Outfit Post: Sequinned

Firstly, apologies for the horrible lighting in these photographs. Going to work in the dark and getting home from work in the dark limits my ability to get decent outfit shots!

Let me introduce you to my Christmas jumper! The minute I saw it in Topshop I was smitten. Sequins, soft cream wool and a zig zag pattern. Sold! It looks so festive and I am all about the festive. I did a little squeal yesterday in Marks & Spencer when I saw the Turkey Feast sandwich. Best. Sandwich. Ever. Don't even get me started on the gingerbread lattes and red cups at Starbucks.

Let me just say that this jumper was far more expensive than it should really have been. But it's testament to my love for it that I didn't even think twice before flinging it at the till and handing over my credit card. The 'Queen' necklace was a birthday present from my gorgeous friend Sammy. A bit of birthday Tatty! What could be better?

I wish this photograph did this nail varnish more justice. In reality it's a gorgeous shimmery blue colour that looks green when in the light. A bit holographic and bloody lovely!

At the moment I seem to be inexplicably drawn to pointy flats. The Office sale is like my crack as, invariably, all the shoes I love end up in the sale. I'm not sure what that says about my taste but I also don't care as it means cheap shoes for me! These were £7, reduced from £40, and I'm slightly obsessed with them.

In honour of Movember, here's a horribly overexposed photograph of me with a moustache. LOLZ. In all seriousness, the Prostate Cancer Charity is a cause very close to my heart. I wrote a little bit more about it in this post last year and, if you do have any pennies to spare, please do think about donating it to this wonderful cause.

Jumper & Jacket - Topshop

Leather shorts - ASOS

Tights - M&S

Shoes - Office

Vest - New Look

Necklace - Tatty Devine

Nail varnish - Go on Green by OPI

Poppy - RBL

"I love you in the morning, when you're still hungover..."

Sartorial elegance has taken a massive hit this weekend.

Firstly, I did Race For Life (there's still time to chuck a couple of quid my way if the purse strings allow) yesterday morning. My Mum decided we were wearing pink. Now, I don't mind a bit of pink. I do draw the line at a bright pink (Take That, haha) t-shirt, a pink tutu and a pink flower in my hair though. But it was all in the name of charidee and it was a fantastic experience. It was more emotional than I thought it would be and there was such a lovely atmosphere. I didn't run the whole way though and I'm using my darling Mum as an excuse for that. It's up to you to decide the level of truth in that. Haha.

Secondly, I went to a Hawaiian themed barbecue last night. Cue flowers leis, the big pink flower in my hair once more and a tropical playsuit. Yes, that's right, I said tropical playsuit. I did wear stupendous gold heels though. And drink my body weight in giant cocktails and gin. Tut tut.

Today I've been mostly feeling sick as a dog but I've powered through, for my Dad's sake more than mine! I cooked lunch for him and my Mum today. On a side note, why do I always volunteer to cook lunch the day after a big night out? You'd think I'd have learnt my lesson during the great Christmas Eve lunch debacle of 2007, when I'd been out until 7am and then had to cook a three course meal from scratch. Making brandy snap baskets with no sleep and a pounding head was the worst thing ever.

Anyway, I made Lamb Cochifrito. Which is basically lamb with lots of lemon, garlic and shallots. It was delicious.

For dessert, and at my Dad's request, I made flourless chocolate brownies (using a Nigella recipe that I tweaked). These have walnuts in, and I added some pecans too for a bit of variety. They're the richest brownies I've ever eaten and I defy anyone to manage more than two.

So, what have you been upto this weekend?

Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run run run!

I have a difficult relationship with running.


Difficult as in I'm not very good at it. And I don't like doing things that I'm not very good at.

The reason (well two reasons) I'm not very good at it?


Boobs.


I am, ahem, fairly well endowed in the boobular region. Too well endowed for my liking actually and I'm hoping that my continued weight loss will go some way towards reducing the girls to bearable proportions. Anyway, boobs hurt when you run. Mine do anyway (note to self: buy a new sports bra). And I don't generally want to run the risk of two black eyes, so I avoid running like the plague.

So why on earth have I signed up for a 5k Race for Life in June?

The reasons are threefold:

1) My Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. Six years on and she's cancer free. My Aunty too has had breast cancer. She was diagnosed 16 years ago and thought she'd beaten it for good. She found out a couple of months ago that it's come back.
2) Running will hopefully help me hit my Slimming World target sooner than I would otherwise.
3) I'd just really like to be able to run.

If any of you lovely, lovely people would like to sponsor me then there's a little button over on the right there. Or you can just click here. Obviously I'd really appreciate it and will send good thoughts and love your way for all eternity if you can spare a few quid. It might even motivate me to actually start training for the damn thing!


Big love x


EDIT: It's not until 19th June, so there's plenty of time to scrape some pennies together. G, I'm looking at you.

Movember

It's November.

Or, for moustache lovers everywhere (and let's face it, who doesn't love a good 'tache?), it's also been dubbed Movember. Lots of men growing lots of face fuzz to raise lots of lovely cash for the Prostate Cancer Charity (which is obviously a cause that's hugely close to my full-sized aortic pump) (name that quote for extra points). I can't grow a moustache (much to my chagrin, damn you hair follicles! I've always fancied a handlebar) (I love parenthesis today! LOVE!) so, at the weekend, I drew a cheeky moustachio on with a bit of eyeliner and a wobbly hand in honour of Movember.

If anyone has got a spare fiver or so then you can donate to Movember by clicking on the little button at the bottom of the page.

My Dad had his fifth chemotherapy session on Friday. Five down, one to go. He's finding it tough. Really tough. It hasn't been helped by him chipping one of the discs in his back by COUGHING. Yes, my Dad has such a supersonic cough that he actually injured himself. One MRI scan and one cortisone injection later and he's almost back to normal. Well, as normal as it gets at the moment. I asked him if he was looking forward to his course of chemotherapy treatment finishing. His reply? "I'm scared". Scared of what happens next. Scared of what the test results will show. Scared that it won't have worked. I've never seen my Dad scared before.

I'm scared that my Dad won't be the person that he was before the illness ever again.