Living Coral: the Pantone colour of the year for 2019

Outfits for Christmas and Link Up

Christmas is a brutal time for women. All the shopping - for food and presents, the wrapping, the sending of cards, the visiting of relatives, the cooking - mostly falls on our shoulders.  I escape relatively lightly in that I don't have a big family, and the main effort for me is preparing lunch on six for Boxing Day, which is of course the easiest day.

Staying warm and dry

Here I am wearing something I would never have bought a year or two ago:  a fur trimmed parka coat. Yes, I used to be very sniffy about coats that were padded, quilted or insulated.  Those, I felt, were best consigned to hill and mountain walks.  Instead, I always bought cashmere coats like this lilac number. 

Zircon: alternative birthstone for December

Tanzanite is the better known of the three December birthstones, but today we're going to explore the zircon, one of the oldest gemstones which is often confused with "cubic zirconia."

Mutton's Beauty Maestros 2018 and Link Up

Drum roll - here it is, my list of top beauty products for the year! I've chosen the products that work wonders for the over-45s and our skin and hair needs. These are all products I've used extensively and would buy again when they run out. So without further ado:

How to wear a summer skirt in winter

The most fashionable length for a skirt right now is midi, with anything short or knee-length looking a bit dated. This is good news for my camel midi skirt bought in summer, because with a few simple additions I can turn it into a skirt suitable for winter.

Can these tablets give you better skin? And Link Up

The best endorsement a blogger can give to a product is to actually buy it. I've just bought three months' supply of Imedeen Prime Renewal tablets, so that should tell you that I've been pleased with the improvement in my skin.

Sentence a Day: November including a spa visit, US trip and my birthday

Thurs Nov 1
Atrocious weather. Raining. Busy, long day at work.

Lisa Eldridge Velvet Ribbon and Link Up

I'm a great fan of Lisa Eldridge, a well-known make-up artist, as she regularly tackles the issues of older women and shows how to deal with dark circles, pigmentation, lack of radiance and so on.

So I was excited to hear she was launching a makeup range.The first products are a range of lipsticks called the True Velvet collection.

The beauty and fitness books that changed my life

Ladies, let me introduce you to two icons of my teen years. These two books fed my obsession with beauty, and later fitness, and I still use some of their tips.

Mixing old and new to create a contemporary outfit

My "Rupert Bear" trousers are suddenly in vogue.  I've had them since the early 90s and they occasionally get an outing. You last saw them here.

Check trousers are now everywhere, and shades of brown, caramel and cream are also very trendy, so I've styled my Rupert Bears with something new - a sequinned jumper - and another older item, a camel cape from Asos which is about five years old.

I've always loved capes although they're not very practical. I added a touch of leopard print with a clutch (Next, SS16) and ankle boots (Office London). The jumper is £20 at Sainsbury's.

The trousers are what we used to call "Oxford Bags," as worn by David Bowie in the Hunky Dory period.

Yesterday I spent an exhausting hour sweeping and bagging all the leaves. It's a small garden but we have four trees, a deciduous hedge and three clematis montana - that's a lot of leaves!

What do you think of the check trouser trend?  And the return to brown and caramel?
Sharing this post with #CreativeMondays at Claire Justine, On Mondays we Link Up with Glass of Glam; #Anything Goes  at My Random Musings, #ShoeandTell at Style Nudge; #IwillwearwhatIlike at Not Dressed as Lamb, Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style; Style with a Smile at Stylesplash; Turning Heads Tuesday at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, #SpreadTheKindness at Shelbee on the Edge, Chic&Stylish at Mummabstylish,  Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style. Fabulous Friday at A Pocketful of Polka Dots, #Weekend Wear at Threads for Thomas Thursday Moda.at Elegance and Mommyhood.

FOR MORE MUTTON

Don't miss a post -  follow Is This Mutton? on Bloglovin or Feedspot. I post extra goodies (handbags and shoes) on the Is This Mutton? Facebook page. And check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus beauty, jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks. Is This Mutton? is also on Twitter. 

