Very cunning...

Popped into the Trafford Centre for lunch with a friend at the weekend. On my way out I thought I have a quick squizz around the shops (would be rude not to), and stopped off at my old favourite TopShop - next to HMV.

I was delighted to lay my hands on some lovely bits - a gorgeous cobalt blue tshirt dress (only £35), a stunning blue party dress (only £30?!) and a rich yellow t-shirt dress. I couldn't believe only ten minutes in and I'd found 3 perfect items.

It was then that the confusion set in... what does DP stand for? Dorothy... "why have they got Dorothy Perkins stuff in TopShop?", "I never go to Dorothy Perkins, it's too old fashioned?!?"

It was only then I realised that about a month ago, TopShop had moved to the other side of the Trafford Centre and Dorothy Perkins must have taken their old store on. More to the point, they had totally copied TopShop's store layout and branding.

Well - that's really opened my eyes. I was blind to Dotty P's before this (too old, too dull, etc) - I'd become a convert - purely by thinking I was in TopShop

So I guess I'm saying get yourself down to Dorothy Perkins Busy Girl!

Ella xxx

Give in or get up

Somedays it's just so hard to get out of bed... I can honestly say that lying in bed on a cold winter's morning is so lovely, so comfy that I really can't tear myself away.

Yet I'm surrounded by people who need very little sleep - only 4 to 5 hours a night, some of them. I simply can't understand it - unless I have my full 8 hours I'm absolutely useless, yawning at 2pm and asleep in front of the TV at 8pm!

This morning really was a case of 'get up or give in'... could I get away with a day in bed? Not really. What would I say I'd been doing all day? I literally had to convince myself that getting up was the best option. How lazy?!

I haven't spent a whole say in bed since I was a University Fresher.

That's it you see. The truth is, too much of a good thing is bad for you, even lying in bed gets boring after a while.

Only 16 hours and I can do it all again...

Ella xxx

how can this be? am I really that feable?

I've actually worked it out. In the last 3 months, I've had 2 year's worth of colds.

How can this be? Surely my body isn't so decrepit that it can keep on letting in the bugs? I've been necking echinacea like it's vintage Veuve (I wish, for £2 a bottle!) and have been chewing my Bassetts 'soft and chewy vitamins for me and you...' like I'm having a Friday night Haribo-fest and yet, yet, I'm still bloomin' ill!

Oh to live in a warm, bright and light country where I would never catch a cold...

... I should have been born in the wild plains of South Africa (the non-violent area of course), as a child playing in the never-ending heat and sunshine, with monkeys and tigers as my friends... I'd set up my beautiful home with billowing handmade silk sheets strewn around rustic huts surrounding my open air bedroom, with nothing but the sound of exotic birds and animals to keep me from my dreamy sleep each night...

But no. I live in the reality of South Manchester, in November.

Cold, wet, miserable and dark.

From now on, you can call me Jane... now where's Tarzan with my cup of tea?

Ella xxx

morning dew

If you've ever had the misfortune of being woken up by the dog barking at 6am, then you may also have noticed how beautiful the sky can be at that time in the morning.

After feeling like I'd been hit with a shovel (in my book there's nothing worse than being woken from a deep sleep) I turned to face the window and saw a beautiful red glow from outside.

Not the usual hideous orange tinge that eminates from the street lights (why do they have orange?) but a pale pinky red haze of morning sun. It was so beautiful I decided then and there to get up, put on my cycling shorts and go for a very early morning cycle, to appreciate the beauty of the morning - how divine.

It seems that getting more sleep was a far more divine option. The next thing I knew it was 7.04am and my phone alarm was blaring out 'Bleeding Love' whilst I pulled a pillow over my head to try to drain out the beautiful (but irritatingly loud) Leona Lewis.

So much for my good intentions... maybe I'll cycle at 6am tomorrow - if it's another beautiful day of course...

BGG xx

Winter fashion's driving me wild

Have you seen this season's fashion collections? Just one trip to the Trafford centre had me in a wild 'buy now!' panic - and I'd only walked through Selfridges...

Have the designers spent their summer at the 'excel yourself' boot camp and come back armed with panache and style? Everything this season is easy to wear, diverse enough for all shapes and sizes and in a fantastic selection of colours to suit all skin types - it's simply fantastic.

Chunky knits, pencil skirts, party dresses galore, lace, vintage, cashmere, stunning 'Marc Jacobs' and Dior style boots - and that's only TopShop!

I never thought I'd say this but I couldn't wait to get into my black polo necks, ponchos and woolly tights this year. After many a day of tripping into town in peep-toe sandals only for the skies to open and rain on my fashion parade, I was delighted to be able to pull on my chunky knee-high boots signal a 2 fingered salute to the impending rain.

I am Loving wearing big baggy jumper dresses. I can't Wait to find a stunning pair of black biker-style boots to wear with my new black poncho and I simply can't Contain myself until ski season.

I've taken winter by its woolly lapels - I'm loving it. Now, if the rain could just hold off long enough for me to wear my favourite suede boots, I'd be even more impressed.

BGG xxx

3 loads of washing, the dog, the bed & work

Ever worked from home? I must say on a sunny day it is a rather welcome compared to the four grey walls of the office. The only problem I have is distractions...

• The dog barks constantly all day, so I'm up & down putting him outside & then letting him back in.
• My washing sits on the floor by the washing machine saying 'wash me & benefit from economical drying in the sun!' so I have to do it.
• I need a cup of tea far more often than I would in the office (because the kettle's so near!)
  
• I don't get dressed properly until 11.30am (because I don't have to!)
  

I love it, but in many ways it's really hard to work at home too.

A friend of mine, Emma Jones, has a very handy website www.enterprisenation.com which is all about how to work at home. Thought you might like this link to some great ideas on how to work at home... maybe this should be my new bible.

Now... where's that kettle?

Eva xxx www.busygirlsguide.co.uk

Call centre fury

It's been a while Busy Girls, I've been, well, Busier than you could imagine.

I wondered when I'd ever have the time to blog again - in fact I've been thinking about it for a few days now, but coulnd't do it.

Something has just forced me to write...

Did you watch the channel 4 programme on call centres the other night about companies who have employed 'super centre representatives' skilled in handling the most difficult customers...?

Obviously BT missed it.

I'm on the phone as I write, simply trying to pay my BT phone bill.

I've been listening to a recorded voice giving me hundreds of useless options, for 15 whole minutes.

I just want to pay!!!

By the time the customer service girl gets on the phone, I'll want to shove the payment in ... (you get the picture).

British Telecommunications - is that an oxymoron?

I'm back

Eva xxx

www.busygirlsguide.co.uk - the ultimate lifestyle & city guide for busy women