I am ashamed to admit that it has been a while since I last put fingers to keyboard and updated my online diary of musings and must-haves. I have no-one to blame other than myself. I allow work and all its associated mini-drama's to consume me which leaves me to drained and lazy to deal with the fun things in life such as this. That said, in among all the madness, John and I have been lucky enough to steal a week away in Majorca for which we were sooooooo grateful. I made a particular stand by declaring the phone would remain locked in the safe, not once was I to check messages or Facebook so that John and I could attempt to shelter ourselves from the outside world and all of its distractions. It was a refreshing change and made me appreciate our time together even more. In between my retail hours, DIY, kids and other necessities, we rarely have quality time together so it was super-special just to call him totally my own for 8 days straight. I even had my hand and toenails painted especially for the holiday, something I rarely do other than maybe a wedding or super-special event but in my mind, this was.
We stayed at the Hotel Maria Luisa in Portals Nous which is only 25 minutes from Palma the capital, so great in terms of transfer distance. It is our second time there, mainly due to the fact that I get to indulge my love of french all week as the hotel is full of French people. Yes, we go all the way to Majorca, just so I can speak French. Bizarre but true. Portals Nous is a lovely quiet spot though with a picturesque cove and beach, a little village to the top of the hill with some nice restaurants and a buzzing port close by (where the beautiful people hang out). The port is brimming with overly pretentious yacht owners with their questionably young "girlfriends", complete with handbag dogs. Not really for us but it's fun to people watch and nice when you want a change from the so-called wine that is served at the all-inclusive! It's a three star hotel and very simple and a little out-dated but it's fine for us. At the end of the day, we just want to go away and read books, eat and drink (a little too much), meet new people and do some snorkelling. For a quick week away, our holiday requirements are very basic. So the 1970's decor doesn't bother us, neither does the 1970's style entertainment. At the end of the day, it is what you make it and we always try and put in 200% to get the most out of every experience.
Of course, I started the packing edit several months ago. In fact the bed in my step-daughters bedroom became my new suitcase while I perused, selected and re-selected clothes that could possibly make the cut for les vacances. My unwanted weight gain added to the challenge in that what I wanted to take and what my hips and boobs would allow me to take, sadly were at opposite ends of the scale. But after several hours of testing, trying, squeezing and shoving....I selected my core pieces (and carefully stowed several extras in my hand luggage when Johns gaze was averted). The plan was to take a second-hand/vintage piece to wear each night I was there, as one of my favourite holiday pass-times is dressing up for dinner. It matters not that I swan into the all-inclusive buffet thinking I am a cross between Carrie Bradshaw and Audrey Hepburn when others have barely managed to cover up their swimwear and sunburn, I am British and we dress for dinner! I am proud to say I managed it, with the exception of the last night where I sadly (but practically) had to don my plane outfit as opposed to an over the top ballgown (although Easyjet could do with a few more dresser-uppers!). So here are a few pics of what I wore. I apologise for the cheesiness of the images. I am still not comfortable with the idea of asking for my photo taken so I can display them here. My confidence just won't allow me to relax, hence a lot of the poses are either forced or fumbled.
This red dress is one of my faves and I have written about it a couple of times. It has become a stalwart piece in my wardrobe ever since I found it in my friends charity shop last year in Bristol. It doesn't seem to matter what my weight is doing at the time, this slides over all the bumps and the red is noticeable enough to shout "look at this dress" as opposed to the figure that is hiding underneath. I can't remember the exact price but I know it was less than £10 and it has more than its fair share of outings. I love it.
Don't I look lovely and white, I think the sun looks, smirks and by-passes my body while all around me go a lovely shade of brown.
This 1920's number is new, I found in in my local St Davids Charity shop in the village, a couple of weeks before take-off. I almost couldn't contain my happiness when I lifted it gingerly from the rail praying that it was my size. For once, I was pleasantly surprised in that it was a little too big. I didn't have to place it back with that sad forlorn look on my face, berating myself for even going near the size 8-10 section of the rail. It is a size 14 but seems much bigger but that particular style of 1920's dress was not meant to be fitted. It was meant to drape off of the gamine-like silhouettes of those Charlston beauties. As such, its not one of hubby's favourites, who likes me to show off my curves but I love it with or without hubby's approval. It was £15 but a justified cost I thought due to all the embellishment and detail. It is damn heavy though, in hindsight it shouldn't have been one that I placed in my hand luggage in a clandestine manner! Poor John didn't even realise what he was carrying around when he gallantly offered to carry my bags (which he always does and I love him for it).
I hate this photo, neither me nor the jumpsuit looked very good so you will have to just believe me when I say that it does look a lot better in real life. This was £7.50 and another recent find before the trip. I found it in a charity shop in Weston-super-Mare when I paid my mum a quick visit to say goodbye. It was originally from M&Co, which is a High Street chain, slightly higher in status than Matalan (is that fair to say????). We don't have one near us so it's not a shop I go in really or have been in many times in the past. I do love a one-piece though. I think they suit all types of women, slim, tall, curvy or not. They are so flattering. This one has a silver satin top and black crepe trousers and the contrast really works. It had lost its belt so I made do with a ribbon for now until I can better pair it with something more suitable.
This black number is lovely but far too low - even for a skin-showing holiday (especially with my double frontage). So despite the heat, I had to wear it with my black M&S slip underneath just so I didn't put people off their food at dinner. Looking back, I should have just said, what the hell! There were some awful sights to behold in the restaurant so me showing a little more cleavage wouldn't have been the most offensive thing on the menu but I thought better of it. Granted it's a bit of a plain style, but I liked the detailing under the bust line, a respectful nod to a different era and the fabric is a lovely polyester (there's no such thing I hear you cry!) and it just glides over your body. A little hot for Majorca but I wanted it to make the cut as it was the first time I had an opportunity to wear it.
There were other outfits of course but in a bid not to push John over the edge with the oh so annoying......"could you possibly take my picture", every night when he wanted to just get to the all-you-can-eat buffet, I opted out of some photo shoot opportunities. One of the sad things for me about coming home (other than the obvious list), is that I no longer have to dress for my supper. It's not quite the same when you are just sitting with your dinner on your lap in front of the TV. I have however, vowed to make an effort to dress up more, whenever the opportunity presents itself. I have already been out twice this week since home, once to the cinema and once to the indian (a necessary pilgrimage after a rather repetitive food source on holiday), and I made an effort for both, wearing second-hand of course. Posts to follow soon.
I hope you all have a lovely holiday to look forward to, or if you have already had one, I hope you have many amazing memories to look back on. Just like us...
