Well this past week has been a mixed bag, some highs and some lows but as always and most importantly fun!
I flew out to spain by myself last Monday (I'm getting very good at this flying malarkey, still not a fan but at least I make it onto the plane these days).
Flying by myself does throw up some issues, When I go with someone else I tend to double up on all my ostomy sprays in their allowance. I only take a cabin bag so I'm very limited on what I can take. It is always worth contacting the airline and asking what their policy is re medical supplies. I didn't need to this time as I knew Chris was following me out after a few days and could bring out anything that I needed.
I arrived in Spain in the dark and drove to my little house. I felt quite proud of myself as I hate driving, very much hate driving in the dark and obviously it's all on the wrong side of the road for me (how rude of me, I shouldn't say wrong side as it's the correct side for them, just the opposite side for me).
I woke up to 'glorious' grey skies, wind and rain...errr, hold on, something's not right, I came here for some sunshine?...where is it? Plus I managed to injure my back lifting my flight bag, so I spent the first few days in the rain, alone, googling yoga poses for back injuries.
...And then Chris arrived, he really does make everything better. Genius that he is he decided to take some affirmative action and booked us into a fabulous hotel in Madrid, so rather than storm chasers we became sunshine chasers. Madrid is 4 hours from our little villa so I needed to pack for a city break and a road trip.
I took a flask of hot water and all my normal ostomy supplies should I have needed to change my bag en route, we've never really explored Spain before (to our shame), so I wasn't sure what to expect facilities wise along the way. Thankfully I didn't need to worry as I didn't have any mishaps.
We arrived in beautiful, stunning Madrid at lunch time and walked our feet off exploring this incredible city. Chris had another surprise up his sleeve though, he booked us a suite with a huge balcony and hot tub. Now, I'm not a huge fan of hot tubs as I find the filter in my bag can't cope and it releases smell, even with one of those valve covers. But the beauty of this was the hottub was right outside our room which meant once I had a dip in there I got straight out and into our shower for a wash and bag change. It was absolutely fantastic. A real treat after a long drive and an even longer walk round the city. I was very grateful that he had been so thoughtful and so was my aching body.
Above, loving everything Madrid has to offer.
Dress from Michael Kors, bag from Louis Vuitton, Shoes from Tory Burch
This dress is so comfy and easy to wear.
Below, in the Thyssen Museum, I call this photo Monet and Me...this place is beyond awesome, I felt very emotional in there. One of my great loves is Impressionist paintings (I know, you didn't expect me to be so a cultured did you...hahahahahahahahahaha...what can I say, I have hidden depths :) )
Our hotel was on Gran Via, which is like the Oxford street of Madrid.
Bikini from Primark, incdently there's a gorgeous Primark on Gran Via, should you ever be passing.
Top from Dorothy Perkins, trousers from Next, Shoes from Russell and Bromley.
Off out to dinner. These trouser are super stretchy and the top is double layered which makes it the perfect combo for eating out in. The trousers allow the bag to fill and the two layers of the top cover anything up.
Top from Hollister , Shorts from Next.
After an amazing stay in Madrid we headed back to our house in Spain. The weather had picked up greatly and it was gorgeous once we got back.
Spring is very pretty in Spain. I saw this gorgeous field on our way home and it seemed the ideal place for a stop. The location of our house 'usually' means we have wonderful weather pretty much all year.
Shirt from Zara, T shirt from Ralph Lauren, Trousers From Dorothy Perkins, Shoes from Russell and Bromley, Sunglasses from Jimmy Choo.
I bought this shirt a few weeks ago, it's a bit of a departure from my usual safe dressing but I really liked it. I teamed it with a T shirt under it for this night as the evenings can be a little chilly still. But it's so cosy and relaxed and hides a multitude of sins. ;)
After I bought it I read an article saying that Zara only engages women up to the age of 33, which I think is hooey, why on earth should I be put off of somewhere just because of my age. Yes, the model below is well under 33, she's also incredibly stunning, about 6 ft and a size zero....I'm not any of those things either but I'm not going to let that put me off shopping somewhere, none of us would buy a new outfit again if we had to match up to those requirements.
The only shop I know of that had an upper age limit is Mothercare...it goes up to 10! So said their advertising slogan in the 70's and 80's...which by the way I wasn't put off by even back then, as I didn't grow till I was about 17 I was wearing Mothercare till I was well into my teens. hahahahahahahaha...
Perfect for an evening meal at the Marina a few minutes drive from our house.
We had a fantastic holiday in spite of the weather and back ache. Not only that but I had a horrific pain in my armpit the whole time I was away, so I went to my doctor Monday morning who informed me she wasn't surprised I was in pain as I have a rather nasty abscess there. A big boy dose of antibiotics should soon sort it out. Probably shouldn't have left it so long, I'll know for next time...please god never let there be a next time, it's sooooo bad!! :0