Author: samantha

A Day Out in London – Skin Check, St James’ Park and the Solar Eclipse

On By samanthaIn GOING OUT, HEALTHLeave a comment

While I was in Marseille I wore a couple of dresses that exposed more of my back than usual and my husband commented on how many moles I now have. I have always been a moley person (my mum used to tell me they were beauty spots) but the blemishes on my back have definitely multiplied over the past decade. Some are big blotches, a couple of centimetres across. I started Googling, usually a mistake with anything medical, and it seemed likely that these were seborrheic keratosis. I did try to book a GP appointment in hope of being referred to a dermatologist but my GP surgery told me they had no capacity to deal with any more queries that day. I decided to book a private mole check with The Mole Clinic at London Bridge costing £195. Like most people, I tend to put off medical appointments so booked for the very next day so as not to give myself the opportunity to procrastinate. The initial appointment is booked with a nurse and, if they see anything concerning, it is referred to one of their doctors.

Stripping off in front of a medical professional can feel very uncomfortable but the nurse was reassuring and explained the process in detail. There is a video on The Mole Clinic’s website which lets the patient know exactly what to expect from their examination. You strip down to your underwear and the nurse checks every mole and mark. He/she asks if there are any moles concealed by the underwear that the patient would like checked. The nurse that I saw was very professional and thorough. She told me that she didn’t see anything that gave her cause for concern. She confirmed that the marks on my back are indeed seborrheic keratosis. These are otherwise known as age spots or, rather depressingly, barnacles as they have a stuck on appearance. They pose no risk to health but they can be removed but not on the NHS as it would be a cosmetic procedure. The whole appointment lasted for around half an hour and I would recommend this service. I left with some literature on how to check your own skin for abnormalities. The Mole Clinic recommend having a professional skin check every two years.

It was a stunningly beautiful day and it seemed a pity to just go home and spend my afternoon off doing housework. There is nowhere better than beautiful London on a sunny day. I took the Northen then Jubilee line and went to St James’ Park, one of my favourite places. In the early 1990s I worked near the park and would sit and sunbathe during my lunch break. Flowery culottes were in fashion and I had a couple of rather short pairs. I remember my boss sternly asking if I was wearing shorts to the office. I didn’t seem to worry about things as much then, I probably just laughed it off. My daughter is now exactly the same age that I was then and has just started her first job in London . I thought about my younger self as I strolled around the park and I can’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed. Winston Churchill’s war rooms are near by as is the The Household Cavalry Museum, both places I plan to visit soon. If you only visit one of the Royal Parks then this is probably the best choice, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace.

St James’ Park, Westminster Abbey, Horse Guards Parade

After a little while the day became scorching, I had sun cream but no hat so thought it was probably time to head home. I did walk to Westminster Abbey with the thought of maybe looking around inside, something I haven’t done in years, but it was far too busy. I helped a young mum up the escalators at the Tube station with her two tiny children, her little boy dressed head to toe in Spiderman clothing right down to his shoes and backpack. The mum told me she had a five hour train journey home – rather her than me!

This was the day of the solar eclipse. Of course I didn’t have the viewing glasses, like every other person in the UK I discovered that Amazon could only deliver the day after it was all over. I took a colander and piece of paper out with me but soon abandoned that method and watched the whole thing with my iPhone camera pointed over my shoulder. Afterwards my son told me this is a great way to ruin the camera but mine seems fine. It was a lovely view over my village rooftops but the eclipse was, dare I say, underwhelming. It became a little darker and that was about it.

So a busy and thoroughly enjoyable solo day in the sunshine.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

A Trip To Marseille – Part Two

On By samanthaIn GOING OUTLeave a comment

There is the most fabulous museum in Marseille, Musem the museum of European and Mediterranean civilisations . It comprises of two buildings separated by a bridge. The views are nothing short of spectacular. There is also a rooftop terrace overlooking the ocean with lounge chairs for visitors to relax. When we visited they were showing, amongst many other exhibits, an exhibition called Bonnes mères, an exploration of motherhood over four thousand years. The museum is a must-visit in my opinion.

