Fun and laughter in Marrakech

Oh, what a fun and laughter-filled few days away with the girls. We went to Marrakech and even had sunshine to bathe in! What a treat.

Our riad was perfect. It was so welcoming and traditional. When we found sun beds and hats on the roof terrace, we were well away. I became “Miss March” (my birthday month) of the Calendar Girls!

It was certainly a heady assault on the senses in the souks, with incense and spices pervading the air and a seemingly magnified kaleidoscope of colour and texture wherever we looked. I felt less nervous this time than when Dan and I went, perhaps it was the safety in numbers?

Or maybe because we had a French teacher in our midst. She assisted our bartering in the souks, resulting in some magnificent loot, including a Moroccan tagine that was miraculously unbroken on the journey home and leather bags which were a total bargain. We had a guy running after us down the market to applaud the bartering abilities Kate had displayed.

We also had the most hilarious Hammam experience. I honestly don’t think I’ve laughed as much in forever – until we cried, in fact! It will be wholly lost in translation, but here’s a brief synopsis (as I’d hate to leave you out)…

So, four out of the seven of us went in the Hammam first where we were washed, scrubbed and rinsed within an inch of our lives. At one point, I was desperately thinking at what moment do I shout ‘STOP’, as my shins surely cannot have any more skin left on them…! They did by the way, and blimey I’ve never been as soft and silky with a lovely colour achieved (protected by Ultrasun, of course), so it was well worth the intense exfoliation (she says now!).

I was mid-way through, when suddenly Kate was stripped of her ‘everything’s’… in such a flash! She startled, stood an inch taller and mouthed the word ‘NAKED’ at me with wide eyes. I’d barely registered all this when – boom – ‘twas my turn!

It was honestly so funny. We were slipping around on the marble slabs like sardines and certainly now know one another a whole heap more! We couldn’t contain ourselves as we sat drinking mint tea afterwards, knowing the other three were going through the same process…

We experienced the culture, saw the sights and took the photos, and whilst they say a picture speaks 1000 words, the essence simply cannot be captured in a photograph. I would highly recommend you experience it for yourselves. (Plus, some of my photos are just not suitable! As I’m sure you can imagine)…

I have now arrived home and straight away ordered a Manta hairbrush for two of the girls. I was honestly horrified when I saw Kate using a metal comb – yes, metal – with broken teeth to comb her hair… argggghhhh! It’s a NO! You know me, it’s all about nurturing the locks.

They were in awe of my Dyson Airwrap, so I did their hair with it super speedily and it looked gorgeous. We discussed the price and I suggested that if any of them were interested, they should use the current four Easy Pay Interest-Free Instalment offer to enable them to trial it for a month. If they find that they don’t use it enough or love it enough, they can simply send it back! I can also tell you the same thing for the Dyson Supersonic!

Considering we do wear our hair all the time, you will surely want to keep it once you see the difference after using it.

Talking of hair (now there’s a surprise!) I listened to Inside QVC, the fabulous podcast hosted by Will Gowing. This week, the guest will be Paul Percival from Percy & Reed. He is so interesting and such a lovely guy. Will really does ask some fabulous questions to draw-out his guests.

I believe next week will be a montage of some fabulous inspirational women who have previously been on the podcast, which will include the fabulous Ali Keenan, a recommended listen for sure.

I shall be on air on Friday with Paul, as we shall be bringing the fabulous Percy & Reed hair collection made with the limited edition fragrance ‘Eau My Goodness‘ as this Friday’s Today’s Special Value, created especially for QVC. But it’s on pre-sell NOW!

The collection consists of three styling products alongside the top selling Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Shampoo and Conditioner at a super price, of course. Can you imagine if I asked Paul to do Fearne Cotton’s latest haircut, which he did for her, on me… live on air. Sorely tempted.

In fact, I do have a photo of it in my ‘hair mood board’ on my phone, which I was pleased to hear Paul highly recommends to do ahead of a visit to a stylist, to ensure the whole picture can be achieved. He says his job is a joy, as it’s all about making people happy!

Actually, I have been approached to possibly speak at a big event this summer focused on happiness. It’s a scary prospect, as whilst I speak for a living to talk about Tom, my son is a whole different kind of thing and something I’ve only done once before. We shall see…

Talking of spreading a little bit of happy, I’ve ordered a Kim & Co jumpsuit for Hayley as a thank you following our trip away, as she was our chief organiser. We were so grateful for her brilliance.

The reason for the jumpsuit is because it turns out she borrows one from a friend who had told her to show it to me. Well, I sooooo wish I’d been filming her, because she LOVES it! The flattering fit, the waistband, the drape… you name, she was telling me! It was like listening to myself on air. So I decided, no more borrowing – she should have her own!

There are so many choices of colours and prints but I ordered the same black one that she was borrowing, as I know she loves it. I shall be sending her a link to our website because I’m sure she’ll be hooked and want more.

Don’t forget our website is full of fabulous offers and with the excitement of an extra day this Leap Year! Happy Birthday to Nik and Rich, the two Leap Year babies that I know!

Right, I must go as I need to be speedy, due to having written this yesterday and managing to delete it ahead of sending it over to my copywriter… yup, I know!!!

The sun is out, so it should be a marvelous day. I’ll see you on air a little later and on Friday morning. Have a super week.

Much love,
Claire xxx