Happy Trainers for trying times. Day Four of THE BIG MOVE HOME. I am so lucky to have my son & husband with me - these remind me of those who are not. My amazing daughter who made me buy them & my lovely Dad who had his very own outrageous sense of style. Today is about unpacking & repacking whilst I try to squeeze all of Artichoke’s summer stock into a sitting room & bedroom so we can still offer loveliness online during the storm. I am yet again getting out my begging bowl. Although a lot of big online businesses are closing their doors small indies like us will try in whichever way they can to help you over the next few months. Even if they don’t have an online shop give them a call - you can bet your bottom dollar they will help in whichever way they can. @starlingsswaffham @robthepigman are two fine examples of this . End of lecture. What are you wearing to cheer you up?

In light of yesterday's announcement I thought we should update you on what is happening at Artichoke in regard to Corona Virus With immediate effect all charity events that we were involved in April & May have been cancelled. I am working with the organisers to reschedule them in the autumn & will keep you posted accordingly. At Artichoke Swaffham it is business not quite as usual until we are told to close out doors. We will remain open between 10 am & 4 pm Monday to Saturday. The situation we find ourselves is not going to change in the very near future & we appreciate that many of you may be feeling vulnerable at the moment so with immediate effect we will, by appointment, arrange private shopping sessions for individuals, mothers & daughters (or aunties & sisters) or if a group of you want to come along, a bunch of mates . During these sessions we will close our doors to the general public so that you can enjoy some retail therapy on your own. Please give us a call on 01760 724948 to arrange something. As you already know we have a website for our not so basic, basics - the link is in the bio. We also have a Facebook group Artichoke Girls where we regularly showcase items that are not available online, these can also be posted to you. We also post lots of videos on this page not only to cheer you up but also to help you shop virtually. Please join this & have a regular laugh with us if nothing else. Many of you will have friends & relatives who have birthdays over the next few months, many will also want to be saying thank you to a lot of people. We always offer free postage & packing but will also gift wrap & send items directly to the recipient for you. Please call us with a budget & some ideas & we will message suggestions to you. It goes without saying that if any of our Swaffham based customers are in a muddle, please give us a shout & we will try to help where we can. Now I am getting my begging bowl out. This virus is having a devastating effect on small businesses in this country. Please please support them where you can, spending your cash with them over the next three months really will mean the difference between them surviving or not.

Relying on classic, wearable & reliable pieces is something that we should all be considering at the moment. At a time when we are being asked to be more conscious about our buying habits, investing in long lasting pieces that you are going to get a lot of wear from is an obvious choice. In spring the obvious investment is a roll neck jumper & this beautiful Breton style cotton polo neck is a great choice. Great for layering under a leather or denim jacket, perfect with a blazer & if you hark back to the days of Charlie’s Angels pop it under a dress. £59 available in store & online. Size S to XL. 100% cotton & machine washable. #lovethislook #spring #layering #bretonjumper #norfolkbloggers #artichokegirls #countrystyle