Wine Coloured Maxi Dress for Winter - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hello and welcome. 

How’s your week going?

Hasn’t the weather been atrocious? I got soaked on the school run on Monday afternoon. When I left home it was clear weather so I put this outfit on. I must have had a sixth sense as I decided to change before the school run and put some trousers on with my chunky boots and padded jacket! But to my horror I hadn’t thought enough as by the time I’d arrived at school and got out the car the skies had darkened and the rain was tipping it down! I had an umbrella but the wind made keeping it in place almost impossible, so you can imagine I got soaked!

Anyway I thought I’d show you how well this outfit turned out once I’d played around with a few pieces. I wanted to make my new maxi dress wearable in the Winter and reckon I achieved my goal, what do you think?

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

Arundel, West Sussex.

Good morning my lovelies. 

Hope you’re doing well. 

I’ve had a super weekend as I’ve been away overnight to stay in Arundel with David and our best friends. 

We try to get away before Christmas for a well deserved break, and also we exchange our secret santas! 

So after an early start on Saturday morning, we found ourselves in the little town of Arundel in West Sussex. We’d booked a hotel in the centre, which was surrounded by pubs, restaurants and coffee shops. Arriving earlier than check in, which was 3pm, we parked the car and did some wandering. The weather was awful and rained the whole time we were there bar a few windows when it had cleared, so we purposely timed pit stops in the shops and pubs when the rain fell. It worked out quite alright but I still was annoyed that I’d not take a coat with a hat or an umbrella! My scarf I’d taken helped but to be honest the rain played havoc with my hair as it wasn’t waterproof!

Barrel Leg Trousers - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Good morning everyone. 

Happy Thursday. 

Can’t believe it’s the last month of the year, it’s flown by SO quickly hasn’t it. I think my time goes so fast because I’ve go so much to get done. I’m still helping out with the school run, doing my gym classes, Christmas shopping & planning for the festive period, and helping David in his work so with blogging, Instagraming and doing the housework there’s not a lot of time left to do much else. I’m hoping things will settle down after Xmas and I’m looking forward to the ‘down time’ over the holiday. 

I’m showing an outfit I wore to lunch last week. My sister and I took our mum to a local coffee shop for a bite to eat on Thursday and this is what I picked to wear. 

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

November Review

Good morning my friends. 

How’s your weekend been?

I’ve had a very fulfilling one! I helped Sophie with her cake stall on Saturday. It was a Christmas market held in an entertainment centre at a local caravan park and she did really well. It was great to be inside as for the last one the stall was outside and it was very windy! We felt very content when we saw the wind and rain battering the windows when we were safely sheltered indoors and were quite thankful we didn’t have to venture out in it! By the time the event had finished the skies had broken and had given us a stunning sunset! 🌅  

She sold nearly all her bakes which included rocky road, brownies and blondies, cupcakes, cookies and old school sponge - she does make some tasty cakes and I obviously had to taste a cupcake (chocolate) just to make sure it tasted alright - lol! 😉

Yesterday was all about the new build. We’re getting through the plaster-boarding upstairs now and it’s beginning to really take shape. I can see the rooms looking more like rooms than spaces now and am excited to get to the next stage of having it plastered!

November Review. 

Back in the beginning of the month I was showing off a recent photo shoot I’d had done and you can see some of the wonderful photos I had taken here. Have you ever thought of having a glamorous photo shoot done?

Burgundy & Tan Works beautifully together - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Good morning. 

Hope you’re well. 

Well we’re well and truly into the festive season aren’t we! Christmas is everywhere in the shops and I have to admit to having two Christmas trees up already! They look SO nice and I love to see the twinkling lights with all my favourite baubles and tree decorations sparkling and shining on it. I’ve had the main one, which is in the front room, a couple of years shy of 30 years - god that’s a long time that’s gone so fast. We bought it the first year we moved into our new build, a year after my fifth baby was born. James is now 28 so it’s a few years old & still looks amazing. I also love the decorative ornaments over it, I’ve been building my collection and like to buy a new one whenever I go away around this festive season, they all mean a huge amount to me. I bought some in Baden Baden, Scotland and Valmorel, so when I place them it reminds me of the holiday or long weekend I bought them!

I’ve been trying to add more interesting outfits into my posts so when I found this burgundy and tan ensemble, I wanted to wear and share it immediately. I added it to my Instagram account but until today failed to share it with you!

Both items have been gifted to me, and I’ve linked back to the original posts so you can find out all about them. 

Style not Age show how to Belt Up!

Hello, nice to have you follow along. 

Hope you’ve had a super weekend. 

Hasn’t the weather been strange.  We’ve had sleet, rain, wind and sunshine - all in one day last week. It’s got a bit warmer which is nice but who knows what it’ll be like this week!

I’ve been working in the house over the past couple of days. David and I have been laying floor boards on the first floor so it’s getting ready for first fix electrics and plumbing to get going. David and I have also been planning the rooms, you know where we want lights, plugs and switches along with what layout we should have for the bathrooms and en-suite. There’s lots to think about but we’re very alike so it’s not been a problem as we tend to agree on most things. 

… that belts were going to be a thing for AW25.

It’s the last Monday of the month, so time to welcome my friends from Style not Age for our monthly challenge. This month it was my turn to choose and I’ve gone with this prompt as I know these are trending this season. So get settled for the theme …

Belt Up!

Twist Clasp Handbag - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hi, thanks for stopping by. 

Hope you’re okay. 

How’s the weather for you? Turned really cold here and it’s not nice. No snow yet but apparently some parts of London had a smattering! Although we don’t do well in snow here, we only need a covering and everything nearly comes to a halt!! 🤭

It’s been so chilly here I got my big padded coat out. It’s a long one with a hood and is extremely warm, I do feel like I’m walking around in a duvet though! Upon looking through my coat and jacket section the other day I realised I’d hardly worn any of my blazers and shirt jackets. Our seasons seem to go from boiling hot when it’s too warm to wear anything other than a tee shirt to freezing cold! Or is that just my body! lol!