Les grandes créatures Maternite No 1 by Mâkhi Xenakis, The fortress syle Musem, Under Construction (Blue Eyes Crying) by Anne Wnezel

There is a little “train” (not really a train, it travels along the road) from outside the Town Hall up to the Notre Dame de la Garde which is the breathtaking cathedral situated on top of a hill topped by the bright gold statue of the Good Mother. Again, the views are amazing as is the architecture. You must be appropriately dressed to enter the cathedral so shoulders and knees covered. Do take a few euros in cash if you would like to buy a candle to light for someone. There is no charge to enter. There is a beautiful gift shop if you like religious statues and rosaries. The train ride is great fun, I thoroughly recommend this excursion, there were some small children sitting behind us pretending they were on a rollercoaster every time we went downhill. Just after we disembarked back at The Old Port the train broke down blocking an entire street of motorists which caused absolute chaos.

The view from Notre Dame de la Garde, the stunning gilded ceilings, visitors can buy a candle and say a prayer

We also visited beautiul Marseille cathedral, again free to enter, and took a walk to the Le Panier, a bustling district decorated by what my daughter calls street art and I call graffiti. There are lots of inexpensive gift shops here as well as bars and cafes. We stopped off and had a delicious iced tea and a browse around the quirky shops. My daughter had seen various vintage clothing shops on TikTok so we trudged to a couple of these but everything was ridiculously overpriced. There are a great many homeless people in Marseille which is very sad to see, whole families on blankets begging. Young children and babies out in the blazing sun, many who don’t appear to be with their actual parents, they are everywhere you go.

Street art in the Le Panier district

Marseille Cathedral, if you look carefully you can see a homeless woman huddling by the entrance gate

My son wanted to go to the beach, this is an outing I could gladly have missed but he had been so good about coming along to all the museums and churches so off we went. We left the hotel at around 4pm and it was still sweltering. As we approached the beach, the plage des Catalans, a fight broke out between two teenage girls, a very nasty physical fight and they both had to be restrained. The beach was heaving with people but we stayed an hour or so. I would definitely suggest keeping your eye on your valuables here.

I didn’t do any shopping in Marseille with the exception of a tin of beautifully scented soaps, a gift for my neighbour who had kindly watered my garden in my absence. I bought these from a shop called Mado along the seafront. We packed a lot into our few days in Marseille. It was a wonderful trip which we all really enjoyed.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

A Trip To Marseille – Part One

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I didn’t really want to go to Marseille. I had planned on going to Portugal and had been sitting at my PC for hours watching YouTube travel vlogs for suggestions of places to visit and stay, weighing up one hotel against another etc and was just about to check out of the booking website when my husband decided that he would rather go to the south of France. “Why don’t we go to Marseille?” he suggested. Slightly annoyed, I had a quick recce, again on YouTube for the best area to stay, the Old Port seemed to be the favourite and started the whole tedious process again. I had been dithering on the booking website for so long that a rep actually rang me and offered me a ten percent discount and threw in some luggage allowance as well.

After I had paid, I Googled Marseille and was not overjoyed to find it is labelled as “The Most Dangerous City in Europe”. Why hadn’t I just booked Lisbon instead? Fair to say I was not by now in the best mood. My husband thought it was funny and my dad thought we would all be murdered. Every time I mentioned to anyone that we were visiting the city they would say “ooh I don’t think I would fancy Marseille”. What an epic fail. Then a friend who regularly visits France told me it is actually lovely, especially around The Old Port which is where we were staying. The were right, it is beautiful and very lively with so much to see and do. I would quite happily have stayed for another few days.

A word of warning, the traffic in Marseille is madness and the drivers are very aggressive, the countless e-bikes and e-scooters are a real problem as they do not stop at zebra crossings and neither do motorcycles. We saw a man knocked off his e-scooter and the driver of the car who hit him just drove off. Instead of showing any concern or sympathy the other cars just hooted at the injured man lying in the road because he was holding them up. We also saw a woman’s car break down at a roundabout and the response from other motorists was brutal, hooting and shouting at her as she looked thoroughly panicked, fortunately some young men pushed her car out of the way. Good luck to you if you are planning on hiring a car.

We stayed at The New Hotel, Le Qui , which is situated in the Old Port. I would definitely recommend staying here, the beds were incredibly comfortable, the bathrooms stocked with L’Occitane toiletries and the air conditioning worked perfectly. The the hotel is within walking distance of just about everywhere you could wish to go. Just outside the door there are shops and restaurants. The only thing I didn’t like was that there was no safe place to leave luggage if you arrive before you can check in, the staff literally give you a paper ticket and your cases are left in the café area within touching distance of the customers which is not a satisfactory or secure arrangement at all. A taxi from the airport to the hotel was around £30.

