Frump to Fab 2016 - Lets make it AWESOME!!!

lessonlearned

Good morning lovely ladies

Another lazy day here too:D just had a nice long soak in the bath, followed by some intensive oiling. I'm afraid creams and lotions don't do it for me, my skin is just so dry only oils will do.

I smell Devine.:D

Going to have a nice leisurely "anti- pasti" style brunch al fresco, a walk down to the shop, some Physio exercises, and then sit out in the garden until it's time to cook dinner.

I cooked a bouf bourginon in the slow cooker yesterday so only need to do the vegetables.

Had a nasty IBS attack yesterday - my fault, had cheese on toast for lunch so being very careful today.

My SIL in Scotland rang me today. She has just moved so of course I have invited myself for a visit. Probably September/October. Love it when the heathers out.

Maman I have been looking at Turkey for some winter sun........I was thinking late October/early November. Checked the temperatures - looks nice. Either that or Morocco. As long as it's warm.

I have been to Ephesus but never Morocoo. I'll see which has the best deals.;)

Ooh take me to the Casbah..........:rotfl:

indiepanda

maman wrote: »

I've never lived in London but because of staying with relatives there when I was a child and living within easy reach I've got to know it reasonably well as a tourist. What I'm finding fascinating is learning how the various bits of the map of London fit together. I used to use the tube loads and then all the sights were disjointed as I'd come up from underground, visit the area then back to Waterloo. Now I walk or take buses whenever I can and I'm getting the 'bigger picture'.


I love Greenwich sugarbaby. I was lucky when I last visited the chapel that there were music students performing/practising there from the university. Very soothing. You may have noticed the replica of Shakespeare's globe when you were on the riverboat. That's worth a visit. I've never yet been to a production there but enjoyed a guided tour during the day. Another thing I've enjoyed has been a tour of the city. I downloaded a self-guided walk and did it on a Sunday when there are no workers so the streets are really quiet.

I think £25 for quality dresses is good indie. If they're vintage styles and prints then you're more likely to get more than one season out of them too. I'm a huge believer in cost per wear. If you start by saying 'would I pay £25 to go out feeling great in this dress?' then answer will be Yes. By the time you're saying 'Would I pay £5 (on the fifth wear)?' it'll be a no brainer.;)
(

I love exploring London too, I do quite a lot of guided walks around places that aren't the tourist hot spots. I was determined when I moved here that I wouldn't just spend my time bar hopping and would really make the most of it - after all there are plenty of bad things about London - how long the commute takes for short journeys, ludicrously expensive property prices, pollution etc, so if you don't love and make the most of the good parts you really might as well move somewhere cheaper.

I went to Greenwich a lot with family in the past - we'd come up from Essex to go to the craft market on the weekend. These days have a particular affection for Spitalfields - there's so much fascinating history there, love the old silk weavers houses. The markets at the weekend are fab too, got some lovely jewellery there.

I was planning to wear one of the dresses I bought to the party I was going to last night but it wasn't that warm so I ended up in jeans and a pretty top. Had been to the hairdressers during the day and got tons of complements which was rather nice. There was a chap there I hadn't seen for a while and he commented I had lost a lot of weight which was rather nice (not a chat up line - happily married with kids he clearly adores - but probably a more honest complement for not having an agenda!). It was a good boost to the ego after earlier in the week getting mistaken for being pregnant by two women on the train who offered me their seats when we got stuck for ages due to a tresspasser on the line... I guess I was slouching rather... must improve my posture!!! My tummy isn't flat but it's too wobbly to be a baby.

Did I read you were in Burford this week Maman? I went there on Tuesday with the ex (I really should stop calling him that and just call him a friend!). Had a great weekend away in general, dinner with friends, gig, visit to Chatsworth House, day out in the Cotswolds. Was somewhat tired by the time I got home, which might have contributed to being taken for being pregnant the next day on the way home from work - probably looked done in!

