How I managed to reach my early forties – being well accustomed to grey summer days AND having grown up in Essex – without ever having had a spray tan is beyond me! Yet, until a couple of weeks ago this was to be true. I had my first fake bake with Marcella from South London Spray Tans and the results were amazing. I got stopped in Sainsbury’s to ask whether I’d been anywhere nice on my hols, and other parents at the school gate complimented me on my post half-term glow…
Ok, so it was a bit (a lot) cringy having to stand in a spray tent that had been set-up in a friend’s spare bedroom on Underhill Road – with the top half of my knickers tucked under my spare tyre – but well worth it just for the multitude of sins a tan can hide! I even felt a few pounds lighter and did not have to avoid a single carb.
Although, maybe I should have… Despite reaching week 5 of the Couch to 5k plan, running around Dulwich Park on a belly full of chips set my fitness dial right back down to couch potato. At this rate, I should be ready for the parkrun in about 4-years time.
I took my new tan out to a friend’s birthday dinner at the French Café Bistro, which is now available for private hire in the evenings. They created a set menu for us and at £25 for 3-courses and a glass of wine, I thought was very reasonably priced.
It was also good to go somewhere different for a change, as I don’t often stray far from trusty old favourites such as Si Mangia, Toasted and The Palmerston.
Keeping with the theme of new things, the Dulwich Village Farmers’ Market opened at Dulwich Church of England Infants’ School and will be running every Saturday from 10-2pm. Expect local, seasonal food from a wonderful group of farmers, fishermen, bakers, plant and flower growers, cheese makers, pie makers and more.
If June was the month for all things new, then July certainly looks to be the month of returning.
The East Dulwich Literary Festival is back from 4th-8th July. The theme for 2016 is Growing Up, with many of the scheduled events focusing on childhood, adolescence and old age.
It’s also the season for school summer fairs; my top picks are Goose Green School Summer Carnival on 2nd July and Fairlawn’s Rio Carnival Summer Fair on 9th July.
South London’s finest live party band, The Hit Men, are also back at Aquarius Golf Club on the last Friday of every month. The music is fab, but it would be worth going for the stunning views alone!
And, with the end of another school year on the horizon and a long summer holiday ahead, I shall certainly be returning to Marcella for a top-up.
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This article first appeared in the June 2016 issue of SE22 magazine.