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My week

Friday 16 May 2014
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Currently........
Things have been a little quiet on the blog front. I've been popping back and forth between here and London like a proverbial jack-in-the-box. I have full admiration for my husband and his fellow commuters who do this exhausting trek twice a day.  For the privilege of being crammed inside a carriage (standing room only) like sardines every single day, one has to fork out £6K or more a year. Transportation is a killer on the budget here in the U.K.


Home office......
A bunch of tulips, floral scented reed diffuser and a candle on the corner of my home office (aka dining table)......make great eye candies while I sip coffee and try to do some work. Mwahahahaha (falling over laughing)....... just goes to show that a photo does NOT portray the reality. After 6 months of trying to find a pen amidst layers of paperwork, junk, receipts, piles of "important" documents, laptop, iPad, phone and whatnots, I finally cleared the table *ahem* home office. So if anyone ever show you photos of their picture perfect homes, ask to see the "before" photos.


Evolution of personal style.......
My style has gone through an evolution over the past year or so. I may still shop with a list in one hand but I now prefer to invest in unique pieces with interesting details. Fit, fabric, comfort and versatility are of utmost importance, though without sacrificing the design. The further I move into my 40s, the fussier I become.

In fact, the more press days or presentations I attend, the more critical I am. I asked a friend yesterday if there was something wrong with me. Frances being her diplomatic self argued that it was because I have a clear vision of what I want. Perhaps I'm beginning to get more comfortable in my skin. Jelly belly, bat wings....be damned. They're battle scars from motherhood and aging.


Gripe about footwear.........
Have you noticed how much ££££ we spend on designer shoes yet we're traipse about in our sneakers and flats most of the time? Recently, I asked the buying team at a multi-brand store why they rarely, if ever, stock affordable mid heels? There was a deadening silence...... I looked around and guess what? Every attendee was in flats or mid heels because we had to sprint/walk/take public transportation to get there. I mean....just take a look at the street styles of London or Paris or any city for that matter.......

There's a whole science behind wearing high heels - how to walk in them, when and how to swap from flats to heels before arriving at an event, how to make heels more comfortable, which heels are comfortable..... It's an elusive art form desired by many but achieved by few (the lucky ones with an incredible high arch).


Strange & stranger
Recently, I attended one of the strangest, if not THE strangest presentations I've ever been to. All of us had to shuffle our schedules, move heaven and earth to organize childcare, pay a small fortune and travel a rather long way to get there only to see A4 sized paper being passed around and not even a single cup of coffee being offered. The entire purpose of the meeting was a little lost on me. Right now, we're all reeling from the shock of it all.....

So, how was your week?

25 comments:

  1. Stranger and stranger indeed. This is an invitation I've received today from another retailer...

    It will be a really fun evening of champagne, canapes and a presentation/short talk on this season's collection – plus some competitions, giveaways and a goody bag!

    This would be worth the cost of rail travel from Cheshire, tubes, takeaways for family (they can't cook) and sustenance for me. I guess what I'm saying is I'm happy to fork out my hard earned cash if it's worth my while. I'm not sure yesterday quite hit the spot. Dx

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    1. Yes, it was odd, wasn't it? It was a presentation about A/W 14 collection but where were the clothes? I used to recommend friends to the store but if this is how "guests" are treated......I think they've lost me as a customer. Permanently.

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  2. My week was grey, dull, cold and wet.... So staid at home as much as I could to work!
    Ah the joy of commuting one has to suffer to work: one would think we really enjoy that to do it nearly everyday day for so much years, don't you think?
    I am wearing less and less heels (I mean high heels), firstly because it is quite difficult to find heels that really fit my small feet (ha ha) and well I do not feel as much as before the appeal of being THAT high. So yes there are now flats, brogues, boots, kitten heels (I have never seen my cats walking on heels actually...should I have?) and sometimes high heels. But I never change shoes at the office or seldom. I really liked your question about heels though and the silence which followed seems so..eloquent! This week end should be warmer at last so I could enjoy to have my spring clothes out for a while. Ahhh the weather broadcast at the radio says that the rain is coming next week, good !! I wish you a nice week end though with your family.
    Ah I would like to thank you so much: you introduced me (with success) to rosehip oil and to this marvellous blog from Susie so. I spent one night to read ALL the pages. My style is very different from hers and I am not a mother but really I do like it. Thank you.

