Vanity Thy Name is Old Woman

Found a great new face product: Estee Lauder DayWear Plus. It is absolutely filled with tiny reflector bits which is why it looks an odd blueish colour. I use it instead of a moisturiser and foundation. It smells of melon. It makes your face a bit shiny but is good for evening out the tone and excellent on top of a tan. A bit pricy, but well worth it.

I have just learned how to send photos on my computer, so sent my niece a couple of pictures of my new kitchen and a photo of me. She says the one of me looks as though I might have a whip behind my back. I did think I looked a bit like a retired Madam. It might have something to do with the Dame Edna Drag Queen black glasses with the diamante top rims.

Have discovered Fake Bake. It is some extra strong stuff which you put on at night and shower off the surplus in the morning. The colour is quite satisfyingly even. If you then apply the Johnson's Holiday Skin stuff in the morning, letting it dry before dressing, it hydrates the skin as well and keeps the fake tan going. On days when nothing needs topping up, a coat of Nivea Body Satin Radiance body moisturiser adds some light reflecting pigments (goldish, v. small) which look good over the tan. This stuff also looks good on any skin, white or dark.

I wore my new slightly glittering gold jacket from Marks & Spencer yesterday and had quite a few compliments on it. I do have to say that it looks considerably better on Erin thingy (the tall dark model - probably a size 10) than it does on me in a size 28, but still. Just to bring me down to earth, my new large cream bag with tassels (from M & S again) apparently looks 'very Dolly Parton'. I was rather hoping not! It is a super bag with several sections and I can fit my Mac into it.

God, I am superficial.

Still waiting for the toothbrush.

I am slowly removing things from the sitting room and dumping them in the hall, then will have to start (horrors!)on emptying the kitchen. All must be done by Monday, (that is, if IKEA deliver the worktop and cupboard door today).

Shopping and Arab Princesses

I had an email saying the toothbrush sender was away and his father was sending the toothbrush, so it would probably not arrive before Tuesday.

My son and his wife invited me to dinner. My son cooked his signature dish, guinea fowl in a delicious sauce served with rice. We finished with some very good Spanish dessert wine and coffee. Another late night.

My daughter-in-law had told me there was a half price Magimix food processor in Selfridges, so I shot up there this morning, but it was gone. I went past the new Primark in Oxford Street. It had been open for three days, but there were still queues all around the building. After this I bought a MAC lipstick in Russian Red, which stays on well, and went to Marks & Spencer to look at their garden furniture in the sale. There was nothing much for me, but I managed to buy some clothes and a bag.

I had lunch in their basement cafe - so much better than John Lewis, in that a girl was handing out sweets to the people waiting in the queue, the food limited to a few hot snacks, sandwiches and desserts, and served on lightweight crockery. I also had help to find a table, laden as I was with shopping. I was very impressed.


I sat next to two extraordinary
-looking women: in their thirties or early forties, speaking Arabic I think, both perfectly made up with nose jobs and lip expansion (so to speak), dark bouffant hair, and one in particular looked very impressive,with kind of pull-on platform shoes made of some elastic material in gold, covering the entire foot, gold pedal pusher cargo style pants, a greeny gold top held around the neck by an enormous chain, and what looked like a honey coloured knitted fur jacket, sunglasses the sides of which were solid diamante, and a diamante encrusted mobile phone. I could not take my eyes off her, as she drank the small milk containers before sweeping off with her friend.

My son tells me the bit above is racist, and that i don't get out enough. Well, it wasn't meant to be racist, just amazed, and I really probably don't get out enough.

I still need to buy some broccoli for lunch tomorrow, but have texted my son to ask them to buy it and slept all afternoon instead, worn out by shopping.

Toothache, Job Stress and Window Shopping

A bit worried. I have always been a complete slut, but have managed to delude myself that since my robot cleaner has given up working I should purchase an upright lightweight slimline all floors Dyson cleaner. I am still considering this possibility.

