Another Girlie Supper!

Ready for Girlie Supper - blouse from Next, leggings from Gok at Sainsbury's and boots from Stylist Picks

On Friday night I went to a Girlie Supper at my friend Paola's house.  It was a supper with a difference for us.  Whoever hosts a Girlie Supper normally does all the cooking but at this supper we shared out the courses.  Sarah brought nibbles, Annita and I provided the starter, Paola did the main course, Jane and Heather each did a dessert and Claire did the cheese board.  It worked really well.  We had an amazing meal and drank loads of champagne.

Hopefully Paola didn't feel too stressed as she only had to do one course.  It can be quite stressful cooking all three courses.  We always say at our Girlie Suppers that no one should feel under pressure.  We would be quite happy with beans on toast because it's all about spending time with our friends rather than having a sophisticated menu.  In saying that though I don't think we have had a bad meal.  In fact quite the reverse.  Whoever hosts always makes a real effort and we are thoroughly spoilt with delicious food and lots of wine.

We are trying something new on Wednesday.  I'm hosting a Wine Tasting and Pizza evening.  Hopefully it will be fun.  I will update you on how it goes!

I'm back on my diet today.  I had a bad week last week with lots going on and I've strangely decided to become a Domestic Goddess recently - which is so not me! - and I've been trying out lots of new recipes.  We have been eating far too well.  Rich and my son seem to like it but it's not so good for the diet!

My friend, Jane, has persuaded me to join her in giving up chocolate for the month of February!  We are both chocoholics so it's not going to be easy!!!  We can't have chocolate in any form - no chocolate biscuits or cakes or anything at all with chocolate in it or on it!!!!  Arrrggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

This is us at Paola's with her gorgeous Dalmatian - Crash

Living the High Life!!!!

Despite the snow I have had a very decadent few days!!!  On Thursday Rich and I had a Spa Day booked.  I'd bought the voucher from Living Social back in November.  I wasn't expecting much to be fair.  The voucher cost £35 for the two of us.  It was at the Greenway Hotel which I'd never actually heard of so expectations were quite low.

So when we walked in I was pleasantly surprised!  It's beautiful!!!  The staff in both the Spa and the restaurant were absolutely lovely.  The decor is gorgeous.  The pool area is so nice.  Low lighting makes it feel really intimate.  Lovely comfy loungers and even a sofa where you can relax.  The pool is great and it has two spa beds in it which have jets in them so you can lie back and be massaged.  There's two saunas - a hot one and a not so hot one and a steam room.  Outside in the courtyard there's a lovely wooden, rustic hot tub.  It was so fabulous sitting in it whilst the snow was falling.

Our deal entitled us to use of all the spa facilities from 10 til 6, a two course lunch each with a glass of champagne and 20% off all spa treatments.  The lunch was superb. Rich had starter and main but obviously I had main and dessert.   The Chicken Caesar salad was gorgeous and the chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream was divine.  The decor and ambiance is so chic it made the whole experience feel really special.

We chose to use our 20% discount off treatments and both had a 40 minute Tranquillity Divine Soul Anti-stress Ritual.  It was gorgeous!  So a massive success.  I will be looking out for future offers at the Greenway!  Definitely want to go back!!!

On Saturday evening we had girlie supper at our friend Cath's house.  It was exciting because Cath has recently had an extension and it was the first time I'd seen her new kitchen.  It's fabulous and looks so big.  We had a lovely supper, delicious food and lots of banter as the girls were looking on a dating website that Sarah had seen advertised.  We had to ask why men put such unflattering pictures on when they are trying to attract a partner.  I think that could be our new business - styling men and photographing them for dating websites.  We could "Gok" them!

I wore black Gok skinny jeans, dark grey Next top with floral print back, M&S boots and my horsey snood.

Yesterday - Sunday - I went on another Spa Day!!! Yes I know that is crazy.  Two Spa Days in one week.  It's a bit like buses - you wait for ages then two come along together.  When I'd booked the Greenway I hadn't realised that this one was going to come along.

So Cath, Jane, Paola and I went to Cowley Manor!!!  It's got a fabulous reputation and I've wanted to go for years.  It cost £75!!!  It's a January special offer.  It's usually much more expensive.  For that we got use of the Spa facilities, a two course lunch and a 60 minute treatment.

Our approach to Cowley Manor was so beautiful - down a snow covered lane, into the drive with Cotswold stone pillars up to the beautiful and very grand Cotswold Manor House.  In contrast the Spa is very modern but they have used Cotswold stone alongside glass and slate so it still feels in keeping with the surroundings.