Today’s outfit is based around a new bag! It was a tad warmer last week so I wore this little jacket over a leopard print skirt. It was only to run out to the shops for dinner ingredients!

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

 

Bonmarche Press Event in Covent Garden.

Hiya. How are you today?

Hope you’ve had a great few days since we last got together. 

I’ve had a fairly busy weekend,  so didn’t end up helping in the new build which was a shame. I took one of my grandsons to his football match which was only up the road. Fortunately this week they won 11 - 1 and he scored one of the goals so he was very happy with himself. I came home to do a bit of ironing before getting ready to go to my daughter’s house for her son’s 4th birthday. She prepared hotdogs with crispy bacon and fried onions, with some chips and onion rings. There was also birthday cake - it was a chocolate covered rice krispy stack, & yes it was yummy. 

I didn’t do much yesterday. Only a clean in the AirBnb with Sophie before relaxing on the sofa for the rest of the day. We had a takeaway curry so no cooking for me. What did you get up to?

You might recall I mentioned I was at a press event last Thursday, so let me share my day with you at the Bonmarche Spring 26 preview. 

Today’s post features a PR Event, however all comments are my own honest views. 

Boarder Print Floral Midi - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Welcome to Mummabstylish. 

Good to have you here today. 

Today I thought I'd show you one of the dresses I took to Savoca recently.  You all know how much I love to take dresses with me when I go away, it just makes sense to me as pairing accessories is so much easier!

I’m in London today, at a press event, so I hope to share on stories where I am. Hope you’ll follow along. 

So this pretty floral looked a picture on my trip to Sicily and it certainly turned a few heads and got a couple of lovely compliments too. 

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

 

Faux Leather Skirt from Izabel London.

Hello how are you?

How has your weekend been?

I’ve been helping in the new build after an early football match for one of my grandsons. As his mum is still getting over her knee op and her husband was taking Amelia to her footy match they asked if I could take him. It was an early start for me and we were ready and waiting to begin just after 8.30! The match wasn’t until 9.30 so whilst he was warming up with the other boys in got myself a tea from the little hut that was there. What a great venue with some four matches playing at the same time. I passed on the bacon rolls, but I can say it too a lot of willpower as they smelled divine! So once he’d finished and was safely dropped home I joined David in the attic room where he was putting plaster board up! He’d got himself an apprentice as I had a go at nearly everything from measuring and cutting the plasterboard to screwing it in place. I felt very proud of what I’d managed to do albeit a bit haphazard at times, I told myself everyone has to start somewhere don’t they!  I need to add photos to my instagram account - Mummabbuilds so you can get up to date but not piccys of me as I definitely didn’t look as good as I did on my last post showing you my glamorous photo shoot! 🤭

I thought I’d share a look from last week. It’s one I wore to run errands and I liked the skirt so much I wore it to have lunch with the girls on Friday. I think didn’t get any photos of that slightly different outfit with the skirt paired with tan. Do look out for that one on Instagram or on here soon. 

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

Glamorous Photo Shoot - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hi there,

Good to have you stop by.

How's your first week of the new month going?

Mine is all good, and I've been having a clear out since I got back from Sicily.  I've sent loads to charity and have added a couple of bits to my Vinted account - trouble is as soon as I sell stuff and get a bit of profit I find something on there and buy it!!  Do you have that trouble too?

Last month I had a something really nice happen. I'd been asked by a friend who owns a photography studio if I'd like to help her branch out from the usual Boudoir shoots she does.  We'd been talking about having something less raunchy and less revealing and both agreed there'd be a lot of ladies who'd quite like to have an experience like this so started to set it in motion.  I'd decided, with the help of Alison, to look for some suitable outfits and over the course of the following weeks got my studio outfits ready.

I'd studied some accounts on Instagram and noted ripped jeans, slouchy cardigans and fur jackets seemed to be a nice combination along with glimpses of underwear, nothing too revealing I have to add.  I wanted some photos that were classy not overly sexy.

Today’s post was gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments. 

Hello good to have you here. 

How can it be the last month of the year already!

Welcome to November, the month of Christmas planning, a few family birthdays and colder weather. I hope it’s not too cold!

I’ve had a busy week since getting back from Sicily. I’ve been doing the school run, hospital appointments with my daughter and generally getting the house back in order after my break - there’s always so much to do after a holiday isn’t there! Sicily seems like a long time ago, but I’ve got lots of memories and haven’t forgotten about my post all about it! It’ll be here soon. X

First Monday of the month means time for the 

October Review. 

Firstly I shared a me kind of outfit with cropped trousers, a stylish waistcoat and some newly gifted shoes. Do pop back to read about my stunning new sling-backs - you’ll love the bows. 

My Favourite Dress of the Season - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Hello and welcome to the blog. 

How did your week go?

Didn't it go fast! Probably because I’ve been away and didn’t get home until Tuesday. I’ve have a stunning time in Sicily and quite honestly didn’t want to come home, especially when we arrived home to cooler weather and a rainy Wednesday, we left sunny weather. Hasn’t it been awful today!

It’s good to get away isn’t it. I always return home with vigour and excitement to get back into blogging and have a whole host of new offerings to share with you over the coming weeks. 

I just have to share on of my outfits with you from my recent trip to Sicily - you will understand my love for this dress I picked from Izabel recently. Just look how lovely it is!

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

Style not Age do Autumn Shades.

Hello and welcome to the blog. 

Hope you’ve had a super weekend. 

I’m still away, so this post has also been planned in advance. 

