What to wear in this changeable weather - Chic & Stylish #Linkup

Good morning my friends. 

How’s it going in your neck of the woods?

Gym classes are going well, I’m on my second week of Fight Club and I have to admit to it being harder than the first one! I felt exhausted on Wednesday evening and could have gone to bed really early. No ballet today so I’m off to the garden centre for a wander around with my mum and a spot of lunch!  I’ll probably try to get some bedding plants for a couple of pots that need filling so it’ll be nice to see what they have on offer!

With very much changeable weather in the UK it’s been hard to know what to wear! I’ve started off each day either with something warm on or cooler clothes, it’s been a real conundrum! 

I bought these red palazzo trousers on Vinted a while back. I love to have a look through to see what’s for sale, and there’s always so much choice. Trouble is you never know if it’s the right material, size or fit and that’s the main reason I prefer real life buying rather than shopping online! I’m all for touching and seeing before I buy!

Lightweight trousers are a real winner in these conditions when it’s not hot or cold and it’s good to be able to add layers a bit like season changes eh!

Airbnb in Benenden.

Hiya everyone. 

How’s your weekend gone?

Another busy one for me, so sorry for the late posting. 🌸

I’ve had a wonderful weekend away for a friend’s 60th and I found myself quite literally in the middle of nowhere!

Eight of us descended on a fabulous Airbnb in Benenden to celebrate the special birthday and we all had an amazing time. Our friend didn’t know we’d all be there so it was a big surprise for her to find us all waiting. 

We’d planned to stay in the accommodation most of the time only venturing out to visit a local Vineyard in the Kent countryside. A super market delivery had been arranged, so all the goodies were delivered just after we arrived.  One of our friends had made Friday’s evening meal which was delicious. It’s called Pastitsio which is a Greek dish comprising pasta, ground beef and béchamel sauce. She served it with a Greek salad and a cold glass of fizz. A traditional birthday cake followed and after nibbling on crisps, dips and olives earlier in the afternoon I was completely stuffed!

Tea Dress - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hiya, how are you today?

Has your week gone well?

Been a slower few days after a busy weekend. Time to collect my thoughts and start planning for the “Summer” I’ll use the term loosely as I doubt it’ll be the summer I or anyone else wants if I’m honest! Because it was so hectic for me Mondays post was rather late! You can read about my weekend and see the beautiful dress I wore here, I hope you’ll pop back for a browse.

We did have a little sunshine yesterday and it felt quite hot, but the sun was interrupted by clouds every so often, it’s such funny weather in the UK isn’t it!

You remember all the kerfuffle with my gym instructor leaving, well I’ve been trying out some different classes as they’ve all been switched around! Until yesterday I’d been trying Body Attack followed by Spin, but a friend suggested I have a go at Fight Club. The name has always put me off as I prefer more of a dance style class, but gave in and tried it! I loved it! I borrowed some gloves (the worst bit, because they smelt awful), so I’ll need to buy my own and very soon! Lots of jabbing, punching, uppercuts and body shots combined with star jumps, squats and jogging on the spot and the class was soon over! I’ve booked again for next week and hopefully I’ll have my own gloves by then!

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

This stunner is from Girl In Mind!

Hello and welcome to the blog. 

Big apologies for the late post today. 

Hope you’ve all had a super weekend. I’ve had a busy one this week. 

Friday was my wedding anniversary.  David and I celebrated 38 years married and went out for a fabulous meal out in a local restaurant called Birdies which is in the heart of Whitstable and is always busy! They have a divine menu and have always been renowned for their beef wellington and lobster with garlic sauce. Both David and I had these choices and I can confirm they were very tasty. 
After a few too many glasses of fizz and a couple of Jäger Bomb’s (don’t judge me),  I had a pretty bad morning and wondered if I’d make my visit to London on Saturday night!!

I had some food and a little nap before getting ready for the afternoon train and felt so much better. I vowed to take it easy this time, which I adhered to, well done me!

I love visiting London, there’s just something exciting about being there. With so much going on and plenty of people buzzing around I’m full of awe. I wonder what everyone is doing, where they are going and where they have come from, I’m just such a nosey person. 

We were with friends celebrating both David and my birthday’s. They’d booked an Italian restaurant called Circolo Poplare who have many restaurants over Europe and are most certainly popular dining choices - it was packed!

We had such an amazing meal highlighted with the notable carbonara served from a cheese bowl and the lemon meringue pie which was a-maze-ing! See piccys below!

I’m always on the hunt for new dresses and after seeing a friend wearing a similar style I just had to ask her where it was from. 

Girl in Mind is a new-to-me website which offers unique and interesting designs for that special occasion and once I saw this beauty I just had to buy it! As I was a new customer I enjoyed a 15% discount which made the stunning dress under £40!!! Have a look on there as they’ve got loads of lovely styles to muse over, let me know what you’d pick!💕

Monochromatic Green - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Good morning everyone. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

How’s your week gone? Another few days that have been a whirlwind, but without anything major happening!

I’m still getting used to my new gym classes. They seem to be going well and I’m getting settled into the new routines, trouble is one of the classes I’ve been going to for ages that has the same instructor is still as hard as when I started it. I did an exercise on Monday that had my feet against the wall facing out in a straight arm plank, moving backward into a bear squat and then forward to a press up! Well honestly it’s one of the hardest exercises I’ve ever done and yesterday I was still struggling to walk properly! I look like a 90 year old, wobbling around and needing to push myself up from even sitting!!! What’s that all about, I thought I was fit!!

Last night I just had to watch the football last night, the thrilling game had me on the edge of my seat, in fact the whole family were in a frenzy at times. We did it!  I'm not quite sure how, but we did it! England are through to the final , so I guess we all know what I'll be doing on Sunday now! Did you watch any of the games? 

Today’s outfit started off with a watch, my new watch it be exact and I’m thrilled with the design and colour. 

