Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget - 2021

sheilavw

Good Morning.  Yesterday felt a bit more normal. I am still on school holidays. I went to TX Makk, card factory, Next and M n S yesterday.

Didn't buy much but was good to see people out and about in town, which in previous weeks felt like a ghost town! Off to Boundary mill this morning. I got a lovely bedding set there last year. The pillowcases you purchase separately. Unfortunately one's come out of the wash with ugly grey mark on. I will see if I can pick up some this morning. They have also opened a Cath Kidston outlet there now, so thats worth a browse. As well as 10% off in there M n S outlet at the moment.

No hair appt until the 1/5 but I've put some more Clairol root touch up on and trimmed my fringe!

Also managed to get down to my gym last night and did 40 lengths. There was an exercise class going on on the carpark! Glad it wasn't raining!

Enjoy your Tuesday everyone

phoebe1989seb

Thanks, LL 😊

Despite avowing not to venture out yesterday, DH did eventually persuade me to go to Homesense 🙄 (located in an out of town complex) when he got home from work.

I even made the effort by dressing up - wearing a skirt for the first time since last October! Because we left it till later in the day, the queue wasn't too bad with only about twelve couples/single shoppers in front of us. The store was only letting a limited number in at once so overall it didn't feel too overwhelming thankfully.....

We didn't buy a great deal - a piece of art (that may well be returned) for £70, a couple of candle holders (saving approx £50) and some liquid soap. There was lots of reduced Christmas stuff...decorations etc. No garden furniture (not that we need any), so it'll be interesting going forward to see if they also have supply issues.

DH then popped into M&S (as much as I love the foodhall I've avoided any kind of food/supermarket shopping where possible since before the first lockdown) and picked up some ready meal curries for dinner as it was gone 8pm by the time we got home so rather late to cook from scratch.

Definitely no plans here to go to any large town/city high streets although I may go into Llandeilo when the excitement has blown over (DH said it was all festooned with balloons when he drove through to his client's house yesterday). I need to start thinking about the next birthday to buy for and would prefer to keep things local if poss, especially as the toyshop there was so brilliant dealing with my online purchases recently!

Changeable weather here today, so spending time inside working on my garden plans 😉

helensbiggestfan

Good morning  my lovely friends.  

Well how wonderful........life getting back to some kind of normal at last now that restrictions have been lifted a little and some glorious weather as a bonus,   What's not to like.  😁. Lots of lovely little champagne moments.  

I have been getting out and about, and have several treatments booked this week.  Sounds like vanity but actually some do have a certain medical merit.  Lol. Although I'm firmly of the belief that feeling good and looking good are closely intertwined. If I look better, I feel better.  During lockdown I have become a bit frumpy again so determined to put that right.    

So on Monday I started with a trip to the aesthetician where I got some injectable fillers.  In 2006 I had skin cancer.  The surgeon did an amazing job, removed the offending cancer and I'm now all clear.  I just have a faint white scar.  Unfortunately to be sure he got the cancer he had to remove quite a bit of surrounding skin which meant that over time my face began to look a bit lopsided. Most people don't notice it but it is definitely noticeable in photos. The camera can be cruel. 😂🤣.  Anyway it does make me feel a bit self conscious so I just get injectable fillers to make my face more symmetrical.  The bonus is that the fillers also help minimise the worst wrinkles. 🥂. They sting a bit but it's just a minor discomfort for a few seconds.  

Next up, tomorrow will be a trip to the chiropodist and a massage.  

Now my massages are not the relaxing beauty spa type.  They are remedial deep tissue physio/sports massages, quite uncomfortable at times (I have been known to cry with the pain) but they do the trick of loosening me up, reducing my overall pain and improving my mobility so well worth the temporary discomfort.  

The chiropodist is also an essential part of my maintenance programme, helping my almost 70 year old feet. I haven't been walking enough recently and that's largely down to my feet hurting so I'm hoping that tomorrow's treatment will put a spring back in my step so I can walk and dance again.  

Friday - hair cut.  Wahoo.  Can't wait.  I currently resemble Doc Brown in "Back to the Future". Not good look. 😂🤣

Hopefully, other than some dental work and needing new glasses that will be me done for a while.  It's a fact of life that the older I get the more high maintenance I become. Still it beats the alternative.....

I have been busy in the garden, mainly pruning, weeding.  I won't be doing any new spring planting until after my holiday so for now it's just a war of attrition with the weeds.  

My real champagne moments have been browsing the chazzers. The simple pleasure of going shopping again.  Some amazing bargains out there at the moment.   Bought a few bits for my kitchen but mainly "stock" to sell. Hopefully.

So all in all a great week so far....today I need to get my act together and get into house cleaning and laundry mode.    

Have a great day y'all.  Keep those champagne moment's flowing. 

Debsnewbudget

I have that type of massage as well....I once had bruising but it really does the trick in loosening my shoulders and back up. 

Wednesday2000

I can't even stand to think about a massage that firm. I am so sensitive that I always had to ask the masseur to be as gentle as possible. I just did a mindfulness exercise for the first time in ages and noticed how stiff my neck is. It feels like my spine unfurled as I was doing it. 

I haven't done anything at all with the new freedoms! My husband is working nights so I'm usually too tired during the day to think about going anywhere. I do have my haircut and day out in London planned for next week. I am going to hit the chazzers next week as well.

I just thought I did like to get an Indian Head Massage so I'm going to call the guy later today and see if I can book him.

MrsPorridge

Another one who had a champagne moment visiting the chazzers.  I didn't buy anything, but it didn't matter -getting out and about and seeing others do the same was a wonderful tonic.

phoebe1989seb

No charity shops - except BHF - have been open locally since the first lockdown. Tbh, there was nothing worth buying in the ones here anyway, except the occasional framed print so I never missed them when they closed and the last thing I need is more clothes 🙄 

Champagne moments here -

It's a stunning, sunny day feeling far warmer than the 10° it's supposed to be. Too hot for lounging in the egg for long, in fact.

Needing to wear a big, floppy sunhat whilst gardening, lol!

Loads of plants putting out green shoots/buds including persicaria, kirengeshoma, saruma, rheum, geum, darmera, astrantia, eumocon, macleaya and eremurus. So pleased about the latter as they weren't cheap and I feared they'd struggle in our somewhat challenging conditions 😉

The *Sissinghurst* inspired bed is two thirds complete and we should be ready to start thinking about planting this weekend.

Spending time in beautiful surroundings with the dogs sprawled out on the lawn.

Just watching/listening to the birds on our feeders and the distant sound of lots of newborn lambs....bliss!

Have a good day whatever you're doing.....

sugarbaby125

Celebrating my 59th Birthday at home with my son and daughter 

helensbiggestfan

Happy Birthday Darling 🥂💐🎂.  Hope you have a lovely time.  You look fab.  Love the bright pink, it really suits you.  

Well Today I've been pummelled and yanked about but I now feel tons better.  Chiropodist this Morning and massage this afternoon.  

Wednesday I love an Indian Head massage, my masseuse always gives me one at the end.....it really helps my C1-C3  vertebrae.  I seem to really hold a lot of stress and tension there, often when I touch the cerebellum area it feels really tender.  A head massage really releases the knots and soothes the pain.  

Tomorrow  I get my hair cut. Wahoo. And that will be my week of pampering. A bit expensive all in one week but I've gone without for months.  And I'm sooooooo worth it. 😂🤣. 

it's been lovely weather here too, most of this week.  And like you say Phoebe at times it felt much hotter than 10/11 degrees.  The weather looks quite promising for next week too for my holiday, staying into double figures, but obviously being a bit further north it might not feel quite so warm.  Never mind, I'll take plenty of warm clothing and my fur lined boots. 

Nipped into my favourite chazzer again today.....all trousers and jeans reduced to £1.  Good makes, Jasper Conran, Per Una and Monsoon.  Well it would have been rude not to.😉.   

candygirl

Happy Birthday SUGAR , hope you having a fab day x
LL glad you enjoyed your massage 💆‍♀️ 😊
I've been in the garden,  with Bon this aft , mostly playing fetch.She never gets tired 🤣🤣🤣