How terribly sad to wake up to the news from Nice this morning. Another city. Another terrorist atrocity. Innocent lives wasted. And so close to home. We have family in France and are regular travellers to the country. Someone I know had just left Nice to fly home, too close for comfort.
But as important as it is to remember these lives lost and offer Nice our support, I felt saddened by the immediate outpouring and news coverage for France when only a few weeks ago it was Istanbul Airport in Turkey, but it was all but ignored in the media and on social media. A country I had only just recently visited and a second home to my sister who spent a few years living there. Why did Turkey not receive the attention that France, Paris, Nice and Brussels etc. received? And there are many other destinations all around the world suffering at the hands of terrorists almost daily. Just because it is France or the USA does not mean those lives are any less important than any other life. Please do not stop going to any of these locations on holiday, don’t let these evil people win. Normal life must go on. But ‘Pray for the World’ not just one country. Michelle x
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I’ve been feeling a bit low. A bit overwhelmed again. Certainly fed up with the weather. But today I got up and thought right, log off social media for a while and catch up. Get that ‘to do’ list sorted and get on top of it all. My daughter has been off sick from school, nothing major. I’m worried about my son and his health right now (he’s 18; he needs to eat better and rest more). My husband had a few days away so I was dealing with them by myself. The house should have been quieter but that didn’t quite work out. So one of the things I started looking at today was my 50th birthday celebrations! It is 6 months until the day – 15th December 2016. I was born the year England won the World Cup so I am enjoying the nostalgia when that is discussed on the radio, the music and the memories. I am not actually that sure what I want to do. I don’t do big parties. I would like to get to New York soon but I don’t think it will quite work out immediately as my daughter is starting her important final GCSE year and she’d really like to come with us so that might be on hold until she starts in Sixth Form. I’d like to do NY but also spend longer in the USA, maybe New England area?
My dad had a great idea! Him and mum want to take me and the family for Afternoon Tea at Harrods. Now I have a long family connection to Harrods. My family worked there, I had my first hair cut there, my pram came from there (and most of my nursery furniture, beautiful matching clothes, toys … and as I grew up I would go to the Harrodian Club Children’s Parties and then later on to the Dinner & Dances at the club in Barnes. We used to have summer days out swimming in the pool or watching my grandfather and uncle play bowls. But all that was 40+ years ago and my wonderful grandfather has long left us (I still miss Little Grandad), and I love the fact that my daughter has become known as Little Em. Anyway, I am delighted with this idea and very much looking forward to it. I have an idea for a perfect 50th birthday gift that I can buy in Harrods (hint … handbags)!! I will definitely want to see my two younger sisters and their families so I am hoping we can organise a family meal all together. But I think on the actual day and evening of my birthday, I would love to have some time out with my husband and an evening meal at one of the fabulous eateries around the Marlow area. We have Bray not far away so maybe The Hinds Head or Caldesi in Campagna? So as the reason I started my blog was to share my journey to being Fifty & Fab, I thought I’d share my celebrating ideas with you. I know I definitely want to be healthier, fitter and leaner and I have plans to buy some fabulous outfits in which to celebrate. Love Michelle xx I’m nearly 50 and I have hardly ever done this! First time was two years ago and we went to the Forest of Dean. We loved it so much we decided to do something similar again this year. I found a log cabin again, this time in Herefordshire, also with a hot tub and we went Friday to Monday. Our children are older now and it is easier to leave them than it used to be.
It is so refreshing for the soul to be away from it all. To escape from everyday life and spend time with my lovely girlfriends, mum’s like me who understand the day to day pressures of running a home and family. We all look after each other for the weekend, share the cooking and the tidying up, have long lazy lunches and time to chat and share our worries and hopes. It seemed a lot longer than 3 nights. We stayed at Oasis Lodges and it was definitely just that, a little oasis away from our busy lives. The weather was perfect considering just how bad this summer has been so far. We were celebrating the first of our 50th birthdays! We have known each other since working together nearly 28 years ago and have stayed in touch through boyfriends, heartache, marriages, divorces, marriages again, children, illness and worries about ageing parents ….! We spent lots of time in the hot tub or relaxing outside the log cabin, where there was a gorgeous natural pool. We did a bit of shopping in nearby Ledbury. We went for a walk around the lake at Eastnor Castle and we found two beautiful pubs, dinner on Saturday night as at The Oak Inn at Staplow and then lunch on Sunday was at The Inn at Welland. I think the photo’s sum up the weekend without me needing to go into detail. I hope they give you a little flavour of the fun we had. If you’ve never done it before, do it! We are already planning next year. Michelle xx These are the four words that summarised my goals when I thought about it earlier this week. This is where The Body Coach SSS Plan is taking me. I thought I’d update you on where I am now.
I’m over half way through Cycle 2. This is the carb cycle, lots of lovely delicious meals, lots of heavy weight exercise! I’m building lean muscle and my body needs the carbs to repair itself. On a training day I get to eat things like chicken sausages in a bagel with mushrooms, onions and spinach. It’s delicious! A lot of my fellow-leanies complain about the carb bloat but that has not really happened to me. I am more tired on this cycle than I was in Cycle 1. I think it is a lot to do with the weights exercises I am doing, some of them are pretty challenging especially legs day. But my skin is still great, I feel well, I feel leaner. To begin with I struggled with the pick n mix element of the food in Cycle 2 but I have got my head around it now and I’m sailing along. It gives me more freedom when planning meals for the family too. It is no longer about weight loss. I could end up weighing more but will be lean – I will have replaced fat with muscle and muscle takes up less space in my body. I’m happy with that thank you – fat be gone! I met a friend for coffee and a wander in the shops last week and bought a shift dress in The White Company. First time I have bought this shape for a very long time. I’m sticking to the plan pretty well. I have no cravings – no not even chocolate or alcohol. Yes I have had the odd glass of prosecco on social occasions but I no longer reach for the wine when I feel stressed. Michelle x |
Michelle ...Welcome to Fifty & Fab, a lifestyle blog to inspire you. I am a blogger with a passion for writing about health, menopause, fitness, beauty and style with a focus on the over 50's. Categories
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Hi, I’m Michelle and my blog Fifty & Fab is all about my journey into and through my 50s. I started this blog in 2016 with the purpose of helping other women at this stage of life. I’m delighted that my blog has grown to over 13k visitors per month. Visit my Work with Me page and request my Media Kit for details of product reviews, blogging services and social media content creation.
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April 2024
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