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Summer Essentials with Bonmarche.

Good morning everyone. 

Hope you’re doing okay. 

Is it me or are the weekends getting shorter? Blink and I almost missed it, which is so annoying because I didn’t do very much either! What did you get up to?

Friday was my second week back to ballroom dancing. I realise I really did miss having all that time off and am excited to get back to normal. We’ve been learning the quickstep and it’s another I’ve grasped quite well and enjoy the speed of travelling across the floor with chasse’s, quarter turns and  fishtails. Are you a fan of ballroom dancing? I love any sort of dance and can usually pick up routines quite well. I started classes again to help with my memory, there’s nothing like a ballroom or ballet routine to keep the cogs turning, and whilst that’s happening fitness is improving at the same time!

Saturday I was in the garden addressing the hedge.

I vow every year to keep up the trimming so it’s not such a major job, and to be fair I think the reason I leave it is because the wet weather makes my garden so wet and squishy the tower I use just sinks in and it awfully hard to move. I’ll try to do the last cut before the wet weather arrives and after the growing stops! An easy dinner for me with another takeaway, I opted for a burger and chips and devoured it as I was so hungry after all the strenuous work (I cut the front lawn too!)

Sunday was a bit more chilled, David was working on the new build and putting some hung tiles on the outside wall, we’re having the majority rendered and the chap is hopefully coming today - weather permitting - have a look at my skills at tiling here!

One of the best things about having adult children who still live at home is sharing the cooking with them. So much so my youngest daughter cooked yesterday. She produced a delicious bolognaise tray bake comp with garlic bread, stick baguette and dips. The only bit I had to do was load the dishwasher - perfect Sunday for me. 💕

I did have two lovely afternoons out last week the first was meeting a friend who I’ve not seen since March. We went to a seaside hotel and had a wonderful lunch complete with a cheeky white wine spritzer - see my post last week for what I ate.  The very next day I went for afternoon tea for a friend’s 60th, we went to a local hotel which was a perfect setting and had the typical sandwiches and cakes laid out on a special stand. Copious amounts of tea was consumed and plenty of talking - can’t wait to do it again now! X

Do you wear shorts? I often save them for holiday wear or staying indoors or for gardening in the summer. But I’ve been impressed with these I was kindly gifted from Bonmarche last week!

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

 

Lunch in the Hotel Continental - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Good morning my friends. 

All okay?

It’s been a busy week I’ve been out with friends twice!

On Tuesday I met a friend for lunch and we had lots to chat about as I’d not seen her since March! We went somewhere different and enjoyed some yummy food and a cheeky glass in a local venue the Hotel Continental. The weather was pants with wind and rain more in keeping with Autumn! Are we ever going to have nice weather to stay? 

I devoured a prawn and Marie Rose baguette along with salad and chips (nice thin chips that were extremely crunchy with a perfect amount of salt) and yes I ate it all! I did wear rather an inappropriate outfit though, my flip flops and white trousers were very much out of place and I should really have opted for boots and jeans with a rain coat to top it off! (It was pouring)

Wednesday I went with three friends for afternoon tea, we went to Hempstead House which is about 1/2 hour drive from me. The venue was stunning, very chintzy with swags and tails and chandeliers.  We were the only customers so very much had the room to ourselves. It was good to chat and put the world to rights over a tasty Afternoon Tea along with a big pot of tea each! It was for my friend’s 60th birthday, so it was lovely to elongate the celebrations as her birthday was earlier on in the year. 

I’m afraid I didn’t get a full length photo of what I wore for lunch, but here’s the bright yellow top that complimented my white trousers. 

June Review

Hi there, how are you?

Hope your weekend went well, did you do anything exciting?

Just a stay-at-home weekend for me. I spent the whole of Saturday in the garden trimming the hedge, it’s still a mammoth job and boy did I ache after stopping late afternoon, (with still more to do) but I’m impressed with what I’d got done! 

On Sunday, typically UK weather and it rained all day, bit of a godsend really as I didn’t fancy more trimming so will save that for one day in the week when I’m more rested!

I cooked a Spanish chicken with roast potatoes, coleslaw, asparagus, salad and corn on the cob. Which, I must say, was very tasty, it’s nice to have a slightly different dinner once in a while, I’d hate to say I was bored with a traditional roast. I’ve got a busy week as I’m out to lunch with a friend Tuesday and have a birthday Afternoon Tea with some other friends on Wednesday. Praying it’s going to be nice weather for both, it’s not nice walking out in the rain is it!

They had a lemon theme this season and I’m sure you’ll find many styles you love as do I. 

June Review.

For the first post in June I was delighted to feature some pieces from the stunning new collection from Bonmarche. They had a lemon theme this season and I’m sure you’ll find many styles you love as did I. 

Sun Dress from Oasis - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hello nice to see you here.

Hope you're week is going well.

The hot & sunny weather has finally arrived - yippee.  It’s been absolutely glorious here over the past few days and I’ve been loving being in the garden pottering around. Well not pottering as such, I started with the grass, next I strimmed the edges, trimmed some of the hedges, weeded (my daughter did most of it) sorted some pots and generally tidied up the garden. All the time I had the sun on my back and managed to get a bit more colour, shame I’ve still got lines on the front from my recent holiday to Mallorca! Time to sit in the garden and do nothing I think. 

Isn’t it nice to shower after a long day working in the sun. I think that’s the best feeling to get all the dust and dirt off and relax in something cool and comfortable. Well today's outfit is just that. 

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Style Not Age share Dreamy Dresses.

Good morning

How are you?

All fine and dandy with me, I’ve literally forgotten about my holiday the other week. Back down to earth with a very big bump!  All the washing is done and put away until my next break which is to Portugal in September.  