We were given our robes and shown to the changing room.  Then we took up our places on loungers by the indoor pool.  We were the only people there for most of the morning although it did get busier after lunch.  We all thought it lacked something.  Namely a jacuzzi.  The indoor pool wasn't that warm and the sauna and steam room were hot so you can't exactly sit in there for too long.  A jacuzzi/hot tub is such a social place and if it was located outside it would have been amazing to be in the hot tub in the snow.

As the day wore on we warmed to the place more.  I guess as we started to relax.  There were nice magazines and newspapers to read, water jugs and glasses provided and a bowl of tangerines which we happily munched on.  We had out treatments - all four of us at the same time which meant no one was left at the pool with no one else to chat to.

Three of us had facials and one massage.  The facial was so good.  The beds had heated blankets on them so you were so warm and cosy and they were adjustable so you didn't have to lie flat on your back, you could have your head up, feet down, etc.

After our treatment we had lunch.  I'd say it was nice but not amazing.  Then feeling totally chilled out and full we went back to our loungers to relax.

After a little while they started to remove the cover from the outdoor pool and steam began to rise.  We decided to go out and dip a toe in to see how cold it was.  Quite cold!  But we couldn't rest.  There was something so enticing about swimming outside in the snow.  We adopted a strategy of going outside in just our swimming costume, walking in the snow and getting really cold, then jumping into the pool which in contrast felt warm.  It was brilliant.  We went in twice and had a good swim around, tried our hand at synchronised swimming and then got out, ran back inside and straight into the indoor pool - which in comparison felt like getting into a hot bath!

So we had a lovely day.  Will we go back?  I'm not sure that we will.  They do have lovely products in the changing rooms but I think may be we can get better value else where.  We did, however, decide that well being is important and we should try to do more of this sort of thing.  It's now our quest to sample as many spas as we can this year.  So, if anyone has any recommendations or knows of any
good offers please let me know!!!

Finally I'm sharing a few photos of Cowley Manor and our day - excuse the quality!

The Consequences of Feeling FAT!!!

Stepping on to the scales after Christmas is never a joyful event.  Far from it!  And so, if you are one of those people who love shopping you are probably not in the mood for clothes shopping.  You take your normal size into the changing rooms and it won't go over your hips, won't zip up or just leaves rolls of fat bulging over the sides.  This kind of experience is to be avoided at all costs.  You knew you were fat before the scales confirmed it so you really don't want these totally unsympathetic new clothes to scream it out loud in a very public changing room.  You may feel like ripping said clothes off and curling up into a ball and sobbing loudly but I find the assistant in Next is not too keen on this behaviour.

But girls there is one thing you can always buy whether you feel obese or skinny.  I have to add here that feeling skinny is an unknown concept to me!  You can buy shoes!!!  They always fit!  God I love shoes!  So I have to admit that's what I've done!  Firstly I ordered some ankle boots from Next.  They arrived a day or so later and I pulled off the packaging to reveal my beautiful, sexy, orgasmic boots.  I tried them on with a slight hesitation - if they don't fit I will cry - but they fitted!  And I LOVE them!!!  Oh great joy!  Who needs clothes when you can have shoes or boots.

It didn't stop there however.  In my inbox I get regular newsletters from Stylist Picks.  I've never bought anything from them but I quite enjoy browsing their newsletter.  Their latest one was advertising their sale.  I happened to stumble across - by some slip of the mouse - the shoe section.  I reasoned with myself that I didn't need more shoes.  I've got loads of shoes.  But then the sale prices twinkled away at me taunting me like a bar of chocolate or a glass of NZ Sauvignon Blanc.

This morning my new footwear arrived.  To be fair it would have been rude not to take advantage of these bargain offers.  It was so exciting unwrapping them.  They came in black shoe boxes with black ribbon tied round them.  Inside the shoes were delicately wrapped in tissue paper with a little sticker holding it in place.  It can't get better than this even at Jimmy Choo surely?  They felt expensive and sexy and perfect.  Oh I LOVE my new shoes and boots!!!

Yes I didn't stop at one pair I bought a beautiful pair of black ankle boots for just £25 and a pair of black and tan shoes - a snip at just £15.  You are obviously nodding in agreement that I had to buy said footwear at such bargain prices.  There really was no alternative!  And I do really LOVE them.

So here they are:

My Next boots

My £15 Stylist Pick shoes

And how lovely is the box!

My gorgeous £25 Stylist Pick boots!

What an exciting day!  It's given me a real boost from my cold which even with Nurofen Express is giving me a splitting headache and eyes that I just want to close as they hurt so much.  So I deserved cheering up!

