My daughter is off to university, she is going to the prestigious Norland College in Bath, to study for an Early Years Degree and the Norland Diploma.  She has dreamt of this since she was about 12, we visited for three open days, she's worked so hard to get plenty of experience working with children, she got the equivalent of three A levels (A grade) in her CACHE child development qualification and apart from the very real worry of leaving home, she hasn't wobbled in her determination to get there!

Yes I am incredibly proud of this young lady, she is beautiful (inside and out), committed, determined and she knows her own mind, she has never allowed peer pressure to influence her, she has at times struggled with some aspects of her academic education but she has pushed on regardless.  She is quiet but confident, she will speak up if she sees an injustice but she will also walk away if necessary.   She is very petite and so calm and so gentle.  And she looks like Mary Poppins in her uniform - they wear this formal uniform for three years while studying and have a practical navy blue uniform for when they are on placement.  Then when working it will only be worn occasionally - you may have spotted The Cambridge's Norland Nanny, Maria, wearing hers at Charlotte's christening.

This is clearly not leaving my consciousness!  And for a committed shopaholic this is a big deal!  And let's be honest any transition to slow fashion for me is going to be well ... slow.  I am not going to change overnight.  But the mantra 'buy less, choose well' won't leave my head!

Usually in September and October I would be rushing out to refresh my wardrobe with new finds for the autumn.  Will I still do that? 

I have had a really good wardrobe sort out this summer as you know.  It does mean that I have reduced my wardrobe by quite a lot as it was getting out of hand.  It would be silly to then refill it again (well a little silly)!  I am delighted to have both donated to charity shops and to have sold a few items and made a bit of cash too - which I have put into my savings towards a future investment purchase (not sure what yet but past purchases have included my Louis Vuitton bag, my Gucci belts, my Jaeger camel coat and my Gucci disco bag). 

As you know I am on HRT, that wasn't an easy decision to make and I did a lot of research and soul searching first.  But HRT isn't the end of the story, we still need to eat well, move more and look after our wellbeing and overall health during peri menopause and post menopause.  So when Evie invited me along to her lunch 'n' learn workshop last week it seemed like an ideal opportunity to remind myself what I should be doing, to learn more about what i could do and to listen to the latest research on the best nutrition for this stage in my life.

And what a great way to learn, over a delicious and healthy lunch in a beautiful location.  I've met Evie a few times now, she is a very friendly and very knowledgeable.  Evie is a registered nutritional therapist specialising in gut health and with a particular interest in menopause (because she is approaching that age too so understands from a personal perspective).

Last week I was invited to meet the owner of new fashion boutique, Jak & Lisa, in Beaconsfield.  I had a very relaxing hour exploring the brands, the first drop of their autumn range and chatting to Samantha.  The boutique is bright and welcoming with an extensive selection of stylish womenswear and accessories from Anonyme Designers, YAYA, Nu Denmark, Cream and Rosemunde and many others.

The boutique currently has lots items on sale but what I loved about it was that it was still all beautifully presented, I do love a tidy, colour co-ordinated shop, one of the reasons I don't cope with many of the high street names like H&M and Primark is I can't stand the mess!  I also loved that Jak & LIza stock a really broad price range.  It's not a boutique where you worry about walking through the door in case you can't afford anything.  Samantha explained that she chooses a wide range of options so that it can appeal to everyone, younger, older and all budgets.  She looks for good quality, wardrobe staples as well as higher end designs for special occasions.