Frump to Fab 2023

Toni'sfriend

Thank you so much. Optician appointment made for Tuesday so I can see again and Hairdresser for Friday so I'll no longer look like a brillo pad.

Wednesday2000

I haven't seen Helen on here for a while. I hope she hasn't succumbed to a lurgy or something.

I need to book a pedicure before the weather turns nice and I am back in sandals.

liberty_lily

Fantastic news Toni'sfriend 😊💐

Sugarbaby, super savings on the theatre tickets😁

SammyKaye, I feel your pain with the amount of stuff needing doing. When I look at my lists we have shed loads of stuff still to do to get this place ready for selling (can't believe we've been here over five years and haven't finished!), but like eating an elephant I'm trying to take it one bite at a time, lol!

Wednesday, slate chippings might be better in that case, lol 😆 

And on the subject of home improvements, DH got the final bit of plastering done in our bedroom today (although still odd bits to do in several other rooms 🙄) and this afternoon we're cracking on with the garden landscaping. I had a good day on it yesterday too, but there's still a looooong way to go....we'll get there though!

I ordered some lovely Linwood Arboreal velvet fabric to make a couple of giant bed cushions for our room and that came on Wednesday plus a Doing Goods boho bed throw - I think they'll be the icing on the cake 😍

To offset the expense, I sold five of our old cushions for £60 yesterday which was roughly the cost of the fabric 😉

Have a good weekend everyone!

helensbiggestfan

Wednesday2000 said:

I haven't seen Helen on here for a while. I hope she hasn't succumbed to a lurgy or something.

I need to book a pedicure before the weather turns nice and I am back in sandals.

I'm here, no lurgy, just very busy.  Thanks for asking.  I have been reading along and keeping up with all your good doings.  

I have recently been on a short  holiday to the Peak District with my family.  The weather was mixed, rather chilly at times but we still had a good time.  Nice to have a little break and get away for a change of scene.  

Fabwise - again somewhat mixed.  A couple of weeks ago I had a tooth extraction (planned as part of my prep work for implants). I went on to develop something called "dry socket". Nasty.  I have one more final tooth extraction planned for next Tuesday so am hoping it goes well this time.  Then I'm done, just need to wait for 10 weeks for everything to heal and then I can have a bone density scan and take it from there.  Implants are a long and (very) expensive job but hopefully it will be worth it in the end.  A Hollywood smile to put Tom Cruise to shame. Ha ha.  

Chiro going well, just two more scheduled treatments and then hopefully it will just be a case of maintenance.  The scans show that my body is now in much better alignment, and I'm certainly noticing that my posture is improved and my pain levels are better.  I did have a fibro flare up early this week but I think that was caused by getting thoroughly chilled a couple of times whilst on holiday.  And of course I may have overdone the gardening.🤣

Undergoing dental and chiro treatments simultaneously, was, with hindsight, rather stupid of me, but hey it's almost over. All in all things are going well, just need to tackle my weight loss now and improve my fitness.  They have rather been on the back burner whilst I've been sorting out my teeth and bones, but it's now back on the agenda.  You can't do everything at once.  I still feel like I have a mountain to climb but I'll do it, one step at a time,  

Sammy I agree it can be easy to feel overwhelmed but I agree with Lily - remember the elephant......one bite at a time.  Rome wasn't built in a day and all that and I am always mindful of what Bette Davis said. "aging ain't for cissies". She was so right. Lol.  

I read a very good book recently which described aging in these terms.  It's a bit like swimming in the sea..........

When we are young we have the tide at our backs, we effortlessly ride the waves.  Then around the age of the 30, the tide begins to change, imperceptibly at first but it's happening.  The tide is against us and we are swimming against it.  Small waves at first but gradually increasing in size and strength so we have to work so much harder.  At some point we have to stop burning the candle at both ends, eat better food, do more exercise, get more sleep, and just generally take much better care of ourselves.  

That's what Frump to Fab is really all about.......yes clothes, make up and upping our style is all part of the programme but I think part of the focus also has to be taking care of our health and well being.  That's been the hard bit for me.  My own fault in that I somewhat neglected my own needs when I became subsumed in my role as my husbands carer and overseeing my parents needs and care.  We can only be stretched so far, we are only human and something has to give.  And, for me, like many others in my position, it was my own health and well being.  Hence my long journey back to wellness.  

Toni's Friend .....you are doing really well, keep going and you will reap the rewards.  I am still a work in progress but I'm pleased with that progress to date.  When I first started this thread all those years ago I was in a very dark place and couldn't see any glimmer of light the end of the tunnel.  But like Churchill said "when you are walking through hell, you just have to keep going". 

Lily I was sorry to hear about your dog.  Of course you mourn the loss, our beloved pets  are family,  My sister takes on rescue dogs, many of them either elderly or with health issues because of their sad histories.  She has lost 3 in recent years and each loss was devastating for her.  Her most recent dog is much younger, and although he had a very rough start he does seem healthy, so fingers crossed.  Good to see you are making progress with your house, getting it ready to market.  Very exciting.  

I am still renting whilst I continue to enjoy my sabbatical whist I sort out my dental and health bits and bobs.   I do keep an eye on RM and I'll probably start viewing soon, once I've finished the worst of the dental prep and chiro.  Get them done and dusted and then I can focus on my next move.  I've more or less decided on the area. I do love it here but I'm still on the south side of the city. I really want to move to the north side to be nearer to both my sons, my sister and my close friends. All in good time.  

Right I'd better get cracking.  Time for brunch.  Have a lovely weekend, y'all.  

Keeeeeep fabbing, 

liberty_lily

Thank you Helen 😊 As with any loss of an integral member of the family dynamic we are still coming to terms with losing him. He was such an absolute sweetie: a real gentle soul and the polar opposite of our other dog who is very feisty. It just felt too soon.....

