Bodies change, and we need to get over it!

Coming back from a summer holiday (did I mention that?!); seeing people wearing less clothes than we’re used to on a day to day basis, you kind of realise even more so that people come in all shapes and sizes.

Bodies change...and that's ok

I have to admit that, before I went away, I was feeling pretty annoyed with myself for not losing any weight and not looking the way I wanted to in a bikini. I still felt that way when I arrived and even more so by the time I got home (a week of food, booze and lethargy takes it’s toll on a girl!)

But then, when I rationalise it, it’s pretty daft to:

a) restrict myself and enjoy life less for the weeks or months leading up to a holiday, just to fit a beauty ideal

b) think that other people are looking at me and judging me

The truth is, my body looks how it does because of the life I lead. I enjoy life. I enjoy food. I enjoy drinking. I don’t enjoy exercise!

When I was in my late teens and early 20s I was blessed with a high metabolism. I didn’t gain weight, whatever I ate or drank. I looked great in a bikini!

Now I’m in my late 30s (bleugh!) my metabolism has slowed down and I look less great in a bikini!

But you know what? I’m happier now than I ever was when I was younger. Not physically – I’d rather look the way I did then, if possible! But mentally and emotionally I’m content. And that’s way more important than a change in my body weight. It’s to do with mental strength, life experiences and feeling settled.

In my 20s I was single, riddled with insecurities, coming to terms with mental health issues and wondering where my life was going. Now I’m happily married which comes with the addition of eating out with my husband, takeaways with my husband, drinks with my husband (sense a theme?!) I have more financial security which affords me more holidays (which means more eating and drinking!) I know my own limitations and try not to beat myself up over things. I’ve also experienced life stuff like redundancy and my Dad’s illness which sometimes makes me think “fuck it, life’s too short not to indulge in the good stuff”.

I haven’t quite bounced back from the holiday mind set of eat, drink and be merry. I’ve already made excuses for not going to the gym (the weather’s nice; bad drive home from work; I just don’t want to!). So it’s no wonder the pounds aren’t retreating!

We’re conditioned to think that a beautiful body looks a certain way. Magazines perpetuate the myth that larger women or older women shouldn’t wear bikinis. Yet, in Greece, I saw older ladies, bigger ladies and everything in between wearing a bikini with pride. And why shouldn’t they? It’s hot, you need less clothes and comfort is important. I bloody hate swimsuits; they’re icky and sticky and you can’t tan your tum. If someone doesn’t like how you look in beach wear, they can bloody well look the other way.

I’m as bad as anyone for judging people. I think that’s just the way we’re conditioned. But I’m trying to change that about myself. Instead of looking at an overweight person and thinking they shouldn’t be wearing something, I’m teaching myself to squash that thought and replace it with “good for them”. Because if they’re ok with it then it really isn’t anyone else’s business.

I think I’ve reached the end of my meandering now. I’m not even sure there is an end! And I know I’m a hypocrite, because I’m still sitting here thinking I’d like to shrink my tummy. But I do know that, as I get older, trying to look after my body for strength and longevity becomes as important as weight loss. I want to look and feel more healthy.

But, of course, looking great in a bikini would be a bonus!

I’d love to hear your thoughts; hit me up in the comments.

Thanks, as always, for reading! x

All I want for Christmas is a new…big toenail

I’m currently living in the aftermath of an incident.

(building some drama!)

Toes

I hate masks. They freak me out. Even the fun ones. I think it’s because you can’t see people’s eyes properly.

Anyway. The husband bought a Guy Fawkes/Anonymous mask around Halloween time. I don’t like it.

Anonymous mask

On our recent day off, he randomly put it on. I ran off. He chased me. So we had a Benny Hill style race around our flat, with me freaking out. Naturally I headed for the bathroom and shut myself in.

Thinking it would be safe to leave after a few seconds (what with the husband having a short attention span), I gingerly opened the bathroom door. The coast was clear. Then he poked his head round the corner, still wearing the blasted mask. I screamed (I know, it’s not like I didn’t know it was him!), retreated into the bathroom, and got my big toenail stuck under the door.

Carnage ensued. I swore (a lot). I blamed him (a lot). I poked at my toenail (a lot) expecting it to fall off.

