Frump to Fab - A Whole New World.

savingfortomorrow

The weather is really after taking a turn for the cold and it is very damp. It is really hard to be fab without a good foundation of warm shoes and layers. I just try and keep warm- being thankful the mask is covering the red nose from the sub-zero temperatures. 
I made a warm salad dinner- leftover rice, some cannellini beans, and mixed stir
fry with more beans. It was like a normal salad but warm. I had some warm lentil soup.  There is nothing better than a warm soup on a winter's day. 

Wednesday2000

Saving - yum, lentil soup.

It was foggy and bitter here yesterday. I've been so freezing yesterday and this morning! I am going through my wardrobe again and looking for thin layers to wear. I had a hot bath and now I'm wearing my black thermal top, a black dress, a thin black top over the dress and then a cardigan over that and I'm finally warm!

I am washing my husband's warm hats as I need to go out for a walk later and want to be as cosy as I can. I don't know why I'm feeling the cold so much. I think I will have to get my thyroid checked next year. It might just be that this winter has been very mild up until now and it's a shock now it's finally cold.

My mood has really lifted due to the vaccine and just hoping like life will go back to some sort of normal next year.

I'm also enjoying chatting with a lot of new people on YouTube and seeing "live" music again. I have booked another ticket for an online streaming event. It is Pete Tong doing Ibiza dance classics at the O2 in London. It means I have three concerts to watch in the next fortnight.

candygirl

SFT the salad n soup both sound lush.I'm gonna make some spicy lentil soup later now 😋
WEDNESDAY  music is so uplifting isn't it? I've got my sad lamp on, n am listening to Bob Dylan .He sold his back catalogue for a mere 300 million last week 😯😯I wonder if He needs a new girlfriend or nurse ? 🤔😉🤣

maman

I like warm salads too sft.   I first discovered them years ago in France using bacon lardons. 😋

I was at the funeral yesterday. It got me thinking how much this thread has lifted my self esteem because when LL  started it I really felt like an anonymous bag lady. I know the most important thing about funerals is being there to support the family but I do think dressing appropriately is respectful. Maybe that's old fashioned thinking. 🤔 It was foggy and bitterly cold but with a thermal layer underneath and socks under my boots I stayed warm. 

It's brighter today. I will go out as I have some shopping to do but not sure about walking. Just getting out in the fresh air and daylight is helpful. 

I gave my fringe  a slight trim this morning. I need to decide whether I need a hair appointment this side of Christmas. There is a chance that more lockdown might come after the Christmas ease up so I don't want to be caught out. At the moment, our trip to London is still on for Saturday. DH is nervous about it because he thinks it's a political decision not to put the capital into Tier 3. I plan to be sensible with masks and sanitiser and social distance. It's a difficult one. 🤔

sukeyboo

Brighter here too today maman - not too surprising as we aren’t too far apart geographically speaking 😀. Glad you managed to stay warm at the funeral yesterday as it was bitterly cold and damp. Hope your trip to London goes well.

I must start having more soup SFT - do you make your own? 

Your gigs sound like fun Wednesday our broadband is so slow as we are quite rural so it is difficult to access online streaming services without it buffering all the time 🙁.

Candygirl - sounds like a plan to be Bob Dylan’s new girlfriend or nurse - 300 million WOW 😱

Had my hair cut last week at the new hairdressers but she cut it much shorter than I really wanted - still, at least I am not seeing too many people at the moment and it will soon grow 😉.

savingfortomorrow

I hope bob Dylan is able to use the mo eye to create a foundation that helps other artists and provide charitable giving for some of it. He might have felt more able to control usage, potential commercial limitations and set terms selling it rather than leaving things to heirs.  I just hope he uses the money in the spirit he lived his life and the values his songs indicate. Maybe I am thinking too deeply about it. 

Surely I make my own soup as it started with the lentil mountain st the start of lockdown. I had to use it up for something and I hot on this version of spicy tomato soup with a bit of miso paste. I toss in an occasional potato or beans to bulk it up but generally it costs under a euro for 5 days of lunches.  I can't digest fat so store bought with cream and butter are impossible. I'm trying to avoid wastage of packaging from commercial products so prefer making as much from scratch. I sound like a hippie but honestly this lockdown has changed priorities and made me focus on the cost of waste and my impact. 

