especially when that someone is saving for a trip.
I recently accompanied our lovely DIL (and our delightful grandson) when she browsed the selection of frames at The Bay.
She got a quote for her prescription and I was surprised...
as it was a lot more reasonable than I would have expected.
I went back the following week and found some frames I liked and the price was about 1/4 of the cost of my last pair so I took the plunge...
Slightly different shape than my old glasses and the frames are black in the front...
silver details at the side.
Old glasses
I can see clearly
Boy can I relate to Nora Ephron when she wrote her book...
I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman.
I don't pay much attention to my neck other than to apply moisturizer...
you know that saying "out of sight out of mind."
Keep slathering it on...
Sunscreen and moisturiser every day
salve and serum at bedtime.
I am not overly concerned about looking older
why worry?
It's not like a frown or worry lines are in any way flattering.
Smile with gratitude and choose happiness.
While I am showing you the new Guess glasses I might as well show you my newest frock....
It's nothing fancy but I like the shape.
A fitted Banana Republic dress..
kind of flirty.
V-neck and back...
you might need to squint to look at these next photos!
OOTD
I wore this sweater with a black swing skirt, fishnet stockings and black leather boots.
Mother loves this top for some reason and always compliments me when I wear it.
As it happens I wore this OOTD when I took her out for some shopping and an early dinner.
My hair was windblown from the gale force winds on my walk...
I am wearing my old glasses in this shot.
I apologize as these two images are rather foggy...
I posted this image recently on Instagram...
I love the brilliant cobalt blue of the berries with the autumnal leaves.
Nancy Horan's new novel is on my bedside table and I have been reading a few chapters each day.
If you wondered why my posts have been sporadic lately it's because
French class is amping up in it's intensity
the homework has increased
I am finding I need to devote a lot more time to my studies...
It is a challenge and one that I fear I will not win without a serious and dedicated effort.
Learning a second language is not as easy as driving a car or trying a new recipe.
I wish it was...
I've been listening to the French radio station, watching movies with French subtitles and listening to French DVD's.
A bientot mes amies.
Hotesse de l'humble bungalow.
(I could not figure out the "circumflex" keyboard code required for the O in Hotesse)
Merci pour la lecture de mon blog.
Etre Bien et etre Gentil.
(Circumflexes should appear on top of the "e" in etre)
as you can tell it is a steep learning curve!
37 comments:
I love your new glasses. The temples are sharp looking! I need new glasses and the price can be scary. French lessons...I remember them well from school. I was a dismal failure. Good luck!
Your glasses suit you well. Do you use apple? If so it's very easy oy get a French keyboard but don't know how to manage on a PC. Interestingly enough if you visit Paris one doesn't get a chance to practice for many reasons. Best to go to a place not do touristy for a proper chat in French.
Hôtesse, try Alt + 0244 for ô; Alt + 0234 for ê.
Both your old and new glasses look fab, As a wearer of glasses myself I know what you mean about the expense!
Love the black & white top, in fact I just love black & white anything!
Good luck with the French, you can do it!
Susan.x
Progressive glasses are so expensive but occasionally I have lucked out at Sears. If you are using a Mac, hold the o down and the accents will appear. I think that the first one is the circumflex. I was looking for a dress that shape before I left home but could not find one.Losing weight does change the chin and neckline but you look great. I was lucky on the first ten days of my cruise to sit with Québecoise ladies and to practise over dinner. I will be in Martinique in a couple of days so I'm hoping to have more opportunities. Bonne chance.
Love your photograph of blueberries, love your new glasses, and boy can I see potential in that new dress! And you're studying French - good for you! It's terribly difficult as an adult, but the first time you walk into a cafe and order breakfast and the waiter doesn't even vaguely flinch, you feel like a heroic genius!
big hug,
Janice
Have you looked at Warby Parker for glasses? They are reasonably priced and chic--check out the website (it is almost entirely an online company). i'm not sure if they are available in Canada.
The beginning of language learning--you just breeze along--then you hit the hard stuff. The French are incredibly gracious and appreciative of efforts to speak their language. In spite of the snooty reputation of Parisians, I have found this to be true in Paris also. Just work on your accent! No one will know if you forget a circumflex when you are speaking.
The new glasses are spiffy, and that photo of the autumn leaves and blueberries is spectacular! Great dress, can think of many ways you could wear it. You are so dedicated with your French class. I hope to have the time someday to take an intensive class to brush up.
I like those glasses and I'm impressed by the price! I need a new pair soon, but the cost of mine last time was equal to that of cars I've driven in the past (yes, second-hand cars, back in the day, but still!). For an accent circonflexe, I use the & before the letter, followed by circ (no space), then followed by ; -- Here's a chart for the html codes for language accents: http://www.starr.net/is/type/htmlcodes.html
I can see why your mother likes that top on you. It is chic--as are your new glasses. I look forward to seeing the new dressed styled.
The good news is that you don't have to talk with the accents on;). The efforts you make will bring smiles in Paris. xox.
The glasses are really good-looking. I know how hard it is to splash out on something that one has to wear every, single day. You made a very good choice.
