Frump to Fab 2017 - A Whole New World

maman

Good to have you with us grunnie.:)


You're about as far north as I am south. I've never been further north than Edinburgh but it's on my list. I'm a keen Scottish dancer though and that's what I'll be doing tonight.:)


I thought of indie as soon as you mentioned colours. Indie uses a company that does a range of tops/clothes that fit in well with colours when you know them. I'm sure she'll post a link.


Great to look forward to a break in London. I'm fortunate that I can easily get there for the day or just a few hours. You can have a great time planning how to spend your time in July. What sort of things do you enjoy doing?


We'll be going to Wembley in a month:j so, as the game isn't until teatime, we'll fit something nice in first.:D


I've done all my basic fabbing this morning (including feet;)) and later I'll think of which skirt to wear dancing. It's miserably wet here but mild so won't need too many layers. I'll probably go for one of my velvet skirts with a plain top and a short cardi. I'm getting really good at low key make up so I'll be doing that too. I think my foundation brush has helped enormously to get the light coverage I like. It's from Body Shop so if anyone wanted to try one they have great offers like ruby said.

lessonlearned

MAman........wahoo for Wembley. :j:j:j

London......you are not going to believe this but last night I woke up around 2 am and couldn't get back to sleep. I spent an hour or so googling London hotels.

I came across hostels......never really thought about those before but apparently they have come a long way and are not what they were in my youth.

Apparently they actively target the eh hem "more mature and discerning traveller", offering single rooms with ensuite accommodation.

I am not sure whether or not to try one or pay a bit more and go for a serviced apartment like the one we had in Barcelona

ladies ....Can I pick your brains.......hostel near St Paul's or apartment in Chelsea??

The hostel is cheaper but no kitchen. Whilst I don't want to cook a lot I do find apartments with a kitchen useful for snacks. It does keep the food budget down. We did this in Barcelona and as we stayed for 6 days it did make the pennies stretch a bit further.

The Chelsea appts do look comfortable and elegant.:D the hostel obviously more basic.

I was thinking that if I am on my own I might not want to dine out each evening alone after a full on day sightseeing I would probably be quite happy with a nice long bath, a good quality ready meal or salad and a glass of wine, watching a good film on DVD.

My master plan to "change my life" entails me visiting London a couple of times a year for at least three or four days at a time, so I can do things at a leisurely pace. Yes I can go for the day but realistically only to do one thing in a day. It's always a bit rushed.

I thought maybe focusing on one area at a time. So this time fairly central, then at other times places like Greenwich, South Kensington.

All suggestions welcome. I'm thinking June for the first trip.

Have been to Physio this morning and then popped into Boots and M&S for a few bits. Bought some herbal sleep tablets and in desperation some silcol gel for my IBS - not cheap but it did help last time.

i didn't set foot in any clothes shops. Lol.

Going to rest my back for a bit and then get stuck in and have a good tidy up.

It's very dull and grey here but dry and mild so I might go for a little walk later if the rain holds off.

grunnie

I have stayed in a hostel near St Paul's. It was originally the home of the choir school for St Paul's and was dire. The walls were paper thin and the place was full of rowdy teenagers who partied all night and slept all morning. So hope that isn't the one you are considering.
A visit to the BBC is a great day out and we got invited to stay for The One Show.

lessonlearned

I think it's the same one......the bit about being the ex home of the choir school er hem....."rings a bell" :rotfl: sorry couldn't resist the pun.

Thanks for that......I very much appreciate your input. The reviews were a bit mixed and I was undecided.

I do always take ear plugs (and an eye mask) when I travel because I am such a light sleeper. However, I still want something comfortable. I think I'll stick with plan B and chose either a nice apartment or maybe try and find nice little independent boutique hotel.

I don't mind the chain hotels but I do find they are all much of a muchness and it's nice to find something a bit more individual, something with a bit of charm and old world elegance.:D

Pity the Dorchester is above my budget. :rotfl:

I did find a nice one in Covent Garden but it was a bit more than I want to pay.

No worries, I've no real timetable. Although I want to avoid the peak months and school holidays.

sukeyboo

If it were me LL I would go for the serviced apartment in Chelsea - as you say, it will give you the flexibility if you decide you don't fancy eating out in the evening. I used to live in London before I moved to Dorset and it is a nice place to be in the late Spring (around May time) before it gets too hot & oppressive in the summer months.

Nothing exciting on the 'fabbing' front today but am going to make an appointment for my first salon facial of the year in the next couple of weeks - it was one of my goals for the year to have one every two months so mid-February should work out fine.

Let us know how you get on having your colours done grunnie - I keep toying with the idea but wonder if it is worth it or not? I really do need to get some new wardrobe staples for Spring/Summer and maybe a proper colour analysis would guide me in the right direction?

maddiemay

LL - the breaks in London sound great fun and I like the thought of the apartment.

Sukeyboo - say Hi to Dorset for me, OH and I lived there for 30 years, before retiring and moving back "home" 5 years ago, beautiful county and lovely people.

