Sunday brunch is not complete without a delicious Bloody Mary to satisfy the taste buds. The Brown Dog pub in Barnes stirs up the best Bloody Mary I’ve had this year. Find The Brown Dog in Barnes at 28 Cross Street, Barnes SW13 0AP.

For my big sister’s 31st birthday lunch the whole family (plus Cassie our lovely staffy) decided to feast at The Brown Dog in Barnes. Cassie made friends with the pub dog under our table, while we all tucked in to lovely pints of Guinness, pies, seabass, chocolate cake…the works! It’s a cosy gastro pub with wonderful staff and a spacious beer garden. The perfect way to spend a Sunday.

Recently I decided to talk openly about having Dyspraxia. One of my best friends is dyspraxic, and although we have always both known we are dyspraxic we had never thoroughly discussed it. A few weeks ago I asked how she was doing, we compared experiences, tips and talked all things dyspraxia for hours and wow it really felt like a relief. For years I had ignored it. Only ever cursing myself for being dyspraxic when I would have horribly disorganised moments. Now that I am being more conscious about my mental health I try to tell myself to relax a little when I find myself taking friends’ jokes literally. Relax, breathe, it was not meant as pure insult. Being the youngest I do find myself as the butt of jokes quite a bit, “silly Weez”, etc. That’s fine I know it’s not meant as insult, I know they think I am slightly “out there” due to the classic “thinking outside of the box” dyspraxic train of thought. That’s ok, it takes me a few seconds to reassure myself, but then I laugh with them because yes I know my random ways can be funny. It’s when people I don’t know so well join in, or perhaps a better way of putting it is – people who I don’t communicate enough with to know that they actually mean their laughter in a loving way. I take everything literally and absolutely everything to heart. After meeting up with best friends for drinks and catch ups at which we’ve spent hours laughing, I find myself sending apologetic text messages. I spend the next few hours going through most of what we spoke about in my head and judging every word I remember saying. I judge myself on how others see me constantly. I take every word of what my friends and family say to heart, everything is taken literally. Things I know that I should laugh off I find myself mulling over for hours and feeling that horrible physical ache you get when you have your heart broken. When talking to friends I try to read their emotions. I find conversations quite hard if I can’t read their “vibe”, I find myself listening to people talk but not quite understanding what they mean. If somebody behaves in a nasty way towards me, I feel sadness and confusion instead of instant anger. I spend hours trying to work out why people behave in the ways they do. I wish I didn’t. I really wish I could be apathetic in social situations.

When I am trying to describe something or explain something to a friend, I find myself repeating what I am saying over and over again. It’s boring, and of course people get bored and speak over me, then I feel guilty that I actually spoke in the first place. This is really not great for the self-esteem. In groups of people I find it hard to know my place. If several people are talking at once I loose concentration and give up on this social situation. There are periods when a strange heavy feeling of guilt takes over my mind and I walk around feeling like I’ve done something terrible, tiptoeing around everyone, feeling like it is safer to stay on my own for as much time as possible over these periods. Recently in one of these periods I caught up with my dyspraxic friend who told me she also got these feelings. It felt really, really amazing to be able to talk and hear about someone with the same experiences. It made me feel sane.

To conquer disorganisation, list making makes me feel mentally tidier, in control and confident. Minimalism and things being tidy make me feel relaxed, however I am far from a minimalist! Haha. My balance and coordination is amazingly off point. I wobble in to walls and fall off steps frequently.

My dyspraxic friend recommended me a forum for dyspraxic adults. Ever since I started using this forum life has become a little bit easier. If you want to join the forum please visit: http://www.dyspraxicadults.org.uk/forums/

I MEGA love these shoes. It feels like I am bouncing along in my slippers and I love the extra height. The Adidas Superstar Rize is a flatform version of the classic Adidas Superstar trainer. I prefer it to the original style as it’s an updated look and gives me an inch or two extra in height.

A pop of colour on the lip is always a good idea through the festive season. Whether you’re scoffing sufganiyot at a Hunnakah party, or sipping champagne at a Christmas bash, do it with a slick of red lippy.

I have tried lots of red lipsticks this year, and I have finally discovered my favourite – Read My Lips by Teeez Cosmetics. I found MAC to be drying, Rimmel to fade too quickly and Barry M to smudge too easily. Read My Lips by Teeez Cosmetics is easy to apply as it has a sharp curved edged. I applied it at 8am and by lunchtime – 1 snack and 3 cups of tea later – it is still in full swing.

Treat yourself here: http://www.teeezcosmetics.com/read-my-lips-lipstick.html

Do you like gin? I do.

Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace in Walthamstow is one to visit when you fancy a glass of something delish.

I had a plum brandy, which tasted like – what I imagine – fairies drink. It was delicately sweet, with just the right amount of fruitiness. What also made me fall in love with it was the colour – a very gentle plum pink. Divine!

Next door to Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace in Walthamstow is God’s Own Junkyard.

God’s Own Junkyard is a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon browsing. There is now a cafe called The Rolling Scones at the back of it too, so you can refuel once taking in all the fab light art. God’s Own Junkyard is filled with vintage neon signs and art. Chris Bracey’s family still produces neon art.

Visit what we call “Tiny House” on Wood Street in Wathamstow

I dont actually know if it’s someones house or a lock-up or what, however it’s a small scale “Tiny House” which is awesome for a spur of the moment photo, comme ça…

The Nuxe 24 hour soothing and rehydrating fresh mask was behind the first door of my YOU Beauty Discovery advent calendar yesterday. What a great beauty product to find as the weather has just become incredibly cold. It’s time to focus on hydrating and moisturising the skin over the next four months. This is a good allrounder as it’s perfect for all skin types.

Firstly I soaked my face in warm water, then thoroughly exfoliated. I then applied the Nuxe rehydrating face mask and left for ten minutes. After washing the mask off I noticed an almost instant softness to my skin.

This morning my skin looked fresh and hydrated. I will continue to use and recommend this product. Buy yours here: https://uk.nuxe.com/creme-fraiche-de-beaute/creme-fraiche-de-beaute-mask-fresh-moisturising-and-soothing-for-24hrs-intensive-moisture-de-stresses-tube-50-ml-en-345

Have you tried the Nuxe rehydrating face mask?

Lulu Williams Blogger Beauty Reviews Nuxe Creme Fraiche Rehydrating Hydrating Moisturising Blog www.LuluWilliams.com London