We Wise ladies Avidly are buying gifts that traverse afar...l

[bunnymother]

Oh my God, I choked (try and hum along to We Three Kings...)!! But here is the new thread.

too late for the Next snowboots

Can you believe it has taken me an hour to post this message in between various dd related interruptions.That's why I don't post during the day!

Here's the swoonsome coat MM

I am struggling look stylish avid while dressing for this weather. I thought I'd mastered the layering yesterday and several people complimented me on my outfit but then a chap I work with said I looked like I'd 'stepped from a John Lewis advert' He's young and handsome and I fear this was not the compliment that he insisted it was.

Today I'm at home all day apart from a brief walk into village for provisions and am wearing the Boden henley dress that makes me look a shapeless sack with long sleeved thermal top underneath, thick tights, over knee socks scrunched to under knee and wellies/duffle coat for outdoor/Uggs indoor. Thankfully nobody has seen me today sans coat!

Anyone considering buying an old property to renovate please factor in how awfully cold they are and draughty. I cannot get warm and the house is such that if I whack the heating right up some rooms are sweltering yet others cannot retain heat.

Bunny I caught your link this morning and the baby bunnies are adorable. Your dd1 is stunning and you look so serene and lovely yourself!

Zembo Esher Lovely coat

Hope all the ill people are feeling better now. My DD is suffering also but is taking a mini break to my warmer mils to be spoilt while I have two full days of pre christmas cleaning/wrapping/decorating.

Gorgeous things there roary. Particularly love the skirt.

bloss hope you had a good day.

Must go and bath some boys now - will try and return later but have advent calendar making & filling to complete so it could be a late one!

I'm back. Had a good time. I do love teaching!
Road was fine, a really picturesque drive. Dcs were well behaved and the cleaner had been. Result!!
Thanks for your good wishes.

I think (hope?) I'm getting a bit more energy back! Ordered a veal roast for 10 for Thursday's dinner party and bought 3 kg of charlottes to make a gratin dauphinois, and then suddenly thought that I wanted to make spaghettini with sea urchins for a starter. Can I serve spaghettini (albeit in very small quantities) and then potatoes? I must have a main course than can survive a long wait as one dinner guest is arriving straight from the TGV and may be late, and another guest is arriving straight from Madame Figaro magazine's 30th anniversary party and will be late (and also forgiven, as he will bring a large bag of Lancôme freebies ).

My eyes are all sore and glassy from the cold! I hate the cold!

All three girls in my family grew up on Lancôme freebies. Excellent. Although I do remember an over abundance of Bi-Facil eye makeup remover , which we all did not want.

Hf is far better than I at this sort of thing, but how do you feel about serving sea urchin with bruschetta?

Bloss so glad the day was lovely.

roary love all that J.Crew stuff!

Zembo teddy bears picnic sounds adorable.

No Esher, I'm staying under my rock ...Those Peppa snowboots will OUT you though!

Current village gossip: Carly is back at Redz Wednesdays and Fridays. Lovers of back-to-back highlights rejoice.

I don't get out much ... can you tell

Zembo - I clicked on your link and was lost. Many thanks.

bonsoir yes you can: the spaghettini are your primo piatto and the potatoes are a contorno of your secondo piatto. It would be strange not to serve both. Sounds lovely anyway.

Btw esher I forgot to mention the other day that I also have 4 maxmara coats but gave one away as it was too big! I gave it to my doorman's wife when we left Rome - she was delighted!

I have never ever been to a magazine party - have any of you? Are they fun? I love the idea of going to a party with slebs and getting pressure too!

or of course Roma. !

Pressies , not pressure! Stupid autocorrect!

Spaghettini with sea urchin is brilliant for dinner parties: it sounds really clever and fancy, tastes lovely, and is dead easy. I also highly recommend carpaccio of sea bass, provided you have a fishmonger who'll cut it for you.

marsha the bruschetta would be an antipasto, so you'd have it as well, before the spaghettini.

Esher I've just bought your snow boots too. Got them here for £58.50 with free delivery but only size 36's left.

Bloss glad it went well today.

So Roman are Maxmara coats true to size (obviously just a theoretical question but would I be a 6 or an 8)

And by the way, did you know it's a crime against humanity to have a cappuccino after 10.30am?

Well done Blossoming!

Food sounds amazing Bonsoir. As do the guests!

Zembo - the starring role for DD - wow. Hope you are feeling ok.

Rufus - Thought your nativity story re DS was ve funny!

TS have emailed to say that they don't have the coated skinnies after all - well why show them as in stock on your website and allow me to place an order then?? So annoying.

Vanity sizes Zembo - I'm a 40 aka 8 in maxmara, and some of those things are a bit on the big side. I have a size M belt, bought for me by my mil who insists that I'm a 46 aka 14 . It's very nice, but absurdly long. I was thinking of having a go with it over my shearling coat, because I can't be bothered to get the hook and eye fixed inspired by WIT

Sounds lovely Roma.

And right!

Oh I can't abide English cappuccino, milky vats of thin froth that they are. But do love a macchiato or espresso. Especially one in Europe.

I used to make a very good espresso (when at university and working). Pack the coffee very full.

I have a really cool nespresso machine that automatically makes you a latte in the morning. They have ridiculously poncy shops that are goof for a laugh: when you go in they say things like "lequel de nos 16 grands crus vous interesse aujourd'hui Madame?'. (apolos bonsoir, but can't find the accents on my iPad)

Good for a laugh ffs!!

I know the Italian primo and secondo theory, but none of my guests are remotely Italian. But yes, I think it will be spaghettini with sea urchins and then veal and potatoes because it doesn't matter how late we eat.

The friend with the Lancôme freebies... well, he is Lancôme, IYSWIM. And he doesn't have a female DP (cough, cough) so female friends gets a lot of largesse .

Roma am so pleased you mentioned the cappuccino "rule" . I'm in no way snobby but this is something I admit to be a bit so about & a part of me slowly withers everytime at the end of a meal someone orders one. Like having Horlicks.

Do you have an antipasto, primo e secondo every day at home? We have an antipasto & primo at lunchtime. Then a secondo in the evening though on Sundays we have four courses. My desires to lose weight do not go with Italian eating and a sedantry London lifestyle.

LOL at Italian coffee snobbery. My DP (who curiously enough was in the Italian restaurant business when I met him) has to have teeny-weeny ristretti after his meals .

He is Lancôme! Oh gawd the pressure!