Category Archives: Life

Great Boo’s Up.

Last Friday began with a train journey to London town. I love the journey through the English countryside. It always makes me think of the hymn Jerusalem that we sang at school – I used to love belting it out in morning assembly.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Mayfair. What a fabulous location! Right across the street from Green Park tube and The Ritz. One criticism though – stop charging for in room wi-fi – £28 for 2 days – a bloody rip off if you ask me! My heart was beating out of my chest with excitement as I came out of the tube. Arriving in London always feels like coming home, yet still so foreign, especially staying in Mayfair. Let’s be honest I never had the money or the inclination to head there in 90’s!

I headed straight out to meet Sue and the girls from AllWornOutBlog.com. A little wander up the road through Berkeley Square, past Rolls Royce dealerships and haute couture boutiques, and I was at Selfridges. After chasing Sue around the menswear and shoe salon we eventually met up – talk about amateur tourists! We then met the lovely Eve, Gina, Belinda and Ann in Aubaine – a fabulous little eatery where we talked, giggled and drank copious amounts of wine. Security turfed us out at 9pm – how much fun was that skipping through an empty Selfridges!?

Double Trouble

We went to the pub too.

Saturday started early, with the inevitable hangover – but there’s another story behind my recovery for a later date…

I wandered North to meet the girls at the Mayfair Pizza Co – another great spot where the staff were amazing!! They tolerated us from 12 to 12 and kindly put us in our own little room. After 8 magnums of prosecco between us I think the other diners were quite relieved.

We talked and talked and then the beautiful Marlene (www.chocolatecookiesandcandies.com) somehow had the patience to photograph us all while we nitpicked at our images – too fat, too orange, crooked smile, wonky eyes – you can read how she put us right here.

Marlene

Sue

Fiona

Helen

Here’s one of my outtakes that Sue took – I had a fit of the giggles!

And here is my fabulous souvenir from Marlene.

An amazing weekend with amazing friends, brought together by our love of clothes and writing. I have found an eclectic, smart, driven, funny, loyal, kind group of women who I hold dear and cherish every day. I wish I got to see them all more often.

There were no comedy breasts you’ll be pleased to hear.

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Back from DC!

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Howdy all!! We’re back! I’ve had a fabulous short break in Washington D.C. doing lots of touristy stuff. We must have been very good this year as Santa left us all tickets on Christmas morning, so after unwrapping the gifts to squeals of excitement, we left for the airport.

It truly was amazing to see the sights in real life that we are so used to seeing on t.v. in the news or in movies. The weather was perfect too – glorious sun – but I was pretty happy I had my Marks & Spencer Per Una Christmas present to wear too – I’ve never had so many compliments about a coat before!

Here’s a quick photo round up of the highlights – for more you can check out my Instagram account.

One of the Elves got sidetracked on the way back to the North Pole…

Fortunately Santa still had time for a hug with Poppy before leaving the hotel.

We headed straight to the White House – along with everyone else! I wore my super comfy and very festive Golden Goose for the occasion. The cashmere beany was absolutely required in the cold and my Husband got to wear his gorgeous Elder Statesman hat that I bought him for our anniversary this year.

The Capital is just amazing.

This view from Lincoln’s Memorial always makes me think of Forrest Gump. The view and the Memorial are stunning and quite awe inspiring.

The MLK memorial was a highlight for the children as they know so much about him.

Although I had a break from outfit photos while away – here is my outfit from the 23rd, when I headed out with the girls from work for our Christmas celebration.

Boots – Stuart Weitzman Highland (my favorite purchase from AW 2013) // Dress – Zara (old)

As much as I love traveling it is always great to get home. Today I am heading out for some retail therapy. I haven’t really looked too much at the sales and the boots I am after probably won’t even be in the sale. I still may treat myself given a) how much I have worn my Highlands and b) I have no need for a NYE outfit as we are staying home with Chinese and Carson Daly. These boots will be the perfect transitional boot from winter to spring – the 5050 in tan nubuck.

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and I am certainly ready to throw myself into 2014! Who has fabulous plans for Tuesday evening?

A night out with MommyEnnui.com

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After a failed attempt to get out for lunch on Friday, we thankfully made it out on Saturday night. We had a marvelous night at a local restaurant with MommyEnnui.com and her Husband. We have known each other for a while but our friendship has blossomed recently, and they mean the world to me. There are some people in life (few and far between unfortunately) who you know just love you for being you – warts and all; don’t judge – or if they do you debate it face-to-face; can laugh at themselves – and if they laugh at you you laugh right along too; and have true joie de vivre – but are happy to also admit it ain’t all perfect. We live in a bubble here in Atlanta where the houses are perfect, moms and their perky pony tails work out daily, and the children are smocked and monogrammed – so spending time with ‘normal’ people is cherished. We laughed all evening and I tried more vegetarian dishes than I ever thought possible:) Here’s to next time.

