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​I'm breaking with my Sri Lanka blog posts to fit in my regular 'being' fifty and fab post as I have some lovely things to share with you.  And as the season changes and we start heading into autumn I wanted to bring you some outfit ideas and goal planning thoughts.

Do join in with my hashtag on Instagram - I'd love to be able to share on stories what you have been up to #beingfiftyandfab.

My premium lightbox was gifted to me from Vavaky and can be purchased via their website (link to Amazon) for £14.96.  I have an older cheaper lightbox and this one is far superior with more letters and better choice of fun emoji's and characters.

Exercising - well clearly I have not been exercising as I've been on holiday!  Okay yes I could still take my trainers and work out at the hotel gym or go for a run but I am firmly in the camp of a holiday is a holiday - a break from routine and although when I was doing the Joe Wick's 90 day plan I did make an exception, on the whole I don't!  I do feel that I am totally out of routine and desperate to get back to something but I am also realistic and I know how I work.  And for me September is a new year, new goals, back to school, back to routine.  I will share my plans with you when I do my new year goal post.  I have been trying to get out for walks though - do you like our six westies?  It's not easy getting a photo of them all together - two are ours and then two each belong to my two sister-in-laws.

Reading - however, I have been reading a lot!  Although not as much as I would if I'd been on a sun-lounger for two weeks.  Sri Lanka was a very active, busy holiday but I did still find time to enjoy some good books.

A Man Called Ove by Frederk Blackman - this was also made into a film which I need to research and watch - it is about a grumpy man called Ove and you follow his ups and downs and find out why he is so grumpy and learn that may be he;s not so bad after-all and his heart is in the right place - we all know a man like Ove (I know I do)!  A charming holiday read.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Burrows and Mary Ann Shafer - my friend loaned this to me at the last minute and I loved it so much, I watched the film when I got home.  It is all about the German occupation of Guernsey and is told through a series of letters.  The book goes into far more detail than the film which leaves several parts out, I am glad I read the book first.

A Girl Behind Dark Glasses by Jessica Taylor-Bearman - this young lady is truly inspirational and I had absolutely no idea how bad M.E. can get, she wrote this book whilst laying in a hospital bed unable to move.  Using voice technology and a series of coded nods with her family.  She was let down by the system and had to fight to get the right care.  Beautifully and honestly written, I am so glad I read it.  Jess has since left  hospital and got married, she continues to write a blog, she is an artist and plans to write more books.  She is still ill and still spends a large amount of her time in bed but that doesn't stop her living her life.  I have a close family friend with M.E. and it is my intention to revisit this subject on my blog in the coming weeks.

Tsunami Kids by The Gandy Brothers - when I came back from Sri Lanka I wanted to find out more.  More about the country and it's history but also about the devastating boxing day tsunami.  My search on Amazon led me to this book written by the Gandy brothers who lost both their parents to the tsunami in Sri Lanka, they went on to found the Gandy's flip flop range and through their business raise money to help other orphans in Sri Lanka and to fund projects in India.  This is their story.  Devastating in parts but motivational and humbling to read how they overcame their grief and made something good come from it.

Doing - well obviously I've been on holiday in Sri Lanka and I'd love you to take a look at my posts about it all - start here.  It was the most amazing country and a wonderful experience and I am so pleased we decided to go.  It wasn't cheap and it was one of those holidays we won't do every year although I'd love to go back and explore more.  There is so much to see and we were there just short of three weeks and we could easily have done a full three weeks or even four weeks to just see the places we visited in more detail.  See my post about our Itinerary here.

Since I came back I have been knee deep in washing and sorting through my 3,000 plus holiday photographs.  As well as really missing my routine.  I only have my daughter off school for the school holidays now and she is 17 and driving so it shouldn't affect my routine but it does!  And as much as I love having her at home, I am keen to get back to normal next week.

I did have a fun day out on Tuesday though.  I had been feeling really down, serious post holiday blues and that made for a pretty miserable bank holiday weekend and the heavy rain didn't help.  I was tired and fed up.  But on Tuesday I had been invited to attend the AW/18 new season launch from Vionic Shoes.  This was being held at the stunning Haymarket Hotel in London and involved champage, canapes, a fashion show and an opportunity to try on the new range and meet and chat the Vionic team as well as other bloggers (who I only ever see usually on Instagram). 

