Frump to Fab 2021

Wednesday2000

chanie said:

Wednesday big news about your new ‘city’!!!

I know.:) Great for the area and a lovely legacy.

It was very sad about that MP being murdered as he seemed like a genuinely fine man.

I said this on another thread but the church where that MP was killed was a few mins walk from the first house we saw in Leigh-on-Sea when we were house hunting. When I heard the name of the church on the news I was so shocked. I wanted that house (as it was and is still is my favourite) but it was too far from the C2C train station for my husband's commute to work.

chanie

Wednesday do you have news on your move yet?  Hopefully, the people you are buying from have realised they can’t keep holding up the chain.

I’m looking forward to having some down time whilst I think about my next career move and I will use my time on fabbing and preparing for Christmas.

Wednesday2000

Chanie - we haven't heard anything more, my husband's mobile has been broken for a week but the new one is arriving today and I am going to get him to call our idiot estate agent again. I looked on Rightmove and I have seen another house we would like so that is another option.

What career were you in and what would you like to do instead? I have read that the pandemic has made a lot of people reassess their priorities. That is why we want to move to the sea.

I'm looking forward to Halloween. I want to see Halloween Kills at the cinema and I was going to rewatch all the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Halloween episodes too! I'm such a geek.

I have a music quiz to go to this weekend. It's the first time I've been out since I got ill. I will have finished the course of antibiotics by then. My husband was going to come out too but we couldn't put our dog in at the kennel as it was booked up. We did get a helpful tip though as a woman told us about a kennel she uses quite near to where we are moving to. Apparently some of the "stars" from The Only Way Is Essex use that kennel too, lol.

It is very quiet on here lately, hope everyone is okay.xxx

helensbiggestfan

Hello lovely ladies

good to "see"you all again😁

Chanie ..... enjoy your mini sabbatical, it will do you good to step off the hamster wheel for a while.  Give you time to think and plan.  

Wednesday....I was wondering how your house move was going.  

Well the weather has turned and I've now shifted my focus to the inside jobs. Starting with a major declutter and deep clean, room by room. I've contacted the YMCA and they are coming to pick up some unwanted next week.  I've already taken several bags to the charity shop and there will be plenty more over the next few weeks.  I think I might put my house on the market next year, so its a big push now to get it all in tip top shape.  

I am also in the process of launching my "er hem" Autumn/Winter collection. 😂🤣.  So keeping ultra busy.  However, I did take time out to see the new Bond movie.....loved it.  Wonder who the next Bond will be. My favourite would be Richard Maddon - Bodyguard - (The TV series not the Whitney Houston movie) Game of Thrones, The Medecis TV series.  

Or, Tom Hiddleston (Loki, The Night Manager). 

If anyone wants a laugh watch the Comic Relief Bodyguard spoof on You Tube, with Maddon and Joanna Lumley. A bit rude, lots of innuendo and double entendres, hilarious.

Another great laugh on TV.  Gordon, Gino and Fred Go Greek. Soooo funny.  It's still on catch up.  

Right better get cracking it's the kitchens turn for a blitz today.  Then probably give myself a facial later.  

chanie

Wednesday I think it’s more about wanting a better work life balance.  I’ve been in the same profession for 20 years and I’ve always worked in Central London.  Im not getting home until after 6:30pm and I just feel exhausted from the monotony of the daily grind.  I miss the children and so I’m thinking that maybe I need to do something different.  I have a few ideas, but we’ll see…

maman

Do keep us posted @chanie and enjoy your break. Like @Wednesday2000 said I think a lot of people have been reassessing their priorities and work/life balance is high on that list. 

For me, day to day life has more or less returned to normal in that almost  all the activities I do have started up again. I've changed though. Although I'm usually an outgoing, sociable person I find I have to push myself to go out. I'm fine when I get there but it's as if staying in, as a habit, has stuck. I am making myself get out and about though and hoping my mindset catches up eventually. 

