Mom-Day Adventure: Blenkinsop Lake in Vintage Orange; a Minuscule Shop

Oh, my friends, I can't even express how good it was to see Mom again - it's been a month since we last hugged! 

Our last Mom-Day was way back in December (hilariously, I wore the same sweater and boots!), and we last visited Blenkinsop Lake here in June 2023 which feels so very long ago!

I took lots of pics, but first, the outfit. 

I've been craving wearing this gorgeous vintage 70s woven skirt again. 

• Embellished jean jacket - Ricochetjackets, upcycled, consignment; last worn here in December 2023 with chartreuse
• Wool sweater - Bartolini, consignment; last seen here in December 2023 on our last Mom-Day adventure
• Skirt - Arola by Pirkko Maki, vintage 70s, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) in February 2023 for a stroll at the Gorge with L
• Boots - Ecco, thrifted; last worn here on that same December 2023 Mom-Day!

We had a mixed bag for weather - from moments of sun, to wind, to spitty rain. I dressed appropriately for the milder temps. 

This is how most people saw me.

Indoors - jacket open to show my amber necklaces. 

We went to the Monkey Tree Pub for lunch after our walk.

And then I bussed back to town and had a brief browse at the WIN Boutique on Cook Street before wending my way home. 

Such a cool jean jacket.

I didn't take it off at all, but here's the ensemble without. 

Isn't the skirt a beauty?

I feel like I should be lounging on chic mid-century teak furniture in it. 

As always, the loopy frill at the bottom of the skirt snagged on my shoes. I left little shreds of wool everywhere I went.

And all done up again.

I enjoyed the rich tones of oranges, purples and burgundies.

Accoutrements:

Of course, I always have to wear something of Mom's - the scarf is from her. 

• Purse - Danier Leather, thrifted
• Scarf - Pierre Cardin, Mom's
• Gloves - Parkhurst
• Fur headwrap/scarf - Danier, thrifted

The stuff: 

The boots are a dark purple and are very comfortable for walking. 

Amber bling: 

I ended up not wearing the larger bracelet as it fell off while I was messing about with jacket cuffs and gloves. I don't want to lose it! 

• Silver/amber necklace - vintage 30s, vintage mall, gift from L
• Amber/silver drop necklace - vintage mall, gift from L
• Silver/amber earrings - thrifted
• Two-tone amber bracelet - consignment
• Thin amber/silver bracelet - consignment, Powell River
• Amber/silver thumb ring - consignment
• Anneke & Lars ring - vintage mall
• Silver/smoky topaz ring - Anneli Neuman, Sweden, vintage mall
• Silver/amber ring - Past Times, gift from L, c. 1995
• Python belt - Club Monaco, thrifted

We parked out where the Lochside Trail crosses Blenkinsop Lake. 

With the warmer temps, there are a few signs of spring but it was mostly bare branches. 

A view of PKOLS (formerly Mt. Doug).

And who's that I see? 

Howard the Gnome! 

Looking good, my friend! 

This park sculpture is one of our favourites. 

"I just want to make a big GONG!" quipped Mom. 

Nature mirrors "The Rings" sculpture above. 

A weird-looking fungi, and unnaturally bright moss. 

More fungi growing on this fallen branch. 

Like ruffles!

These moss-coated trees looked ominous. 

Like they froze when we looked at them, and will move again when we pass. 

We saw so many birds! Blue jays, redwing blackbirds...

This tiny hummingbird was perched at the very top of this tree. 

We arrived at the trestle bridge. 

So many bikes whizzed past us. 

This is such a pretty area.

Our sightlines were much longer due to bare branches. 

A brown vulture circled above us.

Magnificent!

Ducks dashed overhead. 

And bands of robins flitted from tree to tree. I spy someone...

Mom, your boyfriend's waiting for you! 

This was a shorter walk for us, as Mom's been stuck indoors for weeks and tired quickly. 

But she was determined to say hello to Roy. 

It's been a while.

"Good to see you, Helen, you look well."

"Aw, I missed you too."

"We'll have to do this again soon."

"Oh, we will."

A few duck on the other side of the lake.

The bulrushes were at various stages of disintegration into fluff. 

Time to turn around. 

My tummy's growling! 

We could soon see the glint of The Rings in the distance. 

Touches of colour.

A skittering in the ivy high up in this tree.

Squirrel! I see you!

I spotted some sort of thrush(?) way up high. 

Our slower walk allows us to see more. 

And here are, back where we started. 

Everything is circular.

It has only been a couple of weeks since I thoroughly shopped the WIN Boutique so I wasn't expecting to find much. 

A simple dark red knit tank. Useful but not very exciting. 

I found it by feel. 

Just a touch of cashmere

It's by Caroline Grace, a line I'm not familiar with.

Imagine my surprise to find they specialize in cotton/cashmere blends - their current tank top retails for $79.99! My $8.95 is a score! 

A good pic of Mom at the pub in her lovely red sweater. 

It was so good to see you, Mom - I love you! 

And now, Gentle Readers, I'm going to be off for the weekend - I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure! Be well, be happy and be serene.

Neutral Mélange, Cat-Bombed, and Carol Wears It Better

As the week goes on, my spirits begin to rise - I'll be seeing Mom for the first time since Christmas, and we have fun weekend plans. It also helped that I wore a sparkly outfit. 

