Planet of the Crepes

[DukesOfTripHazard]

New bowl of crisps, tuck in Ruby!

I am thrilled at this Pixi lust. Another of their things wot I like is the cheek gel in natural. It doesn't stay on very long but while it does it's well pretty.

I felt a bit rubbish yesterday and spent much too long hunched over the computer looking at not very edifying things. Today is better. Have shredded, spot cleaned the stair carpet, written a letter to DD who will be at an outdoor pursuity place with school next week and am now going out to buy some fabric conditioner at Wilkos. When the mice are away the cat does rather boring things, it would seem .

What's wrong with it then, Ruby? I quite liked Heacham/Sunny Hunny - we had a great holiday there a few years ago.

Legs: wax. Armpits: shave. Minge: tuck in the fronds when I go swimming. Beard: pluck.

BTM - you need a flirty male friend to go out to dinner with occasionally, so you can have the "frisson" of a date without all the tedium of a new relationship, and go home to married life at the end of the evening. Just don't post about it on the Relationships thread here, or they will all start screaming at you that it is an "emotional affair" and "your poor husband" etc etc. I had lunch with mine today, and it was lovely.

Ooooh! Mariella Frostrup in today's Observer talks about the urge to 'creep into a crepuscular corner'. We know you're there Mariella and I personally think you're fab...

One we haven't met, MI.

Oh

More S&B news: I am about to get a bag fitted over my head - permanently. Ds came into the parental bed for a cuddle this morning (nice), but, whilst lying with his head on my shoulder, starts a close-up examination of my neck: "Why does your neck look so weird and what is this hangy-down bit?" I guess I should just get my Slimma slacks and Hotter shoes on and retire down the garden, really.

Ooh, maybe she's an occasional visitor. Or a lurker

ruby, U am liking the retirement plan, though I have no idea where the house actually is. And what is this look you speak of? Details please!

Strops, DS is always referring to my "froggy" (neck wattle) and my bingo wings. Infact he asked me on Thursday how come I have bingo wings when I've got such skinny hands and then pointed out that all the fat from my hands has migrated to my bingo wings, leaving my hands bony and veiny
My DM has been wearing Slimma slacks and Hotter shoes since she was my age.

My mother was attempting a few years ago, with her sister, to buy my late Gran an "old lady dress" but couldn't find one anywhere. Both my mother and her sister are in their 70s. I said that it was because old ladies these days, such as them, were still wearing jeans and linen trousers. Both glared at me and said "We're not old ladies!"

My Gran wore "old lady dresses" (flowery pattern, easy care fabric) when she was in her 50s.

MrsS, I still see old ladies wearing them, but not in the shops - are they in those catalogues?!

Yes, they must be!

We went to see some very old friends of ours (in both senses of the word - one is 79 and the other is 85) in the Dordogne last summer. P's sister has driven out to visit them both. She was wearing white linen trousers, a bright pink top and pink Havaianas, topped off with some very funky jewellery. She looked about sixty. It transpired that she was 81, and was driving home via Le Touquet, where she was meeting her older sister (86) who was travelling out by train from Paris. After a week in Le Touquet, they were going to share the driving home, back to Worcester. The older sister hadn't come out to the Dordogne this summer as she had been to Hong Kong to visit some friends.

That's how I want to be if when I hit my 80s.

Ooh, me too MrsS, with a nice young pool boy back at the country home

Today I have:
done extensive music practice (concert coming up)
not written my requisite 500 words
made spinach and paneer curry
made vegetable stock
drunk several glasses of pleasant rose wine....

Mmmmm spinach and paneer curry

My mother (rising 82) belongs to an arts group that organises lots of foreign trips. She is always razzing off around Europe with other people in their 70s and 80s. These trips always seem to involve drinking a fair bit. She is currently a bit miffed as the woman she always shares a room with in the hotels is now no longer available as she has just got married to one of the old geezers who also goes on the trips and this means my mother has to find someone else to share a room with for their next trip in April (I think it's to Italy. Again.)

One of the reasons that I gave up on Boden was that I once opened the door to my mother to find that we were both wearing exactly the same Boden shirt. A friend of mine was also there at the time and my mother took great delight in pointing out to her that the shirts were also the same size. (Because obviously my friend was really interested - not.) In fact she went on about this at length and then wittered on about the fact that if we had been wearing the same trousers hers would probably have been a size smaller than mine.

I have done lots of gardening this weekend and now have hands like sandpaper. Several hours of work have made a rather small dent in all that there is to do, but I feel good for it anyway. We have several allotments' worth of garden.

On the subject of granny dresses, I was reflecting at the weekend about the popularity of the "floral tea dress" look, which has been popular over the last couple of years. There must be a tipping point age-wise, when, despite the fact that you believe you look like Alexa Chung in your floral dress, you do in fact resemble your Aunty Betty. And I think I have possibly passed that point.

I had a lovely day yesterday; escaped to Kingston for a spot of retail therapy with DD1 in tow. DD1 is being an absolute darling at the moment, and we had a lovely time. I bought these (because I don't have any serviceable but wearable posh black shoes), these in mink to wear with skinny jeans (I did buy some flatter ones a few weeks back, but decided I fancied a bit of heel so swapped them), and this which is sooo pretty. And some work trousers, which I won't bore you with.

Then today I had 14 people for lunch, which went really well (DD1 put in a sterling performance as sous-chef). Melon, prosciutto, pecorino and rocket for starter, chicken with apricots and brandy for main, then pavlova and sticky toffee pudding for afters. Low-carb operations were temporarily suspended....

CV, I am in awe at your catering abilities. I wish I could do cooking for people, but sadly I go into such a tiswas that it becomes hugely stressful for all concerned and absolutely No Fun At All.

Re: flowery tea dresses - I have never got this trend. Mainly because every flowery dress I have ever tried on has made me look middle-aged, even when I was 17. The ones that do not make me look merely middle-aged make me look like an old sofa. Me no likey.

i find that the older i get the plainer and simpler my clothes need to be to look halfway decent... i think a flowery teadress would make me look like a cross betweeen a tranny and a granny

When Ruby said 'great for holidays and lovely out of season I would imagine', I thought she was responding to the idea of having a flirty male friend

I'm gladdened by the sound of all these energetic stylish octogenarians. I have no floral tea dresses. I am Not Buying Anything For A Long Time. I am living on the money I've put aside for this year's tax which is not good and not a sniff of paid work at the mo except things go well with my play development and that might get commissioned in April. I saved at least £30 by cutting my own hair.... and got away with it. It's a bit too long at the back but feck it, certainly I have had worse cuts and paid for them. I have been saving money by not carrying any with me and not going in shops with the DDs at all. However my forays to nearest Aldi have not produced the saving hoped for as although the produce is bargainous, the bus lane I drove through got me a penalty ticket last Saturday

Have finally cracked 'bass drum independence' where you play bass notes inbetween your high hat notes. It's quite hip hop and I feel well cool playing it. Or I would except DD2 has shown me what my 'drum face' looks like and it's really stupid - sort of sucked in bottom lip and gormless. Oh well...

Dukes, is it a MN haircut?. And well done with the drumming - it sounds like you ar way past my poor rhythmic attempts! Even with the gormless face! Can you get a mirror put opposite you so you can practise looking cool as well as playing cool?

Oh, and fingers crossed for April!

old queenie, I think the tranny/granny look would go really well with your name

Strops, I think I would stab myself in the eyes if I ever had the same outfit on as my DM. No chance of her wearing a smaller size at least!

Snort at your bad mirror idea BTM!