What a week it’s been! So many firsts for this year!
On Thursday I had my first haircut since January! I used to have it cut and coloured every 5 weeks, at a cost of between £150-£200 depending on who I was seeing.
I can state now, hand on heart I do not want to get back into that cycle again. I haven’t missed the interruption of having to get my roots done. I don’t miss being a slave to my hair colour.
Obviously I was in desperate need of a trim, the ends had become a bit brittle and crispy. But colouring it regularly again? Nooooooo, I’m done.
Yes, I have some grey hairs, eight, in fact at the last count. I feel pretty entitled to having a bit of grey I reckon, firstly I’m 47, secondly we’ve through hell as a family over the years.
Am I bothered about having grey hair? Again I’m going to have to say nooooooooooo!
I have a very different perspective on aging to most. I’m delighted by it! I’m fascinated by it and I find it a real sense of joy.
Grey hair is very low on my list of concerns, in fact, I don’t think it’s on there at all.
Anyway, I went off to my appointment with my hairdresser of yesteryear (I hadn’t realised she was back working and she’s very sweet and didn’t try to poach me back off of the hairdresser I was seeing, as she thought I was happy with them. Which was true, I had found a lovely lady to cut it but my preference was to go back to Jess).
I had been very cautious about going to a salon since the rona, but I needn’t have worried.
Jess has it all sorted. All the windows and doors were open for good ventilation. I anti bac-ed my hands on arrival, then washed my hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, then antibac-ed again. Everything was sanitised. Jess wore a mask and visor, I wore a mask.
I felt incredibly safe. All fears were allayed.
I had a lovely, much needed tidy up. And lovely catch up, we have also discussed the fact that although I don’t want to get into the cycle of 5 weekly highlights again, I do need to break up the line of natural hair/dyed hair.
So we feel (well, Jess does as I’m clueless) that a few micro highlights will help blend it all in. That way they’d only need maintenance every 3-6 months depending on what I feel it looks like. I can totally manage 3-6 months. I just can’t face 5 weekly again.
I feel all feel fresh and fancy now, I’ve been swishing my head round since Thursday. :)
It’s been a great week, I went to work (Neptune in Colchester) to look at the new season colour, ohhhhhhhh it’s heaven. It’s just the look I need to make me feel all cosy all over. And let’s face it, who doesn’t need cosy comfort right now.
Our new season colour is Olive. It’s gloriously autumnal. Chris and I are trying to think where we could put it in our home. But in the mean time I bought some candles and table runners in the new autumn shades.
Plus the new Directory is out, which for me is like being a child again looking through the Argos catalogue, making notes of all the yummy things I want to buy. And the new Neptune Stories book is out too, so it’s a great time to be alive! :)
I felt all lovely and cosy and also hungry for cake (let’s face it, when aren’t I!?). I decided to make my cakes with a twist this time.
Is there such a thing as a healthy cake? Well if there was I probably wouldn’t want it. But I did feel like adding a few exotic additions.
So I invented Turmeric & Date fairy cakes;
Bake on 180 c (with fan) for 20 minutes. They are delicious hot or cold. Believe me, I’ve done both. I will say that if you don’t like turmeric, then these probably aren’t for you. ;)
Turmeric is great for gut health, and black pepper is needed to activate the healing power of the spice.
But don’t feel like you have to stop there, a bit of mixed spice will be delicious too.
And then came the weekend!!
Another first of the year so far, we were off out to London for a Saturday night out out! Yey! :)
We’ve had a switch of roles in our house this year.
My normal role (this was a self appointed position you understand) is to panic about all germs, disinfect everything at all times, monitor viruses in the general population, like I’m an epidemiologist working for Public Health England.
Chris’s role was to tut and roll his eyes at my paranoia based mania.
Well then rolls in 2020, and for reasons unknown fully, Chris has become majorly concerned about catching corona and I’ve become chilled out because with lockdown, social distancing, face masks, anti bac and hand washing I’m living my best life!! ;)
Where others see an imposition or in the extreme cases, some feel their human rights have been affected. There’s me loving all the measures and living my best life and here’s why;
So far this year I have gone down with ZERO bugs!! Not even a mild summer cold, nothing at all, no nasty virus that floors me (my usual winter activity), no stomach bugs, no pink eye, no earache, no colds of any kind ~ NOTHING!
