It's been a fairly quiet week - I've not felt so well, and Marianna's still been off nursery in deference to the fact the stitches are still in her lip. We stayed at my mum's over the weekend and introduced Marianna to the original Mr Men and Little Miss cartoons.

(Though, naturally, we took a break for the rugby. The definite high spot of the week!!)

On the blog I wrote a couple of reviews - Lottie Dolls and Oh My Dosh! - as well as an updated About Me post and a post about my most visited sites. My favourite post was a top ten of 24th century fashion disasters... yeah, I've been rewatching Star Trek. :)

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Sometime Obsidian Order spy, sometime space station tailor - and, let's face it, coming on strong to the good Dr Bashir all the time - Elim Garak is the most fashionable man on DS9.

The thought is not a reassuring one.

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In an attempt to retcon the questionable motives behind the miniskirts of TOS, The Next Generation introduced the unisex skant. It was worn in the first season by Deanna Troi and a variety of nameless extras before being quietly retired to the backs of Starfleet closets.

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Less was certainly, er, less when you made a career as a dabo girl.

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Chief O'Brien's expression speaks for us all when it comes to Dr Bashir's racquetball outfit. Bashir was captain of the Starfleet Medical Academy's racquetball team while in training, and won the sector championships in 2368. It really isn't an excuse.

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Jake Sisko channels his inner Bashir in this garish jumpsuit. It was surely a blessing to eyeballs everywhere when Nog ruined it with fake Odo slime later in the episode.

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Commander Riker was duly mocked by his colleagues for deferring to local male custom during an away mission on Angel One.

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Jake Sisko's crimes against fashion didn't end in childhood.

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For Ferengi women, wearing clothing was a daring act of defiance. Here, due to a series of zany circumstances, we have a gender swapped Quark wearing, well, whatever the hell that is. Still, 'Lumba' did manage to convince Commissioner Nilva that female emancipation was the way forward for Ferenginar, ultimately allowing Ferengi women everywhere to make better sartorial choices.

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We can only be thankful the children of the USS Enterprise-D chose not to immortalise this look in papier-mâché for Captain Picard Day. (June 16th, if you're wanting to show your own appreciation.)

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We finish as we began - seriously questioning Garak's taste.

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This week started so badly that the only way to go was up! Marianna cut her lip open after some creative bed bouncing, so we spent six hours in A+E to have stitches put in. The upshot of that was Marianna having the week off nursery and wanting 100% attention 100% of the time. It seems to be healing well, but it still looks awful and trying to get her to put lip balm on or anything to stop her lips drying out is a constant battle.

Workwise there wasn't much to report, after I'd missed a couple of meetings to be at the hospital. I did have PSB (Public Services Board) Scrutiny Committee - you can watch the webcast HERE - and various bits of casework. There was a Labour Party quiz night fundraiser on Friday; I couldn't make it but Anthony went and has yet to stop gloating over how he won the quiz...


Meanwhile I made a start on Marianna's bedroom while she was staying at Anthony's parents'. The lack of space in there has reached critical levels so I spent four hours putting her new desk together. Marianna wanted a make-up table but after much searching - and number crunching! - I went with this computer desk I found new on ebay for £64.99 with free delivery.

Saturday was just me painting, endlessly painting, because Marianna decided she wanted the room candyfloss pink. Wilkinsons only had one tin in, so I'm only about halfway so far. Still, I moved the furniture about, took the door off the built in cupboard, and sorted through her epic amounts of junk. Next weekend it will just be more painting and then ordering her new bed / playhouse. I'll do a full post on the transformation when it's finished.

On the blog this week I reviewed Friction Free Shaving, the razor subscription service, and collabed with Jana Reinhardt Jewellery to run a giveaway for a hummingbird necklace.

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This week was quite varied: I had primary school governors at Maendy and education scrutiny committee, looking at the EAS business plan. (You can see the webcast HERE.) I took my own laptop in just because there's more screen space - Marianna's lovely decoration of dog stickers are just visible in the webcast - but I realised now I've got my glasses I didn't really need to. I'm still at the stage where I'm marvelling at the difference in what I can see!

On Friday I took Marianna to Cardiff to go and see the space exhibition before it closed this weekend. They had Tim Peake's capsule and spacesuit on display, and another you could have a photo with - I had to hold Marianna up for hers while some kindly passerby snapped it for me. After that we wandered around all the shops a princess obsessed four-year-old is drawn to, from Lush to Debenhams' perfume department. We spent ages in Smiggle deciding what to buy in the sale; in the end we had to have a pencil case each, plus scented unicorn BFF slapbands! :)



Over on the blog I've been continuing our quest for the perfect subscription box with a review of the Mister Maker Craft Box, and the awesome Treasure House kids' clothing swapshop. I also posted my top ten tracks of the month, and a guide to making money from your receipts with a handful of smartphone apps.

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My Top Ten tracks of the month!

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SOS - ABBA (1975)

Marianna has discovered the wonder of ABBA. Or, as she calls them, 'Dancing Queen Songs'. SOS reached #6 in the UK in 1975, and is my personal ABBA fave.

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Skeleton - Bim Skala Bim (1995)

Third wave ska band Bim Skala Bim released this as a single back in 1995.

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Shoes - Jesse James (2000)

More ska with Jesse James. They were an awesome band but, guttingly, the only time I saw them live at Cardiff SU the sound system went screwy on them as soon as they started this one.

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Ska Show - Reel Big Fish (2018)

They've still got it! I've seen RBF a few times and they're always great.

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Fancy - Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX (2014)

Clueless was pretty much my favourite film as a pre-teen, and I still want to wear most of the outfits now. I'm basically blaming Fancy's take on it for the current 90s revival.

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You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties - Jona Lewie (1980)

This Jona Lewie hit has been stuck in my head all week!

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Foundations - Kate Nash (2007)

I love the video for Foundations. I even went and got my hair cut just like this on the back of it in 2007!

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Head Over Heels - ABBA (1981)

ABBA's star was waning by the time Head Over Heels peaked at #25 in the UK charts - the first single not to break the Top 20 since I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do in 1975.

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Where Have You Been? - Reel Big Fish (2002)

<3

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Sister Suffragette - Mary Poppins OST (2013)

Mary Poppins has been Marianna's film of choice for the last few weeks. Apparently Glynis Johns thought she had been signed to play Mary Poppins, so Disney had to hurriedly come up with a solo song for her to soften the blow!

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Monday feels like so long ago I'm struggling to remember what I actually did... We had full council this week which was probably the shortest one I've ever been to, let alone chaired! There was a fab presentation by the Gypsy Traveller Youth Forum which you can see on YouTube, or you can watch the webcast of the whole meeting HERE.

I had a bunch of meetings cancelled on Thursday for fear of the coming snow, and we had the best meal from our Gousto trial, so Thursday stands out the most this week!

All my blog posts have been about money saving in some shape or form, from Free Postal Clubs For Children through to 20 Free Online Lotteries. I also finished the epic Refer and Earn Offers post I've been working on for weeks. I managed to find nearly 250 in the end. :)

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