Welome to grunnie, great to have you along:D

sugarbaby - sorry about your difficulties at work, I hope that all is resolved to your satisfaction and your dancing at home sounds great fun, it's a shame that Wayne is spoiling your enjoyment of life, I hope that he soon gets the message.

Indie and grunnie - I would quite like to have my colours done again, done about 30 years ago, but now have grey and white hair instead of being a glossy brunette and much paler too, trouble is I live in a very rural location surrounded other very rural counties too and when I met the local lady at a fund raiser thing I did not gel with her, very nice person, but didn't feel right for me:( I have a few things to save for (facials and perhaps get colours put in my hair again), so may organise travelling to one in another county at some stage.

Maman - well done with the fabbing, have a great time at country dancing.

dreaming

Hello LL and everyone :wave: - have wandered over here after LL mentioned it on another thread.


I need to get to grips with getting my life back on track after a tough 2-3 years with eldest who had to move back in with me after mental breakdown and other problems. Screwed my retirement plans up somewhat but time to put as much of that behind me as I can and get on with things. We both need to lose weight (eldest was today diagnosed as pre-diabetic) so will be looking at diet particularly (although she is very resistant to change), along with budget. Have found a few local, cheap activities that interest me and will be trying to walk more often. Really looking forward to spring when I can start growing vegetables again.


LL - re your question about hostel v. serviced apartment - the thing that I always think about when I go anywhere own is safety - not just the district but how secure the room is overnight - so usually opt for a small hotel.

chanie

ll come and stay in Chanie Towers, when you visit London. It's a bit like Trump Towers, but without the tower.
Funny you mention London, as we are going there this weekend. DS has a school project to do on London and I thought it would be nice to 'bring the project to life' by showing him the sights.

Tomorrow is my last day in the office for the rest of the week. I have an off site meeting on Thursday morning and I've booked the afternoon off, plus i don't work on Fridays. I'm really looking forward to a few days rest, as I've been into work the last few Fridays for meetings and before that, the children were on their Xmas holidays, so I feel like I haven't had a break in ages. I may pop to town and have a nice lunch, but otherwise, I want to chill at home. That's really unlike me, as when I have a day off, I like to be out and about.

sukeyboo

It is a beautiful county maddiemay - I have lived here for 20 years now in the North Dorset area so I am well away from the more 'touristy' places along the coast but close enough to enjoy them when we want - the only thing I still struggle with after all these years is having to travel so far to get decent shops/facilities - it was a bit of a culture shock at first after having lived in London for the first 30 years of my life and then finding out that my nearest decent supermarket was nearly 20 miles away :eek:

Welcome dreaming :hello:

My weekly Zumba class in our village hall has now been cancelled as the instructor has decided that the dwindling numbers are not viable for her we used to have about 14-16 people and are now down to a 'full' class of only 9-10 - some weeks only 4-5 of us so it is understandable as she must only just cover the hire of the hall and her fuel on some weeks. I must make sure I compensate for this by upping my exercise at home - I have a couple of Rosemary Conley DVD's and a pilates one on the way. Once the lighter evenings arrive I will be able to go for some walks when I get home from work - we have plenty of lovely walks nearby.

maman

chanie wrote: »

ll come and stay in Chanie Towers, when you visit London. It's a bit like Trump Towers, but without the tower.

So you do have the golden doors then!:rotfl:

chanie wrote: »

Funny you mention London, as we are going there this weekend. DS has a school project to do on London and I thought it would be nice to 'bring the project to life' by showing him the sights.

I remember doing something similar with my DGD. She'd been studying the Great Fire so we took her to Pudding Lane. DH climbed the Monument with her. I guarded the coats and bags!:D



I can see the advantages of an apartment LL but it's also about how much you want to pay for a single break compared with multiple cheaper ones. Friends recommend chains like Premier Inn at Tower Bridge but they've only stayed a night to go to a show or similar.



Shame about the zumba class Maddie. I'm fortunate that although my regular dance class is on it's last legs because of teacher's ill health, there are plenty of others within a few miles. I suppose it's swings and roundabouts between city and country living.:)


We're having supper in the pub and going to the theatre with friends tonight. I've decided I'm having a change from jeans so I'm going to wear my black pencil skirt with opaques and heels. Not sure what to wear on top yet but it's quite mild so a single layer plus a jacket should be enough.


Good to see you dreaming. I'm a big Slimming World fan as IMO it's the closest 'diet' you'll get to normal eating. Have a look at their website for a sample week's menu. In some areas GPs can refer patients who need to lose weight for health reasons to SW.


What sort of activities are you planning? I'm winding down from a p/t consultancy type job and I'm reluctant to replace it with another but I get easily bored so any ideas welcome.:)


Today I'm going to start nagging DH to get the ball rolling on extending our kitchen;). We have a large conservatory but I want to replace it with a more permanent structure but retain the sunny outlook.