I walked a bit yesterday and the Physio was right I would feel it. The back was sore last week and took it easy so can only go every second day  it feels great to be under orders to do nothing but relax today and tomorrow  I will go. But I know if I pushed it there is a chance I would do nothing for a week. Slowly slowly get there. 

I have to do a deep clean of my bedroom. Dust, declutter that pile in the corner that the tax documents live in. Actually it is an ecosystem with linen that is going to be donated and a box on top. A good half an hour will be great and will keep me out of shops. 

Has anyone else really changed their outlook to be really anticommericalism and conscious consumption during the lockdowns. I feel like I have seen what I really need and have been focused to reduce things I don't. Now with christmas and the highly packed stuff in shops I have no desire to give or recieve more that is not practical or truly beautiful.  I'm faced with having to purchase something for a non minimalist for secret santa and it is putting me under more stress than is normal. I don't enjoy the process of buying pure impractical stuff. Anyway a candle will do, I have to reduce stress and just buy it and settle on it. 
 

maman

I love lentil soup sft. It's my favourite.😋 I was all set to make some at the weekend then noticed I had very few lentils in the cupboard. I'd have been disappointed if it wasn't thick enough so it's on next week's list! 😉

Well done on starting on the exercise. Slowly does it. 😊

I think we all have to prioritise what we spend money on and with shops not being open for many weeks and the mindset of not making unnecessary journeys then I have found it easier to focus on wants rather than needs. I do some online shopping but very little. I'm not a fan of Amazon so try to avoid it.   I might 'window shop' clothes online but  I'd rather touch them before buying. I'm happy to buy heavy, electrical goods that need to be delivered but that's almost it.  DH buys a lot of books but they're mainly out of print ones on eBay. Mostly I've been to supermarkets only except when I've been to, for example, a hair appointment when I've done non food shopping at the same time in the bigger shops. 

I think experiences are good as gifts if you know what the other person would like  or otherwise something consumable as a treat. So food or drink or a candle would be fine. If you have Aldi then I can really recommend the Jo Malone fakes. I like the No.1 perfume. 

I'm having a pottering day today. I've done a bit of ironing and  washing  and will do some cooking later. Tomorrow we've booked a NT property. We're going later in the afternoon so that as well as the the  decorations inside the house we can enjoy the lights in the grounds. 

helensbiggestfan

Good morning lovely ladies....just dropping by...

I am having a lovely time, reading all your posts.  I do keep up with you all but since my reduction of internet time I no longer feel compelled to post every single day. I have to say reducing my consumption of social media has done me so much good, I feel so much more engaged with Real  Life now.  And the bonus......I have more time. 

I am not criticising the internet, I think it's a wonderful tool and it helped me enormously when I was at my lowest ebb, but I do feel I was spending too much time "in space"  and not enough in the real world.  It's all about balance.  

Which is also how I feel about the whole minimalism/consumerism thing. I can't say that lockdown has had any noticeable effect on my feelings, I have always hated excessive consumerism and tasteless displays of conspicuous consumption or extravagant displays of wealth. Working in the housing industry and selling to very rich, obnoxious clients who had no idea of good taste, discretion or even simple good manners taught me so much.  Rich or poor - people are people, some are nice, some aren't.  

I have a mantra which sums up how I feel......."Money talks, wealth whispers".  No need to flaunt your money, it doesn't make you look big or clever, quite the reverse.  Similarly you don't need riches to lead a rich and rewarding life. "An elegant sufficiency" is plenty.  

Whilst I dislike clutter, and especially what I consider tat (others might not😁). I never judge others on their tastes but I do think there's an awful lot of dross in the shops, especially at Christmas and I abhor the waste, the exploitation of low paid workers and the destruction of the environment.  I guess in the end we just have to do what makes us feel happy and comfortable.  True minimalism isn't for me.....a bit stark and cold, I aim for sophisticated, elegant but with added cosyness and comfort.  😂🤣. But yes, I do find the excess, the greed and the wastefulness of western society both extremely distasteful and rather worrying.  Our throwaway society is our shame,  

Candy......which brings me to Dylan. Reminds me of that old question that stuffy academics tried to ask in the 60s ....."is Dylan a better poet than Keats".  😂🤣.   Of course the answer is.....they each wrote for the times in which they lived so you can't compare.  I can definitely see the attraction, he's as sharp as a razor, always was but for me my particular crushes were Lennon and Bowie.  (Can you believe that is 40 years since Lennon was murdered. 8th December 1980.....seems like yesterday). 

