Gosh what a week this has been. I know I say that a lot! One of the first things I did this week was to go to the hospital checkup with my lovely mum, and the scan put her mind at rest, all is good with her organs following her recent blood clot diagnosis. She was very relieved. Then I went off to my own checkup on Tuesday at Guy’s Hospital. My erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) needs keeping an eye on and they check my liver as well, same as last year, and I’m told that by next year or the year after there might even be a new tablet I might be able to take for the first time in my life which might help in the sun in the summer! Fingers crossed 🙂
Plus Blake came to stay…
Not only did we go to lunch with mum at the garden centre after attending dad’s grave which Blake very kindly helped out with(!), we had some lovely games, she played dress-up lots, and ended up being with my sister for a couple of hours doing faces and effects like a clown mask with a silly voice and a witch effect that made her look like a cartoon – funny!!
This is the closest you’ll get probably to seeing what Blake actually looks like as she’s not a social media baby at her parents’ request! LOL.
Anyway by the end of it as you can expect I was absolutely exhausted! But she is turning into such a delightful child and really good company, so it was a pleasure to be her Nan and 24/7. More at Christmas hopefully!
SNIPPETS
Jacqui n Me talking Menopause
Had a really interesting show on Wednesday night this week, the final for menopause month. Some super product ideas including the jockey pants with a built-in liner (sorry guys!) And it was nice to have a bit of a chat and banter with the girls too! Hope you saw it. Menopause your way returns in the near future so look out for it.
Brad n Mummy Theatre Night
We went to see the classic tale set in the 1930s in the Deep South in America, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. Although I thought it might be Rafe Spall, the current lead is absolutely brilliant, playing Atticus Finch, a principled lawyer representing a wrongly accused black defendant in this famous courtroom drama. Before that we had supper at the café opposite the Gielgud Theatre, and I have to say it was one of the worst meals I’ve ever been to. The service is appalling, the meal was lacklustre, and the prices exorbitant! At least the company was fab! It’s been a long time since I’ve been out with just my boy to the theatre, and it was lovely having a catch-up!
Gatineau!
By the way I was trying really hard to post a competition on Instagram, to win Gatineau today’s special value which launches tonight at 9 pm (assuming you are reading this live on Friday afternoon. If so there may still be time – go here, leave a comment, and the winner will be chosen before 9 pm launch this evening.) Join me to find out more if not! And a little video on this link is me cleansing my face with a brand-new cleansing bomb! I love it!
NB UPDATE: competition closed 8:45 pm Friday 28th. Congrats to winner Claire Bishop from North Somerset!
Choose the neroli/orange blossom Aromatique, Or the floral with notes of Lychee and Rose and the hand and body wash and colour scheme will change. You get five pieces, including the other three being the brand-new cleansing balm as mentioned and dim mode in the video, the famous age benefit integral anti-aging cream, and the matching regenerating eye treatment. It’s actually £170 worth, for less than seventy. Mature skins will love it and so will your pocket compared to how much value there is there – it’s enormous. Join me to launch at 9 pm and midnight tonight, repeated until 9 am Saturday morning (the 29th).
Frameless
Told you it was a busy week – I also went with my lovely friend Gill, with whom I have the most fab adventures, to an exhibition of artworks set in an immersive experience, called Frameless, nr Marble Arch, before a fab lunch.
From Salvador Dalí to Rembrandt to Canaletto, massive rooms project the artworks onto the walls and make you feel like you’re inside the painting, set to some appropriate music, and some clever effects. So whilst it wasn’t groundbreaking or earthshattering, it was a very pleasant way of spending an hour and a half with my pal before we went off to Wagamama‘s to put the world to rights as usual! My favourite one, I posted online, and people subscribing to my newsletter would have seen a bit of the video and possibly felt a bit of what it was like to be there with us! Also on my newsletter this week I talk about my own personal menopause story, and if you don’t subscribe yet just spin down to the bottom of this page to click the word newsletter.
Watch – Devil’s Hour, starring Peter Capaldi: Prime exclusive. This looks really good, seen some of the trailers doing the rounds – a woman inextricably linked with a serial killer, played by Capaldi. Intriguing! Really looking forward to watching this one.
Plus of course, I saw the amazing ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’! Still can’t get over the incredible acting and innovative staging, or how funny it was in parts! A great adaptation and highly recommended.
Funny – They laughed at me this week because my feet were too small for reaching the floor, sitting on the menopause your way couch… Well look what happened at a tube station on Thursday night! (See it here).