Shoes – Nine West (old) // Jeans – Zara coated navy jeans // Blouse – Next (old) // Jacket – Zara tuxedo jacket (old) // Clutch – YSL Belle de jour

Pointy Pumps

Tuxedo Jackets

Leopard Print Blouses

Coated Jeans

You just never know who’s reading!

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First published on my Husband’s birthday a year ago – Happy Birthday Honey – I barely recognize myself – or my closet!

After another summer of sizzling in the sun (with SPF of course), this morning I headed to my dermatologist for my annual check up. There I am sitting ‘nekid’ with a sheet around me when in comes my lovely doctor who immediately asks me ‘do you have a blog? I’m sure it’s you on this style blog I’ve been reading!’. Aaargh – now if I was dressed I’d have no problem saying ‘yes of course it is!’, but at that moment all I could focus on was the huge amount of fluff my socks had left on my sweaty toes – I was not by any means feeling like the writer of a so called ‘style’ blog. I giggled nervously and tried to be witty by saying ‘of course it’s me – you must have been googling for ultra stylish women over 40’ – ‘don’t be silly’ she replied – well that’s me told. So hello all in the dermatologist office – thank you for reading and don’t take too much notice of these ‘hangovers’ I refer to occasionally:)

It’s flippin’ cold and windy here though I am not complaining after seeing the state of the North East this morning. I feel dreadful for all those suffering with flooding and no power. On a more superficial note I’ve also been thinking about all those runners who are in limbo after months of training – I’m suspecting that the NYC marathon will not take place this weekend as not only can people not get there, but the streets of NYC are apparently filled with cars that ‘floated’ away from their parking spots!

In order to face the cold today, and make stripping off at the doctors easier, I am wearing my Boden leggings and layering with a bordeaux Zara t-shirt and my AllSaints Wasson pullover dress. All finished off with Frye Veronica Slouch boots, an H&M scarf and Zara quilted leather jacket. The dress is lovely and lightweight – it wraps over at the back creating a V shaped hemline – it’s really unusual.

Here you can see the detail of the wrap of the dress at the back…:

Now to prepare for this evening’s fun for MM’s birthday! We’re off out for dinner and I can’t wait:)

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Changing diets.

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By diet I don’t mean diet as in losing weight, I mean changing the nutritional content and fabric of my daily food intake. I have to say I’m always very skeptical about diets that remove items or restrict foods – like the Atkins diet etc. – but I’ve recently been reading a lot about food intolerance. As a scientist I have to say some of the data and reasoning is quite compelling. So I thought I’d give it a try. After speaking to my doctor about it she recommended trying the Virgin diet where you remove gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, soy, corn and sugar from your diet, then add each one back into the mix to see which, if any you react too. Our food can impact all sorts of things – obviously our physical health, but also our mood and energy levels. Even though it sounds a bit fadish I thought I’d give it a go – nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I’m quite lazy, though not terribly unhealthy, when it comes to food – a quick bowl of pasta for example. I lack inspiration. One of the unexpected positive effects of trying this diet is that I have to plan my meals in advance, meaning I am much more prepared at meal time, ultimately resulting in far more enjoyment from cooking and eating.

I’ve only been following the plan for 3 days and yesterday I was EXHAUSTED. I could barely keep my eyes open and I started to question the alleged benefits. Today, however, I feel AMAZING. I have so much energy and feel so alert – and that was at 7am this morning. I’m starting to believe there may be something to this food intolerance stuff.

For you nay sayers who claim it is boring – ok it’s only been 3 days – but I am really enjoying eating fabulous fresh fruits and veg and great lean meat, and I’m tasting all the flavor. I’m using Gwyneth Paltrow’s “It’s All Good“ (recommended by a friend – thanks S!) for inspiration. I can’t say enough great things about this book – I always think of Gwyneth as being a bit up herself and self-righteous – but in the book she comes across as a lovely, down to earth mom – dare I say just like us? All thanks to great editing and PR I’m sure – but still I am really enjoying this book.

I’d love to hear if any of you have tried eliminating certain foods from your diet. How did you feel? Did you stick with it? Do you think it’s a fad?

