Living Coral: the Pantone colour of the year for 2019

Outfits for Christmas and Link Up

Christmas is a brutal time for women. All the shopping - for food and presents, the wrapping, the sending of cards, the visiting of relatives, the cooking - mostly falls on our shoulders.  I escape relatively lightly in that I don't have a big family, and the main effort for me is preparing lunch on six for Boxing Day, which is of course the easiest day.

Staying warm and dry

Here I am wearing something I would never have bought a year or two ago:  a fur trimmed parka coat. Yes, I used to be very sniffy about coats that were padded, quilted or insulated.  Those, I felt, were best consigned to hill and mountain walks.  Instead, I always bought cashmere coats like this lilac number. 

Zircon: alternative birthstone for December

Tanzanite is the better known of the three December birthstones, but today we're going to explore the zircon, one of the oldest gemstones which is often confused with "cubic zirconia."

Mutton's Beauty Maestros 2018 and Link Up

Drum roll - here it is, my list of top beauty products for the year! I've chosen the products that work wonders for the over-45s and our skin and hair needs. These are all products I've used extensively and would buy again when they run out. So without further ado:

How to wear a summer skirt in winter

The most fashionable length for a skirt right now is midi, with anything short or knee-length looking a bit dated. This is good news for my camel midi skirt bought in summer, because with a few simple additions I can turn it into a skirt suitable for winter.

Can these tablets give you better skin? And Link Up

The best endorsement a blogger can give to a product is to actually buy it. I've just bought three months' supply of Imedeen Prime Renewal tablets, so that should tell you that I've been pleased with the improvement in my skin.

Sentence a Day: November including a spa visit, US trip and my birthday

Thurs Nov 1
Atrocious weather. Raining. Busy, long day at work.