Warmer weather seems to have arrived and it's been lovely to sit in the garden and enjoy it!  On Saturday evening I went to a friends for a gin and buffet evening.  It was good to sit and chat in their lounge which has a big bi-fold door into the garden.  There's something enchanting about sitting outside on a Summer's night when it's warm, although we did have to close the doors when it got a bit cooler and the bugs started to arrive - I had enough bites on my holiday!  Did you catch my holiday edit?  I shared some of my dresses that I wore in Majorca and talking about dresses, this month's Style not Age is upon us and the title, set by moi, is .... 

Dreamy Dresses.

Broderie Anglais Midi Dress - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hello and welcome to my blog today. 

How are you all?

My holiday seems a distant memory now, I’m hopeful that the better weather will come and stay. We’ve had a couple of nice days recently although still windy at least the skies are blue and there’s no rain!

I popped into a couple of shops on Wednesday and was pleased to return with a few bits. Two dresses of which one will be featured on Monday for the Style not Age challenge and a cute pair of black thin fabric wide leg trousers. I’ve seen some girls wearing them with chunky flats and little tee shirts so thought I’d try them for myself. If they look alright I’ll share them with you soon. 

I also went to the gym classes, but have been saddened by my normal gym instructor leaving and moving out of the area! You know when you love how someone teaches and going to her classes was always looked forward to, well that’s just how I feel about it! There’s been a change around with different instructors and new classes so it’s all been a bit of an upheaval! I hate change and am a creature of habit, with often going to the same hotel and holiday destination with the same restaurant frequented too! Anyone else like that? 

So on Wednesday I did Body Attack followed by Spin, both went okay although BA was a bit of a shock to the system, however I did them and survived… lol!

It’ll take a few weeks to settle I reckon and I’ve got a couple of others choices to try and see if I prefer them!

Do you like to change classes around or are you like me and like routine?

I’m sharing a holiday dress with you today, I was kindly gifted this one from Izabel London Clothing and think it’s going to be perfect when the warm sunny weather arrives! ☀️

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

My Holiday Edit.

Morning all!

How’s it going?

Sorry for the late posting, with one thing and another this blog got put to the bottom of the pile!

Back down to earth with a bump afternoon a fun filled fab 10 days in Majorca with my eldest & her family. It was really nice to stay for the extra couple of days, and had I only stayed for a week I'd have encountered disruption at the airport as it was flooded!  I had a couple of bad days with rain and clouds, although it was still hot and I managed to have a great time with the kids at the go kart track and in Alcudia. I've stayed at the hotel twice before once with all the family and the time before that with my eldest daughter again - obviously the children were much younger then so it was nice to watch them having a bit more freedom and enjoying the whole hotel much more.  

I always love to hear what people pack for their holidays so today’s post is all about what I packed!

I’ve been lucky enough to have been gifted some lovely dresses and sandals recently, and also some swimsuits that I’d also like to share with you today!

Items marked with* have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

Jenerique Culottes with White - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi there. 

How are you all doing?

As you know I’m away this week, so have planned in advance. I’m on my last day here in Majorca, and for the last couple of days has been raining and cooler temps so I went to Alcudia on the bus. It was really pretty there walking around the marina, browsing a couple of shops and have a drink and slice of pizza. The sun eventually decided to make an appearance so I headed for the bus … along with everyone else! The queue was horrendous with no visible queuing system and signs to say what bus stopped where (they all stopped in the same place) so David and the rest of us decided to take a taxi. Much quicker and so much more interesting, the driver chatted about his country, where he lived and his family. It was nice to hear more about the town from a local and he suggested visiting the old town of Alcudia, this I’ll have to do on my next visit as I’m home tomorrow. ☹️

Who else hates having sticky legs in summer? Chaffing can be a real problem and there’s all sorts of creams, powders and underwear on the market to help. 

This is when wearing culottes and more importantly lightweight culottes comes in handy!

Items marked with * have been gifted to me however these are 100% my own honest comments

. 

Styling my Lilac Sandals.

Hello and thanks for stopping by today. 

How’s your week going?

All good here in Majorca, with mostly sunny weather, plenty of food choice and an array of cocktails and drinks. My go-to this week has been Pina Colada, in the day and cava in the evenings, I never feel drinks abroad have the same effect and have felt fine on what could be described as a on excessive amount (don’t judge me I’m on my holiday).😂

I’ve taken some lovely dresses and a couple of co-ords away with me - along with this striking jumpsuit, although I’m playing this one by ear as I feel it’ll be a bit too hot to wear. 

I’ve been saving this dress specifically for my holiday and found it on Vinted as I wanted a lilac dress to team with these sandals. 

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Bonmarche New Collection - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Morning all. 

Thanks for stopping by today. 

I'm enjoying the sunny temperatures in Majorca now and I hope you stop by my Instagram account to checkout out what I'm wearing and what I've been doing.  I stayed at this hotel before and just love the setting.  The hotel Vell Mari is perfect for families and couples alike, although high season tends to have more kids around. 

I’m with some of my family so it’s spot on for for the children, plenty of food choice, wide spaces to run around in, many shaded areas and two pools - one specifically for the kids to play in. It’s near the beach front, although it’s quite a windy beach and therefore has quite strong waves so not ideal for youngsters!  

I love to see what’s in for new seasons.  There’s always the faithful prints and patterns like leopard print and polka dots along with Breton stripes and ditsy prints but it’s nice to see an old friend popping out this year by way of the citrus fashions. 

I’ve been impressed with the latest collection from David Emanuel at Bonmarche recently and am pleased to share a few beauties with you today. 

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

May Review

Hi there. 

How did your weekend go?

Welcome to the month of June, I certainly hope it lives up to expectations! We want some sunshine! ☀️ 

I’m getting very excited now as I’m off on holiday (the first since last May, excluding my weekend on The Isle of Wight), to Majorca with my eldest and her family. I know it’s going to be a hectic 10 days, but I can’t wait to relax in the sunshine, enjoy some cocktails, and delicious food along with enjoying the company of my daughter and SIl and their family of four. We’ve stayed at this hotel a couple of times previously so I know where everything is and am familiar with the surroundings, isn’t that always nice when you’ve got kids with you. Just incase of any emergencies etc. 


