Being fifty and fab ... looking back at March and looking forward to Easter

It's the Easter weekend this coming week and I am excited that lockdown restrictions are disappearing.  Okay no mass getaway for the first holiday of the year, no late ski trips or a long weekend in Devon.  We used to love our first trip away in our touring caravan when the children were younger, and when I was growing up with my parents too, Easter was always the start of the years holidays.  
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I often use the long Easter weekend to do a wardrobe declutter and if the weather is looking promising I swap my clothes over from winter to early summer.  I also love to refresh my style and buy a few new outfits especially dresses.

There is hope and optimism and Monday, 29th March 2021 - sees the next step in 'lockdown easing' and we can finally meet others outdoors (maximum six, or two households).  Outdoor sports facilities will be opening and we can travel outside our immediate area!  I am really looking forward to tidying our garden, lighting the fire pit, getting a blanket or two out, opening the wine and getting on with some garden entertaining!

I'm getting ready for the Easter weekend and seeing family and friends! New spring scarf from Wild at Heart, details below!

Outfit above: my new spring scarf is the Floral Scarf with Pom Poms in Navy and White from Wild at Heart, worn with a lightweight jumper from Hush Homewear, last year, but similar available Hush Linen Blend V Neck Jumper in Blush.
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So what have I been doing and what am I planning for the long Easter weekend?  Do you have family traditions, will you be buying easter eggs, cooking roast lamb, or doing an easter egg hunt?

Trying to fit in at least two workouts per week, workout vest is from Sweaty Betty (past season).

Exercising - my workouts have been a bit sparse the last couple of weeks.  I have realised that with too little headspace and too much overwhelm, it is exercise that falls by the wayside.  So I have committed to a minimum of two workouts, instead of my usual three, while I concentrate on some urgent things on my to do list!

Reading (watching) - and along with exercise, I've not started a new book either!  But I have managed to catch up on a few great TV series.  We have loved The Bay on ITV and watched both the first and second series.  Then we watched The Serpent on BBC iPlayer which had us gripped and now we are onto It's a Sin on C4.

​Outfit below:  my gilet is from Massimo Dutti and my jumper is the Ribbed Sleeve Jumper with Cashmere from The White Company, my scarf is from my mum's collection.

Gilet is from Massimo Dutti but I can't find it on the website now!

Easter treats - with the very gradual lockdown easing I am looking forward to seeing family and friends over the long weekend, even if it is outside, I hope we are blessed with dry, mild weather.  I have a plan to wash the garden furniture down this weekend in preparation!

I will be cooking roast lamb with all the trimmings on Easter Sunday and my daughter will be back from university.  And whilst I am not a big supporter of too much chocolate, I will be indulging in a few treats.

I'm excited that our niece is visiting with our new great niece, she was born in December but we have not yet been able to see her!  So happy to finally get to meet her!  I have a little gift for her, this gorgeous two-handed mug was sent to me from Lucy's Farm.  I mentioned Lucy and her Moo Selfies on my Mother's Day gift post and her website and fun art is worth a look.

Easter gift and card from Lucy's Farm online gift shop (details below).

The two-handed mug filled with mini eggs I am sharing here is £15 with free delivery - but order before Wednesday 31st March to guarantee delivery in time for Easter Sunday!  Lucy has lots of other lovely Easter items and beautiful cards too.  You can find all the details at Lucy's Farm here.

Lucy Tidbury, lives on her farm near Wareham and is surrounded by the stunning scenery of the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset.  And this backdrop provides no end of inspiration for her artwork.  Her Moo Selfie range has proven to be the one of her most popular ranges, combining the beautiful local landscape with its four legged residents.  You will find lots of fun and 'photo bombing' characters on mugs, cards, homeware and stationery.  Not just cows, sheep and horses feature too.  It'd be lovely if you could support a small business and give her a follow on Instagram!

Follow Lucy on Instagram @lucytidburyart (linked above).