David and I have returned to Sicily for a few well deserved days away. We’ve come back to Savoca in Sicily and I promise a full post will be planned to share all the stunning locations we visited! The weather has been very kind to us u like the UK, so it’s been a hot few days! Heaven knows what it’ll be like when we get home tomorrow!!

It’s the last Monday of the month so without further a-do it’s time for the ladies from Style not Age to take to the stage. 

This month we’re doing Autumn, so sit back and enjoy our Autumnal Colours prompted by Hilda. 

Styling my Lighthouse Clothing Dress - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Hi there,

Hope you're well.

I've planned today's post in advance as I'm actually away on holiday today.

David and I are travelling back to Savoca in Sicily today and we're both very excited to be returning to “Godfather” land.  We've been before on two separate occasions and have both literally fallen in love with the place.  We feel it's like going home it's that nice. 

It's been a busy week preparing for our venture and I always feel it's good to finally get to the airport and that's when the holiday really begins. I like to have a look around duty free and nearly always buy a bottle of perfume and some makeup there.  I know it's not any cheaper than you can find at home now, but it's a tradition I started years ago and it's become part of my holiday - David is much the same and always gets his favourite aftershave there. 

I’m delighted to show you a stunning dress I recently received from Lighthouse Clothing. 

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

Neutrals, Brown Vest Top and Gold Buttons.

Happy new week everyone. 

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. 

It’s a busy week for me as I’m away on Thursday so there’s lots to get done. 

Over the weekend I finished off the hedge, that bloomin’ hedge will be the death of me! Obviously it continues to grow and grow therefore it’s an ongoing task that never gets any easier and never stops!

I also helped David in the new build, even getting to grips with the drilling screws into the correct position. Do have a look at my IG account Mummabbuilds for a little tour of the work so far! It’s also been really nice to start taking about layouts of the bathrooms and en-suites etc. 

After a quick shower and hair wash I got myself ready for a night out with my daughter for a cocktail making party for my sister-in-law’s 60th birthday. What a fun night it was. We were shown how to make two cocktails, a porn star Martin and a peach whisky smash - both delicious and quite easy to do actually. I also had a few pink Proseccos along with some pulled pork, couscous and snacks. 

Neutrals for today’s post. You may have seen this outfit on my Instagram account as I wore it last week. 

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

Lighthouse Clothing - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Good morning my friends. 

How are you all?

I’m feeling really good. I’ve got lots of outfits to style and the ideas are furtively running around my mind  - I’ve had a real boost to get back into it recently. Funny how that happens sometimes isn’t it.  I’m planning on bringing back Style Steal each month and have been working on that along with some projects for Instagram too. 

I’m also VERY excited to be going away next week to Sicily. It’s been just over a year since we were there before and as it feels like going home I can’t wait to get there. All the staff are incredibly friendly and so helpful and I’m excited to see what and where this break takes us. 

Today I want to share with you these perfect pieces for Autumnal wear. I was pleased to receive some of the items included in today’s post from Lighthouse Clothing.

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

 

My Weekend - Pale Blue & Brown.

Hi there.

Hows your week gone?

Middle of October already! Half term next week and I’m so excited as I’m actually going away!

David and I are heading off to Savoca again. It’s become that place we both feel is like home. It’s actually nothing like our home or home surroundings but feels like a place we should just ‘be’ does that make sense?

I’m planning on taking some new dresses for the evening and I need to checkout the weather as we’ve not been there this late in the year so I’m not sure what the weather will give us. Any help greatly appreciated! 🙏

Saturday was a lovely day for me. It started with a football ‘Berry Derby’. Both my grandsons were playing in opposing teams so it was obvious I would watch as it was just up the road. It was a hard one but both my boys played extremely well - the nail biter was having them both in a penalty. I literally couldn’t watch as the ball was kicked into action, the goalie had a hand on the ball but it evaded him and soared into the back of the net! They both took the result well - even when the one of them copped the ball straight in his face - not by his cousin I hastened to add! The rest of the afternoon was spent on the hedge, yes the dreaded hedge. I completely knackered myself and felt quite unwell after clambering up and down the podium tower. It’ve got about a quarter left plus the spoil to collect but that’s for another day when I feel fully recovered! I’m really starting to feel my age!

Let’s take a look at today’s outfit. It’s one I wore the other day and combines brown with pale blue. 

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

 

What I’ve been wearing - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Good morning everyone. 

How are you doing?

Another fab week since we last spoke, I’ve been enjoying some of my recent purchases and it’s been nice playing around with the different pieces and styling them. 

Predominantly I’ve been wearing browns, creams with splashes of red and I’ve even managed to find some leopard print dolly shoes that have finished off many of my looks nicely. 

Dinner arrangements for hubby and I have been great. After a busy house on Sunday with 18 for a family roast dinner we got payback and ate at my daughter’s house followed by a meal with my son and his girlfriend the next evening. I’ve got to cook tonight but I’ve got something nice planned that’s in the freezer so no issues for me this week. Who else hates deciding what’s for dinner?

Exciting day today. You see I’m out with my daughters and we’re wedding dress shopping! My youngest is getting married next year so today, hopefully she’ll say “yes to the dress” I’ll let you know how we get on!

Sharing a typical ‘me’ outfit of late - leopard print is playing an important part for my Autumnal wardrobe and these stunning bow shoes bring a bit of chic to my look. 

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

September Review.

Hello and welcome. 

So good to have you join me today. 

Hope you’ve had a joyful weekend. What did you get up to?

David and I worked in the new build again on Saturday. It’s the mundane jobs that have to be done, take forever and you won’t even noticed them once the house is finished. I managed to measure & saw some wood and staple some plastic to the inside of the new walls - it’s be really fulfilling and I love getting involved where I can. Most of the time I was sweeping up the endless piles of sawdust!  Saturday night was the obligatory takeaway with a few glasses of Prosecco! What did you get up to?

