The race is on to (finally) wear our summer clothes. It's the Wise and Avid Olympics - off we go!

[Russianred]

Athletic leap on To new thread.

@Matchesfashion MIM

Amber I just saw Dona pin that. I love it too. I think if I am going to get a one it should be exactly the right one.

MiM how annoying for you (not sure on the tweet thing though)

Always well done on bargain shoes, but boo to expensive body lotion spillage.

Have decided that I badly need a second pair of heels - my feet are getting a bit mashed wearing the same ones every single day! Don't really want to spend a fortune though - for some reason shoes just don't excite me. Might have a dash round some late night shopping tomorrow.

Amazing day today, got to analyse real people (i.e. not other consultants!). Loved it, although suffering from huge information overload - brain is fried. Feeling really positive about it all though

Bloss, this bag is really sweet in the flesh and a nice colour with silver hardware and a clever adjusting mechanism. I would wear it worn backwards so that the pouch is hidden at the back. Worth a try?

Back later after I've read Evil Weasle .

I hear you fritzi. It is really hard for me to dress for a family beach holiday. Everything is wrong; linen; unstructured.... But hey, I can't take all my holidays in New York or Paris! My HoC consultant hated the annina aswell, and I stopped using it for a while. When I started using it again I was surprised how I really loved it. The Balenciaga is all wrong too, but that is not going to stop me! I think the nude bag is slightly pinky, so it is wrong. Thanks pickled, although I'm after a more summery colour really. The blue MJ could win the day!
Haven't shopped in French Connection for years, but bought 2 tops from there that I pinned on Sunday. The purple going out top is lovely, and it will nice to have 3 going out options for a change! The black sleeveless shirt is basic, but nice, and I'm after a new pencil skirt to go with it. I might give gos's Hobbs one a whirl tomorrow.

I love DD, I really do, but she is just so strong-willed and needs to discuss EVERY tiny aspect of what I ask her to do. It sometimes does my head in. I tried to explain to her that I am a quieter person than she is and that I don't like shouting at her but really mean what I am saying if I tell her in a normal voice. She seemed surprised and patted my back in a "I understand you Mummy" kind of way. Don't know if it made any sense to explain my introvert personality preferences to my very extrovert 6-year-old.

Need to recuperate with a glass of red and some Olympics. I'm not really into competitive sports but find it oddly relaxing to watch it. I also cried a bit when the young South African won against Phelps. Maybe I'm a bit hormonally imbalanced at the moment. DH has wisely retreated to his study.

bloss Good colour but might be too small?

fritzi I have cried at all the medal ceremonies I have seen and can't even blame my hormones I love watching the swimming, but have really enjoyed the cycling this year. The boys in the family are really into cycling and I had no choice but to join in!

Got the new Red today, lots of lovely A/W stuff.

good luck with the tweet MiM

Oh Chad and his parents were so sweet Fritzi!

Fritzi, the pink bag I linked to is as 'bright'. as the green one but a bit bigger. Photo does not do it justice. I would have bought it if I had need of a small bright bag, reminded me of the Raoul colour actually. I remember that phase with DD when she was about that age, it wasn't my favorite phase and I"m not even an introvert. Enjoy your .

Dona, your posts don't sound boastful at all, they're a lovely glimpse into a different world, that's all. Would be great to meet you some time .

All this gold medal stuff is making me well up too - weird, isn't it.

My 11 year old DD has finally discovered hoodies . It's all t-shirts, jeans/shorts and hoodies from here on in. Mind you, I tried her size 8 navy Reebok one on last night and felt like Amber - DH said it looked good .

MiM, great shopping btw, keep flying the W&A flag!

Evening all. Have migrated downstairs to the sofa from my sick bed as feeling way better today - antibiotics really are wondrous things as far as I'm concerned. We were meant to be leaving for a week's camping tomorrow in Cornwall, but am feeling nowhere near ready for it and DD has been out of sorts today. Shame, as that was our summer holiday (that and the other 5 weeks off DH has, of course. I know. I know).

MiM that is shocking from Matches, perhaps take it a step higher and tweet Jeff Rudes (think I've got that right). They can't sell a product and claim that it is in the nature of the product to be, well, crap. Wonder how J Brand would feel about being represented as such?

So glad you've been having a great time Decam.

Will nip off and have a thorough read-through. Much sick-bed Olympic watching here and welling up galore. Also watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with DS this evening, which he adored. Although we heard him singing 'Shitty Shitty Bang Bang' as he went to sleep. Will need to do some subtle pronunciation work tomorrow.

Red, DS2 was singing that very same version in Pizza Express last night and he is 5 . Pity about the camping but a good decision not to go I think. Maybe you could go for a few days later on in the week if it's already paid for - give them a call.

Welling up happening here too.
Glad you're on the mend red.
Great A/W lists on that other thread. I'm so ready to start shopping, if only I had the budget to match my aspirations...
Thanks for code mrscb. Disappointed to hear Zara leathers no good. If only those MK ones were less. And there's already only one pair left in my size just to me want them even more [cursing wealthy size 6 lurkers!]

Sh/Ch is a difficult one to master Pickled! Not paid for, but was with a big group of other families and would have been lovely. In all honesty, I'm not a particularly happy camper, so don't imagine I'll be too sad. My Mum suggested we go to Scotland with her - Step Dad's place is near Edinburgh so could dip into the Festival. Shall see.