The first place we visited was the Old Charity Centre or Le Centre de la Vieille Charité this was free to enter. Built in 1640 to shelter beggars and vagrants, today it hosts various exhibitions. We were curious about the various pieces of material draped over the stone work and then discovered these were part of an art installation by artist Adrien Vescovi. Over six hundred vintage bed sheets have been collected and reflect the site’s history, some of the sheets have rather movingly been used in hospice care. Many of the items were monogrammed with the initials of whoever had slept on them over the years. There is also currently an exhibition called Mémoires de la Méditerranée or What The Sea Keeps, the glass bottles in the photo below make a stunning exhibit.

After we had finished at the Old Charity Centre we had some crepes and coffee and then walked uphill to The Palais Longchamp in the 35 degree heat. There is a beautiful fountain at its entrance were two dogs were playing trying to keep cool. Designed by  architect Henry Espérandieu to commemorate the arrival of water through the Marseille canal, the palace really is a breath taking sight, It is completely free to walk around the surrounding gardens. On either side of the fountain are two museums, on the left side the Museum of Natural History, and on the right the Museum of Fine Arts which is the oldest museum in Marseille. Both were a welcome cool refuge from the sun.

We took a boat trip, lasting around two and a half hours, from The Old Port around the Calanques, the famous cliffs surrounding the national park. The trip cost around £200 for four of us and was probably the favourite part of my holiday as it was so peaceful. All the commentary is in French although there is a QR code which I believe you can scan if you have Air pods to listen in anther language. Of course this probably varies from boat to boat. The Calanques National Park is a popular destination for hiking and kayaking. Longer boat tours are available where passengers can stop off for a swim.

Of course, being a port, there is a lot of sea food on offer. My husband and I are both allergic to fish so we ended up eating mostly crepes, pizza and steak. Some of the food was not very impressive including raw burgers and cold lasagne. The price of eating out is comparable to London. There is a shopping mall called Terrasses du Port where you will find Uniqlo, Zara, H & M and all the usual stores. There is also a large food court with a burger restaurant called Black and White Burger, the black part of the bun being made from natural activated charcoal. My nineteen year old son ate here while we just had a cold drink. The view from the upper terrace of the mall is gorgeous but there is nothing particularly French about this shopping centre however the air conditioning made it worth a quick visit.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

First Visit To A Nail Bar

On By samanthaIn HEALTHLeave a comment

The last time I had a professional manicure was the day before my wedding, in 1994. It has just never been anything that I have made time for. I have never had nice nails and my hands always look awful, especially in the winter, red and swollen. I seem to do some sort of cleaning at home every day and also clean my parents’ house and, despite always wearing rubber gloves, my hands have started to look depressingly dreadful. No amount of Clarins or L’Occitane hand cream seems to make a difference. I recently bought some hand masks from Oliver Bonas and they have really helped so much, my hands look smoother and less irritated. My nails were however broken right down. I do take Oesteocare supplements every day and had hoped that these would help but no, my nails desperately needed some attention.

One reason that I never visit one of the dozen or so nail bars in my town is because the industry has such a reputation for people trafficking. I read many online reviews and booked into a salon manned by the two sisters who own it. They only accept cash which makes me think that they are not entirely honest with the Inland Revenue, this appeared to be the case with every local nail bar.

I arrived for my appointment and the technician was very friendly and went to great trouble to explain the options, pricing and the ongoing commitment for various treatments. I was hoping to leave the salon with a set of perfect almond shaped nails but the tech advised me to shun acrylics and go for something called BIAB. She explained that this a manicure that’s gentler than acrylic nails, but thicker and more protective than regular nail and gel polish. The idea is that the client’s natural nails grow under the protective barrier of the gel. The cost of this treatment at the salon I visited was £48 and this included a colour polish.

The technician applied a layer of gel to each nail and then the finger was placed under a lamp. She explained that some people found this a little painful. I found it excruciating and some of my nail beds were still tender the next day. Apparently this is due to “heat spikes” where the gel cures. I Googled and it did say that this is common when too thick a layer of gel is applied and I have to say that my finished effect is a little blobby. After the gel was dry I chose a lavender coloured polish to go on top. The whole procedure lasted for just over an hour. The sisters were super friendly, chatting about their children and holidays and I felt very at ease but I can’t say I am delighted with the result. I left a £10 tip, just over twenty percent, which took the bill to almost sixty pounds. I suppose the techs can’t work miracles but I feel a couple of coats of my Essie gel polish would have had pretty much the same result. I will go and have them “infilled” in three weeks time to see if I am happier with my nails after they have had a chance to grow a little. I am not really sure that I feel sufficiently enthusiastic to make this an ongoing appointment/expense.

