So this is a bit of a long winded story. But about 3 years ago I saw a pair of shoes in Dior that I really really liked. I tried them on, they looked a treat, I decided to have a think about it. I then went back a few weeks later and they’d sold out. And each summer that’s passed since it’s been the same story.
But a few weeks ago I received an email notification from Dior saying that the shoes I wanted were back in stock.
So I took no chances this time and ordered a pair online…only to find when they arrived that the size I thought I was, was in fact too small.
So I sent those ones back, a wept a little. Hahahah. I’m joking, I get it, it’s just shoes.
Chris suggested we head into London one night after work (his not mine), to get a pair in person.
So after my shift at the food bank (this is added in a deliberate attempt to avoid being thought of as completely and utterly devoid of humanity and completely vapid), and after Chris finished work last Wednesday, we headed to Harrods to pick them up.
We usually park in Harrods valet parking, but Chris had forgotten his key (his car works on an app on the phone).
So we couldn’t park there.
We decided to park in the NCP in Cadogan square. The Knightsbridge car park.
Off we trot into Harrods, where I picked up said 3 year wait shoes. But actually in the store they had them in 6 different colour ways so I got a bit sidetracked. I tried them all on and decided that although magenta and fuchsia are a sensation, I’m probably a little long in the tooth to pull them off.
I stuck with the grey. They are also sensational, but in a classy understated way.
While I was thirsting over the shoe selection in there, like a child in a verrrrry expensive candy store, I saw another pair of shoes that looked soooo good on me.
Decisions decisions, so, I bought both (couldn’t see that coming a mile off could you!)
Basically, I bought them with my house keeping money…my fridge is empty, but by design in this case.
(I mentioned I volunteer at the food bank right? I’m a nice person, I promise. Just a nice person with a shoe addiction. I gave up drugs, alcohol, chocolate and caffeine, let me have my shoes in peace) hahahahahah
Anyway, high as a kite from my two shoes purchase, we headed to Madhus for a celebratory curry…I finally had the allusive D Ways!! Definitely worth celebrating.
We came out of there late, we’d got chatting to a mother and daughter sitting next to us, and it was well after closing time when the staff politely asked us to leave.
The mum was from Mumbai, although she had lived here for 50 years now, she still has a flat in Mumbai, and we were discussing our mutual love of India. Her place of birth, and our favourite place on the planet.
We said our goodbyes, and said we might see her on our way over to Mumbai in November, she’s going then too.
We headed back to the car, with full bellies and happy hearts.
We got in the car, pulled out of the space, only for Chris to say “ah, we have a problem!”
To which I said “what’s that then?”
And Chris said look behind you!
…and some scroat, had smashed a massive hole in the rear window!
Absolutely massive!!
We were utterly shocked. This is a manned NCP car park after all. And costs a fortune to park in. You kind of assume the car will be safe there.
We spoke to the chap who works there, who was very helpful, and sorry about what had happened, but he said that he goes for his break between 7-8.30pm and it happens a lot during that time!?
The car park itself doesn’t have cctv inside it, which is mad as apparently it’s an all too common occurrence. But Chris’s car is like a spaceship, super high tech and super fast, but very handily, it starts filming when under attack!!
These are the scumbags who broke into the car, supposedly in a secure carpark.
The little yellow bag he has in his hand was given to me by a friend.
So to sum up, they stole from a cancer survivor, a gift from another cancer survivor.
Fastrack to hell me thinks.
I’d like the bag back. It means a lot to me, but it’s never going to happen.
*Almost as importantly…What the **** is thunder***t no.2 wearing by the way? I refuse to be robbed by badly dressed thieves! I have standards…if only they did! ;)
The all dressed in black one makes sense to me for a thief, but the light grey combo, with Batman style utility belt? What’s he got in there? A window smasher & shark repellent?
My little bag itself isn’t worth a lot of money, and literally with nothing to them, but it means a lot sentimentally.
The only thing keeping me from crying is the thought of them opening said pouch to find just stoma supplies in it! Enjoy fellas! Great haul!!
Can you imagine their confusion and dismay. Bearing in mind, they left Chris’s Belstaff coat in the boot (trunk), they had to lift his coat up to steal my bag. They must have thought it would have some cash or cards in it.
It was an extremely drafty, noisy drive home. We had nothing on us to plug the hole. So more and more bits fell off as we drove along.
Karma is a bitch, so here’s hoping she does her job well! ;)
Anyway, there was no time to get the car fixed, as that happened Wednesday night and we had a flight to Spain first thing Thursday morning.
Chris took the car to the petrol station to vacuum the glass out, getting loads of cuts in doing so.
Then he patched the hole up as best he could, for it to be sitting in an open air, airport carpark for 5 days.
He did a very good job, as it was still intact when we arrived back from holiday.
Anyway, we weren’t going to let two thieving scumbags ruin our holiday.
So off we went into the sun!…only, it’s pouring down and storming in most of Spain.
But even that couldn’t dampen our spirits.
