Power Dressing

 #StyleNotAgeChallenge

Dear friends. It was Emma's turn to choose this month's Style Not Age Challenge, and she went for Power Dressing.

Style Not Age is a challenge for five bloggers aged 45 upwards. Each month we tackle a prompt to style an outfit.

Tell Us About: Legacy

 

Dear friends. Welcome to this month's Tell Us About challenge, where 8 global bloggers interpret a prompt in their own way.

This time it's Legacy, chosen by Leslie from Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After.  It seems to have most of the group scratching their heads.

Autumn New Arrivals

& WowOnWednesday

 

Dear friends. Autumn - fall - has arrived in London. The trees aren't yet changing colour, but the temperature has fallen and the late summer heat has departed.

I'm ready for autumn, having made a few careful purchases. Today I'm wearing a new cashmere jumper with dark brown velvet trousers and rose gold boots. A lux and warm combo which will see me through many different types of event. 

I've looked at the various autumn trends  (I wrote about them here), and will embrace some of them, including red. But these days I'm less of a fashion victim. I prefer to seek out the colours which suit me, rather than look insipid or ill in the colours chosen by the retailers. This year they have gone big time on black, olive green and Barbie pink, three colours which do nothing for ne.

I found the cashmere jumper in the sale at Pure Collection. I love cashmere, nothing feels better, but I rarely pay full price. Instead I stalk certain pieces until they're reduced in price.

The brown velvet trousers are new at Robell. A pull-on style, the velvet fabric adds a bit of richness to whatever I'm wearing.

You've seen the rose gold boots many times before. I love them! This year I'm searching for a pair of yellow gold boots, with a small heel. The bag is a perfect flamingo pink - a warm toned pink. It's beautifully made, by Osprey, but cost just £35 on ebay. Finally the necklace echoes the tones of the jumper. It was bought from Etsy.

I'm using a different colour than normal on my eyelids, pink. I blended 2 tones from the gorgeous Hindrash Monochrome palette (Cult Beauty). Lipstick is English Rose by Max Factor.

Have you made any buys yet, boots or jumpers/sweaters? Or a coat?  Do let us know in the comments.

Join me and the gang tomorrow for the monthly Tell Us About Challenge.

Sharing this post with: Weekday Wear at Away from the Blue, #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Hello Monday at Sunshine and Books, Tell it to Me Tuesday at Perfectly Imperfect, Rena at Fine Whatever, Turning Heads Tuesday at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish,  Confident Twosday at I Do Declaire, Style with a Smile at Stylesplash, Curated by Jennifer (Wednesdays), Chic & Stylish at Mummabstylish, #SpreadTheKindness  and #Linkup on the Edge at Shelbee on the Edge,  Thursday Fashion Files at Doused in Pink, #Neverendingstyle at The Grey Brunette, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style,  Traffic Jam Weekend at Marsha in the Middle Senior Salon Pitstop at Esme Salon Crafty Creators at Life as a Leo Wife,  Unlimited Link Party at Grammy's Grid 

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NOW IT'S TIME TO ENJOY #WOWONWEDNESDAY

Wow On Wednesday is the weekly link-up that brings you posts from around the world on fashion, beauty, lifestyle and travel. 

Last Week's Fashion Favourite (Most Clicked)

Happy Birthday to Me With an Early Fall Look by Mireille of Chez Mireille

Favourite Lifestyle Post

How to Make Your Weight Loss Life a Lot Easier on Yourself by Wendy of The Inspired Eater 

Is This Mutton Featured Favourite

Giving Up Your Sparkle? by Marsha from Marsha in the Middle

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

A Feast of Reading: September Books

 

Dear friends. The autumn chill has not yet arrived in the UK but it's due any day. That will signal the blissful feeling of more reading to be done in the next few months, along with mugs of hot chocolate and a cosy throw.

There's a bumper crop of excellent reads this month:  two books get my highest accolade, five stars.

The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

Dear friends. Let me tell you, I was at 85% on the Kindle and still none the wiser about who was the murderer (or murderers). I found myself rationing the book because I didn't want to finish. Praise indeed for Ann Cleeves and her latest novel, The Raging Storm.

Today is my stop on the blog tour. 

Weight Struggle Update

 

& #WowOnWednesday

Dear friends.  You may wonder why I'm referring to my "weight struggle" but to me, staying slim and fit after years of being overweight is a daily battle similar to that faced by recovering alcoholics.

