Frump to Fab 2017 - A Whole New World

[Deleted User]

Morning everyone. Had a quick read over the thread for some ideas. LL, I am glad you are feeling better. I think it is normal to have a wobble around anniversaries and important days when missing a loved one, and talking about it is healthy.

Today is day 1 for me in my attempt to resurrect myself from the rut I have been in. It seem like an age since I really cared about how I look, I kind of 'get by' doing the minimum. My plan today is to actually get out into the fresh air and go to one of my local country parks for a walk . I enjoy walking but haven't done any for ages.

In terms of fabbing today I will:
[STRIKE]Have a shower, wash and condition hair[/STRIKE]. - Done
[STRIKE]Moisturise[/STRIKE] - Done
[STRIKE]Perfume
[/STRIKE][STRIKE]Walk for both the enjoyment and exercise[/STRIKE].
Go through my wardrobe and have a clear out. - Started
[STRIKE]Cook myself a lovely dinner (so I am not tempted to have a takeaway!!)[/STRIKE]

maman

chanie wrote: »

I've also started packing - me and OH pack lightly when we go away. We spend most of our time by the pool anyway, so don't need much. Plus I hate the washing and unpacking when we get back.

I hope you have a great time on your holiday chanie. On our sunshine holiday for the past two years we've had an apartment rather than a hotel room. It's been brilliant. That's partly because of having more space and a lovely balcony to have breakfast but also the washing machine! It's not that we go on holiday to do chores but a bit of gentle pottering out of the sun has been great. DH enjoys going off to the local greengrocers and bakers for bits for our breakfast (which he then makes:D) and I've found loading the machine and then hanging out the washing (which dries in an hour or so) very useful. So I bring back our holiday clothes all clean and then just put them away for next year! So much easier than a washing mountain at home dodging between showers to dry it.


Welcome allie and great to hear from you ruby. Sorry to hear about little man, hope he picks up soon.


Game of Thrones doesn't appeal to me one bit. I'm much more a historical romance sort of person whether that's chick lit or Hardy or Jane Austen.


You obviously know the system very well sugarbaby. It's just so annoying that you've found out by having to battle with the authorities over a long period. There must be so many people without your knowledge or ability that lose out.:mad:


That's a great start to fabbing allie. Hopefully the basics will soon become a habit and then you can build from there. Good luck with sorting out your wardrobe. I doubt you'll get that done in a day. Let us know how you get on.;).I like the idea of including getting out for a walk. I don't particularly want to count steps but I can see it's a good way of ensuring some exercise. It's interesting that Primark and others have brought out Skechers type shoes. I used to think mine were frumpy but as they're so comfortable, lightweight and supportive I carried on wearing them. Seems others agree!!:D


Glad you're pleased with your hairdo Lainey. Mine's just getting to the stage where I need to book another appointment. It's 2 months since I had it cut last which is about my limit but last time I think she cut it a bit too short and it took me a while to get used to blow drying it. I know it costs more but I'd rather get it done more frequently.


First day of our football season today, so off to the match later. Not feeling positive this year. I enjoy the game but I'm finding the obscene amounts of money sloshing around offensive.:(


Have a good weekend all. It's bright here but not that warm.

lessonlearned

Hello lovely ladies...

What fabulous posts today.

Maman. Forgot to say "happy anniversary". I'm a tad envious....:rotfl: These are the sort of occasions I really miss but I do hope you have a lovely time.

Enjoy the match.....DS1 has got himself a season ticket again this year......last year he was just too busy with the house renovations but now he has broken the back of it he has a bit more time for his old sporting fun. He has managed a few cricket fixtures this year and is now set for months of heartache following Derby County. He lives in hope and a state of optimism. To set him on the right track I bought him the new seasons football shirt for his birthday. It is being christened today.;)let's hope it turns out to be a lucky mascot. Lol.

Floss ...I will pm you with my contact details. Thank you for doing that. As for restaurants, well I really don't mind.....I bow to you ladies with local knowledge. I'll just go with the flow.....

May I suggest though that we do make a reservation so please ladies, can you confirm with Floss as soon as you can. I understand that some of you need to get back for children so would prefer an earlyish meet, say around 12 noon so I suggest that's what we aim for. I am soooo looking forward to meeting you all at long last.

Ruby.........nice catch up. You are doing so well - it can't be easy with twins, once they are at nursery on a regular basis you will start to get a bit more free time to yourself.