I enjoy an all-neutral mélange once in a while! 

• Blazer - Nu, consignment, Vancouver; first seen here in April 2023 with a pirate skirt
• Sweater - Sonia Rykiel, consignment; last worn here layered under roadkill in December 2023
• Skirt - GP & J Baker X H&M, consignment; first seen here in that same roadkill outfit in December 2023
• Boots - Groovy Huysmans, Fluevog; last worn here in December 2023 for a Fluevog shopping spree
• Sleeveless coat - Only, thrifted; last seen here in December 2023

I am well aware that I do neutrals differently than most people. *snort* We had a big meeting and coworkers and visitors alike admired my outfit.

"This post needs more cat in it. Cat-Bomb!"

L and I laughed at these pics after I took them in the morning. What a little photobomber he is! He just plopped himself down, very studiously ignoring us. 

This sparkly paillette-encrusted blazer was long overdue another wearing. 

"I'm just sitting here, minding my own business."

I'd been hung up on pairing it with a black skirt again, and then realized it goes wonderfully with this stretchy and sparkly skirt. 

These pockets are placed too high. 

How am I supposed to jam my hands in them at that weird angle?

Without the jacket, although I never took it off. 

I like the waistband detail on the skirt. 

It's settled into "real" Victoria winter now - temps between 9 and 12, cloudy, rainy and sunny, often within an hour. 

This sleeveless coat helps protect the paillettes from each other - they snag on themselves. 

L and I walked to work together, as he had a conference downtown. 

So nice to have some extra time with my guy during the week! 

Accoutrements: 

It delights me that I paid so little for this silk Celine scarf. 97 cents!

• Scarf - Celine, thrifted
• Gloves - Principles, thrifted

The stuff: 

Colleague Nour admired my boots - and we happen to be the same size. Maybe one day...but not for a long time! 

Copper bling: 

Grandma J's full set across the top - I treasure these as she gave them to me in person in 1985, one day when I stopped to visit her on the way home from university. 

• Copper necklace/earrings - vintage 50s, Grandma J's
• Copper cuff - Renoir, vintage 50s, Grandma J's
• Copper figure 8 cuff - Renoir, vintage 50s, consignment, Seattle
• Copper ball ring - consignment
• Bronze ring - P. Sarpaneva, vintage 70s, vintage expo
• Shiny copper rings - Glee (local)

I sent this picture to my aunt Lois (my Grandma J's daughter, my dad's sister) - she remembered her mom wearing them and we reminisced. 

So, you might remember this linen tunic that I wore once, here (second outfit) in August 2023. 

I wore it as a dress, and while I adored the pattern, the dress itself did not rock my world, and it was too long/I'm too short to wear it as a tunic. So I brought it in to work and asked my colleague Carol if she was interested. She was!

And she's worn it many times to the office, and it looks great every time, but today she really brought her game.

A long-sleeved cream shirt layered underneath, with wide-legged trousers, and black patent shoes. FABULOUS! This made me so happy - and of course, I had to take a picture (and I did get consent to publish). Carol, you wore it better!

Blue Velvet and Puffer Therapy

Since I started this blog in 2008, I've believed in the power of a dress to make you feel good. When you're feeling low, wear a dress.

After yesterday's "meh" outfit, a good Jammy Dress feels like I'm bouncing right back. 

• Dress - COS, thrifted; purchased here for $12.00
• Boots - Coach, consignment, Vancouver; last seen here (2nd outfit) with an orange sweater-dress in December 2023
• Coat (below) - Donna Karan, consignment; last worn here a couple of weeks ago

As expected, this silk/viscose velvet dress steamed out beautifully, and was an absolute tactile pleasure to wear. 

Very soft velvets always have the same effect for me as petting a cat - it's therapy! 

This dress is a resounding YES for me, and worth every one of its twelve dollars.

The velvet creased up while I worked in it, but that's to be expected. 

I tried multiple pairs of boots with it, and all were fabulous. 

I also pondered my jewelry options - my copper looks stunning against this rich blue velvet. 

But most of all, I know this is a true Jammy Dress because...

POCKETS! 

I felt like a rock star, especially after my hair puffed out to a big 70s shag after walking to and from work in the rain without a hat. 

This puffer always feels like a hug. It's therapy too!

We had fog all day, which matched my state of mind. 

It's the time of year - I haven't seen sunshine in weeks! 

Accoutrements:

You may have noticed that I have a very critical eye when it comes to my things. It's time for this scarf to go to the Consignment Gods. 

• Silk scarf - Halston, vintage 90s, thrifted
• Gloves - Parkhurst

Bye-bye, ugly Halston scarf! I paid $14.95 for it back here in spring 2022, new with tags.

The stuff: 

I just love these studded boots - they're so over the top. 

Alien bling: 

This statement necklace has to be planned for! I spotted the blue stones on the "alien" head and the other shapes, and knew this would look great with the blue dress. 

• Necklace - All Saints, gift from Dominique
• Silver studded Lucite cuff - Alexis Bittar, consignment, Vancouver
• Chain cuff - consignment
• Silver/turquoise earrings - thrifted; purchased here for $15.00
• Silver/obsidian ring - consignment
• Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
• Kyanite/silver ring - consignment

I liked how the shape of the earrings matched the necklace.