On my birthday last year I wrote a wish list for the year, and having turned 42 nearly two month ago I thought it was time I look over it, and maybe write a new list for Year 42.

That said, a few posts ago I mentioned that I didn't see the point in writing about the things that I failed to tick off any of the many lists I write. Constantly reading 'I wanted to do x, but I didn't' really can't be very interesting for anyone.

With that in mind, the full list is here if you care to read it, and the things I ticked off are as follows...

Did I read everything that on my book shelves the day I turned 41 (29 books)?
Yes! and I read more besides. Two books that had been on my shelves for an age - Lolita and The Dice Man - were started and soon discarded for a more interesting read. Neither captured my imagination but everything else was read. During Year 41 I read 37 books and thanks to a few charity shop book buying sprees I have plenty more to keep me going.

Did I amass a huge book wish list in time for my birthday?
I did have a wish list, and I still do, but with all the books I've been buying (50 since January), I didn't ask for any for my birthday. The only one I received was from Andy, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, which currently sits at no.25 in my TBR pile. I have so many in the pile I'm considering a ban on buying books. I have no shelf space left, and I'm trying to clear some space in my office where they all currently live.

Did I have lots of cosy afternoons spent reading?
Yes! And a few in the hammock too (I would've liked more, stupid weather), but mostly I read in the early evenings whilst waiting for Andy to come home, or in bed at night before going to sleep. This year I've read more than I ever have, and it feels really good. I often read instead of mindlessly watching yet another repeat of The Big Band Theory on E4. Having read all the books that had been on my shelves for an age has been really satisfying, some had been gathering dust for years! The only thing is that I now have an entirely new set of books to get through.

Was my new company brand and website up and running in time for the new financial year?
Yes, and no. I know in my mind exactly what I want to do, how I want everything to look, I just need to actually do it.

Have I sussed the dairy-free thing?
I tried natural allergy testing, which was hugely beneficial, and now I can eat dairy again. So I didn't just suss it, I kicked it's ass!

Have I improved my flower arranging skills?
In a way. I started to use oasis in opaque vases so that the stems would stay where I put them, instead of flopping all over the place. It's most satisfying, however it's not quite the transformation of my skills that I'd envisioned, but progress none-the-less.

Did I remember to harvest elderflowers at the right time, and make cordial? And gin?
I made a litre of gin, and it's all gone already (it was delicious). As for cordial, I waited too long to pick the blooms and the rain and wind left them ragged and of no use. Still, there is always next year...

What would be on your list?

My summer capsule wardrobe changed somewhat over the course of the season. Some items I decided I wouldn't wear, others became worn out, some pieces I didn't wear because the weather just wasn't up to scratch. So at the end of the three months my capsule looked very different from how it did at the start.




My green skirt was worn frequently, it's definitely my favourite purchase so far this year, but it meant that my other skirts weren't worn as much as last year. And I hardly wore a dress at all.

I added a grey lace motif t-shirt and a gingham dress to the capsule, both of which I was given for my birthday, because I wanted to wear them immediately. I added a blue California motif t-shirt when my favourite grey one twisted a little more each time it was washed, until I had to admit it had become unwearable. I hate saying goodbye to a favourite piece of clothing, don't you?


Thanks to the weather I wore my jumpers more than I'd wanted to, and swapped my ankle grazing skinny jeans for my trusty bootcut jeans, and then added a pair of wide leg jeans having I found them for a bargain £2.00 in a charity shop.

So this capsule was swapped and changed more than any other, and in the end I wore fewer items than the original 36 picked out. But I loved all the outfits it combined to make and really enjoyed the capsule, despite that fact that all my colourful over-the-knee options where rendered unwearable by the weather.

Last year I found putting my autumn capsule together a bit tricky as the weather was still so nice in October, but this year it's going to be much easier, it'll be warm clothes all the way. Bring on the jumpers!

I signed up to the Fast Fashion Fast back in June to see if I could go three months without buying anything from the high street. Those of you who read my Buyer's Archive posts will know that I tripped and fell, purse first, into a few.

Taking part made me look at my spending habits, and whilst I have purchased some high street items during the challenge, I'm happy with what I purchased (pictured above) and don't feel too bad about 'failing'.

Because I don't feel like I've failed.

What I have done is reminded myself of what I've known and felt all along. That as consumers we have a huge amount of power to influence the industry by speaking with our wallets. If we buy less, and wear what we have more and for longer, we create less demand, less demand means fewer items ending up in landfill, and less demand on the garment worker at the beginning of the line, not to mention less pollution in the process.

I don't think ethical fashion holds the answer, certainly not yet. I think the price is prohibitive for many and the availability, whilst improving, isn't great. And even when these things improve I don't believe that it will ever take the place of the high street store, but I do hope that one day ethical clothing will make up a greater proportion of the clothing market. Alongside this I hope to see high street and fast fashion stores improving their working practices, closing the gap between them and ethical fashion brands.

