Frump to Fab 2019 - Here We Go Again

lessonlearned

Good morning lovely ladies.

Nice compliment Maman. Your outfit sounds lovely, I do wish I could wear black. Even though my hair is now white it really doesn't suit me.

Colour is a funny thing. On Saturday I tried on a green dress, I liked the colour but it wasnt right for me. It was more of an emerald green and looked garish on me. A jade green would have been better. I'll keep searching. .

Ive still got a reasonable colour too, not yet succumbed to my usual winter pallor. I'm still managing with just a light eye make up and a bit of lippy.

Wednesday....sounds like some great night outs planned.

Sunny here but heavy rain forecast later so will do my running around this morning - avoid the deluge.

Hi Skibunny:wave: nice to hear from you.

Right time to get cracking. Need to sort my car insurance today, it's due next week. Other than that not much planned, back to the sorting and tidying. Did a couple of kitchen cupboards yesterday. Getting there.

Have a fab day.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

On Friday I went to to my monthly Open Mic event in Blackfriars. :j:D

Only when I opened my glasses case did I realise that I had left my reading glasses at home despite having 10 pairs of reading glasses in my home. :eek: As a consequence of my mistake, I had to change from my planned creative writing performance to singing Adele's Make You Feel My Love acapella.

I also got 2 free meals, 4 sweet rolls and 3 mini triple chocolate cakes to take home to share with my sister J and my daughter.

Yesterday evening I went to my usual pub with my sister J. We were expecting Karaoke, but it turned out to be a DJ night. We had a really lovely evening. I danced my legs off and had some lovely conversations with my sister when I needed a rest. We had real fun together. :j:D

Today I took my sister J to Streatham Odeon to watch Downton Abbey. She absolutely loved it as did I second time around. :j:D I used 2 of my Groupon Odeon vouchers that cost £4 each plus I had to pay an online booking fee for each ticket of 75p per ticket. I still saved myself £10.50 as I am not allowed to use my Odeon Limitless card in conjunction with any other offer. :cool:

The Odeon cinemas I go to including the West End ones do not frown on me taking my own snack and bottle of water with me. I mostly take fruit or a 25g packet of crisps from a multi pack. If I go to a silver screen show of a film, then I take a few biscuits to have with my free cup of tea.

Although there are only a few people at early screenings of films, when I go in the evenings they are very well attended, also on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the day and evening. I prefer the earlier screenings as then there is no noise from people eating and slurping drinks, I prefer to be in a peaceful atmosphere when I go to the cinema to watch a film.

I am taking my sister J, my daughter and my son to the Caribbean/Nigerian restaurant Leilani for a 2 course Caribbean meal with cocktails tomorrow evening then my sister and I will stay at the restaurant for Karaoke.

savingfortomorrow

the fabbing has to commence asap today, my hair is looking a lot unloved and unkempt as a bad lenght, I have to defuzz and prepare some food and bags for the gym. I am trying to meal plan. Just wondering how do you manage items with short lives and perishables. I find it hard but have started freezing portions of soup. I have been spending too much on lunch, not nice ones but empty joyless food.

I have been trying to catch up with paperwork. it is something that i avoid like the plague.

The worst thing I realized about commuting was when i stopped was all the empty time. I had wasted so many hours without being able to invest in hobbies and develop more friendships. I think it is hard to maintain the drop by for a cup of tea when work days are extended with communting and weekends are consummed with catch up. I fear for the future of people in large cities, priced out of the market- moving 2 hours drive outside of work- 4 hour commutes!. Long term the lack of free time will leave many people isolated and poorer health on motorways. (end rant)

Wednesday2000

I had a lovely time last night despite the torrential rain and thunder. My friend said I looked like I had lost a lot of weight since the last time he saw me a few months ago.:T I was wearing boots so I think it was more flattering with my navy dress.

I just took a favourite red and black dress to be altered as it is getting too big for me. It won't be ready for the weekend but I will pick it up next week.

We are now meeting another friend on Saturday in the evening. I haven't seen him in about 6 years again. My life stopped when my husband got ill! His girlfriend will be there too, who I haven't even met yet.

We have the gig on Friday and then we are going to travel back from the coast on the Saturday and then go to see a film and then the cafe and then go home and get changed and then go out again in the evening. Quite a lot on for one weekend!:rotfl:

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

On Tuesday I took my sister J, my daughter and my son for a 2 course Caribbean meal with cocktails at Leiland restaurant. I used a Groupon I had previously bought for £37.40 which saved me £98.20 compared to paying the menu prices on the day. :j:D:T

All 4 of us really enjoyed our meals. For our starter, my sister J and I had saltfish fritters, tartar sauce and salad, my daughter and son had fried peppered steak with African spices with salad leaves and pepper sauce. For our mains my son and I had jerk chicken, rice and peas and salad, my sister J had curry goat, rice & peas and salad, my daughter had steak, hand cut twice fried chips and salad.