I do have some Manicurist polishes, another Oliver Bonas purchase and I see that they sell their own gel lamp and a friend of mine, who has naturally lovely nails, gets her daughter to do hers at home using a kit by Mylee Neither of these options will provide the three week finish that a BIAB manicure offers but both would certainly be less expensive, the cost of buying the kit would be less than two visits to the salon. I may go down this route instead of spending what will amount to about nine hundred pounds a year on blobby nails. Perhaps this just wasn’t the right salon for my first visit.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

Cover photo by Photo by H&CO on Unsplash

Another Birthday Comes and Goes

On By samanthaIn FAMILY3 Comments

June is my birthday month , I am not a person who makes a big fuss about my birthday but I do like to have the day off work. Unfortunately, this year, my colleague was away on holiday (what a cheek) so I found myself working, from home as always. Fortunately it was quiet for once and I did pop out for lunch with my husband, we went to a pub called The Plough in a beautiful Kent village called Ivy Hatch. Eating out has become so expensive now, we both had a small glass of wine and a burger & chips and the bill was almost eighty pounds.

The Saturday before I had met a friend and we had afternoon tea at The Wolseley in Piccadilly. I hadn’t been to The Wolseley before and I probably wouldn’t go again simply because it was so packed and noisy I could hardly hear my friend. The tables are set very close together in order to fit in as many customers as possible I expect. Afternoon tea was about £50 and was pretty average but also half the price of many of the posh London hotels. I popped into Fortnum and Mason, which is just a few doors along, on my way home and was staggered at how much everything cost yet there were long queues of tourists at every till. It reminded me a little of the gift shops you have to walk through when exiting anything at Disney. I resisted the overpriced tea towels and mugs. I enjoyed people watching during my walk back to Charing Cross station in the afternoon sunshine and that was free.

I also went out for a pizza with another friend and have another pub lunch arranged for this week so perhaps I make more of a fuss about my birthday than I am keen to admit. I chose my own gifts from my family, all from John Lewis just because it is easier, some Clarins Serum, eyeshadow from Nars and earrings from a brand called Ottoman Hands in a gold hoop style set with a little green crystal. My daughter sent me a lovely personalised card from Moonpig decorated with photos of the two of us together over the years. A friend in Australia sent me some plum soap which smells delicious and some cute little flower earrings. All lovely gifts which I will use and appreciate.

On the evening of my birthday I visited my parents. My dad always chooses the prettiest birthday cards, I always keep cards from my parents and children. Mum, of course, had no idea that is was any sort of occasion and just told me to Bugger Off which is her unfortunate new catchphrase. Not everyone in their fifties, or at any age, has their parents still around so I try to look on the bright side.

So another year older, a few more wrinkles despite the various lotions and potions I apply twice a day. I am still resisting the Botox! All in all I am very lucky, not everyone is fortunate enough to reach their mid (not quite late – yet) fifties or to spend their birthday with friends and famiy.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

A Day Out in London – The Mall Galleries, Royal Society of Portrait Painters 2026 Exhibition

On By samanthaIn GOING OUT2 Comments

I have often walked past the Mall Galleries but never been inside so was delighted when a friend suggested we visit. Tickets to the Royal Society of Portrait Painters 2026 Exhibition were just seven pounds which was an absolute bargain. The galleries are a few minutes walk from Charing Cross. We were so fortunate that our arrival coincided exactly with the parade for the State Opening of Parliament. We had the best view from the front looking down the Mall towards Buckingham Palace, the rain was pouring and we were absolutely freezing but there was such a happy atmosphere with the band playing. It was a bit surreal to see a carriage go by with the royal mace sticking out of it like a delivery truck with an ironing board hanging out of the window.

Much of the work at the gallery is for sale, if I had a spare five thousand pounds I would have loved to have bought Tess is Reading (below)by David Orrin Smith or even commissioned him to paint a portrait of my own daughter. The  Royal Society of Portrait Painters does offer a commission service

There were portraits of so many different styles and mediums on display including many by Chinese artists from Shengxinyu Art, in fact these were some of my favourites. The pieces on display are selected by a jury of artists. Some have won the 2026 award Royal Society of Portrait Painters awards.