Come back on Wednesday for the #WowOnWednesday link up

Meet the deceptive Citrine, birthstone for November

Who could not fail to love the bold, extravagant citrine in its flamboyant shades of yellow, orange and red? This magical gemstone is one of the birthstones for November.  But first, some bad news about citrine. Those deeper yellow and orange shades may actually not be citrine at all!

Huda Beauty Emerald Obsessions and Link Up

Very excited ladies to share this gorgeous palette of green, gold and bronze eyeshadows from trendy brand Huda Beauty.

Les deux mouton visit Alexander House Spa

As we both have "mutton" in the title of our blogs, Anna from Mutton Style and myself have become "Les deux moutons."  American readers, read my "About" where I explain what the mutton malarkey means in the UK. Our latest adventure was spending some down time at Alexander House hotel and Utopia Spa, in Sussex.

Sentence a Day: October 2018

Welcome to my month of October! A bit later than normal but I made a mistake with the dates! Thanks to Leslie from Once Upon A Time and Happily Ever After as always for rallying the troops.

We had quite a lot of autumn sun in October and as you can see, Molly the cat was enjoying it!

Mon Oct 1
In office. Pleasant weather. Busy preparing for a huge event that my company runs in San Jose every year.

Tues 
Working at home. Did an early Power Plate class. Made vegetable soup for lunch with shabby veg.

Weds
Enjoyed a spectacular sunrise as I drove to Cam. We haven't put the clocks back yet but it's already darker in the mornings when I set off at 6.50. Very busy day. I was caught unawares by a David Bowie song on the radio, "Where are we now?" I still get upset when this happens.

Thurs
In office. Hugely productive day. Stopped off in the town of Epping on the way home to get a few bits in M&S Food Hall.

Fri
At home.  Did two sessions of Power Plate. In the evening we met John's son Christopher and wife Katie at the pub for dinner. They're expecting their first baby in early 2019 (John's first grandchild).This is a bizarre photo, thought you might enjoy it!

Sat
John's birthday. Didn't have to rush off to an exercise class or do any shopping which was a change. We went into London to see the Tina Turner musical. It was truly outstanding! Here we are waiting for curtain up.

Sun
Power Plate, housework, roast chicken. Rachel and Sean came for lunch to give John his birthday presents. It's really tough to get him anything because he reads on a Kindle, streams all his music and films, and isn't much into clothes.  The best thing, I always say, is Wiggle vouchers so he can buy sportswear. Or beer!

Mon
Beautiful sunrise and autumn day. Ordered my birthday day cake and bought train tickets for a trip to  Plymouth in Dec.  I always go down in December to see my mum and exchange presents ready for Christmas.  She doesn't like me to drive in case it's snowing  (which is very rare).  Anyway, I'm humouring her by going by train.

Tues
At home. Anna from blog Mutton Style confirmed our spa stay on Nov 5. Yay!
Read an article where I learnt some useful household tips: moths don't like conkers so put them in drawers to protect clothes.  A dish of milk left overnight will get rid of cooking smells. To get rid of smells in plastic containers, roll up newspaper and leave in it overnight.

Weds
Working at home. Beautiful day. Went to Power Plate. Busy finalising stuff for the big event.

Thurs
As I drove to work, could see in just a few days some big changes in tree colours.  And it was dark today when I left work for home. John saw a sparrowhawk in the garden. We have a lot of sparrows feeding during the day. Unfortunately one of them had provided the hawk with a meal.

Fri
Storm Callum blew in and it was very windy. Busy day. Knocked off a quick shoot for the blog - red blouse three ways. Had our usual fish n chips for Friday dinner.

Sat
Went to Epping to do some shopping. Found nothing in three charity shops. Had a look at the community garden and saw this cute insect hotel:

Very warm,though still windy. Pruned roses. They still look pretty good.

Sun
Woke up to rain, didn't get light until 7.20. Rained most of day. Did a quick shoot and published it right away, and wrote another post. Catching up with myself as I'm a bit behind on the blogging front. John and I had roast beef with Yorkshire puddings, really nice. Just the two of us today.