My sister J and I had a Mojito cocktail and my daughter and son had a Tequila Sunrise cocktail

My sister J and I then stayed in the restaurant after we had our meal for Karaoke. We both sang 3 songs each, then we left Karaoke early. My sister was feeling tired and she wanted to get her packing done. :cool:

My sister J went home to Sunderland yesterday afternoon, after having a really good, fun filled visit with us, which was just what she needed as she had been feeling really depressed. I gave her £200 to cover all of her costs for the visit, as otherwise she would not have been able to afford the associated costs of the visit. She has returned home happy and feeling much stronger and able to face the challenges in her life.

Yesterday evening I went to Karaoke. I had a really enjoyable, fun evening. I sang 4 of my usual songs and I also sang I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor for the 1st time in public!

maman

Its all happening chez Wednesday. Lots of lovely trips and visits to friends.:T

Is your sister still with you sugarbaby? It's good that you both enjoy the same things so she can go with you.:) ETA: cross posted, you certainly gave her a good time to remember.:)

savingfortomorrow wrote: »

I am trying to meal plan. Just wondering how do you manage items with short lives and perishables. I find it hard but have started freezing portions of soup. I have been spending too much on lunch, not nice ones but empty joyless food.

I do a weekly meal plan and shop sft and seem to manage fine with fresh stuff over that period of time. I think the fact that SMs are starting to sell more loose vegetables and fruit helps too as you don't need to buy too much. If I think I've got something (e.g. carrots or peppers) that I won't use in time I chop them up and put them in the freezer then when I'm making a casserole or soup it's all there ready. Is that what you meant?

As for lunches, I suppose it depends what facilities you have at work. Personally I try to eat a limited amount of bread so wouldn't want a daily sandwich. Some people take salads in a box, with couscous or pasta to bulk it up and perhaps soup for colder weather. Most of my lunches are left overs from the day before or jacket potatoes. Even making your own 'meal deal' sandwiches and buying multipacks of crisps and drinks in advance is far cheaper than buying on the run.

I've been for an ultrasound this morning. My GP sent me because I'd been feeling bloated and couldn't explain why. All seems to be fine so not a gynae problem which I'm pleased about. Even there I had a compliment!:D I said to the two nurses that I'd deliberately worn a skirt because I realised that would make for simple access to my tummy and they said they'd noticed how well dressed I was. I suppose they see all sorts and when you have a hospital appointment maybe looking good is the last thing on your mind.

I feel more confident and in control when I look my best so it was worth making the effort. It's grey and cool here today so I wore my dark green, patterned White Stuff skirt with black leggings and ballet pumps, atoning green top and short cardigan and then my black quilted jacket. I seem to live in this jacket as it's so serviceable for all occasions. maybe I should buy another?;)

Next thing on my list is to make an appointment to have my feet done. I think I'll go to the podiatrist this time rather than have a pedicure as painted nails aren't a priority at this time of the year.

lessonlearned

Well I painted my toenails last night. :rotfl: no reason - just because. Although I need to see a podiatrist soon. Also need to book a hair cut.

The other day I stood behind a lady in our local bakery who also do lunch deals etc. Their hot pork and stuffing "cobs" are to die for. :rotfl: I often see builders and construction workers stoking up on those for breakfast.

Anyway she bought a large cheese salad roll and a cake. It came to £3.75. I bought a pack of 6 bread rolls for £1.80. Now I know that's quite expensive for bread rolls - supermarket ones are cheaper. But this was a proper bakery that bakes really nice bread which seems to be purer and with fewer additives than mass produced bread.

I can actually eat their bread without feeling too bloated and uncomfortable so I don't mind paying a bit extra. I don't eat bread very often but when I do I like to buy it from our local bakery.

Like Maman says if she then spent a couple of £s on fillers she could have had a weeks worth of lunches for around £5. As it is she's spending around £20, not counting drinks and any other snacks.

But of course I'm preaching to the choir here.

SFT do you have access to a microwave. My son did so I used to make extra for dinner and he would take the leftovers for lunch. He loved it, especially in winter when he really appreciated something hot. He also used to take those sachets of porridge for a mid morning snack - second breakfast. :rotfl:

His work was very physical and he burned off a lot of energy. He is "slender". Ok he looks like an advert for Oxfam :rotfl: perfectly healthy but he needs a lot of calories to remain a healthy weight. Rather than filling him up with unhealthy c r a p and stodgy bread products I used to pack him good hearty casseroles, stews, chillies, shepherds pie, stuffed jacket potatoes etc.