Today as it’s the first Monday of the month it’s time to cast our minds back to view what I wore last month for the …

May Review. 

If you saw last Thursday’s post you’ll have seen I was showing off a blazer from Bonmarch’s new collection. Well this post promotes another garment namely a glorious chiffon blouse. 

Polka Dots and White Jeans - Chicandstylish #Linkup

Good morning everyone. 

How’s your month been?

Firstly big apologies for the late post today, life just seemed to get in the way!! Thanks for hanging about for me. 

Seems hard to believe it’s the last week of May and we’re heading into the half way month of 2024. Doesn’t time seem to fly bye now, or is it my age?

This week has been somewhat different than normal. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m away next Tuesday but there’s been lots to do and lots to get sorted. 

As it is was a bank holiday I decided to drop out my gym classes on Monday, I took advantage of some me time at home and got some posts sorted and my dressing room in order.  It’s half term here as well so yesterday I went with my son and his family to Diggerland. It’s a kids adventure venue that has a play area for kids to enjoy ‘playing with’ appropriate sized diggers. They had enormous fun and fortunately there was plenty for adults to do too! 

Last week I actually visited my local Matalan. I wanted to see what they had new in, but unfortunately where I live it seems the store is one of the latter to receive much in the way of  ‘new’ items. I did find a stunning pair of trousers which I’m excited to wear - stay tuned for these beauties. 

You may remember I had the pleasure of attending the Afternoon Tea event where Bonmarche were debuting the new David Emanuel collection - here’s one of my favourites. 🤍

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Style Not Age Show French Girl Style.

Good morning, or should I say Bon Jour!

Hope your week is going well, it’s half term here so I’m bound to see more of the grandkids this week. 

As it’s the last Monday of the month, it’s time to checkout what the Style Not Age collective is doing. 

Our prompt this month fell into the hands of Gail, she’s chosen …

French Girl Style. 

What to wear with a Black Maxi - Chicandstylish #Linkup

Hi there everyone,

Thanks for joining me today. 

How’s your week gone? Did you join the late linkup on Monday? Don’t worry if you missed it, you can join today’s which is linked below. 

Weather wise it’s been a mixed bag here in Kent. I managed to take full advantage of the sunshine on Monday and got a few photos that turned out really well.  Today I’m sharing an outfit from Jenerique with photos I took a few weeks back when the weather was bad.

I do wish the weather would make up its mind and stay fine or wet, all this changing is driving me mad and making outfit decisions really difficult!  How’s your climate been? Talking of climate, I’ve found the perfect maxi dress for my upcoming holiday. This stunner from Jenerique will soak up some attention hopefully, especially on my forthcoming holiday to Majorca with my eldest and her family.

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

Sandal Season - #Chicandstylish #Linkup

Hi there. 

Do you recognise me?

Well I’m another year older having just my big birthday. 

I was 60 last Wednesday and didn’t want to reach this one at all. I’ve had a busy few days resulting in no blog post on Thursday. I thought I’d post the linkup today instead which will run to through to Thursday when there’ll be another one!

Back to the 60 thing, I now have to tick the next box don’t I! I certainly feel a lot older than when I reached 50! The body really does give out tel-tail signs doesn’t it. My knees have aged noticeably, they ache most days and I have to push myself really hard to go to the gym nowadays, I could easily give it up but know they’ll ache even more and most probably sieze up! Most of my joints ache daily, the annoying ones are in my hands, I like to ease them in hot water - do you have any tips or tricks to stave the progression of arthritis? Anyway enough of the moaning it’s time to talk birthdays. 

So I’ve just looked back to check and realised I didn’t tell you about David’s birthday present. I’ve booked for us to return to Sicily for a long weekend. You can read about our little trip to Godfather land in 2022 here. I couldn’t think of anything he wanted or needed and felt a trip away just the two of us would be perfect - it’s good to escape normality and have a nice relaxing break isn’t it. Well I’d got it all planned for his birthday morning. He actually needed some aftershave so I bought a new bottle of his favourite Hugo Boss and carefully replaced the new bottle for an old one! I wrapped a note inside carefully replacing the packaging so it looked like it hadn’t been touched! On the note I’d printed this. 

Happy 60th birthday. 

You can replace this empty bottle of aftershave with a new one at the airport when we go away to Sicily!

Love Jacqui. 

Imagine my surprise when he threw his hands in the air and said “Well that’s messed up my plans, I was going to give you the same gift on your birthday.” We had the same idea! Just shows how alike we’ve grown. So we’ve decided on adding an extra couple of days to our trip which will be heavenly. I’m so excited to travel back to this little Sicilian village high up in the mountains. 🖤

So fast forward to the night time when all the children were at ours for the birthday celebrations. Our turn to receive their present. We both had a parcel to open. In mine a ten euro note and in his a bottle of Portuguese rose and a letter. They had booked for us to have a long weekend in Porto! I’m also excited for this one as I’ve not been to Portugal and have always wanted to visit this interesting place, but the funny bit was that they too were going to send us to Sicily, but with both David and I sharing our intended idea with them in secret, which they couldn’t divulge to either of us, had to change to a different destination! Great minds think alike eh! lol!

Let’s get thinking of holiday attire, do you like my new sandals?

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

 

Styling a Statement Tee Shirt from Chapter London

Morning my friends. 

How was your weekend?

We’ve had glorious weather here and it’s been wonderful to wear lighter, summery clothes. 

I actually spent time in the garden with the grandkids which was lovely. Do tell me why they like playing with water and more specifically the bird bath water! Urgh!

As David was working on my daughter’s house ( he’s roof tiling now) I cooked a roast beef dinner, with all the trimmings I might add! David normally takes the reins for our Sunday roast and I’m sous chef, so to Cook it all was quite a feat now! lol!