What else happened in March?  It feels good to cast off the very heavy winter knitwear and start wearing lighter jumpers, spring colours and dare to bare ankles.

The outfit below includes a new purchase from Mint Velvet, the sky blue popper cardigan is a new love and I am wearing it over a lace camisole from Jigsaw.  My pleather wide leg trousers are from La Redoute and the trainers are new too!  Also Mint Velvet, they are the Cheska beige platform trainers and I love the pop of animal print!

I am slowly casting off the winter layers and dark colours and wearing my spring styles!

Keeping on the pale blue theme, I finally invested in a 'knitted vest' well two actually ... this one is a 'knitted waistcoat' from Zara and is just £19.99 and I have it in a breton stripe too (yet to be worn).  These vests are great for spring to add a bit of warmth to a lighter blouse or over a dress, expect more styling ideas on my Instagram.  The blouse is the Anastasia from Baukjen, only available now in a Size 6 (but generous sizing so if you are usually an 8, it would be okay).

I love my new knitted vest from Zara!

And continuing my 'blue theme' this month - why is that?!  I buy one item and love it so off I go full on into that colour!  

This gorgeous little chambray dress was a break from my usual style, it is the Denim Shirt Dress from Whistles, has the ever important pockets, a loose, forgiving fit and ideal for now with tights and boots or later with white trainers!  My silver crossbady bag and strap is from Amelia Rose Accessories.

And another fabulous find, these boots are French Connection but were the bargain price of £29.99 from Celebrity Fashion Store on eBay.  They are brand new, leather and have a lace tie at the back, meaning they fit all calf sizes!  Take a closer look at CFS on eBay they have a huge selection of brand new bargains.

A change from my usual style of dress but I love the shape of this Whistles denim dress.

Maybe I shouldn't break with the blue theme ... but I wanted to show you this jumper from Marks & Spencer.  It is proving to be very versatile as I styled it with my Sosandar pleather trousers and over a dress.  It is the Cotton V Neck Gathered Shoulder Jumper in Light Peach, £19.50.

My dress is a previous season Kensington Shirt Dress from Hush Homewear, I have this one and a red one too and they are so versatile and I love them for the spring and autumn.

Dawn from Sunrise Health & Beauty Salon - before I finish my post I wanted to share some sad news and also a reminder that life is short and we should embrace all that comes our way.  Some of you may remember that I have done some blog collaborations with my local beauty salon, Sunrise in Marlow.  Well the owner Dawn O'Shaughnessy passed away very suddenly a couple of weeks ago.  I knew Dawn as a fellow mother as well as the owner of Sunrise.  Her daughter Daisy is the same age as my daughter Emily and they went to Brownies together.  I remember a lovely Brownie outing alongside Dawn, we walked from Marlow to Bourne End, enjoyed a takeaway fish n chip supper and then escorted the Brownies back to Marlow on the train.  We chatted all the way there, and all the way back.  Dawn was warm, friendly and always willing to help anyone, she was a popular figure in Marlow, everyone knew her, she was a huge supporter of small local businesses and generous to an absolute fault.  She was just a couple of years older than me and her sudden death was caused by a berry aneurysm that she would have known nothing about.  I went to Marlow yesterday to show my respects as her funeral cortège passed through the town from her home, past Sunrise and onto the crematorium followed on foot by her daughter and her boyfriend, her husband, and their beloved dogs.  A life cut short far too soon and my heart goes out to her daughter and her husband and the rest of her family.  Too many sad losses this year.  RIP Dawn and thank you for your kindness over the years.  You will always be remembered.

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Thank you for reading my blog post today!  I hope everyone manages to enjoy some sun this week and that you all have a lovely relaxing Easter weekend.

Love from
Michelle xx

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Disclaimer:  this blog post contains some affiliate marketing links and gifted items (as disclosed in the text), if you would like more information please go to my 'the legal stuff' page.  Thank you for your support.

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