And I'm keeping up with the fabbing as there's nothing better than feeling good about myself to help me get out there. I had to run a meeting for a group I belong to this week and I felt a million dollars because I'd made the effort. It's such a confidence booster.

The guys made an excellent job of our garden and new fences. Last week we had to water the new grass daily but this week the rain's doing it for us! A new shed is arriving next week to replace the asbestos garage. Lots of tools etc are in the conservatory at the moment so it'll be good to get that sorted. Next job is to start planning the extension. We don't plan to move @helensbiggestfan but are future proofing this house with a low maintenance garden and more downstairs floor space. 

It's fashion day in the newspaper and the main feature is about coats. It seems that almost anything goes from fun fur to quilted to tailored wool. I liked two other articles though. One was about there being  no such thing as age appropriateness in fashion. It advocates that even with the simplest clothes, a statement something can make anyone stand out. That could be glittery shoes or a bright lipstick or some jewellery, anything that stops you looking samey. Then there was a piece saying that a dress and boots is the go to outfit of the moment. I have to say it's a look I like and it's so easy to layer for colder days or draughty restaurants. I'm tempted to buy another midi/maxi dress but it would really be a want rather than a need. 

Weather is very changeable here at the moment but still getting out for a walk when I can. It's been good to catch up. 😊

chanie

Helen wow! Another move for you.  I now you always said this wasn’t your forever home, but it feels like your time there has gone by so quickly.  

Maman this may not be your cup of tea, but a colleague at work was raving about their solar powered water fountain for their garden.  They cost about £10 on Amazon/ebay and you can pop it into a bucket of water and it turns it into a fountain.  It would be a great low maintenance feature if you are interested.  I’ve always wanted a running water feature in the garden, but Ive never seen any I’ve liked, but I think I could do something decent with the pimp.

I do feel like life has been back to ‘normal’ for ages now, given how busy my commute has been and the fact that many people have abandoned their masks.  But in saying that, I popped to Oxford Street after work recently and it was surprisingly quiet.  Don’t get me wrong, Central London is still busy, but not anywhere near as busy as it has been.

Wednesday2000

I thought Soho and Oxford Street seemed much more quiet when I was there recently Chanie. Definitely not back to normal yet.

It does seem like you have moved quite recently to me too LL.

I like a dress and boots as an outfit Maman.

It's definitely not coat weather here. It is still quite warm, very mild for October. I just wore my checked shirt, skirt, tights and skechers for my walk. I think I said I got back in touch with a couple of relatives on Instagram so I called one of them on my mobile while I was out and we might meet up next month. I haven't seen him since 1999! He lives in the North so he was saying we could meet in York which would be nice as I think I have only been there once when I was a kid. I was just looking at train prices, wow, I did not realise it was so expensive now. I've been so spoiled having free travel in London for so many years. It would be about three hours travel door to door to get there so I'm wondering whether to book a hotel for the night.

chanie

Wednesday trains are ridiculously expensive, no wonder people drive everywhere.  Maybe look at off peak trains as you may be able to get a cheaper deal.  When I was at Uni, I had a young persons railcard and saved 1/3 on my fares.  I must have saved ££££ every year.

I’ve never been to York, but it looks lovely.  I definitely think you stay and take in the sights.   

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Wednesday, off peak trains usually start after 10am. If you have Tesco Clubcard vouchers these can be used to buy the various available 1 year Railcards and the vouchers are then worth 3 times the face value. The current price of a 1 year Railcard is £20. 

I went to The Young Vic today to see Love Reign and I had such an enjoyable time. It is the tale of the 22 year friendship including al of it's ups and downs of 2 female best friends having a joint 30th birthday party. There was a live band consisting of 3 female musicians and the whole performance was so joyful and entertaining. I was not the only woman dancing in my seat. They did some audience participation with some of the music and one of the set dances, they also did a truth or dare spin the bottle with some members of the audience. The bottom did end up facing me, but I felt too shy to participate in the truth or dare.   

It was a socially distanced performance and the ticket only cost £10 full price, which was an absolute bargain.