Podcast – Currently it’s Jennifer Kirk from Kirks folly! But starting on Monday the 31st it will be all about Bloom & Blossom, the two founders telling the fascinating story about sisters in business, and how the dynamics work in creating this super body care brand. Go here to catch up on the latest.
Vlog – Thursday bands from an unusual location this week! #BlairWitchLOLXX(SpeciallyForHalloween!!) (See it here).
Book of the Week – What choices!!!
1. Lee Child – No Plan B, with Andrew Child, another Jack Reacher story. Two witnesses to a tragic event, one explained a suicide. But the other, Jack Reacher, saw what really happened. I absolutely love these books. The Child brothers are master storytellers and I’ve read every single Jack Reacher tale so far, the main stories anyway. (There are a few novellas). Looking forward to getting stuck into it and I know I will lap it up and finish it double sharpish!
2. Julia’s latest is also out this week! ‘The Dilemma’ features a mother’s decision to help her own child by exposing the secret life of its father. Looks brilliant! Well done to my lovely colleague Julia Roberts with her 10th book! It’s another belter by the look of it. It joins my Audible list!
3. ‘The Locked Room’ – another Ellie Griffiths story. I’ve reached my first less than enjoyable tail in this long series. This time Ruth Galloway the archaeologist searches for a missing woman or two, but it’s set during the first lockdown. I absolutely hated the continual, incessant Covid references, even to daily death totals. Clearly the author was obsessed by it at the time, but quite why her publishers allowed her to incorporate it into the latest book and dominate the plot so much, I really don’t know. I’m just skimming through it really. It’s a shame because the relationship between the two main characters seems to be coming to a head. While I’m at it, I hate the audio effects. Phone calls don’t sound tinny anymore and the sound dips so much I sometimes have to turn the volume up to hear what is being said when they’re supposedly listening to someone on the other end of a handset. Rant over. Hopefully it will end better than it has been so far!
Plus another Jeffrey Archer… And the latest Neal Lancaster is also out! I guess I’ll just have to do lots more housework, or exercise, or driving, so I can get through all of the above! That’s when I’m not with Blake listening to audiobooks in the car like The Princess and the Frog! LOL.
QVC TOP DEALS FOR THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS
Friday (today) – Go here to see and buy what’s left of The KitchenAid 125 artisan 4.8 L bowl stand mixer, they always go quickly!
Saturday – As mentioned above it’s time for the big five-piece Gatineau Age Benefit 90th anniversary luxury collection! Can’t wait :-). It’s online now so go check it out.
Sunday – Time to protect your home with the Blink system, this time the outdoor wireless security 2 camera system and floodlight with extras at a ridiculously low price!
Big deals ending Sunday night
Go to this section of our website each week to discover the current ones which often end on Sunday nights if there are any stocks left!
This week it includes:
– Super secure bright set of 4 sliding magnifiers on QVC extra
– The Loccitane four-piece fragrance gift collection on beauty
– Molton Brown four piece hand wash collection with gift box, this should be really popular so don’t miss it! And some lovely fashions
Big deals are available on air for usually a week, they may be longer online if stocks last. Occasionally they last a couple of weeks but there are new ones every Sunday night so come back again and see them on the link above.
Next week should include:
– The Paul Costello box purse on QVC extra, fab price and a super gift
– The revamp pro gloss volume and wave hot ceramic brush with four styling clips on QVC beauty
– And a denim and co sweatshirt on QVC style in the active French terry Raglan style
– California innovation set of five lined super shopper totes at low prices, on the main channel.
Now back to the today’s special values for the rest of the week –
Monday – Foreo are back with another anti-aging device, their famous UFO smart mask with ‘farm to face’ masks – intriguing!
Tuesday – White Stuff bring us the Edie button jumper. One of my little great nieces is called Edie! I will be launching this in the winter fashion selection midnight Tuesday!
Wednesday – Julien MacDonald returns soon after his roaring success of the drummer coat last week, and brings us the medium grab bag, we do love our QVC designers!
Thursday – Shay & Blue fragrances are here with a super 5pc collection – boxed & beautiful for xmas.
Friday – Cozee Home will be making us snuggly this Christmas with a very affordable 4pc duvet set that’s really really warm!
Friday 9 pm – Big, bigger and biggest! Hi Sense are back with a choice of no less than three television sizes at affordable prices, some of the top in the range! And a big heads up for a super beauty day next Sunday (6th); I’ve seen the ‘tarte’ today’s special value and I can tell you it’s a belter and perfect for presents.
Next week – I can’t believe it will be November!
Best wishes
Debs