Below is a portrait of Professor Ranee Thakar by Alastair Adams. Initially I thought this was a photograph, the detail is incredible.

Below: Ladyswood by Richard Foster. How wonderful to have a family portrait like this. I am not sure who is the mother and who is the daughter though.

Below: Self-Portrait in Lockdown by Paul Newton, painted by the artist during the Covid epidemic he looks thoughtful and rather sad.

Below: The Distance – also known as Departure for Malta by Jing An Look at the ay the silver bangles are painted, it is incredibly detailed.

I took lots of photos as my dad is actually a very accomplished painter, of landscapes rather than portraits and I knew he’d be interested to see the different works.

If I am every in a position to invest in some art the Mall Galleries would be my first stop, you can view what they have for sale on their website. I have signed up to be notified of future exhibitions at the Mall Galleries and am already looking forward to my next visit.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

A Day Out in London – Titanique at The Criterion Theatre

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I had been searching for a show to go and see, I looked through the various “Things To Do In London” websites but wasn’t feeling very inspired and so many tickets are now over two hundred pounds. A friend said she had loved Titanique, showing at The Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus. I booked tickets for myself and a friend costing about £110 each. Before heading over to the theatre we had dinner at our favourite Covent Garden restaurant Buns and Buns. It always feels lovely to be in this part of London on a warm evening.

Titanique is a musical spoof of James Cameron’s 1998 blockbuster Titanic based on the fated 1912 maiden voyage where approximately fifteen hundred poor souls lost their lives including my great great uncle, Alfred Maytum who was one of the butchers on board. I am always a bit unsure about the ethics of comedy based on tragedy but I supposed over one hundred years have passed and it was an accident rather that an act of war or something worse.

The gist of the show is that Celine Dion visits a Titanic exhibition and reveals that she was on board. This of course is impossible as she was born in 1968 as the other visitors point out. She insists she was a passenger on the vessel and witness to the romance between Jack and Rose. She then proceeds to enthusiastically sing her greatest hits. The whole premise is, quite frankly, delightfully bonkers. Celine is currently played by Astrid Harris. Harris is much more statuesque than Dion but, facially she looks uncannily similar and the wig designer got the hair spot-on. Harris has an amazing voice and something about the exaggerated, raunchy way she moves just made me laugh so much. My friend and I were probably the only straight people in the audience and the young man next to me was so friendly during the interval asking me what my favourite Celine Dion songs are, what other musicals I have seen etc. He recommended Hades Town. It was his and his boyfriend’s third time of seeing Titanique and they were laughing so much it was really quite infectious.

The iceberg is personified in the show by Ryan Carter. For some inexplicable reason The Iceberg is also Tina Turner with blue hair and Carter belts out “River Deep-Mountain High” in a glittery mini-dress. By this point I really was wondering if I had accidently ingested some psychedelic substance.

My friend didn’t enjoy the show so much describing it as a being pantomime-like and she isn’t really wrong. Rose’s mother was the dame played by Carl Mullaney. After a while it did all just start to feel a bit absurd. There are some genuinely hilarious moments, the mocking of Jack’s drawing skills, Rose’s mother being so broke that she had to shoot pigeons in Trafalgar Square to decorate her hat. The Heart of the Ocean necklace, famously featured in the film, is ridiculously huge in the show and Cal boasts that he bought it at Claire’s Accessories. I see that you can actually buy a copy of this necklace for seven pounds on Amazon!

I can see why Titanique has a cult following a little like The Rocky Horrow Show. I enjoyed it, laughed a lot but once was enough.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

A Day Out in London – The Banksy Limitless Exhibition

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I didn’t know a great deal about Banksy before visiting this Banksy Limitless exhibition so really was not sure what to expect. It is located near South Kensington tube station, and as luck would have it, a tube strike was announced for the day we had booked our tickets. Fortunately there were still some District line trains running and we managed to squeeze on and arrive on time. The outside of the building did not look very promising and I wondered if we had wasted our £26 ticket price- we hadn’t, the exhibition is amazing and so different to anything I have seen before.

