by | January 7, 2012

shopping at argos

I’ve just been shopping and if you know me well, there is absolutely nothing unusual about that.  Except that if you know me really well, you’ll be very surprised to know that I have been to Argos.  I have lived within 200 metres of Argos for more than ten years and yet never crossed their threshold.  It is not that I have deliberately avoided the shop, but just never felt the urge to make it my shopping destination.  And, as a result, I am sure I have paid over the odds for the same items sold in neighbouring shops.

Today I needed a Dictaphone.  I have to mention it yet again; I am interviewing Steven Spielberg and his War Horse cast at the official press conference at Claridges on Monday morning.  The Dictaphone will be even more important than what I wear as there is every possibility I will be utterly star struck and forget how to write.

Back to Argos.  I felt lost.  Flicking through the big book (ie bulky laminated catalogue) was not easy, especially when all I could spot were Nintendo DS, iPods and dvd players. Having seen the Argos catalogue in friends’ homes, I wondered if the initial shopping experience begins with slippers on and a big cup of tea in hand?

I must have looked desperate as I was approached by Sanjeev.  Although he initially did not know what a Dictaphone was, he then picked up speed and guided me through the efficientArgosshopping experience.

The business has been around since the early 70s and clearly has its fans.  Personally, although my experience today was a good one, unless I was desperately seeking another Dictaphone, I can’t high street shop without the pleasure of seeing and touching my pickings.

1 Comment

Filed under shopping

by | January 4, 2012

inspirational goat

Goat founder, Jane Lewis, talks to me about her inspirations and what makes for a perfect weekend in West London Living http://www.westlondonliving.co.uk/my-west-london-life

Leave a Comment

Filed under shopping

by | January 2, 2012

i won’t diet

I read somewhere that the English view January as a time to detox, cleanse and, basically, diet more than any other nationality. Personally, there are a million reasons why I don’t diet.  Relax.  I’m not going to bore you with my reasons, but even the word DIET makes me squirm.  It screams ‘missing out’ or ‘loser’ or ‘over-controlled disciplinarian’.  But, I will admit that I am keen to shed a little of the evidence of my over-indulgance during the Christmas season.

My way involves a whole lot of fun.  Firstly, I enjoy food and this needs to be respected, not punished.  It makes sense to relook at the food you buy and to use this excuse to discover new, exciting and sometimes more exotic foods to try.  Why not pile your plate high with raw kale salad with pomegranate and toasted walnuts?

Secondly, we all work harder with an incentive. I have had my eye on a new pair of jeans for a while (Mother Skinnies www.net-a-porter.com/product/196744) and, since they are only a click away, I need to remind myself of these beauties each time I reach for the Green and Black dark chocolate.

Finally, don’t mention the diet.  It’s so much easier not to talk about it.  By talking about it you are reminding yourself how hungry you are.  Instead, tell everyone how much you love drinking green tea and get steaming your salmon.

3 Comments

Filed under food, shopping

by | December 31, 2011

oh! what a year

Putting aside my personal physical dramas of the last 12 months (and they really have been vaguely amusing through retrospective specs), Oh what a year we have all had….

Here’s my non-chronological sum up:

The fairy tale that was the Royal Wedding brought out the patriotic bunting and the princess in all of us, in equal measure.

2011 was the year when the world was freed of the evil Osama bin Laden, followed by the Arab Spring which, in October, resulted in the end of Gaddafi.

We witnessed the horrifying Japanese tsunami and Christchurch’s earthquake and aftershocks.

We lost the genius that was Steve Jobs but are left drooling at any of the Apple products we haven’t yet purchased.

THE celeb–loved wonder product, Moroccanoil has taken the hair world by storm.

Alexa Chung has been repeatedly voted ‘best dressed’ in all the leading fashion magazines.

Rebecca Black was the most searched term on Google this year, becoming the world’s first viral pop star, after her mother paid for her single to be recorded and posted it up online.

Amid the global financial crisis, the disturbing UK riots claiming economic inequality shocked us all to the core.

Barbour had a fashion resurrection and, completely unrelated to all of the above, we stand corrected that Ketchup is now a vegetable.

It’s been exhausting.  I only have enough energy for this cup of camomile tea, a re-run of Desert Island Discs on the ipod and a little snooze before landing in London 2012.

1 Comment

Filed under life