You think Stanleys grow on trees? Well, they don't. There is no Stanley Tree.

Happy Friday (almost) afternoon my sweets! Sadly, it's chucking it down here in Leamington right now, but I hope wherever you are the bank holiday weekend is a bit better. Especially if you're down in Kent, because that's where Nic and I are headed shortly for a little seaside weekend!

Despite the rain, I'm in a very festive mood. It's been a really good week. My darling Nic finished his PhD thesis and submitted it to the university yesterday, so much of the week has been about getting him through those last few days and then celebrating when he did. I don't want to make you all boke but I am so, so proud of him for working so hard over the past four years. I'm full of admiration for anyone who has the perseverance and intelligence to complete a thesis. Also, I'm happy to have Nic back in the land of the living.

As I said, much of the week has been devoted to celebrating and, as such, I've spent a fair proportion of it in the pub. Tuesday and Wednesday evening were both enriched by having drinks with friends. I'm not normally that much of a social butterfly but I could get used to it! Wednesday was also the Sew Make Believe stash swap, so I got to be doubly sociable (and this meant cake in addition to wine, which was good!) I wore a new (from ebay) dress that had arrived for me on Tuesday:

River Island bird print dress and Bertie Sardinia shoes

I never could have believed that River Island were capable of producing such lovely clothes until I saw this frock on Amber a few months ago. It was sold out in my size and I didn't have the money anyway, but it was good to know that it was out there somewhere. After I bought the apple print version of the dress in the sale a while back, I added this one to the list of things I periodically look for on ebay. This includes a navy and white dress from Laura Ashley that I regret not buying, a number of Fever dresses, various incarnations of the Emily and Fin Lucy dress... the list is quite long, actually. I have been really lucky with it though, finding most of the things on there at some point. Anyhow, when this dress popped up in my size last week of course I bid on it, and I'm glad I did. It's really nicely made and the fabric is just so pretty.

Little bird print

At the same time I bought the same dress in another print - pictures to come soon when I wear it! It's just the right length on me and it feels lovely to wear, so it's another ebay success. And although I did get one pretty unpleasant (and surprising) comment about it, quite a few other people paid me very lovely compliments. And you know, I do it all for the compliments!

I was working from home yesterday so I could be at home when Nic returned from actually submitting his thesis, and I'm sure you can imagine the festive atmosphere in the Clackett household. While I worked, Nic ate ice cream and watched The Flash. I might have eaten some ice cream too. Maybe. That evening some dear friends had invited us round for dinner and as the sun was still shining I thought I'd get in another shoe save:

Phase Eight wrap dress and Topshop suede bow shoes

I'm looking a bit crumpled here, sorry. I love this dress but it's not at all practical for eating a big meal in - that waist tie starts to feel pretty tight after you've eaten a lot! I don't wear these wee shoes as often as I ought to, but they are very elegant. Nic bought them for me as a present about two years ago, and they've held up very well:

I'd never thought of wearing them with this wrap dress, but I'm glad I did. Also, they were eminently suitable for a tipsy trip home.

Now, I'm off to make some sandwiches and a flask of tea - a train picnic for the journey to Kent. I hope you all have a very lovely bank holiday weekend, and I shall see you next week.