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Don't ask me why as I have no idea but  I had a 'funny 'episode'. Let me tell you what happened this morning, I was driving to the shop in Monton and was in a queue at the traffic lights (isn't there always a queue, Salford area always seems to be gridlocked). Anyway I saw a car coming out of a junction and indicating to join my lane. I genuinely do not know why I did it BUT I pressed my window down and thrust out my full arm, waved him into lane and then gave him the thumbs up!!!! I have no idea why and have never done that before, I was mortified and I think the other driver was shocked not to see a sixteen stone 'bloke'. Eddie Stobart should offer me a job, I behaved like a full on HGV truck driver. I put my head down praying for the lights to change....they took forever. I won't do that again I shall put my ladylike driver head on - pretend not to see them and make them wait.

Just got a fabulous tan soft leather DEE Two bag in store which I know will look great with a pair of boots I  got myself in the sale last year (still in the carrier bag at the bottom of the back bedroom wardrobe).Looking in the mirror and deciding what to wear with them ....tried on the black jeans and new jumper....great...now the boots....too tight !!! So I changed the socks I was wearing to a thinner pair ....too tight !!! Tried pop socks with the boots.....still too tight !!! Hang on how can a pair of boots I bought 12 months ago be too small....impossible. I remember buying them and I'm sure I tried them on...did I try both boots on? ...maybe....not sure now...can leather boots be stretched? Hmmm......what a waste of money. I promise to learn from experience and never GRAB a bargain .....hang on just checked on the internet...YES your feet do grow as you get older......so that has scuppered my bargain boot buying from now on. I could end up going from 5's to 8's in no time. Back to the boots and bag ...decided to wear them as they are gorgeous...but only wear them to and from a restaurant...I call them sitting boots 🤣😂🤣

Do you think which cake you prefer has got anything  to do with age ? No stay with me on this. I like a brew and a cake, I like a brew with a slice of cake .....I love cake...actually I must correct myself on this. There are certain cakes which are fine with coffee and certain cakes which can only be enjoyed and eaten with a brew. For example you can't eat a traditional British cake with an americano....Madeira cake and espresso ...really ? No it's like eating egg and bacon with mayonnaise  - they just don't go together. Back to age and cake choices. I have never ever liked bakewell tarts there has never been an occasion when in a tea room/cafe you could witness me with my nose pressed against the glass of a cake dome drooling over a bakewell tart ...never. Yesterday I was in a lovely bakery with 💙 and fancied a bakewell tart - I could not wait to get home put the kettle on, make a brew and sit down with 💙 and my cake (always on a side plate). I scoffed the lot. BAKEWELL virgin no more. Bakewell tarts in my mind have always been the cake of choice for OAPs ( I may qualify soon!!). Would you ever see an OAP with a blueberry muffin or flapjack if there were bakewell tarts on offer? Not on your Mary Berry Cookbook. Do you think the days of choosing  Nutella muffins are a thing of the past  for me? Who knows? However I think to be fair chocolate eclairs are pretty 'Age fluid'  along with cream scones you definitely are in a 'cake age fluid ' zone with them (don't know about vanilla slices though ). What cake age are you?                   PS  💙 = grandson Albert .

 

 

 

We went to Majorca for a much needed short break a few weeks ago. My plan was to chill out read a few good books, eat good food and drink cheap Cava 🥂.... So on arrival at the hotel we flung our cases onto the bed looked out of from the balcony to a beautiful pool area. ....bikini on (yes I know I’m thick skinned) and as my husband said “who’s going to be looking at you !! 😂". Anyway back to the story.....pack my beach bag (the one with the sequinned pineapple on the front do you remember it?..Its a great chuck in bag) head down to the pool and get myself comfortable and ready for my holiday read that I always start the evening before so that I’m ‘into‘ it. I look around the pool and observe the perspiring bodies all shapes, sizes and all with a different story to tell ....some with stretch marks, some with caesarean marks and some sadly with life /illness scars and it makes me think about each of the people there. Back to the book.....I wonder what the woman with the M&S spotted costume does? Money on it she’s an accountant her beach bag was very organised and she had her money properly separated into euros and sterling which I always plan to do but soon forget after a few 4 euro glasses of Cava. Back to the book when out of the corner of my very big eyes I notice a young woman next to me with lots of tattoos......I put my head down and pretend to be enthralled with the comings and goings of Jenny Eclairs new book......looking to my right I notice she has prose written to the side of her thigh, can’t quite make out what it says but I manoeuvred to the right and it seemed to be prose about a lost love which was very moving. I then begin to think about the tattoo girl and feel sad about the heartbreak she has suffered. Pick up my book....standing in front of the pool are a couple, they edged their way into the pool, I notice she has a very nice bow and chain tattooed around her ankle, her partner has a huge piece of prose which takes up the whole of his back written in French ! .....I put down my book and try to casually take note of the French words and their meaning (the cheap Cava is certainly no help). A level French is a very very long time ago. I am able to read and translate some of the obvious words, life, stars, hope, luck, love and child. I can’t help myself as I begin to create a whole raft of life scenarios which may fit the words. I become bothered by what sadness may have befallen this young French man......Adele switch off and pick up your book. A man passes by with Chinese symbols carefully tattooed down the inner part of his torso and I wonder if he checked the Chinese words and their meaning or if he just trusted the artist? Mmmmmm  not sure I could do that . I pick up my book again and make an effort to switch off from the noisy tattoos........couldn’t they just cover up. 😀😎

 

 

 

 

As you would expect we have seen many changes in the retail bag business over 30 plus years and by and large most trends in fashion come in cycles. One of the biggest changes in the bag business that has gathered momentum however is the demand for vegan bags🌱. We have listened to our customers, researched and delivered some really great brands and styles. We shall also be offering more choices in Vegan products for the Autumn / Winter season. ROKA bags have been an amazing ‘ find’ offering great bags in great colours for both sexes. Watch this space and continue to follow us on FB and instagram BAGHEAVEN_MONTON to see all the new styles as they arrive in the shop.

