Sparkly Season.

Hello there my lovelies. 

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

I’ve had a lovely one. Didn’t achieve much but most of it was family orientated, which is alright for me as I love being with the kids. 

I spent the morning on Saturday at my grandsons football match. They didn’t win - but did very well and it’s all part of the learning curve isn’t it! I must say the opposition had parents that were a very rowdy bunch and did call out some unwelcoming jibes - mostly to their own team, but each to their own I suppose! 

It was a chilly morning but with bright sunshine, which was good and the park was only down the road from me therefore didn’t take that long to get there and back. The girls came home from the other match so we had an hour or so to catch up and put the world to rights! Anyone else do that with their kids?

How are you getting on with your Christmas preparations? I’m gradually getting there with only a handful of gifts to buy and wrap. My youngest helped me at the weekend by wrapping some presents I bought last Friday so that’s been a godsend! This week I want to make sure I’ve got all the food and drink shopping sorted. I’ve got a Tesco delivery coming next Sunday so fingers crossed I’ll have everything covered and ready for the big day. Do you shop online for your food or do you venture into the supermarket before Christmas?

Have you been wearing your sparkles recently ? ✨ 

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

 

Floral Green & Cream Trousers - Chic & Stylish Linkup.

Hiya!

How are you?

Just over half way through June, that’s crazy isn’t it. It always makes me sad to get to the middle of June when we have the longest day! Nights will start to draw in from then and to me it highlights that we’re on the way to another year ending! I know there’s lots of months to get through until the end of December but you know what I mean!😢 

If you’re following me on Instagram or TikTok, you may have seen my reel featuring “new in” clothes from

Sainsbury’s. It seemed to go down well so I’ve decided to do another one featuring clothes from Matalan. I’ll be sharing it on those social media sites soon, so hope you’ll have a look. 

Today’s post is about my favourite style of trousers - the palazzo wide leg. Do let me know what you think of this outfit, the buttery yellow tee shirt is new and I ventured out of my usual styling pattern to pair it with these colours. 

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

 

February Review.

Good morning everyone. 

How’s it going?

Welcome to my first blog post of the month and welcome to March!

This weekend really did seem like the beginning of Spring as the weather was so nice. Mind you, It was still really cold but working outside with the sun on my face was a real treat! David and I have still been cutting the hedge. It’s not as cut and dried as just cutting things down though, there’s raking, shredding and loading into a skip to contend with so on Saturday night we were both knackered!  We’re still following a Keto diet so decided on a cheeky takeaway again which I hasten to add was Keto friendly. On a very good plus side I’ve found out that Prosecco is one of the drinks that you can have on this diet, so long as calories are counted so I’ve been a happy bunny finding this out!  

I’m planning on a trip to the cinema to watch Bridget Jones - Mad About the Boy, however I embarrassed to admit I’ve not actually watched all the previous films only have I seen the first one a couple of times! I’m not even sure why to be honest, just not my cup of tea, but I’m suffering a bit of fomo so I’m binge watching all the films before I visit the local cinema in order to know just what’s going on in this one!! 😂

Sunday was a more relaxed affair, I helped my daughter out with her AirBNB and after David finished trimming the part of the hedge I couldn’t get to last year, we popped to Sainsbury’s to grab something for dinner. We came home with a small joint of beef and some veg that we roasted. He made a gravy that was fairly good (had to use 

Xanthan Gum - Keto friendly) so all in all it was a nice dinner and I was stuffed! I ended the evening with the last Bridget Jones film I’d missed!

Anyway back to this month’s review. 

I usually take a look back on what I shared over the previous month, so welcome and thanks for stopping by to read my ….

February Review. 

Back at the beginning of the month I shared this fancy jumper that’s covered in a beautiful collection of pearls. 

I’m sure this winter white look wasn’t the best choice for many of the days last month due to the wet weather, but I’m excited to think this month might be perfect for it. 

December Review.

Good Morning.

Hope you’ve had a super weekend. 

I’ve been a bit all over the place with posts recently, and you eagle eyed people might have noticed I didn’t do a December Review! I hold my hands up to basically forgetting about it! I was so caught up with posting, I hadn’t realised the first Monday of January should have been the review, so without any further excuses here’s last month’s review. 

Welcome to December Review. 

