Sunday: Review of Featherweight Merino Vneck, Christmas Roses and a White Skirt

About a month ago, I decided that I had a gap that needed fixing - I wanted a navy lightweight vneck.  In her blog Friday, Fred posted here about how it feels as if the J Crew delivery truck is just circling her neighbourhood.  I typically have the opposite problem.  I place an order and then wonder when the hell it will actually show up.

The navy vneck (which sadly is off the site today or I would post the JC picture) is a staple.  I could imagine wearing it with my trousers and with skirts, shorts, etc.  It is just the right shade of navy - a true, dark one.  Normally, I would take a medium in these sweaters, but I wanted a slouchy, casual look and I did not like the colours in the Boyfriend version, so had decided to go to a Large.  Of course the Large was sold out.  However, I am not one easily deterred so I called JC to have someone do the store search.  "We'll look they said, and someone will call you in the next two days"   Well no one called.  I assumed it wasn't coming.  In the interim, I decided to order the black featherweight cotton vneck, my second choice, but the closest I could find to what I was looking for (and believe me, I checked all the sites!).

So imagine my surprise when the sweater arrived on Friday.  It is gorgeous and exactly what I wanted.

Here I have paired it with my old domino cafe capris in navy and a navy tank, which is not really required, but it was cool yesterday!  It is slouchy, which is what I wanted.

Back behind the plant, with my little metallic blue ballets.  I love those shoes and wore this outfit to go grocery shopping in the morning with my fatigue jacket. 

And on the bed so you can see the blue in another light.  I would ask that you turn your gaze towards the dresser and my jewellry cabinet in the background, both of which are completely covered in my husbands clothes...

This is a lovely sweater and if you can get one, I would highly recommend it!  Of course, I decided that today I must remember to cancel the black, which was scheduled to ship on the 30th.  Of course, I arrived home from my party last night only to see that it has already shipped.  Sigh... I will not be keeping it, so another return charge.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day and I spent a good two hours in the garden.  I still have so much cleaning up work to do, but it is coming.  My little patch of crocuses or croci were looking so brilliant against the drab spring world:

Gardeners like to read about other people's gardens and those stories don't even need a lot of pictures.  Garden writing is its own genre and I am definitely a fan.  One of my favourite garden writers is the late, great, bon vivant, Beverley Nichols.

Beverley was a prolific writer, writing a whole series of books about the houses and gardens he loved, imparting both wisdom and catty humour in every one.  The first trilogy, about his little thatched cottage and its garden (and the nosy neighbours) in Glatton, Cambridgeshire, is my favourite, but the ones about his years in his house Merry Hall is also wonderful.

The books have lovely illustrations and photographs and it is like taking a trip back in time, especially the first trilogy, which was written in the 1930s.  They are stories, how-to's and glimpses into how the genteel, wealthy gardened and are just wonderful!  There are also little stories about his social life, with mentions of the set Nichols ran with: Noel Coward, Cole Porter, etc.

Beverley once wrote:

"I never say to people 'would you like to look at the garden?' because any lover of gardens, even if he sees only a lawn and a solitary herbaceous border, will ask to see it himself."

And he is right!

I recommend starting with Down the Garden Path and then reading the books in order. 

 

One flower in particular that Nichols wrote that caught my attention is the Christmas Rose.  I had never heard of this type of rose before reading of his adventures in growing them.  Once I looked into it, I realized that they are known here in Canada as a Hellebore.  In England, where Nichols lived, they bloom at Christmas time, hence the name.  So imagine my delight two years ago when they started carrying them at my local nursery.  I bought three plants and planted them and waited.  The second year, there were no blooms, but this year, every one of the plants is getting ready to bloom.  What the plants look like:

And the beginnings of a bloom:

I was on my belly taking this shot!  They are lovely and delicate and if the nursery has more this spring, I will add more to the garden!  So they bloom in England at Christmas and in Atlantic Canada in late April/early May!

As you know, I am still looking for a lovely skirt like M's.  None have quite done it and so I have decided to wait rather than settle.  However, I did finally bite on this J Crew sale, after much careful consideration and filled a gap: the white skirt.  I have none and I would like one, so I ordered the daisy skirt in the end.

 All cotton, it will be very nice when the temperatures rise and the white pants can no longer be stood!  It is hard to imagine that this morning, but it will come soon enough!  The pool cover is off and the pool man will be here tomorrow to get it all set up and then the water man will arrive Tuesday to top it up.  Barry anticipates we will be able to swim within 10 days.  We shall see.  I hate being cold!  And even if the pool is warm, the air needs to be cool, too!

And an update on last night's shenanigans - it was a wonderful party!  I knew most of the women there, but met some lovely new ones and we laughed and ate and just had fun.  Our hostess, who is one of the loveliest and kindest people I know, had little gifts for all of the attendees and we did a yankee swap.  Much hilarity ensued as people traded nail polish for books and napkins and candles.  I came home with napkins, and paper clips shaped like dolphins.  It was great fun!

So have a wonderful Sunday.  If you stop by, check the yard - I will be out working again!  Stay safe out there!