Sunday, after an early clean at the BnB I set about preparing a roast dinner for 18. All bar one of the kids came with their families along with my mum. I cooked roast lamb and pork with stuffing, roasted potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and loads of different vegetables. I started cooking early so it wasn’t so busy and put everything I cooked into the warmer I’ve got - it’s a lifesaver and I’d throughly recommend getting one even though I know they’re a little dated they work a treat. 

So after a busy couple of hours dinner was ready and was eaten much quicker than it took to cook! Everyone enjoyed themselves and Mummab was a happy bunny with nearly all her brood around her. ❤️

Back on the first of last month I was lapping up the sunny weather we were having and although a tad cooler I still managed to style my white jeans with a couple of pretty tops that I layered up incase the sunny day changed. 

Style Steal - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Good morning my friends.

Welcome to the blog on the 2nd day of October!

How on earth has October come around so quickly?  Quite honestly I'm still waiting for Summer to arrive!

Me and David (mainly him) have been doing some work in the new build. I've been trying to help but I reckon I've been more of a hindrance. We've been putting sterling boards up on the wooden frames separating the rooms.  They are heavy.  I had the job of screwing the screws in with the drill, David had to lift them. Well if you've ever tried to drill it's hard.  So they kept going wonky and someone was a tad irritated by my lack of strength!  We got there in the end and the rooms are starting to take shape and I can get a good feel for how big and what the layout will be like.  If you fancy seeing you can get a peak over on my Mummabbuilds account.  

I had a quick visit into Fenwicks in Canterbury on Tuesday.  I'd been recommended some Charlotte Tilbury makeup so wanted to pop in and have the assistant try a new foundation on me. I came home with two and so far (only one application) I'm very impressed.  I'll possibly do a post for you in the next week or so.  

Today’s outfit was a copy from another Instagram’er. I seen her wearing this outfit last week and knew I’d got all the pieces to do similar. 

Colour me Beautiful from Style Not Age.

Hi there. 

Hope you’re well. 

Out to a party in Saturday evening. My sister-in-law’s birthday so we had a few drinks, a little party food and a lot of dancing - maybe in a different order as I suffered the next day feeling slightly jaded! They had a juke box and it’s always good fun to pick tunes to dance too. We also reminisced about lots of the old ones even getting onto the floor to do “Opps upside my head” - have you heard of that one by The Gap Band? Only people of a certain age will remember rocking backwards and forwards going from side to side!! Sounds weird now though doesn’t it! 😂

Sunday was a slow one and quite honestly I couldn’t wait to get to bed! We had dinner at Emily’s house so it was wonderful not having to do anything! I think it’s my turn to cook next week, what with being Summer and too warm for a roast and doing the keto diet, we’ve not bothered to cook one. Now the weather seems to have turned it’s more appropriate to cook a joint with roast potatoes and veg!

Welcome to the last Monday of the month which can only mean the latest instalment from the ladies of Style not Age. Anna chose this theme and it’s been good to embrace some colour for the title … Colour me Beautiful. 

My Gold Jewellery - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hello there, how are you?

How’s your week gone, if it’s anything like mine … fast!

I popped into town on Tuesday to take a pair of trousers back and wore a lovely outfit befitting the weather on that morning ... of so I thought!  I picked some white jeans a tan thin jumper, my tan jacket and my favourite little dolly shoes that have holes all over them - they are cutout style &  I topped this all off with my tan bag and gold jewellery.  I'd planned to take a photo when I got home and even got a lovely compliment from a shop assistant as to how nice the outfit looked and that I'd given her ideas.  I told her about the jacket, that she particularly liked, about how I'd spotted it in Matalan maybe a year or so ago and showed my daughters - they both didn't like it so stupidly (or maybe not) I didn't buy it!  Fast forward a few weeks and upon browsing the sale rail in there found my size for only £10!  Well you can imagine I grabbed it and headed for the tills! It's one of those jackets that goes with just about everything as it's a classic style and neutral colour and knock me down as my daughter now borrows and loves it!  Mums do know best don't they! 

I returned the trousers and exchanged them for a thick tee shirt, they were the same price which I was quite surprised about! Any way back to the story. The rain was getting heavier and heavier with most of the shoppers huddling in doorways trying to evade the rain! I was on a tight timescale so couldn't wait and made my way back to the car, trying to avoid the puddles and broken guttering that had huge showers of water just gushing down from them! I got completely soaked even using my umbrellas which I soon worked out had a hole in the middle so the top of my hair was very wet! I made it back to the car and with wet feet which I took out of my shoes drove home to warm up and dry off.  Guess what?  As I drove home the rain was non-existent in parts and by the time I reached my house it was totally dry!  No rain at all!! Fuming to say the least and made me think either home shopping next time - which I'm coming round to or a trip to Bluewater which is undercover!

Join me at the Damart AW Event in London

Hello and welcome to the blog. 

How did your weekend go?

I’ve had a productive weekend. The weather was kind, albeit very windy on Saturday, however I got both front and back grass cut bringing a fairly tidy garden, which might not need cutting again until next year. David and some of the boys fitted the front doors and bi-fold doors on the new build. I’m really, really happy to get to this stage and can really see my new home coming together. Once it’s all secure we’ll be able to start first fixing the electric and water pipes now which will be exciting although a bit mundane but obviously has to be done! I’m looking forward to getting the decorative side of the house done. Things like picking a kitchen, lights, bathroom etc. also I can’t wait to decorate the property, we’ll start with white and take things from there. I quite like panelling too, we had that in a previous house and it looked very classy so that’s maybe an option to think about. 

