The Bletchley Circle

Are you watching The Bletchley Circle? I’m LOVING this show – in fact, my husband walked in the room when a commercial was playing for it, and he asked if they made it JUST FOR ME. :) It’s a murder mystery thriller set in England during the early 1950’s, and centers around a group of women who worked together code breaking at Bletchley Park during WWII. 7 years after the war there’s a serial murderer attacking women in London, and the police are clueless where to start hunting. Unbeknownst to the police and behind their husbands’ backs, these 4 women work to find the murderer.

Photo via: http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2013/bletchley-circle-premiere/

This won’t be a surprise to any of you, but I’ve got a thing for historical fiction. And I also love cozy* murder mystery stories. The thing is, I don’t love period shows and movies and books just because they’re set in the past -- for example, I’m barely tolerating my way through Mr. Selfridge on Masterpiece right now (this show about the drama of shopping is kind of setting my teeth on edge). But The Bletchley Circle isn't just surface drama, it digs deep into these women's lives and roles in their post-war society and explores the issues without being melodramatic. These women are concerned about finding a killer, but *we're* concerned about the lack of gender equality in their world.

The Bletchley Circle airs on PBS (on my station it's 10pm after Masterpiece), or you can watch it online here. It looks like they've already taken down Episode One from the website, but I'm sure my enterprising readers can find a way to see it. Or knowing PBS, it will air again, and again, and again...

*a "cosy" mystery is a quaint mystery with an amateur detective solving the case. Miss Marple is the ultimate cosy heroine.

Haul of Shame - April NSB Roundup

I failed pretty miserably at my Clothing No-Spender Bender for April. You see, when I decided to do this, I forgot that I was planning to go to a friend's vintage sale. Or maybe I was really in denial about it, and didn't want to recognize my lack of self-control (sometimes it's easier to fail, right?)

But the good news is, I got some cute stuff! I'm not a fan of "haul posts", because looking at others people's shopping is kind of lame - and this is actually a confession, not a bragging post. Because even though I thought I was being careful in what I brought home, it's still overwhelming me. These clothes are hanging in my living room, where this rack has been taking up space for several weeks. Weeks! I need to do a few minor repairs and cleaning, and then find these items a permanent home. I finally have a deadline though - we're having people over on Saturday, so I need to get these things out of the living room by then.

Haul of Shame

40s purse

50s plaid suit

50s suit jacket

40s acorn sweater (actually, no shame on this one. I LOVE it.)

60s floral dress

40s white embroidered dress

2 fur stoles

1 fur muff

On the bright side, I didn't buy any other new clothes, and I didn't even browse online or in stores. I weeded out my closet a little but still need to drop things off at the thrift store. And I lost a pair of shoes at a dance event, so I'm one pair down (good shoes that I wore all the time, but I'm not going to replace them right away). Oops!

Two more months to go! And I don't even mind - and I'm pretty sure I'll do better next month. :)

Swing Jam at the Rendezvous - 1938

I recently looked through some of my photo files, and found a cool photo I hadn't shown you!

This photo comes from the 1938 LOOK Magazine spread about the Rendezvous Ballroom (posted here), and it shows a dance jam. Roy Damron is the guy in the middle doing the splits, and a couple of his friends are in the crowd. And do you recognize the couple dancing in the upper right (white jacket, white dress)? That's none other than Hal & Betty Takier! Oh, what I'd give for a little video footage of this jam. :)

Photo from LOOK Magazine - August 30, 1938

No-Spender Bender

I've decided to go on a Clothing No-Spender Bender for the next 3 months - I started on April 1 (no foolin'!) and will go until June 30. That means no clothing purchases of any kind during that period - no modern day-to-day clothes, vintage clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. I have more than enough clothes in my closet, and I'm actually looking forward to thinning it out during this period!

As with any No-Spender Bender, I get a couple exceptions - 

1. In June we're going to All Balboa Weekend (hurray!!) and we've planned time for checking out the Cleveland vintage shops - specifically, we're taking a flight that leaves stupid early in the morning so that we have shopping time. All spending rules are off on that trip, but I trust myself to not go crazy.

2. I might need a new pair of daily/work shoes. I'll try to make do with what I have, but I'm allowed to buy something new if I need it. Dance shoes are NOT allowed! ;)

3. Undies etc. - again, I think I can get buy with what I have, but I'm allowed to buy something new if I need it.

I'm still a little undecided if sewing and fabric purchases are off-limits or not. I'm definitely not buying anything for the stash, but I think it's okay if I'm going to use it immediately.

I'm really excited about this! I want to use the next few months to organize, save some money, and rediscover some pieces I haven't worn in a while. And since I won't be hunting for deals on Ebay and Etsy, I'll have more time to work on that!