It’s not like I don’t go out either. But when I do, I protect others from me, and I enjoy the fact that others are protecting me from them. No more are people spitting all their germs all over the place and everyone is washing their damn hands! Hallelujah!
I persuade Chris to come out of hiding every now and then, and he’s cautiously agreeable, so life is good.
Saturday was very special as we were meeting friends that we haven’t seen this year.
Saturday was also the day that Kaitlyn had to bring her 21st birthday party forward, as next weekend we’re all back to only meeting up with 6 people.
So while Ben and Kaitlyn set up her birthday party in our garden (we’ve got lots of space for social distancing, whilst still being able to enjoy themselves) Chris and I headed off to London excited to try a new restaurant for us.
It was a bit nerve racking for me as I chose it and booked it. It’s super super Instagram-able. Which doesn’t always mean you’ll have an enjoyable time. Sometimes these fashionable places can be all fluff and no substance….Aqua Shard I’m talking about you! :)
I had a few concerns it was going to be a bit poncey. I checked the dress code and unexpectedly found one I’d never come across before. “Art Smart” I mean come on! What the F does that mean?
Give me the basics - smart casual, black tie, lounge suits etc, don’t invent new dress codes with no explanation! Hahahah
So I did what I always do, I went with ‘wear what I darn well please’.
Dress from Mulberry, Boots from LK Bennet.
Instagram versus reality - as I had to hoik my knickers up to hold my belly in! Hahahahaha
Clothes as above, Bag from Chanel
London was pretty empty. We parked on a side road near New Bond Street, which cost pennies, as you only have to pay till 6.30pm on a Saturday.
Yes, I’m happy to risk encounters with germs by going to restaurants but I don’t want to go on trains, as I thought they were filthy germ infested places even before the dreaded corona. ;)
We arrived early at Sketch, we explained that to front of house and said we were waiting for our friends to join us. They said no problem, they’d bring them through to us in the bar when they arrive. Perfect. That’s all sorted then.
We were waiting and waiting, then James sent a photo of them having cocktails…which I thought was a bit weird as they’d surely be late to meet us by doing this. Then Tanya sent a message that said ‘stop shopping and hurry up’, which again I thought was odd as it was them that were by now late to our table reservation time.
Chris went over to explain to front of house that our friends had been held up and were running a bit late. It was at this point they asked for his name and table booking time…Chris came back to our table in the bar, followed very quickly by a greeter girl, who informed us that our friends indeed had arrived some time a go and were seated at the table already!
I was livid. It turns out they arrived a few minutes after we had. I felt that the restaurant had robbed us of half an hour of valuable time with our friends, especially as we hadn’t seen all year!
We thought they were late, they thought we were late, but we’re all sat in the same building, just 20 feet apart divided by a wall!
How utterly ridiculous!
My immediate thought was oh this night’s not going to go well now I’ve got the hump. I also thought they would expect us to vacate our table at the original allotted time. BUT I’m delighted to say I couldn’t be more wrong.
I now know that this photo that James sent me, was taken inside Sketch. Had I seen a photo of the decor before I would have recognised it immediately.
It actually looked like they were in a hallway of a junior school, but that’s me, I’m a philistine when it comes to modern art. Hahahah
The waiting staff are so warm and friendly, it’s fancy, yes but not pompous, arrogant or intimidating. The food was incredibly good, surprisingly so.
This place has Instagram appeal in bucket loads but it can also back it up with food and service!
We had the best time. In no way were we rushed, in fact we were there for hours and hours of blissful time with our friends. Then we moved on to the bar (in exactly the same seats Chris and I had been waiting on arrival). :)
Sketch is beautiful, it’s absolutely stunning and full of cool men and gorgeous girls in tiny little dresses (the girls that is).
I haven’t had as much fun in the toilets since way back when I was a wild teen.
And this time it was a group activity! Hahahahaha
I’d better explain. The toilets in Sketch are art, in fact everything there is art. Which does now explain the art smart dress code.
These little egg like pods are the toilet cubicles. It’s a bit of a mind bender but they are simple enough to use. Although I’m very glad I’m not a drinker still, I’d have probably struggled.
They are not actually unisex. But the indicator of gender is so subtle that they end up unisex as no one notices the pink lights up one flight of stairs and blue lights up the other.
You know that the blue lit stairs are the boys side as there is a room of unrinals through those pods. That kind of gives the game away, but rarely is it noticed.