This week I’ve another couple of birthdays, starting with mine on Wednesday. It’s my 60th and I’m not really ready to join the 60 club, but as many people say I’m fortunate to get to this age and don’t fancy the alternative either! 😱 I’m having a gathering of family and friends next Saturday which should be fun and I’m praying the nice weather hangs around and we can congregate in the garden. 

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

My weekend on the Isle of Wight - Chicandstylish #Linkup

Good morning. 

Welcome to the blog. 

Big apologies for being so late with Thursday’s post, various reasons that I won’t go into now have hindered publication. 

So good to have you here, I’ve got lots to tell you about the weekend.

You may recall I’ve been away for a long weekend to the Isle of Wight. Today I’ll share what I got up to with some photos thrown in too!

On David’s 60th birthday celebration our good friends gave us both a present (we are both 60 this year). They’d booked a long weekend on the Isle of Wight the following weekend! I was shocked and immediately told them I couldn’t make it as I was baby sitting Max for the night! Little did I know it was just a ploy for us to keep the weekend free! It had all been planned in advance in secret! I wasn’t looking after him but going with David and our friends for a weekend of laughter, food, drinks and fun! I was very excited and planned my clothes making sure I’d cover every weather system we could possibly encounter.  (We have to do that in the UK don’t we!)

This was the outfit I wore on Saturday night. I’m chuffed with this jumpsuit from Jenerique. 🖤

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

 

April Review.

Hello and welcome to my blog on Bank Holiday Monday. 

It’s not really the weather we’re all expecting for the first BH of May. With wind and rain taking centre stage it’s been hard to get into the swing of the spring season let alone wear some lighter clothes!

 I’ve actually been away this weekend and am on my way home from the Isle of Wight now!  I’ll share a dedicated post with you soon to let you have a little insight as to what it’s like on this little island and what I got up to!

It’s the first Monday of the new month so time to take a look at what I got up to in April. 

Welcome to the April Review. 

This dress from Roman has got my name all over it!

I adore the colours as I’m a pink girl at heart. Mauve is one of my favourites too, although it’s not a shade I wear very often or feel it really suits me. Hop over to the post where you can not only find out about this striking mesh dress but find a link to my stunning heels too!

Bonmarché floaty blouse and white trousers - Chicandstylish #Linkup

Good Morning. 

How are you my friends?

I’ve had a brilliant weekend and am excited for the next as I’m away with four friends and David to celebrate our 60th birthdays! We’re off to the Isle of Wright for a weekend of fun, exploring, eating, drinking and having a laugh! No change there then .. lol! 😂 We always have a super fun time when we get together and the weekend will fly bye making lots of super duper memories. I’ll obviously keep you posted and let you know what I’m up to on Instagram, but in case you don’t follow me on there, I’ll share a dedicated post on it soon!

I’m needing to get into town to see the new offerings in real life. I’m afraid I’ve been so cold the past couple of weeks season, I’ve not really worn any new Springs styles yet!  I did pop on a satin skirt, tee shirt, leather jacket and trainers earlier this week but soon changed into something warmer by the afternoon as I was so cold - anyone else having real issues with the cold temperatures?  

Have also mentioned duck - gate? Well last week three little ducks decided to call in and stay for a while! I knew that I shouldn’t feed them bread so gave them some porridge oats, which they greedily devoured and wished them well. I saw them fly off later on that afternoon and thought nothing of it! You can imagine my surprise when the next morning they were back sitting and waiting for me. I gave them some more oats which they pecked at and left them to it. They nestled in the garden quite content even though there was no water for them to sit on or wade through! Guess what?  They came back the next day and had the brazen audacity to waddling right up to my front door step and pooping on it!  I shooed them back & off the step & again, stupidly I know, fed them.  This happened all over the weekend so I popped a story on IG about them all. My friend said her in-laws had them in the garden and called them Wonton and Crispy (they don’t know where the third and quite plain bird came from) - so I knew they’d not come far and were obviously checking out the alternative hotels… lol!  So here we are a week and a half later and they are still around! I’ve fed them traditional oats and notice they’ve settled on the ‘ponds’ created by the recent rain, but also seen they’ve returned home every so often! They must have felt happy at mine! lol!  I joked with my friend that I should charge her rent for them!! 😂

You remember I had the pleasure of attending the Bonmarche Afternoon Tea event at Fortnum and Mason the other week? Well today I felt I should show you another radiant outfit from the David Emanuel collection. 

Here’s my first choice from them. 

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

 

Style Not Age are ready for April Showers

Morning all. 

Great to have you here. 

How’s your week been?

Another crazy one for me, I’ve had the run of family birthdays and it’s been non-stop! I’m going to take this one easy now, just so I’ve got enough energy for the next group which includes mine - did I mention it’s my big birthday in May?

On Saturday evening we had around 70 friends join us for drinks and nibbles, I worried exactly how I’d fit so many people in the house and would loved to have invited more friends! The weather didn’t play fair - obviously, so everyone gathered indoors for a VERY tight fit celebration (You might recall how Christmas dinner is always a bit a lot cramped). I did state that’s what it was like when I went clubbing and to the pub when I was younger - we just got on with having shouty conversations and squeezing past people on the way to the loo and also fighting your way to the bar!  My outings are much more sedate now, with going to less busy, quieter venues and avoiding anywhere that’s overcrowded. Where do you prefer to frequent?

As you can imagine Sunday was a slow one! I admit to still being in my nightdress at 2pm and it was just as well I didn’t have to cook a dinner as who knows how that would have turned out!  As it was my SIL’s birthday we went to their house for a Chinese takeaway, oh isn’t that the best when you don’t feel like cooking and want an easy night! 

I want to tell you about David’s present but it’s a bit long winded today, so pop back on Thursday for an update, it’s a funny story. 

