And out again!

Joy! It seems almost miraculous that after three years of battling this skin problem I was so much less troubled by my medicine-as-foundation makeup regime last week. Yes, I was sore for a couple of days after my ten hours in makeup last Saturday, but nothing like the swelling and the cracked and weeping skin and other horrors that I have experienced before.

So I thought I'd try it again and duly used the same makeup and medicine combination and went out again, this time to Oxford Street to shop. I particularly wanted some Mac powder to match the Studio Tech foundation I am using, which I duly found after discussion with a staff member there. I also went to Marks & Spencer, H&M, Boots and Debenhams. What a joy to be shopping again.

After that Richard, a very old friend of mine, took me to dinner at Sofra Turkish Restaurant in St Christopher's Place, a quiet haven just behind the bustle of Oxford Street. And the food was excellent. Better still is that Richard insisted on paying for me. What a gentleman!

Despite the crowds, the train problems, the chaos at Mac in Selfridges, the boots that pinched, there is nothing on earth more wonderful then being a woman. "What can I get you, Madam?" ... "This lady was next" ... "Is it 'Mrs' or 'Ms' Richmond?". This is music to my ears after 3 long years absence. I am hoping this new regime will let me get out at least at weekends. Let's see. Fingers crossed.

And thank you all you many many girls who have wished me well, prayed, said magic words, given advice and generally kept me going through this. My problem is not gone, but it may be manageable now. I will report in due course on what my face does this time.

Outside Sofra, a very good Turkish restaurant away from the bustle of Oxford St