Not suitable for people with irony deficiency and
cannot guarantee nut-free

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Blighty and Lovely B - Living the Dream

Lovely B and I continued to live it up, big-time, during her stay.

Below, we were invited by friends to an impromptu lunch and to watch the England v Germany World Cup match. The husband is an amazing cook and whipped up this paella and made this designer salad. Yum! Meanwhile SuperK, wife to SuperHub and mother of three, had just done a run for charity in the blistering heat. She took it all in her stride that her house had been invaded by the Blighty brigade, went and showered and reappeared in 5 minutes looking fab with impeccable blow dried hair. I was impressed. In her place I would have hidden in the garden until everyone had gone home, and then booked into a rest home for 3 months. Sadly I had to leave early with Boy 2 - as many of you know, he was distraught and inconsolable when Germany scored their first goal, and had to go home for emergency application of ice cream and quality computer time. Thank goodness he missed the England disallowed goal, he would have been apoplectic!

Behold the gloriousness of the paella!


And the beautiful salad arrangement

A few days later Lovely B and I sallied forth to London on the train. Last year I made B get some culcha at the National Portrait Gallery. This year we headed straight to the big Marks & Spencer flagship store at Marble Arch. We stormed through that place! I was brought up on M&S, in fact I suspect my mother got me from M&S, it is definitely in my DNA.


Above and below, we noticed a worrying trend: tops sold with a necklace included. Very worrying, very Stepford Wives, I thought. M&S want us all to go round properly and identically accessorised. You have been warned! Don't linger too long in the store or you will be replaced by a perfect, eager to please automaton replica of yourself. Mr B wants me to go there again. To the reprogramming department.


It was lucky that Lovely B was with me. She found me mesmerised by these, muttering to myself, "must buy, must have". These are the scary cousin of TODs: Leggings from Hell.
Lovely B proceeded with an intervention. She was tough, but it needed doing.


We had another tricky moment later. "Move away from the unsuitable skirt" said B firmly. I whimpered (a bit like Golum and his Precious) but obeyed.

What is it with me and surgical bandage pink?


Lovely B and I tried stuff on. I tried this Roman gladiator outfit. It was not a success, but would have frightened the lions away.

After waiting for hours, Lovely B had to come rescue me from Changing Room Attire Panic - I always seem to get in a muddle trying things on. The fun I had struggling into a full length wetsuit a couple of years ago! The general fraughtness was intensified by Boys 1 and 2 whipping the changing cubicle curtains open every couple of minutes. Bless. After only 4 hours of struggling, I emerged red-faced but triumphant, only to be told I had got the blasted thing on back to front. Those James Bond girls never have all this trouble!

Since our retail rampage I have returned almost all my purchases, including multiple school trousers for boys, which was the good mother bit of the day and the Mr Blighty Expenditure Committee official purpose for M&S trip.

However, I kept these, which I LOVE. But look,the sequin arrangement is not done the same on each shoe! However, since my size seems to be sold out now, I have decided to put up with their imperfections (as they will have to put up with mine!)



And don't worry that I am under-curated, clothes-wise - I have swapped for these tops instead, also returning that peasant top thingie I got from Zara, the beige one I showed you before. I am adept at retail arbitrage and creative accounting, I could teach those guys at Enron a thing or two. ....oh, now I see what Mr B is worried about!
Bit anxious someone might mistake me for a paper doily and put a cake on me, note to self: stay away from tea shops. On the other hand, shame to pass up chance of free cake.

Below, only cost £10 as from big kids H&M, sometimes it pays to have junior bosoms.

But does it look too ickle girlie?


Here we go again - many happy returns!

10 comments:

  1. Dear B
    superior salad arrangement!!!!!! Love the pink polish and all the summery get ups.My sisters want me to come to Ldn in November. If I do, we should Do Lunch. Meanwhile Blogger ate all my comments from yesterday -they are lost in cyberspace forever dammit. x

    ReplyDelete
  2. I look forward to your post every day. How did Lovely B put up with all your shenanigans? I am glad she was there to save your from yourself,er, I mean the tangled clothes arrangements. Where do these women find men who cheerfully do meals? Is it only in England!!?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the surgical bandage pink skirt affair, I like the flirty sectional bits...and the sandals too...great for showing off those polished toes.
    Marks and Sparks as we call it here was a staple shop and then...it up and closed a few years back...

    ReplyDelete
  4. The lovely B could embark on a new career helping women refrain from purchasing TOD leggings.
    I like the H&M top Blighty. Am also in the petite/junior bosom catergory and have been known to buy the large size from ickle girl department but ceased this practise due to mortifying fear of coming face to face with a 14yr wearing identical outfit :)
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Have to say I love the unsuitable skirt...I never realized it, but it is kind of a surgical bandaid pink...I have a lovely vintage gown that colour...oh well...still lovely.
    Thanks for keeping us in the loop of your shopping adventures!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I played spot the difference with the sparkly Per Una sandals but couldn't really see one - is there something wrong with my eyes? I like the grey doily top, very Marc Jacobs

    ReplyDelete
  7. FF - I'm going to be really grown up and cool -O M G, FF may come to London, I may meet FF, i'm soooooo excited, eeeeeeeeeek! WWWWWWoooooooooow! EEEEEEEEEEEK!
    Er, sorry, I mean, yah, ok, let's Do Lunch, whatever..
    Can't believe Blogger ate my comments on your blog, for the first time ever my comments were mature, insightful, wise, calm, I opened up to reveal my most profound and spiritual thoughts...what a loss to cyberspace, guess I'll just go back to talking about how my pants exploded then...
    Deb - B is a saint. I can't find an man who cooks either, though Mr B does a mean cheese on toast, mainly though he sits on the sofa hungry till I get home..
    Hostess - M&S over-reached itself and then cut back - there was even an M&S in Lisbon, Portugal at one point, I think even the M&S in Paris is closed now??
    Anne-Marie - spot on about the worry that young girl may wear top at same time; real poss as older sisters sometimes appear at boys' school at pick up time; may return this too!
    L - I actually really like that colour, but have not found suitable garment in that shade, do actually like the skirt but would not suit me, I have to dress quite plainly otherwise my madness too apparent!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Not My Age, nothing wrong with your eyes but lots wrong with my photography - v out of focus so you can't see in pic with feet in, if look v closely at other pic, beading joins up more on one shoe than other; I never even noticed in shop or for a few days at home; life is too short! Bx

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm afraid I would have been Mrs Doyle regarding the pink skirt 'oh go on go on'

    And yes grey top v MJ xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh I am so jealous about the 'impecable blow dried hair'.. I give up and just pile it on my head... day in, day out. Yes many lounge room cushions were destroyed here, during the England-Germany debacle. As I type, the Spain-Germany semi is causing much raucus and cushion killing. Tell Boy 2, we feel his pain down here in the Southern Hemisphere. Shopping, dining..... all sounds so lovely. I have cabin fever, imprisoned in our apartment while my big boy frantically practices for a piano exam next week (between soccer matches). If I never hear a chromatic scale again, it will be too soon. Ahhhh! A-M xx

    ReplyDelete

My post is all Norma No Mates, cheer her up by commenting!