I got an afternoon train and headed to Oxford Street where I had a browse around - Mango, & Other Stories, Gap, Zara, French Connection and Victoria's Secret.  It was a mild day and I didn't need a jacket.  I wore my super comfortable Vionic trainers (see my review here) with a Sosander shirt dress.  My daughter was especially impressed - that looks very on trend mum - my husband less so - he didn't get the dress with trainers thing.  I explained to my daugther that when I was 17 if someone had suggested wearing trainers with a dress I'd have thought they were totally mad and that it was an incredibly frumpy, old lady, look!  It'd be like me suggesting she wears white stiletto's.  How times change!

I will do a full post on the new Vionic range hopefully next week as I loved it and I found out a bit more about the brand that I need to tell you.

Wearing - okay hands up who struggles with the transition from summer to autumn/winter - and especially after our heatwave, I've forgotten what wearing a jumper feels like?  I feel like I have forgotten how to dress for normal British weather, I am so used to putting a dress and flip flips on.  I've had a look back through my Instagram to remind myself what I was wearing last year.  Not that I' complaining!  Here are a few outfits that I've worn since I got back from holiday.

First up, navy jeans from 7 for all mankind, blouse (old) from Boden, Vionic trainers (still available here) and my Karen Millen summer handbag.

Red jeans from Mint Velvet, blouse (old) from Hobbs, trainers and handbag as above.

Lots of shopping my wardrobe right now, this Oasis off the shoulder top is from a couple of years ago but I don't wear it much.  My daughter said it looked like the outfit Sophie wears in Mamma Mia: Here we go again (I love this film and I've been twice - if you've not been, go),  The jeans are rebound denim from French Connection and my bag is from Accessorize, the espadrilles are Vionic.  This was taken at Nuffield Place, a National Trust property and was the home of William Morris and his wife, the founder of the Morris Motor Company.  It was a super day out and very interesting to find out about his philanthropy, he did so much!

I really can't rate Vionic shoes enough can I!?  They are definitely my footwear of choice and I wear them on repeat!!!  But they are seriously so comfortable AND stylish.  This is an outfit you have seen before, pleated skirt from Mint Velvet, tee from Whistles and the Gigi cross body bag from Aurora London.

And finally what I wore yesterday to go to .... IKEA!  These Vionic Reagan mules were gifted to me as a thank you for attending the AW/18 launch event so I had to try them out straight away.  And it is another big tick from me.  Take a look at them here and find other ways of styling them.  I chose them as I think they make a great transition shoe - before I put my sandals away and go into boots.  My blouse I picked in in Gap in Oxford Street in the sale for less than £15, it is a style I love (similar to the Hobbs navy one above).  The trousers are stretchy and are from Part Two / My Boudoir in Marlow.  Handbag is Accesorize as before.  It worked well - a new favourite outfit, I threw a black cashmere cardigan around my shoulders in case I needed an extra layer.

So that is me right now!  Trying my hardest to be fifty and fab - share your updates using my hashtag #beingfiftyandfab.

​Love from
Michelle xx

​Disclaimer: Some of my links are affiliate links which means that the brand knows you have come to their website from here and I may get a small commission if you buy something and keep it.  This small income goes towards the running costs of my blog so I am very thankful for every click.  This is not a sponsored post, Vionic invited me to their event and I was gifted a pair of shoes, I was under no obligation to feature it on my blog.

I'm linking up with:
Mutton Style
​#continentaldrift

and

We arrived in Sri Lanka and spent the first few days relaxing at the Jetwing Beach Hotel in Negombo before departing with our car and driver for the south coast first stop Bentota, onto Galle and Mirissa and finally the Udawalawe National Park to see the elephants.

I've already said in my previous post how important it is to embrace the extensive driving and travelling as part of the holiday, I loved watching day to day life as we journeyed through towns and countryside.  It is fascinating and there is so much to see at every turn.  It is colourful and enlightening, it is so different to how we live here in the UK.  

​As we drove along the coast road towards Bentota, I noticed how many graves and memorials there were on the side of the road in front of the beach.  I commented to our driver and he explained they were for the victims of the tsunami.  This really made me stop and think, it was a very poignant moment.  It is easy to sit at home and watch the devastation of these natural disasters but to actually see where it happened and the aftermath even years after does make it much more real. 

