Frump to Fab - A Whole New World.

sheilavw

Well done Sugarbaby on the weight loss. Fairly mild here. Took my Brother for a drive , lots of walkers out and about. Walked my Daughters dog twice whilst she's at work. Just short of 16k steps so not a bad day. Spotted taxi driver with a passenger in the front neither wearing a mask!  Going to look for something new to watch on prime I think. Enjoy your evening everyone

helensbiggestfan

maman said:

I just hope that someone (maybe his daughter?) tells Trump to stop digging before he drags the presidency further into disrepute. ☹️

Well I can't imagine him being gracious in defeat.......The man has no shame, he is a disgrace to the Office of President.  And I thought Nixon was bad enough.  I dont know much about Biden, he seems to have behaved with some decency but I guess only time will tell.  Just hope he can heal the divisions in America, he's got a mammoth task ahead of him.  

SUgarbaby.......well done on the weight loss, you are doing really well.  

Wednesday......a move to the seaside sounds fab.  I was reading that Rightmove have seen a surge in enquiries for country properties.  It seems Covid has made a lot of city dwellers think twice.  And of course if employers are restructuring to allow more homeworking then people won't be restricted to living within commuter belts.   They can move out a bit and benefit from more affordable properties, cleaner air, less pollution, less congestion.  

Glorious day here.  Unfortunately rain and grey skies will be back soon.  Never mind.  It was nice whilst it lasted.  

chanie

helensbiggestfan said:

Wednesday......a move to the seaside sounds fab.  I was reading that Rightmove have seen a surge in enquiries for country properties.  It seems Covid has made a lot of city dwellers think twice.  And of course if employers are restructuring to allow more homeworking then people won't be restricted to living within commuter belts.   They can move out a bit and benefit from more affordable properties, cleaner air, less pollution, less congestion.  

I can forsee a lot of problems in the future when organisations start demanding people return to the office and their staff have moved to the !!!!!! end of nowhere.  Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that the pandemic has forced employers to open their eyes about how different flexible working options won’t necessarily have a detrimental impact on performance.  But, I think some companies will probably realise they want their staff in the office at least some of the time.

helensbiggestfan

You could well be right Chanie.  I'm sure there will be the usual dinosaurs who resist change. And So much is up in the air.  Who knows what lies ahead. I guess it will take compromise because there will probably always be a need to spend at least some time at an actual place of work, even if it's only a couple of days a week. 

A two hour commute each way every day would be my idea of hell but I dare say I could cope well enough once or twice a week if it meant I could afford a nicer house a bit further out.  

People already commute to London from places as far away as Derby, Nottingham etc. Even without HS2 it only takes about 1hr 45 mins, plus of course getting to and from the main line stations. 

  I do think cities are going to have to evolve though.  So many shops closing.  Many cities now have too much retail and commercial space and not enough residential housing. In some areas city and town centres are starting to resemble ghost towns with as much as a third of the retail units standing empty.   I think the city planners are going to have to be far more innovative, maybe with mixed work/leisure/residential developments.   Our city is already building couple mixed use developments on brownfield sites.  One of them is on the site of an old hospital, great central location. It is selling like hot cakes.  

savingfortomorrow

I think there is still a lot of issues that could arrive and demand media time between now and January 2021. I imagine he will use the time to enrich and protect himself, possibly self-pardon or resignation to get a pardon from the VP. There is still time to make chaos. 

A turn to normal with Biden- who embodies decency and empathy is great, however, Kamala Harris being VP is brilliant. She is so great. I know the bar is low at the minute with politicians not able to speak in full sentences and being disingenuous; but she is marvelous, eloquent, and radiates decency. 

However, given the massive split of the nation, polarized with fox propaganda- it will take time and massive work to overcome the divisive forces of Facebook and Fox news. Honestly, I just think the international reputation of America has taken a massive drop, given how easily the electorate was divided and many felt "free" to spout repugnant nonsense. People from other nations see the fissures of American society laid bare-  visceral racism, limitation of reproductive rights, lack of basic universal healthcare, gun dysregulation and and and ......  It makes me think that all countries have issues, but most try and do something a bit more to solve them. 

sheilavw

up early, shower/hair wash. Used my neom body lotion. Nails gelled, eyebrows plucked and tinted. Dull here but not too cold, rain expected (I think)!

