Tag: Winter

Never moving again…

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…well, at least until we have to leave Newcastle, if/when that ever happens.

The last week has been completely insane, with everything that could get complicated getting complicated.  The snow just hasn’t let up all week, meaning that various workmen have had trouble getting to us and we’ve had to reorganise things.  A particularly dopey delivery driver tried to deliver my new Pandora charm (a treat to myself for getting the move done) to the wrong address, meaning I had to go trekking out in the snow to try and find the tiny corner shop two miles away where UPS leave undelivered parcels.

Meanwhile, our phone, TV and internet, which was scheduled to be reconnected today, now can’t be, because the previous residents never bothered to inform their phone company that they were leaving the property, and so BT are having to do complicated legal stuff before they can get us connected (and didn’t bother to inform us of this prior to Geth calling them up today).  As a result, we’re now having to buy a temporary internet hub for the house to last us for the 10 days it apparently could take for this to get sorted out.

In more positive news, the carpet cleaning guy was at least able to show up on Wednesday, so our upstairs carpets are now clean, and we’ll hopefully be able to get the walls painted next week with help from my dad and his knowledge of house paint.  After that, I can get the furniture finalised in the upstairs bedrooms and finally start getting stuff unpacked.  It will all be okay – I just need to stick to the steps of my plan.

Also, I really hope this snow disappears soon, preferably until next winter.

The snow is here

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So the snow that put me off hiring a car for today arrived overnight.  Half a foot of it.  It’s very pretty, but a) I’ve been sick of winter for six weeks already and b) it’s very badly timed for us.

Snow-laden garden
A bunch of stuff in my new garden that I hadn’t even looked at until a load of snow fell on it.

We were awake at half past six, which was probably for the best, given that the fridge-freezer delivery guys showed up at seven on the dot.  I had to go back to the old house to wait in for the van man and finish off all my online tasks given that we’re going to be internet-less (shudder) for a couple of days; unfortunately, I soon got a call from the van man to let me know that he wouldn’t be able to make it today because of the snow.  It’s possible that he could manage tomorrow, but it’s looking unlikely, given that tomorrow’s snow is meant to be even worse.

Geth had a bit more luck this morning, as both the washing machine delivery guys and the locksmith apparently showed up without any problems, so we now have a shiny new fridge-freezer and washing machine sitting next to each other in the garage, and new locks for our exterior doors.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of van man and the fact that the carpet cleaning people are coming to the old house tomorrow morning, we’re going to have to spend the rest of today getting our remaining stuff across to the new house, somehow.  Geth is going to walk back and forth with as much of it as possible, and then hopefully we’ll be able to fit the rest in a taxi, even if it takes us a few trips.

I know from bitter experience that moving is never straightforward, but this move really is taking the cake.

Vintage fair haul: Vintage Pop-Up at Newcastle SU

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Well, I did say February was going to be big for vintage fairs.  Averaging two a week at the moment!

Today I went to the Vintage Pop-Up at Newcastle Student Union, put on by University Vintage Fairs.  Like the one at Northumbria I went to last week, it was quite a small affair, but I managed to pick up another addition to my ’80s jumper collection:

Black and red '80s jumper
I love the embellishment on this one, even if it does mean I’ll have to be a bit less lazy with the laundry and remember to turn it inside out!

Seeing as winter’s not showing any signs of going away yet, I’m going to count this one as a ‘sensible’ purchase!

’80s trenchcoats

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I have far too many coats and jackets, because, like most things, I never throw them away.  In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve not yet thrown away the old winter coat that I wore to death in uni, the one that has a big rip in the front with stuffing coming out of it.  It’s one of those collections that badly needs to be culled when we move into the new place, ’cause I don’t think we’re going to have a lot of hanging space for coats.

This didn’t stop me acquiring five new ones this winter, however.  Three were gifts from my sister-in-law when she was clearing out her Edinburgh clothes stash, so I’m going to raise my hand and say ‘not responsible’ for those, but the other two were Etsy purchases.  Having really got into vintage clothes shopping in the last couple of years, I’m developing a bit of an Etsy addiction.

Black vintage '80s trenchcoat
My black ’80s trenchcoat, the slightly warmer of the two I own. The beige one will be out in full force for the spring.

Thing is, I love ’80s trenchcoats.  They’re much longer than their modern-day equivalents, so you don’t get the awkward hem battle when you’re wearing a skirt, and like most clothing cuts from the ’80s, it’s a much more dramatic silhouette, with nice wide shoulders and a nipped-in waist.  I find that in the depths of winter, when you’re always wearing a coat outdoors, a bit of dramatic dressing is refreshing, especially after the sparkly Christmas stuff has all had to be put away.

It’s probably for the best that there’s only one more month left of winter, ’cause Etsy keeps tempting me with more and more coats in all the colours of the rainbow (and in the ’80s, it was a very brightly coloured rainbow).  If only I had the space!

’80s jumpers

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I’ve been a lot colder than usual this winter.  I’m guessing this is because I’ve lost a lot of weight and so I don’t have that cosy layer of fat keeping me warm anymore.  Luckily, my love of vintage clothing fairs came to the rescue, and so in recent months I have become the shamelessly proud owner of a new collection: a collection of vintage ’80s jumpers.

Me in a vintage '80s jumper
This jumper was labelled a ‘Cosby jumper’ by the vintage stall that was selling it. No, that didn’t put me off it, though I did resist the slightly more garish ones that were next to it. I make no promises for next time, however.

In previous winters, I lived in hoodies.  This was the most practical thing at the time, because the various sources of heating in the house, combined with my larger self’s tendency to overheat every time I did any activity that wasn’t sitting down, meant that I was constantly doing the too-hot-too-cold dance and needed something that was easy to throw on and off.  This winter, though, I’ve found it’s most comfortable to wear something warm and cosy all day long, which is where the jumpers come in.  They’re nice and hardwearing, and there’s never any shortage of them at vintage fairs, so I think they’re going to be my winter go-to for a few years to come.