EBay Virgin No More

Well after almost 2 years of procrastinating, I have finally done it and started selling on e-bay.  My first attempt is a couple of Chanel Le Vernis nail polishes which are just the wrong shade of nude for my skin tone, and the sales closes this evening.  It's really exciting, I think I have 20 watchers on one of them.

Then feeling brave after managing to get the nail varnish out there, I decided to try with some clothing, these sales end on Wednesday evening.  You can tell I am a hoarder, I have had this stuff for ages - perhaps I should have described it as "Vintage" but it will be lovely if someone else gets enjoyment from something I have moved on from.

Jessica McLintock velvet and brocade swing coat

Nicole Farhi Wool and Cashmere swing coat with faux beaver trim

A couple of Limited Collection cashmere slouch sweaters

Culling my underwear collection

Tight fit - brand new Fratelli Rosetti shoes UK 6.5 (his not mine!)

So, wish me luck, shame I don't know how to add the link so you can bid if you are interested.  Please no tips on why I should be keeping any of this stuff or how to transform into this season's must have!

Rome and Nice some photos

View from our balcony

At dusk

At night fall

The Colosseum

and again

Circus Maximus - the chariot race track

Terme de Caracala

A huge spa baths which could house 6000 guests in a day

One of the spa wet areas with drains and mosaic tiles

A well earned lunch break after all the sight seeing

Cocktails on the roof terrace

Roman cobbles on the Via Appia Antica
a road straight from Rome to Brindisi lined with Roman burial grounds

Rome to Brindisi by bike (well a couple of miles)

Gin and tonic at dusk (a recurring theme in my blog)

A night time swim

Should I be proud???

whoooooorrrrrrruuuuu????

My daughter in Dubai smoking fruit tobacco and blowing smoke rings just like the stoned caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland

Just to add context, she doesn't smoke - can you make out the perfect 'O'? - I don't know where she learned to do it!

Wish List for the Winter Wardrobe

I have been browing the Sunday magazines, and have seen some beautiful accessories like this classy notebook from Mulberry, I'd like to see it close up because it is £120 and I wonder if the pages can be replaced, or once it's full it's full.

I could carry my notebook in this tote from Mulberry which is £495

Or I could have this lovely make up bag for weekends away.

And I think I love this too, or are they too much like a cuddly toy to carry around?  Great match for boots I had last Christmas though.

Love this but how to afford...................

From Miu Miu AW 11

And this one too

How beautiful are these two dresses?   They are way too expensive at around £2500 and £3500 respectively, I am hoping that someone like LK Bennett will do something similar - still quite expensive but within reach and still well cut, if Zara or H&M copy the look the cut will be awful and the material will be cheap and nasty.  They remind me of dresses I wore in my late teens, but I don't think it will be a case of mutton and lamb because they are so feminine and not particularly "trendy".  What do you think?

Rome in September and the glamour

So off we headed to Rome, in search of great food, some sunshine, a spot of shopping and loads of soaking up the history whilst walking.  We had sunshine in spades, most of the time the heat was around 35 degrees - too hot to eat a gelato without it running down your arms, this meant that the walking was slow, the shopping had to be done early before the glow was too obvious (although the airconditioning in the high end shops makes it worth coping with the dishevelment and the disgusted looks from the perfectly coiffed assistants).  We had delicious food and lots to drink (have to keep hydrated and the amazing thing in Rome is that there are drinking fountains at every turn, as well as pavement bars and cafes).  We walked for miles and I have to say that Fit Flops are my choice of footwear for sightseeing in the heat, I even rode a bike along the cobbles of the Via Appia Antica wearing them with no mishaps.

Anyway, to the glamour..........I decided that Rome would be the place to purchase a peignoir as seen in old black and white films on beautiful women with alabaster skin and matte red lips, and having tried Frette (very plain and pale colours), and La Perla (vastly expensive and a bit on the tarty side), I ventured into one of the old style Italian lingerie shops (bed jackets and towelling dresses in the window) and described what I was looking for to the elderly assistant - a struggle because of the language barrier and her ineffective hearing aid.  Inside the shop was like stepping back in time, the assistant took her ladder into the back room and came back with piles of flat tissue lined boxes and I proceeded to try on robe after robe.................nothing quite right, although the assistant was selling hard, then she opened one box and quickly snapped it shut - I asked about the contents and she said it was a mistake really, but I could have a look...........she obviously hated it, I loved it, she must have rushed around the other girls in the shop saying "I've finally sold that thing"..........anyway here it is

 - a bargain with the 20% discount I managed to get, and exactly what I was looking for but could not describe