I've managed to shake off - somewhat - the counting calories mentality that I've had since I was 12, but I still fret if I "over eat", afraid that at any moment my self control might go, and I'll pile the weight back on.

11 Fast Ways to Update Your Look

 & WowOnWednesday

Dear friends. It's a new season and the shops are trying to tempt us with their new autumn and winter collections. What are the most easy to wear trends, and which are the ones we probably already have in our closets?

Ballet, Bikes, Sunflowers: Life in August {2023}

 #WhatsBeenOnYourCalendar

Dear friends.  Welcome to the first day of meterological autumn (fall). And just like that, summer was over. We usually get some good weather in September and October, so here's hoping. 

At the start of summer I had a list of walks to do and places to visit, but it was just wasn't sunny enough for the seaside places.  Enough of the weather.  I'm sticking to the paragraph per day format which you seemed to like last month. 

Tues 1 August

Did bike ride 26 miles, v hilly, around Essex to the White Water Centre. Saw teams training for the new kayak discipline. Cloudy. Had roast chicken.  

Weds 2 August

Rained nearly all day. Cleaned bathroom,  washed conservatory floor, changed bed. Watched Mark Cavendish documentary film. Caesar salad.

Thurs 3 August

Cloudy. Did urban walk to drop off a card and DHL parcel.  Ordered new tablet, Samsung S9. I get the 12 in version as I use it mainly to watch TV when J is watching something ghastly.  Pilates.  Mac cheese.

Fri 4 Aug

Cloudy. Won £300 on premium bonds. Invited to join Bluesky. Did cycle ride, 17 miles,  Olympic Park.  New tablet came. It's so simple nowadays to transfer everything from one tablet to another. Got DNA results for health & fitness. 

Sat 5 Aug

Did walk in Epping Forest, rainy, saw the runners in an Orions race. Went to the Royal Opera House with Oxana to see the Australian Ballet in Jewels. Had to rethink outfit because of the rain. She spotted a famous Russian Bolshoi Ballet dancer, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, in the audience and we had our picture taken with him. 

We had dinner before the performance in the Balconies restaurant, high above the bar.  A lovely experience. We were there early, before the crowds. 

Sun 6 Aug

Went by bus to M&S South Woodford to get a chicken to roast for lunch. Bus and tube travel is free for me in London as an over 60. 

Mon 7 Aug

36 mile bike ride, it was hard work on the way back. Wrote 2 blog posts.

Tues 8 Aug

Rainy. Went to a Meetup at Royal Courts of Justice. There were 25 of us. The building was designed to look like a cathedral.  The architect never saw his vision fulfilled as he died before it was finished. Every day judges preside over hundreds of civil cases, and the public is welcome to attend many of them. We weren't supposed to take photos but I couldn't resist a couple. 

The "Bear Garden," not to be confused with beer garden, is where the opposing barristers meet each other to discuss cases. 

Weds 9 Aug

Bike ride, Lee Valley Country Park. Nice weather.  Weeded in afternoon.  A pendant I'd sent off to be mended came back, with no charge.  It was a birthday present last year and my favourite. 

Thurs 10 Aug

Daughter-in-law-went into hospital.  Third grand child born just after 11am with no problems. We're asked not to share details on social media.  A sunny day had been promised and it was indeed. Did forest walk instead of Pilates. Wrote a blog post.

Fri 11 Aug

Sunny after cloudy start. Walked to Pilates, no buses running. Then went to see the new grand child at home. The parents don't like mentions of the children on social media, which is a good idea. Photos are shared among family on an app called Back Then. I'm afraid that means no pics here. Fish n chips (home made).

Sat 12 August

Sunny intervals.  Did longest bike ride yet, 45 miles. Coffee at Moreton. Max heart rate 104 so not working v hard, but felt exhausted. We were battling against wind on the way out. 

Sun 13 August: Rest day. Roast lamb.

Mon 14 August

Mostly cloudy. Cycle ride to Lee Valley.  20 miles, cut short as J had puncture.  I'm watching the weather forecast for Saturday like a hawk  (it's my big Kettlewell event). It has changed from very hot and sunny to showers! Sent my old tablet to Samsung as part of the trade-in. Aching and tired. 

Tues 15 August

Sunny start. Bit depressed about blog stats, huge fall off after the turnaround in traffic a couple of months ago.  Google tells me there are lots of issues with CLS and INP.  (!). Asked Pipdig for help but they didn't deliver. The fixes online are extremely technical, aimed at software developers, which makes me frustrated that I can't improve things.