Mon
At home. Novelty! Normally in the office on a Monday. Busy day, one Skype call after another.

Tues
At home! Our big event starts in San Jose today and I'm not there. But I have two US trips coming up before Christmas so I'm not too upset. Did Pilates.

Weds
At home. Quiet day. Have a pain in the neck again. VERY annoying.

Thurs
Foggy drive to work. Listened to Ted Talks. One was revelatory. What baby boomers can learn from milennials. Also decided to revamp my fitness routine.

Fri
At home. Did Power Plate. John and I went to the pub after work.

Sat
Sunny. Went to yoga and did my usual visit to Epping and also the garden centre, where Christmas has arrived. Bought some plants and bulbs.

I got some seasonal containers to go on my "plant theatre" and put a few bulbs in.

Sun
Sunny. Went to Power Plate, did housework. No guests today. Published a blog update on my Autumn bucket list. A survey in the paper says older women who wear lipstick look younger.  I wear lippy for blog shoots, but can't be bothered during the working day.

Mon
In the office. Dark when I left. Lovely day. Bit boring, hardly anyone in - still returning from America or recovering from jet lag.

Tues
At home. An exciting delivery of new skincare products from Look Fabulous Forever. See my review here.  Did Power Plate.

Weds
In office. Slept very badly, woke up 4am after slapping self in face. Not a good day - and it got progressively worse, including the neck pain (which appears to be caused by stress).

Thurs
Worked at home. Still quite sunny.  Went on cardiovascular equipment at the gym in a half hearted way. I enjoy Power Plate, Pilates and yoga but I struggle with the mindless chore of running machines or steppers.

Fri
At home. Weather finally a bit colder. Feeling a bit low. Fed up with angry drivers, who in London rarely give way and try to cut you up all the time; work (feel unappreciated); my lack of fitness. Worried about Mum, who is normally very sociable and resilient, but says she is feeling lonely. I'm 250 miles away. Went to Power Plate.

Sat
Just 4 degrees, a lot colder! Did my shopping. Placards in Epping about the deer breeding season and how drivers need to slow down. Ironically, was in stationery traffic when I read this. Went to my brother-in-law's 60th birthday party. It was at a nearby golf club, walking distance, result!

Sun
Warmer today with showers. Did roast lamb, Rachel's favourite. John's bike trainer came. It uses one of his bikes and is connected to an app which lets him cycle through virtual landscapes like Central Park with other cyclists, seeing their times and so on.

Mon 29 Oct
Office. Feeling positive and energetic today.

Tues 30 Oct
At home. Pilates.

Weds 31 Oct 
Got to work earlier than usual so went to Tesco to do some food shopping. It was a long day, 12 hours. Only 1 group of trick n treaters came calling on Halloween, which was a shame as I'd bought a giant bag of Haribo (and don't like them.....).

Sharing this post with #ShareAllLinkUp at Not Dressed as Lamb and #WelcometotheWeekend at Claire Justine

FOR MORE MUTTON

Don't miss a post -  follow Is This Mutton? on Bloglovin or Feedspot. I post extra goodies (handbags and shoes) on the Is This Mutton? Facebook page. And check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus beauty, jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks. Is This Mutton? is also on Twitter. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Eva Trends sweater dress with a helping of mustard & Link Up

When the weather gets colder, this warm, snuggly dress from Eva Trends will be ideal. It's a one size dress in wool and mohair, featuring large polka dots and pockets.

Three ways with a red floral blouse

A few months ago Jacqui from Mummabstylish and I discovered we had an identical blouse from Marks and Spencer, so we challenged each other to style it several ways. Now we're doing it again with this pretty red and white floral number, also from M&S.

New skincare range from Look Fabulous Forever: and Link Up

Look Fabulous Forever, the cosmetics range developed for mature women by founder Tricia Cusden, has introduced its first skincare range. Here are my first impressions.  I've been using the three products for a week and I will return in a couple of months with a longer view assessment.