In the meantime I've made a promise to myself. To buy a brand new item only if I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I will wear it 30 times or more (I'm already keeping a tally). This is inspired by Livia Firth, and was the catalyst for my #30Wears mini challenge.

Recently I read this article, about reducing waste within the clothing industry.

One statistic was this 'A survey commissioned by Sainsbury’s last spring found that 235m items ended up on landfill sites as people readied their wardrobes for summer.'

235 million items. In landfill. In spring. In the UK.

The same survey by Sainbury's revealed some surprising statistics on recycling, 'The study also uncovered the reasons people do not donate or recycle clothing, with 49% saying they did not think they could because the clothes were worn out or dirty. A further 16% said they did not have time to visit a charity shop, or could not be bothered to sort items, while 6% did not realise clothing could be recycled.'

If you feel you have to buy a particular item, I can't understand why you'd simply throw it in the bin rather than donate it. If it's no longer wearable it can still be recycled, although as the article explains this isn't as straightforward as it might seem, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't bother. Of course the obvious answer is not to buy it in the first place.

So, what started out as an interesting experiment ended in a renewed enthusiasm to 'do my bit' - to buy only what I know I will wear, to buy the best quality I can, to wear my clothes for longer, and to continue to donate and recycle what I no longer need / use / fit into. And I'll continue to buy pre-loved clothes and show that they can be as exciting as a shiny new purchase, right here on this very blog.

I will never apologise for being seen in the same outfit twice, which is something that seems to happen frequently in blogland. I'm not ashamed for featuring clothes I've worn before on my blog. I like to find new outfit combinations for my favourite items, mixing old favourites with new (or new to me) items. I consider nothing in my wardrobe to be disposable, I want to wear every item again, and again, and again.

#onlybuyitifyouloveit #wearitagainandagain

Further reading : Love Your Clothes

Each month I'm posting my clothing and accessory purchases in A Buyer's Archive, inspired by Elise, to keep track of what I'm buying and spending, and to compare with that of last year.

THIS YEAR

Only a few purchases this month, two new items, and one pre-loved. My new purchases are wardrobe staples and I have no doubt that they will be worn time and time again. The navy jumper, £16.00 (worn in the picture above), was a replacement for one I've been wearing regularly for two years.


I bought this navy jumper two years ago because I knew it would be a versatile piece. It's been in every capsule I've had and has been worn both casually and dressed up countless times, a few of which you can see in the above montage. My new one isn't an exact match but it's close enough. I bought a grey one, also £16.00, knowing that it would slot into my wardrobe with ease.

I now ask myself if I'll wear something 30 times or more before making a new purchase, and with these two jumpers the answer was most certainly 'yes'. I've had them only a few weeks and I've worn the navy one half a dozen times already, the grey one twice.

My pre-loved item is a super cute White Stuff shirt with embroidered hearts, found in a charity shop 'Everything-a-Pound' sale. With a vest underneath, jeans, boots and a woolly scarf it's going to be prefect for the coming season.

I'm turning my thoughts to cosy jumpers and thick socks now that autumn is well on it's way, I'm really going to miss the warmer days and lighter evenings. I don't feel like we had a proper summer this year, but you can always depend on the cold weather to materialise!

LAST YEAR
I only spent £4.75 in September last year. I purchased two charity shop items - a £3 coin purse that I'm still using, and a bracelet for £1.25 that has been worn a lot.

Total for September: £33.00

Total so far for 2017: £427.88

Total at this time last year: £531.60

I'm still under last year's spend, and £170 under budget for this year with three months to go - can you believe there are only three months of the year left?!

Check out the #buyersarchive hashtag to see posts from everyone taking part.

Today marks seven years since I published my first post on World Of Joy. I'm celebrating with some French Fancies, because every celebration requires these pink, yellow, and chocolate squares before it can really be called a celebration! The little creamy bit on top is the best bit isn't it?

I've been thinking about all the ways in which my blog has enhanced and influenced my life.

I love having the opportunity to write, it's not something I'd do a lot of otherwise but it's something I really enjoy. It's become a record of my life, one which wouldn't exist if writing in my diary was to be relied upon. I don't know why I can't keep on top of a daily diary, I really don't.

Blogging introduced me to social media, I didn't bother much with it before, but Twitter was a good way to find like minded bloggers. I've since stepped away from Twitter a little and now spend far too much time on Instagram instead. Connecting with people via social media is a very modern form of company, and reading someone's blog is like getting to know them better. I've grown very fond of my little circle of online friends. And those that I've met in real life have always been as lovely as their blogs suggested.

Without my blog I wouldn't read in the way that I do. I read about so many interesting sounding books that my book buying habit became a little out of control, and I needed to ramp up my reading habit to keep up! Almost all of the books I buy are the result of a book review on a blog or Instagram post.