I hope you find somewhere lovely to buy, that's closer to your family - new home, new dazzling smile....how exciting 😁

Painting windows (exteriors) is on the agenda for me today...although there's rain forecast for later this afternoon, so if they're right about that I'll move inside to do some mist coating of the newly dried plaster. Yet again I'm cursing the previous owners who let the windows get into such a terrible state. Lots of new putty is required and unfortunately I'm going to have to get the hot air gun out for some parts which wasn't the plan 🙄

If we'd decided to stay we would have replaced the side windows with double glazed accoya same as the fronts but that's not going to happen now.

Hoping to fab myself a bit tomorrow (finally dyeing my hair!) and possibly Raffi the dog too as she desperately needs a hair cut, lol 😆 

Toni'sfriend

You're right. Helen. All you can do is keep on going and you'll get there in the end. And I think a lot of women (in particular) put others before themselves. Husbands, children, parents. It's a difficult cycle to get out of.

Today I had a ruthless clear out and organisation of my wardrobe. Big bag of things for the charity shop! I've only kept the things that I know I will wear (none of this nonsense of keeping things that I don't really know why I bought them in the first place)  and have a plan for new clothes when I lose this weight. It looks so neat and tidy now. I have lots of handbags. I really need to sort them out. I mean how many can you use at a time!

My nails are looking quite nice (comparatively speaking) but I think I'll ask the hairdresser/beautician about getting a proper manicure and I'd like to see about getting my eyebrows done properly. On the plus side I can see a big improvement in my skin.

Maybe thinking about doing something a bit more radical with the glasses as well.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies, 

On Tuesday, I got a free ticket with my Picturehouse membership to watch the Norwegian film Sick of Myself at the Ritzy in the evening. It is a very dark comedy, but incredibly funny. The audience was laughing out loud so much, including me.  I saved myself £8.70 

On Wednesday afternoon, I went to the Marylebone Theatre to watch the play The Dry House. It is a play about being an alcoholic, but it also about love, family loyalty, support and also the relationship between the 2 sisters. There are only 3 female characters in this play and they were all equally talented. I really enjoyed this play.  I only paid £5 for a ticket worth £28.  Marylebone Theatre is a beautiful, modern theatre and this was my 1st visit to this theatre. 

On Thursday I went to the Barbican with my daughter in the afternoon to watch the play The Meaning of Zong. I got our 2 tickets for only £13 but they were worth £50.  We both enjoyed the play in different ways. I found it really moving and it made me feel very emotional.  For some reason, my Arthritis really flared up, so much so, that after the play, I could not walk to the bus stop without the aid of my daughter.  I have never needed that type of physical support before, but I just need to embrace this change, so I have ordered myself a collapsible walking stick from eBay, so hopefully it will arrive in a few days. 

My right knee and my left hip were especially painful and have continued to be so despite painkillers and Ibuprofen gel, but I did not allow my lack of mobility to spoil my existing plans. I just had to factor in at least 30 minutes extra to my travel time to account for my very slow walking pace. For me, my Arthritis flare ups respond well to me being as active as possible, otherwise my joints will lock and seize up and become even more painful. 

On Thursday evening I went to an immersive movement and music event at Streatham Space Project that was called Bitter Moves, Sweet Truths. It was a very different, but interesting event.   

On Friday evening I had a free ticket worth £17 to watch the play The Woman Who Turned Into A Tree at The Omnibus Theatre in Clapham. This play was not really what I was expecting, but it was still entertaining. 

Today, I went to Riverside Studios in Hammersmith to watch the musical Killing The Cat. It was a superb musical, it exceeded all of my high expectations. The singing from all of the characters was professional, polished, tonal and beautifully pitched. The harmonies were lyrical. The characters were all well rounded and I really cared about what was going to happen to each of them. I got my ticket which was worth £25 (concession price) for only £5. 

I am going to the Ritzy tomorrow afternoon, as Picturehouse gave me a free ticket for my birthday. 

liberty_lily

Sorry about your arthritis flare up, Sugarbaby ☹️ - good thing you had your daughter there to assist you. Hopefully having the collapsible walking stick will help should further flare ups occur whilst you're out and about, especially if you're on your own. Sounds like you've been having loads more fab theatre moments though 😁

Our weekend didn't go exactly as planned because the weather was an improvement on the forecast with actually very little rain  yesterday. This meant we could get outside and do more garden fabbing, which for me involved planting lots of native hedging! The 'end' is in sight (gardens are never finished imho, and ours will take more than the five years we've been at it to tame, lol!) - as in the parts we want to have sorted ahead of marketing. I think another ten day's worth of hard labour should see it good to go! Shame the same can't be said for the building itself 🙄 

Back to rain/cold today, so I'm sewing etc  - making cushions and upholstering a chair with some bargainicious hot pink velvet fabric I got for just £10 last month. It's a fairly easy job as it's only the seat that's upholstered.

On Saturday we received a condolence card from our vets which I thought was a sweet touch....and that reminds me that a couple of weeks ago we had a surprise delivery of some bottles of M&S wine from lovely friends who we've not seen for ages due to them living so far away in Surrey. They knew we've been going through a bad time and wanted to cheer us up 😇

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Thanks Liberty Lily.  My new walking stick should arrive by Wednesday. My right knee is a lot less painful and more flexible today, so I am making progress. 

You and your husband are working so hard on getting your house and garden ready to sell it.  Your upholstery skills are great and so needed to get your house looking absolutely fab. 

What a lovely, thoughtful gesture from your friends 

Toni'sfriend

Eye test done and new glasses ordered. Completely different from anything I've had before and none of the pesky nose pads that irritate my nose and are forever falling off. I love them. Can't wait for them to be ready.