Last Wednesday I went to London as I’d been invited to a PR Event held by Damart, they were showcasing the AW collection and it was exciting to see the new styles, I even had a sneak peak at the festive collection it’s all velvet, velour and sequins - definitely pulled on my happy strings even though I don’t want to be thinking about Christmas yet!

Neutrals - Chic & Stylish Link Up.

Hello and welcome to my blog. 

Hope you’re doing well. 

It’s been another busy week in the Mummabstylish household with a trip to London interspersed with gym visits and visits from the kids. I’ve been lucky enough to visit a fantastic venue in London for the Damart AW25 preview event - the post will follow soon!

Today, with not much to report I thought I’d show an outfit I wore the other day but it’s a weather dependent outfit for obvious reasons. 

I love the neutral shades and often can be found donning outfits like this either wearing trousers, skirts or jeans. 

Now I know creamy shades can be a bit marmite but I still reckon they look timeless and can create classic styles. Do you ever wear neutrals like this?

My Weekend!

Good morning. 

Hope you’re well. 

I’ve had a nice weekend, seem to have done lots but nothing at all really. 

There wasn’t any dancing on Friday, so I dropped up to see my mum and helped re-hang some curtains. She’d had new windows installed and having had them taken down to avoid being dirtied or damaged so I put them back up for her. It’s always nice to chat and catch up and I’m lucky to have her only 10 mins away. 

On Saturday you might have seen on TicTok that I had a horse riding lesson. I’ve had this on my bucket list for a while having never even sat on a horse, so having David give me this for a birthday present was brilliant. I’d bided my time and planned the 1/2 assessment for a nice sunny morning, but blow me on Saturday when said lesson was arranged it had me getting onto the horse in a huge downpour - yes it was raining just over the area where the riding school was! I’d left sunny weather on the coast for torrential rain! How annoying was that!

My Meet with Anna - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hey there,

How are you?

Welcome to the blog, have you had a super week?

I had a lovely start to the week and you might remember I went to London on Monday to meet a friend. Did you see who it was?

Yes I met Anna - Anna’s Island style. We met through blogging a few years ago and have managed to meet up twice in the past. She lives over on Tresco - on the Scilly Isles and doesn’t come to London very often, so when she does it seems the ideal thing to do!

We met in Liberty’s which is an amazing store selling almost anything, if you’ve not been it’s well worth a visit - even if it’s just to view the dresses! I found the perfect maxi for my daughter’s wedding next year although I had to double take on the price tag … it was £4,350!!!

Styling my Pink & Gold Trainers 3 Ways.

Good morning.

How are you?

Another weekend that’s flown by. The kids are back to school and pre-school and we’re getting back to normal service - I say we, but I’ve not really had that much change seeing as my kids are all grown up. 

On Saturday I helped Sophie - Little Berry Bakes on her cake stall. It’s the third one she’s done and still very much a learning curve and although she didn’t ’sell out’ she did really well and yesterday continued to sell boxes of her sumptuous goodies to lots of lucky customers - yea I bagged a delicious chocolate cupcake that was truly divine! Made myself feel quite sick eating it all!!! 

I’m meeting a friend in London today, which I’ll share with you soon but if you have a look on my IG stories you can get a sneak peak. I’m catching the train, so I’ll have an hour or so to gather my thought and do some prep for future blogs. What have you got planned today?

If you follow me on IG you’ll have seen I was recently invited to Embassy London’s shop in Canterbury to view the new AW25 collection. I took Sophie along with me and we spent a lovely couple of hours perusing the latest stunners for the new collection and I even came home with this stunning pair of trainers. 

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

 

Holding onto Summer - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Good morning.

How are you?

Welcome to my blog and welcome September!

I'm holding onto Summer in today's post, you see I'm featuring an outfit that wouldn't look out-of-place for a summer BBQ or trip out, maybe if the weather was slightly chilly - which it certainly was on some days in the UK! But with changeable weather in ~Autumn, this sort of outfit is perfect.  We need to layer up as mornings can be chilly, whilst afternoons tend to get warmer. Although today we've got sunshine so maybe it'll rain later!!!

This week has flown by, and the fact I've had a cold has made it even worse. I woke up this morning and soon realised it was Thursday and I'd not made a post!  I didn't do much yesterday and the day before as I felt I'd been doing too much and my body was telling me to slow down.  I cancelled my gym classes and basically enjoyed being at home doing nothing but the essentials.  I have to say I feel much better, even in my head-space which was like a washing machine.  I'll be getting back to normal service, but every now and again it's good to switch off even if it's not your body telling you to do so!

Well let's get back to today's look, as I mentioned above it's a Summery look but with that extra layer!

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

August Review.

Morning all. 

Hope you’ve had a super weekend

I’ve been painting! Yes still helping my youngest get his house ready to move into. They’re planning on being settled in this week as that’s when school starts, but we shall see. Anyway the walls and woodwork have been painted and I’ve been stretching and twisting on ladders in all directions - it’s been a proper workout for me! Do I need to go to my gym classes today - I ask myself!

David and I were rewarded with a roast dinner at my daughters yesterday, we’d worked so hard and really needed a home cooked roast which went down really well. 

Today I’m back to my classes, (yes I know) and am seeing lots of improvement, especially since dropping the weight! Do you enjoy gym sessions, or working out at home?

As it’s the first Monday of the month, welcome September, it’s time to take a look at last month’s posts for the … August Review. 

With nice weather in abundance my first post featured a fabulous sundress from Izabel London. The pale blue and white mix resembles holiday outfits from the Greek islands which I’d be delighted to wear. 

New Cropped Jeans - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Hiya, how are you?

*Late Edit*

Sorry I’m a day late, I had some technical issues, all resolved now!

It’s been a busy few weeks for me what with helping paint my son’s new house, looking after some of the grandkids and attending gym classes it’s been full on!

I’m sure getting older doesn’t help either, I feel I need a holiday!