So far it’s still attached, but feels very loose. It’s turning a rather peculiar colour. I have no doubt that it’s going to fall off and leave a big old ugly gap where my toenail should be.

Wah!

Last night I painted all my toenails metallic cherry red (it’s the equivalent of turning the radio up when you hear a noise in your car – just pretend it isn’t there). Now it’s started to ooze with goop.

I don’t think that bodes well.

(sorry for the TMI!)

I’m now mourning all the pretty sparkly sandals that I can’t wear (ok, it’s winter and I don’t wear them anyway).

Can you buy false toenails?!

Thanks, as always, for reading! x

5 things you only know if you dye your hair red

While red hair is incredibly cool, it’s also an incredible pain in the ass at times.

Red hair

Here are 5 things you’ll be familiar with if you’ve ever gone scarlet.

1 – It fades. Really quickly and disappointingly. If you’re naturally blond you’ll start to look pink. You need to colour it at least every 3 weeks to keep it at it’s best, which is expensive and time consuming.

2 – You can’t use white towels. Staying in a hotel? Take your own (or face the wrath of the laundry people who have to bleach/throw away your towels after use). One year, on holiday in LA, I hid my hotel “hair towel” in the wardrobe every day before housekeeping came in so I didn’t have to wreck a new one whenever I washed my hair. You can imagine the state of it when I handed it back at the end of our trip.

3 – If your hair is longer, you can’t leave it to dry naturally – unless you want pink stains all over your t-shirt/jumper/pyjama top.

4 – Swimming pools are a source of worry. “No I didn’t get my period in the water! It’s just my head leaking!”

5 – It can be annoyingly wardrobe limiting. Rendering a chunk of your existing wardrobe redundant.

Have you got any hair colour tales or disasters? I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks, as always, for reading! x

B.Flawless Wrinkle Filler (an oldie but goodie)

I bought this stuff yonks ago after reading about it in the Daily Mail (don’t judge me – it’s not a regular occurrence). It came highly recommended and I spotted it on half price in Superdrug (which it is again now)so thought I’d give it a bash.

B.Flawless wrinkle filler tube

Because I have done nothing to prevent wrinkles (as in daily moisturiser or night cream), it’s likely that I will need to resort to things to make them look better. And while I don’t have wrinkles as such, I do have a bit of creasing on my forehead that I wouldn’t mind not being there (actually laughing at myself for the optimism of describing my none wrinkles! Next I’ll be saying they’re laughter lines!)

Back to this little tube of glory. Because that’s what it is! I used it religiously when I first bought it and even roped the husband in (to cries of “what is this sorcery?) because it does seem to just smooth out your wrinkles, like someone’s got a pencil eraser and rubbed you out around the edges.

Forehead before

Forehead before

Forehead after

Forehead after

Good eh?

You only need to use a little bit and it tends to work best if you pat it in to your skin, rather than rub it. You can use it with make up and it’s good for any areas you may want to look less “creased” like eyes or mouth.

B.Flawless Wrinkle filler cream

Not sure why I stopped using it, probably misplaced it knowing me, but now I’ve rediscovered it I’m thrilled! I’ve even been and bought a new tube.

Do you have any “forehead crease” minimising tips?!

Thanks, as always, for reading! x

Fight the flab – time to get moving

I’m very much a nothing or almost nothing kind of exerciser – I HATE exercise with a passion. It just feels so forced.

Exercise

I’ve tried on about 3 different occasions this year to do the C25k running plan – I even went out and bought running trainers – but something better always gets in the way! (any excuse – the weather’s bad, the weather’s good, I’m tired, I need to tidy up at home, let’s go to the pub – ANYTHING!)

However I have been gaining a bit of weight and feeling flabby so I know I need to do something (I also need to lose some weight so I can gorge myself on Italian food when we go away in October – lose it to gain it!). I don’t want to give in to weight gain. I know the more I leave it the more I will have to lose, which will be harder work. Plus I refuse to replace my clothes with bigger clothes. I really like my clothes!

I know that my main problem areas with weight are wine, and lack of restraint at weekends. Neither of which I’m really keen to stop, so getting physical needs to become part of the equation.

