Charity shops;

I've never really been one for investing in a good coat. Most of mine are old, dirty and losing buttons, fraying all over the place and generally make me look haggard whatever I'm wearing underneath. So I was looking through my coats this morning, getting ready to go into town, wishing there was just something I could wear over my dress that wouldn't drain every speckle of life out of me. Naturally, nothing appeared, and so I was stuck with my very old, very dirty, very holey grey coat that was bought in H&M sometime in my teens. I've been considering working in charity shop recently, just until I go to college in September, so today I wondered the charity shops of Stroud (there are seven!), not only sussing out if I'd like to work there, but also checking out the bargains too. I bought three books: The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguru (which I've been wanting to read forever), The Poison Tree - Ellen Kelly, and Oystercatchers - Susan Fletcher. I'm excited to read them all. The best bit, though, is that I found an adorable coat, in exactly my size, which looks like it's hardly been worn. And it was a total bargain, too. Here's a picture of the fabric: 

I love it. I know it's summer and it's really not the time to be buying thick coats, but this is England and I've spent many a day at cricket shivering, wishing I'd brought something warmer with me. So don't think I'm doubting the WONDERFUL, SUNNY, HOT summer we're going to have. I'm merely being sensible.