Hello everyone! I have skim read the thread but probably not ingested all I need to know so apologies for that. I see that ollies shortbread is as popular as ever (must look away from the biscuits....) Sounds like Bloss is rocking the return to work thing- well done! Welcome to new joiners - I like to think we are an equal opportunities thread here so anyone with links is welcome....
Having just said that, I have no links at all as I have bought nothing and not been shopping. Did see some lovely stuff in Italy but the town we were in was v chic (i.e really expensive) so I resisted. It was also very wintery stuff and I couldnt get my head around looking at it in 35 degree heat! I did invest in lots of lovely L'Occitance shower gels and some Yves Saint Laurent make- up from Duty Free in the ferry, so all was not lost.
The holiday was amazing- some pics on FB. It was a long drive but dd was fantastic and I cannot thank the local library and the large supply of talking books that I got out for free and copied onto my iPhone enough!! She loved sitting listening to them and watched very little of the selection of DVDs we had taken.
We had a very lazy time and just did a couple of boat trips on the lake. Weather was amazing and the highly recommended kids club turned out to be very good. No bored/hungover 18 year olds supervising colouring, instead great themed activities (pirate treasure hunt/ fashion show and make your own costumes/ canoeing/ chocolate party etc) DH and I took it in turns to go running first thing as it rapidly got too hot to do it after 8 30 am. Also had Jillian on my iPhone so was 6W6Ping as well. As a result of that, plus avoiding the bread basket, only succumbing to one pizza and eating sorbets rather than ice-cream, I amazingly seem to have lost a kilo. 
This is a surprise as although I was pretty good through the main holiday, for the final 3 days in Switzerland where we were partying I did no exercise and was eating lots.
I can heartily recommend an overnight ferry as a way to travel. We all slept well in our sound proofed cabin. there was plenty to do for dd and she was so excited about sleeping on a boat. We had dinner at Langhams Brasserie as the boat left the harbour and it felt like a proper start to the holiday, eating great food and toasting each other as the lights receded. Definitely a different experience from my last north sea crossing in 1996 with a whole load of female friends, involving a drinking competition with Dutch lorry drivers!!
Switzerland is beautiful but absolutely heartbreakingly expensive. (£25 for 3 small bottles of water and one bottle of coke from a small kiosk in the park for example...) We did have a great time at the party and despite camping I felt the combination of a blowdry and a maxi meant I looked fairly glamorous. It was held outdoors overlooking the lake with buckets of champagne and great food. Interestingly some guests had interpreted an outdoor 40th birthday party as baggy jeans, creased plaid shirt and birkies (and that was the women...)I mean, it wasn't a BBQ - it was a catered, sit down meal event with fine wines.... However at least 50% had made an effort (inc my friend the hostess in a gorgeous burnt orange dress.) TBH if I had turned up in my old jeans and tee shirt and seen how the hostess was dressed I would have felt mortified, so I like to think that I was at the right end of the dress scale.
Really looking forward to the meet up now, and DH has confirmed that he is available to look after dd so I can come to the whole thing and stay over.
I need navy heels and opaques for autumn at the very least. The hunt is on!