Where do I start?  Not my usual blog post but one I felt was important to write as I know so many others have found themselves in this situation too - for no obvious reason, Facebook disabled all my social media accounts.  And because Facebook owns Instagram this included my blog Facebook page, my blog Instagram account and both my Facebook and Instagram personal accounts.

Years of memories, years of hard work just gone, apparently permanently.  And no way to speak to anyone at Facebook, just forms and bots.  Frustrating doesn't even begin to cover it, Facebook simply doesn't care.

It all started about 5.30 pm on Friday 22nd October.  I had been in a zoom meeting with my son, the meeting finished and I picked up my phone and flicked to Instagram.  And it was gone .... and all I had was a message 'your account has been disabled.  Follow the next steps within 30 days so you can request a review'.  I did that immediately but sadly it just isn't that simple.  I then looked at Facebook and got 'We've suspended your account.  It looks like you're not old enough' and gave me 30 days to disagree.

Here is what happened next and how I managed to get all my accounts back within 4 days.

We all dream of amazing, flawless and glowing skin!  But how do we achieve that and what is the best skincare routine, what anti-ageing treatments are worthwhile and how do we fight through the seemingly endless skincare advice and thousands of products now available, to find the best skincare solution for us?

I am really enjoying my collaboration with Emma at the ERA Skin & Laser Clinic in Thame. Emma is passionate about sharing good skincare advice and educating women like us on the best way to look after our skin and how to choose the right treatments. 

We all know the basics - drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, cleanse and moisturise every day but what about all the extras?  Do we even understand what all the creams, serums and facials can do for us or do you just buy willy nilly because you saw it on Instagram?  Emma and I started chatting towards the end of all the lockdowns and one thing she had noticed was the rise in enquiries due to the amount of time we have all spent looking at ourselves on Zoom calls and not liking our skin!

I got together with Emma and Paige from ERA a couple of weeks ago for a chat on an Instagram Live - we chatted about HydraFacials and skincare and on this blog post I am sharing their tips in more detail ...  you can watch our live chat on my IGTV.

Do you go through different phases of breakfast choice?  I go months having the same thing for breakfast then move onto something new!  Past favourites have included overnight oats, granola or muesli and natural yoghurt or egg based like poached egg and crushed avocado on toast.  But one that I keep coming back to is a healthy smoothie.  I can pack in so many good ingredients and extra supplements, it is quick and easy and surprisingly satisfying and a healthy smoothie is good at keeping me full until lunchtime.

Here are a few of my favourite healthy smoothie ingredients to really make your morning smoothie pack a nutritious punch!

Is it possible to find affordable interior design?  And is it worthwhile hiring an interior designer?  I am not blessed with a natural ability to pull together cohesive looks for my home, I love scrolling Instagram and Pinterest and I dream of the most amazing magazine inspired interiors.  But reality is a bit different, interior design looks easy but it really isn't, for me anyway!  Plus there is the little matter of getting my husband to agree - forever practical. he doesn't quite understand my need for all the extra 'faffy' bits!

I have a beautiful home, my cottage in the woods, we have lived here for coming up 30 years now!  It was a renovation project and we originally intended to move on but we fell in love with it and have stayed.  I think my cottage deserves some extra TLC now that the children have grown up and flown the nest.  And it was very much on my radar especially over lockdowns with a new emphasis on DIY projects in the UK.  My husband built a wood store and painted the outside of the house, not my idea of fun!

Then Charlotte got in touch with me.  Charlotte has recently set up her own interior design business Minshell Designs and works alongside her husband who is a property developer.  Charlotte asked if I might consider writing a blog post about interior design, we got chatting and I said well why not help me and I can document the process on my blog! 

Minshell Designs is based in Buckinghamshire and works across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, the Home Counties and Greater London.  They  offer a complete design service from property development, design and build, project management, interior design and full interior fit out. 

Below.  'before' my conservatory and dining area and initial design ideas from Minshell Designs