It's the Neoth Slub Stripe R T.

Their t-shirts sell for $60.00 new. It's good quality - note that the stripes are knitted, not printed. 

And it's a men's tee, but I like it on me, so MINE, for $9.95. 

This will be a summer around-the-house dress. 

I like to keep my at-home clothes looking fresh and nice too. 

It's a bright pinky-orange colour. 

And great news - it has pockets! 

It's by Gudrun Sjoden - I have had a previous house-dress (a pic of me in it here) by this company and it wore like iron! 

A nice cotton and modal mix, with organic cotton, very nice. 

Their plain jersey dresses sell for $89.00 US. 

So $14.95 is not bad. 

I did a quick try-on over my clothes in the store (no fitting rooms), and was so happy that this lovely dress fit. 

It's a long black dress, very exciting. There are slits to the knee on the sides, for walking. 

The top part. 

I'll likely layer tops underneath it to avoid bra straps hanging out. 

It's 100% linen, lined in cotton. 

As always, with this brand family, the season is on a tag somewhere. 

This dress is from Summer 2015 - it's nearly 9 years old. 

It's by J. Crew. 

It would have been around $200.00 new! $34.95 is a good price. 

And finally, Mom sent me another picture of L and I posing...from 2000! This is my university convocation cap-and-gown ceremony when I was presented with my degree. 

We look so young! 

I hope you enjoyed that long ramble, my friends - I'll be back on Sunday with more tales of adventure! Take care and sending you warm rays of sunshine, either literal or metaphoric.