Crinoline Robot's vintage week

Aha! The title is a con. I have not, in fact, been having a particularly vintage week. Like every month, I started August with all sorts of good intentions and everything fell by the wayside. Garden? A bit neglected. Home? Well, the effort that didn't go into the garden sure hasn't gone in there... I'm in one of those phases when getting up, washed, dressed in clean clothes and holding down a job is a success, and anything on top of that is jam.

So, what was the jam?

If we're counting baby steps, I have got round to unpicking the seams on my peg bag and cutting a replacement bottom part, then ironed the bits, ready to remake it with better proportions and no sagging. I have also carefully unpicked the facings from the armholes of my 60s top and ironed both those and the main part of the top, ready to trim back the armholes and remake it with less bold shoulders. Actual sewing has yet to happen, but I'm getting there.

We've been reliving the 80s at home as Mr Robot has discovered a digital radio channel that's all 80s, all the time. It's quite nice to sit on the patio, cats ponking around, with a bit of 80s pop blaring out. Don't think I'll be getting my hair permed any time soon though...

I've stuck to my healthier eating plan. I don't like to call it a diet because while it is lower in calories than what I was eating, I have no idea by how much, I've just ramped up the veggies and tried to reduce the booze and takeaways, and control portions better. If I really want cake or sweets, I have them, but they've become less of a habit. Last weekend Mr Robot presented me with a beautiful bento - Japanese lunchbox - that looks like Maneki Neko, the beckoning cat. The top is a soup bowl (I need to get some sachets of instant miso soup for that), and I fill his head with fruit or raw veg for snacks, and the bottom with rice, a protein (beef in the picture, but today it's vegan fried tofu as I try to stick to planty foods for lunch), and more veggies. And it's paying off! I was around 14 stone at the start of the year, and today I weighed in at 13.3.

I don't know if I look any thinner, and I don't feel confident to wear much of my vintage still – can get into it, but am not convinced by the way it hangs – but I'm going to keep making my own lunches, not overdoing it in the evenings, and going to the gym. I've been referred for physio on my shoulders but haven't had a date set for it yet, and the doctor said what I'm doing at the gym shouldn't make things worse. Well, it seems to be making things better. Hopefully my vintage will fit well soon. I've been having fun browsing Etsy again (no purchases) and should be off to the Classic Car Boot in London this weekend, though I'm not expecting most traders to have much in my size. I'm going to stick to buying accessories for a bit, so when I can wear my lovely things again I'll have outfits all ready to go!

See you at the Classic Car Boot if you're also going along...