I have nothing planned today to make up for it and did a lot of pampering yesterday - as well as the hair cut and colour I did a home facial and pedicure and manicure and I have a massage to look forward to tomorrow.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend all x

sugarbaby125

Carmen I was supposed to say anti cellulite. I have not had one yet, but it is supposed to be an all over body massage that will target the areas of cellulite that I have on my body. I am really looking forward to having the 3 massages and I am hopeful that there will be some minimal improvement of my cellulite.

Jaci Your wedding outfit is really coming together. I hope you find the navy clutch bag you are after. It is so exciting to be 'Mother of the Groom'. I hope you all have a very enjoyable day.

LL please do not continue to treat the 'spot' on your face with TCP. It will be much better for you if you make an appointment with your GP and get a proper diagnosis. That way you will know exactly what you are dealing with. If your cancer has returned, then time is of the essence, but dare I suggest that TCP is really strong and will keep any kind of open wound no matter how small from healing in a very natural way, so you may inadvertently be making the 'spot' worse. I only suggest this because I vividly remember using very diluted TCP on my face when I was young to try to clear up my spots and accidentally burnt my face with the TCP and ended up looking even worse.

Maman, thank you, my grandson really enjoyed the meal. We all gave him money in his birthday cards and as he lives on his own in London in transitional housing I also gave him bags of practical household items: 24 rolls of toilet paper, Flash kitchen spray and 2 X 32 Flash wipes, 400 Johnson's cotton buds, 12 bottles of Nivea for Men shower gels, a 40 wash box of Ariel Actilift and a new measuring scoop, 2 X 3 litres of concentrated Comfort fabric conditioner, 8 bars of Dove soaps, 6 X Dove body lotion, 4 new toothbrushes and 3 X 100 ml of Colgate toothpaste and sent him home in a mini cab which I gave him the money to pay for. He was really pleased at getting this practical help as he only gets £50 a week while he is living in 'transitional housing'. I am proud of how well he is coping since he is no longer 'in care'.

lessonlearned

Sugarbaby. The "spot" has calmed down today but I will definitely be making an appt with my GP - just in case.

The birthday boys Celebrations sound fab, his presents a good blend of fun and practicality.

It's my big boys birthday on Wednesday. We've got a nice meal planned and I am hoping to wear a new to me dress I picked up at a Chazzer. Its a creamy lemony yellow, unusual colour for me but nice and summery so I need a warm Evening. It hadsa small heathery coloured flower pattern so I will wear it with a heather coloured wrap.

If it's not warm enough there are couple of other choices I could go with. In fact since my spend earlier this year I have a wardrobe full of choices .....:rotfl:

I was thinking the other day that some of my lighter cruise type dresses will be perfect for my dancing classes.;)

Love to hear about all your escapades Indie. I love London too, especially if you can avoid the worst tourist traps. DS2 studied at Greenwich - I love the market....

ScarlettMcCain

LL, I hope you recover from the IBS attack soon and please do get the 'spot' checked out; if you feel something's not right it's worth pushing for a second opinion too if you need one! DS1 has a hospital appointment on Tuesday as I think his tongue tie is starting to affect him - he was diagnosed with it at birth but I was told it was too slight to do anything about - now I disagree, but it will be a lot trickier to snip it at his age than it would have been when he was a newborn

What an amazing meal sugarbaby and such a bargain! You seem like a very thoughtful AND glamorous granny!!

I don't know if you or indiepanda have done any of the Dream Jar trails? I'm hoping to do one or two but it's much trickier with babies in tow: http://www.visitlondon.com/bfg/maps-and-trails

I'm all nostalgic for my gig-going days now indiepanda, please do continue to do all these exciting things so I can live vicariously!! I'm sure there will be a time when I can go again, but until then..... My maternity pay has dried up now and I hate asking OH for money (especially as we're not getting on too well!) but I am soooo skint. My DMP has been reduced to a token payment of £10 per month - I was paying £582! - but I've gone through my savings trying to keep up that level of payment on a reduced income.

