Back to normal - please

My regular readers (Hello!) will remember that I started an exercise diary on the grounds that if I told everyone all about it I wouldn’t be able to stop. Sadly the fact that you haven’t heard anything recently isn’t because I thought the whole thing pretty uninteresting to write about (though it was), but because I have singularly failed to keep it up. I am still going to Pilates once a week (except when I, or my teacher, am on holiday), but I have failed to keep up the swimming, and the walking on holiday doesn’t count because, when the family is with me, I eat at least 3 meals a day, and often 4 (5 if there's elevenses and tea!), instead of the term time 2. Needless to say my waistline is looking tubby, even when I breathe in, and I’ve put on a couple more pounds over the summer.

I am trying to return to getting more exercise and eating more fruit and less alcohol now that everyone’s back at school. The fact that the routine is back will help I'm sure: lots of taxiing, helping in school, Pilates and Upholstery mean more rushing about and less time at home looking in the fridge, but in the meantime I’m holding my stomach in and sitting up straight in an effort to disguise the problem.


I am not thinking about middle aged spread. I’m not!

I think one of the problems with 'idling at home' is that formal clothing is rarely required, and jeans and a T-shirt hide a multitude of sins... I like wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but on the occasional day when a skirt is appropriate I find my waist is no longer present. Perhaps I should buy some low rise skirts to complement my low rise jeans? And, if I offload all my old suits from my long ago life, I won't know I can't get into them: perfect!

New Year, New You?

No doubt my first post of the New Year should be about my resolutions: outlining them and then talking about just how bad I am at keeping them. But Woman’s Hour this morning provided an alternative subject. There was a woman on talking about her uniform project in which she had worn a little black dress every day for a year. The trick was in accessorising we were told, though during the interview it became clear that it was a pretty unique LBD that could be worn inside out and back to front... Still, a pretty neat idea!
And it got me thinking about uniform and how useful it is. I have other things to do than think of something to wear every day and generally get by accessorising a pair of jeans. This is not new: I’ve been in my current job for eighteen years and my wardrobe has changed little. There were times when leggings were appropriate either because of fashion or pregnancy but they are no longer an item I can imagine myself wearing, so jeans it is. The waist has risen and fallen; the leg has got wider and narrower; and they’ve moved from Levi to Gap, but they’re still jeans, and I wear them most of the time.
I have been out of work longer than I was in paid employment. Back in the day I wore a skirt suit (the boss didn’t like women in trousers) and high heels. As a military wife I found occasion to use my work wardrobe for various functions, but these ‘opportunities’ continue to dwindle. I have a rare one tomorrow evening when Husband and I will be supporting Eldest collecting her GCSE certificate at a ceremony in the Abbey. The invitation states that ‘this is a semi-formal occasion, so we would be grateful if you could dress accordingly’. The wardrobe may contain classics from my former life but sadly the 18 years have played havoc with my waistline making many items too uncomfortable. The newer items have been to weddings and dinner nights so are not what you might call ‘semi-formal’. I have already let Eldest down by accepting the invitation – apparently she didn’t plan to go – so I can’t afford for her to disapprove of my style of dress. I wonder if I could accessorise one of my LBDs?


And perhaps I’d better make a resolution after all: shall it be to lose weight, get fit or to revitalise my wardrobe?!