things that make me smile ~ part one...

me and used dog are a right pair at the moment. she is suffering from 'running too hard' and is now a pathetic sight as she limps to her food bowl and back to bed. and me? well i am suffering from R.V.S. ("what's that Tif?") you may very well ask. i self diagnosed my problem last night, as i was nursing my aching back, tired wrist and arm. i said to my man, "i know what's wrong with me, i have R.V.S." of course it took at least five minutes for his face to register any concern or even acknowledgement of what i had said..."do you hear me, i think i am suffering from a little known condition called Repetitive Vacuuming Syndrome"...

so this week, to take our minds off "waiting for a buyer" and my one bulging bicep, i thought i would share a few things that have made me smile a lot...

so today we start with my mum...

my mum lives in a lovely seaside town in South Devon, the kind with a promenade where ladies of long ago would parade up and down with their lovely dresses and parasols...it still has people parading up and down admiring the sea view but they are lacking in long dresses and parasols...and in some cases when it's hot, lacking in hardly any clothing at all, gasp...

now in this sleepy seaside town (actually it isn't very sleepy at all, i just thought it sounded good) are two shops that make my heart skip a beat whenever i head home. both these shops would not look out of place in Nottinghill, London (not that i have ever been to Nottinghill...i am using my imagination, such a powerful tool). one contains clothing from companies such as NOANOA. the other household accessories from the likes of Lisa Stickley, Orla Kiely (you get the picture don't you...). for my birthday my lovely mum (and dad) gave me probably the best gift in the whole wide world (definitely on par with a pinata and worth turning 39).

for the past few weeks i have been walking around with my knitting (which is growing) in the most wonderful bag (making me feel very grown up). i don't think i ever thought i would own an Orla Kiely item, after all they cost a pretty penny or two. i am so in love with it and as you can see, so is my bucket bag that i cart around with me...

and as if that wasn't enough to look at my lovely bag all day long, i get to look at my new very zizzy tights (from NOANOA) that my mum sent in the mail last week, perfect timing for the cold weather we are having...not one but two pairs...HURRAH for woolly tights, my favorite attire in the world and HURRAH for my mum, my favorite in the entire world...

she has a new friend ~ Tif