Being fifty and fab ... this summer and coming back after my blog break!

Hi, how are you all?  I know I popped up last week with my 'new year goals' but I am hoping that this week is my proper return to routine.  Is there really such a thing post-lockdown?  I cannot believe what has happened in 2020 ... it still feels surreal and well you couldn't make it up could you?  I have gone from mild acceptance in the early days back in March to feeling totally lost and confused and frustrated with the conflicting decisions and the inconsistency.  I really worry about the long term implications that I suspect could be far worse than the number of Covid deaths, whilst these are all terribly sad, any loss of life is, but we are ignoring the implications for mental health, for disadvantaged children, for victims of domestic abuse, for those with dementia, the lack of healthcare and testing for cancer, heart disease and the like, the rise in the number of suicides, I could go on and on.  We have virtually shut down our travel industry.  We were asked to 'eat out to help out' at the same time as the Government announcing that we had to tackle obesity.  I appreciate that any Government put in this position would have struggled but I am feeling more than a bit let down I will be honest.

From a personal perspective, my plans for 2020 changed rather rapidly!   I had been expecting an empty nest from early spring.  My son was in the process of buying his first home and then it got delayed.  My daughter was at uni but had to come home.  So a lot later than expected, some sort of normal is back this weekend.  My son has finally been able to move and my daughter heads back to Bath on Sunday.  I appreciate I had it easier than most though, although there were times when things did get pretty bad!

Late summer dress from Vintage & Vogue in Beaconsfield (see details below) and my free gift on their autumn launch weekend, a gorgeous posy from Holly & Ivy

It got me thinking.  My son will be 23 in October.  He was born at the end of October 1997, on his due date.  I had started my maternity leave 6 weeks prior.  That was the last time I was at home alone with no real responsibility.  As of Sunday, 23 years on ... I go back to being able to virtually please myself and have some control over my daily and weekly routine.  My goals post here talks about my immediate plans!  But it is certainly going to feel very strange for a while.  

I took some time away from blogging and posting on social media due to personal circumstances that I will not go into in detail on my blog about but reading between the lines it might become clearer in future posts. 

So this post is to say I'm back and this is what I have been doing and this is what I have planned for my blog in the coming weeks!

Few days away in Cornwall and North Devon during gale force winds!

​I have lots of new subscribers to my blog and I have lots of new followers on Instagram so I thought that as part of this post it was a good idea to reintroduce myself!

I am Michelle 53 year old wife, mummy, company director, self-taught bookkeeper, blogger, daughter, sister and general busy person who loves to help others!  I started my blog when I was about to turn 50 and wanted to have some accountability for a health and fitness drive, I thought I would mainly focus on health, fitness and style related posts but soon realised I enjoyed sharing more lifestyle stuff so now I don't confine myself, I pretty much chat about everything I am doing.  I have been through menopause and am a big supporter of HRT and / or education around our hormones.  I've had my own struggles with mental health, anxiety and a phobia that you can read more about here.  I love a clean, tidy house, I don't like being too busy and I love fashion.  I also love a day in London and time out just for me.  Oh and sun, I love sun!  I will never be a massive insta-influencer, it's just not my thing, I prefer a more authentic, natural approach to sharing some inspiration.  I try to keep it real and mostly post what I am actually wearing and doing!

I love the idea that my blog is my online diary, a little bit of me, a place for me to share my daily life and a permanent reminder of the memories!  Mostly I just muddle along and write about what I want, sometimes that may include brand collaborations but if I do collaborate then I am very careful to only try things that I feel resonate with me and my life.  

Bonnie and Katy enjoying the beach in Bude

So what is coming up ... well I am talking to Nikki from Creative DeZigns on my Embracing Life (in Midlife) interview series, I am talking more about menopause following an educational course I did recently, I am also planning a blog post about some of the health risks that a lack of hormones can cause like osteoporosis.  I have a few collaborations with supplements I am trying out at the moment.  I am also just testing the cleanse, tone and moisturise products from Tropic and comparing to the Liz Earle I have used for years.  

A few days in Bath to move student houses, we managed to get a day on the beach at Clevedon and enjoyed the viewpoint in Bath. My bikini is the Fiji from Fantasie and my hat is from Creative DeZigns.

So that is about it for now.  Do let me know how things are for you, I hope everyone is well, I asked on my personal facebook page recently if anyone had tested positive for Covid or knew someone that had.  I was surprised that quite a few had, we have not yet had direct experience (just friends of friends).  Let's hope it stays that way.

Love from
Michelle xx

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More info ...

Just a little heads up, Vionic who very rarely have discounts, are offering 20% off with the code from the October edition of Woman & Home magazine (on sale now).  I have just purchased the Honey trainer in white.

Vintage & Vogue is a pre-loved dress agency in Beaconsfield, run by two lovely ladies, from a studio at home.  They are operating on an appointment only basis at the moment but worth a visit for some really good quality fashion.  I tried lots on and came home with this navy blue cotton dress, a Chanel style jacket and a pair of navy jeans from Me+Em.

More info on Fantasie cup fitting bikinis on my post here.

​My hat is from a fabulous selection at Creative DeZigns, you can find out more on my post here.

20% off at Vionic Shoes with the October edition of Woman & Home

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​I link up with:

Is This Mutton
#WowOnWednesday 

​Mummabstylish
#Chic&Stylish

​Nancy's Fashion Style
Fancy Friday

​What is a link-up?
It is a way to connect with other bloggers and share content and hopefully for me to be found by others and for my followers to discover new blogs!

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