Time Flies

I can not believe it has been over a year since I last blogged.

I am so sorry to everyone who has come across my blog and thought "oh just another out of date blog, move along, nothing to see".

I have no excuse, only that time flies and one year leads into another.

We have a new PC now. One that works off electric and Wi-Fi thingies and not one where we have to feed the mouse every so often, like the last one. So it should be easier to keep in touch now and of course I have just worked out what my password is to log in to Blogger after years of dormancy.

So yet again sorry for the laziness, I promise to make a mense.

One Week On.

Last Saturday I joined the gym.
I wasnt the most eager of people to be honest. I have always thought of the gym as a boring, smelly place, full of  thin people who love themselves more then anyone else does. Who sees the place more like a catwalk then a gym with the top brand sportswear on display.

And I guess there are gyms that are like that and maybe this one is on certain days, but I havent seen it. Yet!

I have been four times this week and its full of a mixture of people. Ok you have the buff blokes at the back with the weights  (I havent seen any girls yet) and then at the front you have alsorts. The very toned, fit runners on the treadmill, the odd older person on the cycling machine, but many more bigger people trying to loss weight and plodding along slowly like me. No designer labels, no one keeping up with the Jones.

And do you know what? I am loving it, ive lost 8 pounds and its good to be wrong.

Insentive see you next Tuesday!

Tonight a guy who I have bowled with every week for the last 15 months and got to know very well said something in jest that stung me more then I ever thought it would. 

Next week is the start of a new season and the duo teams are changing about. People are leaving, new peoole joining etc. Anyway this bloke we will call Ned said to a group of the players

"Maybe G could join Chris to make a  duo team. They could be called the roly polys"

Chris by the way has got to be 25 stone easy.

I know he was joking and I laughed it off but boy did that hurt.
Even more determined now to lose the rest of my weight. 

D day number 3456

I have just stood on the scales for the first time in nearly two months and I am shocked and disgusted with myself as to how much I weigh now.
Tomorrow starts phase two towards my weight loss goal and this time im not stopping until I reach it.

RULES:
1200 calories a day. 200 breakfast, 400 lunch, 600 dinner
1 piece of bread a day.
No alcohol
Glass of water with every meal.
No snacks
Write everything down
Walk at least a mile a day
NO VENDING MACHINE!!!!!

To stay or not to stay?

Three years ago Christmas gone, my very best friend moved to Salisbury Wiltshire. A beautiful cathedral city set amongst fields and pig farms (I haven't be able to eat ham since). At the time lets say we were having a trial separation and regrettably I wasn't in her life at the time of the move. A mutual friend told me about the impending move and I remember feeling as if my right arm had been cut off.

A few months later fate brought us together again and we rekindled our friendship, bringing the two families together again. A joyous occasion and one that will live with me for a long time.

Now of course to see her is a day long event and a 55 minute drive each way, so we don't seem to see each other very often now. On occasions that we do see each other we spend quality time (without the children) and go on staycations.

Staycation is of course an Americanism and has become popular over the last few years thanks to the recession and the lack of money to spend on expensive holidays abroad.

The oxford directory's definition of a staycation is: A holiday spent in ones own home country rather then abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions.

My friend and I have had some lovely nights away. City hotels and spa breaks and all on the cheap. Goupon is a great place to get cheap nights away in your home town or slightly further a field and we have never paid more then £50 each for a night away.

Getting away not only gives you time to relax but you have time away from the children and the men of course and its a great excuse to have a couple of drinks, eat lovely food, gossip and of course shop without children nagging or men asking "how much?".

So next time you say to your bestie we need to catch up over coffee, book a cheap night away and spend some quality time together.

Sample does it.

Sample sale top tips.

A few months ago now I went to my first ever sample sale. I didn't really know what to expect and it really wasn't what I expected.
The next time I go I will take the following tips with me.

The early worm.... The sale started at 10.00am and I got there at 12.30pm (it was a two hour journey to get there mind) and most of the things had gone. All of the handbags most of the garments. Next time I will be in the queue banging the door down for when they open.

Sample sizes......... if you are a size 12 onwards don't go thinking you are going to be walking away with a cheeky new dress. All garments that I could see were sample sizes and are small. Just look at the models walking down the catwalk to see what size they are made for.
I went knowing that it was the shoes, bags and in the case of Jasper's AW11 season the hat,s I was going for.

Stage clothes...... and thirdly, and this is the thing that surprised me the most about sample sales being the complete novice that I am is, some of the garments are not fully completed wearable everyday clothes.
Some are press studded down the back, like quick change stage clothes,  easy to get on and off during a fashion show I guess. So if you are lucky enough to get into a sample garment you may need to send it to a seamstress to get it finished or if you are feeling brave leave as it is and wear some nice underwear underneath. :0)

The crush.....Finally don't think well heeled women are polite and considerate when hunting down a couture bargain, because first hand experience tells me they are not. A bargain is a bargain which ever way your bread is buttered. 

I had a great time, it was a fantastic experience, a great day out and I brought myself two pairs of shoes and a fabulous Stephen Jones hat all for under fifty quid. 

Bargain of the year I would say.

My new hat, walking down the catwalk February 2011 Somerset House. 

Photo kind permission from Jasper Conran and jasperconran.com

Shame On Me.

Its been nearly a year since I last blogged. That quite frankly is crap. I have a notebook full of things I wanted to blog about and haven't. I could of cause blame time or lack of it, but I always say you make time for the things you truly want to do.
So my very delayed new years resolution is that I will blog more regularly from now on.

And that is a promise.