Let’s welcome back my four friends from the Style not Age collective. This month was Hilda’s turn to pick a topic and she came up with weather appropriate prompt of … it’s spot on for the weather we’ve been having lately. 🙄

April Showers. 

Give yourself some TLC with XbyX - Chicandstylish Linkup

Hello my friends.

Hope your world is fun.

Well what a week this is!

You see I’m celebrating a few family birthdays this week with my daughter’s last Tuesday, my daughter-in-law’s today, David’s on Saturday (it’s a big one) and my son-in-law’s on Sunday! It’s been non-stop preparing for them all, and we’re having a few friends round on Saturday night to help celebrate David’s 60th. I’ll be looking forward to a quieter couple of weeks before mine, my granddaughter’s and my son’s!! Do you have birthdays at the same time of the year? Hectic and expensive isn’t it!

As I'm a 'women of a certain age' I'm always on the lookout for anything that might help me in my everyday life. So when I was approached by the delightful Christin from the XbyX I was pleasantly surprised and really interested to find out more.

This is a sponsored post, however all comments are my own and 100% honest. Items marked with * have been gifted to me. 

Wheelers for the big 60!

Welcome to the blog. 

Good to have you here. 

How’s life treating you?

Hope you’re having a nice week my friends. 

I’ve had a great weekend. Yesterday along with David I went to one of my favourite restaurants in Whitstable to celebrate 4 of our big birthdays this year me, David and two of our friends. We are all joining the 60 club and I have to say I’m not looking forward to it one bit! 

Six of us had a table booked at Wheelers, it’s a fish restaurant that’s nestled in my quaint little local town of Whitstable that’s frequented by locals and the odd celebrity some of the time, it’s usually very hard to book a table and is best to book in advance. Fortunately my friend booked a few weeks ago and we marvelled at the delicious dishes we were served. 

We started our meal with the oh-so-tasty Guinness battered oysters - if you’ve never had them I urge you to try them out, they really are the most tasty delicacy. If you’re not into raw oysters this is a brilliant alternative to try my friends. I call this our pre-started!! 

Bold Leopard Print Dress - #Chicandstylish #Linkup

Hello and welcome to the blog.

Hope you're week is going well.

The weather has been pants here recently. It’s been so windy any photo opportunities have been well and truly scuppered! 

I’ve got the run of birthdays starting next week so it’s going to be busy and rather expensive! David’s big birthday is the weekend after next and we’re having a few drinks & nibbles to celebrate it. Mine is 18 days after that and I hope to have friends round to help me get through it! Unlike me as I usually face everything full on but if I’m honest I’m not looking forward to this one at all, 60 seems so old (no offence to anyone already there) and my aching joints confirm the advancing years. I know once it’s been and gone I’ll be fine and in the words or my best friend’s late mum … “I don’t fancy the alternative”!

So let’s put that talk away and concentrate on my latest dress from Jenerique London. 

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

A Bonmarche dress from David Emanuel.

Good morning my friends. 

Hope you’re all well. 

I’ve been enjoying the warmer weather of late and it’s really starting to feel like Spring has arrived. 

I even went out with bare legs and sandals at the weekend! Yeah I know get me! I finally got the meal booked for my mum’s Christmas present, five of us went to Reads again (see her celebrations here) and enjoyed an amazing meal in the beautiful surroundings. Sadly the whole business is up for sale and I know whoever buys it will probably change things making it very different for what I’m used to! It will definitely be an end of an era! Anyone got a spare 3 mil in their back pocket?

If you follow me on IG you might have seen I was kindly invited to view the new collection from Bonmarche at Fortnum and Mason in London. They had an afternoon tea in the board room showing off the new range from David Emanuel. Today I’m sharing one of their fabulous dresses and what a delight it is!

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Roman Culotte Suit for the Steam Train - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Dear friends,

Thanks so much for joining me today.

Been back to the gym this week and I have to say I feel so much better for going! I like to have what I call ‘nice aches’. Anyone else ache when they don’t got to the gym? I felt really awful and very achy having missed a couple of sessions last week and couldn’t wait to get back into classes. I also neglected to go dancing too. I just didn’t feel in the mood for ballroom on Friday and as ballet wasn’t on because of half term I’ve really been a lazy lady. My diet has also gone a bit haywire, with me eating more than I should be.  Happy to say I’m adhering (mostly) to not drinking in the week and have been enjoying the alcohol free nosecco. Do tell me what you enjoy drinking and if it’s an intoxicating tipple or not. 

As promised, today I'm sharing my trip on a steam train which I took on Sunday with my mum and sister. It was for mum's 90th birthday last year - which you can read about here.

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

 

Navy & Tan.

Hi there,

How are you?

Another busy weekend that’s flown by!

With two family birthdays and a day out yesterday it’s been a whirlwind. Anyone else having hectic weekends?

Do you remember where I said I was going yesterday? I’ll be sharing a post all about the steam train on Thursday so hope you’ll pop back to read about it. 

Today I thought I’d share another shopped from my wardrobe outfit which features a classic colour combination that is a favourite of mine. 

Navy and tan - what’s not to love!

A Mesh Dress with Heels - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi everyone. 

Hope April is off to a great start. 

With last weekend being rather manic I’ve been enjoying the quiet times which has happened in between the seeing the kids and going to the gym amongst other things. I’ve had a couple of afternoons where I’ve managed to collect my thoughts and prepare a couple of collaborations.  Has your week gone well?

It’s half term in the UK and it’s been good to have the kids round in the daytime. As you can imagine they’re full of life and make me tired just watching them.  I’ve also got two of the grandkids birthdays this weekend. We have a lot of celebrations in April and May and it’s becoming an expensive couple of months! I’m also out on Sunday too. My sister and I are taking mum out for her 90th birthday which was last year. We’re all taking a steam train ride which includes drinks and dinner. I’ve been on the train before which runs between Tenterden and Northiam passing through Bodiam as well. I’ll try to share in more detail next week, including what I wore - I've got something smashing in mind!