Let  me share something with you.  It's rather a sweet and touching story, even though It doesn't show me in a good light.  

Years ago I had long term admirer who was a dead ringer for Bob Dylan.  His name was Ronnie and he adored me.   Everyone else knew, even my own parents had guessed and would tease me about him but I was genuinely completely oblivious to his feelings about me. I told my parents they were way off beam.  He was "just Ronnie".  He was my friends brother and I had no idea how he felt until just after my 16th Birthday when he made his move and declared his undying love and passion for me.   He was older than me so had waited patiently until I was "legal". 😂🤣.  He had been telling all his family for years that I was The One and he wanted to marry me. I was astonished, I had no idea. Absolutely clueless.   Sadly I didn't feel the same and he was crushed.  I married someone else and he joined the army.  I don't think I led him on as such, I'm not heartless 😂 but I was very young and did rather enjoy the attention, because apart from being nice, he looked like Dylan. Bonus.!!  

A few years later, when he found out that my first marriage had failed, he tried again.  Bless him, he was lovely but he just didn't rock my world the way I obviously rocked his. My friend and the whole family were so upset and I felt terribly guilty but you can't fall in love to order can you.😉. The heart wants what the heart wants and that's all there is to it.  

SFT. I think the candle sounds like a great idea, no it's not an essential but it's a pleasure to use and it doesn't add to clutter.  I don't know if I always get it right but the criteria I use when buying gifts that the recipient will enjoy is I try to make it a "treat", maybe something that they might not buy for themselves because either money is tight or because they think it is perhaps either a luxury or too frivolous and so can't justify buying it for themselves.  I think a nice scented candle would fit that criteria.  Both frivolous and practical. 😁. 

I finally managed to get my hair cut and a massage.  I feel much better now and have booked another massage for next week.  Going to have one a week now until Christmas, get rid of all the knots and kinks.  

Right coffee break over, I'm having a good clean up of the top bedroom (currently just a storage room at the moment).   It was a shambles, I do need to do a thorough declutter up there but that will have to wait until the new year, so for now it's just a good tidy up.  

Almost the solstice and the shortest day......how did that happen.  Like many I shall be glad to see the back of 2020, although the outlook is looking a lot less bleak now. 

I am looking forward to 2021.....hopefully a fresh start and a new beginning.....

savingfortomorrow

Thanks LL and maman for the thumbs up on the candle- it is not normal how much the idea of secret Santa scares me. Well, this year not so much. 
I had a mini declutter today, more to go, and honestly that's ok. I didn't buy everything the same day- little steps. 

I don't use social media a lot, I really only comment here- I guess shared mission of becoming more fab. I was an early user of facebook and when I noticed it going toxic and making me feel like everyone had a wonderful life when I could not afford a pint of milk - I got rid of it. Heavily curated images can lower self-esteem. I was the same with Instagram but it feels like everyone is hawking something-  too commercialized and it does not help my spending, I prefer using youtube as I cook or clean, podcasts that inspire and give insight.  the podcasts distract me from the cold and miles walked, transport me to a foreign soil; allowing me to walk further listening to someone's fascinating story, 

Well my amazon shopping days are over it seems- from January customs and duty are payable, and limited returns. I guess I could use amazon in Germany using auto-translate but it is very messy. I have a gift card to use up and better be fast. I have a list of sites I have bought from in the past and its going to be difficult to find alternatives.  

candygirl

SFT I think Bob is very philanthropic, n will probably  also  set ALL his kids up very nicely indeed 😉
LL , aww your young admirer sounds lovely,  but we often let the good ones slip through our fingers .Luckily You went on to meet Mr LL , and were so happy with him ❤
I can't believe it's 40 years since Lennon was killed I remember a lot of our teachers crying that day  
Still undecided about the covid vaccine.I saw a video that said it contains aborted foetuses , which alarmed me! X