Without my blog I don't think I'd photograph everything in the way that I do. I love having so many photographs to look back on. And while I do sometimes photograph things specifically for my blog, they're memories none-the-less.

Without my blog I never would've visited The Harry Potter Studios. My real life friends didn't seem keen to go, and it's only now that I've been, and told everyone how much fun it is, that they are interested in going along.

Without my blog I wouldn't go along to things alone. I used to blog for an online department store, and then I covered maternity leave for a full time blogger, both of these things offered me the opportunity to go to cat walk shows and blogger events. They were great to experience in themselves, but it also taught me that I could rock up somewhere on my own and the room wouldn't fall silent, with everyone turning to stare as I entered. It allowed me to go places and try things that I don't think I would've done before. When I tell my real life friends I've been somewhere they always ask 'who did you go with', they are often surprised when I say I went alone, 'you're brave' they say.

Some examples are a patchwork quilting class, a needle felting class, a beach clean up, and a 4 night trip into the Sahara. I've always been very comfortable being in my own company but the opportunities blogging gave me taught me I can 'go it alone' without fear of  any one of the number of awful things I imagined happening actually happening.

Without my blog I wouldn't have got into charity shopping. I can say without a doubt that my charity shop habit is a direct result of seeing the things other people found. Charity shop hauls are one of my favourite types of blog post. It opened up a whole new way of shopping and, I've said it before, but I'll say it again, some of my absolute favourite clothing items are pre-loved. I love the ritual of rummaging through the rails, following the same route through town to visit 'all the good ones', and then when you find something you really like, it's such a great feeling - more rewarding than in regular shops.

Without my blog I don't think I would've started and continued a capsule wardrobe. If I hadn't blogged about it, it would be easy to let it slide, but blogging makes me accountable. I like the challenge and sharing the results spurs me on.

At times my blog has been a source of therapy. I've had something on my mind, so I've written about it and the response and support has always been amazing (thank you).

Without my blog I never would've learnt about the existance of the film The Holiday. I don't know how it passed me by but now I watch it every Christmas, sometimes several times. It's become a tradition that I really look forward to each year.

And finally, without my blog I wouldn't have discovered the culinary delight that is Corkers Duck and Hoisin Sauce crisps (exclusive to Waitrose, where I seldom shop). Corkers very kindly sent me a selection of their crisps and these are a taste sensation! If I'm ever near a Waitrose I'll always pop in and buy a bag.

I could go on but you get the picture - blogging has changed and enhanced my life in ways I could never have anticipated. So that just leaves me to say thank you for returning, reading, and commenting, not to mention blogging yourselves and for being friendly and welcoming online friends.

What has blogging done for you?

As with every season, I had a list of things I wanted to do this summer. I kinda gave up on summer activities weeks ago, because let's face it, the summer weather abandoned us and it already feels like the middle of autumn. In October last year I was still going coatless, sockless, and baring my legs!!

Although it feels like the weather was a let down, looking back I can see we did have quite a few hot sunny days.

1. Visit three different beaches in Suffolk - Felixstowe, Aldeburgh, Southwold, dip my toes into the water, and try a new ice cream flavour in each place.

Southwold, late June, after a beach clean up, with a delicious Sour Cherry ice cream from Harris & James.

Aldeburgh, July, with my Dad. We visited the Suffolk Craft Society Summer Exhibition. Promptly followed by a creamy almond crunch ice cream on the beach, and a spontaneous game of 'throw small stones at a bigger stone and see who can hit it the most'. Which ended in me throwing handfuls of stones in the hope of getting just one to hit the big stone, just as with every game of this we played when I was a child.

Felixstowe just after the school holidays finished, accompanied by Mother. I tried Blue Bubblegum ice cream, and it was pretty good, even though it turned my tongue and lips blue. The sea was cold enough to turn my feet blue, and it would have if I'd stayed in the water for longer than it took me to snap photographic evidence of my paddle.

Southwold, mid September, another beach clean up, accompanied by my Mum and her husband. Ice cream (or rather gelato if I'm to be precise) of choice was Stracciatella (milk based cream with dark chocolate shards throughout), from Harris and James again. Sea was chilly. And it rained, a lot. Not that it spoiled our enjoyment, and I also expanded my small sea glass collection from one tiny piece to five tiny pieces.

I could go on and list all of the things I failed to do - visit a maize maze, make lemonade from scratch - or the things I started to do but didn't finish, I could tell you I did some decorating but not nearly as much as I'd hoped, but to be honest, it seems a bit boring. And if I'm bored of writing these posts, surely you must be bored of reading them. Or perhaps it's just the mood I happen to be in today?

I love having a list and thinking about all the things I could do at the start of each season, it helps me muster up enthusiasm for the the months ahead and it does spur me on to do some things, but I feel deflated when I fail to tick things off. Writing about the things I didn't do seems pointless.

So maybe I should go ahead a write the list but not worry so much about what's achieved and what isn't?

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans, isn't that what they say?