I love summertime and I love my garden. I’m not green fingered or particularly well informed and I just about know the difference between a hosta and a begonia, a perennial and a biennial 😀 Anyway back to summertime and the gorgeous colours we have in the shop YOSHI have surpassed themselves this year with some really amazing colours corals, raspberries and cobalt blue turquoises in great styles. We have, as you probably know had an amazing year with our new brand ROKA, we offer a massive range of colours in all the styles which you have told us loud and clear that you love - thank you. For me there is nothing I love more than wearing lovely linen trousers and cool T-shirt’s with a random POP of colour bag ......matching up sometimes is not the best look and can look a little lame . We have a great  leather YOUR BAG HEAVEN RANGE at £27 which we sell in 30 colours ....yeah that is not a mistake 30 colours so there is  always a colour for you. Sometimes you just have to treat yourself to a Summertime Bag

Ok.....now lets be honest ...hands up if you wipe your window sills down? I do ...every Monday morning it takes 5 minutes AND I probably do it because my mum did it. It seems after doing a mini survey in the shop that I’m now in the very small minority.....in-fact cleaning outdoor window sills seems to be considered to be a bit naff or as one customer said ‘a bit sad’ .....!!! There must be other women out there who still do it. Surely its not just me 'that's a bit sad'  Don’t get me wrong I’m not out there with my head in a turban and a  pinnie tightly fastened around my ‘better clothes’ donkey stoning the steps......I’m simply giving them a wipe over. Yep!! You are right the streets are not full of windows overflowing with muck because her indoors hasn’t given them a quick Monday morning wipe over......think it’s down to doing what your mum did ...a bit like gravy, now don’t get me started on that one! You think Brexit is divisive ...think again. 

Well we went to see Soul Diva and Legend Gladys Knight (fortunately she didn't get her pips out) the other Saturday evening (it was a Christmas gift from The Husband 😘 - when July felt very far off!!!) Gladys was AMAZING, incredible how this very short, tiny 75 year old lady was able to blast out a sound that gave you goosebumps......so too The Manchester Apollo an old battered around the edges building that can still blast out a tune’ anyway in my haste to look glamorous for Gladys and not thinking straight I decided to wear a pair of gold strappy evening shoes. Great for walking from the car to a restaraunt 2 minutes away. Not so great if you have a husband who will not pay for car parking and parks miles away and then you want to dance and singalong like a lunatic to Gladys for an hour and a half. We had a great night with Gladys on top form all was well until I realised I now had to walk back to the car in the said strappy gold evening shoes ARGHHHHHH!!!! the pain and agony we go through just to look good and I'm not sure anyone even looked. My matching gold Malissa J wrist bag looked great though even if I say so myself.

My husband and I were invited to our friends joint surprise 50th birthday party last week. Unfortunately the week prior to the party had been very busy both at work and at home..So I hadn’t had time to work out what to wear. I didn’t have time to buy a new outfit and didn’t really want to anyway I’ve got loads of party clothes and don’t  go to that many parties....I know it’s sad isn’t it 😂. So I opened theTardis  that is my wardrobe, If Christopher Eccleston or David Tennant are in there I wish they would come out.....! Anyway I rifled  through and fell upon a black trouser suit which I love, feel comfy in and can “dress up”. Next step ....Bag Heaven. Monton ...I got myself a fun and frivolous turquoise feather bag ....with turquoise earrings it looked fab! It made me feel good too, I think when you are a certain age 🤔 a fun bag can quickly and effectively update an outfit without looking too much like a “try hard”. The whole outfit looked completely different to when I last wore it and I felt good. Have a look at the photo and remember an old outfit in your wardrobe can soon have a completely different spin if you add new,fun accessories. Enjoy the wedding/party/Ascot season. 🥂

What happens to us? I’ve been selling bags for 30 years and at this time of year we are selling lots of prom, wedding and occasion bags and I am always shocked when customers who dress really well all year round, are smart, have great style and confidence loose the plot when choosing a bag for a special occasion! They stress so much about other people, what they might think, what they may wear,i f it suits the outfit and will it hold a pair of foldable shoes! Luckily I am used to it and we get the right bag for the right woman/outfit. NOT for the fashion police. We all have confidence issues at points in our lives for no apparent reason. I blame it on the media, they are pushing unrealistic images onto us (women of a certain age 😬) of body altered airbrushed actresses who lie throughout their back teeth when asked if they have had any “work done' the answer is always NO....REALLY you expect us to believe that. It’s too much pressure and wholly unnecessary we all look great and hand-on heart it’s something I have said for years “the right bag is always the finishing touch" Have a great bank holiday weekend Adele x