Lavender, Rosemary and Vionic Espadrilles

Tuesday 10 April 2018

So we've hit April. And the sun doth shineth .... for about two days so far but what there has been has been just lovely. Enough to get me out in to the garden wasteland at least and to do a little tidy up. And who'd have thought there would be so many people interested in what to do with half dead lavender. I basically put out a distress call on Instagram Stories saying "help" and so many people replied. Thank you all. And for those who wanted to know what to do with their own half dead lavender - basically prune back hard. Cut off the dead stalks and trim down as far as you dare and pray for a miracle. I've done this. BUT .... if it dies, I'm off to Aldi when they get their new ones in! You've got to know when to cut your losses .... and your lavender which is basically in autumn after flowering. 🤗

Lavender aside - what do I do with rosemary? This is what I did with rosemary.


Pretty eh? I had some old rosemary that I transplanted in to a different part of the garden. It hadn't given up the ghost but it was looking a little pale and feeble. Well one year later it's about two feet high and waving it's branches at me in that "wave your branches in the air like you just don't care" kind of way. So I lopped it and arranged it around my new Vionic espadrilles because I thought "why not?" and they deserve something pretty to show off how lovely they are. Soft pewter leather and little ribbon ties with finished ends - you know how I'm a sucker for little deets. I could give you lots of spiel too about how good they are for your feet especially as they are designed for people with foot problems as you wouldn't know that just to look at them would you but you can read about that here if you like. The only giveaway with these is they have a little raised arch on the inside just to support you that little bit more. #discoverthesecret

See that little curved arch support! 👀

Those are about as far away from nanna shoes as you can get which is what people expect when faced with having to wear "sensible" shoes. You know me, comfort first - style shouldn't hurt or else you'll have a miserable face and it will show #truedat! 


* Espadrilles  c/o Vionic Shoes UK
--------------------------

Last Note :


  • If you're lucky enough to have big rosemary plants which have strong stems - I was thinking it might be possible to use them as skewers for meat and veg for a barbecue? I got this idea from this  Jamie Oliver recipe (one of my favourites from yesteryear). 

  • I developed Plantar Facilitis last year when I did a lot of walking and it was extremely painful when I wore anything too flat - I spent a lot of time in shoe shops looking for sandals I could walk in comfortably but which still felt like me and were stylish. I know it's not easy when it hurts but I'm still vain enough to want to look good. I don't give in easy and if what you wear feels like you - you will feel much happier. 

  • I was kindly sent the espadrilles by Vionic Shoes but do take a look as they do a good range across the board to cover different styles and trends. I know that last year if someone had written a blog post on comfy shoes - I'd have been all over it. They have some fab backless loafers and some of the trainers on there - I'd be more than happy to march around. Especially these ones - they look minimal and designer to me. 

  • And me ... the Plantar Facilitis subsided. I coincided this with the fact that I stopped the extra walking I was doing. Who said exercise was good for you? Not in my case anyway! 

5 comments

  1. Never heard of this brand so thanks for the heads up - have spent way too long looking at shoes this morning. And yes, my rosemary shrub did the same. It was one I bought in Tesco and replanted out and it looked like it wasn't happy about that situation. But a year later, it's thriving and giving me no excuse not to make rosemary and garlic potatoes at least once a week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh you're good Avril. I have two patches of rosemary so that would be a heck of a lot of rosemary and garlic potatoes. And yes Vionics is new to me but a happy discovery. I love that these shoes don't actually look like something good for your feet but just look good on your feet. x

      Delete
  2. Hi Susie,
    Just a few questions, is the leather really nice and soft? And what about the back, as I find espadrilles can cause some blisters, if you don’t tie them firmly enough or too tight. Do they come up big as I am a size 3 minus (22.5 cm)
    Many thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi. They're not a stiff leather but still firm enough to hold their shape whilst still being comfortable if you know what I mean? It's not the kind of leather that cuts in to you and I wouldn't expect them to be as I think espadrilles should be of a soft kind of leather. And this is my first encounter with ankle ties on espadrilles as I've always had ankle straps before. I tied them neat (close) but not cutting in as I don't like it if it looks like my legs are trussed up. The ties seem to hold okay when I've tried walking around in them - no rubbing experienced on me so far. And I would say they are true to size - mine are a size 4 which is my normal size. Hope that helps.x

      Delete
  3. This blog was extremely helpfull. I really appreciate your kindness in sharing this with me and everyone else! Rosemary companion plants

    ReplyDelete

Susie So So