After a fractious morning at the dentist recently, during which my new upper false teeth became firmly stuck in my mouth, causing general panic and the real possibility of having to break it in half to remove it, before it eventually came out again and was filed down a bit, and an appointment to meet our new accountant at the office, during which my complete ignorance about the running of the organisation, and worse, my total incomprehension of money matters, right down to dealing with petty cash, I was looking forward to a day off today.

I was turning over the idea of visiting the Ettore Sottsass retrospective at the Design Museum and to have a look at their Valentine typewriter in particular. I was delighted when I found this lovely red portable typewriter in a market a couple of years ago, and have become very fond of it.

Since it is pouring with rain so the thought of actually leaving the house at all has become unwelcome, I have changed the bedding instead and cleared up the kitchen a bit, but cannot bring myself to hoover the bedroom. I am definitely feeling like a geriatric Bridget Jones but with the absence of any interest in men. I am still trying to make the huge decision:whether to cab it to the Design Museum or bus it to John Lewis to look at the Dysons.

Well, I went to John Lewis. The Dyson was a disappointment, very heavy indeed. I shall now look for the lightest upright vacuum cleaner I can find. However they were selling silver Roombas so they can't be too bad. Had a look at the garden furniture and a sandwich lunch with coffee. The new restaurant 'Place to Eat' on the fifth floor was a pain, in that it was basically a canteen with lots of different counters for each type of food, presumably aimed at minimising the queues, but the crockery was very heavy white, strangely shaped and oversized, which made this tired shopper even more tired trying to carry a sandwich and coffee to a table. These were nearly all taken, and I had a table full of someone elses' rubbish, which made it difficult to get the tray onto the table. Rather stressful, but at least the coffee was OK. Next time I will pass on the sandwich.

Popped into the Thai restaurant and bar on the way home, where they had a civil partnership celebration. Helped with the tables a bit since they were panicking, but all well in time for the party to arrive. Noticed that fascinators seem to have replaced hats for these occasions, but quite successfully.

Toothbrush still not arrived.

Serial Shopper

Recently I have bought:

A case of red wine (with a bonus of three extra bottles of Rioja) (not yet arrived). This is to go with a recent interest in cheese of all kinds. apart from my favourite, Celtic Dream, I have not bought for years. Last time I had to keep it in a sealed tin in the garden because it smelled so strong.

A black shift dress (useful and plain) (not yet arrived). Probably a fairly sensible buy.

An electric toothbrush from Ebay( to replace my antique one). (Not yet arrived).

A memory foam mattress topper from QVC. This is because I can't turn my mattress over because it is enormously heavy. I tried the other day and knocked a glass of water all over my laminate flooring so had to mop up fast and give up the turning. (Mattress topper not yet arrived).

I am a serial shopper. But will try not to buy any more until the current orders have arrived. I rang my sister to ask her opinion of memory foam and she thought it was excellent and would help me to sleep. So here's hoping.......

Cuckoo Clock and Cooking

The cuckoo clock is now fully working, complete with cuckoo sound and echo, and sounds of waterfall. It can be turned on 'high' (haven't tried it), low, and off. It has some kind of sensor which turns it off when dark, luckily, as it is in my bedroom. I keep childishly rushing down just before the hour to see the cuckoo. I may be forced to purchase another one for the kitchen. Have seen a large white plastic one which looks ideal.

Idly looking through some recipes, I became intrigued by all the 'refrigerator desserts' in my Fanny Farmer book.

I wondered if I could make some savoury dishes which did not require cooking, which reminded me of my eighties invention of Stilton ice cream, which was basically Stilton blended with a little cream and folded into whipped cream, formed into small balls and frozen, to be served as a starter with a tomato coulis dotted about the plate. My family were appalled at the very idea, and refused to try it. However I recently heard that such dishes are now being used by the more adventurous chefs. I am wondering about the idea of cooking and pureeing different colours of peppers, and layering them with a cream cheese and freezing to form a colourful and stripy starter. Or not.