Something to share: the iso edit

COVID lockdown continues in my part of Australia, and will continue to do so for another couple of weeks at least. It means, apart from work and my once a week trip to the supermarket for groceries, life is centred on home and our immediate surroundings: the park in our suburb and the nearby walking tracks we use for exercise and fresh air.

It’s a strange and surreal time, so I thought for this latest edition of ‘something to share’, I’d focus on things that are helping during this period of isolation: comfy clothes, a tipple of something delicious, and a fun social media account to get lost in…

ALDI LEGGINGS

I jokingly said to a friend the other day, that trawling the middle aisles in Aldi had become a highlight of week during lockdown. I think most people are now familiar with eclectic collection of goods Aldi sells every week. You never really know what might be on offer – whether it be cookwear, towels, gardening equipment or motorcycle accessories. A couple of weeks ago, I spotted some yoga style leggings in my local Aldi. I’d recently just said goodbye to a few pairs of gym leggings (I’d been wearing them for nearly a decade and they’d lost their shape and stretch) so I decided to give them a go. I will admit I didn’t have particularly high expectations for $15.99, but I have been thoroughly impressed with the two “Crane Performance” brand pairs I purchased. They’re soft and stretchy but are thick enough to feel supportive. They’re high waisted, have a diamond gusset and as short statured person, I was chuffed when both the 7/8 and full length cuts fit me perfectly. I’ve worn both pairs of leggings every week since I bought them (hello lockdown uniform) and they’ve washed exceptionally well. Aldi for the win!

FEVER TREE MEDITERRANEAN TONIC WATER

When the weather’s cold, my tipple of choice is red wine (preferably a shiraz) but when temperatures rise I’m a sucker for a gin and tonic. Earlier this year Adam and I attended a gin-tasting. It was not only a heap of fun, but also super-informative and just like different gins have different tastes, so do tonic waters. After a particularly beautiful spring-like day not that long ago, Adam suggested we get some tonic water as G&T weather had arrived. We’d had one of the Fever Tree tonic waters at our gin-tasting, which I remembered liking, so when it came time to make a tonic selection I stayed loyal to the brand. The Mediterranean flavoured tonic is infused with rosemary and lemon thyme and my goodness it pairs well with the bottle of Sipsmith gin we had at home. I’ve been garnishing my drink with a slice of lemon and a sprig of thyme (homegrown in our back garden) and unsurprisingly it works well. It’s making me long for the summer to come.

@TRINNYWOODALL

If you’re of a certain age, you may remember the television show ‘What Not To Wear’, hosted by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine A couple of months ago, I discovered Trinny Woodall’s Instagram account. She remains a fashion stylist, but is also now the CEO of beauty brand, Trinny London. Her Instagram page is mainly made up of short videos, where she’s demonstrating her make-up products or offering her unique perspective on dressing. She’s fun, cheeky and has outfits in the most spectacular array of colours. She’s just returned from a girls trip in Italy, which I’ve been living vicariously through. In this day of social media filters, it’s also really refreshing to see a middle-aged woman with laugh lines talking about fashion and make-up with a bare face. Trinny just adds a bit of joy to my Instagram page and when there’s so much heartbreaking news happening in our world right now, it’s nice to just escape from it all and talk beauty and clothes for a few minutes.

Have a wonderful week.

M. x