Garden lighting.

I have recently given my garden a make-over and was sitting outside on my patio the other evening admiring my handiwork, or at least peering into the darkness and trying to spot all the new flowers I had planted.

Evenings are the best time in my home city to enjoy the garden. It is Summer time and the South-easter blows all day, making the garden rather unpleasant. However at about 6pm the wind dies down and then it is a real pleasure to sit out on my patio with a sundowner and enjoy the fruits of the day’s labours. I realised though, that to enjoy my garden to its fullest,  I would need to invest in some  lighting.

In my travels I came across an interesting company called quoizel lighting. If you are a fan of period pieces this is the place to visit. I felt as if I was in the Palace of Versailles as I viewed their collection and then I was transported into the 1920’s with their Tiffany lamps, which were the vogue then! They have a vast range of lighting fixtures, from ornate embossed glass table lamps which seem to belong in the 17th Century,  to more contemporary, but rather decorative styles, which would not really suit my surroundings. If I was doing a play and need props, this is the place I would go to, though!

Back in my garden, while I was gazing out at the lawn, enjoying the pink and white roses which did shine a little in the dark I began to plan my next painting. I have never much enjoyed painting flowers and I decided this was the year I would get over my hang-ups and give it a go. My studio needs a revamp though and I may also have to invest in some fine-art lamps to better view my paintings.

I came across some hinkley lighting fixtures which were intriguing. I have always liked old-fashioned lamp posts -they remind me of London parks like Regency Park and Buckinham Palace. I would love one of these in my garden though I fear it is far too grand for my small suburban garden and would look horribly out of place.

2008 Honda Fit fits the bill!

Economists say this is the right time to buy a new car. Prices have never been better, you can get a good trade-in and you, the buyer has the advantage over the second-hand coar dealer who has got too much stock. Of course, the question is, what brand of car would suit me? I have 2 large boys, a large dog and a husband to cart around.

I decided to have a look at the 2008 Honda Fit which seems to suit my needs best. I thought it was a strange name for a car at first, but after reviewing it, found that that title fits it perfectly.  As my mother drives a Honda I am familiar with the brand. Her first Honda dated back to 1985 and lasted her 20 years! She now owns a Honda Jazz but I am sure she would have bought the Honda Fit if it was available at the time.It is a smallish five-door hatchback sedan . The base model comes standard with air conditioning, power windows, mirrors and door locks, as well as an AM/FM stereo with a single-disc CD player.  There is a a Sport model as well which would suit me better than my 80 year-old mum!

Hondas may look small on the outside but have great leg-room on the inside. The Honda Fit can carry five passengers and there is even room for a bicycle!

The technical side of vehicle shopping generally bores me silly but I do like my cars to be fast off the mark and Honda Fit reviews say that the model gives a “peppy performance”.

The 2008 Honda Fit has high seating which is great for people with back problems! The back seating area is roomy allowing space for up to three adults comfortably.
2008 Honda Fit reviews give the Honda a good safety record, given that it has more safety features than in the previous models, including side curtain airbags, front-seat, side-impace bags and anti-lock brakes.

2008 Honda Fit reviews say that the Honda Fit was not designed for looks, but fuel economy and spaciousness are its main benefits, and it manages to avoid looking like the offspring of a mpv or station wagon which is to its advantage if you want to impress your children’s friends!

Born to shop-NOT!

Some women are born to shop and are content to stroll around the mall for hours, check out the latest fashion trends,  testing perfume, looking at handbags and trying on countless pairs of shoes with Eiffel towers for heels. I do not fit into that category, and would prefer to sit at home and shop for everything I need online. At my age, I know what colour and make of lipstick suit me, and sadly there is only one brand I really like that fits that bill. Even though it is often way above my budget I adore Clarins lipstick!

So I was thrilled to discover that there is indeed such an online shop which offers me everything I need in the way of make-up and beauty products as well as office furniture and pets!

When you get to my age you wish someone would invent something like Polyfilla cement which you could use to fill in all the cracks on your face. So far, no-one has done this successfully, but some companies have come pretty close.

The ageing woman has certain realities to face. First off, she is largely invisible in a crowd. Bright red lipstick does not look good on her anymore, so she can’t attract attention to the thin, puckered zipper-like thing that seems to have taken the place of lips. One thing I have learnt is that it is very important to match your skin-tone or you may end up looking like something out of the “Mummy” or a side-kick to the “Grateful Dead”.

As a life-long user of skin-care products I can only vouch for the particular brand I use which has served me well over the years. However I have recently become interested in organic products.

The older I get, the more interested I am in a more permanent solution to disguising the inevitable facts of ageing. As a 40-something woman I remember swearing to a friend that I would NEVER have any kind of face-lift or de-creasing treatments done. I would have rather put a hot iron to my face and tried to iron out all the problems rather than succumb to that vainer-than-vain idea! However a decade later I find myself more and more attracted to the idea of looking younger, especially as the world seems to regard women of my age invisible! I am seriously contemplating doing a chemical peel, to undo all those years of tanning by the pool with baby oil! When I look at before -and- after pictures of women who have taken this step I am pretty sure it hurts, but then as they say, no pain, no gain. But come hell or high water I want to look younger before its too late!