In October I went away on a Writer's Retreat and made some really lovely new friends, one of which was Becca who set up and runs a fabulous sustainable initiative called Tentshare, plus the retreat was held at a fantastic glamping site near Tintern in Wales. Hill Farm aims to incorporate as many sustainable practices as possible into their business - and it is often the simple things that make a big difference - I learnt it is possible to live in a more sustainable way without overthinking it all. From making sure food waste was separated and reused, without any plastic water bottles in sight, they use as many natural resources as possible, including a composting toilet and recycled toilet paper! Their use of second hand furniture and recycled materials was inspirational and rather than being too basic, it all just added to the charm and enjoyment of the experience. They aim to reduce their negative impact with using local foods, organic food where possible, fresh produce, and delicious vegetarian dishes! They have a recycling bin for everything and I soon got used to the many simple ways to be more mindful of our over consumption.
Of course it got me thinking about my everyday life and how I can make improvements. I really enjoyed chatting to Becca and learning easy tips for how I can improve my environmental footprint! So I asked Becca to share some her own sustainability tips in a guest post on my blog .... I hope you enjoy!
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Happy New Year! Today I am reflecting back over the last year ... it has been a bit of a tough one for everyone I think and I have had my personal challenges too but I feel like maybe I am beginning to get my sh*t together!
Blogging not only gives me a creative outlet, I love writing, it also allows me to do something for me and provides a personal history of the ups and downs of my life. I've been lucky in the last year or so to be able to work with some fantastic brands, both small and large, and learn new things, increase my knowledge and understanding and support others. Thank you so much for being here with me and taking the time to read my posts, comment or send me a message. Knowing my mutterings help and interest others is a real boost and makes the time I give to my blog even more worthwhile. Yesterday, New Year's Day, I was thinking about my goals for 2023 and although I don't believe in new year resolutions I do like to plan ahead and think about what I'd like to achieve, do more of or do less of, and one action that helps me is having a WORD of the year. Last year I wrote about finding perspective and balance, I felt I had lost sight of what was really important to me and I certainly referred back to my word when I had some quite dark periods during 2022! The worst time being when my HRT stopped working! This blog post contains affiliate links and links to previous sponsored or gifted posts. I have just turned 56! How on earth did that happen? I am sure the last time I looked I was only 25 ... but you know what, age really is only a number, and the important thing is that we embrace the life we have, live life to the full, celebrate every stage in our lives and be the best we can be. At 56 I find myself with an empty nest and new opportunities ahead of me. And so that poses the question, what next? It is an exciting time for all of us heading into our 50s, and onwards to 60 and beyond. As I have passed that half way mark, is now a good time to start planning the next phase and finding a new purpose?
A little bit about me ... a very quick and brief summary of my life so far! I was born at 4 minutes past midnight in a small maternity hospital near St Paul's Cray just outside Orpington. As a child it was always a family joke that if mum had pushed a little harder my birthday would have been a day earlier! We moved to Bearsted when I was 4 and then to Buckinghamshire when I was 14. I got married for the first time when I was 21 (way too young) and then divorced quite soon after ... I met my now husband when I was 23 but we didn't marry until much later on. I wanted to be a Nurse but a phobia of vomiting stopped me pursuing that dream, I worked as a Personal Assistant for many corporate organisations (including pharmaceuticals) until I had my son at 31. I've not worked outside of the home since but I am a Director of mine and my husbands business and I taught myself bookkeeping but more recently I have loved building and developing my blog. But most importantly I have two adult children I am incredibly proud of and I have loved being a stay at home mum. But how about this empty nest and finding my new purpose in midlife? I think my children will always need me so I have no intention of stepping back from my first love, being a mum but it is exciting to have an opportunity for some me time! This blog post is sponsored by Ourtime. Collaborative Post | If you are over 50 years old and want to protect your family’s future, you should probably consider taking out a form of life insurance. Doing so should mean that when you pass away, your family should receive a sum of money to make their lives easier and pay off existing debts of financial obligations. There are many forms of life insurance and different types of policies to choose from, so it is important to get good advice from a respected life insurance specialist that understands your needs. Most insurers offer life cover for UK residents over 50 years old. Beyond 80 years old it may become more difficult and there is a guarantee that you will not be accepted by those companies when you take out this insurance, no matter what your health issues are. Does Life Insurance get more expensive over 50? (Photo by Jonathan Pendleton on Unsplash) |
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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