Went to garden centre for compost, also bought a pot with 3 plants in, to try to rescue "shed corner,"  and a tray of pansies. Harvested seeds from nigella.

Shed Corner looking a bit busier.

Weds 16 August 

Did a brisk forest walk before getting to Jodie's for noon to have my hair coloured and cut. As always she did a very good job. 

Thurs 17 August

Became sunny. Did 45 mile bike ride. Wind on the way, was gruelling.  Knees very sore, probably because I was wearing different shoe than usual.  Had bath to relax the sore muscles. Curry.

Fri 18 August 

Bit cloudy, rained am. Had been due to do a Meetup (Benfleet to Southend, via Leigh-on-Sea) but decided to do it in October instead.  I'm not keen on seaside walks in poor weather, ruins a joyful experience.  Seem to have lost my over-60s travel card, which is a pain. 

Sat 19 August 

My Kettlewell event in Hyde Park, which was scheduled back in March. Fortunately the weather was ideal, not too hot , light wind, no rain.  31 ladies attended and it was huge fun. I took this shot with the tripod and camera on timer and should have been in it, but a couple of ladies got cropped by the camera from each end, oops.  Two girls nearby asked me if we were from the Women's Institute!  

Sun 20 Aug

Watched the World Cup final.  I put some Cremant in the fridge to chill in case we were celebrating, but unfortunately the Lionesses lost. Had chicken. Finished a book blog post for tomorrow. Ordered replacement travel card.

Mon 21st August 

Sunny after 11. Cycle ride Lee Valley.  Wore new Sundried top. Roads quieter today.  My day on the Amanda Prowse All Good Things blog tour. She posted a lovely tweet on Twitter/X. It makes my day when authors engage with me. 

Tues 22nd August

Turned sunny pm. Did several outfits in a shoot and wrote the post. Heard Debussy L'apres midi d'un faun. Haven't heard it for ages. Booked a visit to the Courtauld Gallery with Oxana in September.

Wednesday 23rd

Did bike ride, sunny, one of the best yet, saw field of sunflowers (top and below).   Coffee in Abridge. 25 miles. 

Thurs 24th August

Drizzle and cloudy. Did some blog work and housework, then Pilates. 

Friday 25th August 

Sunny. Did a Meetup, Ruislip nature reserve and lido. Lots of fun. Went on the miniature railway.  Very tired, haven't been sleeping well this week. 

Sat 26th August

Sunny intervals in the morning, went on short (20 mile) bike ride to the Olympic Park. Rained with thunder in the afternoon.  Started clearing out hiking and summer clothes.  Have far too many and find it depressing, have nowhere to store it all. Took pics of my outfit for Style Not Age.  Felt a bit peculiar today. Stomach in spasms, although had same dinner as J. Very tired. 

Sunday 27th August

Feels cooler and more autumnal. Actually slept well. Did a walk in the forest with J. Saw the big herd of cattle, around 24. I got back in time to catch bus to South Woodford to get a few bits in M&S and Boots. Had roast chicken. 

Mon 28th August. 

Bank holiday. We did a bike ride to the Lee Valley Country Park (24 miles). I'm still suffering from exhaustion after what appeared to be a bug last week. Had no energy in the afternoon although I'd planned to weed the rose bed. Watched last episode of Wolf (BBC iPlayer). This was a very strange drama which grew on us. Didn't like the ending.

Tues 29th August

Still feeling a bit drained. Cloudy weather. Returned a Boden tulle skirt. Sadly although I love tulle skirts, they do me no favours. You  need a very small waist. Took a  bag to the charity shop. Started watching The Tower (ITV). Made chicken casserole. Finished book The Cold Case, very good. 

Weds 30th August

No Wednesday blog post today for the first time in years. Attempted to write one yesterday but had no energy to do the pics.  The sun came out late morning. Dropped off another bag at the charity shop and did a long walk in the forest, which was therapeutic. Was up to weeding the rose bed, which took two and a half hours. Such huge weeds! Unbelievable, particularly as I did it a few weeks ago.  Salmon fillets for dinner. Started a new book, a thriller called Geneva. 

Thurs 31 August

Missed the Blue Moon last night. In bed quite early. Cloudy start as usual. Did a long forest walk and saw just one cow, strangely. No sign of the others. 