You look fabulous!
You made me smile at the neck comment recently I was buying a top for my granddaughter for Christmas and was discussing sizing as the top looked generous anyway she said it would be fine not like us as we have the back fat....I said I don't think I have back fat, I'm not fat, I'm an Australian size 10 and I like you thought I can't see my back so for me it's a non issue, oh the things we worry about. I like your new glasses and a bonus eh!
Lyn
Love both you new glasses and your new dress. I can identify with your learning curve in french, it is so much harder to learn a foreign language as an adult, but it sure is fun to try.
I installed a French keyboard on my laptop so that I can switch between French and English at will. Things are a bit different, but one gets used it after awhile. You've received other great ideas about how to make those all important marks.
Love the new glasses - they look very crisp and sharp with your hair and skin. The new dress will be something you'll enjoy wearing when it gets warmer (or will you layer it)?
I took French for 5 years in school over 40 years ago and remember many words but the grammar and conjugation are a challenge....I might be a dismal failure!
I use a MAC...IPAD and IPHONE. I will need to check into this keyboard option.
I will get to use my French after I visit Paris as I am also going south to Auvilar to a smallish village where not many will speak English!
I'll try those keyboard tricks...
I found the dress on Robson at Banana Republic and it is new so it will probably be in stock when you get back from your trip.
Enjoy your holiday and chats in French!
Oh I will need to deliver my lines with confidence...our instructor is a stickler for detail and she is emphasizing our accents...she is from Paris and I absolutely love her style...I think a blog post is in order as she is so elegant and chic but in such a relaxed way...it is exactly as I have heard about the French Femmes.
I was approached by Warby Parker to do a post about their glasses and felt that since I had this one in the works that I should decline...I know in Paris I will be fine...it is in the smaller towns in the south where I might have some difficulty.
Oh you could give me some great pointers on how to style my new dress...
I am immersed in thinking about minimal packing in a carry on at the moment. Pinning everything that looks helpful....including some of yours!
I know...what you mean about glasses. My last pair were about $1200
My first car, a Vauxhall Velox, was only $400 second hand...less than what I just paid for my new glasses!
I admire you for learning French. Love the glasses
Kind Regards
Karen
I like the black and white top too! Just curious: when you go out for a day shopping or something like that, do you still take a 45 min daily walk or do you count the outing as the exercise already?
I really like your new glasses! Your story is similar to my husbands. His last pair of glasses cost over $1000, and he was dreading getting them replaced. It was a pleasant surprise to find that he could replace them for under $400. Well done you for sticking with your French lessons. I tried to learn Mandarin a few years ago, but have had to admit defeat.
Great glasses! Bought mine at The Bay too, same reason: price, good selection. (Who cares if they are this season's or last, they all look of the same season to me!)
Yes, learning a second language is really tough and an excellent brain workout.
Buying glasses is always a sticker shock. The only way to go is online! I love your new glasses, the price is right, and they look great on you. What's not to like?
My son used Rosetta Stone to learn Chinese. His law school recommended it. The online learning worked well for him. Susan
The new frames seem to suit your face very well and look very nice. Shopping for frames is no fun, particularly if you wear tri-vocals. Glad to see the frames are getting larger once again, which accommodates the tri's. I once thought I wanted red frames, as I love to wear red, but red didn't look good with my skin color. Have since had many compliments on a pair of frames that are a dark eggplant color. PS You'll do very well in Paris even if you aren't very proficient in French. I learned that from experience this past September. Everyone was very accommodating and Parisian friendliness is on the upswing.
Back fat, muffin top, and chicken necks could be our undoing if we let them get to us!
Keeping perspective is so vital isn't it?
I will layer the dress and have a few options...
a meshy shrug as well as a mesh sweater in white for summer and I might wear it with my denim jacket or the new to me leather moto jacket and I am sure I have more things that it will work with...perhaps the chanel tweed jacket or a cashmere cardigan...
I usually get together with Mom in the afternoons so I have plenty of time for a walk.
If we plan a lunch out I go after I drop her off.
Oh wow...I'd be lost in the world of mandarin too!
I do appreciate that my brain cells are still functioning albeit on half power with this endeavour!
I've heard good things about that site...
The Bay Optical service has been amazing and I liked the women who were helping both Mom and I choosing our new frames.
I wear progressives which I think are the same as trifocals just that they are blended so no lines define the different areas...
My walking partner and I were discussing my French competency over lunch and she reaffirmed how easy it is to get along in Paris with minimal French fluency and I have Rick Steves' French Phrasebook which will come in handy.
I do not mind the lines showing. But Because I spend a lot of time reading, I had a separate pair of reading glasses made. In tri-focals the reading portion is a very small increment along the lower portion of the lens, but it is better to "exercise the eyes" around a wider area of lens rather than exercising your neck to get the reading material into the proper line of vision. Bigger frames do increase the width of the three areas of tri-vocals. The little granny glasses which have been so popular for the past few years always limited the frame options available to those wearing bi's and particularly tri-vocals. 😊
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