I’ve had a revelation!! I like to browse the Internet for many and various things, and part of that is looking to see if there’s any colostomy products missing from my repertoire, I struck gold last week!
For as long as I’ve had my stoma, 8 years now, I’ve been wanting to make life easier whilst out and about.
It’s pretty smooth sailing having a stoma when staying in doors but unlike how I thought it would be (I really thought I’d never leave my house after surgery, honestly I promise you the thought of something is far worse than its reality. My experience has been the polar opposite of what I expected bagged life to be) I love to get out and about, for as far as I like, for as long as I like. But with that comes baggage...not the emotional type, but actual baggage...spare colostomy bags, bottles of bag release sprays, room fragrance, dry wipes, nappy sacks etc etc. It’s an absolute pain in my backside.
It is the bane of my life to remember to bring everything I might need. But it is also a privilege of my survival.
I found some bag removing wipes advertised on a stoma products website and sent off straight away for the free samples. They arrived the other day and I’ve given them a go already and they are gooood!
I have been able to reduce my supplies to tiny tiny hand bag size. Or a man could even get away with sticking it all in a coat pocket, I mean so could a woman of course but I tend to carry a lot more than just my colostomy stuff...I have to carry old receipts, a tatty mangled comb, an old mint now covered in hair and fluff, a pair of pop socks just in case I need to try shoes on in an emergency and a pot of mixed nuts just in case I’m ever somewhere food isn’t readily available etc etc hahahahahah.
Spare bags - pre cut to save taking scissors, dry wipes, black disposal bags, bag remover wipes and my pièce de résistance a tiny bottle of perfume that I picked up the other day in London. But any tiny perfume will do as long as it’s got a spray top for freshening up the toilet cubicle. Absolute heaven!!
Anyway I’ve been getting out and about taking full advantage of my new miniaturised spares.
Ben, my youngest son had a week off before starting his new job in London, he had quite a lot planned but was free on the Friday. We had intended to go to London to some art galleries, but it was due to be 34c (93.2f) and London rapidly lost its appeal. So I did what any good mother would do and offered him a day at the zoo, my boys love the zoo, Ben’s been going since before he was born, I used to take Sam all the time and when I was pregnant. So maybe that’s where Ben’s love of the zoo came from, he’s been going since birth.
Being that hot at the zoo was no picnic either but it was a fun day nonetheless.
Top from The White Company, Jeans Joni’s from Topshop. Picnic bag from Kate Spade.
Oh it all started off so well! Hahahahaha then the little flappy terrorists got a bit bolshy! Hahahahaha I’m so at one with nature.
Ben however is far better with the interactive animal experience than me. 👍🏼
We had a lovely day out. Great for slimming too, I think I sweated out my body weight in water. I was pretty dehydrated and withered by the time we got home. Not a great idea with a stoma but it was pretty hard to keep drinking enough to stay on top of it.
Then Saturday we planned to go to see some more polo, we decided to see if we liked it as a sport, rather than enjoying it for the grandeur of the day last time, so rather than all the pomp and ceremony of going back to Berkshire for it we went as local as we could find to watch some amateur polo over in Cambridgeshire.
Turns out we love polo no matter who’s playing. Of course the standard wasn’t the same as watching two national teams but it was still bloody brilliant! One of the teams had a 12 year old playing with the adults and she scored too! Mind blowing the skill involved. I haven’t ridden in years but I doubt I could have played a game of hockey whilst on the back of a fast moving horse even way back then, so I certainly couldn’t now.
That said, one of the chaps running the day said they take non riders and teach them how to play polo within one day! So never say never... just say highly unlikely hahahahaha
Hat from Osprey, Dress from Athena Procopiou Shrug from Monsoon, Flip flips from Salvatore Ferragamo
It wasn’t a posh, dressed up event, it was very much wear what you like, in fact next time I’m sure I’ll just wear jeans and a T, but I really wanted to wear my new dress. I bought it the other day and I totally fell in love with it. There is just one problem with Athena Procopiou dresses...they are designed only to be worn by 6 foot stick insects...and I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but tall and thin I ain’t!!! Hahahahaha
When I first tried it on I was absolutely gutted. If you wear a bra with it the dress is cut so low that the bra shows at the sides, and if you don’t wear a bra (and let’s face it I’m too old and the girls are too big to go braless) you get major side boob on show to the point of obscene.
