Just another list..

This month's Elle Decor is full of inspiration 

1. Today I am... nursing my mother and Sean as they are both feeling a little bit under the weather. I am also smiling when I look at the beautiful bunch of flowers hubby had delivered to me 

2. This afternoon... I am preparing a Hungarian Goulash for tonights dinner.

3. Lately I've spent way too much time... watching the 2nd series of Downton Abbey - Totally fallen in love with this period drama and all the stunning Edwardian costumes they are all wearing!


4. Last night... I had some food and vino with Mum and Erik at   The Portman

5. Currently enjoying... my first issue of ELLE Decor mag that I recently subscribed to

6. This week I plan to..   

 - Prepare for my Mum's departure. Boo hoo! :-(
 - Have a 90 mins massage this evening in the comfort of my own home (a new masseuse this time - shall be interesting) 
- Enjoy a girly catch up lunch with Andrea at one of my fave restaurant Scotts in Mayfair.
- put an advert together in prep for selling my Cabra goat hide jacket from Celtic Sheepskin on Ebay (email me for more info if you're interested. )


7. Before the end of the day I plan to: book mine, Erik and Sean's trip to Sweden in the end of February and order Sean's school uniform


8. On my current wish list: White 32 gig Iphone S4


9. Longing for: the view on to the ski slopes from the balcony of our rented apartment in Courchevel. Another 6 weeks and we'll be there - Whoop whoop!


10. Currently listening to this

The stunning bouquet that is decorating our living room at the moment

Our week in pictures

There's nothing like a little bit of Hanky Panky ;-)

A (leopard print/black lace) wireless, non padded bra from Hanky Panky came with the postman today, and helped me forget about my sore head for a while.  I am simply In love with all their soft bralettes.  Go and check 'em out, and don't forget to tell your man about it in time for the upcoming Valentine's.
Who said comfy can't be sexy? lol

A humble & heartfelt Thank You!

WOW! So many comments, you have no idea how touching it is to see all your kind words and well wishes -   I sincerely thank each and everyone of you!

I have returned from the hospital in one piece. Well almost... It was one of the toughest ordeals I have had to go through, mentally and physically very draining.

One of the tests I took is called Lumbar Puncture (to diagnose brain and spinal cord disorders), and  unfortunately for some, (me included), the effect of taking fluid from your spine means you can get a severe headache for nearly 2 weeks afterwards That is exactly what I am experiencing now and the only way to get through this is by laying down, barely able to raise my head or it feels like it's exploding :-(

As you can imagine with a very active 3 year old at home, this is not the easiest of tasks. Therefore my Mum has flown in from Sweden, like a modern day Florence Nightingale  to help out. My gratitude to her is endless as she is cooking, cleaning, dropping Sean off and picking him up at nursery, grocery shopping and last but not least practising one of her many skills, reflexology, on me.

 The good news is that we have eliminated many illnesses including MS and other serious neurological disorders. 
We are still waiting for more test results to come back, but as of right now, my doctor has narrowed my symptoms down to a muscle disorder which we are trying to cure with different medicine, and my cocktail of drugs each night contains of nearly 15 pills. However, I don't mind taking meds as long as I never have to be separated from my family again!

Here are a few things I've learnt as an in patient at the hospital:

 - Basic health is something most of us take for granted - we should never do so!!

- Nothing can replace the love and support of family and friends

- Humour is the best medicine

 - Last but not least; whenever you feel that your life is not good - remember there are so many worse        off

Our Doctors and nurses are doing a fantastic job in difficult circumstances and often long hours (my thanks to the wonderful team at the National Hospital of Neurology)

This large scanner (MRI) used magnetic fields and radio waves to produce a very detailed image of the inside of my body, incl my spine, neck and brain

Admitted to hospital

After having tests done (EMG & nerve conduction studies) and seeing a neurologist on Friday, he decided I need to be admitted to hospital for a few days in order to take more tests. Uncertainty and fear are both understatements of how I am feeling as I am packing my hospital bag, about to leave my boys for a few nights.

Will update once I know more, but in the meantime, here is a little info about where I'm going:

"The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), Queen Square, is the UK's largest dedicated neurological and neurosurgical hospital. Celebrating 150 years this year, it provides comprehensive services for the diagnosis, treatment and care of all conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nervous system and muscles. Services include specialist neurosurgery, a brain tumour unit, the Hyper-acute Stroke Unit (HASU), an acute brain injury unit, the National Prion Clinic, a pioneering neuro-rehabilitation unit, the UK's first interventional MRI scanner, the largest specialised neurosurgical ITU and the only neuromedical ITU in the country. Together with its neighbour, the Institute of Neurology, it is a major international centre for research and training"

Our trip to the financial district today

This afternoon I took Sean on an adventure and showed up unannounced at Bear's office.  He soon made himself at home at Daddy's desk!

Daddy was able to sneak out of the office early (well he is the boss after all!lol), and treated me to a glass of champs and Sean to his favourite apple juice.

As the sun was going down over the City, the views from Coq d'Argent were spectacular

From where we were sat on the roof terrace, you could see Tower 42, The Shard (tallest building in Europe now), and the iconic Gherkin!

DIY

BEFORE: 

Very girly shoes (there was nothing even remotely close to these in the boys' section!) with silky laces and a bow on the back. Not an option for my Seany!


AFTER:

I really fell for these tweedy and wintry looking shoes, Converse style, with a soft fluffy inner lining.  
 I just swapped the laces with black textile ones and removed the bow.  And voilà - now I have a pair of trendy (will look so cool with his black biker leather jacket) shoes that will keep my little fella's  feet not only warm but stylish! Oh, and I paid only £3.00 - now that's what I call a bargain!

Going back in time...

...nearly 16 years to be precise. Here I've only just moved to London. They year is 1996 and I had just turned 20. So full of anticipation! Boy if I only knew what I know today LOL

Last week's new beauty product

Sunday at Stoke Park

Today was spent at leisure at Stoke Park, where we also had a gorgeous lunch (grilled cod wrapped in parma ham with sweet potatoes, spinach and saffron). It's so good for both the body and soul to get out of the city from time to time! 

midday snack

A typical Swedish snack with eggs and creamed cod roe caviar on a crisp bread (in this case an Atkins cracker)

New and noteworthy

In addition to the cognac brown and black, here's my new sophisticated beige shawl with this beautiful silvery shimmer. Thank you my beloved hubby! ♥

A snippet of our day

 May I present... the love of my life:

Good bye black, hello red!

CHANEL "Dragon" - My favourite red this winter!

Beautiful Berkshire

On our day trip to Berkshire, where we looked for potential houses for my Mum to buy, we stopped at the French Horn for a bite to eat (where incidentally Bear and I went to celebrate my birthday and to spend the night, just prior to me finding out I was pregnant) but was disappointed to find it was closed...

...So instead we ended up in a lot less posh place, an American diner where we had tasty burgers

We weren't successful finding the right place for Mum this time, but have all agreed on the beautiful area of Caversham and surroundings, for a house purchase, should she decide to do the big move to the UK.