Frump to Fab 2021

savingfortomorrow

Maman- the cartoon is funny. 

LL - commit to the idea of getting away- the specifics well, that's a different story. There will be bargains and offers closer to the time. People will need to be crowbarred out of their inertia, I fear. I might be totally wrong too. 

Purplepixie- it is a terrible situation. One who wants to go and the other remain. It will always be a case of wondering about the life path unlived. Silent support is the best option. 24 hours travel away is not long really compared to traveling by boat.

 Sometimes, times like these can change minds to appreciate home or deepen the urge to dream it all up again upon a foreign shore. People return often and a visitor's visa might give more insight into what day-to-day life is like. 

Maman- is the picture of the room the before or the after? It is horrific- too red, cluttered, too Laura Ashley meets a bad acid trip. It is not my cup of herbal low caffeine tea. 

I've been doing meat-free for lent. I have reduced the processed meats since December and after I had to clear out someone else's ham sandwiches that were well off; the smell of bacon no longer holds appeal. I have to eat some fish about once a week to maintain good fatty acids but I feel better with less highly processed meats. I would prefer to eat less and avoid processed totally going forward. I guess meat is like wine if you follow me; have less of it and better quality if you choose to consume. 

I made an industrial quantity of tomato and lentil soup. It's a red lentil, chana dal, tomato, and loads of spices soup with any spare veggies. It is so cheap and keeps me going for hours. I made oil-free granola- it turns out super crunchy but no oil needed. I used aquafaba mixed with oats; honestly, it works really well. I used the leftover chickpeas to make fat-free hummus. 
I am starting doing personal training zoom calls with the personal trainer next week and am excited to get started. I'm demotivated but hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Skibunny40

Purplepixie - please don't worry about your son thinking you don't care about where he lives, I promise he knows you're just being "sensible" about it! We emigrated about 20 years ago and were very lucky that both sets of parents were like you and just wanted the best for us. However, the amount of tears shed when we were leaving left us in no doubt how hard it was for them! We actually ended up coming back to the UK because of family (and that's incredibly common amongst expats) but I'm so glad we went and had that experience. It's a cliche, but it's better to try something and discover it's not for you, than to never try and never know. Start saving now for your flight to visit them, just in case?!

thepurplepixie

Thanks for good wishes.  Unfortunately the current crisis has made DIL more determined to go because Australia and New Zealand have done so much better than us, she's sort of saying, "See look at how they're living, we should have gone."  Hard to argue that one.

My problem with visits is being my husband's carer will make it hard to impossible.  He couldn't do the journey and won't hear of having carers so I will be stuck.

A big step today, I'm visiting one of the businesses I do some work for.  I've been doing some stuff for them but haven't been there in over 6 months.  I actually feel nervous.  It has made me realise that I'm not dealing with the lockdown as well as I thought I was.  Hopefully I will feel better when I've done it.

I actually feel quite irritated, I'm fed up of the pandemic, fed up of Harry and Meghan, fed up of Rishi Sunak.  It is grey and miserable here this morning so maybe it is affecting my mood.  Oh I forgot I am majorly fed up with my hair and I want to see a hairdresser.

I've made an effort, washed and blow dried my hair, put some new black slimline trousers on (replacing all the bleached ones) with a top I ordered in the lockdown.  It is a blouson style with a dark background and bright pattern.  All worn with ankle boots.  It all looks quite good I think so hoping that gives my confidence a boost.

Wish me luck!

Floss

Purplepixie you sound very positive! And I agree with your Harry & Meghan comment - it's very much "say one thing, do another" 🤷‍♀️😂

Wednesday2000

I avoid any news about the royal family as it bores me stiff. I didn't even realise Harry's girlfriend was American until they got married.

I just did 20 minutes on my trampoline. I did 10 minutes at first and then thought it's not as if I have a lot else to do so I did 10 minutes more! The scale said I have lost a pound this week although I did have pizza last night and then the leftover slices for breakfast.

I'm having the last of the veggie soup for lunch. Saving - I will copy you and make a batch of tomato and red lentil soup today. I always go for red lentils as they cook so quickly.

I don't think I have anything else to say, another scintillating day so far.

Wednesday2000

savingfortomorrow said:

I am starting doing personal training zoom calls with the personal trainer next week and am excited to get started. I'm demotivated but hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Tell us how that goes. I think that would keep me accountable if I did that. Is it a man or a woman?

maman

Well done pixie. I think getting yourself dressed up and having the confidence in looking good for going to the workplace is the best thing you could do. It takes courage, and you might feel scared, but you've done it. 😁

I did admire Dolly Parton yesterday. Personally I don't like those cutaway sleeves but she showed she was up for the vaccine, put her money where her mouth is by donating hugely  to the vaccine research and even had a song for the occasion. 
Dolly Parton gets first dose of Covid vaccine she helped fund | Dolly Parton | The Guardian

I'm fed up with Meghan coverage too. I find the hypocrisy of the situation overwhelming. Why leave the country for a life out of the public eye and then create a massive media hype?  It does seem particularly insensitive at the moment with Prince Phillip's health causing concern. The photo of the fussy interior was the stylist's own home Wednesday to show what sort of image, and at what cost,  she creates for her customers. Apparently there's an interview in a magazine this week where the PM's girlfriend describes the flat, as it was ,as a John Lewis nightmare. 

There's a film on BBC4 tonight that I really enjoyed in the cinema. It's called A United Kingdom. It's set in the late 1940s and while it's thought provoking  (it explores the issue of race from different angles) it's a very watchable drama based on a true story. It won't appeal if you like action films but if you like the  approach of things like Endeavour and Foyle's War then it's a similar treatment. 

I cut my fringe just a little bit yesterday. Probably only 1cm and I'm happy with it  so may try a teeny bit more at the weekend. My DH has a Zoom meeting this afternoon. He's been moaning that his hair is too long and  unmanageable.  I've offered to try cutting it for him  or blow drying his hair but he refused. He also had a call from his hairdresser offering him an illegal haircut but he wouldn't do that. Goodness knows what we'll be looking like in 5 weeks! 🤣

Wednesday2000

I did 30 minutes of my rebounder as I did another 10 minutes as I was waiting for my soup to cook. I might try and do that every day as I will be going out socially soon and it would help with my general fitness if I do start jogging. Big if, lol.

I like minimalist homes and modern styles so I dislike anything fussy. I am drooling over this flat. The Ridgeway, Chalkwell, Essex 2 bed flat for sale - £370,000

My husband thinks we shouldn't get a flat as we have pets and he is right, but I like the idea of living in a flat as we have a garden here and hardly use it. It does have a patio, but I'm not sure if that would be enough for our dogs. It would mean he definitely couldn't retire very early at that price too. I can dream.

savingfortomorrow

Wednesday... it's the personal trainer I've gotten instructed from in the past. It's a lady

chanie

Wednesday I don't like modern minimalist, but I do like unfussy home decor.  I can really see the appeal of the shiny new flat, but i really like open plan living.  I like having the option of going to another room if needed.  A friend has an open plan flat and she said the downsides are cooking smells and also the noise of the washing machine.  Personally, I love having a garden.   We don't use our garden as much as we could, but I really value having the outdoor space.