Happy Birthday Wise & Avid Girls!

[blossoming]

New Thread

what filthy weather! Hideous rain. Have spent entire morning in a hat, and now have hat hair! Well, rather busy morning with DDs...with the eldest changing her clothes 3 times, on account of her general clumsiness where mud/puddles/food is concerned. She just seems to fall head first into it! Have gven up entirely on her ever looking pristine. Maybe she manages it just after bath and before bed!!!

I have a new cleaning company coming next week, so fingers crossed. I have become unbearable even by my standards in terms of constantly tidying away/cleaning up and was more chilled about it when someone else was doing it!!!

Did anyone see Gwynnie's personal trainer in The Times supplement? Forget her name...did lol that she stated Gwynnie was basically a 'lush' (oh good - I like her better now).......can't imagine Ms P being all that happy with that comment, however amusing it is...

HV visit o.k?but someone wheeled their pushchair over our coats?the wheels were covered in dog poo ? now so are our coats.

Kildare ? that link was absolutely not to make you (or anyone) feel inadequate?it was to provide a collective chuckle.

LOL at Red and pooh.

LTEC ? I think a sequin skirt is a very different look to a whole dress ..it would look wonderful on you. I?m in awe (I say that too often to you?can you be a bit less fabulous please ) of operation lark?wish I had the energy. Also - one of my MN mates is trying the Dukan as a vegetarian...but she doesn't like fish or shellfish either...methinks it's just a step too far...you did have fish/shellfish didn't you? I can't see how it would work without (she seems to be having a lot of quorn).

Plum ? how fun! I am very of wedding dress shopping! I?m not shredding yet (though I do have the DVD! I really must)

RG ? we love ?tummy ache? in this house too?I don?t know if I?m imagining it but it feels like it?s been around for years?.I?m sure my DB (who is nearly 30) had it too!

Gosh I love the metallic HH you all keep linking to?

Tracey ? wow ? that is a great deal on the jacket and I can imagine how perfect it looks on you.

CHoo ? meant to say ? there is a home testing thing you can do if you want to check out hormone levels etc?I?ll find the link if you are interested.

Ohhh ? I too LOVE the pants dress?I wish you?d shown it here ? I would have introduced you to flesh coloured spanx?hideous but totally invisible.

OWW ? I enjoyed ?one day? as well?it?s being made into a film now isn?t it? You can tell it will work as a film?it?s written in that sort of way!

Must look out for ?her fearful symmetry? as so many of you have enjoyed it.

Roary ? that dress is great ? though please don?t emulate the model?s pose when you where it (grumpy teenager slouch)

Dolcee ? you know me so well! I love the dress.

Carciofi ? great glads!

MrsJ ? it?s almost right but not quite perfect? though you do look lovely?and if you do keep it ? it?s better without tights.

Bloss ? I?m getting into the flared jeans?I have a CoH pair which I like (MIH pair went back in the end)

Welcome Morag and thanks for Bra tip off?will take a look.

Welcome too Ants?sounds like you?ve made a great start.

Gorgeous boots Carciofi, really lovely.

Oooh hope you pick up some lovely bargains and aren't waiting in the rain for too long.

Stella did sound the most normal, largely due to the very 'Britishness' of her writing style I reckon. There is still nothing remotely normal about that lifestyle.

Loved your analysis of the American lady, NY.

Wish you could give my DH some bag pointers, LTEC. He bought me a very Radley-ish Radley bag, thinking I would love it. I don't, but didn't have the heart to say so at the time. Poor bag, is sitting unloved in the cupboard and he's started to notice I never use it.

Outfit sounds lovely Kildare - the print on the P8 dress is gorgeous, I'm a sucker for a floral.

Oh Hells - yuck to the dog pooh! That is truly vile.

DS2 has settled so well at nursery - he loves it there and just laughs the whole time apparently. Such a difference to DS1 who had to peeled off me for the first term. Fingers crossed it continues.

Hells - hope school better today.

We had a minor upset this week as one of the boys in DS1's class was handing out party invites and DS didn't get one. Which you know its fine - can't be invited to everything etc etc. But the school has a very strict policy that invites only to be given out in school if all the class or all boys/girls invited. And DS considers this boy a good friend so he was a little perplexed as to where his invite was but he was actually very grown-up about not being invited. Far more so than me .

Oh Hells...how awful for you both...revolting. Hope coats and your sensibilities are better!

yes re flares....skinny flares might do it (have been reading up on all the varieties)....

Tracey - I would be very cross too. That is very thoughtless of the mother.

On a completely different note - a while back you asked about shellac nail treatment...which I had and didn't find very good (it could have been the way they were applied)...I later tried bio sculpture gel which my local salon does and it's fab. My nails are actually a bit bling for me now (though I went for a very neutral colour)...I've had it on for 3 weeks and it hasn't chipped and it's stopped my nails breaking. I'm a real convert though I do feel a teeny tiny bit WAG as they almost look like false nails!

Have just taken delivery of a lovely early birthday present from my kind of Step-Dad, here. Imagine it will get a lot of wear

Oh tracey your poor DS (and poor you too). Maybe it was an oversight?

Parties are such a minefield ? DD?s is coming up and she wants to invite 14, 11 of whom are from her class a mix of boys and girls. I feel so bad about the ones I don?t invite but even 14 is a bit much if I am honest for a party I will be holding at home. Last year she invited 18 and while it was good it was also fairly chaotic and that was with DH to help. This year it will be me!

Dolcee - I got these flares - I really like them! And I can't stop looking at that wang link you did for me. I have so many similar dresses though...ummm

Glad DS2 settling in well Tracey...such a relief isn't it?

