Rain Bonnet Success!

Long-time readers will recall that, many moons ago, I wrote a post lamenting the demise of cute and stylish rain bonnets. And it occurs to me now that I never followed up on that post, despite the fact that I did follow through on the rain bonnet hunt. I ended up buying a bonnet online, through Ebay I think, and I'm really quite pleased with the one I scored, for tuppence really.

Dress: Beyond Retro, Rokit, or some such!
Cardigan: Gift from a friend
Belt: Top Shop or similar
Rain bonnet: Ebay
Jubilee badge: Button Badge online shop

Here I am sporting it as the rain came down at a Diamond Jubilee garden party last year. Yes, it's taken me that long to write this post... But this was the perfect occasion for it, as an umbrella really wouldn't have been convenient or wanted when there was croquet and dancing to be had. (As you are admiring the bonnet, do also take a moment to appreciate my fabulous, patriotic badge with a dashing young Betty bordered by the Union Flag.)

The rain bonnet seemed to be largely accepted within the confines of an event such as this. However, as a general rule and as with any of these slightly more quirky things, you have to keep your chin up and ignore some funny looks if you're going to wear a rain bonnet. But I happen to think it looks rather smashing, and thinking that in turn helps me to keep my chin up as I embrace the bonnet.

.... Although, to be honest, it doesn't get the full workout it deserves, as I'm prone to switch bags and find I've left it in the wrong one when I'm caught off guard by the rain... And the downside of the bonnet is the rustling plastic noise so close to your ears. Nevertheless, I do recommend investing a few pennies in one, or maybe more than one, so you can leave a bonnet in each of your favourite bags.

For the moment though, I'm hoping the need for a rain bonnet holds off for at least a month more and that the English summer lingers on a tad longer.

Jubilee Flypast

I'm probably the last blogger to say it, but hope everyone had a fabulous Diamond Jubilee weekend, however you celebrated and wherever you are in the world. One of my quiet highlights of the festivities was the flypast on the last day. I was actually working that day but my few colleagues and I who were in the office all climbed up to the fifth-storey roof terrace at 3.30 to see if we could spot the planes flying over on their way to Buckingham Palace. As it turns out, we were directly under the flight path so got to watch as the Dakota and two King Air aircraft flew over, followed by the Lancaster,  Hurricane and Spitfires rumbling over, and then the Red Arrows whizzing over, letting out their coloured trails just after passing us. It was pretty special! Like our own private airshow. 

Seeing (and hearing!) the Lancaster is always pretty special for me and makes me a bit emotional because my wonderful grandparents met when my grandfather was flying Lancasters in World War II.

My grandfather with his fellow pilots in front of a Lancaster

My grandmother enlisted in the WAAF and began as a Telephone Operator in Balloon Command, the unit responsible for controlling barrage balloons. She then trained as a Radio Telephone Operator and moved to Bomber Command, instructing the men up in the planes. Christened Edith, she was a Birmingham girl who trained herself to speak properly and earned the nickname Vicky, as she spoke as well as Queen Victoria.

My beautiful grandmother after the war

My grandfather, Ken, also enlisted when the war began. He began training as a pilot in Australia and then completed his training here in England. He was posted to Bomber Command in the RAF, based at Lichfield. He rose to the dignified position of Squadron Leader and bravely flew out on countless operations, from which thousands of men never returned.

My handsome grandfather in uniform

Apparently, the two met after my grandfather heard my grandmother's voice over the radio and, rather taken by it, sought her out when his plane was back on English soil. They began dating but had to keep their romance under wraps as there would have been trouble if they were found to be fraternising.

However, they stayed together and, once the war was over, they were married. The rest, as they say, is history, with children and grandchildren, and incredibly full and generous lives which still carry on today, into their nineties. I'm very blessed to be related to such a wonderful, beautiful pair, and to still have them in my life.

The lovely couple

And that's why I get emotional whenever I see a Lancaster!

A Decade a Day to the Jubilee: Part 2

Glad so many of you enjoyed the first part of my Diamond Jubilee countdown! Without further ado, I present Part 2: The '70s and '80s. The additional challenge of charting of female emancipation through the decades kind of fell by the wayside, but we still got some snaps to document our outfits.

First up, Wednesday, the 1970s. A hazy summer field would have been more appropriate for this outfit, but work got in the way. My colleague (cropped out to preserve his dignity) and I actually accidentally colour coordinated quite well...

I guess you could say that men and women are standing side by side as equals
in this pic, if you were clutching at straws (or straw hats)

And Thursday, the 1980s. This is where it started to get challenging. As I am without power suits in my wardrobe, it was quite hard to find an outfit that was suitably '80s without being too inappropriate (or embarrassing!) to wear to work. I finally settled on the below ensemble. And note my colleague's glasses: they were absolutely awesome - the other side was a black triangle. But, again, sparing him the possibility of public internet humiliation so you can't see their full glory.

Applying my lipstick at my desk, in preparation for my high-powered meeting,
while my male assistant stands by

Tomorrow, the '90s. I think it's just getting harder and harder as I go on, to be honest. It's getting too close to home now, and yet not so close that I actually have any of the items I want for it in my wardrobe... Namely, where are my old Doc Martens when I need them, to recreate either Brit Pop or grunge? As for the '00s, that's going to be very tricky! I wore second-hand and vintage for the whole decade, so I can't even remember what was actually in fashion... Any tips??

A Decade a Day to the Jubilee

Some of my colleagues and I are doing a "decade a day" countdown to the Diamond Jubilee this week, marking each decade of Her Majesty's reign by dressing in an appropriate outfit. We've been doing a little photo shoot each day (which we've decided to also turn into a development of female emancipation). 

As is my usual fashion, I'm sparing innocent people the embarrassment of appearing on my blog with the aid of some crafty cropping, but I thought I'd share my outfits with you...

Yesterday was 1950s. I kind of regret not going more "all out" with petticoats and red lipstick and such, but I was a bit shy about wearing such trappings to work!

1950s female office assistant's duties - making tea and dusting the books.

Today was the 1960s. I listened to the Kinks as I got dressed and tried to channel Jean Shrimpton...

We can kind of have a proper, independent career now,  if we're happy
being advertising models. The men still decide who passes though...

Tomorrow, we enter the 1970s...

If you fancy joining in the fun, it's not too late! Dress up tomorrow and leave me a link to your photos! Or email me your pics and let me know if you're happy for me to post them in my next post!

Diamond Jubilee Giveaway

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED -

CONGRATULATIONS SU!

The Diamond Jubilee weekend is not far away now, folks! I've still not actually worked out my plans for the weekend itself, but I do know that a friend and I are planning to wear a decade-appropriate outfit for each of the days leading up to the Bank Holiday, beginning with the 1950s, as the decade of Betty's coronation.

To get in the spirit of the Jubilee, I thought I'd run a wee giveaway, just for a bit of silly fun. Up for grabs are two lovely buttons (warning - they're not those itty bitty ones you get, these babies are a full 2 inches in diameter) and a special edition of the delightfully quaint 'Discover Britain' magazine.

Giveaway now closed.
To be in the draw to win, you simply need to be a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post, telling me your plans for the Jubilee weekend. Anyone making nasty comments about our fine monarch will be disqualified. Entry is open to anyone around the world, even for people in those nasty republican countries. The deadline for entries is next Monday, 21 May at 11.59 pm, and I will draw a winner at random the next day.

I look forward to hearing your responses, and good luck!