Another benefit is that I already feel less bloated – my clothes are a little looser already. Apparently it can also make your skin look years younger…we’ll see.

Trousers – Zara palazzo trousers (old) // Top – Zara long sleeved tee (old) // Shoes – Tory Burch Emmy sandals (old)

T-shirt – Asos (similar here) // Shorts – DvF TheOutnet.com (old) // Shoes – Marks & Spencer (old)

Sip and See.

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Have you ever been to a Sip and See? They are becoming more and more common outside the US I think, but yesterday I felt like a true Southern lady attending my first Sip and See here. They are similar to a shower, only at a Sip and See you ‘sip’ your cocktail and ‘see’ the baby. My great friends across the street, who already have 4 children (their third pregnancy produced twin boys – can you imagine!), just adopted a beautiful newborn little girl. I tell you some people are just wired to be Moms and she is one of them, while I have to search for my maternal genes most mornings! I am beyond thrilled for them and indeed I’m very proud of them, though they insist that although they are providing a loving home and family for their new addition, their daughter has also impacted and changed their lives for the better. I can’t wait to see her grow up and blossom into a beautiful girl.

So yesterday required a couple of changes. I spent the day in the following outfit – these jeans are fabulously comfortable so I’m not sure why I haven’t worn them since our blogger meet up back in February! I started the day in white heels but the heat soon made me regret that decision.

Trousers – Zara (old) // Top – Zara (old) // Sandals – Tory Burch Emmy (old)

Later that evening, for the Sip and See, I took advantage of having an occasion to wear my Ted Baker Allysia dress that I got back in the sales at the Trafford Centre. My new Boden clutch was the perfect accessory and I wore my Tory Burch Eddie flats to respect the host’s floors!

It’s a big day tomorrow – I turn 42!! I LOVE birthdays and I’m so excited to head out for lunch with the family and then dinner with my fabulous Husband. Another year, another year wiser? Maybe not, but who cares!? I’m having fun and that’s what counts!

I’m in the 0.1%

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I’ll admit I have been in two minds about sharing this in a post. My blog is after all about fashion, family, friends and fun, not alopecia. I’m sure there are many blogs (I haven’t looked) dedicated to people like me who suffer with alopecia containing lots of medical information and support, but that’s not why I am talking about it. I decided to share after reading a couple of comments regarding how ‘happy I always look’, and words like ‘self-congratulatory’ being mentioned in forums. I’ll admit that I am a tremendously positive, upbeat person – I’m a Leo after all, with a lot to be happy about – but now you know I have my little issues to deal with too! I am real, (relatively) normal, and I sometimes lose patches of hair.

To be honest I don’t really think about it that much and I just tend to get on with it when I have an ‘episode’ – what else can I do? Worrying over it can just exacerbate the problem. I actually consider myself tremendously lucky that I can always conceal my patches of hair loss, and, to date, it has always grown back.

I first lost a patch of hair back in 2009 around Thanksgiving. I’d had an enormous blow out with a work colleague and I was LIVID. Fuming in fact – so much so I cursed him out on the phone. He was actually my employer at the time but I felt so let down by him I no longer cared what I said so I told him exactly what I thought. The following morning I woke up to discover a bald patch the size of a quarter at my hairline. I was devastated. I didn’t actually link the two events until after I had visited my dermatologist. I initially just thought I was dying – I was so gutted by what I saw in the mirror. Since then I’ve had a couple of patches of hair loss each year and my dermatologist (who is amazing!) has always reassured me that it is purely my body’s reaction to stress, or an autoimmune response. I never consider myself to be under much stress – I don’t think I’m a worrier – nor do I feel anxious – but stress triggers can be minimal. There’s never any real rhyme or reason, and certainly no warning that I’m going to lose some hair. It always occurs in the same place – on the front right hair line – except for once when it was at the nape of my neck at the hairline.

This time I think the the loss is associated with my body’s stress from travel and jet lag. I am guessing that all the prep and organization that goes into getting the family out of the door and on a transatlantic flight has taken it’s toll. Fortunately a quick visit to the dermatologist for a cortisone shot in the scalp, followed by regular applications of clobetasol always seems to stop it in it’s tracks. I’ve already decided that if it ever progresses I’ll wear my bald head loud and proud. My Grandad was bald as a coot, and my Mum suffers from psoriasis – so maybe it is an inherited autoimmune issue? Who knows! Regardless I am at peace with the fact that alopecia areata is now part of my life. There are far worse things that others are dealing with every day.

Now you see it, now you don’t!