However, feel for you re invites. It is annoying for the parent even if the child is not at all bothered. As a parent I would ensure either each child received one, so as to not have anyone feeling left out, or they were dropped through letterboxes so as to be discreet. Ho hum...

Yuck to dog poo on the coats Hells.

Sounds like you have a very mature DS there Tracey. The mother should have known better than that; some people really don't engage their brains before acting.

Oh glad you like the dress Hells, and it is such a bargain for wang!

I do like those C of H....guess I will have to have a trying on session...

Redllama - zara bag is lovely! Lucky you...

red - fab bag - did he find it himself? Clever chap.

hello! Just had a lovely morning tea with friend at Liberty.

Drove in which was both mad and luxurious. Radio on, no smelly bus situation. (not that they really smell, but they can feel like they do at times). But some roads closed, lefting and righting all over the shop.

Nothing left in sales. Tried on a deconstructed type Marant wool dress. Was really good discount from £250 to £60 and I nearly did buy. But too much going on, not simple enough. But we left it too late to get anything good.

Pickled has done excellent work on the closing times of all the venues. Thank goodness. And loads of them close really early. 10.30 / 11 so will avoid those. Might add some new ones.

Consensus is on payg. Which I am really pleased about. As I may not eat, and others may not drink. So really fab that we can relax about how much is being spent.

I wouldn't have thought so, he has a very glam girlfriend with a penchant for luxury goods who would have helped him, I reckon. She's quite a one actually, was vilified by my Mum (and quite rightly so) when we were younger as she was the OW so have only got to know her recently. Transpires she was a Playboy bunny who got sacked for dating a client, who is now a rather infamous football club manager.

uuuurggghh dog poo. Yuk hells Poor you. Re Dukan - yes I had fish and shellfish. Also lots of low fat dairy and tofu. Think she sounds like she'd be better off with Carol Vorderman tbh.

poor ds tracey. Love that Halston - thank you!!

you lot with your sequin skirt enabling. FGS. Here;s me trying to be good. Am sure I could get cheaper at asos or somewhere (or no sequin skirt at all, even better )

great bag red

that dress would look ace on your ny

mac Phase 8 sizing pretty standard I think. I have stripe Janice in 8 and navy in 10 simply bc I found the navy more see through and wanted it less clingy on the booty.

carciofi let's do a blood oath on Tues and become SiLs.

have just completed all of the dinosaur make'n'do stuff that I got bullied into buying bought at museum yesterday. Amazing how a day out at a free museum can end up costing so much I even took packed lunches!!

oooh you might see Marsha she's practically Liberty royalty! On which note marsha we need to find you some day shoes. Am I right in thinking that you are the one who prefers closed shoes bc of feet ishoos?

ooh, x post marsha!

hahah how timely Ltec!!!

I got there before friend at 11 ish and it was a bit miserable making ds2 wait in the rain, so I gave up and went into the normal bit of the store (it was through a different entrance). I will be very envious re Oooh's discounted purchases! But think was mostly scarves and bags, I am ok for those.... sort of.....

Day shoes yes! I nearly bought some slobby suede shoes with two buckles ankle high. But they are v similar to VW suede ones so I didn't. Dh has said he will buy me a small version of his suede ankle boots, I am considering it!

Oh dear - I ran out of patience with DS1 (on a free day from school, torrential rain) and scooped the boys up after lunch and popped to Ikea. They spent a happy hour running round the supervised playarea, I had a lovely potter and a muffin cup of tea in the cafe! All better for it I think! (Came back to find I had locked the new cleaner in the house - hadn't given him his own set of keys! He was v sweet about it but had to pay him for an extra hour - wish he knew where the ironing pile was!)

Tracey - Warehouse dress is a keeper thanks (W&A breathe collective sigh of relief). Not a 'wow that dress is stunning' type of dress a la HH, but a good fit and colour on me so lots of potential use. Looks good with my shoeboots and a possible MOAMU dress.

Hells - Anne Hathaway is the lead in the One Day film. Should be good. Am going to see Love and Other Drugs next week. Laptop fan kicking in - time to crash!

I love Anne Hathaway. I'm sure she'll be great as Emma. Who's Dexter then OWW.

Which Warehouse dress did you get btw?

thanks LTEC - I will remind her of that one (as I"m sure I asked you the question before and let her know your answer...but things all merge in my brain!)

this zara blouse is staying. It's a bit big (LTEC you did warn me) and possibly a bit 'cheap' looking but I like it dressed down with my jeans. I am becoming a bit of an animal print fiend now....I've gone from not a single item to, erm, rather a lot.

Thank you for hotel recommendations! Will have a good look after work now. Weather forecast pretty awful for Amsterdam though, so may delay that for a while and try Champagne instead. Anyone heard of Comfort Suites?

Gross poo story, eewww. How could they not have noticed they were wheeling a stinky poo pushchair around over some coats

"Her Fearful Symmetry" was dreadful - amazed anyone liked it. Just silly. In my totally unhumble opinion. Did make me want to visit Highgate Cemetery though.

I loved 'One Day' otoh. Great read.

Well I still haven't bought anything for about 6 weeks now, but I'm wearing Jil Sander jacket today and red Tods so I'm sticking with the stylish people....

(I quite liked Stella's line about talking her 3yo out of needing a poo over the babyphone!)

Pickled - some guy called Jim Sturgess (from UK) details of film here
Got the Warehouse embellished cuff dress in grey - as worn by Claudia Winkleman no less like this

I'm so jealous of all these book clubs...how do you find them? Any north London ladies want to start one?