Dress from Tesco, Shoes from Dior, Bag from Gucci.
I recently saw on a stoma website that said you can’t take scissors on a plane, and I was really very surprised, and it’s really been bothering me.
I’ve embarked upon 2-4 flights a month, for years, and I always take my medical, colostomy scissors on board with me for bag cutting.
Don’t try and your take garden shears with you, but blades under a certain size are allowed. I always travel with supplies on me, as I don’t want to risk them getting lost.
I’d hate to think that false information is putting people off of travel. I’ve been on hundreds and hundreds of flights. Never ever had any problems with taking my stoma bag scissors.
It also mentioned stoma bag issues on the site. I don’t usually get any problems with my bag ballooning, so I don’t know if this is a common problem. But I try and eat low wind causing foods the day before flying. That said, the night before we flew to Spain this time I had a curry fit for a king with breads and daal.
I’ve been to many countries all over the world, hundreds of flights, and never had an issue, but a friend in Mexico messaged me to say she was stopped taking her colostomy scissors on board the flight.
*If in doubt always contact your airline to check, and it’s worth asking for extra baggage allowance for your supplies too, definitely worth a try.
It was straight off the plane, pick up the car, head to the house, as I had a meeting with Bowel Research UK to get to asap.
It was a great meeting, I very much enjoy being part of this charity. If you’d like to join please get in touch with them, or me, and I can put you in touch.
Then it was off to the Marina for dinner and of course, ice cream.
By this point it was raining, but ice cream is a multi weather activity I think.
The weather in the whole of Europe has been funky. The ski resorts suffered in winter with a lack of snow, and spring has been much wetter than usual for the hotter destinations.
So I slapped on the factor 50, and made the most of any opportunity of sunshine.
I have never felt any need to justify the way I look since I was diagnosed with cancer. It was extremely freeing to be able to just be me from that point onward.
The before cancer me was starving myself to fit into a certain, unhealthy, unattainable, illogical goal.
Why should anyone have to look a certain way to be acceptable?
But cancer helped me look past the outside shell. What matters is being here and being happy and being healthy.
That’s it. Nothing else.
The weather forecast for our house was dire for the Saturday, so Chris suggested we go for a day trip…To Valencia!
We drove over 300km there for sunshine and traditional Valencian paella.
Dress from Monsoon.
We haven’t been able to get fried baby squid in the area our house is in for a while now, but they had it in Valencia.
And interestingly the prawns were in oil with onion, rather than the garlic and butter we are used to.
The paella was fantastic! Still not as good as Arros in London…truly the best paella in the world, but it was very good, and worth the drive.
I wore my new beautiful shoes, which was a very stupid decision to make. My feet were shredded. The pain, oh the pain!
I bought €8 worth of compeed plasters, which only took the edge off the agony. So after lunch I popped into Primark and bought a pair of €2 flip flops, and the relief was incalculable!!
Moral of the story, don’t go sightseeing in 2 day old shoes. ;)
As it turns out, Valencia is an utter delight! Definitely one for the weekend getaway’s list!
I have a feeling we’ll be going back there again. It was so beautiful in the old town. So space age in the science and arts area. It has everything you could want for…including Primark for shoe replacements. ;)
We only went for the day this time, we took an over night bag with us, but we felt like going back home. The weather forecast for Valencia on the Sunday wasn’t great.
On the way back we stopped off in Benidorm. We’d never been before. But we’ve seen clips of the show - Benidorm…and it lived up to expectations in every way.
Including the sighting of tandem mobility scooters! Tandem ones! Have you ever seen one?
Benidorm is the best place to see them in the wild.
It gave me the same vibe as Vegas did. Sky scrapers as far as the eye can see.
Fascinating place, worth a look.
Then it was back home for dinner and an early-ish night. A 650 kilometre round trip and worth every second!
Sunday was spent playing storm chicken, while the sun shone, I could hear the ever closer thunder coming my way.
But we managed to get through the day without any rain.
I laid a table for lunch, because, well because I’m me, and I enjoy it.
Does it make the food taste better? Not really no. Hahahahahah.
Back to the marina for dinner.
Oh no, your eyes are not deceiving you, I am indeed wearing the feet shredding shoes. Much to Chris’s surprise. But if I don’t wear them, they will remain painful to wear and I won’t wear them…the story of a large proportion of my closet’s contents.
Back to our area and their garlic and butter prawns. Which are actually my preference.
We dined on salt baked sea bass as we watched the storm move through.
Storm or sun, there is no where I’d rather be, and no one I’d rather be with more than with Mr. D…
…That said, I am popping back there in a few weeks because I accidentally left something behind. So it turns out I like it very much in general.
There was no way a storm was going to keep me from my ice cream. This is the best ice cream in the world (in my opinion and years of experience).
Then it was back home to Blighty to enjoy the sunshine there too.
I’m not a natural gardener. But I have a fantastic man that comes to help me with it now. And it’s really piqued my interest in it. I feel like I’m getting somewhere with it for a start. It finally looks and feels like a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the day.