Frump to Fab 2021

maman

The thread is feeling very positive, must be the good weather! 😊

I'm so pleased the various purchases are proving a success. I'm wearing the very last pair of old socks today. As the week's gone through I've gradually been throwing them out before starting on my new pack. 

We went to the seaside today, probably the first time since October when we had a day in Bournemouth. It was so invigorating to breathe in the sea air. having been brought up by the sea, I've missed it so much. I don't feel particularly glamorous as I didn't was my hair in case it got blown around but it was calm and sunny so I needn't have worried. I took a coat but didn't need it just a thin top and an open cardigan. 

One of the house fabbing things I did last weekend was to open a reed diffuser that I bought at Christmas time. It's one of the Aldi, Jo Malone copies. I've put half in the bathroom and half in the hall. It smells gorgeous. I need to buy some candles as we've worked through all I had in stock. For basic (not perfumed) ones I like Ikea so need to take a trip there when I'm in the mood. I could look at what they have in the way of side tables too. 

There's a programme on BBC2 tonight about the history of make up. It's both about the various fashions over time and how they made the products. I think tonight features the Georgians and the way they (men and women)  liked those pale white faces and loads of rouge. 

thepurplepixie

Glad you enjoyed your day at the beach Maman.  I'm feeling very positive, just heard from tradesman who is going to repair some render on our house, then paint it and relay patio is ready to start on Monday.  The house really needs doing but it is a 4 bed detached so is a big job and not cheap but it will give me such a lift, it should probably have been done 2 years ago and then last year it wasn't top of our worries so here we are.

I'm going to rope GS in at the weekend to clear everything off the patio, bit of work will do him good and he can earn some pocketmoney.

I've got my new socks on Maman, they feel lovely and soft so not just the house being fabbed, mind you the house being fabbed costs about 1000 times more than the socks but hey fab is fab it isn't all about money is it.

Talking about money we went to Trago Mills yesterday, don't know if anyone has been when on holiday down here but it is a place for bargains.  I was looking for something for the bathroom light, I didn't want downlighters as I get migraines and have to be careful as lights trigger me.  I wanted a round white glass shade but they have gone out of fashion and I was struggling to find one.  Anyway I found one at Trago and it cost me £2.12 and it looks great so that was a bargain.  I know it is mad when I'm spending thousands on bathroom and painting and so on but it still pleased me.  DH had a bit of a gulp at how much we are spending but I pointed out we haven't spent a penny on maintaining our biggest asset for several years so this is a catch up.  The bathroom is the original when the house was build in the 80s and it is decidedly 80s so well overdue for a refit, I think the house was painted 12 years ago so again it was needed.  Probably a good job we had our lockdown savings to help finance it all.

I'll try and calm down now as I'm getting too excited.

maman

Yes, pixie, I've been to Trago Mills. Fascinating place, they seemed to sell all sorts. DH still has a pair of wellies that he bought there on a short break in Devon some years back. 😊

I've just had a shower and washed my hair. Odd time of the day but we've had painters from early this morning working on outside the house. That meant having windows open including the bathroom! 🤣

Yesterday I was filing away/shredding some paperwork and came across my cc bill for Feb/March 2020. It had restaurants, flights, clothes shopping, train tickets, gallery entry..... all sorts of things that we haven't been able to do since. How life has changed. 🤔

Not hugely impressed with the fashion pages today. One article was about wearing pink which is definitely not my colour and another was about jumpsuits! I like the two I have (one strappy, one sleeveless)  but no the 'boiler suit' type they were featuring. I did like this quote about fashion rules in an article about dressing for your age. It was because the journalist's mother had complained to her that it was hard to know about fashion when you get older. 

So what are the rules now? The same ones that we should all follow: don’t buy things that will only fit on “thin” days or that you can’t imagine wearing more than a handful of times. Check the fabric. Wear shoes you can walk in. Black can look draining on anyone, but you can fix that with a bit of lipstick. Apart from that . . .

I went to Matalan today just because I was in the shop next door. I didn't buy anything but they did have a number of nice viscose dresses. So not a natural fabric but it hasn't got that slippy, prickly, synthetic feel that many cheaper fabrics have. I looked at some beach dresses and bikinis too but I think that would be tempting fate. 

It's been nice today but not so sunny. Still good though. 😊

thepurplepixie

Oh yes Trago would be good for wellies.  It is also great for DIY stuff, the GC love the train ride and the amusements.  Something for everyone at Trago.

Just been to the beach, blue skies and very bright but strong winds and the sea was angry.  We sat in a beach side cafe, it is a nice one with a terrace surrounded by glass walls so quite sheltered although with no roof there was still a bit of wind.  Had a cuppa and a toasted teacake.  We live the highlife down here. My ears are still stinging from the wind but it was worth it, blowing the cobwebs away indeed.