We stopped at the Tsunami Photo Museum, this is an entirely personal memoir and memorial to the events that took place on Boxing Day 2004.  We met and chatted to the lady who set it up.  It contains photographs and personal accounts and it is simply in the front of her house - the house her and her family rebuilt behind the home that was destroyed.  They survived because they ran to high ground when the first wave hit but stayed on the highter ground when the second wave hit,  Family and neighbours all around them were not so lucky.

In the afternoon we took a boat ride up the Maduganga River and saw the mangroves, a cinnamon farm, a temple, a fish farm and the daily lives of the people living and working on the river.

We then arrived at our hotel for the night and sat and had a late lunch overlooking the beach and the Indian Ocean.  Paradise Road Villa is simply beautiful and we so wish we had been staying two nights!  We wandered down to the beach and enjoyed the rustic coastline, I took an early evening swim in the pool as the sun went down and we enjoyed an excellent dinner in their outdoor restaurant.  The service was exceptional and we were so well looked after.  I could have explored the hotel for days and I took lots of photos.

We left after a delicious breakfast and a browse in their shop (which we later visited in Colombo as well) and made our way further south to Galle.  We went straight into the town and had lunch then explored the shops and the old Dutch fort. It was very windy but stunning views and the breeze helped us cope a bit better with the heat and humidity.  We loved Galle and would like to have spent more time there.

Late in the afternoon we arrived at our next hotel, Cocobay, which has it's own private beach and a stunning view across the bay towards Galle Fort, we enjoyed watching the fisherman go out in the early evening.

​Next day was an early start - we took the short drive to Mirissa at 5 am to go whale watching!  Now I have read good and bad reports of this activity at Mirissa.  There are a lot of overcrowded boats and many going way too close to the whales.  Also the sea is pretty rough so sea sickness tablets are a must (the boat company should provide them).  We were very lucky with the company that Paradisio Travels organised for us, Raja and the Whales, our boat was not too full and there were a lot of 'spotters' who went out of their way to help us move about the boat to get the best view of the whales without needing to get too close and disturb them.  We saw five whales in total including a mum and calf and I hear we were very lucky as it is perfectly possible to go out and not see any.

​Our final visit on the south coast was Udawalawe National Park and although it is hard to choose a favourite, I think this was a definite highlight for us.  Seeing elephants in their natural habitat.  We will remember it forever and any thought of captivity, chains or riding of elephants is now well off our radar - once you have seen them in the wild you know they absolutely belong there and should never be treated as a domestic pet or tourist attraction.  Again our tour guide was fantastic, Target Safari was organised by Paradisio Travels and he was so respectful to the wildlife, but also really took his time to look out for the elephants, birds, water buffalo, deer and crocodiles where other safari drivers were rushing past and missing so much.

We chose the 4 to 6 pm safari and this was absolutely the right choice as we saw over 30 elephants and their babies as they come out in the afternoon's to visit the watering holes plus seeing them as the sun set was magical.

We spent the night at Kalu's Hideaway a beautiful lodge style hotel on the edge of the national park, again I really wish we had stayed two nights as it was so relaxing.  The next morning we left early to visit the Elephant Transit Home - the only one in Sri Lanka that looks after the orphan elephants then releases them back into the wild when they are ready.  We were lucky to see them being fed and cared for, this is done several times throughout the day, the rest of the time they live in a special enclosure within the national park.  Amazing experience! 

​After seeing the elephants in their natural habitat we chose not to visit Pinawalwe or the Millenium Elephant Foundation, whilst these organisations are slowly improving their knowledge and care, they are still a long way off really understanding and remain tourist attractions with some questionable practices.  ​
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Then it was back to Negombo to rest before our next bit of travelling!

The sight of the elephants in the wild so close to us will stay with us forever.

Love from
Michelle xx
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In total we were away 17 nights so more than two weeks but not quite three.  If I knew what I know now then I would extend our stay to the full three weeks.  So I am going to tell you what we did, give you the highlights and suggest possible improvements in case someone else is planning a trip to Sri Lanka any time soon!

We travelled at the end of the south west monsoon season (May to August) and although still hot and very humid, we did have more grey days and less full sun, We had two short spells of very heavy rain but it is always over very quickly!  You can read more about the best time to travel to Sri Lanka here.