After a couple of weeks of deliberating, I finally got myself in the right mindset last week, plus it makes sense to actually use the trainers I spent so long deliberating over earlier this year. I was very girly when it came to buying them. Firstly I really didn’t want to spend any money on sports gear precisely because I’m so fickle and would rather buy nice things like lipsticks and heels. When I gave in to the idea that I would have to invest some cash, it was of utmost importance that I liked the trainers. Not enough that they’re comfortable, feel good, support me (whatevs); they have to be nice to look at. I know I’m not alone in this! Which is why it took me 3 visits to different sports shops in 2 different towns before I found some I liked.

Adidas running shoes

(they are actually very comfortable too, and were a relative bargain at £36, from Sports Direct)

So I’ve been out a handful of times for a hybrid walk/jog type thing and I’ve actually enjoyed it – the sun was shining and I took a picturesque route which made a difference. Also, going at my own pace with no time goal meant I didn’t feel rubbish if I had to stop (something I did find with the C25k podcast – it’s too regimented for my needs, even though it is actually pretty laid back, that’s how unfit I am!).

I’ve also decided I’m going to rejoin the gym (urgh). I want to try and get to grips with Bodypump. This is how I feel about that prospect:

Kill me

I’ve done it once before, many moons ago, but I didn’t know what any of the equipment was and I was with a friend so we spent most of the class giggling at each other. This time I’m going to ask about the kit and the routine and everything first, so at least I’m not floundering wildly. Although I have such pathetic upper body strength that I’d probably struggle lifting Hula Hoops (mmmm…crisps…)

My gym also does 30 minute pack workouts with a personal trainer, and I think even I can manage 30 minutes if I’m being pushed by someone! (or, failing that, cry badly enough that they’ll take pity and let me leave).

Of course the key will be going straight from work. I’m even going to change at work so I’m in the mindset, because if I leave it ’til I get to the gym changing room I’m likely to drive straight past and go home…

I even said no to a Chinese takeaway last night!

Operation Italy starts here!

Piercings

My new nipple bar turned up today (the ball fell off my previous one!) so I thought I’d talk piercings.

Piercing chart

I like piercings. A lot. And I like tattoos. Even more. What I don’t like is stretching. Ugh. Starts as a piercing and then gets stretched into a hole.

a) I don’t get it

and

b) I don’t get it

I mean, what’s attractive about putting holes in your body? Piercings are pretty – they add interest and sparkliness.

Holes aren’t pretty.

Ear stretching

Even if you try to make them so with coloured tunnels

Ear stretching with coloured jewellery

And what about when it goes wrong?

Ear stretching gone wrong

Ear stretching gone wrong

Vom!

Anyway, this post wasn’t about stretching. Back to piercings.

I currently have my belly button, nose, ear lobes and ear cartilage pierced. I’ve had other piercings that I don’t have anymore. And each of them was a different experience.

Lobes
I don’t remember the first set. I was about 18 months old. I know some people have a huge problem with that and think parents should leave kids to make their own decision when they’re older. I think it’s fine. Babies look pretty with stud earrings. So shoot me!

I had a second set of holes done when I was about 22. I had them done on my lunch hour and they basically got them wrong – they weren’t level. So I had to take them out and wait for them to heal, then get them redone straight! No surprise I went to a different place…

Cartilage
I had my right ear cartilage, at the top, done when I was 16. It was done in a hairdressers, which is incomprehensible now, but was the done thing “back in the day”. They did it with a gun, which is now illegal as it shatters the cartilage. Boy did I suffer with that piercing. It used to swell so much you couldn’t see the stud. It filled with pus. Sometimes just the slightest touch would make it ooze green gunge. Would I take it out? Would I hell as like! I was proud of that piercing! It wasn’t very common at the time and I felt very cool with it done (even with bloody goop just under the skin). It took around 2 years to heal properly. I couldn’t sleep on my left side properly for about 18 months, I had to put my hand between my ear and the pillow. That’s how dedicated I was!

Belly button
I had this done when I was 18. It was a fairly new piercing at the time, not very common, and I was desperate to get it done. This was the first time I went into a “proper” studio. I felt way too uncool to be in there with all these alternative kids with bright hair and tattoos. Laying down on the bed, I flinched massively in pain, only to be told that was just the cold numbing spray, ha ha! The piercer applied the clamp, jabbed the needle through, threaded the bar and that was it. I was so pleased that I went shopping to try bikinis on immediately afterwards, even though it was only February. I had some mild discomfort afterwards but it’s always behaved well. I can’t see me ever taking it out.