I had to change a something in Matalan yesterday so I had a look around the store hoping to see some new styles, alas they’ve not arrived yet so I had a look through the sale rail. I came home with a nice pair of cropped jeans that I plan to take up to have a big turn up on them. They only cost £8.50 so if it doesn’t work it’s no big loss but I’ll still wear them. I also got a chunky turtle neck sleeveless jumper. It looked okay on and I plan to wear it over shirts. I’ll see how that feels as sometimes knitted jumpers make me itch!

So here’s my look today, I’ve popped the jeans on before taking them up but I like the relaxed look with flats and this chunky vest top. 

Style not Age enjoy Sunset Shades.

Morning everyone 

Hows your Bank Holiday Weekend going?

We actually went out on Saturday night. We had dinner with friends in a new local restaurant and had a wonderful time and a fantastic meal! There was a 40th birthday party at the next table which turned out to be someone I knew. We joined in some of the celebrations and I even got to have a little boogie! Copious amounts of fizz was consumed and the next morning was relatively slow. I soon brightened up after helping my daughter clean the AirBnb and after shopping for roast beef ingredients prepared, with chef David, a delicious dinner complete with Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. I was completely stuffed so spent the evening relaxing on the sofa before an early night. How did you spend your Sunday? Today is Bank Holiday Monday and both David and I decided to do absolutely nothing! Let’s see how that pans out! lol!

The last Monday of the month can only mean we take a look at what the Style not Age ladies have planned for us.  This month’s theme fell into Emma’s lap and she gave us the delightful prompt of Sunset Shades. 

Moving out & Life Insurance - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Morning my friends. 

How’s your week been?

With cooler temperatures it’s been nice to wear some of my clothes that aren’t shorts/tee shirt combos and sundresses! I’ve been wearing some thicker trousers with some of my knitted tops. One look I loved as soon as I put it on was this one. I neglected to get proper photos and only got this short reel. I’m planning on taking proper photos in the week so will share that with you soon. 

This is a sponsored post, however these are my own honest comments.

 

Styling a Leopard Print Shirtdress.

Good morning my friends.

Hope your month is going alright so far, it’s weird to think September is on the horizon isn’t it. 

Another lovely weekend with the family. On Saturday I helped my youngest on a cake stall at a local camp site. They’d arranged a fun family day to raise money for a charity and she had her cake stall there for the afternoon. Her sisters also came to help and she did really well. She’d baked brownies, blondies, cupcakes, rocky road and cookies which went down really well. She only came home with a handful of spares (which she managed to sell the next day) so all in all a really successful day. 

David and I got a takeaway in the evening and watch Atonement - it’s a romantic war drama and has a very good story running through it, I urge you to watch it even if it’s only to see ‘the green dress’ Keira Knightly wore!

I’ve had a bit of a romance with the colour brown recently and plan to add more and more of this shade into my wardrobe for the new season. You can view my new trousers here along with a dress I found on Vinted. 

So when this dress caught my eye on the Izabel website I thought I’d be a good addition and guess what, I was right. Just look how good it is. 🤎

Chocolate Tones - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Morning everyone. 

How are you?

Well we’re supposed to be having a heatwave but although it’s still sticky hot here it’s been cloudy all day with a stormy vibe. We had a little bit of rain yesterday, but nothing major and definitely no storm!

I took a trip into Canterbury Matalan earlier this week, I was on my way to an appointment (I’ll spill the beans soon) and I grabbed the opportunity with two hands to do a bit of shopping. Unfortunately the new season pieces haven’t filtered into my local store yet and the pickings were slim but I did come home with a couple of pairs of trousers, two tops and some underwear! You can see my TikTok reel here where I shared all my findings. 

So my outfit, which I wore yesterday, featured a pair of trousers I bought & loved. 

That was a fantastic weekend!

Hello my darlings,

Hope you’re well. 

I’ve had a fan-tastic weekend and to be honest really needed it!

Both David and I worked hard at our youngest son’s house clearing a very overgrown garden. We filled a skip full to debris having chopped and cut lots of trees, shrubs and plants that had been left to multiply! We were both exhausted and returned home to chill in the garden. David suggested we head off into town to have dinner so almost reluctantly we both got ourselves ready for the taxi ride to Canterbury which took us to our restaurant. Salt Steak House served various steaks, chickens with delicious side dishes which all sounded divine. I picked their ribeye special which came with chips, salad and a portion of bread. I have to say I was very good and only had half the chips along with the steak and salad, at no point did I touch the bread! 

We settled on a bottle of champagne which went down very nicely indeed. Once finished we both passed on desserts, so after paying the bill headed off to one of the many pubs in the city to have another cheeky glass of fizz. This one lacked atmosphere so once we’d finished our drinks we made our way to my favourite venue which served Porn Star Martinis - what a delicious cocktail and one I’d throughly recommend! Do you have a ‘go-to’ cocktail?

Sunday was another lovely day, somewhat more chilled with a spot of grass cutting and dinner prep for a roast dinner. It was only going to be David and I but my eldest daughter popped round with her family and decided to stay for dinner, we managed to make the chicken go round a couple more mouths, it’s amazing how adding more vegetables and a packet of frozen Yorkshire’s will make a meal stretch further. 

Izabel Sundress - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Good morning. 

How’s it going?

All good here albeit still very busy!

I think it’s a culmination of gym, grankids being on holiday and doing the AirBnb work! But the weeks seem to be flying by at a scary speed. Can you believe we’re nearly in the middle of August!

