Pooped


After last week's little wobble I spent a few days picking myself up, dusting myself off and throwing myself into anything and everything. Considering it's Tuesday and I'm shattered, cranky and hankering for my duvet reminds me to know my limits. Having navigated the flood of email invitations to 'catch up' before I move, blogging, Twitter, Facebook et al haven't had much of a look-in. I'm starting to regain my focus and energy though, and am looking forward to refocusing my blog as I upend my life and move up north.

I love that moment in Autumn when the clocks go back and you finally concede that it's time for the winter duvet. Fifteen togs of fluffy soft feathers and crisp white sheets have given me a stark reminder of the need to snuggle down and relax. When I handed in my notice at work I think I allowed myself to get sucked into the merry-go-round of send-offs (still with seven weeks to go) and I burnt myself out far too quickly. In fact, I saw friends for six nights out of the last eight - it's no wonder I'm ready to shift my priorities back to being healthy, calm and collected.

With all that aside, my days haven't been without a good dose of fun. A couple of Sundays ago I took my lovely colleague Mark to Fountain Studios to watch X Factor, courtesy of Mecca Bingo. I couldn't think of anyone who would enjoy it more (his biggest loves include One Direction, Christmas and superheroes), and sure enough we were both wide-eyed and a little bit squeally throughout the whole experience. We were whisked up to a VIP room where we were greeted with platters of yummy food (Mark ate no less than 6 French fancies - ick). We then made our way into the studio and up to our seats. Without boring you with endless musings about our evening, I thought I'd round up the experience in a few bullets:
  • It really is as glittery/shiny/sparkly as it is on TV. Magpies beware!
  • The studio is actually a lot smaller than you'd expect. In my head it would fit thousands but it's quite compact.
  • The whole thing is a very slick operation, and the studio springs to life during the adverts when roadies rush around the stage setting up props and backdrops. All very impressive.
  • Dermot is a narrative god. Never stumbles, never falters, just gets on with the job.
  • A 'warm up' guy gets everyone going and prepped before the show. I thought he was pretty good until he made an extremely offensive comment about the size of one lady's breasts (she'd been given the chance to come up and hug Simon Cowell during the break).
  • The two girls who left (Chloe Jasmine and Stephanie Nala) didn't seem at all bothered about being eliminated.
  • The hospitality was fantastic. Everyone had lots of fun and I'd go again in a heartbeat.








The absolute highlight for me happened as we were leaving. Mark and I decided to scoot off home and were walking down the stairs when we stumbled upon none other than Andrea Faustini (my absolute fave in the competition). There was time for a quick chat and a cuddle before leaving, and Mark dutifully took a photo. It's not often that I fangirl over people (and my adoration for James Arthur a couple of years ago was admittedly somewhat misplaced), but Andrea was an absolute sweetheart. Just look at that hug - no awkward, stiff poses to be found. Love him.



Follow me on bloglovin' | twitter | instagram | pinterest | facebook This site contains links to outside sources including paid affiliates. Queenie and the Dew is not responsible for the content of any third party website.
  • Love
  • Save
    3 loves
    Add a blog to Bloglovin’
    Enter the full blog address (e.g. https://www.fashionsquad.com)
    We're working on your request. This will take just a minute...