(Or, how I turned a farming errand into a shopping expedition)

On the weekend, I accompanied Mr M when he took some farming equipment to be serviced at a town about two hours away.

We love going for drives together (even slo…wly towing machinery) and it was lovely to spend some time alone together after a busy couple of weeks.

However, I did have an ulterior motive.

I’ve been Instagram- and Facebook-stalking a little boutique on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula ever since it opened late last year but haven’t had a good excuse to make the hour-and-a-half journey from our farm to check it out.

Actually, I didn’t have an excuse on the weekend either, as it wasn’t on the way, but Mr M indulged me and we took the long way home, via the delightful Bella Yorke in Ardrossan.

For the record, Mr M had one of the best iced coffees he reckons he has ever had while I was shopping up a storm in Bella Yorke, so it was a worthwhile detour for us both!

Bella Yorke is a fun little store, definitely worth checking out if you’re head down the Yorke Peninsula. I was greeted by the friendly Liz who owns Bella Yorke with her daughter-in-law Amy.

There was colour. There was jewellery. There were clothes. This is about the point Mr M went in search of coffee. There were shoes. There were candles. There were bags.

There were some ‘familiar faces’ as well as labels I haven’t come across before, which is always refreshing.

I had to practice restraint, but I still came home with some pretty things:

Earrings: There was a whole board of gorgeous ‘To Be Quite Frank’ flower earrings at Bella Yorke. I spent so long choosing one pair ok, two pairs. I couldn’t resist these hot pink ones. I’ll be mixing shades of pink when I wear it with a striped tee and pink shorts. The second pair of earrings are similar but wine-coloured so I’ll save them to wear with chocolate-brown boots and dark denim in autumn.

Top: I love the touches of colour in this silky top – navy, pale pink and coral are an unusual mix but I have so many accessories which will match. I wore it on Friday night with black capris and this gorgeous bag (ModCloth, no longer available) which was the perfect shade of pink.

Brooch: I now match the deer head on our wall and the deer floor mat in our entry way. Oops. I’ll be saving this brooch for winter, to dress up this navy wool vest from BirdsNest (no longer available).

Vintage finds

On the way home, Mr M let me stop at a second-hand store in Blyth, near Clare. I’ve driven past the shop a hundred times but never checked it out, and I’m glad I finally did.

I left with a dear little silver teapot and a groovy 1940s Koster ceramic electric kettle. I’ll be using both as flower vases in our country cottage home.

I also found this 68-year-old silver christening cup, engraved: Baby Elizabeth, 9-2-48. I don’t know who Elizabeth is, but I hope she knows that the cup has found a good home. I’ll be using it to display earrings.

Have you ever turned a ‘work’ trip into a shopping trip?

Love, Mrs M xx

P.S. Are you following me on Facebook (@MrsMLoves) and Instagram (@MrsM_Loves)?