Great day yesterday, managed to save £294 on my car insurance. And of course I also saved around £270 last month by switching energy suppliers. Worth doing but oh what a faff. Wouldn't it be nice if they started rewarding loyal customers instead of penalising them, but no, all the best deals go to attracting new business. :mad: I have got loads of paperwork to catch up on too. Hate the job, but at least that's the financial stuff out of the way for now.

Lovely weather here too yesterday so managed to get out in the garden and mow the lawn. It has to go - it damn near finished me off. So sore and stiff this morning. Need to chase the landscaper and make sure he's booked in for the spring. Going to rip up the lawn and redesign the space. Maybe a mini orchard but with a Japanese twist. Can finalise the design later but I need to get him booked, he's booked up months in advance. A good sign. I do need to make the garden a bit more easy maintenance. I'm not getting any younger......ha ha.

Maman.....how nice that you are getting so many compliments. It's good for our morale. It's definitely worth making the effort. It always helps me whenever I have a stressful or unpleasant situation to deal with. It's my "armour". Like you say, it helps me feel in control. Glad the ultrasound went well. Take care.

I'm off out this afternoon, going to go into the city and have a nice mooch. I have an unexpected clear day because Granny duty was cancelled. He has a poorly tummy so mummy is staying with him. As I'm not needed I shall stay away......you know what my digestive system is like. I try and avoid sick people.......

Grey and chilly here. I will wear my fuscia pink wool jacket. Nice and bright for a grey day.

maman

I agree that all this shopping around is a huge faff LL. It's as if everyone is out to try and con you and put up prices just because they can. And these days it's not just an odd penny here and there. The milk I buy went up from £1.20 to £1.60 overnight, that's a 33% rise!:eek: I find it hugely patronising, it's as if they think we're too stupid to notice. :mad:

You made some good savings though which will all help pay for all these renovations and refurbishments.

I've been out for coffee with a friend today. It was bright and sunny this morning so I thought I'd go to town on Fab Friday. I wore my black and white wrap around dress with a thin, long sleeved black top and leggings underneath. I think it's really a summer dress but as it's a dark colour it works for layering. Most of these dresses that are around this season seem fairly lightweight so layering has to be the way to go.

This is the article on the Golden Age of the Frock from Wednesday's paper.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2019-10-02/times2/the-best-dresses-this-autumn-welcome-to-the-golden-age-of-the-great-frock-pfn3pp8c0

They seem to be wearing boots with many of the dresses which is something Wednesday does a lot. I've not ventured into boots yet.

Not got too much on this weekend except football on Sunday so I'll potter about, do a bit of batch cooking and some pampering. I have 2 bags for the CS too so I'll drop those off and then start another.

lessonlearned

Good morning lovely ladies.

Interesting about frocks. For years I didn't even own one, now I love them. I have also started wearing skirts more often, in fact I have bought quite a few for winter. Mainly longer ones to wear with knee high boots. I am actually quite bored with jeans now. I still wear them of course because they are very useful but I just feel they are so pass! now. :rotfl:

sooooooo last century dahhhhlings. :rotfl:

Ah well back to the beams.......;). Then I've got a huge pile of ironing. I'll have a day off tomorrow. Going to hit the shops and lunch with a friend.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Yesterday I woke up feeling a bit on the rough side with the symptoms of a cold. I had bought myself a ticket for the Wahala Comedy Clash Jamaica Versus England at the Indigo at The 02. So I had to dose myself up with over the counter flu medication all day and throat lozenges so that I would be well enough to attend and I am so glad that I went.

All through the evening, I laughed so much, that I cried and my sore throat got even more sore. :cool: I did a lot of sitting down dancing as well. I had treated myself to a VIP ticket for this show. I had the time of my life. :j Every single one of the comedians were at the top of their game and so were the DJ's. I had a free ticket for the after party because I had bought a VIP ticket, but I was so tired, that I decided to give it a miss and I went home.

Today, I feel even worse, so I switched on the central heating so that I could feel cosy and warm and I have my feet up on my sofa watching programmes I have recorded. I am having lots of fluids and flu medication and rest. I hope to feel somewhat better by tomorrow.

Lambeth Council Tax department have now decided that I have to lose just over £6 a week of my council tax support because out of the blue, they are saying that my son still lives at home while he is at University. I provided proof that he lived in his Urbanest student accommodation in Waterloo and asked them to look at the decision again. Now they say that a supervisor looked at the decision again and now I have an amended council tax bill to pay of £181.18 :mad: No one can explain to me, that they accepted the fact that he had moved out of home, to go to University last September and now a year later, someone in the Lambeth Benefits department has randomly decided that my son lives at home despite the proof I sent to them that has shown that he lives in his Urbanest student accommodation. :mad: I will have to pay the bill and then continue to fight the decision or I will be having threatening letters very soon from the Council Tax department. :eek: I really could do without all of this stress. Why does common sense never prevail with Lambeth council employees?