I still owe about £16K but that's far more manageable than where I started; I've worked out that my direct debits total £85 per month now, everything else is 'living costs'. I'm looking at another nursery tomorrow and hope to work 2.5 days per week when I go back to work (if they agree!) as my childcare vouchers would cover 2 days, and MIL would probably have the boys half a day. She'd probably have them more but I don't think it's fair on anyone - it's more hassle for me to take the boys there than to a nursery, and she won't take them out (even outside!) so they end up cooped up indoors all day. Which was not so bad when they were little babies, but now they would go a bit stir crazy.....

Things are ok with OH - not great, but ok - he's on holiday from Tuesday, not sure what we'll do yet. To be honest I don't talk to him much at home, I just keep busy with housework. Last night he snored so loudly that I had to sleep on the nursery floor again, but at least whilst he's asleep, he's not moaning..... on balance I'll take the snoring!!

maman

Sending you a big hug ruby, sounds like you could do with one at the moment.:grouphug: That seems like a good plan to balance p/t work and childcare. It'll make you feel more in control. How long before you go back? Hope you're able to make something of OH's time off.


Yes, I was in Burford on Thursday indie. Pretty place and we had a very nice stroll around although lasting memory is of an enormous slice of cake in a tea shop!;)


I'm planning to go dancing tonight for the first time in about two months. I missed the last of my normal class either on holiday or coughing! This is quite an advanced group that runs through August. I do hope I'll be able to keep up, probably be full of aches and pains tomorrow.


So definitely fabbed up tonight but weather is a bit questionable and rain is on its way. It'll be some sort of summer skirt (length dependent on weather), with a short sleeved top and light make up (eyebrow pencil, mascara and lipstick only at this time of the year).


Your pull-on skirts sound comfortable sugarbaby. Are they sort of lycra/stretchy ones? I've got a couple of pencil skirts that fit that description: one black and one floral. I noticed Oasis has a range very similar to the floral one inspired by the V&A so I might get some more wear out of it.
http://www.oasis-stores.com/gb/collections/victoria-and-albert/?prefn1=parentRefinement&prefv1=Skirts

indiepanda

maman wrote: »

Yes, I was in Burford on Thursday indie. Pretty place and we had a very nice stroll around although lasting memory is of an enormous slice of cake in a tea shop!;)

I'm planning to go dancing tonight for the first time in about two months. I missed the last of my normal class either on holiday or coughing! This is quite an advanced group that runs through August. I do hope I'll be able to keep up, probably be full of aches and pains tomorrow.

If I had been in Burford on my own I am sure I would have ended up in a tea shop eating cake, but being with my ex I just had a coffee in the afternoon - he doesn't tend to order things like cakes and puddings and I feel embarrassed ordering on my own, when he is quite slim and I am still quite overweight.

Anyway, calorie wise I made up for it as I had a big bag of wine gums in the car on the way back to London. Not sure why I did that, I had got out of the habit of buying sweets for long journeys and I need to make sure I don't let it get hold again. Anyway, I don't have any long drives to do for sometime so either way it's not going to happen again soon.

Hope you enjoyed your dance class. I need to start looking around for classes again, really do want to give it a go.

All of the adult education classes will be kicking off in September so I am going to see what beginners classes there are. Although annoyingly the last week of my holiday clashes with the first week of term so I would have to get permission to miss the first class, which they might not appreciate. I have my eye on a dress making class on my afternoon off and an Italian conversation class over breakfast one work day (the college is en route to work).

indiepanda

Rubyslippers77 wrote: »

I don't know if you or indiepanda have done any of the Dream Jar trails? I'm hoping to do one or two but it's much trickier with babies in tow: http://www.visitlondon.com/bfg/maps-and-trails

I'm all nostalgic for my gig-going days now indiepanda, please do continue to do all these exciting things so I can live vicariously!! I'm sure there will be a time when I can go again, but until then.....

