Archive for June, 2009

It’s not frivolous to be interested in fashion

Jun 22nd

Posted by judy in Working from home tips

If you’ve had a look at the Books for Homeworkers page you’ll already know I like the novels of Linda Grant.  I’m presently re-reading her latest book, The Thoughtful Dresser, a non-fiction look at fashion and why it matters.  I collected my reserved copy from the library on Friday and read the whole thing during the evening, it’s so good.

There’s fascinating information about key designers, a spot-on analysis of how to shop and why it’s good to browse without intending to buy anything, and the staggering story of how a girl managed to survive the German death camps and go on to become a fashion leader in Canada, her adopted home.

I particularly liked Grant’s theory that the constant changes of fashion, rather than being a capitalist plot to get empty-headed women to keep spending, actually reflect our unconscious knowledge that we are always changing and cannot live in the past.  That strikes a chord with me because I find I ‘grow out of’ clothes, not in the physical sense, but because putting them on reminds me of the person I was when I wore them, and I can’t or don’t want to be that person any more.

And yet every so often there comes along a wonderful garment or pair of shoes that somehow continues to be so ‘us’, no matter how long we wear it, that we keep it till it’s in shreds and try forever to replace it.

I can’t recommend this book enough and I’m sure it will influence how I think about clothes in the future.

,

I’m fat because I haven’t been eating enough fondant fancies

Jun 19th

Posted by judy in Working from home tips

Perhaps the worst thing about spending lots of time at the computer is spreading bottom syndrome, and not just bottom, come to that.  When I ran my cleaning business I stayed slim without any effort at all, due to the physical work and the stress of wondering which of my cleaners wouldn’t turn up for work that night.  The weird thing is that at the time I never actually believed I was slim!  When I was clearing the house ready to move last year, I came across a photo of me from the early 90s, wearing a sweatshirt tucked into my jeans and I still had a clearly defined waist!  Couldn’t do it now.

So it’s time for some fatbusting and I have been reading The F2 Diet by Audrey Eyton, who devised the F-Plan Diet in the 80s.  It just means eating lots of fruit and veg, wholemeal grains and pulses, exactly what we all know we should do, tell ourselves we do do, and yet somehow fall into bad habits that lead us astray, back to too much sugar and fat.

The wonderful thing about it is that you never feel hungry, and start to feel lighter very quickly, as all that fibre makes its way through your system.  That of course can be a bit of a social liability, but working from home makes it much easier!  You are also allowed a number of fat units a day, so you can still have a bit of chocolate or something sweet.  I was astonished to discover that a fondant fancy has only one fat unit, the same as a boring old digestive biscuit.  I haven’t succumbed yet, but I found it pretty heartening.

,