I’m really enjoying my outfit of the day today – some of you will loathe it – others of you may be on the fence – but I love it. It’s the light denim jumpsuit from Zara. Super comfortable and I even got the seal of approval from Poppy who gave me a ‘wow Mom that’s so cute’. On second thoughts maybe a 7 year old’s approval shouldn’t be listened to by an almost 42 year old! This is a Medium so it is generous for Zara sizing.

Regardless here it is in all it’s glory.

Jumpsuit – Zara // Sandals – Nine West // Necklace – Target (REALLY old) // Belt – Target (REALY old too!) // Bracelet – Susie Ho

A little bit of sparkle.

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At the gym this morning, while I was dropping the children off at the play room, I realized that I must have missed the memo. The memo regarding the new required summer outfit for the gym – white frilly tennis skirt, pink visor, perky blonde pony tail, and phony smile. Oh and can you tell me where to find the perfect children with their page boy hair cuts and monogrammed smocks? I think I must have become a little cynical while on vacation. I felt like I was in the middle of The Stepford Wives, or surrounded by multiple versions of Patty Simcox. I love Atlanta, but sometimes I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb.

So what better to do than embrace my non-conformity and wear my shortest shorts and sparkliest sneakers:) I do cringe a little every time I put on my Zara skort. Nearly every ‘style’ blogger on the planet has a pair and all of them are 20 years younger than me. But you know what – Patty down the road doesn’t know where they are from, or that all the street style bloggers are wearing them, so I’ll wear them with aplomb in Atlanta and not worry about it. Though, for a split second, it did occur to me that it might be a sub-concious desire to conform – in white they do look a little like a tennis skirt.

Skort – Zara // Sneakers – Lame Supergas // Top – Boden Sparkle top (just $23.40!)

I adore the Boden sparkle top – it is perfect – light, and a great shape – an absolute bargain for $23.40 – I have the ivory too. This is a US 8 – I think a US 6 would have been fine too but I like my knitwear a little looser.

For the sake of full disclosure – here’s what I lived in over the weekend. Sweatpants with no red lipstick in sight.

Sweats – Express (old) // Top – Gap

July 20th.

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We headed off to our favorite beach at Salamis today. I’m sure everyone finds their ‘perfect’ spot when they are on vacation. Salamis is ours – not too far to drive, very few tourists, and a great beach bar that I hope no one else ever discovers. On the way there the children were bickering like mad in the back seat of the car – no wonder – it was hot and they were tired. I told them to ‘grow up and act their age’ – an oxymoron if ever I heard one. It dawned on me that yep they are only 5 and 7 so go ahead and bicker like children.

The irony was that we were driving through Lefkosa at the time. The Northern side of Nikosia. Turkish flags were flying everywhere, and the Turkish military were flexing their muscle. With choppers overhead and jeeps with machine guns flying by us, I began to worry my Husband would develop post traumatic stress. July 20th 1974 is the day Turkey invaded Cyprus to ‘liberate’ the Turkish Cypriots. I’m not going to tell the story here – but if you’re interested you will discover that the Turks were maybe heavy handed, yet provoked and left with few other options.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no bias. Unlike many here I have no allegiance to either the Turks or the Greeks. They were both crap to each other, and continue to be so in many ways. It just saddens me that 39 years later, neither side is prepared to compromise to the extent that even a diluted recognition of the Northern territory looks feasible.

So as I told my kids to act like grown ups – I also wished for the Greeks and Turks to act like grown ups. It is wrong that this beautiful island full of history, love, incredible stories, and kind people be divided. Can’t we just all be friends?

Shorts – DVF The Outnet // Sandals – Zara // T-shirt – Zara (old)

My spiritual home.

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So I’m not normally one to get deep, so bear with me. I believe that everyone has a ‘spiritual home’ – where you feel that sense of calm, along with a stirring sense of excitement. Like you’re where you belong. If you’re lucky enough to travel often you may have encountered several places that give you this feeling of elation, or you may be even luckier to experience it right where you call home now.

15 years ago my Husband and I journeyed down the Karpaz – the peninsular or ‘pan handle’ of Cyprus. It was barren, poor, and occupied by farmers. It was, and still is, one of the few places on the island where you find Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots living side by side. It is also home to fabulous hidden ruins, sea turtles and wild donkeys. Today it is much the same, though the western Karpaz now has several holiday villages bringing in much needed business and money to the area. I’m not sure the photos do it justice but I hope they convey some of the reasons why the Karpaz is my spiritual home.