I'm heading off to the sunshine for a few days!  It really is only a very quick four night break though.  We are going to La Gomera in the Canary Islands to see our friend off on an epic rowing challenge.  Him and his son are part of a four man team who will be rowing from La Gomera to Antiqua in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.   Their team is called Bucks Buoys and you can follow their progress on their facebook page here.

I think possibly they are utterly mad as it is a very risky row.  But all credit to them, they have trained hard and for Kev it has been something of a midlife metamorphosis to change his health and fitness from er umm very unfit to very fit, lean and trim - turning 50 isn't so bad after-all and it does seem to bring with it life-changing goals.

I was invited to Old Amersham recently to try a couple of beauty treatments at Elle The Beauty Box, a long established salon but with a new owner earlier this year and so a bit of a relaunch with new treatments and services!  Elle The Beauty Box offers beauty, well-being and aesthetics alongside their hair salon.  They are housed in a quaint old building just behind The Broadway in Old Amersham, next to the gardens.  It is easy to find and easy to park.

I was welcomed to the salon by Becci my therapist and Sarah the owner and senior stylist in the hair salon.  The salon is so pretty and the building is full of character.  There is a reception area and hair salon on the ground floor and then above there is a beauty salon and nail bar.  It was all looking very Christmassy when I visited.

There are so many options now to help us look younger, feel younger and give us a confidence boost - and it isn't just about vanity, sometimes the anti-ageing procedures available whilst not considered essential maybe, can make a huge difference to our quality of life. 

Anti-ageing options available to us include - creams and serums, advanced facials and treatments, supplements (tablets and drinks), exercise (face and body) and medical aesthetic procedures.  As a blogger in the 50+ niche I have been very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to try out a few of these and report back on my blog.  But so far I have not considered any 'botox' type procedure, which to me represents 'medical aesthetics' and is about the extent of my knowledge!  

So when I was invited to visit Bodyvie in Richmond - an advanced medical aesthetic clinic and a leader in its field - I saw it as an opportunity to find out more - what exactly is it all about and should I not rule it out?

The Bodyvie clinic was easy to find and is a large, bright and welcoming space.  I was greeted by the receptionist and introduced to Dr Andrew Weber.  We had a really interesting chat and I was keen to find out about the clinic's 'holistic' approach to ageing and menopause and the range of options they offer.

It's party season!  Which means sequins, velvet, festive jumpers and generally all things sparkly!  So I have been taking a look at what is in the shops for not only fabulous party outfits and Christmas Day dresses but also shapewear - what is actually comfortable to wear underneath - so two blogs today. 

For the first time ever, this year I decided to embrace the sequin.   I realised I didn't have any in my wardrobe at all and a friend said she had way too many sequins in her wardrobe and couldn't possibly justify buying any more - then promptly bought a skirt - and I thought oh no I don't have any!  So with FOMO hitting me I decided I needed some sequins.