Sparkle with stars and silver

The weather, we are warned, is about to become arctic. After a fantastic summer, and warm autumn, temperatures in London plunged to 4 degrees (39) yesterday and 6 degrees (42) today with showers. Plus we put the clocks back, so darkness will fall around four o'clock. Faced with the thought of five months of gloomy weather, I treated myself - early - to a Christmas jumper. That's a sweater to my US friends.

Show me your slippers and Link Up

I'm talking fearlessly today about a taboo subject. Slippers!  The focus is the type of slipper worn indoors. To see someone in their slippers, in their home, is to see them somewhat vulnerable.

I was intrigued to read about an entrepreneur who developed a trendy slipper, the Mahabis.  He had Googled flip flops and followed it with a search for slippers, and found many, many more people were actively searching for slippers.

The Mahabis slipper was then born. What makes it different is the "outdoor" sole which enables the wearer to go from house to dustbin with ease.

Slippers are not in general a young person's thing. When I surveyed the millennials in my office, very few wore slippers.  One young colleague does wear Mahabis, as does her partner.

Putting together the shopping guide was quite an eye opener. All the upmarket brands sell slippers, including the "outdoor"" type, which can be very expensive. In the last year or so it's become fashionable to wear slippers outdoors.  This very afternoon, I saw a young mother in fluffy mules which looked exactly like slippers. But she was out shopping.

I tend to buy cheap slippers - mules - from either Marks and Spencer or Next. I wear them for a few months and then bin them. Here's a selection of slippers (and the feet of someone who doesn't wear them) from my family. Can you spot my slippers?  Leave your answer in the comments below.

One of my colleagues also buys cheap slippers but he has a young dog who savages them, so it makes sense. That's his slipper - and dog, Dollie - above. Another colleague has shared her "hausschu":

Strange facts about slippers 

The first slippers were worn by the concubines of a rich sultan in 12th Century Vietnam. Wearing slippers kept the concubines captive. Having only soft, slippery, thin-soled slippers on their feet meant the women could never survive escape through the rocky terrain outside the harem.

So a sinister start for the slipper.

In Japan, everyone has one pair of slippers for roaming around the house, and another for trips to the toilet. Remembering to change out of your loo shoes once you have answered the call of nature is vital. According to Inside Japan: “Accidentally forgetting to take off the toilet slippers after leaving the WC is pretty much the most mortifying thing you can do”.

Judy Garland's red slippers

There are only four remaining pairs of the famous red slippers worn by Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz. One of these pairs went to auction in 2011 with a guide price of $2-$3 million. When they weren’t sold, a group of angel donors – including Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg – clubbed together to buy the slippers and donate them to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.

A second pair were stolen in 2005 and a Wizard of Oz super fan has offered a $1 million reward for information regarding their whereabouts.

Shopping for Slippers 

What are your slippers like? Or do you never wear them? Do tell!

Sharing with #ShareAllLinkUp at Not Dressed as Lamb and #WeekendBlogHop at Claire Justine.

An InLinkz Link-up

Tasty Tuesday: Carrot & Almond Soup

I've been persuaded by the lovely Leslie to join a recipe blog hop. Welcome to visitors from Dani's blog!  Today we're all sharing a soup recipe. Mine is a carrot and almond soup, rich in nutrients, antioxidants and protein, thanks to the veg, ginger and ground almonds. And fairly low in calories!

Blue and red Eva Trends Norah cardigan worn as a dress

I'm loving the midi length of dresses and skirts. Somehow it seems so much more contemporary and trendy than knee length, which I used to love.

I'm wearing a navy and red linen check cardigan (as a dress) from Eva Trends. They specialize in loose fitting clothing - most items are one size, and it's fairly generous.  The loose style doesn't suit me very much - see below for the dress on its own. 

But once I'd added my trademark wide leather belt and latest red Rew collar, the dress inspired Mr Mutton to say "nice outfit" which is a compliment rarely heard in Mutton Towers.

You may have noticed the red tights and a pair of my prized quirky shoes from Poetic Licence. These are navy with pink bows,

Which look did you prefer? Loose or belted?

I'm thrilled to say that Eva Trends is offering a 10% discount across the entire website for Is This Mutton? readers. The Norah stripe cardigan is here.  Use the links I've given and the discount is yours.