I also though I'd share with you some of my Christmas presents.  Rich bought me things from the list I'd given him.  Not sure how he'd get on without a list?!!!  May be next year I will try it.  I'd really love a surprise but one I like not one I'd have to pretend to like.  Tricky!  So he bought me several books.  I'm on book two, Cheryl Cole's autobiography.  I've already read David Walliam's.  Shout if you want to borrow it but WARNING it is rather dark.  He also bought me a bottle of perfume and the following items:

As you may have guessed I love tweed.  This is from an inexpensive equestrian company called Rydale.

This is my Pull and Bear top which you will probably remember I wore Boxing Day.

This jumper is also from Rydale.

This bag is from Joules and I love it!

It's probably the most expensive bag I've owned at around £90!!!!

And this is what my daughter bought me:

This purse is from Joules and it's gorgeous!

I love what a contrast the lining is.

And a furry headband also from Joules.

My son bought me a laptop cover which I asked for and this lovely handbag.

This is from Oasis and will go beautifully with my new Next boots!

And my friend Jane bought me some yummy chocolate from Hotel Chocolat and this fab snood:

As you may have gathered I love horses!

I was also lucky enough to get a spa voucher from Richard's daughter and several other gifts from them and two very appropriate plaques from my lovely friend Theresa but I will share these with you another day.  Today is officially SHOE DAY!!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Ready to go out on New Year's Eve

Dress from Next.

Well it's day one of 2013.  I can't say that I've done very much other than take my son to pick up his car.  It was good to have a lie in this morning after a late night.  For the past few days I've been fighting off a sore throat and this morning I woke up with a head cold.  I've had a couple of Nurofen and a Lemsip and am determined to keep it at bay as back to running tomorrow!

Last night - New Year's Eve - we had a fab night.  There were ten of us who had dinner at Wesley House (which is beautiful) followed by dancing.  Many of the people we were with are really close friends and so it was a perfect way to welcome in the New Year.  Three of the people we were with I have known for longer than I've known my husband!

When we arrived we enjoyed several bottles of champagne along with canapés before being shown to our table.  The Wesley always looks fabulous over the Christmas period like a real fairytale winter wonderland.  Our table was in the atrium which was actually where our civil ceremony took place less than two years ago so it has a special significance for us.

We enjoyed plenty of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc along with our meal and lots of fun and laughter.  I think we all danced so much that our feet ached.  The highlight was when Sarah put in our request for Bon Jovi and S Club 7!!!  It got absolutely everyone dancing though.  Well everyone except our friend Pat who wasn't actually capable of standing by then!

Here's a look at the other girls dresses:

Do you have a favourite dress?  Any ideas on which is the cheapest/most expensive dress?  Please share your thought.

Finally a photo of Rich and I:

Christmas!!!

I hope everyone has had a super Christmas.  Does anyone else find it exhausting?  There's all the preparation - cleaning the house, buying presents, wrapping presents (which seems to take forever), putting up the tree (ours died within about 3 days!), grocery shopping along with everyone else in the entire area!  Then I had to go and pick up my Dad.  Although he's not much trouble you still feel responsible for him and don't quite relax.

Ready to go pick up my Dad on Sunday 23rd in my Next blouse, Sainsbury's straight jeans, M&S boots and New Look handbag

Here with my cousin's husband

                                                 

Ready to go out to lunch on Christmas Eve.  Next
lacy top, sparkly vest, Top Shop skinny jeans and M&S boots

Although Rich cooked on Christmas Day I did all the tidying up (he's a very messy cook), got rid of all the wrapping paper, put everyone's presents away.  Rich got really stressed doing it too. He's usually very laid back.  We all got to Skype my eldest son in Australia which was lovely.  My Dad couldn't quite believe his grandson was on the screen of my iPad!

There were five of us for lunch, me, Rich, my son and daughter and my Dad.  After lunch my daughter and I cleared the table, stacked the dishwasher, washed up everything that wouldn't go in the dishwasher and tidied the kitchen.

Rich and I after lunch!

The table from above and my Dad chilling with the dogs.

On Boxing Day we had a load of friends coming for lunch.  It's an annual tradition.  I got up, tidied the house, prepared the lunch, set the table and chilled the wine.  When everyone left I cleared up again.

Boxing Day table.

Waiting for guests to arrive in Top Shop jeans again and my new Pull & Bear top which I got for Christmas.

The next day same process but for Rich's daughters, son in law and three grandchildren.  Although it's good having such a social time I actually prefer our girlie suppers!

Ready for guests to arrive on 27th in a top I've had for absolutely ages, Gok jeggings and New Look heels.

My homemade lasagne ready to go in the oven.

Almost Christmas

Last night we had a Pre Christmas Get Together at our house with some of our best friends.  I lit all the candles and dimmed the lights (mainly to hide the fact that the Christmas tree is all but dead!) and put on the cheesy Christmas CD.  The champagne and Sauvignon Blanc was chilling in the fridge and the food warming in the oven.

