THE GAFFER'S GARDEN IN THE SUMMER

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

 

A gentle voice with an almost feminine intensity greets and welcomes me at their doorstep with the delightful phrase, 'You look so fantastic, Darling!'. The person behind the voice is a man whom I called, The Gaffer.

In 2008 on my first visit to England, the first person I met in the flesh who really made me very comfortable is a good friend named, The Gaffer. A big man with bulky muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger that he has developed over the years by spending time at his exclusive gym. Though he has huge biceps, he has a soft spot too! That is shown when it comes to raising plants and yielding healthy new growth from his garden.

I have been visiting his home for years and every time I was there, I was fascinated by his collections of healthy plants. Honestly, when I plan to go there I always look forward to seeing his varieties of plants. They are more than enough to warm me and gratify the nature side in me too.

The front garden is what I prefer more as it has bundles of scarlet red geraniums which appear like a red carpet. Enough to compare it to the red carpet at the Academy Awards, trodden on by famous celebrities in the showbiz world. On the other hand, the rear garden has more to offer because this is where you can see more of his creations.

One of the structures that he erected is a Victorian glass house. This provides a home for his wide range of cacti and delicate plants that usually won't survive the cold weather in England. The glass house itself could be used as a spare room as it has roof ventilator, shelving brackets, single sliding door including door catch and many more accessories.

I can still remember in the summer, his rear garden was ornamented with freshly blooming flowers. All were growing robustly with vivid colours which were very engrossing to my eyes. When I visited him one day in the summer, I was wearing a colourful maxi dress and surprisingly, one of his small flowers matched the design of my garment. And because of that he took a picture of me while standing above those flowers. In the end, they resembled an extension of my floral maxi dress in the picture.

I appreciate the beautiful transformation of their gardens and admire the effort he has made to make their gardens so very enticing.

THE BENEFITS OF ELASTIC WAIST BELTS

by: MisS VictoriA DaviD

 

They are not just an accessory and I have several of them in different designs as well as in sizes. Yes, in different sizes...hmmmm! Don't be too lewd my dear as they are just elastic waist belts.

I love wearing dresses more than jeans and heels more than flats. How about you, my dear bellissima?

I have a variety of belts and most of them are the stretchy ones. This type of belt is normally worn by women which will encircle the waist and cinch the outfit together. In the old days, women used a waist cincher/nipper to contour the waist and tummy. It gives a chic shaping effects worn beneath a tight long silky gown.

Techinically, the stretchy material of waist belts countours to your specific body type while the metal buckles provide a freely secure fit. Aside from that, the elasticity of the belts offers you instant body slimming confidence as the flexibility smoothens and shapens your physical structure.

Personally speaking, the use of an elastic waist belt is to accentuate, add definition and break a plain style of a dress. That is why, it gives an ultimate finishing touch before you will hit the town with your glamorous, regal dress. Yes, I have been using elastic waist belts for those reasons. They also act as a corset or waist cincher but are visible from the outside. So, don't waste your time and collect as many elastic waist belts as possible if you would like to maintain the curvaceousness of your body like myself.

Practically speaking, if you can't find the right length of belt for yourself, maybe you are quite slim, then don't worry as there is a convenient procedure on how to make it shorter or tighter. Yes, tighter but still able to make you breathe!

THE D.I.Y (DO-IT-YOURSELF) Procedure

1. Measure the waist of your body and measure the entire length of the waist belt.
2. If you have a fixed idea (inches) of the length you would like to omit, just find the centre of the whole length of the waist belt.
3. Mark it with a straight line and then, fold it inwardly. Then sew it carefully with matching thread (by hand or machine).
4. After securely sewing it, don't cut the excess material and just need to compress it.
5. When it has been equally flattened, sew it carefully on both edges (up & down) of the elastic material of the waist belt.
6. Voila, your personalised elastic waist belt is now ready to use with the help of your delicate hands.

Making yourself beautiful and maintaining the curvaceousness of your body don't necessarily mean going for expensive medical treatments or taking easy to access pills. On the contrary, there are natural techniques/approaches which only need your patience, dedication and a creative mind.