Do you recall I looked after my son’s dog? I loved it and she was so good for us. I did nearly lose her once when she escaped the garden when I turned my back! She was so quick and I nearly had a heart attack thinking I’d have to tell them she was lost or worse still! Gulp, in an accident! Fortunately all was well and she’d gone down the road and was running around someone’s garden. A very kind couple gathered her up and came looking for us (luckily coming in the right direction)! So I kept a very good eye on her after that and put her on the lead at every opportunity! Not that she liked that! But I had to keep my sanity going! Do you look after anyone’s animals? Let me know if you do and if you’ve had any mishaps too! So she’s back at home safe and sound now, I’m planning on having the grandkids at some stage so fingers crossed I won’t have to worry about losing either of them!!! lol. 

I had a nice sunny day yesterday, so took full advantage of it taking these fab shots in this pretty sundress. 

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

July Review

Hello and welcome to Mummabstylish. 

What have you been up to?

So the bad weather didn’t arrive over the weekend (I’m sure they only ‘scaremonger’ us)! So I got the grass cut, both front and back, strimmed the edges and trimmed the willow tree. It’s at the entrance and when it’s so long it makes driving off hard to navigate! Now I’m not saying it’s the M25 down our road but I like to be able to see what’s coming along.  The garden looks nice and tidy now, and the pots are all in full bloom which is lovely. Shame it’s not been that hot to sit out in! David was working at our daughter’s house getting the garden ready for laying turf and also preparing a hard standing for their cars. It’s coming together nicely so before long the whole house will be finished - jeez I hope they don’t put it up for sale now! 😂

Can you believe it’s the beginning of August? This year really has flown by! Why is this year any different from previous ones? I think it’s because I’m so busy nowadays, the weeks roll into one and before long it’ll be Christmas. 

Now as it’s the first Monday of the month it’s time to look back at July’s posts to see what I’ve been wearing. 

Welcome to the July Review. 

Way back at the beginning of July I took you to Cornwall. I shared my adventure down there with my sister and mum whilst we visited my uncle. Do have a look at what we found on our day out to Charlestown. 

A New Teddy Blake Bag - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hi there. 

Hope you’re all okay. 

Apologies again for a late post, life is so busy at the moment and I’m finding it hard to get everything finished!

In-between seeing the grandkids, going to my gym classes, doing my housework and ironing/cleaning the AirBnb I’ve been looking after my son’s dog. We’ve got Hallie for a week and it’s been lovely. She’s such a good dog and like most doggies doesn’t want much. I’ve been walking her every day which has been really nice. That’s one of the things I’ve missed since losing my little Candy and Roxy but I’m still not replacing them any time soon. Dogs are such a tie aren’t they!

I met an old friend today, she emigrated to Oz about 17 years ago and although I’ve seen her twice since she left it was lovely to catch up again. We went to a local pub with some other friends and had a super lunch washed down with a glass of spritz. Time soon ran away with us and we had to draw the lunch to a close before all of us headed off in different directions but I have to admit our chats were just like old days and ran smoothly as if we’d never changed! I had a delicious Caesar Salad which was just the right amount, I always cook in the evenings so didn’t want to have two meals! That would be greedy and would have filled me uncomfortably up!

Let’s talk bags. I have plenty hanging in my wardrobe but am always partial to a new style and this beauty touched a nerve, a nice one and I had to have it!

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

SNA show us Festival Fashion

Morning my friends. 

How’s your week been?

I’ve had a wonderful weekend. Saturday evening I was at a wedding reception. Imagine how excited I was to find out it was a black tie event which as you well know means wearing a long evening dress! I’ve only worn an evening dress on a handful of occasions and I couldn’t wait to get ready for it. I’d bought a couple of dresses from a company called Goddiva and when they both arrived I couldn’t decided as I liked them both. I kept them just in case I need another for a suitable event, but who knows when that’ll be! They both looked great on and fitted like a glove although this one was a bit too long so had to be taken up! I didn’t do a bad job and revelled at how good it ended up. 

This is the drop shoulder fitted maxi I wore, but today’s post is really all about me and my co-partners for the Style not Age challenge which fell into my hands. I opted for a typical Summertime prompt of Festival Fashion purely because we’re in the height of summer festivals having just had Glastonbury and IOW gatherings with many more coming up including Edinburgh Fringe and the Leeds/Reading events. 

 

Big Florals - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hi there.

How are you?

Popped into Canterbury yesterday and all the sales are on!  I used to love browsing the rails of the shops to find a bargain and although I love to get something cheap - I hate going through sale rails now! They're always packed with some awful outdated items, hanging off the hanger and all the sizes are generally mixed up or on a hanger showing the wrong size (makes my blood boil)! So for this kind of shopping I'm happy to look online, yes you did read that correctly - I'm turning into an online sale shopper!

I remember this time of year well! Just after the schools breakup and I used to start thinking of holiday clothes for the kids everything was in the sale! I enjoyed finding bargains and scoured the shops for the right sizes and styles for the holiday we always had the end of August. I must add back in the day there were plenty of shops open and had sprawling items just waiting to be bought. Fast forward to 2025 it just isn’t the same. Neither am I though, so it works for me now.  I’m sure most families in the same situation & shop online finding just what they need at the click of a button.  

I wore an old dress into town and got a lovely compliment from a shop assistant who said my bright colourful dress matched my complexion. It was a dreary, cloudy day that was sticky & hot & had notifications of an amber weather warning in the evening, it certainly brighten my day and looking around what everyone else was wearing I might just have brightened other peoples days up too! 

It must have worked because it brighten up in the evening with no sign of a thunderstorm in my vicinity. ☺️

Relaxing in a maxi dress.

Hi there. 

How’s your world turning?

Hope you’ve had a good weekend, went too fast didn’t it!

Although I didn’t do much it was lovely. 