Enjoy your Sunday

helensbiggestfan

SFT.  Great post. As you say America's standing is at an all time low.  How the mighty are fallen.  But.....as we know, all empires crumble in the end.  Watching the US implode is like having a ring seat at the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.   I listened to Andrew Marr this morning, some very interesting guests.  One of them said "whilst history may not repeat itself, we can see cyclical patterns".   

Not sure Biden is the man for the job but I agree it's great to see a female VP.  Perhaps she is the one to watch. Not being ageist but I understand Biden Is 78, can he stay the course.  It's a gruelling job for anyone, you only have to see before and after photos to see the toll it takes on the incumbents. 

  Maybe Harris is being groomed for the top job.  Perhaps the Democrats are playing the long game, at best I think Biden will really only be a caretaker president. I think he's going to struggle getting legislation passed through congress, at least for the first couple of years.  

On a home grown note, I am warming to Keir Starmer.  I wasn't sure at first but I was impressed with his decisiveness at getting rid of Corbyn and tackling anti semitism.  Very much the QC ......waiting until he had sufficient evidence and then, like a Samurai, striking with lethal precision at just the right moment.  A shameful episode within the Labour Party which cost them dearly.  

Hey get me.....getting all philosophical.  Back to the serious business of fabbing.  

Well I am ashamed to say Covid is slowly turning me back into a bag lady.......😂🤣.  Not quite as bad as when this thread started but I don't look or feel good.  Constantly shattered, lots of pain, stomach problems, weight gain, and I throughly dislike my new 1 mile clothes.  I noticed a lot of brown and grey has crept back in to my wardrobe.   Why.  I hate those colours, they do nothing for me.  

I need to get a grip because it's a slippery slope back to bag ladydom, and I refuse to go there.  I'm going to go shopping ASAP and buy some new clothes in brighter  COLOURS.  Lol. 

I might take a leaf out of Wednesdays book and try dying some of my tops as a stop gap measure.  

thepurplepixie

Wednesday I was interested in your thoughts about moving to the coast.  We did it over 20 years ago, it was lovely for my younger two but then they hit their teens and couldn't wait to go so I feel cut off.  I so want to move back to a city, DH can't face it due to his health but I hate it here with every fibre of my being.  It is insular and we are still outsiders, mind you people from the next town are looked on with suspicion here.  I think Brighton and Bournemouth would be different, much more like city living on the coast.  You would have "city" facilities, shops hospitals etc.  Where I am they build more and more houses but they aren't matched with the facilities you need so you have the double whammy of beautiful sites disappearing and the strain on facilities getting worse.
I'm being a misery, can't help it at the moment.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Thank you for your lovely comments about my weight loss, I  greatly appreciate all of them.   

I went out this morning to Morrisons in Camberwell. I did not find what I wanted which was some gold wrapping paper, but it was great to go out in the dry, sunny, cold weather. 

LL, you have caught the rot before it has had time to embed itself in your life, so I know you can take the remedial action that is necessary to halt your descent into being a bag lady. I think you just became too comfortable, which is understandable whilst you navigate your way through this pandemic. I hope you have a lovely visit with your family. 

I wish my Mum was still alive to see a  Black/Indian woman elected as the  American vice president. She would have been amazed and pleased as I am. She was truly stunned when President Obama was sworn in. She was mesmerised as she had never expected to see such a sight as a Black American President in her lifetime.    

helensbiggestfan

Thanks for your confidence in me Sugarbaby.  It's my own fault but as you say, hopefully It's not too late to turn back the tide.  

My stomach problems are entirely self induced but given the hectic pace of  the last few weeks it's understandable. I have had to resort to both stomach meds and pain meds today but they will help get me through the family visit. .  

After that I can get back on track.  

GS is back at nursery 4 days a week as from tomorrow and DIL seems to be doing well, getting back on her feet so thankfully I won't need to be so hands on and I can take a back seat and can concentrate on myself a bit more.  Home cooking, healthy eating, gentle exercise.  I'm sure I'll feel better in a week or so. 

Right food is all prepared, better get changed and put some slap on.  Try and make myself look half decent,