It was lovely to spend the evening with such special people but time always seems to fly by.  One of our friends has lost three stone this year, she says without trying.  She's more than ten years older than me and is looking really skinny and obviously feeling good.  She's changed the way she dresses and was in skinny jeans last night.  It just shows it doesn't matter how old you are you can reinvent yourself.

I wore my new black top which I bought from Forever 21 on Oxford Street and my black skinny jeans from Gok at Sainsburys, my favourite nude heels and my new necklace.  I thought all of my friends looked really good last night but all in totally different ways.  Jane tends to be a skinny jeans and pretty tops kind of person.  Sarah is good at dresses or tunics with leggings and boots.  Heather can wear almost anything because she has a lovely figure but she seems happiest in skinny jeans.  She can wear them with flats and still look fab.  I need to wear heels.

Anyway when I put the bottles into the recycling I worked out that the wine drinkers had each drunk at least one and a half bottles each of wine or champagne!  No one reported a hangover this morning though!!!

Today I had to go to pick up my Dad who has come to stay for Christmas.  My daughter and her friend came with me.  My Dad and most of my family live an hours drive away.  We took the opportunity to go and visit my cousin who had all her family there including her 12 week old baby grandson who I hadn't met before!

Rich is now so used to taking photos of me that as soon as I came downstairs dressed and ready to go he was ready to take a photo.

I've obviously worn these clothes before since blogging, but they are so comfy and easy to wear.  Blouse from Next, straight jeans from Tu at Sainsburys, boots from M&S, bag from New Look.

And here I am with my cousin's husband who made the whole trip for us by making us laugh so much!!!

Last night's outfit!

Well I expected to be really stressed trying to decide what to wear last night but in fact it wasn't too bad!  I have got two pairs of trousers in a wine colour and I thought this blouse matched them quite well so decision made.  I tried on the first pair of trousers which are really flared and Rich - my husband - said I looked too grown up!  Shocker he rarely says that to me  I don't think he's ever said that to me!.  Apparently the people we were having dinner with were a lot older than me and Rich thought for some totally illogical reason that I should dress younger!  It just shows never listen to a man!
Anyway I wasn't sure about the flares so I ended up wearing the tapered ones in the photo.  They are quite baggy at the top but narrow at the ankle.  The material is silky and falls really nicely with no lumps or bumps.  I feel elegant in them - which believe me is virtually impossible!!!
And another admission to make - you have caught me out in another lie!  I said I don't shop at M&S and these trousers are in fact Autograph from M&S but I figure that doesn't really count!  The blouse is from Next.  It's not something I would normally buy but I like the fact that the body is stretchy T shirt kind of material but the sleeves are floaty chiffon.  I wore nude heels which I think were New Look but I've had them a while.
So I thought it looked ok but what do you think?  Be honest!  And do I look young or old?  Don't feel you have to be too honest on that one!

Am I really 50?????

Hello!

I'm 50!  Glad I'm typing that and not saying it out loud because no matter how hard I try I just can't believe it.  I don't feel 50.  Well, except when I'm having hot flushes! I feel more like 25!  I want to be young.  I'm sure I am young.  And then I look in the mirror and . . . massive reality check!  Surely that's not me?????

I have three children age 22, 20 and 17.  I'm married.  In fact I only got married last year so surely that makes me young?  I have three dogs and a cat.  I like riding and reading, socialising with friends, drinking wine - particularly a nice Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc or Champagne.  I'm a chocoholic and a shopoholic.

I still listen to Radio One!  My children are always stealing my CDs so I must be trendy?!  I like chatting to my children's friends.  I like being silly!

But . . . what is it appropriate to wear when you are 50?  And more to the point - where do you shop?  I would love to shop at Johnnie Boden.  He regularly sends me offers and tempts me in with his 20% off and free delivery; addressing me as though we were friends.  But I just can't.  I look through his collection and think - "it's all for grown up, sensible people."  But I guess Johnie really is sending me offers because I'm his target market.  He thinks I should be grown up and sensible because I'm . . . not 25!!!

I like to shop in New Look, Top Shop, River Island, Oasis and Warehouse.  But do the shop assistants imagine I'm shopping for my daughter?  Are they gossiping behind my back saying, "What's she doing in here?" with that snarl of contempt that young people have when the can't ever imagine being . . older!  And how long can I continue to shop in these teen emporiums?  

Next is safe.  Anyone can shop in Next.  But where else can I indulge my shopping addiction?  Not M&S, unless it's for underwear, that IS admitting you're old!

And do I give in and wear classic shapes and designs or can I still follow fashion trends???  It's such a dilemma!  Can I wear the same styles as my daughter or is that 'mutton dressed as lamb'?  And where is Gok Wan when you need him?!!!