Auricle
Next I had an auricle piercing (I’ve only just found out it’s called that, I just called it half way up my ear!) Just on one side, the left. I mainly wear a stud, but lately have been wearing this on a night out, which is pretty cute.

Diamante studd ear cuff

I don’t remember much about that one at all, so it can’t have been too traumatic.

These were all pre-husband. The next two I hold him entirely responsible for (in a good way).

Nose piercing
Firstly, I was drunk. You shouldn’t get pierced when you’re drunk, and a piercer shouldn’t pierce you when you’re drunk. But again this was just an independent jeweller. With a gun. I shouted “fuck”, very loudly. The pre-cursor to this is that we were having a weekend away at the British seaside and, predictably, it rained a lot. By the third day of rain we took refuge in a pub for most of the afternoon. And my husband, spotting the shop opposite, dared me to get my nose pierced.

Responsible huh?

I remember going back to work and not making eye contact with anyone because I didn’t think a nose piercing was a very corporate look. But no-one has ever said anything, and I’ve never regretted it. I swapped to a ring earlier this year and can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner. I love it.

Nipple piercing
This was something I’d previously never thought about much, and certainly wasn’t on my wishlist. Husband has his pierced, which I like. Then a friend told me she’d had hers done and that put the seed into my mind, which husband encouraged. I went from not really ever thinking about it to “I must have it done” within about 2 hours one Friday night. Needing to strike while the iron was hot (i.e. before I backed out) I phoned round and round on the Saturday to find somewhere I could have it done.

When I went into the studio I didn’t want to make a big fuss about the fact I was going to be getting my boob out, so I sat down and pulled my dress down straight away. The piercer didn’t look up, but carried on prepping, getting clean needles and jewellery and the like. I thought if I then covered up I’d look prudish, so I just sat there with my right boob hanging out for an inordinate amount of time, talking away like it was the most normal thing in the world. It was cringey! This was another mega painful one. There were swear words. I didn’t feel well afterwards and actually went to bed for an hour. To clean it I had to dangle my boob into a mug full of salt water. Good job I’m not blessed in the breast department, or I’d have needed a bigger mug.

The final piercings are all down to me, and all a bit stupid really (not stupid piercings, just stupid for me). I don’t have any of them anymore. Read on to find out why

Hand piercing
I took my little sister to get her belly button pierced and the guy in the studio had a microdermal next to his eye, all sparkly and pretty. I expressed an interest as I’d seen them before and they looked nice. I was told that it’s a really simple procedure, they just make a little hole with a holepunch type thing and feed the jewellery into the hole. It’s anchored in because of the shape and then your skin heels over it. The jewel bit just screws onto the anchor that’s in your skin.

Microdermal jewellery

“It barely hurts” they said.

They lied.

I wanted it in my hand. There were scalpels and skin peeling and all sorts of horrific pain. I didn’t think I could stand it. It was horrendous. But it looked so very very pretty.

Hand microdermal

It was a bit awkward and I was wary of catching it on things and again of people’s comments at work. I caught people looking at it but no-one ever said anything.

This one came to a rather abrupt end in a shopping centre. I was getting off an escalator and someone cut across my path, catching my hand with her handbag. As I walked away I thought that my hand felt sore, looked down, and the anchor bit WAS HANGING OUT. I went a little bit woozy and weird and tried to push it back in. But it wasn’t to be. I had to yank it and break the bits of skin that had started to grow around it (which sounds more horrendous than it was). I vowed to get it redone once I’d heeled, but in truth I was too wuss!

Triple forward helix piercing
Ah, the internet, purveyor of all things pretty. That’s how this one came about. This exact photo.

Triple forward helix

Love love LOVE the look (still do now). But impatience led to me wanting it to look like that immediately. So I asked for all 3 piercings to be done at once. The piercer did say it wasn’t advisable, but obviously I knew better, right?

Wrong.

The bars they used were too long, for a start, so I didn’t get the look I wanted (the picture above uses labrets which are more like studs). The healing didn’t go well and one came up in a lump, so I had to admit defeat and take it out. After a couple of months I conceded that it was an experiment that had gone wrong and decided to remove the others. Once came out fine. The other one was cross threaded. I couldn’t remember which way was loosening and which way was tightening so I wasn’t even sure I was doing the right thing to try and get it out. In a fit of exasperation I tried strong nail clippers to cut through the metal. It didn’t work (obvs). I had to go back to the piercer and get them to remove it.