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    1. Summer..... AT LAST!! Okay, I shouldn't be too happy because this crazy weather may change any minute. I'm so pleased you like rosehip oil and Sue is absolutely hilarious and lovely - on the blog and in real life.

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    2. Yep, we had one marvellous day of sun yesterday, big wow.

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    3. You might get another day of sunshine tomorrow. Here's hoping.......

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  3. So true about the mid height heel shoes. Whatever retailer takes that on board will make an absolute fortune. Well done for expressing the point!!

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    1. No idea why this is news to them. It's common knowledge!

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  4. I have a dream that one day before I retire someone will make flat pumps with a clip on or slide in heel....you wear flatties to work and slide the different shaped heels on once at work....it is genius don't you think?

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    1. That's bloody brilliant! If this ever go into production, I will be your first customer.

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    2. Blooming heck - What a stunning Idea - Quick patent it - Its worth £millions !

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  5. those white tulips are gorgeous! love them both in the large vase and smaller mini one :)

    Sher
    www.shershegoes.com

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  6. Oh boy that line about footwear? I blushed red from top to toe, I realised that about a year ago, I never wear any of my high fancy shoes, I live in flats, it's an affectation for me to buy any more, I've got some sort of Cinderella complex!

    I would love to be able to traipse to London more often, one night costs us about £1000 every time we go, between flights or spendy trains, a hotel, food etc.

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    1. It's crazy how pristine our high heels look but check out the flats and sneakers - trashed! Oh wow....that's a mighty expensive trip for you. With £1K, you'll get a pretty good holiday by the beach!

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  7. I hope you do more of these posts! You know, I think there are some more mid heel offerings out there at the moment. I just (hopefully) nabbed the last pair of low heeled Whistles sandals from ASOS. I like the added height, but I find anything too high is just painful to wear all day long, and you can run in low heels! Perhaps try looking online? At least then if you visit the shops you can take a targeted approach

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    1. I'm so pleased you like this type of posts. I did wonder when I hit publish whether it was a little incoherent - a bit of everything under the sun.

      I've trawled through various websites but it's just the same boring type of shoes. I guess I was hoping for more variety of mid heels - not just the same ankle straps and orthopedic lookalike shoes.

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  8. I live in flats - I have some lovely heels tucked away, but seldom wear them, and am never really seen out of flats.

    We're moving out of London later this year but will still have to face the dreaded, and expensive commute!

    Beccy // Bluebell & Bumpkin

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    1. I'm with you. I live in a flat so I'm up and down the stairs God knows how many times in a day. I feel for you. The commute is more painful on the pocket than the actual ride on the train.

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  9. That was a weird presentation wasn't it? I said to the hubs, that if it wasn't for you and the chance of meeting up with you and the other girls, that day would have been truly disappointing. A cup of tea for the effort of getting there would have been nice.

    And I had to laugh about the home office bit. Sometimes when I try to do an Instagram shot, I find myself pushing everything out of sight before I move in for a shot. What the eye doesn't see eh?

    Thank you for recommending my blog - too kind (blush, blush).

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    1. It was odd. I think it's unanimous. Even a cup of coffee after the event would've been much welcomed considering how much effort we'd gone to just to get there.

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  10. The My Wardrobe day sounds just downright strange..... not even a cup of tea offered?? I like My Wardrobe and their loyalty scheme but just last week, they really peeved me off.

    I got an email telling me that today was the last day to use my customer loyalty discount of 20%. It spurred me onto buying a top i had wanted for a while... then 2 days later, I got another email telling me that the preview sale of 40% had started and the top I had just bought had gone into the sale!!

    How annoying and I dont think that is the right way to treat loyal customers. I complained and to be fair, they did sort it out but still, its left a sour taste in my mouth.

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    1. I've made a few purchases via RewardStyle and they never paid the commission out. That got me riled up because I knew I used the links....

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