Life lately has been busy, full on, exhausting but all good ... we had a few days away in Tarifa in Spain (you can read my post about it here) which was a welcome few days of sunshine and downtime. 

​I am busy planning a road trip to Scotland, we are going to do (most of) the NC500!  The North Coast 500 is a 500+ mile route around the tip of Scotland, it is considered to be one of the most beautiful road trips in the world!  And I can't wait! We are going in late April so should be spring weather, expect lots of Instagram content and of course a blog post when I am back.  I had a mini panic last week, I really want to visit the Castle of Mey and we are staying in that area until 31st April but I found out it doesn't open to the public until 1st May!  Changing the itinerary was going to be difficult because accommodation gets booked up very early and part of our trip is a PR invite ... so I emailed the Castle of Mey and found out they are open for private tours!  Phew, all booked!

​So having been super-busy I've not had as much time as I would like to write on my blog, but I decided I needed to make time.  Taking up a lot of my headspace right now is the refurbishment of our 'spare room / my room / the dressing room' and my husband is working very hard to put in new fitted wardrobes (using the viral PAX hack from IKEA) and decorate. 

I am working very hard planning all the soft furnishings and choosing paint colours - pretty good deal, no I don't decorate!  The Cotswold Company has just opened in Marlow and it is gorgeous, I remember many many years ago dreaming of. being able to furnish my home from The Cotswold Company and although a complete re-furnish isn't in our budget, I am loving choosing my accessories, cushions, candles, pictures, baskets and more!

Menopause is a natural stage of life, but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy. Hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog and mood swings are just some of the symptoms that can make this transition challenging. Many women look for natural ways to support their bodies during this time, and one option I've been sent to try is from Feel and it is their new Pro Menopause.

This daily supplement is designed to help manage menopause symptoms using plant-based ingredients and essential nutrients. I'm taking a closer look at what it offers and whether it could be the right choice for you.

This is a sponsored blog post.
Get 20% off at Feel (all details below)

As we head into our perimenopause years and subsequently reach menopause, we can often find that allergies increase, our skin becomes sensitive and itchy skin is more of a problem, especially itchy skin at night.  Hormonal changes during menopause can result in a selection of challenging symptoms, some are well known (like hot flushes, mood swings and vaginal dryness) but others are less understood, and we don't always realise these new symptoms are related to our declining hormone levels.  

Oestrogen is essential in the production of both collagen and the natural oils that keep our skin moisturised.  But as our oestrogen decreases so our skin changes and can become thinner, itchier, sensitive and make us prone to developing allergies.  Dry skin in midlife is much more common, although I don't have any specific allergies, I certainly need to moisturise my skin a lot more often.  My favourite body oil is from Desavery!

Choosing and wearing good quality underwear can not only help you feel more confident it can also make a big difference to the fit and look of your outfit as well as being more comfortable to wear and help with skin irritation and chafing.  If you already have dry, sore skin in menopause then don't make it worse by wearing the wrong lingerie!

This is a sponsored blog post.