I’m not sure I’m done with this piercing yet and might revisit it. But definitely only one at a time.

Lip piercing
Perhaps my most stupid of ideas and one I blame firmly on hitting my mid-30s and having a crisis! There can be no other explanation. In my defence I had always wanted my lip pierced, and always held back due to work and appearances and the fact that it would probably be frowned upon by management. I finally got fed up of toeing the line and decided it was a box that needed ticking. So I had it done on my birthday, when I’d broken up from work, a few days before Christmas. I was assured that there was no reason it should affect my eating or impact my enjoyment of Christmas dinner (food is always on my mind).

We nearly had a repeat of the wonky earlobes piercing, when the lady in the shop marked the dot ready for the piercer. “That’s not in the middle I told her”. She said “sorry, we’re supposed to line it up with the middle of your top lip but yours is slightly unlevel”. Er, thanks.

The piercing itself was not as traumatic as I feared. The skin under your bottom lip is pretty thick and I had visions of multiple bodging to break through, but it was done in one push and that was that.

This photo was taken on the day I had it done. You can see the lump inside my lip!

My lip piercing

Did it affect my Christmas dinner? Yes! Gutted.

Did it affect my job? No-one said anything. I think by this point they were used to me being a bit left of centre.

I never loved it though, it didn’t look how I’d hoped. It lasted about 6 months and then I took it out of my own volition. I found out afterwards that no-one had ever really liked it, and it put my husband off kissing me.

So, that’s my piercing journey!

So far…

Why don’t more women get more tattoos?

This is a ponder, rather than requiring a definitive answer.

When I was out last Friday I saw a girl, with long sandy wavy hair, tanned, pretty, wearing a maxi dress and sleeveless denim gilet. When she turned around, I was shocked that she had a full sleeve. Not shocked in an “oh my god, that’s disgusting” kind of way. But she didn’t look the type.

Daft huh?

I mean, what does “the type” look like anyway?

On the same night, my husband took this photograph of me.

Tattooed back

It’s not often I see how many tattoos I actually have (I mean obviously I know how many I have, because I commissioned all of them, but because of their position and me not being able to do an exorcist style headspin I don’t get to see them all). And I wondered how many people had the same thought about me? Were they surprised? Did they do a double take? Did they think that I was purposely trying to show them off with the top I was wearing? (that isn’t why I bought it, by the way, although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the effect).

If the girl I mentioned had been a boy, I wouldn’t have taken any notice at all.

I know a lot of it is down to pop culture. David Beckham is heavily tattooed and has made the look very much mainstream. Sure, there are people who are vocal about not liking his look, but in the main he’s classed as a handsome man with a fantastic career behind him, a sporting hero and a real family man (apart from the old Rebecca Loos phase). ASOS use many (in fact, mainly) tattooed models in their male section. Sports (I use that term lightly) like UFC, where men are pretty naked as they fight, showcase tattooed bodies. And, let’s face it, tattoos on blokes are now pretty “trendy”.

Name a heavily tattooed woman? You probably can’t. The first one that comes to my mind (excluding actual tattoo artists) is Jodie Marsh, and she’s not exactly someone to aspire to based on her past (can you say judgemental?!). Yes there are women who have tattoos (Angelina Jolie, for example) but not many of them, and certainly none with much coverage.

Maybe part of it comes down to clothing differences between genders. If a man is going to an event, or to work, where he may not want to show his tattoos for whatever reason, then he can easily cover up in a long sleeved shirt and trousers. If a woman is going to an event then it’s much more difficult. And while I have blogged before about my own appreciation of a glamorous woman with tattoos on show, I can’t say I would dress like that for a work function.

If I had a different life I would look different. I’d certainly like a half sleeve. I’d like finger tattoos. I’d like to look like any one of these cool ladies.

Tattooed woman

Tattooed women

Tattooed woman

But fear of judgement stops me in my current life. Because, despite equality and feminism and all the other great steps that womankind has supposedly made, I still believe that women with tattoos are judged negatively by many.

And that is why I think more women don’t get a lot of tattoos.

But to those that do? You’re awesome!