We split our holiday into three main parts:

​Negombo - this was our main base as it is near the airport and is a popular place to rest after a long flight or before returning home.  Plus our family live and run their charity from here so it made sense!  There was quite a lot to do in the town, it is full of good hotels and has easy access to other areas of Sri Lanka
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South Coast and National Park - from Negombo we drove down to Bentota, Galle, Mirissa for whale watching and Udawalwe National Park to see the elephants.

Tea Plantations - again using Negombo as our starting point, we visited Kandy, Nurwara Eliya and the tea plantations.  We did a stunning scenic train journey back to Kandy..

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​We booked our flights and our hotel in Negombo with D&G Travel in Marlow, we flew with Sri Lankan Airlines on a non-stop flight which in total was about 11 hours from LHR to Colombo.  I then used Paradiso Travels in Negombo, Sri Lanka to organise the rest of our itinerary, provide our car with driver and book the necessary hotels and other arrangements like the train journey, whale watching and the national park safari.

Both agents were excellent and I cannot fault their service.  Being local Sara at Paradiso Travels knew the area well and had clearly built up some excellent contacts, found us some stunning hotels and our driver Vicky knew where to take us, where was good for lunch, a toilet stop and how to negotiate getting us onto the train (more on that challenge later).

We did not travel on a tight budget, we like a bit of luxury and we certainly got it.  The comfort and levels of exceptional service at all the hotels was superb.  The heat and humidity and the busy itinerary meant that we were really grateful to arrive at each hotel and be completely looked after (I love how they provide a cool wet towel and a welcome drink).  In Negombo we stayed on a bed and breakfast basis as there are good restaurants close by but everywhere else we stayed half board so we did not have to worry about finding places to eat, this was a good decision!

​We decided to embrace the travelling - the roads in Sri Lanka are busy and basic and although there are motorways being built they are a long way off completion.  But sitting in an air conditioned mini-van gave us a wonderful opportunity to watch day to day life, there is always something going on.  Whether you are passing through towns or villages, or just through the countryside, there is something to see.  For me sleeping wasn't an option, I couldn't bear to miss something.

I would however recommend taking a supply of travel sickness tablets if you suffer on bendy roads!  And if you decide to do the whale watching, although the boat operator did provide them too.

Over the coming days I will go into each part of our itinerary separately and share our highlights.

​Recommended itinerary for three weeks in Sri Lanka (based on our experience):

Day 1 - arrive into Colombo airport and head to Negombo to stay in one of the beach hotels to recover from the journey.  We chose the Jetwing Beach Hotel.

Day 2 - Relax on the beach.

Day 3 - Depart for Bentota, we enjoyed taking the coast road, it was here where we could see the effects of the Tsunami and visited the Tsunami museum.  We stayed one night at Paradise Road Villa which was just beautiful and if you wanted an extra day just relaxing then I would recommend two nights here, it is near the beach, has a lovely pool and an excellent restaurant.

Day 4 - Depart for Galle, we arrived in time for lunch and explored the town and the fort for the rest of the afternoon.  We stayed for two nights at Cocobay Hotel which has it's own private beach, a fantastic view of the Fort and Galle in the distance and you can watch the fishing boats going out.

Day 5 - We got up very early to go whale watching at Mirissa then we returned to the hotel for freshen up, have lunch nearby and relax for the afternoon.

Day 6 - We left Cocobay after breakfast and arrived at the hotel, Kalu's Hideaway in time for lunch.  We had decided to do the 3 to 6 pm safari in Udawalawe National Park and this was a good decision as we saw more than 30 elephants in their natural habitat.  We only stayed one night at Kalu's but again this is where I would recommend staying an additional night, the hotel pool and gardens are stunning and worth spending some time relaxing here if time is not too tight.

Day 7 - We left the hotel quite early to go to the Elephant Transit Home to see the elephant orphans for their early morning feed.  This was magical and we are so glad we did it - all the elephants looked after here eventually get released back into the wild.  I will talk more about elephants and their care in a separate post.  We then travelled back to Negombo.

Day 8 - Relax on the beach in the morning, we then took an early evening lagoon boat trip with Captain Fernando..

Day 9 - Relax on the beach.