Hope you enjoyed my August. What did you get up to?  Did the weather mean you did less, or did you carry on regardless? Do let us know in the comments.

Sharing this post with #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Rena at Fine Whatever, Talent Sharing Tuesdays at Scribbling Boomer, #SpreadTheKindness at Shelbee on the Edge,  #Neverendingstyle at The Grey Brunette, Final Friday at Marsha in the Middle, #FridayCoffeeShare at Natalie the Explorer, Senior Salon Pitstop at Esme Salon Traffic Jam Weekend at Is This Mutton 

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 #StyleNotAgeChallenge

Dear friends. Another month has sped by and it's time for the Style Not Age Challenge, where 5 style bloggers set each other a monthly prompt for an outfit.

This time it was set by Jacqui from Mummabstylish - Craving Crochet. 

Summer Wardrobe Successes

 & WowOnWednesday

Dear friends. I was recently updating some old blog posts and found a recurring theme - every day outfits, or what I've been wearing.  When I was working I used to be the first to arrive and I'd quickly take an outfit photo, usually in hideous lighting. 

It got me thinking about sharing my favourite outfits. Of course now that I'm retired I'm not reaching for work or Zoom outfits.  Life is more leisurely.

All Good Things by Amanda Prowse

 

Dear friends. I'm back with another Book Spotlight and this time the focus is on one of Britain's best loved authors, Amanda Prowse, above, with her published novels. Today is my stop on the blog tour. 

Books for August

 

Dear friends. August is a funny old time in book publishing. Hardly any books come out, with most publishers preferring to wait until September.  I have a bumper edition for September, but not so many this month! But there's excellent variety, ranging from a crime thriller set on Scafell Pike to life at Broadmoor a hundred years ago and a different look at George Orwell. 

Let's start with a corker of a crime thriller. 

Four for Friday

 And Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot

Dear friends. Hope you have something good lined up for the weekend. I'm off to a picnic in Hyde Park, organised many months ago. It looks as if the weather will be OK, although today we're expecting thunderstorms and rain.

Tell Us About...Imagination

 

Dear friends.  It's time for this month's Tell Us About challenge, and this time it was set by Suzy from The Grey Brunette. Imagination is the topic. 

When I was a child I was very imaginative. From a very young age I was writing stories and creating plays and comics. But over time, I fear I am less imaginative. It seems as if the left hand side of my brain has taken over, and while I'll never be able to master a spreadsheet  (and thankfully don't need to now!) I've become too organized and analytical to let my mind wander.

Threads, Bluesky or Elon's X?

 & #WowOnWednesday

Dear friends. Were you a user of Twitter when it launched in 2006? Are you exploring Threads? And have you heard of Bluesky?

It was the emergence of two new players in recent weeks, Threads from Meta and Bluesky from Jack Dorsey, that made me realise how much I love Twitter, or X, as it has now been named by its owner Elon Musk.

Four for Friday

 & Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot

Dear friends. Welcome to my new fortnightly post, Five for Friday, where I bring you five things I've enjoyed, read, watched, done. There's the opportunity to link up, along with Emma and Marsha, at Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot. 

FOUR THINGS: A NECKLACE, A TV DRAMA, A BOOK AND A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL

I was sad when the chain of my favourite pendant broke but the small business that made it, Eclectica, have mended it free of charge and even sent back my contribution towards postage. Thank you so much! You can find their lovely pieces at John Lewis. 

War Sailor (Netflix) is up there with Das Boot among the WW2 greats.  This three part mini series tells the story of how Norwegian merchant seamen were forced to stay at sea, or be considered deserters, once war broke out. They were tasked with helping the UK and its allies. Thousands of lives were lost, and Norway was badly bombed. I am ashamed to say I had no idea, and it will make the annual gift of a Christmas tree from Norway all the more poignant. 

I go through phases with reading, and after a spell of reading literary fiction I'm devouring twisty thrillers. It's not out for a while but I really enjoyed The Perfect Patient by Luana Lewis, which comes out on 28 September. Look out for my review next month. #

I'm on the new "Twitter" type platform, Bluesky, created by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. Have you heard of it? I'm also still on Twitter, now named X by Elon Musk, but I gave up on Threads pretty quickly. I'm writing about my impressions of the three channels next week. 

