Monday, May 11, 2020

A Little Catch-Up

The Little Magpie Arket Grey Cashemere roll neck jumper

Hey pals! This post was supposed to go up yesterday but I ended up spending most of the day in bed eating scones and watching films (Stardust, as it turns out, is magical at any time of year) so here we are today. There's no specific theme to this post to be honest, more just a wee chance to catch up on the past few weeks. I thought I'd start by chatting through a few things we've watched recently - we've watched so much tv that my body-shaped indent in the sofa is almost complete - what we've been doing to pass the time, to round up a few things I've worn in isolation (and have been looking online) and I was also going to chat a bit about the books I'd been reading but I ended up putting a separate post together on those as I had quite a bit to say, so you can find that here if you like! And, apart from that, really just have a bit of a chat about how everything was going. I find I go through a whole range of emotions before I've even had lunch, that I cry more often at tv adverts (in fact, I'm crying more at everything, it's like my body's constantly on the lookout for small emotional releases) and that some days I just need a day in my pyjamas watching Mrs Maisel on loop. On the flipside, I've found that I'm a lot more grateful for the smaller things - when we go on our walks I'm so much more aware of what's around us, of the birds chirping and have also taken countless (and I really do mean countless) close up photos of flowers. Every single rainbow and message in each window makes me smile and feel closer to everyone around us. I'm so grateful for calls with friends and family, for the funny videos sent to me by my neighbour, for the small acts of kindness I'm seeing all around me, for Rob's infinite silliness and ability to cheer up down days... the list goes on. When you're forced to slow down you really do start to notice and appreciate countless things that you'd normally be too busy to stop and be grateful for, so I'm trying to focus on that where I can. Taking it day by day, feeling what I need to feel and making sure to step away from my phone when it all gets a bit much.

The Little Magpie  pink polka dot essentiel antwerp dress  (1)

So, I'll start with what we've been watching!

This Country: A few friends had been telling me to watch this for months and I cannot believe it took me so long. It's a mocumentary style programme surrounding the lives of young people growing up in the Cotswolds and is the most I can remember laughing at a programme in a long, long time. I'm in total and utter awe both of Daisy May and Charlie Cooper's writing, how seamlessly they weave in heartfelt moments, and their ability to stay deadpan throughout (I'd genuinely be in a fit of giggles on the floor 90% of time if I had to act opposite either). I wish so badly that I could go back and watch this with fresh eyes over and over again. Find it here.
Race Across the World: Another one recommended to me my pals and boy oh boy is it good. Five teams - each made up of two people - are given the cost of an airfair from London to Singapore (and then Mexico City to Argentina in the second series) and have to make their way from A to B using only land and sea. To make it that little bit harder, no phones are allowed so there's no access to google maps or google translate. It's incredibly entertaining, you learn a lot along the way (if 'what is the Southernmost city in the world?' comes up in a pub quiz I am SORTED), see some beautiful, beautiful scenery - which is especially appreciated at the moment - make bets about how you'd fare if you were on the show and also see how each contestant changes as journey goes on. Another one I was genuinely gutted to finish! Find it here
Normal People: The programme I'm sure your feeds and group chats have been consumed by! I absolutely loved it: the acting was incredible and so wonderfully understated (I shouted 'I just can't believe how good they are!' at least twice an episode. A possible mood ruiner, yes, but it was too good not to), the chemistry between Connell and Marianne is off the charts, each individual shot was so beautifully thought out and, since finding out Daisy's actually English, I'm also blown away by her accent too. Just like the book, it's tender and it's real and painful at times to watch. I did feel, also like the book, like it went on ever so slightly long but that's only a tiny complaint and not one that would put me off watching it. If you haven't seen it yet, find it here
 Disney+: Our lockdown saviour; it's like a warm cuddle through your tv screen. We've watched everything from The Emperor's New Groove (one of my all time favourites) to The Parent Trap (Rob had never seen it so that had to be immediately rectified) and loved every minute.*

*I should probably add in here that I worked with them on a paid partnership on Instagram but that changes nuthin' when it comes to my views. It's heaven on there if you're a Disney/Pixar fan)

The Little Magpie  Faithfull puff sleevemidi dress
FAITHFULL puff sleeve dress (c/o and sadly old but you can find the new prints - same shape - of this dress here)

In terms of what we've been doing outside of watching tv and films, we've been painting a lot (I'm really not very blessed in that area but I do find it therapeutic and a great distraction from my own mind), playing Monopoly (I threw a fantastic huff because I was losing so badly that involved screeching 'DON'T PATRONISE ME!' which was a real isolation low. In fact, on that note, Ruth has put together the most perfect post on PMT in isolation), we've been going our daily walks (which, honestly, have been such a saviour when it comes to mental health), doing the 30 minute low impact Madfit classes (a good chunk of which I spend staring at her muscles in awe), playing card games, doing IGTV barre classes with Psycle London (Rod has cheered up many a sad iso afternoon), tidying and needlessly moving things around the flat and reading. Sitting on my to-do list collecting dust, probably from now until the end of time, is 'learn French'. Ahem. I don't mean for that list to overwhelm anyone as there's been a HUGE amount of nothingness in between those activities and some days that have passed in a haze with us asking 'what... did we actually do today?', but more just to inspire anyone who might be looking for some more things to fill the time! The lovely Liv Purvis has also put up a guide on the best Instagram lives each week here.