Day 10 - We left for Kandy after an early breakfast and arrived in time for lunch at a restaurant at the Kandy viewpoint so we could enjoy views over the city.  In the afternoon we visited The Temple of the Tooth and explored Kandy.  It is an extremely busy city though and we found it a bit overwhelming.  At 5 pm we attended a cultural performance of Kandyan dancers, we enjoyed it but with hindsight it was a bit too much and when we arrived at the hotel and realised it was so amazing, we wish we had checked in at the hotel earlier and enjoyed the facilities!  The hotel we stayed at was The Kandy House just outside Kandy and I think this was my favourite hotel of the whole trip, again I seriously wished we were staying two nights!

Day 11 - We drove from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya (Little England) - this is a good journey to do by train but it was fully booked so we did it in reverse back to Kandy.  We visited the botanical gardens in Kandy, then a waterfall viewpoint and finally a tea factory.  We arrived late afternoon at our hotel, The Heritance Tea Factory.

Day 12 - We joined other guests to do the tea picking experience and learn more about tea production at the mini tea factory.  This was enjoyable and very educational, probably better than the big tea factory.  We then explored the area with our driver a bit more, we went into Nuwara Eliya but didn't really like the town, we did have a very authentic curry at The Grand Hotel though and visited the old Post Office.

Day 13 - We left after an early breakfast to get the 09.20 train to Kandy.  It was quite a headache sorting out the tickets but so worth it and thank goodness for our driver being able to help.  I loved the train journey, it was quite long, about 4 hours in total, as the trains are pretty old and the rail system is quite outdated.  The views and the whole experience was absolutely worthwhile though.  We met our driver in Kandy and then had another 4 hours in the car before arriving back at the Jetwing Beach in Negombo.

Day 14 - Relaxing on the beach then late afternoon we had a Ayurvedic massage at Spa Ceylon.  This is one of the best spa's in Sri Lanka and some of the massage places can be a bit umm 'dodgy' so it is worth finding a recommendation or looking for a Spa Ceylon.

Day 15 - Today we took a tuk tuk ride around Negombo with our driver in his own tuk tuk and explored the fish market and fruit markets.

Day 16 - A day in Colombo, we took the bus straight into the main bus station, got a tuk tuk, had lunch at Barefoot, did some shopping and then had cocktails on the roof garden of The Kingsbury Hotel and finally dinner at Nuga Gama, a traditional Sri Lankan village has been recreated in the grounds of the Cinammon Grand Hotel.

Day 17 - Final day relaxing on the beach!

​Day 18 - Flight home.

If you want a slightly more relaxing time I would recommend two nights minimum at the hotels, especially Paradise Road, Kalu's Hideaway and The Kandy House.

Do take a look at my other posts about my Sri Lanka itinerary (COMING SOON) where I go into more detail about what we did and share my thoughts:

Sri Lanka | Where shall I start?
Part 1 - South Coast, Whale Watching and Elephants
Part 2 - Kandy and the Tea Plantations
Part 3 - Negombo and Colombo
Helping good causes in Sri Lanka (Dogstar Foundation and Yawajeewa School)
20 Things you need to know when travelling to Sri Lanka
What to wear in Sri Lanka

Love from
Michelle xx
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Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post and it does not contain affiliate links, it is entirely based on my personal experiences and suggestions and what worked for us.

Well here I am, home from just short of three weeks away in Sri Lanka and what a country, I am not sure I can really do it justice, I am really struggling to find the right words to even start explaining all about it!

We arrived and stepped off the plane in Colombo and the humidity really hit us, I have never visited a humid country before so I had no idea what to really expect.  I can certainly say that we needed the first 48 hours to acclimatise and adjust to a completely different climate and culture.

Our driver met us in arrivals and thank goodness!  We knew that hire cars are not recommended (and virtually impossible to find) and the easiest way to get about is to hire a driver with a vehicle for the duration of your stay.  For backpackers and budget travelling, trains and buses are popular and an excellent way to cover distances fairly quickly but for us it was definitely an air conditioned mini-van that worked.  Having a local with us to guide us, advise us and generally help out was an absolute essential.

Leaving the airport and seeing the reality of the busy, crowded roads was quite an eye opener.  There are motorbikes, tuk tuks, buses, cars and people everywhere!  It really is like the YouTube videos you see!.  And everyone sounds their horn continuously!  But no one gets cross or upset, there is no road rage.

​I was immediately struck by the fact that Sri Lanka is a much less privileged country to what we are used to.  I suppose I did know that, but seeing it is a another thing.  Having never been outside Europe or the States, arriving in my first Asian country I could definitely see the huge contrast.  Our first task was to find an ATM as the Sri Lankan Rupee is a closed currency and as well as our Revolut card we wanted to get some cash out, it was a bit of a challenge and when we stopped at the ATM we were immediately approached by beggars.