Vaccine day tomorrow, sounds like we will need a booster in a few months but nice to get the first two done.  All my kids have had their first jabs now, one has had his second so I am grateful for the vaccination programme and all working on it.  Our numbers are very low now, don't know if everywhere is the same but I think numbers are down generally, we even had a couple of days this week with no confirmed cases so I hope that continues.

I hope everyone is well and safe.

Toni'sfriend

Pixie - I've just received my appointment for my second jab. I'm so relieved because just about everyone else I know (who were younger and had their first one after me) had already had notification but it's because I'm being sent to a centre much nearer which is only open two days a week now.

My third delivery of cushions arrived today. Just finishes it off perfectly and the difference to my back pain is amazing.

Oh how I would love to live by the sea.

maman

Gosh TF, how many cushions did you get!!🤣 Glad you're pleased with them.

Painters here again today so we're working around them. As it's outside, it's not too inconvenient but it is strange, especially when they walk past upstairs windows on the scaffolding. Tomorrow they're putting a top coat on the windows so really hoping the dry weather persists. DH has been checking all the windows to make sure they open freely. Much easier at the back (casements) than the front which are sash. They are lovely but UPVC is much simpler. 

I went out briefly as I had a bit of shopping to do. Not all the charity shops were open but I wasn't in the mood for visiting them anyway. I'm wondering whether there's a problem because so many volunteers are elderly. 

I need to make up my mind about the leopard print skirts.  I noticed in Sainsbury's today that all returns must be made within 28 days of 12th April. They obviously made a concession when non-essential shops were closed but that's over. 

I wore one of my Breton tops out today, not even a cardigan was needed. It hasn't been windy here but we're sheltered unlike on the seafront pixie. One of the excursions we've promised ourselves is a trip to Osborne House. I've been there a few times but always with children in tow and I'd love to just look around on our own. We've had English Heritage membership for over a year but not been able to use it. 

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Toni's Friend, I am glad that you are so pleased with your cushions and the added bonus is that they are helping to alleviate your back pain    

Yesterday I went to participate in a course entitled 'Spoken Word to Art'. It was so great to go out in the sunshine wearing a pair of my Van Dal black patent leather sandals. We were all trying our hand at making a bird out of clay with varying levels of success. I had so much fun, it was great to be socialising with like minded people even with social distancing and we also had to wear masks the entire time we were in the building, but nothing could dent my excitement at being creative once again.   

I bought a used solid oak chest of drawers for my son's bedroom. from eBay at a really good price. It is being delivered tomorrow. I am starting to get my son's bedroom ready for his return home once he completes the last of his exams for his Degree. His last exam is at the beginning of June, so once he has completed that exam, we will plan his return home. I am so looking forward to having him living at home.   

I am still enjoying my bouquets of flowers. Only the roses have not survived, so it is still lovely to come down to my Living room each morning to this riot of beautiful blooms.     

thepurplepixie

Glad you got your appointment Toni'sfriend.  We have had our vaccinations, very quiet at the centre today, nothing like when we went for our first vaccinations.  Very happy to have had them both, I suppose it will be 2 or 3 weeks before the antibodies are fully developed but worth waiting for.

Maman the wind here is wild today, blue skies and sunny but very windy again.  I'm looking forward to work starting next week, neighbours both sides have had theirs painted in the last few months so makes ours look worse.  

Toni'sfriend

It does sound like a lot of cushions, Maman, but it's a mixture of boosters to raise the height of the sofa and scatters to brighten to room up.

A beautiful day here today. We walked to the local fruit shop to get some tomatoes, cucumber and other salad type things. I had grated cheese, grated carrot, cucumber, spring onion and pineapple mixed with a dollop of low calorie mayo. It was really delicious. I'm getting a bit creative with my salads. I'm trying to make sure that I get a proper intake of fruit and veg.

One of my younger neighbours is busy cutting the grass in the communal areas at the moment. He's a real star. He told the council guys not to bother doing it when they came the other day because they don't pick up the grass cuttings and he makes a much better job of it. He's also paved a bit over (not strictly legal because he doesn't own the land) and put up a picnic table and benches. I'm planting up pots of flowers. It's looking really quite nice. Our next communal idea is to plant some climbers to cover some rather ugly railings and screen us of from the lane at the back of the block. Does anyone know enough about gardening to suggest some fast growing plants, preferably evergreen.

Pizza for dinner tonight.

Floss

Not really evergreen, but Russian vine (aka mile-a-minute) is a good quick coverer, or how about ivy?