The Other Side Of The Night Before...

Back on to my "regular" World of Work timetable, and my bodyclock has finally adjusted to the legging-it-like-a-loony pace. I left WoW yesterday, having contributed to the well-being of those I was in charge of by having:
* learnt a new Australian phrase "shag on a rock"
* drunk 3 coffees
* had a lunchtime conversation with the girls about waxing and men with ear hair (euwwwwwggghhh)
* planned some Official Day Off time running about town, dropping stuff off to the charity shop and picking up another old Quality Street tin from the sorting office...got to lurve those mauve patterned beauties.

For once I was ahead of the game with thinking about dinner - something italian, sloppy and autumnal now that we've got the post-heatwave cool-down. And then I remembered... the 12 year old will be bringing home pizza from his school cooking class. So not only do I have the day off today, I don't have to cook tonight! And I just might go and watch the Liver Birds in a minute - boots and beehives - and then I will get myself out, instead of having just a bit more sofatime...

A Mini-Post About Aqua Manda Because...

... blogger seems to be up the spout again, this time its google chrome not letting me comment (don't all say "but that's a good thing") so this is in reply to Linda from Tabbyroo (hi!) who mentioned seeing the bottle of Aqua Manda in my Mantelpiece On Monday post.

I don't remember its original scent but it must have been deliciously orangey, as there were a lot of fruit-impersonating chemical unguents around at the time. I found it at a junk market a couple of years back and recognised the packaging; its soooo gorgeous and early 70s. That vivid orange bottle is the same orange as the washing up bowl my best friend's mum had in the early 70s. Ditto orange squash, pre-tartrazine ban*...

Shortly after I'd bought it I think Dawn French mentioned Aqua Manda in a book - so presumably that's made the stuff harder to track down, and hideously expensive for collectors fans of vintage cosmetics.

I've just taken a dab of it and sniffed it; it's definitely gone "off" - I can only describe it as smelling of one of those ancient potions intended to provide a bandaging, muscular-relieving effect, that's been festering at the back of the grandparents' bathroom cabinet, with a hefty dose of gaviscon thrown in for good measure.

* I thought it had been banned - apparently its now "not recommended for children". So, obviously totally safe then. Not. http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e102.html



If I get replies describing the 2011 olfactory experience of a gone-off bottle of Aqua Manda, I may be tempted to award prizes.... possibly of remaindered, dog-eared copies of Dawn French's book.

New Haul

Yesterday we went to not one but TWO house-clearance shops, and a church table-top sale. Get these 70s boot stretchers - the orange is the colour orange squash used to be! There's a pair of wooden shoe stretchers labelled Mentone of Northampton, a 1973 Co-Op budget recipe book, 2 knitting patterns, a linen tea towel labelled "foreign" (how quaint), some cake slicers - which always come in useful in this house, some Cmielow Poland eggcups, a couple of dressing table dishes with roses on the lids.... and a utility ware Woods Ware blue Iris jug and bowl. And a J-Lo label red top for the fashionistas. 

 When I saw these I thought of Scarlett, who found one this week!

This is actually my favourite find - its just like one my parents used to have, and its in top-nick too:

This Co-Op recipe book was a close 2nd favourite though - before this goes on ebay we're going to have to try out shrimp flan, beefburger nests, giblet pie (??), as well as wacky cake, black beer cake and mincemeat surprise:

 What about these trendy girls and their retro furniture?