And here's a wee round up of some of the outfits I've been wearing in lockdown! Chloe Plumstead wrote a beautiful caption here about not saving your best for 'best' which really resonated with me; there are so many dresses in my wardrobe that have only been worn once because I was saving them for some unknown 'special' outing, so I've thrown caution to the wind and started wearing them indoors. Some days I put them on and feel lifted, some days I put them on, feel great, then feel a bit uncomfortable or silly and and change back into my comfies after a few hours, some days the last thing I want to do is even think about wearing a nice outfit and gravitate straight towards my warm, baggy clothes or active-wear. I completely understand that you're not going to want to do this every - or even any days - it's all about doing what's right for you on that day. I've tried to dress up at least one of the weekend days to differentiate from the weekdays, even if it's just to go a walk or to sit on the sofa and eat fajitas in. So, throughout this post are some outfits from days where I was feeling up to wearing something special:
The Little Magipe H&M lilac midi dress The Little Magpie H&M lilac dress

Lilac isn't a colour I'd normally wear but this is up there with one of my favourite dresses I've ever worn. The quality's incrrrredible for the price and I absolutely love the loose, flowy fit (especially right now whilst I'm 98% banana bread)

The Little Magpie  H&M stonewash high waisted jeans
H&M high waist jeans (c/o) & puff sleeve crop (top is old sadly)

These jeans are FANTASTIC. I like a really high waisted fit, and these are certainly that, and they also fit my five foot self perfectly as I think they're designed to be ankle grazers on your average sized human. They're a little tighter than I'd like at the moment - see previous banana bread statement - so by mid afternoon I'd admitted defeat and was back in my leggings. 

The Little Magpie  Nasty Gal Stripe flare trousers
NASTY GAL flared trousers | FREE PEOPLE puff sleeve top (c/o) | ROCK N ROSE headband 

...I'm beginning to notice a puff sleevd theme here, I'm getting very predictable in my old age (kidding, I've always been predictable). Free People, as I'm sure you well know by know, is one of my favourite places for clothes and this top's another little slice of heaven. It comes in two colours and both are just as beautiful as the other. 
The Little Magpie & Other Stories blue puff sleeve dress

For days when you want to feel like Cinderella (plus it has pockets which I was incredibly gleeful to discover). Also in the second photo I'm laughing because as I stepped on the floorboard it made an impeccable fart noise and I was genuinely quite shocked to see the photo back and how... expressive my laughing face is. If you're younger and wondering if fart noises get less funny with age, well, my tunnel for a mouth is your answer. 

The Little Magpie Red H&M midi puff sleeve dress IMG_8266
H&M puff sleeve dress (comes in white and black too)

...Of course it's a puff sleeve dress. I've found dresses - even if a bit more extravagant - more enjoyable to wear in isolation than trousers. I spend a lot of time sitting down (be it watching tv, typing or because I'm stuck in a yoga pose that was too advanced for me) and, because I generally favour quite a tight trousers, have found dresses to be a lot less restrictive. I ruddy love red so was immediately drawn to this one (and it's also a total bargain too at £24.99!)

The Little Magpie & Other Stories Black coin print trousers
& OTHER STORIES coin print trousers (old) and FREE PEOPLE blouse (c/o, also comes in white and green) 

Ah, here's a pair of trousers I will make an exception for. I got these last summer for going to Italy and they're that rare blend of fitted but comfortable. Paired with another wee Free People blouse that, again, has some fantastic sleeves.

And, last but not least (my god this has turned out to be an unexpected whopper of a post) is a round up of some nice things I've seen online recently. I've been trying not too look as I have no self control but sometimes, mainly in the morning when I'm clutching my first cup of tea, I have a little bleary eyed browse. I know most people are in the same boat and trying not to shop at the moment, but I thought I'd share a couple of my favourites just in case I'd stumbled across something that someone was specifically looking for (or, like me, in case you enjoyed perving on pretty summer dresses and daydreaming about where you'd wear them). My particular favourites are these trousers (which I think look SO comfortable and are also a bit of a bargy), this beautiful wee dress (which, again, I think looks so much more expensive than it is), this floral maxi (puff sleeves. Of course), and, finally THIS masterpiece of a dress which I spent a long time staring at like someone who needs to get a life*

*BECAUSE I need to get a life, sorry.


And that brings to an end this outrageously long post! My thumbs have gone slightly numb from typing so I can only imagine what state your eyes are in. If you've made it to the end, I salute you.

Amy 

Post contains affiliate links and fart jokes