Old Mousey has mainly been hiding in the fireplace, but has made guest appearances around the living room and also in the attic. I’m keeping my door closed at all times, and my housemate has put up some clear signage but I can’t help but think a clear out may be in order to cut down on any more hidey holes. We had a mouse in our student house and I think it was that little blighter that chewed it’s way through my power rangers t-shirt. Gutted.

Maybe what’s required is some heavy duty clothing that our rodent friends can’t eat through. I’m a big fan of the denim genre as a whole, and as my thunder thighs don’t seem to agree with a single pair of jeans I buy I’ve been looking turn to other ways of rocking a bit of the good stuff.

Which is why I’m loving this…

The Cat Power for Levi’s collection debuted earlier this year, but given my despondency in finding the perfect jeans I hadn’t ventured in to Levi’s until last weekend, when I instantly fell in love with the studded waistcoat. In the words of Donnie and Marie it’s the perfect combination of “a little bit country…a little bit rock n’ roll”.

Covered in delightful little stars and studs, this little wonder would look amazing in a double denim combo, as demonstrated by the lovely Ms Marshall, or rocking up a cutesy floral summer dress. If only I could get away with denim and studs for work, then I’d never take it off.

Isn't she amazing?!

So the shopping trip was more than a little uninspiring, even Tampopo’s noodles were below par…

On a better note – how adorable is Matilda Ledger? I want the whole outfit, and the piggyback from Spike Jonze

Being a suburban girl through and through, and dividing my time – albeit unequally – between Sheffield and Manchester; my default setting is jeans and a t-shirt for a good 49 weeks of the year. Granted my dress collection probably does outweigh the rest of my wardrobe, but the rain and high winds which go hand in hand with life in the North often dictate my choice of outfit more than I would like.

There comes, however, a time when every woman needs to put away the jeans and expose one’s pasty limbs to an unsuspecting audience. My time comes in about 3 weeks, when I leave these shores for a week in Turkey.

This year, I think I’ll be channelling D&G’s Spring-Summer 2009 collection – I’m a sucker for a nautical stripe, and a swimming cap. With this in mind, the search for the perfect cossie continues. I’m still very much a fan of the Zandra Rhodes for Topshop swimsuit I picked up a couple of years ago, but this year I’m on the lookout for something a little more chic.

I’m trawling Manchester’s shops this afternoon in the hope of finding something suitable. Although however hard I try to get it right, I reckon we’ll still end up looking like this…

Shopping list:

• The perfect swimsuit, or if not this will do…
• Straw handbag – not just for Mums in the 90′s…
• A pair a neutral sandals which won’t rip my feet apart
• A pint of Sam Smith’s finest