Allie......welcome back. It's good to "see" you again.

Thanks for the heads up on Sainsbury's sale next week. I have been this morning and did actually succumb and buy a nice white cotton top even though it's not on sale yet. They only had one left in my size and it will be great for the cruise.

The Amazon will be hot and humid so I am on the lookout for pure cotton, so I just thought I'd pick it up now. I am also watching a couple of plain white pure cotton long sleeve shirts on eBay. Long sleeves might sound daft but from experience I find them better at protecting from the sun and especially usefully in covering up to protect from mozzie bites. The sun will be fierce and I'm sure there will be all sorts of "unusual"...(read huge nasty biting:eek:) insects.

I am with you all the way on staying in nice apartments with all mod cons. Hotels are nice for a couple of days but I do like the freedom of self catering (and the washing machine). I also find hotel food can get a bit "samey" and i enjoy trying out different restaurants and cafes.

The apartment we had in Barcelona was 5 star, 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms and a fabulously equipped kitchen. Perfect for 3 of us and just 100 euros a night. 3 separate rooms in an equivalent Hotel would have cost an arm and a leg.

The one I'm renting in London is small, more like a glorified bedsit but perfect for one. Again just £80 a night including All the fixings for breakfast. I had a look at what's around locally and theres loads of shops, delis, cafes and restaurants, so I doubt that I shall go hungry. Apparently there a nice Turkish restaurant nearby.

They do have larger apartments for not much extra so I might ask if I can take a look. Then if I decide to go back for a longer visit I would perhaps opt for something a bit bigger, but for 4 nights the smaller one will be fine.

Chanie I discovered your "spend less, live more" diary this morning. Love it. I will go back to it later and read right through. Have a lovely holiday.

Lainey....hope the eye gets better soon. I occasionally have to use those allergy drops.....don't know whether it's the cat but I do get a it if problem sometin s. The optician has checked and said everything's ok but it's often just another sign of getting older. :rotfl:

Sugarbaby.....good job you know your stuff. As Maman says so many people don't know where to start and they don't think about keeping records and copies of everything. Like you I became a bit of an expert when having to deal with the bureaucracy surrounding my husbands illness. I photocopied everything, and sent everything by recorded delivery or registered post. I would ring them up and they would try to fob me off saying they hadn't received the necessary forms and proofs. I would calmly announce that I had both proof of posting and that I could supply duplicates of the originals if necessary. They would disappear and then come back within a minute or two and say "oh yes we have it here".

I don't mean to sound nasty or appear paranoid but I learned that you have to play them at their own game and give them no excuse to either delay or refuse you. I know this sounds very cynical but I think it is common practice to place as many obstacles in our paths as they can.

And it works.....a lot of people just aren't knowledgeable or maybe aren't well enough to stomach the fight so they give up. It's so wrong.

I spent years battling them and it almost pushed me to the point of bankruptcy. Luckily I've recovered and my finances are ok but my retirement funds could have been better had they played fairer.

Anyway. I'm ok now but I will do everything in my power to stay out of their clutches in future.

As my dear Aunty S used to say "don't put your faith in the State, because it will let you down just when you need it most". She didn't live to see my husband get sick. She would have been horrified to see how I had to beg and grovel for help and support. But, she was more prescient than she could have ever known.

Anyway the sun is out so I'm going to potter out in the garden and make the most of it.

Hope you all have a fab weekend.

chanie

I had my pre-holiday wax today, which was very much needed, but needless to say, I won't be going back there again. I normally get my waxing done at Asian salons. The salons are basic and the staff blunt (sometimes rude), but they are cheap and convenient.

Today, after the 'therapist' had waxed my under arms, she started to vigorously rub them with oil to remove the excess wax. I had to tell her that she was hurting me, as she was really rough.

Then she started waxing my legs and only had a pack of half size strips, so it obviously took twice as long. I don't know if she thought she was going to run out, but she kept using the same strip to the point where they wouldn't pull off properly. When this has happened with other therapists, they've just used a fresh strip. This lady just persevered with the old strip to the point where I asked her if she knew what she was doing.

She struggled with my bikini line and asked the experienced therapist to finish me. I've had the other therapist before and she knew what she was doing and went over the areas the other therapist had done

I came out covered in wax. I expect a bit residue, but the first therapist left lots of wax all over my legs. I was in there for 1.5 hours when it normally takes half the time. Needless to say, I didn't get them to thread my eyebrows, as I was so annoyed.