What I did know is that Banksy is a street artist, his artwork tends to be subversive and that he is anonymous . Whenever a new painting of his appears on the side of a building it is reported in the press alongside speculation as to his identity. Apparently the most likely candidate is an artist from Bristol, Robin Gunningham. I had no idea that Banksy had produced such a large and varied volume of work or that he is a prominent social campaigner who actually puts his money where his mouth is (as my mum would say) all of his work is some sort of social commentary . Just this week a statue of a pompous looking man being blinded by a flag has appeared in Waterloo Place. Banksy has claimed responsibility and Westminster council seem thrilled.

Probably the most famous work of Bansky’s is the stencilled graffiti image There Is Always Hope, sometimes referred to as Girl With Balloon. It is worth visiting the exhibition just to find out what happened when this work was sold at Sothebys. There is a variation of this painting on display, a little girl holding a heart shaped buoyancy aid, for the people who drown making illegal crossings across the channel. Banksy has even bought a French lifeboat to help these people. There is a model of passengers sitting on a packed dinghy and a claim that distress calls relating to these crossings are deliberately ignored.

As well as being a talented artist Banksy is a master of puns. There is a huge painting on display of apes in the House of Commons called Devolved Parliament. A picture of Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz is captioned “I don’t think we’re on canvas anymore…” His take on Disney land, a whole theme park installation is titled Dismaland. The cover photo shows a huge Little Mermaid display. Inside there is a killer whale with its trainer holding a hoop for it to dive through into a tiny blow-up paddling pool.

There is so much to see at this exhibition including details of his collaboration with Blur for their Think Tank album artwork . There is a whole mock up of a Tube station named Prakadilly Circus complete with advertisements. One features a photo of Mother Theresa with the caption “I learnt a valuable lesson from this woman, moisturise every day”. There is a piece of art titled Napalm showing the iconic 1972 image of nine year old Vietnamese girl Phan Thi Kim Phúc, terribly burned, running naked with her arms out at her side. In Banksy’s work she is flanked by Ronald McDonald and Mickey Mouse who both look horrifyingly cheerful.

This has been one of the most interesting and entertaining exhibitions I have visited. I don’t see how anyone can fail to enjoy it.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

The Dementia Diaries – Chapter Twenty – Can this Really Be My Mum?

On By samanthaIn THE DEMENTIA DIARIES2 Comments

It’s my day off and this afternoon I have been over to my parents house to do my usual, vacuuming, putting the laundry mountain away etc. When I arrived Dad was speaking with a young man from a company called Red Alert. The chap explained that the council had sent him as my mum has recently had two falls. Two weeks ago Mum’s legs failed her as she was getting out of bed and she collapsed. Dad could not get her up so, very sensibly, dialled 999. The paramedics got her back to bed. The following night the same thing happened but this time Mum fell across the bed. and Dad was able to manoeuvre her. He then had to deal with the fact that she had wet herself even though he was exhausted himself. Anyway Dad relayed all of this to one of their lovely carers who reported it to the council, I expect they have a duty of care to do so. Thank goodness for some help I thought. The young man was very professional and did not bat an eyelid when Mum kept interrupting every time he spoke. She continually told me to bugger off (her new catchphrase) and the poor chap could hardly get a word out. “Tell me what is going on” she kept shouting. Dad or I would explain but within a second she wanted to know all over again. I was embarrassed by the overpowering smell of urine and thought I had managed to open a window without Mum noticing but she barked at Dad to close it – which of course he did, he can’t seem to assert himself at all because he doesn’t want Mum to be upset. The man from Red Alert said that he could give Mum a pendant alarm or a watch alarm. my Dad has one of these by a company called Oysta and it is very effective. I pointed out that Mum lacks the cognitive skills required to use it. We agreed on a mat by the side of the bed which would alert my Dad when she got out of bed, assuming he has the accompanying gadget with him. Dad’s Oysta alarm alerts a call centre but the mat sensor only tells someone in the same house of any movement so it isn’t really a great deal of help in my opinion.

While the chap was talking to Dad upstairs I sat downstairs with Mum. She kept telling me to go away, she said she and Dad are none of my concern. Even though I logically know this isn’t really Mum speaking it can still feel very hurtful. I asked if she needed to go to the toilet but she said no. Half an hour later and I asked again and she said, “I do not need you to tell me to go to the toilet” She then hauled herself upstairs to investigate what was going on and wet herself in front of the man. She did not seem to be in the least bit embarrassed by this or to even realise that she had had an accident despite the fact that her clothes and slippers were soaking. I was annoyed to see, as usual, she was not using any of the incontinence products she has been supplied with. The incontinence service supply pads which I have stuck in all of Mum’s knickers so there is no reason for her not to be using them. Dad should really throw away her normal underwear now and buy incontinence pants but the will only insist Mum uses these at bedtime. This refusal to use appropriate products has been going on for five long years. He said, despite the Tena Lady pants, she still wakes up wet every single night.