I don’t mind a unisex toilet personally, it doesn’t bother me. We don’t have gendered toilets at home, well we don’t anyway.
Photography by James & Tanya. They are very good at the photo thing.
The food was amazing, the place looks amazing, the loos are great fun. They are also full of beautiful people taking photos for the Gram, some really working it. Which was great fun to watch too.
We didn’t leave there till quite late (for us). It must have been quite a late one as at about quarter to midnight I got a text from Ben (who was at our house at Kaitlyn’s party) “where are you? It’s very late for you two”
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahhhhhhaaahahahah!
I felt like a naughty school child. :)
We arrived to find the party ending and most people leaving. Kaitlyn, Ben a few others were tidying up. How cute are young people these days.
Admittedly I didn’t have parties when I was a young person, I think the last party I had at my parents home I was about 5.
But I found it very sweet and refreshing to find them being good enough to tidy up after themselves.
They all behaved impeccably, no major mishaps, the only thing broken was the wall mounted soap dispenser in the bathroom, and in fairness I was more impressed by the fact they had clearly been washing their hands than worried about a slight bit of damage. ;)
*Funny story to cheer you up were it needed. I decided on wearing these lovely boots. They have become a little on the snug side what with my lockdown weight gain.
I had got ready for my evening out, which included moisturising my legs. Might I just point out at this point that I very rarely remember to lotion my legs, even when they are in desperate need, so why I chose to do it this particular evening I do not know.
Anyhoo, I get dressed up and off we go. Fast forward to the end of the evening, when I attempted to take my boots off only to find they are stuck on, solid.
I asked Chris to help me, he was having no luck, they were stuck solid, vacuumed to my legs, with the aid of lotion!!
I was getting panicked that I’d be stuck in them for life, I was begging Chris to get a knitting needle to shove down there to release the vacuum. Neither of us knit, so where I thought we’d locate one I will never know. But desperate times call for panic and inexplicably daft ideas!!
He finally managed to waggle them off me after a considerable fight.
Moral of this story, always leave your legs dry and crispy, it’s far safer in the long run.
Then Sunday I was off back up to London to meet my friend Olesia, who I absolutely adore, but haven’t seen all this year!
We headed to EL&N in Knightsbridge, just beside Harrods.
Chris very kindly dropped me off and he headed off for a relaxing afternoon doing anything he wanted (which he doesn’t get to do that much as I’m like a little limpet).
I arrived early as I tend to. I went for a peaceful stroll…around Harrods, this is my kind of hiking.
I had loads of time to kill and somehow I ended up in Boodles trying lots of lovely things on.
I was very honest with the sales assistant, I explained that I wasn’t going to be buying anything and I was just killing time, it made no difference to the quality of service, they greeted me like an old friend and let me try on pretty things. I literally can’t think of a better way to spend time.
I sent Chris photos, I’m sure he was delighted to have the added pressure of managing my expectations, hahahahaha.
I ended up nearly late for meeting O as Harrods has been going through a revamp and I got lost trying to get out.
I finally arrived to meet my dear friend. Oh it was so good to see her! And she had chosen a great place to catch up and another very Instagram-able hot spot.
It’s spectacularly beautiful. It’s made for photos.
It was a lovely sunny day, I dressed in a new little number from H&M, I bought it for winter to wear with some new boots Chris bought for me from Jimmy Choo, which I absolutely love, but needed a shorter dress to wear with them as I’m very short on leg, and look even shorter with long dresses and ankle boots on.
Dress from H&H, Shoes from Chloe, Bag from Christian Dior.
We had such a lovely time, again we were not rushed away by the staff. They very kindly allowed us to stay way over our allotted time.
I would very much recommend EL&N, the food was great, which isn’t always the case with trendy hot spots (yeah, I still mean you Aqua Shard!) hahahahaha.
Olesia and I had such a fantastic catch up. We literally didn’t stop talking and eating, It’s so lovely to be able to meet up with someone you haven’t seen in an age and chat as if you’ve never been apart. We then went for a walk, and she showed me some more great spots for shopping and eating.
I can’t wait to meet up again but God knows when that will be.
I feel so lucky to have amazing friends. I feel even more blessed that I have a husband who willingly drove me up to London to meet up with them. Yes I can drive but never would I attempt it in London. I wouldn’t have been able to see any of them as I’m not doing public transport right now (or come to that hopefully ever again).
He is my favourite husband to date. I feel very lucky. :)