Oh, there definitely will be a time you can go again - plenty of the friends of mine that had children when I was in my late twenties / early thirties are getting out and about now, even coming away with me for the odd weekend away without the children or husband.

I haven't tried that trail. I tend to do lots of guided walks as I like hearing all the stories from the guides and being able to ask questions. Probably more adult friendly than for young children I suppose. Although once I was at junior school I recall doing that sort of thing on holiday with my parents and enjoying it. I was quite a serious child though... Not much of a one for running around making lots of noise, more the bookish type!

Carmen

Good evening ladies,
Sugar, the AC massages sound interesting, I hope you enjoy them?
What a lovely birthday evening for your grandson, I have never tried Brazilian food is it based just around meat?

Maman, those skirts remind me of the wrap around maxi skirts I used to wear in the 70's, so comfortable, except for the time a gust of wind blew the skirt up to my shoulders, in the middle of the high street :eek::rotfl:

Twinnie, have you made app to see the dr?

((Ruby))I hope you are having a good day? I love music and it's lovely to read the common ground you and IndieP both have with music:)

My DH has lost his wedding ring:eek:He is fairly sure it is either in the house or around the garden. We have been searching for two days and I think we now need to use a metal detector. I hope we find it, he is really miserable over it:(

Well my first week has gone well, I have not weighed but I feel better in myself. I think that is mainly due to not eating bread, I like it but it bloats me, especially the boobs If there was one thing I would change about my body it would be a breast reduction, the bain of my life since the age of fourteen.

Good night ladies
Carmen x

sugarbaby125

Ruby thanks for the compliment about me being a glamorous granny.

I have not done a dream jar trail, I have done guided walking talks which I enjoy in the past.

I am so sorry that things are still fraught with your OH. Sleeping on the Nursery floor is not good for your posture or your back. Take care of yourself. :grouphug:

Mamam my pull on skirts are all polyester with no lycra. I like them as they are ultra comfortable, do not crease easily and are really easy to wash and tumble dry. They are all slightly different lengths and they are different designs. I have never worn a floral skirt because they have never suited me.

I went to Karaoke on Sunday and had a really good time. It was a busy evening with lots of singers, so I sang 2 songs. Wayne and I spoke to each other for about 10 minutes. He wants to resume our relationship, but I would only be interested if he ever woke up to how badly he was behaving towards me in the end. I am so happy being single again that there is no rush for me to get into a relationship with Wayne or any other man. :cool:

I wore my brown Kaleidsoscope sleeveless, strapless top with small metal silver and gold stars to embellish the band at the top of the front. It has hidden support. I wore it with my brown chiffon Coast skirt, my brown suede sling back shoes and was carrying my lightweight brown jacket and my brown Osprey leather bag. I wore no make up, but wore lots of perfume with the matching perfumed powder and body lotion.

On Monday afternoon I went to do an improvised acting workshop at Rich Mix called 'An Introduction to the Art of being an Idiot'. It was 3 hours of laughter and fun, I enjoyed myself so much. I wore my fuschia short sleeved round neck M & S t-shirt with one of my pull on black skirts, black ankle socks and my black leather Slazenger trainers. I wore lots of perfume and perfumed powder and body lotion. I wore solid silver jewellery and my Ingersoll diamond watch. I took my everyday leather handbag and my black patent leather Playboy tote and my black Wallis rain coat.

On Monday evening I went to see 'Yerma' at the Young Vic starring Billie Piper. It was a mesmerising performance from Billie and the other actors. They always commanded my attention and kept me engaged and wanting more. I wore my purple velour top with the crystal embellishment, a black pull on skirt, black ankle socks and my black leather trainers. I wore my purple sandstone heart jewellery with a silver and diamonique ring and my diamond Ingersoll watch. I topped up my perfume. I wore my black Wallis rain coat. I was carrying my everyday leather bag and my Playboy tote bag.