Frump to Fab - A Whole New World.

helensbiggestfan

Pixie......I think I'll pass on the corona diet, if I possibly can. 😂🤣.  I think you are right, I definitely eat more when I mope about.  I have worked myself to a standstill too but I feel so much better for getting off my derrière and getting stuck in.  My mum always used to say that work was the best antidote  to low mood.  She suffered quite badly from SAD but she would give herself a good talking too, put the radio on sing along whilst she bustled about the kitchen. She said she always better afterwards.  In the end I bought her a radio /cd player .....remember those. 😂 and some of her favourites, Cliff, the Beatles and David Bowie.  She loved Bowie.  

I find music lifts my spirits too. Last night I watched some of my favourites on U-tube.  Roxy Music and then Both Bowie and Queen's sets on Live Aid. I adored Freddie Mercury. Best rock band front man in the world, ever.  He had the audience just eating out of his hand.  Then to finish off The "Elephant Medley" from "Moulin Rouge", one of my all time favourites. Nicole Kidman looks stunning and sings so beautifully and Ewan McGreggors  smile is enough to make any woman melt. 

Has anyone seen the Film "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen". Ewan is in that with Emily Blunt and he's just adorable.  I can thoroughly recommend it. A lovely sweet romance.  

SUgarbaby.....so glad your lungs have got the all clear.  You must be so relieved. I read somewhere that they reckon about 30% of people will have long term lung damage.  Hopefully your energy levels will eventually improve. I think you are probably wise not to worry too much about weight loss until you are fully recovered.  Just eat well. Maybe take some supplements or vitamins to give you a boost.  Maybe as you get more active again the weight might start to come off.  Anyway well done on the fabbing.  You really can't go wrong with skin care, it pays dividends, especially in the long term.  

My chiro hadn't seen me for a few years. (2016 when I had the car crash and she did my physio). The first thing she said was how well I looked, and that my skin was "glowing" and  that I no longer looked strained and stressed.  I think she's right, even my hair seems a bit thicker these days.  I must be doing something right. 😂. Anyway, SUgarbaby, hope you have a lovely party.  The menu sounds great as usual.  What are you going to wear.  

Right enough prattle.  I'm hungry.  Sausage for dinner.  Not exactly traditional Sunday dinner menu but who cares.  I'm aiming for 10 portions of fruit and veg per day...... want to be super healthy.  Apparently the Okinawans consume about 17 portions of fruit and veg per day.  4 so far.  3 with dinner, raspberries for pudding....take me to 8 so maybe a banana and some cherries for Evening munchies instead of chocolate, Pringles or biscuits.  😂.  

Can I keep it up ......

sheilavw

well you are all not alone with weight gain. I don't feel as I've over eaten but gained about 6 or 7 lbs which I need to get off. my gym (usually just swim 40 lengths 2/3 times a week) reopened saturday so got aqua class booked with a friend in the morning. I am also going to go back down in the evening with my Sister to do my lengths for first time since early mid/early March , she likes the sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. Hopefully the pounds will come off. I have been getting plenty of steps in each day especially with giving my youngest Daughters 2 puggles a good walk when she's working!

maman

It's your namesake's birthday today helen and she's looking really good on it. 😁
That's excellent news about your chest x-rays sugarbaby, delighted for you. It's obvious that you're more your old self with fabbing and planning gifts and celebrations. It's great too that home cooking is firmly established. I'm sure your grandson will appreciate it. 😋

Not that I'm boasting 🤣😇 but I've stuck to healthy eating through lockdown. I think it's partly because we've not been able to eat out so I've been more in control of meals. I'm always disappointed with how much bread, pastry, deep frying etc features in restaurant meals and how little veg. ☹️
It'll be interesting to see what the government plans are for losing weight. Maybe it'll be Boris's personal plan. 😁 Like pixie, it would be a waste of time prescribing cycling for me. I can't even ride a bike. It's a throwback to being brought up in hilly Wales.😊

Wednesday2000

I hope so Chanie. I am going to visit the chazzers one day this week and want to get some new clothes to dye. 

I've been using the jet washer today again. I have used it more during lockdown than any time since I've lived here. I want to keep the drive and patio this clean from this point onwards. The garden looks much tidier without the lean to. I got the panels taken away yesterday.

I have had a mini break from being online today as well. I always feel this way on a Sunday for some reason.

I am having a warm bath and doing a clay mask and cutting, filing and painting my fingernails tonight. Just a nude colour. I bought some nail varnish from Ocado. Leighton Denny. It's good as it doesn't chip easily like so many others.

I haven't got my therapy this week as my therapist is off work. This week I have to start painting the garden fences, dye the grey out of my husband's hair and check the hotel is still open and ready for our weekend away coming up. I am unreasonably excited about leaving the four walls after being cooped up so much! It's meant to be quite hot next weekend which will be nice to get a coastal breeze.

thepurplepixie

LL I'm not keen on the covid diet either, think we should all aim to give that a miss if we can.  I've had a quiet afternoon and feel quite good and the garden looks nice and tidy so quite a good day really.
Maman I learned to ride a bike in my mid 30s, I'd always wanted to do it.  The kids nextdoor thought it was hilarious but I did feel very proud of myself but I'm not a confident cyclist, I can just about do it but you wouldn't want me on a busy road.  My other aim was to learn to skate and I did that in my late 20s, I was definitely more confident on skates than I was on a bike.  I had a secret desire to be on the 4 man bobsleigh, loved watching that at the winter olympics but I fear I am too old for that now.  Maybe I will be one of those people who do something crazy for their 100th birthday, I think they'd have to sit me in it to start as I don't think I'll be up to running along and jumping in but who knows I might be a very spritely 100.