My first post for the festive month was so apt and featured me making a door wreath with my daughters. We had an amazing couple of hours squeezed in between dropping kids to school and pre-school with all of us creating some quite magnificent masterpieces - well I think they were, what do you think?

Bonmarche Knitwear - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Good morning my friends. 

How are you doing?

This will be the last post before Christmas as things are proving busier than I anticipated. I’ve got most things sorted and no major plans to do anything but I want to chill and get everything ready without any dramas!  Are you all sorted for the big day?

Today I’m meeting the ballet ladies for a Christmas lunch. It’s nice to see people in a different setting when there’s more time to chat about other things rather than ballet talk. We’re going to a chain restaurant that’s just down the road from me and I’m excited to see what’s on the menu ( I love Christmas dinner, but think that’ll be too much as I normally have a meal with David in the evening so we shall see). In the morning I’m planning to wrap my presents and then I can work out the remainder of gifts I need which I need to get, to be honest, isn’t that much!  

I also managed to do a little reel today, it’s for my IG account but I’m sharing the pieces with you today, can you guess what I’ll be wearing Christmas Day?

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

Style not Age - Lovely Linen.

Hello and welcome to my blog.

If you're new here, I'm an over 50 year old blogger who likes to share my own styles and a bit of my lifestyle with you and maybe a few holidays thrown into the mix too!  Good to have you here. X

Wow what a weekend that was! I did something every day and today I’ve got nothing on so I’m just going to sit back relax and take it easy! 

Friday I was excited to be taken out to lunch for a belated 60th birthday present. The Pig in Bridge was the venue and what a lovely place it is. 

Situated on the outskirts of Canterbury this red brick building is an interesting old house that’s had a rock and roll lifestyle of its own. Back in the day it was a country club and hosted disco’s over weekends and was definitely the place to be! I remember spending many a night dancing, drinking and generally partying into the early hours. Taking full advantage of the checkered dance floor and basement restaurant on many occasions!  Fast forward to the 2020’s and it’s now a renowned restaurant chain sharing signature pig touches including some mouthwatering ‘piggy bits’, fish and meat dishes from within a 25 mile radius along with home grown vegetables that you can wander around the gardens to see them growing, it’s not unusual to have the menu change twice in one day depending on what’s available from the garden. 

I actually opted for a small lamb plate and throughly enjoyed it and knowing I was out again in the evening and wanted a lighter lunch to make room for the delicious meal I’d be having in the evening. 

Friday night I went for my last ever meal to my favourite restaurant Reads. You might have seen me mention this venue in the past as David and I often had our anniversary meal there. So the couple who own it are retiring, they’ve worked as restaurateurs for over 47 years and much to the sadness of many customers have decided to finally shut the doors for the last time. David, my mum & uncle and my sister and her husband enjoyed one final wonderful evening there along with a full restaurant of valued customers. I opted a lighter option and had halibut which was divine as was the cheese soufflé and panna cotta. Sorry if I’ve made you hungry!

Saturday night we dined with friends. Their new house, which overlooks the coast,  had me oo-ing and arrhh-ing at the modern interior which was stunning - given me lots of ideas for our new build. 

Sunday afternoon was my mum’s annual garden party. Thirty five of us gathered in her garden to drink eat and be merry. We were fortunate to just about avoid the rain, we had a big downpour for about 5 mins which dried up nicely making way for warm sunshine which was a joy. The kids spent the afternoon on a bouncy castle and we all relished the homemade dishes we’d all taken. A much better plan to take dishes so it wasn’t all down to one person to prepare. I took pate and coronation chicken which I have to add all got eaten! It wasn’t a late night so I got to relax on the sofa and have an early night. 

It’s nearer the end of the month which can only mean me and the style not age ladies taking centre stage and sharing our  …

Lovely Linen outfits with you!

New Season Essentials from Bonmarche.

Good morning my friends.

Seems we're flying through August aren't we!

After hectic weeks It's been good to slow down and enjoy a quieter weekend. I had Max on Saturday and introduced him to the Peter Rabbit film. It’s all about the children’s story written by Beatrix Potter featuring the fictional character Peter and his family and shares all the funny antics they get up to. Peter is voiced by James Corden, whose wit and personality shines through - do watch it with your kids, grandkids or just watch it alone, it’s a fun one to see - I guarantee you’ll love it. 