I was gifted with the Norah cardigan by Eva Trends. Everything else is my own.

Sharing this post with #CreativeMondays at Claire Justine, On Mondays we Link Up with Glass of Glam; #Anything Goes  at My Random Musings, #ShoeandTell at Style Nudge; #IwillwearwhatIlike at Not Dressed as Lamb, Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style; Style with a Smile at Stylesplash; Turning Heads Tuesday atElegantly Dressed and Stylish, #SpreadTheKindness at Shelbee on the Edge, Chic&Stylish at Mummabstylish,  Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style. Fabulous Friday at APocketful of Polka Dots, #Weekend Wear at Threads for Thomas Thursday Moda.at Elegance and Mommyhood.

Join me on Wednesday for the #WowOnWednesday link up. I'll be talking about the ultimate taboo. Intrigued? 

Autumn bucket list update

I didn't realise I'd have give an update on my autumn/fall bucket list quite so soon so I'm feeling a bit guilty that I haven't made much progress.

Most of the activities on my list were fairly benign and pleasant, seeing as it was my first one. I didn't want to set myself anything too demanding. Here's a recap on my list:

1. Spring bulbs: I'm halfway through the job.  I always wait until November to plant tulips because you are less likely to have them suffer from tulip fire if you wait until the ground is colder. So far I have planted the narcissi, muscari and crocuses. It's always a challenge to find enough available containers because some of the summer planting is still going strong - dahlias and so on. But by November I will have got rid of them and can move the tulips in.

2.. Sort out the Christmas carol service.  Well, job done - although not as I planned! I invited members of the family, who all declined, and then some of my blogger chums, who also declined. So I guess it's a No this year! I may still get J to go to a different carol service, the one at St Paul's Cathedral. No tickets are needed in advance.

3. Arrange a blogger meet up for the New Year:  I'm going to organise afternoon tea at the Berkeley Hotel in London. I'm reluctant to lock down dates yet because I travel a lot for work and don't want to commit and then find I can't make my own event!

4. Get more theatre visits:  YES! Have been twice since I published my bucket list, and we're off to see In the Height of the Storm, with Dame Eileen Atkins and Jonathan Pryce, in November. Plus I have a ballet booked for Jan and another play booked for Feb.

5. Lose seven pounds. No. I've maybe lost one or two. But there are lots of birthdays in Oct and Nov (including J's and mine) plus Christmas hard on their heels, so I'm not making this a high priority just yet.

6. Start the daily walking again:  haven't started yet.

7. Buy a year planner for 2019.  Yay - it's up on the wall! I purposefully haven't filled it in yet - don't want to show the burglars when we're on holiday, do we?

8. Buy fewer clothes and shop the closet:  I probably have bought fewer clothes than I normally do at this time of year.  I write down everything I buy so that I have a record at the end of the year. I'll be featuring more old faves on the blog in the next few weeks.

9. Participate in at least one SIA challenge. Haven't done this yet. I was very tempted by the current one, but I haven't got any florals in these colors. So here's still time hopefully for the next couple of challenges.

10. Gather some conkers:  done, and these have been placed around the house, on window sills, to deter spiders.  It may be an old wives' tale but we found it worked last year.

11. Book a mini break: not done. I'll tell you why. Mr Mutton is very fit and a dedicated sportsman. He's invariably training for something. From late Nov to April, he's training for the London Marathon and he always trains a group of beginners for his running club. From May to July, he needs to do intensive cycling training for the two week challenge he's doing, over 1000 miles across the south of France (very hilly). In theory, there's a window of opportunity now, but I know he would be itching to come back in time for the Sunday cycle rides he does with friends. So I need to go on weekend breaks with someone else! 

So progress is a bit slow - probably fewer than half of the tasks done! I'm going to delete the last one, the mini break, because it won't happen now with the marathon training season. 

Hope to do better next time ladies! Thanks to Leslie for pulling this group of bloggers together!

Sharing this post with #Anything Goes at My Random Musings, #WeekendBlogHop at Claire Justine and #SaturdayShare at Not Dressed as Lamb.

