Staying Fab When It's Drab - Vix's Tips For Surviving Autumn

It's not a secret that I'm no fan of Autumn.

Hot chocolate turns my stomach, wool itches, berry tones makes me look like shite and tweed makes me feel about as sexy as Miss Marple and don't get me started on the incessant drizzle and endless gloom, cancelled car boot sales, dark mornings and the annual house invasion of bastard massive spiders.

Jon treated me to this kitschy piece of madness yesterday, I can moan about the weather all year round.

Here's my tips for surviving Autumn when you're a beach babe at heart.

  

Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. It warms you up, focuses your mind and makes you feel a hell of a lot better about yourself. No excuses about ailments, lack of time or money, you're only kidding yourself. Get on with it. 

Embrace the fake tan. Why be pale & interesting when you can be bronzed & interesting? You don't have to turn yourself into an Oompa Lumpah or a Page Three Stunna. Slap it on once a week and you'll feel like a goddess. Honest. St Moriz is my brand of choice and a bottle usually lasts me a year. (Not a sponsored post - I may be cheap but even I can stretch to £2.99).

Eat well. Don't stuff your face with processed crap. Get down the market, forage your garden or go scrumping for seasonal veg & fresh herbs and cook yourself something delicious.

We've had roasted onion soup for lunch.

• Drizzle 80ml (veg, sunflower or olive) oil over 6 large, unpeeled, white onions, two whole bulbs of garlic, a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary and fresh thyme and cook for 45 minutes at 180 degrees (or until the innards go squishy). 
• Discard the herbs and leave the veg to cool.
• Halve the onions and garlic, squeezing contents into a large pan (it doesn't have to be a vintage pot but its all I had!)
• Add 2 litres of veg stock and liquidise until smooth.
• Gently reheat, season to taste and enjoy.

1970s Berketex cotton maxi (the very lovely & elusive Lucy), Customised 1960s green leather jacket (£5, Rastafarian homeless charity), pink and rhinestone trimmed hair flower (my fabulous mate, Kerry) and a heap of junk jewellery

Despite what the fashion magazines and sponsored bloggers may tell you, there's no reason on earth why you can't continue wearing neon make-up, colourful summer clothes and clip flowers in your hair just because it's October. It's nothing but a ploy to make you spend money. There's always thermal underwear, jackets....

....and Bitch socks.
(Boy, London still in the packet and 50p from Cancer UK)

Still grumpy and cold? If all else fails, do what I do, stick your coat on and search for the cheapest flight out of here.

See you soon.

Linking to Judith's Hat Attack and Spy Girl's Texture Mixture.