Sharing this post with Scribbling Boomer, #SpreadTheKindness at Shelbee on the Edge,  #Neverendingstyle at The Grey Brunette, Final Friday at Marsha in the Middle, #FridayCoffeeShare at Natalie the Explorer, Senior Salon Pitstop at Esme Salon 

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French Country Summer Tablescape by Thrifting Wonderland 

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August 10 on the 10th

 

Dear friends. A quick and fun post today answering 10 questions posed by Marsha in the Middle.  They're all about vacations, or holidays as we prefer in the UK. Here are the questions.  

1. Tell us about your favourite summer vacation, Now, tell us about a holiday gone wrong! 

My all-time favourite was in 2002, a singles' activity holiday on the island of Corfu. It was an unprepossessing start, there were just seven of us (three men and four women), but we bonded and had the most amazing time.

Here's the group, I'm wearing a blue t-shirt, fourth from the left. The lady at the front is the tour guide, Pauline, who was brilliant fun.

The holiday gone wrong was in 1999.  I got terrible food poisoning in Egypt. Anxious not to spend days in bed, I agreed to go on a tour the next day and got into difficulty on a day trip which involved a strenuous walk in extremely hot temperatures. I was still a bit dehydrated and could scarcely pull myself up the rocky hills.  A kind Israeli man with his family gave me water and took my hand to pull me along. 

2. Share an activity from your summers as a kid, but now you wouldn't even consider trying it.

I loved funfairs as a kid and teen and adored the fast rides and roller coasters. I experienced a roller coaster on a work outing a few years ago and kept my eyes shut, it was dreadful!

3. Is there something you love to wear in the summer, but would never wear in the winter months?

Shorts! Too cold. 

4. Spill the tea! Which summer beverage do you need to make it through the day? What beverage wouldn't grace your table ever during the summer?

I'm a bit boring because I don't have any special summer drinks. I mostly drink fizzy water. There are a couple of alcoholic drinks which are only ever consumed in the summer: Pimms no 1, and rose wine. 

5. When you were a kid, was there something you did that kids today would think was a complete waste of time? Is there something kids do today you find a lost cause?

Lots of things: building dens, picking blackberries, skipping, writing and performing in plays, creating scrapbooks full of pictures of holidays and pop stars.   Do kids do any of those things nowadays?  They always seem glued to screens.

6. Share a summer movie you watch as often as you can. What summer movie do you wish had never been made?

The only film I associate with summer is Saturday Night Fever. I've only seen it a couple of times.  It probably counts as the one I wish had never been made, although I like the music. I couldn't understand why women swooned over John Travolta! 

7. Tell us about your current  favourite summer song. Now tell us about a song that instantly takes you back to your childhood.

I'm wracking my brains but I don't have any current favourites. As my grand children are aged 4 and under, I'm not exposed much to "modern" music  (we mostly listen to classical and 70s/80s). A song that instantly takes me back is Maggie May, Rod Stewart. 

8. Time to spill the tea again! Are you a bikini type person? Or do you only dip your toe in the waters in a one piece?

I wore a bikini in my teens and then not again until I was 43! I stopped wearing bikinis this year and had a couple of one piece swimsuits. I felt a lot more relaxed, and happy, knowing my stomach was covered.

9. Share a favourite summer recipe you like to fix over and over again. Now, what recipe did you attempt one summer and will never attempt again?

I'd say it's Tuna Niçoise, a salad which is simple to prepare but very tasty. The recipe I attempted and will not make again, is my own taramasalata.  It was delicious but very time consuming as I had to order cod roe and then wrestle with skinning it, as it's quite tough.  It was no better than a supermarket version.

10. What is your absolute favourite summer smell? What summer smell makes you want to vomit?

Coconut fragranced sun lotions like Hawaiian Tropic were my favourite, although nowadays sun creams don't seem to have a scent. Here's an ad from the 70s. We used to buy the one with the lowest SPF! 

The smell that I detest is the sweet vanilla that young girls wear as perfume. So sickly. 

Fun set of questions Marsha.  If any of my answers strike a chord, or jog a memory, let us know in the comments.

See you tomorrow, Friday, for Traffic Jam Weekend Reboot.

Sharing this post with #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Rena at Fine Whatever, Hello Monday at Sunshine and Books,Talent Sharing Tuesdays at Scribbling Boomer, Final Friday at Marsha in the Middle, Senior Salon Pitstop at Esme Salon, Weekend Traffic Jam at is This Mutton, Unlimited Link Party at Grammy's Grid

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