I’d planned to have a BBQ yesterday but the weather had other ideas! We ended up having a family roast which was brilliant. Having been on my keto diet for a few months therefore potatoes and other carbs have been off the menu (unless I’d cheated) so it was a delicious addition to have a couple of roasties along with a Yorkshire pudding with my roast chicken dinner. It’s been ages since all the family go together and although last minute everyone except my son and his family came round. It was a mad house though as the kids couldn’t really play outside (however they did at times)! Do you have big family gatherings? The best times aren’t they!

I was talking about how to slow down a busy life on Instagram last week. How do you like to relax and unwind?

Taking a walk in the countryside works for me when I’m a bit het-up and stressed, so last week and a busy few days I took myself off for a little stroll in this stunning dress. Swishing and swaying in this beauty did make me happy as the photos show. ☺️

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

Long Weekend in L’Escala - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Morning my friends. 

How are you?

First I need to apologise for no post on Monday. You see I got back from Spain late on Monday and quite honestly didn’t have the energy to do a post!

The weekend went by in a flash. We traveled out to Gerona Spain mid day and arrived in the town of L’Escala late afternoon which was perfect. The hotel is one we always passed when we stayed there years ago. It’s mid way between the old town of L’Escala and Riells beach and an ideal position to get everywhere. We’ve got so many memories of this pretty fishing village that’s sprawled out to almost being unrecognisable in some places! We always rented a villa and self catered, well that’s how it started but soon the children got a taste for adult food we ate out. It became quite expensive at times as their liking for filet steak grew each year. The weather is really changeable and we often encountered rain, and boy does it rain there. We had a storm on Saturday night too. The government sent emergency messages with what to do should it get that bad!! Yeah that was scary! 😱 

I bought a couple of new bits for the trip and also took some outfits I’ve already worn. I thought you’d like to see the two new ones today. 

Elie Beaumont Bag - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Good morning. 

Hope you’re all well. 

I’ve had a busy few days getting everything done as I’m off for a long weekend to L’Escala tomorrow. It’s a little village on the Costa Brava coast in the bay of Roses. It’s been a holiday venue for us when the children were small and before that David used to holiday there with his parents back in the 70’s. We’ve seen a lot of changes over the years and I’m sure not having been there for quite a few years it’ll have changed even more! We’re staying in a hotel we used to walk past (we normally stayed in a villa and self catered) so it’ll be lovely to enjoy being ‘looked after’ for a change. Not all the family are coming with us, just Sophie and her fiancé along with James, and Davids’ sister, husband, daughter, son and his girlfriend will be joining us so it’s sure to be a fun few days. We’ve earmarked our favourite restaurants and pray we’ll be able to book a table - one in particular ( we call it “pigs cheeks” for obvious reasons) will be top of the list & I’ll share some piccys if I do manage to get there. 

I’ve got a couple of new bits to take and some pieces you’ve seen before and I’ll share them each day on IG for a little fashion show. ☺️

Thought I’d tempt you with my new bag today. I was kindly gifted this beautiful hobo sling bag from Elie Beaumont so let me know what you think about this stunning arm candy. 🤍

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

June Review.

Hi there. 

Thanks for coming by. 

Another wonderful weekend with the family, culminating with my mum’s annual garden party.  My mum likes to have all the family round for a big party nearly every year, so yesterday was the day. We usually have rain! She picks a day that we can all make (except my youngest son couldn’t this year) which is a different date each year! Nonetheless we seem to always have rain! We don’t have the thunderstorms as promised by the weather readers - fortunately, but did have a couple of showers but that didn’t deter the kids from enjoying the bouncy castle - or me for that matter!

My daughter helped mum organise everything from setting the date on a poll on our phones to arranging what food to bring etc. we decided on smaller amounts unlike previous years and I was pleased to see most of the food got eaten and only small amounts was left! I made a coronation chicken dish with wild rice which went down a treat, and that was teamed with charcuterie and cheese, coleslaw, potato salad, salad and a couple of cold pasta dishes too. There was also crisps and pate with bread to devour & I admit to doing just that as my diet was on hold yesterday. I also relished the desserts too, homemade banoffee pie, biscoff cheesecake and Eton mess went down a treat, there’s something about homemade puddings that I can’t resist!

Back to today. It’s the beginning of July and as it’s the first Monday of the month let’s look back on my styles for June for the ….

June Review

Having just got back from my weekend in Amiens, I thought it would be good to share a little insight about my weekend and this beautiful French city. Hope you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed my weekend break. 

Cornwall - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Hi there everyone. 

Hope you’re all okay. 

This has been a while coming and I’m pleased to share my three nights stay in Cornwall with you. 

You might have seen me mention I went away to Cornwall back in May and have finally got this post together so I can tell you about it. 

We left on a Wednesday morning and travelled down to Cornwall on a fairly clear motorway, but once we got to Stonehenge traffic got quite clogged up. The road goes from duel carriage way to single lane and back to duel numerous times - which makes the journey very hard going. Services on the M3 are fair but I reckon there could be more! We arrived mid afternoon after having a coffee stop just over half way when we had a wrap as well.  Once we arrived at Pencubitt House we were directed to our rooms and sat down for a cup of tea with a nice cold glass of Prosecco!  We've stayed here numerous times and feel right at home there, in fact David and I had the same room when we went to collect a table back in 2015.  Yes we drove down to my uncles, collected a table that my grandfather had made, went and found the hotel, had a delicious meal in Looe, stayed in the hotel overnight and after having a lovely breakfast drove home!! Yes all that way for one night!

Julie and Patrick are brilliant hosts and nothing is too much trouble!  It's what I call chintzy hotel with swags and tails and a mix of jacquard fabrics and lots of ornaments and photos - lots of which they have collected over their travels. Last year they introduced a new sitting room which has a tea and coffee station befitting the interior - it's set upon a big dresser with a little fridge hidden in a cupboard and even has a tin of biscuits too.  Julie aptly named it the Pencuban continuing with their countries-visited vibe .