Tattooed glamour

Tattoos can, and do, get a bad rep. Potentially even more so on women. To judge a woman as a slut or stupid because she chooses to have ink on her body is ridiculous, but I have seen evidence of such accusations online. Recently a Facebook group called “Your Tattoos Make you a Horrible Mother” was received very badly – and rightly so. How physical appearance affects your ability to care and nurture is beyond me. Anyway, I digress.

One of the ways I love to see tattooed women is dressed up and glamorous. The contrast of the highly polished look with the edginess and often unexpectedness of inked skin is such a beguiling juxtaposition.

Although only temporary, Cara Delavigne embodied the look at the Met Gala this week.

Cara D

She’s received some criticism because they’re only temporary, but she does have real permanent tattoos as well so I think that’s perfectly fine. While I’m not a fan of hers, I do love that she’s strong willed enough to go down the permanent route, in spite of the fact her appearance is her job. It’s two fingers to convention, and doesn’t seem to have done her any harm. Plus, anyone who is promoting visible tattoos as completely ok is doing a good thing.

Here are some great images of glamorous ladies in all their inked glory.

Tattoo 1

Tattoo 3

Tattoo 4

Tattoo 6

Tatttoo 5

Tattoo retro 2

Tattoos obviously go with the territory when you’re a tattoo artist yourself.

Hannah Aitchison

Tattoo 2 Hannah Aitchison

Tattoo Hannah Aitchison

Kat von D

tattoo Kat Von D

Tattoo 2 Kat Von D

Megan Massacre

Tattoo megan massacre

Tattoo megan massacre 2

And of course the odd few celebs (using that term loosely when it comes to Jodie Marsh, obvs)

Generated by  IJG JPEG Library

Generated by IJG JPEG Library

Tattoo angelina jolie

Tattoo jodie marsh

And I adore these retro pin up styles

Tattooed retro Tattooed retro 2

Retro glamour is just cool full stop though – tattoos or not!

 

Treat for feet – Emjoi Micropedi

I’ve been meaning to buy a micropedi for ages in an attempt to get rid of the hard skin on my feet. I’ve tried lots of things in the past – foot files, ped eggs (like a cheese grater for your feet), hard skin remover cream and socks overnight, but nothing has been as effective as I would like. Towards the end of summer especially, after wearing flat heel revealing sandals they can be pretty awful, and painful too.

As I said, I’ve thought about buying one before. They’re not hugely expensive but I’ve usually frittered away my money on other stuff instead, like more shoes to squeeze my trotters into, and promptly forgotten.

Last week the husband asked what I was going to treat myself to with my redundancy payment. As there’s nothing I need (she says, having yet another pile of online shopping to return today), I proudly declared the same. Then I remembered the micropedi.

Hardly a wild and crazy frivolous purchase (as I am wont to do do) but hey ho,

Well, what can I say? Wild and frivolous it may not be; life changing it most certainly is. I don’t say that lightly, as generally these kind of gadgets tend to be all mouth/no trousers, but this really is ace. It’s so simple I can’t believe it’s never been done before (I mean as in eons ago, I know it’s been around for a while). It’s handily shaped like an electric razor.

20150408_084629 20150408_084649

With a replacable roller made out of a cross between pumice and coarse sandpaper that literally sands away the hard skin!

20150408_084758

It makes a rather satisfying noise on contact, a bit like a lightweight angle grinder, and you can see your skin coming off in powder format (sorry if TMI). You can feel the difference even from first use.

The micropedi comes with one replacement roller and a small brush for cleaning away “residue” (i.e. powdered skin).

20150408_084738

Changing the roller is easy; there’s a small clip at the side which you push up, and the roller just slides out.

20150408_084714 20150408_084707

I paid just £23.99 with free P&P via Amazon, although I notice it’s now down to £19.99, grrr. And you can buy 4 replacement rollers for around a tenner, although I don’t think these are official manufacturer ones, they’re about a tenner for 2 (I think I’m going to need these sooner rather than later, as I’ve already been using it on hubby’s feet, and am trying it out on my Mom later too – perhaps a new career is in the making – not! Working with people’s feet all day? Yuk!) Replacement rollers also come in extra coarse for those particularly hard to beat bits of skin. I might buy some of those too; I reckon with constant use I could drop a shoe size by summer….