Friday: Betula flip flops

It's lovely out there - misty and rainy, well if you like that kind of thing it is, perhaps you're amphibious?  I fully admit that I don't know the genus of the majority of my readership, so there you go.

I am wearing my lovely new Betula flip flops, as demonstrated on QVC a couple of weeks ago and no, I couldn't purchase them from there as they only sell up to a size 41 or 42 and everybody knows that my feet are huge and therefore wearing girlie colours is very much a pleasure denied to me.  Saying that though, I bought them via a large online retailer and they were dispatched from Germany.  I have an amazing grey pair, The Duke has a khaki set and I've also bought my mother the gift of comfortable PU footwear for Mother's Day at the weekend (well, it's better than flowers or a fluffy teddy bear wearing a shrunken t-shirt emblazoned with 'World's Best Mum' on it.)

Here's a picture of me wearing them and the nail polish colour I'm sporting is called 'Jellybean' which put me in mind of the 1980s super producer 'Jellybean Beanitz' I wonder what's happened to him these days?

I've had quite a few requests in my time, let me tell you.  Oh, you've read all about it already...

Wednesday: a tribute to my long-lost Puma Mostro

Oh poor old Puma Mostro: how I have ignored you for so long!  Once upon a time I took Trinny and Suzannah's advice and bought a grey/silver pair from eBay, however their size 9 was too small and I had to sell them again, then I purchased a white and red pair which reminded me of a cherry bakewell's colouring, well one you wear on your feet anyway.  I then added to my collection by purchasing a grey material pair from eBay, but wore them a few times and consigned them to the pit of hell which doubles as my understairs cupboard.

However, today was your renaissance day, oh neglected Puma Mostro and here they are.  A size 9.5 and proud - long live the Mostro.  Actually I have just bought a new pair for the Duke as his foot is still bad and now he's developed DVT.  Oh dear!

Monday: shoe care

Brr - it's nearly March and it's still flipping freezing!

Anyway, I don't think we've ever discussed shoe care have we?  Well, we are now.  Yesterday I cleaned four pairs of shoes, caressing the soft leather as I did so.  I do find it a complete pain though, as I do so many jobs around the house so wondered whether advertising for a slave via Craigslist would be a good idea?  Maybe.  Perhaps a pro-rata one anyway.

Mind you, dressing the part would be a bit tiresome after a while - all that PVC's bound to chafe quite a bit and there's a limit to how much talcum powder one can lavish over one's body.  Perhaps chip fat would suffice?

Monday: Birkies are back on the QVC spring preview!

Yay!  Another year and most importantly the mighty QVC seems to be previewing their spring collection for our enjoyment.  On Saturday night I recorded (yes, don't judge!) the first of their Birkenstock shows and my word, what a selection they had!  They were mostly patterned but I'm getting more into that and am sitting here typing in my Dorian ladybird clogs.  As I've said many times before I think it's the banality I adore and of course, the viewers who call in to talk about their love of the teutonic comfort sandal: one woman said that she'd had a pair of Birkies for thirteen years and had only recently thrown them out.  Seriously: ugh.  Saying that, I tend to walk everywhere and wear mine out. 

I think that it's a sad reflection on my good self that I know so much about Birkenstock - right down to their construction.  My husband, The Duke is also becoming a bit of a fan now, especially ever since he's developed plantar fascilataris (sp?) - well his tendon's gone all odd anyway.  Not a day goes by these days without a selection of different insoles arriving in the post - rock and roll!

Here's a lovely treat for you all: a picture of my now long gone red gizehs from last year.  Yum!

Friday: Jo Brand on tonight's Room 101

Tonight I watched the wonderful Frank Skinner's Room 101 and laughed when she tried to put high heeled shoes into the dreaded pit of hell for all of the reasons I usually state.  I thought the footage of a high heeled shoe race in Moscow was hilarious though. 

Monday: more snow but toosies are snug in bedsocks

Yes, it's snowing again in the UK but at least we're not as affected as the US at the moment.  It's very slushy out there and I wore my spotty wellies again: so nice to drag those out of the garage for an airing once more!  After the school run on foot (as usual) I am now back indoors snug inside my M&S bed socks (well, my feet are - I'd never fit the rest of me inside them) they really shouldn't be consigned to just the bedroom in my humble opinion - they're seemingly suitable for everyday wear.  Actually, it reminds me of those slipper socks you can buy, although I've never really invested in a pair because they don't make the women's ones big enough for me!

I was reading the Sunday Times Culture Magazine yesterday and noticed a review of a fiction book.  Apparently the main protagonist didn't initially like a woman because 'her feet were too big' - do you think that's a normal thing to notice when you first encounter a lady?  It's going back to my Cinderella persecution thing once more isn't it?  I bet Ana, the love interest in Fifty Shades of Grey takes a dainty size four doesn't she?  Most heroines in romantic/erotic fiction are tiny and have tiny bone structures, akin to a bird's.  Lovely.  So do I, if indeed that bird was the mighty albatross!

Friday: toning up and the benefits of exercise

Aren't sports socks comfy?  I thought that as I donned a pair to go with my jogging bottoms and other sports gear before playing ExerBeat after work yesterday.  For the initiated ExerBeat is a game on the Nintendo Wii console which acts as an exercise program and is made more fun by utilizing the Wii remotes to score points for perfect moves and spot on rhythm.  I've now owned it since early January and I honestly feel that I'm toning up everywhere, although the scales tell me otherwise. 

The game contains a series of different routines which are hosted by various trainers - i.e. a perky ponytailed blonde leads the aerobics section; a trendy black guy motivates the user through hip hop and the karate master is an eastern avatar with a whole host of strange, but worthy sayings such as "if you continue in this manner I can foresee great inner strength in the near future."  The boxercise bloke is blond and hunky and the pilates and yoga teachers are as calm and serene as you'd expect.  At least it's fun, my issues with exercise stem from the fact that I don't really enjoy it and therefore will go out of my way to avoid it.