But rather than this new environment upsetting me, I felt at ease, welcome and in awe, I couldn't possibly close my eyes during our long hours travelling in the mini-van as there is just so much to see.  Travelling is as much part of the holiday as the sightseeing.

I simply loved watching people go about their day to day lives.  I loved passing through the towns and seeing the shops, the fruit and vegetables beautifully displayed, the men in their sarongs and the bright outfits.  I was mesmerised by the scenery and green countryside.  I stopped to admire the rice fields.  I loved the chaos of the shops, all selling the same thing, so many of them, and such a diverse and eclectic mix.  Buildings and houses were unfinished and often just blockwork.  There was washing hanging all over the place, at the roadside, on chairs, on roofs, in trees!  People travel piled into a tuk tuk - meant for three passengers, they can easily squeeze a family or six or seven in!  And mum, dad and a child on a motorbike with no crash helmet is a common sight.  

​But everyone seemed so happy and friendly.  So kind and helpful.  Tourism is still growing and becoming established in Sri Lanka (a long civil war and the tsunami had a long term effect) and away from the big towns it is quite common to be the only western person wandering about.  We did get looked at!

There is no doubt that the experience has made me question some aspects of my own lifestyle.  They have so little, we have so much!  Too much.  For a long time now I have been thinking about what I called Information Overload - I wrote a blog post in January about it and it has continued to rattle around my head.  And Sri Lanka confirmed that I do need to readdress the balance a bit in my life.

I think this was really bought home to me when I struck up a friendship with a beach seller called Anne.  For the first week or so I avoided the beach sellers and kept saying 'no thank you' until one day something made me stop resisting and I ended up buying some dresses but I also got chatting to Anne about her life.  It may have been that I had recently seen the story of the Old Man Selling Eggs on Facebook, have you ever read it?  We had been chatting at dinner about bargaining the prices down.  And it helped me see the beach sellers in a different way.  To be able to have a small business selling dresses or jewellery gives them self-respect and a way to earn a small income to support their family.  Not for the luxuries in life like we have but to be able to buy basics like food..  By the time I had finished chatting and looking at her dresses we had quite a crowd come to see too so she did good business that day!  She was quite emotional when she thanked me.

Another day I was sat on the sun lounger feeling a bit down as my daughter was struggling to cope with the culture and was not feeling comfortable yet with the volunteering she was doing (more on that in a separate post).  Anne came over to me and asked if I was okay, she was so kind, I explained I was worrying about Emily and she reassured me.  I told her about the school and that it was next to a Catholic church, Anne is Catholic and so am I and she showed me her small prayer book and the rosary beads she keeps in her pocket.  We had something in common, her life is so different to mine, but we still found common ground, we are not so different after all.

A few days later, she called me over and gave me a gift, a bag of fresh red bananas.  It was not the value but the gesture, the kindness in the giving.  My husband is maybe slightly more cynical, yes she was ultimately selling her goods to me but I had kind of decided it didn't matter.  It was the bigger message, she made me think about my own life and how we can help others and be kinder and more considerate.

Anne was incredibly grateful that I had bought from her, she was a bit teary and when we left I gave her a few items that we would take for granted, small shampoo's and shower gels that were unused and that Anne would never be able to afford to buy.

And so for me Anne represented the Sri Lankan people that we met.  Yes there are more affluent Sri Lankan's but mostly it is a lower income, developing country but everyone was just so happy.

​I want to tell you more about seeing the work done by Dogstar Foundation, the charity set up by my husband's sister-in-law and his brother and about the school they support and how Emily got on when she volunteered at the school.  There is so much to share.

I will also be writing about our itinerary and giving some ideas, advice and tips if you ever fancy a trip to Sri Lanka.  Plus I will share photos of what we did and what I wore!  It wasn't easy getting outfit photos, it goes dark by 6 pm and most days I wasn't dressing up at all, so I had to let go of the style, relax and dress for heat, humidity, comfort and the culture.

For now though, I am continuing my summer break from blogging and social media and so my posts will be less frequent during the remainder of August while I catch up on the post holiday washing and ironing and spend some time with my daughter during her break from sixth form.

​Love from 
Michelle xx