Shall we settle down and take a look at today's stunning outfit?

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

March Review.

Happy Bank Holiday Monday and Happy New Month!

Hope you are all well and have had a great weekend.

It's crazy to say we're in April!  How the year has flown by already.

I've been so busy lately with not having a moment to myself so my blogging has taken a bit of a back seat, hence todays' post is so late!  Hope you're stuck around to read it 🙏

As I've already mentioned I've had a busy time recently with the Easter weekend being no different.  We had a funeral on Thursday and I felt a bit worse for wear on Friday so didn't do much.  David and some of the family put the windows in the new build and I can't tell you how pleased I am to see them in!  I did think they'd take a bit longer than they did, but as usual David didn't fail to impress me with all of them being installed on one day!  Saturday was spent doing a couple of jobs and going to friends for dinner.  We had a lovely evening dining on Tartiflette, steak, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and onions.  I took a dessert of meringue's filled with fruit and cream.  I opted to drive, so had a nosecco which I'm happy to drink.  So on Sunday I woke up feeling good, but still tired.  The day flew by with preparations for a roast turkey, home made stock and turkey gravy, roast potatoes and veg - along with Yorkshire puddings (who else has Yorkshire puddings with any roast?)  Followed by hokey pokey ice-cream.  The Easter Egg hunt went very well with all of them having a big basket full of chocolates to take home. I hope you got some chocolate eggs, I got two!  One nearly eaten, but don't judge me .. lol!

So today has been fairly slow.  I didn't get a chance to do this post earlier, so am taking advantage of the quiet afternoon and doing it now!

Now let's get going on the March Review.

The first post featured savings, more importantly getting your kids to save.  I'd love you to head back and read about the UGMA and saving for the future.

The next post was all about a matchy-matchy outfit.  The floaty Bonmarche dress blended beautifully with shoes and bag for a streamlined monochromatic look.  Let me know your thoughts on this mix.

A Ditsy Skirt from Bonmarche - #Chicandstylish #Linkup

Hi there, thanks for joining me today. 

Hope your week is good so far, stay focused the weekend is on the horizon. 

Today isn’t a very nice day for me as I’m going to a funeral. They’re never easy are they!  Whether it’s a close member of the family, a distant relative, an acquaintance or a family friend I always find them extremely sad and quite upsetting. I’m sure this will be exactly the same! 😥

On a brighter note, it’s a long weekend here in the UK as we celebrate Easter. It’s hard to imagine this time last year I was skiing in Valmorel with David. This year we’ll be with all the family enjoying the - what is now annual - Easter Egg Hunt followed by a roast turkey with all the trimmings. As I’m writing this post I’m planning on either making a hokey pokey ice cream (which is outrageously delicious and extremely calorific) or maybe a chocolate pudding with chocolate custard (most probably equally as fattening).  I’ll keep you informed as to what I make. 

This weekend we’ve also got the windows arriving for the new build. I’m very excited to see the next stage take place which will mean the outside walls can be rendered and the scaffolding can be dismantled. I’ll try to put some photos on my Instagram page Mummabbuilds so you can all follow along and see the progress!

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Style not Age honour Iris Apfel.

Good morning everyone. 

Glad you’ve stopped by today. 

How did your weekend go? Friday I took my mum out for Afternoon Tea with my sister. It was for her Mother’s Day present and we enjoyed a themed menu at The Lane in Deal which is about 45 mins away from me. The theme was Willy Wonka from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. They’re a little coffee shop that offer themed and traditional afternoon teas, and light lunches as well as bottomless brunch’s and evening dinner with cocktails on offer too. Among the fancy cakes and savoury snacks were macaroons, cupcakes, chocolates, sliders, sausage rolls, soup and a sandwich to name but a few. Tea or coffee was offered and they also had a licence, so mum had a glass of wine. It was really tasty and with the cafe decorated to match the theme made for a special afternoon. 

It’s time for me and the girls from Style not Age to share our thoughts and fashion take on the challenge set by Anna which is all about the late fashion icon …

Irish Apfel. 

Styling Wide Leg Jeans - Chicandstylish #Linkup

Hi there, good to have you here today. 

How’s it going?

Our weather has slightly improved over the past couple of days and we even had jacket weather along with roof down on the car! The birds were chirping, grass was being cut (isn't there something refreshing about freshly cut grass), bumble bees were bussing around and it really felt like a Spring day. 

I picked the kids up from school yesterday and was elated to wear this season appropriate outfit! This was when I had the roof off in my car and the kids loved it. I also went there for dinner, and it was good to catch up with my daughter, her husband and all the children. Do you ever do the school run? Made me feel so old as two of the teachers taught two of my kids!! 🙈

Who else is embracing the wide leg jeans? What do you think of this darker wash version?

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Wearing a Jenerique London Floral Dress.

Good morning. 

How’s your weekend gone?

Mine has flown by as per usual, it seems one minute it’s Friday evening and the weekend is stretched out in front of me and the next it’s Monday morning. But on the plus side it does mean I get to spend it with you!

Now don’t get too excited but ‘news flash’ I actually went out on Saturday night! I know, I know out two weeks in a row! It’s been ages but worth the wait. We celebrated St. Patricks day with four friends in our local pub. The drinks were flowing as were the laughs. I even had two or three shots of baby Guinness! Which were delicious and very ‘moorish’ so as you can imagine it was a slow day on Sunday with me not wanting to get out of bed to go watch my granddaughter play football. I’m pleased I did because it made me feel so much better and even though they didn’t win, Amelia managed to get another hatrick! Very proud Nan moment I can say. Home to a roast dinner for … wait for it … three! Yes not the usual riotous Sunday dinner and somewhat quieter than normal & all finished by a reasonable 4pm!! It was nice to have a bit more evening so I could slump in the chair and catch a few zzzz’s .. lol!