savingfortomorrow

I had an egg white and red pepper omelette and beans for breakfast. For dinner i had frozen mixed veg, salmon, quinoa kale and pomegranate  salad with chickpeas.  I had a snack of raspberries with fat free vanilla skyr.  I definitely got the ten portions of veg in today. I am trying to avoid simple carbohydrates like white pasta, rice and bread  with every meal and eat more complex carbohydrates.  It forces me to be more creative. 
I started stock piling a little I bought 6 packets of pinto beans and 8 cartons of oat milk, The long shelf life will be great if needed. I know that it is not really needed but it makes me feel more organized to have extra in ahead of the winter.  

helensbiggestfan

Well done SFT on the 10 portions of f&v. 😂.  Your approach is similar to mine, avoiding "white" carbs and eating plenty of "green carbs".  As you say it does force you to be creative when you can't fall back on wheat, rice or potatoes.  

Maman.....I didn't realise Helen Mirren was 75. As you say she's wearing it well.  I have just been looking at pics of her, always so well groomed and even when she dresses down she still manages to exude glamour.  I watched an Interview  with Joan Collins the other day, another very well groomed and glamorous woman.  

Another of my favourite women died today...,.,the actor Dame Olivia De Havilland, aged 104.  What a long life.  Another very glamorous lady and incidentally a very brave one who took on the Hollywood moguls and fought for actors rights.   Hopefully they might show some of her films on tv as a tribute.  I know she's probably most famous for her role as Melanie in "Gone With the Wind". but my favourite is "The Heiress".  She plays down her beauty in a role as a plain and dowdy spinster who is dominated by a bullying father.   It's rather a sad film in a way, I found the ending very poignant, but she rightfully won an Oscar for her performance.  

Well chiro tomorrow, then afterwards hopefully might have a mooch round a couple of chazzers. I don't "need" anything but you never know, I might spot something gorgeous going for a song. 😉

thepurplepixie

Funny morning.  We had quite a hard lockdown due to DHs condition I probably went out for a walk twice in the first 8 weeks of lockdown, saw grandsons on the drive and I stood at frontdoor and talked to them.  Didn't go in a shop, eased up as time went on but only had something to eat out once, bacon roll at the open are beach cafe, have been in supermarkets maybe half a dozen times.  I didn't find it that hard, just had to be done.  Missed seeing family but otherwise just got on with it and felt lucky we didn't have money worries.  I went into Sainsbury's this morning to pick something up from Argos for DH.  As I was waiting in the queue I suddenly had this overwhelming feeling of sadness about how life is, I felt like having a cry but managed to control myself.  Not sure what that brought that on today, it was such a strong feeling.  It is a bit bleak here today, very grey and raining so maybe that added to the mood and of course the place was full of families on holiday looking for things to entertain kids who won't be spending the day on the beach.  It always makes me feel a bit sad when I see that and think of young families who save for a week or two at the seaside and the weather is awful.  I think I need to get a grip.

helensbiggestfan

Hello Lovely Ladies..

Pixie....how strange you should say that. Ditto.  

 I went to our mega Sainsburys today, first time since Lockdown and had more or less the same feelings.  It just felt so depressing, so bleak.  I went upstairs and had a look round the clothes, then the housewares.  I ended up spending just £11 On milk and a few bits.  As I walked round it felt so odd. Constant messages on the tannoys about staying safe, distancing, being shepherded by the staff to avoid any possible queues or congestion points.  I couldn't fault them really but it all felt so strange everyone wearing masks, staying well clear of each other, no one chattering or laughing, everyone intent on just getting the job done. It was the most depressing experience and it felt utterly surreal, like something out of a dystopian science fiction movie.  It felt like I'd stepped into the Handmaids Tale. 

Like you I ended up feeling so sad and really low.  I usually enjoy shopping, even supermarket shopping but today it was a really grisly experience.  How on earth did it come to this and how and when will it end........I certainly won't bother again.  I'll just stick with Aldi and the occasional foray into the small Asda or the out of town M&S food hall.  All much smaller shops, so not a vast array of choice but a far more pleasant shopping experience.  

On a more cheery note.....I have had my chiro treatment this Morning.  Things feel a bit easier.  And on an even more cheery note I have booked a hair cut for Thursday.  I just rang on a whim, expecting them to tell me no chance or at least a long wait so I was delighted when they offered me Thursday Morning.  It will be my first foray into the city centre since February.  😱

Wednesday2000

((Hugs)) to TPP and LL I think most of us have all felt a bit lost and strange as these are extremely weird times.

I have felt very isolated during lockdown. It has made me look at my life and realise that I need more friends. I have quite a lot of people I talk to regularly online every day but I usually base my social life (back when I could go out and have one!) around my husband or my brother. Caring for my husband when he was ill with cancer and then being ill myself meant I cut a lot of social connections out. I am determined to join meet-up groups and socialise more when it is safe to do so.

I am feeling a lot more positive now things as things are slowly getting back to normal (hopefully) and I called the hotel for this weekend today and she said everything was normal apart from the restaurant there not being open. I have already booked a different restaurant that we both loved so that isn't a problem.

I am planning on going out to the chazzers tomorrow or Wednesday. I'm wondering if there will be queues outside or if it will be quiet. It's hard to tell.