Awful Sofas and Peeling Nails

I am well and truly married and I know that because my heart skips a beat with excitement every time I think about my decorating plans for my lounge. I've gone into nesting mode and this was unthinkable a few years ago!

Anyway, something that really hit me during a sofa shopping spree on Saturday was how many awful sofas exist. Go to Mulberry and the chances are that you'll like most of the handbags and want pretty much all of them. Go to a sofa shop and you'll probably spend most of your time looking round in amazement at how unstylish, uncomfortable and all round offensive most of the sofas are.

I was in one particularly awful shop and was struck that most of the sofas were quite plainly meant for the older generation. This is no offence to my Grandma or anything, but I know that a lot of older people are attracted to pale, floral designs and also need sofas with straight backs etc.

The other thing that struck me was the unbelievable amount of stairs in the place. I mean for a shop that is meant to be serving old people, what are they thinking?? I made the comment to my husband and we decided that by the time they had made it up all the stairs the customers were probably so knackered that they collapsed into a sofa, paid for it and then asked to be delivered home with it!!

By the end of the morning we were both knackered and stumbled into IKEA (my worst place in the world...it's a haven for arguing couples) and half-heartedly plonked ourselves on a half decent sofa and decided that we'd probably take it. (We're still undecided).

After all those drab colours and stairs I felt the need to inject some colour in my life and rushed to Carnaby Street for a manicure at Cowshed. I really like the vibe in the place. There's a communal table where you can wait, sip on tea and discuss your chosen nail colour (and other such things) with friends or strangers.

For the actual mani there's no sitting down. You lie back on an incredibly cosy bed and relax while having your hands pampered and preened.

For a while I've had problems with my thumb nails...they keep peeling! My manicurist said that there are two ways to deal with this problem. The first is regular buffing to smooth them and the second is regular applications of cuticle oil which strengthens them. (If only sofa shopping was so simple).

I opted for bright, neon pink polish which instantly made me feel summery and cheerful. (Until I chipped one of them on the way out).

If you're looking for a great cuticle oil then I highly recommend OPI Avoplex. My nails always grow beautifully when I use it.

If you're looking for a nice sofa then I can't recommend anything but email me and I'll tell you where NOT to get one!!