The dress was going to have to go back, I was pretty disappointed (yes, yes, first world problems, my blogs are not a place to focus on the worst that can happen in the world, I have lost enough loved ones and have enough friends going through trauma right now to appreciate I live a very charmed and blessed life, my blogs hopefully are about living your best life in spite of the unexpected blips along the way).
So I packed the dress back in its gorgeous delivery box from matchesfashion.com ready to return it, yet again, because the last Athena dress I ordered was so long it dragged along the floor and I looked like a child playing dress up, an albeit very wrinkly child hahahahaha. But Chris bless him insisted there must be a way round it, and that very same day I saw a photo of Elle McPherson in the paper in a long floaty dress with a cardigan over the top, Of course!! A cardi!
I chose a shorter length, bolero style cardigan for the simple reason that I don’t need it for warmth, just side boob coverage and also, because I’m short a shorter cardigan elongates the length of the dress that’s on show and hopefully me too! ;)
And that was that, dress reprieved. :)
And if you’re wondering what the hat was all about. I’m not normally a hat wearer, but I tried it on in Osprey the other day and thought it would be perfect for India in February. It rolls up and springs back into shape after so it’s perfect for travel.
It was so hot and sunny Saturday I thought I’d better take a hat and felt a baseball cap would kind of let the outfit down a bit.
The polo was great and we will be going again soon.
Then Sunday Chris and I went to my work (a term used in the loosest sense possible...I do some of the social media for a furniture and lifestyle company in Colchester called Neptune, I “work” about an hour a week from the comfort of my home. Bill Gates has nothing in me and my work aholic-ness hahahahaha but I absolutely love it! I’ve totally bought into the brand and the lifestyle. My house is decked out top to bottom in Neptune).
So on Sunday at ‘work’ we were having a cookery demonstration by a chef that does all the back room prep for chefs on TV shows, you know the bit where they say and here’s one I made earlier...well Becky does the earlier bit, she was absolutely amazing! She did however make it look too easy which I bet it totally isn’t. She introduced me to fruit in my savoury that was incredible (unexpectedly so, I’m not a sweet in my dinners kind of girl but I would definitely cook the chicken with lavender and peaches - yes I was a tad dubious too but It was delicious). She followed it up with a selection of very beautiful desserts.
Watching a professional is very informative and inspiring...no, I haven’t got round to recreating her dishes as yet, I think I’d rather she came round and did it for me. But maybe I will give it a try at the weekend...yeah, who am I kidding...take away it is then. Hahahahaha.
We’ve got an interior design styling day coming up at work later in August so I’ve got our names down for a place on that too. I need all the help I can get. :)
It was again a hot and humid day, we’re having what I can only describe as the best summer of my life. The sun is shinning, what’s not to love, apart from the extreme sweating that is.
I wore another new dress, but this time an absolute bargain! I bought 2 dresses like this one in black and one in green a couple of weeks back and when my friend saw me in it she sent me in the shop to go and pick her one up too. I went straight away and got it for her. I explained that they had it in a blue and white stripe too but it was it was double the price, so she said to just stick with the black one, any way a few days later she went in and bought the blue one too. I then went in last week and the blue version had been dropped to half price! Too good a bargain to miss really! Hahahahaha. Di as you can imagine is delighted for me! ;)
I love shirt dresses, and this one is a shirt dress with a twist. The gathered front is perfect for colostomy bag coverage. I’ve tried on many shirt dresses before and I often struggle to get the buttons not to pull and gape over my boobs and hips.
This one fitted me perfectly, which was an utter joy, seeing as it’s a UK size 8 (US 4) ...I’m under no illusion and realise that it must have been mis sized but it did put a little spring in my step. :)
Dress from French Connection, Shoes from Chloé, Bag from Valentino Rockstuds.
Big old granny pants (knickers), Men’s Calvin Klein boxers. If I’m wearing something that could blow up in a random gust of wind I do prefer to be fully self contained, no one needs to see my big white bottom in a thong and my colostomy bag dangling Hahahahaha
Notice how small my handbag is, for a full day out to play too! Everything I need is in there ~ receipts, fluff covered sweets, and colostomy supplies to boot!
Honestly, it’s absolute heaven.