The young man beat a hasty retreat, and who can blame him? Dad and I then spent forty five minutes trying to persuade Mum to change her sopping wet clothes and let us wash her. I began to feel more and more resentful as my day off slipped away from me. I feel guilty admitting that but here we are. Mum would not be washed in the bathroom so we had to do it in the bedroom, the fancy new alarm mat now being used like a bath mat. I could not wait to get out into the fesh air again. At least I can walk away unlike Dad who is dealing with this 24/7.

Thank you for reading

Samantha

Cover Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

A Day Out in London – The Gianni Versace Exhibition at the Arches, London Bridge

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The Gianni Versace Exhibition is showing at The London Arches until 1st March so you will need to be quick if you wish to see it. I highly recommend that you do. The Arches are about a two minute walk from the Tooley Street exit of London Bridge Station. Entry was £27.50. My only warning is that you will inevitably leave feeling dowdy. I remember that I was in Switzerland when new of Gianni Versace’s tragic murder broke in 1997, it is one of those events you don’t forget. The story was later made into a critically acclaimed drama, The Assassination of Gianni Versace. This exhibition is a retrospective of his 1980s and 90s collections.

What an absolutely spectacular exhibition this is, jam packed with stunningly beautiful pieces. There are over four hundred and fifty garments on display and visitors can get right up close to them, almost nothing is behind glass. This surprised me as the Medusa motif buttons used are so beautiful I wondered if they have a problem with people snipping them off as souvenirs. I had read that this happens in Chanel boutiques. As you walk in, the first display is a selection of men’s silk shirts, many featuring Versace’s iconic Greek Key design (see my cover photo). There is an information card for every garment, accessory and object. At this stage in the exhibition Elton John’s voice is played through the speaker as he tells about his friendship and working relationship with Versace. Next there is a black mesh dress, a little leather bandeau dress and some stunningly jewelled slingback heels. One of my favourite garments was a leather jacket with a jewelled cross on the back.

There are rooms with red carpet and maybe twenty mannequins all wearing bedazzled creations, it is almost as if you need sunglasses. A velvet gold and black brocade suit which is absolutely timeless, gowns galore, swimming costumes with silk robes. In one room you can see the Princess Diana display with slightly more demure jackets and skirts and a crocodile handbag. Of course Diana had the perfect figure for the evening dresses she is pictured wearing . “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me” is playing, sung by Elton John and George Michael and the outfits they are wearing at the concert are on display.

One display does look a little like a 1960s East End wholesalers window with bell bottom trousers paired with floral silk tops.

Of course it was Versace’s safety pin dress that catapulted Elizabeth Hurley’s career into the stratosphere. The dress itself isn’t featured but there are is a short film of her wearing it arriving at the Four Weddings and a Funeral premier with Hugh Grant and some other photos are on display of her looking amazing wearing various Versace creations. I seem to remember her upstaging one poor bride by turning up at a wedding in a Versace gown, slit to the hip, leopard print knickers on full display.

Back in the 1990s I subscribed to Vogue and of course the cover always featured a supermodel, Helena, Christy, Naomi, Linda or Cindy. Who needs surnames? Nowadays very few of us buy physical magazines and actresses and influencers seem to have taken the place of the model. I had forgotten just how other-worldly beautiful these women were, and most of them still are. Helena Christensen features in the film playing at then end of the exhibition, all dark lips and black corsetry. Stephanie Seymour with bouncy hair and huge earrings. Naomi Campbell strutting like Queen of the world, Kate Moss looking impossibly young and grinning from ear to ear.

There are a few nods to Versace’s other endeavours, his line of furniture, perfume and home accessories (there is a black lacquer side table oddly placed by itself next to a display of dresses) a but this retrospective is really all about the fashion. I had in the past thought his style rather gaudy but, close up, everything was just beautiful and it made me long to be young, beautiful and rich because surely that’s who these creations are meant for.

Thank you for reading

Samantha