Incidentally, any reccs on what to do in St Petersburg? Mum woefully under-prepared, but is there and keen to do.

make me want them more

Fritzi, my DD1 is the same. She never stops talking and is so confident, even the waitress commented on it tonight. I have started saying "because I said so" sometimes (I feel like my mother)!

We went for a long walk by the river and to a lovely French restaurant. It all went well until the end until DD2 (13 months) started firing string beans. Luckily we were just about done.

Glad you are feeling a little better, Red. Can you go camping next week instead?

I don't know understand why Matches aren't being more helpful, MiM. Surely they can just send them back to their supplier.

I like the cobalt bag, Bloss. Not overly keen on the patent green tbh.

x-post ... Edinburgh would be more my cup of tea too, Red.

That shoud be, I don't understand why Matches aren't being more helpful.

That's it, if I don't see anything I like better tomorrow, I'm ordering the blue one. That's the good thing about Shopbop, speedy delivery!
Taking a blue bag will limit the amount of black, charcoal and navy I take with me. That's a good thing, right?
French restaurant sound lovely decam. I'm looking forward to some green beans next week!
Thanks to everyone for your helpful comments on my yet another handbag dilemma. You are all ace.

The cobalt will go well with black and charcoal, I think, Bloss. We had to drag DD1 past Pizza Express but even she liked the food.

Enjoy your "time off" Everything. Glad to hear you're on the mend Red. Shame about the holiday, but every cloud and all that.

Decam I also say "because I say so" all the time. Thankfully it works now, but fear that in teenage years, when it really matters, it will have worn off. Am anticipating the pithy teenage put down already.
I can see now how rearing children can turn you into your own mother, and therefore the parent you don't want to be. Have a little bit more sympathy towards my DM now, but I can see how relationships end up where they do.
And Fritzi I welled up listening to his Dad on the radio! I hadn't even seen the clip. He sounded so proud.
You sound so buzzed Hopefully. You are clearly in the zone.

Bloss dissenting voice here. I like the green patent, but if it was in blue I'd like it even better. Have you seen these j brand noir red? I immediately thought of you. They have them in Donna Aida, but I prefer the look of them in this pic.
I'm liking the look of this lily and lionel scarf There's a green in there that looks good on me, and all those greys and blues. What do the fellow winters think?

Have NY's citrus chicken prepared for tomorrow. (polishes halo)
Hope you hear back from Matches soon MIM. Have you sorted out the tweeting yet?

And breathe..

Hectic couple of days.Saw the women's football at Wembley with the girls on Tuesday.Great experience..love your Olympic facebook photos emo

dec I'm intrigued by which Richmond restaurant you visited,racks brain.

bloss I am not a bag lover generally but MJ does it for me.

dona always good to focus on the 'ups'.Childcare is mostly drudge but try to remember work outside the home also had it's low points(though no one ever tipped hama beads all over the floor )Are you in Finland?I just bought items from a Finnish ebayer and the communication was Amazing..what a lovely,lovely seller!

every I know you are offline at the moment but enjoy your childfree time..I think I need to have a tech free day in the week..easy to overdo it.

yummy you must be so excited for your trip.

red sorry you are poorly,you look amazing in your red dress.

suburban get well soon too.

The 'parentisms' I fall back on is embarrassing..too long to list!

Good luck with tweeting mim I don't really need another cookbook but I would buy one you wrote!

Have to make up goodie bags for the girls for U.S flights and going to shred now to try to offset overdoing treats over hols.

RR about St Petersburg - the point of the city is to wander endlessly along the canals and to get slightly lost. Also great people watching along Nevskij prospect (particularly Russian men: Daniel Craig lookalikes with mullets or shaved heads, very pointy shoes, black leather jackets, a beer in hand), and I love to sit down at the cafes and have something delicious and a pot of tea (Russians take their tea with lemon or jam and honey). I could spend a full day at Hermitage, it's one of the best art museums in the world. And she should definitely take the red metro line and stop at most of the central stations to have a look around - they were built as cathedrals for the poor and are sumptuous. Oh and I love the Summer Park and Petropavlovsky fortress and the art nouveau areas between it and the great mosque (along the semicircular road that goes around Alexandrovsky park). I recommend a meal at a Georgian or Uzbek restaurant - the latter are usually out of 1001 nights and I love the food. I like the quieter Vasiliesky island, particularly its amazing food hall with their geometric displays of fruit and more types of raisins (each with a tiny stem! - they are exquisitely delicious) you ever saw.
And you can look at people getting photographed after getting married at the Rostral Columns - champagne flowing and you'll see outrageous convoys of limousines. And she should stop at one of the ubiquitous Teremok blini restaurant and have a blini with sour cream, krasnaja ikra (red salmon caviar) and wonder how chic fast food can be. And one of the great traditions of Russian travel is to buy a bottle of local sweet champagne (Sovetskoye Shampanskoye) and enjoy it anywhere. Piter is also full of sushi restaurants - many of them überstylish. And if she has time, she should take one of the ancient trams anywhere and back - they are very slow. And I love to take to the metro to Primorskaya station and have a good look at concrete brutalism at its best - gigantic crumbling blocks of flats and the angry gray Baltic sea.

Sorry I have to interrupt being a tour guide and take DC to my parents who are finally back in town - I'll get to get my hair done. Photoshoot tomorrow.