FOR MORE MUTTON

Don't miss a post -  follow Is This Mutton? on Bloglovin or Feedspot. I post extra goodies (handbags and shoes) on the Is This Mutton? Facebook page. And check out the Is This Mutton? Pinterest boards, including boards on other bloggers in fab outfits plus beauty, jewellery, hairstyles and fashion picks. Is This Mutton? is also on Twitter. 

Busy week on Is This Mutton? Come back on tomorrow Mon for an outfit post., with a discount code. On Tuesday I'm joining Souper Tuesday, and on Wednesday we have, of course, the #WowOnWednesday link up of fashion and beauty.

An InLinkz Link-up

Can these pills lift brain fog? And link up

Have you heard of nootropics? Nootropics are foods or dietary supplements that support brain functions such as focus, memory and concentration. I was invited by the brand Utmost Me to try their two products, Neuro Focus Plus and Neuro Rest. Here's my objective, unbiased review.

Smart look, supermarket style

I was doing the shopping at Sainsbury's and couldn't help noticing the clothing aisles were full of new arrivals. Plenty of on-trend colours;  a decent looking leather jacket; good looking coats.

Favourite Shirts

Leopard print is all around us and I'm already getting bored with how ubiquitous it is, but this gorgeous blouse ticks many other boxes.  It's from POM Amsterdam at The-Bias-Cut.com and will be a very versatile asset in my wardrobe.

Tourmaline - One of the October Birthstones

You may thought we had covered all the birthstones by now in the regular Is This Mutton? series. Oh no, we still have a few alternative birthstones left, and pink tourmaline is one of the birthstones for October. This post was updated October 2020 with a latest shopping guide.

Sentence a Day, September 2018

Saturday 1 September
Seems a long time ago now, but J finally finished the Land's End to John O'Groats bike ride today, over 1000 miles. Says it's the hardest thing he's ever done - and he's run nearly 30 marathons. Here he is celebrating after the ride.

Sun 2
I walked to the gym for Power Plate. ("PP").  Long day of travelling for J. He was finally home by 7. His bike will follow in a few days.

Mon 3
In office. Tough week ahead, lots to do before holiday. Went for a lunch walk to try to breathe and get through stress.

Tues 4
At home. Too busy for gym.

Weds 5 
In office. J not very well. Body is trying to recover after its ordeal.

Thurs 6
Had a meeting in London. Got home, took Molly to the cattery. She doesn't mind it there. Bit worried about J who has a bad cold. We had to cancel a dinner tonight with Rachel and Sean.

Fri 7
We're off on holiday! Taxi at 3.30am to the airport. First time at London Luton for more than five years. Used to be a sweet little airport, what have they done to it? Bag drop and security took so long the plane was boarding by the time we got to the gate.  Flight to Skiathos, Greece. Arrived at our hotel just after 12. Yay! Had dinner at one of our regular haunts, the Final Step, travelling by water taxi.

Sat 8th
I was up early and took some photos of the sun rise.

John still poorly. We spent the day on the beach., which is what we always do. There's a button by each sunbed to summon the waiter. I watch all the shipping going by in the distance with binoculars. We always have lunch overlooking the sea, usually a delicious Greek salad for me.

Sun 9th
J a little better. Went to Lo&La, a fun Italian we love, where we had a hug from owner Anastasia. Delicious feta pastries in honey followed by carbonara. I didn't take many photos of our holiday because we've been to Skiathos five times. See my post from last year to get a flavour of the place - it was my best read post of 2017!

Mon 10th
Wind expected and the boats stopped running in the morning. I was keen to get into town to get some medication for J. Went by bus. Came straight back. Boats started operating again. Wind quickly died down.

Tues 11
J a bit better. Went into town and ate at Lo&La. Two complimentary liqueurs each, amaretto and limoncello from Anastasia. Wonderful Greek/Italian hospitality.

Weds 12
Overcast in the morning,  quite windy.  Decided we'd eat in hotel.  Shared meatballs starter - huge!  I had salmon.

