Forest fires, white shorts and a gorgeous new Swarovski ring

I’ve got my trusty old white shorts on again, I’ve been shopping (and mortified by a rather embarrassing situation) and the fires are raging again…

It’s super hot in the Algarve at the moment, and fires have been raging again. Fortunately, we’ve seen little evidence of it, even though the nearest one was only 45 minutes drive away. Usually, we would get clouds of smoke billowing across the skies but the wind must’ve been blowing in the opposite direction. But still, my heart goes out to all those affected.

In my little corner of the world, I’ve been working pretty much full-time at the Golf Shop to cover for a colleague who is away on holiday. I’d forgotten how exhausting it is to work full-time lol!! I don’t think the heat helps though – even though it’s much cooler in the shop.

From Pixie Chick to Books & Style

When the shop’s not busy, my boss very kindly allows me to work on my own stuff. This means I’ve been doing some work on my books and my blog. You might have noticed that I’ve changed my blog’s header. I was Suzy Turner – Pixie Chick in Portugal but, after a lot of thought, I decided to simply become Suzy Turner – Books & Style. Considering my hair is growing again and I’m slowly losing the pixie in favour of some luscious longer locks (again!), and I’m back to doing what I love with the books, it just makes sense to highlight the two things that I write about the most.

And speaking of style… on this occasion, I just had to get my pins out. I’ve said it before, I really don’t like my legs but when it’s this hot, there really isn’t any other option than shorts. So, I pulled out my old trusty white shorts and threw on a very old pair of flip flops and chose a loose-fitting top. I blinged it up with a pair of dangly red, black and white earrings, a deep red stone necklace (a gift from mother-in-law), my black Citizen watch and my newest purchase: this beautiful Swarovski ring:

The Swarovski ring palaver

I cringe thinking about the time I bought this ring. Let’s start at the beginning. I never buy myself jewellery unless it’s cheap. It’s just not something I’ve ever done. But, during a fabulous day out shopping with two close friends recently, I simply could not resist.

The moment I set my eyes upon this beauty, I just knew it had to be mine. And when the shop assistant told me it was the last one, I had no choice but to try it on. It was like a Cinderella moment with the glass slipper. I slipped it on my finger and it sang to me. Okay, okay so perhaps I’m getting a bit carried away here but I just knew it had to be mine lol.

Floor, swallow me up!

So I said, ‘Yes, I’ll take it!’ much to the shock of my inner voice – and my pals. So the ring is delicately placed in its box and wrapped for me. And I take out my purse, pull out my shiny credit card and hand it to her with a grin. The grin, however, soon faded when she looked back at me with a grimace. “I’m sorry, but your card has been declined.’

‘Declined?’ I ask, ‘That can’t be. Please try again.’

And she duly did, and again, it was declined. Absolutely mortified, I just wanted the floor to open up and swallow me, kinda like Stranger Things. Alas, it did not. Fortunately, my bestie, Sarah, saved the day and used her card to pay for the ring, and I paid her back when I get home. I’m still mortified thinking about it. And I still cannot understand why the card was declined in the first place! But never mind… I have my shiny new Swarovski ring and I’m happy lol.

My Mum

For some reason, the ring reminds me of my beautiful Mum, who died 30 years ago next month. Every time I wear it, I shall think of her <3
Here’s a gorgeous old photo of her: