Frump to Fab 2022 - The Big One

liberty_lily

After the (not unexpected) disappointment of our 'help' letting us down again so the beams didn't go up last night, I'm trying to compensate today, so....

The house fabbing for me began early with ordering the wallpaper online, which DH - surprisingly I thought - had given his stamp of approval to 😁 Very appropriately for me it's a Liberty one...can't wait to get it here and hung now!

Also picked up more paint samples at the local independent DIY store first thing. They're clearing out their stock of Farrow and Ball paints because they've just installed a new F&B mixing machine, so there are savings to be made. Trying to choose a new bathroom colour, but sadly nothing they have seems to tick the boxes, so it's back to the drawing board (or colour charts, lol!)

Going to crack on with painting my little piece of art later, whilst after work DH is off to collect timber for the new cloakroom stud walls 😉

helensbiggestfan

Chanie.   Yes, GS will be starting school in September. He's had a couple of transition days at his new school this week and he loved it.  He will find nursery a bit boring after that.   He takes after his parents, naturally academic.  Now his younger brother......"The Viking" ....... might be a rather a different kettle of fish.  🤔. I don't think he's scholar material.  😂.  

Very hot here now. I nipped to Lidl earlier. Son  and DIL are doing the catering tomorrow so I don't have to worry about food prep but I thought I would buy a few extra treats and nibbles.  (And lots of ice cream.....😂). 

Fab wise.....I will paint my nails and toe nails later.  

Wednesday2000

I just said happy belated birthday as on the other thread, but I will say it again @ Helen.

Following you on IG Liberty Lily.:) I mainly only post pics of my pets and the food I've eaten in restaurants on there, haha.
 

Wednesday2000

I have had a nice morning. I went to a local £1 type shop as I finally found one near me as I wanted to buy some plastic storage boxes for my new bathroom shelves and I found what I wanted straight away.

I then went to a Buddhist cafe as I was going to buy my husband a slice of cake. When I went to the tea room the other day I didn't get cake after my lunch as I was saying that I prefer cheesecake to normal cake. They had vegan cheesecake in the cafe today! I bought us both a slice and that was my breakfast. Lol.

I was chatting to the woman who worked in the cafe and it turns out she is from east London too. Haha. I saw a flyer for a wellness therapist that I had heard of and I asked her about it and it turns out she knows the therapist and she does reflexology. I was looking for someone in the area who does that so that was very handy for me. She said the lady works from her home and does the treatments in her lovely garden so I will definitely call her.:)

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Yesterday afternoon I went to see the film ELVIS at my local Picturehouse cinema, which is the Ritzy in Brixton. I had used £3 of my Tesco clubcard vouchers and exchanged them for a £10.50 Picturehouse voucher, so I only had to add another 30p in cash to purchase my cinema ticket. 

ELVIS was a complete delight for me. I have always been an Elvis fan and Austin Butler gives an outstanding performance as Elvis Presley. The only way this film could have been even better for me, is if it had been longer. I absolutely loved every single minute of this film. For me it is a 10/10      

The temperature was glorious yesterday here in South London. I was able to wear a pair of my Van Dal black patent leather sandals and my Ralph Lauren Polo sunglasses. I had to apply factor 50 sunscreen. It was a real surprise to find that when I came out of the cinema after watching the film, that the temperature had risen even more. 

I bought 2 Nike outfits from Sports Direct online for my Great-granddaughter as both had been reduced by 90% of the original selling price saving me just under £50  

Thanks to one of the women that I was talking to at the Matinee Idols event on Wednesday, I have found another way to access inexpensive theatre tickets and tickets to other shows and musical events. I have booked my 1st theatre tickets for my daughter and I to see the play Evelyn today at The Southwark Playhouse and our tickets only cost us £3.75 each. 

liberty_lily

DH and I both want to see the Elvis film too, Sugarbaby...thanks for the positive review ☺️

I'm absolutely delighted to report that after many months waiting and resorting to plan b, this morning we finally got the structural beams fitted between the old extension and snug 😁😁😁 It's full steam ahead with the fabbing of those formerly two (but now one!) spaces 😃

maman

Hello everyone. I’m back from my holiday, tanned and relaxed. It’s great to come back to lovely weather, certainly staves off any post holiday blues.😊

The downside is that I’m sure I’ve gained a few pounds☹. I ate far more bread and other goodies that I usually avoid at home. Yesterday I did my meal plan and a big shop so healthy eating has resumed. Hopefully I’ll soon be back to my preferred weight.

I haven’t read through the past 3 weeks of posts but I’m sure I’ll soon catch up.

Pleased to ‘meet’ you @liberty_lily .😊

I did lots of reading while I was away including Queenie by Candice Carty- Williams. It was ironic that I’d borrowed a copy from the library after reading about it on here from @sugarbaby125 and then my DD1 passed a copy on to me as she’d just been reading it. I found it very good read but also thought provoking. It has been described as a black version of Bridget Jones. There is a lot of sex.🤣

I know it’s not an autobiography but she says it’s based on her experiences and those of her friends. I could empathise with many of her experiences as a woman and the expectations of family members as that’s fairly universal in many cultures. I did wonder how common her experiences as a woman of colour are. I’d be interested in opinions.🤔

I’ve kept up with the fabbing while I’ve been away. My hair is really light now, having been bleached by the sun. Free highlights!😁

sugarbaby125

Maman,

It is great to have you back after you had a great holiday 

It is a even bigger coincidence, that the 60th birthday party I went to last Saturday was for Candice Carty-Williams Mum. I know her Mum from Blackfriars Settlement. Candice and the younger daughter decided that their Mum deserved a big party in a hall, so they arranged everything including Caribbean caterers, a free bar ( which is usually standard for black people's parties) and an excellent DJ with a great sound system.  It was a bit surreal being at a party with Candice, her mum, her sister and her baby niece.   

I did love the book Queenie, but I did wonder about Candice's friends, as I have never had any experience of any black woman being so, so promiscuous and being so uncaring about her own sexual health, but hey, it was all fiction! 

Candice is currently working on the TV series of Queenie!   

I preferred Candice's latest book People Person, which I finally finished reading this week. It took me much longer than normal, because I wanted the book to be in pristine condition after I had read it. I am keeping it on my bookshelf, as it has the personal message written in it from Candice to me, which makes it even more precious to me.   

maman

Thanks @sugarbaby125. Candice's mum is almost exactly the same age as you. 😁 Glad you enjoyed her party and thanks for your comments. I did wonder how much of Queenie was fiction. 

I'll get a copy of her latest book and look forward to reading it and also the coming TV version of Queenie. 😊

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Maman, yes our birthdays are less than a month apart.

I went to see the play Evelyn at the Southwark Playhouse this afternoon with my daughter. We both enjoyed the play, but she enjoyed it even more than I did. I only paid £7.50 for both of our tickets when they would have cost £18 for my ticket with the discount for me being disabled and £22 for my daughter's ticket, so I made a good saving. As it was so hot outside, I really welcomed the air conditioning in the theatre. 

I bought a copy of the play notes for £8. I am building up quite a collection. Not only are they entertaining to read, they are also very informative in how a play should look on the written page. Also it is interesting to see how a play can change slightly from the writer's stated intention and how it comes to the stage in front of an audience. 

I am going to stay at home tomorrow and catch up on the laundry and cook some pork shoulder steaks for dinner. 

I will be going to the Ritzy cinema on Monday, to my local Odeon cinema on Tuesday afternoon and then to the Bush theatre in the evening, then on Wednesday I am going to the Blackfriars Settlement discussion group in the morning, then to the Bush theatre again in the afternoon.