The moment I realised I'm not Superwoman!

Life can be great, and also very difficult, and often all at once... no surprises there! At the moment, I've got a lot of great stuff going on, but you know when lots of little things all just mount up and suddenly everything feels just a little bit shit and more?? Well...that's today for me! Busy at work, crazy busy at home, 2 little boys to bring up (not just drag up!) and bring them up well! Other half just had an op and still miles away while he recuperates, house to keep tidy, children to stop fighting, homework to get done, food to stop eating (that weight is just creeping back on!) and exercise to find time to do... (errrrr, still not managed to pencil that in yet!). I know lots of people have it harder but these are my mini-crises for today.

I called my mum tonight, upset about lots of little shitty bits (or 'shibitits' as I like to call them) and bless her...she tried her best (as always) to solve all my problems. I told her I didn't necessarily need her to solve them, just to listen to my woes and that would make me feel better. We chatted for 20 minutes, her encouragement didn't really make me feel better bless her and then I remembered what had happened earlier in the day...

... I love handbags... to those that know me well, that's no surprise. At one point during my (ex) marriage I counted 134 and realised that there just MIGHT be something wrong in my relationship that was causing me to buy so many, that there was something missing in my life! Eeeeeeek! (I've since sold most of them on Ebay/ to friends for a bargain!) and I'm now divorced from said husband and all from a head-count of the Radley's!

 I often get texts from friends saying that they're going to a funeral/ to the beach/ to a BBQ dressed as a Smurf and don't have a suitable bag, can I help? Well of course! I might have got rid of most of them, but there's still around 40 lurking around my house, which I'm more than happy to offer to my friends on loan. 

I love most handbags, and I'm not the most materialistic woman in the world, but there is something so specifically appealing about designer handbags... it's such a heavenly shopping experience! The colours, fabrics, sizes, shapes, pockets and straps, not to mention total lack of price-tags! So at lunchtime today, after working extremely hard all morning designing edit schedules for documentaries (trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, and with the help of my talented colleagues, just about managing to do it),  I decided it was time for a bit of retail heaven... off to Harvey Nics and Selfridges I went.

Harvey Nics first. Felt very rich and privileged as the security guard opened the door for me. Sauntered in.  Loving that they had a new huge collection of Cambridge Satchels, I was sporting one myself (bought half-price from the internet, not that they needed to know) so felt right at home. Drifted towards the Marc Jacobs, the Alexandra Wangs and the Chloe's, lovely but it wasn't very busy and I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable... if I was to continue with my handbag journey I needed Selfridges... so I walked out towards the Yellow and Black Mecca, narrowly avoiding Louis Vuitton (I love an LV but my most expensive handbag, my 'LV Neverfull' had a strap broken over Christmas so I just couldn't bring myself to venture even past the window for risk of a tearful episode!) onwards I marched to those double doors. I walked in, this was it... straight towards the Anya Hindmarch stand. There I saw a lovely black hand-held, the assistant walked straight towards me, showing me how they come with not one but TWO long different coloured straps, and all for only £895. I showed genuine concern, but I wasn't entirely convinced that even with a lottery win would I feel fully comfortable spending over a months rent on a handbag! Oh who am I kidding :-) I was very happy, I was clearly managing to pull off the 'I can afford this handbag' look, she asked me if she could put it aside for me, I told her I'd come back later... 

Out into the rest of Manchester...onto WH Smiths to buy some poly-pockets for the office... yes very glamorous I know! Bought what I needed, nipped into Marks and Sparks for a sarnie then on my way back to the office (got to rush, always in a rush, so much to do) nipped into Zara.... aahhhh this was more my price range. Walked straight into a gorgeous black 'shopper' (that's a handbag for those of you who aren't familiar, well in this context anyway). Checked the tag... £79.99, much more my price range. Grabbed hold of it and walked to the mirror... better rush, almost time for my afternoon meeting. Stood in front of the mirror.... GREAT bag, but not to buy today, just about to walk away from the mirror... took a back step. Yes, it was... my bloody poncho was on inside out! Seams-a-showing, white label complete with washing instructions dangling in the wind! Brilliant! The last 20 minutes of handbag heaven, all in an inside-out poncho came hurrying back to my senses! Yes, this is when I realised that I'm not Superwoman. Instead of being upset, I smiled and carried on back to the office.

So there you have it... we might always try to be everything to everyone, think that there is so much expected of us, and so much to do just to function every day, but when all else fails, stick your poncho on inside out and pretend to be a rich shopper then... later... ring your boyfriend and your mum and have a giggle about it. It's really not the end of the world and puts thing in persepective... just a little bit. 

Goodnight all

xx