I’ve been starting to think about Spring weddings and special occasions and wanted the share this beautiful floral with you, even though I’ve not got any weddings this year, but if I had this would be top of my list! Do you have any events that this style might be suitable for?

Item’s marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Styling a wrap dress from Izabel - #Chicandstylish #Linkup

Hello and welcome to the blog today. 

How’s your week been?

The rain has been awful here over the past few days, either rain or dreary days have played havoc with taking photos!  I did pop out when there was a little window when the rain stopped and managed to grab these shots and I have to say I’m chuffed with them!

It’s still a little early for me to put a dress on as it’s quite chilly, but this classic wrap will be playing an important part when the season finally arrives - it’s got a lot of scope because there’s so many shoes, jackets and cardigans I’m going to wear it with, I do hope you don’t tire of it! 😚

I’m sure you’re going to like my black and white dress* do let me know what you think of the red accents. ❤️

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Wearing a Bonmarche dress with Lotus Shoes and Bag.

Morning all & welcome to my blog. 

Hope you are okay and have had a great weekend. 

Yesterday was Mother’s Day in the UK and I had such a special day with the kids and also my mum. 

We couldn’t get a table at the restaurants we tried, probably left it too late! So my daughter & David cooked breakfast at mine. Here’s what we had - sausages, bacon mushrooms, tomatoes, egg (fried & scrambled) beans, fried bread and hash brown with the addition of black pudding too!  All sorts of bread, crumpets and pancakes cereals, with jams and spreads! I was stuffed. Plenty of hot and cold drinks to wash it all down were also on offer. I’m sorry if I’ve made you hungry as there was so much choice! It was even better than going to the restaurant I reckon! 

I hold my hands up to really being naughty over the weekend! I was out on Saturday night with friends having a three course dinner and a few lots of glasses of Prosecco, so along with my Sunday Mother’s Day breakfast and a Chinese takeaway on Sunday night I dare not step on the scales this morning! I’ll surely have gained a few pounds especially as I had a couple of pieces of birthday cake along the way (two birthdays this weekend) so this week I’ll be back on my strict calorie counting diet, I actually hate feeling stuffed from over eating … do you? 

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll have seen me sharing a stunning matchy, matchy outfit last week. 

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

February Review - Chicandstylish Linkup

Hi there. 

How’s it going in your neck of the woods?

Today’s post is delayed from Monday, let me know your thoughts on the previous seasons posts. 

My enthusiasm for blogging has returned, although you might not have know it had departed!  I’m excited for the week, month and season. I’m praying the weather will continue to improve so wearing of lighter Spring-like outfits will be on the cards.

I bought a new pair of jeans last week which I’m pleased with & along with the H&M pair I bought a while back (they’re both wide leg) I’ll be wearing them whenever I can!  I’ve got some pretty shirts and tops that are crying out to be worn, so do watch this space or checkout my IG page. 

Today as it’s the first Thursday of the month, I’ll be running through last month’s outfits. 

Welcome to the February Review. 

A nice bright and cheerful outfit at the beginning of the month. I was trying to entice some nice weather and to be fair it kind of worked as I’m sporting a blazer with my tan number. Do pop back to see what you think of my stunning red tweed blazer. 

Saving for the Future with a UGMA account.

Hello and thanks for joining me today. 

Apologies for the late posting & hope you are well. 

It’s been a lovely weekend and I’m really enjoying the warmer weather and feel Spring is just around the corner.  

Now it’s all very nice to see sunny days, hear the birds chirping and the Spring flowers popping up but I’ve also seen the new hedge shoots sprouting up at a rate of knots (and we all know I’ve a love hate relationship with my hedge). I vowed to get it trimmed before the new leaves appeared but they’ve arrived with speed and with the surrounding lawn sodden I’ve not been able to trim them! It’s on my urgent to do list and I’ll let you know when it happens! I’m sure you’ll hear me moaning about it! Lol!

Anyway I’ll refrain from any more whining and want to ask you a question. Do you remember earning pocket money when you were younger?

Today’s post is sponsored, unless quoted all comments are my own.

A Casual Khaki and Cream Column Dress - #Chicandstylish #Linkup

Hi there my friends. 

Nice to have you stop by today. 

I’ve had a lovely week so far with a cuppa and cake catch up with two good friends and a day out shopping with my sister today. We always used to go shopping together, but with big families of our own and the lack of any decent shops in towns nowadays it’s been hard to get together. I’ll let you know if I come home with any purchases! 

I do have a casual dress to share with you today though. I popped into my local M & S a couple of Saturday’s ago and came home with this one and a blue floral midi (will share that with you next week).  I took my eldest granddaughter with me too and we had a super couple of hours checking out the shops and it was especially nice to browse Boots and Claire’s Accessories (I don’t usually go in them) looking at the beauty products, hair accessories and jewellery, and she came home with a few nice bits too!  

Style Not Age Put a Bow on it!

Morning my friends. 

Hope your weekend went well. 

What did you get up to?  I spent a bit of Saturday working on an upcoming project, which worked out okay & Saturday night after watching the rugby I had a curry and watched a film. 

Sunday morning I went with my daughter and her family to watch my granddaughter play football in a little village I grew up in! With the league situation here the matches end up being quite far away so journeys of about an hour away are sometimes normal! It was nice to reminisce and see how the area had changed over the past 50 years!! Yes it was that long ago! 

I had breakfast after the football in the local pub, it was the first time I’d stepped foot in The Six Bells but it was right next door to the church I loved going to the Harvest Festival service and the old school house where I went to the youth club! I’ve got so many memories of my young life there, some very obscure, lots prominent but ask me what I did earlier today I don’t have a clue! 😂 

I must share the results of the match, 3-3 and my granddaughter scored a hat trick - very proud nanny indeed. 🩷

Now shall we get down to today’s post? It’s the last Monday of February, so time to turn our attention to my four colleagues and me for the Style Not Age challenge …

Put a Bow on it!