Thurs 13
Storms in night. Wet. Sheltered in bar for a while and then went on beach. Mostly overcast. Had a Greek salad lunch and later, cocktails and dinner at hotel. Pork skewer with grilled veg. My bank  texted me about fraudulent activity on a debit card. Aargh. Great to know  (not!).

Fri 14
Going home day. Our suitcases had to be outside by 7.15. It was a long day getting home. Shed a tear as we flew away from Skiathos. Been there 5 times but this was probably our last time. Home by 4.30pm. Fish n chips for dinner.

Sat 15
Up early, 5.30am. Lots of washing to do; shopping and collecting M.  Had to speak to the bank's fraud team. Had an Asos delivery. Keeping the leopard print boots and zebra jumper. See them here.

Sun 16
Slept badly. Bad cough. Rachel & Sean came for lunch. Had roast chicken. Haven't seen them for 5 weeks. They scrap booked their honeymoon in the afternoon.

Mon 17
Another poor night's sleep. Back to work. Took a while to sort out my monitor etc as someone had used my desk and left everything unplugged. Home by 4.30 with brain fade.

Tues 18
V windy. Slept well. Early PP class then several conf calls. Reading Thin Air by MIchelle Paver. Very creepy ghost story (and I don't normally rate ghost stories).  Started taking Imedeen, a skin supplement.

Weds 19
Glorious late summer day. Trees changing colour. In office. Listened to a new podcast, Telegraph Fashion Unzipped. Started taking some new tablets, Neuro Rest from Utmost Me. They're to help with sleep. I'll be reviewing them soon.

Thurs 
Gloomy and grey. Became windy. Busy day. We had a team lunch at The Wrestlers pub to say goodbye to a colleague going on maternity leave. Thai food.

Fri
Very windy in night and this morning. At home. Did PP.  Gathered some conkers. We place these around the house, on windowsills and ledges, and they repel spiders. It seems to work. Conkers are small and shrivelled this year because the weather didn't suit them. Went to the pub for dinner.

Sat
Did the shopping in nearby Epping. Cold and raining. Did a shoot indoors, two outfits: a red blouse and today's outfit for a "7 Outfits,  days post. ". In a classic sign of autumn, (fall), Strictly Come Dancing started this evening.  This was the show that led to what the US calls "Dancing with the Stars." We always watch it.

Sun
Bad weather am. Went to PP. Did two outfit shoots indoors. Just us for lunch, which was roast beef. Booked to see Party/Celebration at the theatre on 26 Jan, starring Celia Imrie.

Mon
In office. Lovely day. Colder. Left early to get back for late meetings by Skype. Watched the final episode of thriller The Bodyguard, which has been gripping the UK. Convinced I saw an alien space ship but J was not bothered.

Tues
At home. Sunny cold. PP. Ordered bulbs (late). Delivery of  Charlotte Tilbury Stars in Your Eyes eyeshadow palette, reviewed here.  Finished Dark Matter by Michelle Paver.  Creepy!

Weds 
Day started badly, was attempting to post my new blog link up but there were problems. By the time I'd sorted it, I had to leave for work and didn't have time to make my salad for lunch. Stressy day. Stomach in knots. Realised it was unclenching as I drove home talking to Mum.

Thurs
A beautiful autumn day. Worked from home. Delivery of two beautiful blouses from the Bias Cut. Have a nasty crick in neck - not sure how that happened. Thai curry for dinner.

Fri 
Lovely day. At home. Did 2 sessions PP. Went into London to see a play, Foxfinder with Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones). Tiny theatre.  Quite enjoyed it. Intriguing. Saw some singers at Liverpool street as part of BBC music day.

Sat
Had hair coloured and a very light trim. Have decided to grow hair.  Lovely warm day so did some gardening.

After the hair cut 

Sun
Went to PP.  Lots of housework and prepared roast pork with crackling. Yum. Asos delivery of some pairs of jeans, checked trousers (too long) and black ankle boots with silver heels.

Sharing this post with #WeekendBlogHop at Claire Justine and #Saturday Share at Not Dressed as Lamb.

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