I'll definitely vote with my feet with this salon.

lessonlearned

Ouch!!!! was she qualified?

It's not really advisable to go over the same area twice, the wax can burn. Hope you are ok.

When I did my training and we were let loose on the public we used to do cheap rates for "volunteers". Most people were really nice but some took advantage.

One girl came in and was allocated to me. She wanted EVERYTHING doing, all for £5. Not being rude but she was like a gorilla..I have never seen so much body hair.

She got cross because it was taking a long time.......seriously the hair on her legs and arms was at least three inches long and really thick and luxurious. She obviously had some hormone problems.

In the end there were three of us working on her and even then the lecturer had to come over and help us because the woman was being so abusive.

Once I had qualified I stopped using the cheap hard wax that a lot of salons used at the time and I bought the more expensive soft wax or sometimes sugar wax. Much kinder to the skin.

Don't forget the meteor shower tonight.......;)

lessonlearned

Ps. A tip to make waxing less painful.......

Take a couple of paracetamol about 20 mins or so before your appointment.

chanie

lessonlearned wrote: »

Ouch!!!! was she qualified?

Thinking about it, she probably wasn't qualified. The qualified ones tend to display their certificates in salons, but I've never seen any displayed in the Asian salons I've been in. The staff that work in the salons often have strong Indian accents, so I suspect they are self taught in India. I'm not against the lack of qualifications, providing they know what they are doing!!!

I have a hormone imbalance too, which I think is why I'm so hairy. I've come to terms with it in so far as I'm not as bothered about the hair as I used to be when I was younger.

maman

Ouch! That does sound like suffering chanie .

I go to a Vietnamese nail bar. They're cheap and cheerful compared with a relaxing salon experience but they do a good job.

I've tried sugaring in Turkey and, most recently, eyebrow threading. I've been delighted with that. It's lasted far longer than eyebrow wax. 6 weeks on, with just a bit of tidying they still look good.

savingfortomorrow

Hello all
I had such great plans this week and well life sends a couple of different deadlines. I had a to study for additional accreditation and complete assignments, balancing what was expected and planned with the curveball of completing a second set of prerequites for a different course. It got done but I have spent so many hours that it ate into days off and got very laborious. At least I keep on learning and prevent stagnation.

I had a bit of a clear out of things that are not going to be worn again, fashions change and really sometime you have to pass things along while they can be used by someone else. It annoys we to keep stuff that is very current, let is go out of fashion and then only donate it. If it is not going to be used again, really get rid and allow someone else the joy of getting a new piece of clothes. I am trying to really cull what I own and clear as much space for seeing clearly what I have. I guess I could sell things on eBay but I don’t keep a regular schedule and I feel terrible about me causing delays in postage.

Sugar I hope it will get resolved soon, but the stress of dealing with them is a big headache. I admire your approach to the situation, I would not have the patience to not lose my temper at the system. It is an unfair process; requires considerable skill to negotiate and represent oneself appropriately.
Ruby glad to read your post and that you got a few days’ holiday. I hope your son is better now. I like to read on the kindle and generally any chick lit or low stress books. I am not a fan of science fiction. I like to read a lot of serious stuff in work and like to relax. I think that half my tiredness was due to needing to stop trying to balance all the contracts, all their needs and long travel limes. I pulled back as when I sat back, it was not worth it financially or enjoyable. I can be selective and choose the aspects I want to work at and focus on that alone. I have made a few decisions and reorganized.

Lessonslearned I agree with you about registering letters, I tend to be overly cautious and would agree with you fully. It is difficult not to be cynical when the truth of bureaucratic games and manipulation is so apparent.
Welcome allie it can be hard to get out of a rut but hopefully we can help each other along the way
chanie that salon sounded terrible, I doubt what she was doing. Hopefully the next place will be much nicer

[Deleted User]

Thank you for the welcome everyone. Maman you were right, didn't get the wardrobe fully done. I will take another look at it today and finish sorting through everything.

Enjoyed my walk yesterday. It's been so long since I walked there that my memory for the paths was a bit muddled and I got lost and ended up walking further that I had planned. I really enjoyed it though and am planning to walk there regularly now. I am planning another walk today. I am not counting steps either, I just want to enjoy being in nature and getting some exercise at the same time.

Have a great Sunday everyone xx