Max was smitten and nearly watched it all the way through! I was in my element too as I really enjoy watching kids films. 

Sunday we had a small BBQ nothing fancy but it was good. My daughter prepared most of the food, with the help of my other daughter and my son was in charge of bbq-ing so I could sit back and relax and then enjoy some delicious food making the most of the warmer albeit cloudy weather by sitting in the garden - I’m not sure how long that’ll be happening eh! I’ve also noticed the thing I hate! The nights are starting to draw in! Winter will be upon us before we know it! Urgh!

As promised on Thursday today I'm sharing some new in pieces from Bonmarche.

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.

 

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. 

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.

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. 

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!

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. 

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. 

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 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. 

Style Not Age are Inspired by Autumn Leaves.

Morning all.

How’s your month going?

Anyone else in shock at how quickly November went? It’s nearly December for god’s sake! I’ve failed at getting all my present buying done by early December and as usual with be frantically looking for gifts right up until Xmas Eve I expect. I have put nearly all the decorations up and it’s looking very festive in Mummab’s house. I need to get a tree for outside the front door and David has still to put the lights on the Hawthorn tree - that’s always funny to watch as it always end’s in tears - both meanings … lol 😂 

So as it’s the last Monday of the month, it can only mean one thing … the post from the ladies of Style not Age. 

This month’s topic is right on time for this season and one you can appreciate for the colours we are sharing, autumnal tones for the prompt ….

Inspired by Autumn Leaves. 🍁 🍂

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

Everyday Casual - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi there.

Hope you are okay.

Just about starting to feel normal after the busy week I've had.  Another birthday yesterday so a celebration with drinks, Chinese and some delicious Rocky Road made by my daughter.  Yeah don't mention the diet please ... lol

I seem to have got my zest back for blogging and 'graming and have created some photos to use on both platforms.  It's been good to hear feed back from fellow bloggers and Instagramers alike stating they've felt just like I did and what they did about it, it's been helpful to read and actually know I'm not the only one!  I've also been back to the gym and this ALWAYS makes me feel better.  Well doesn't exercising release natural endorphins???  I'm also returning to Ballet after my couple of weeks off, last week I just didn't feel 100% so decided to give it a miss, I've also been away from ballroom dancing too, the first wasn't my fault, but the second session was the club was closed - it's back on this Friday, and I can't wait.

Are you like me and keep special things for special occasions? 

Red, White & Blue for the Coronation.

Hi there,

Welcome to the blog.

Happy Bank Holiday Monday, sounding very familiar doesn’t it the second one in a couple of weeks! 😂

How did your weekend go? I’ve had a ball. 

Dancing on Friday night was brilliant, I’ve been away from it for a few weeks so it was great to get back onto the dance floor. It was the second week of the Foxtrot and fortunately it didn’t take long for me to pick it up and get into the swing of it. It’ll be finished off next Friday, but again I’ll be away in Majorca for a hen party and the following week the club is shut, so another few weeks away from my much loved hobby. 

On Saturday, after a quick trip to the shops to get some bits for the aforementioned Hen weekend I got home in time to watch the Coronation of King Charles. 

What an amazing event to see and at times I was quite emotional! I love all the pomp and ceremony and am very proud to be British and have all this history. Did you watch the events unfold, do let me know if you’re a fan too!

I also had a 30th birthday party in the evening. It’s my son’s birthday this month and his wife was also 30 in April, so they decided on a double celebration. It was such good fun seeing all the family friends and extended family. Plenty of drinks and food and lots of familiar songs to dance the night away too, opps upside your head was one of the golden oldies (those over a certain age will remember this one - lol).  My legs felt awful the next day, as did my head and tummy (but the Prosecco tasted good!)  You may remember I said they got married there too. It was in lockdown so they were only allowed 15 people, it was wonderful for them to celebrate their 30th’s there as it really did make up for the wedding celebrations they missed out on.  

As you can imagine Sunday was a lazy day although I did get a few jobs done, in the afternoon I just vegged out on the sofa watching TV.  No cooking for me as fortunately, a takeaway was on the menu - perfect. 

Today all the family will be round for the roast turkey I had got for Easter (remember I went skiing over Easter),

All the traditional accompaniments will be on offer so it’ll be a busy morning getting all that ready, especially after two gym classes!  What have you got planned for today?