We all have times like the one I'm living through now where the long-awaited freeway of summer turns into more of a twisting path. By the time you reach midlife you've had a few of them... which makes it easier in one way because you can be confident that there's a smoother surface somewhere, further round the corner. However you're also aware that misfortune will rear its discomfiting head again and so I'm noticing that as we grow older [...]
As I said last week, it's time for a midlife lately catch-up because we haven't had one since April although of course you know what's been going on. And so I've had a look through my camera roll at the pictures we snap here and there and it's telling - because you don't take them when times aren't good do you? And if I were creating a piece of art there would probably be something really symbolic that I [...]
I'm not yet up to writing one of my usual posts. I'm aware that quite a few new readers have found this blog through Instagram recently, so to you, I apologise and hope you understand that life events have suddenly taken over. My 'gearing up to sixty' campaign will be back soon. To the many of you who have been reading my blog and therefore been part of my life for years, I know you'll understand. Today's post is [...]
There's a particular kind of woman who heads a family and you only really see her properly once she's gone. Mal's mum died on the 26th of May. Her name was Delia, Delia Mary Garnett, born O'Connor in Gateshead in 1942 and as a family we officially say goodbye to her today. It's been hard to put this post together because how do you write about a woman who never struggled to know what to say herself? I'm not [...]
I was fifty-nine last week. Not sixty yet... not for another year... but fifty-nine feels portentous. It's the year before the year which in a way turns it into the dress rehearsal. Some of you will have seen from Instagram that I was chatting to somebody recently who was dreading her forthcoming 60th birthday so much that she couldn’t even speak the word. She’s banned all family and friends from mentions of it and celebrations – her sixtieth is [...]
A week with my adult children - and the small impacts I didn't know I'd had... Ok so I'm still playing catch-up. We're rewinding to the Easter weekend today and a story that I've been dying to tell you, I've had to bide my time and now it's here. For those of you who come for the clothes there isn't much to show you today - but for those who come for the meandering midlife tales there's more. [...]
I knew I was going to be flat out at the end of January. I have our first Midlifechic Retreat at the end of next week to prepare for and life on the work front is busy for this time of year which is strange... but then the world is a strange place right now isn't it? However foresight can be a wonderful thing and I found a note in my blogging diary for this week that said "pans [...]
Well hello and a very Happy New Year to you. Cold isn't it? I hope you're emerging from a lovely, restful break ready for a shiny new beginning. I'm going to be looking back at 2025 today as well as wrapping up Christmas. We had exactly the time I hoped for, it was low key and relaxed, we immersed ourselves in happy times with family and friends and just switched off from the outside world for a couple of [...]
I'd hoped to write a Midlife Lately today because I haven't had a chance to do one since the end of October and there's such a lot for us to talk about but I've run out of time so we'll just have to have a big one in January. Instead I'm going to end the year by pondering over how to make a memorable Christmas. What is it that makes some Christmases stand out with a particularly warm glow [...]
New friendships - Midlifechic overnighter 2025 Today you won't be surprised to hear that I want to talk about our Midlifechic overnighter 2025 in Birmingham last weekend. But before I go into the detail let's zoom out a bit and ask, "what's the point of these get togethers?" As you know I've been tentatively organising meet-ups since November 2019. Each time I try to take them on a step or two, stretching the time together out a little longer and [...]
This is one of those posts that is all about family and it's where my blog turns personal as a legacy that I hope to pass down. It's a long one and it will hold no interest for some - if that's you, I assure you that normal service will be resumed next week. Others though will understand how the milestones that we reach don't always point ahead, sometimes they cause you to look back along the path that's [...]
[Please note before reading, this post talks about the pain of grief and loss] I know you weren't expecting a post today but as I've started writing my June midlife lately I feel I can only do it in two parts because it's been a very difficult month for people around me. Some of you have picked up that I haven't been my usual self - as I write this blog so openly it's been difficult to know how to [...]
And just like that I'm back at my desk - it feels impossible that reality and everyday life still exists. Colombia was absolutely the trip of a lifetime and ever since we started the journey home I've been trying to work out why so that I could articulate it here. I think it's because it was so much a road untravelled. For most of it there just wasn't a tourist path and so we were immersed into everyday life [...]
Happy Friday! It's just a quick post today because I'm pleased to say that I've actually begun the writing phase of the book and now I find I can't stop. I should have just sat down and started typing ages ago but I've been churning in a state of not feeling qualified to do it. However by beginning with a couple of the chapters that come to me easily, I'm now getting somewhere. There is one area where I [...]
Ok, so a couple of weeks ago I promised to write a longer post for people who are approaching the empty nest and wondering what's next for their relationship. I'm also being told that if my book is to be fully representative of midlife onwards it needs to talk intelligently and sensitively about sex because it's such an important part of it all. So I'm practicing on you because I always feels like I'm talking to friends and I [...]
Midlife travel solo Last month I told you all about my women only trip sailing around Thailand. That post looked at where we went and what we did but there was so much to say that I couldn't finish with what it taught me and that's what I want to talk about today. People set out on midlife travel solo journeys for all kinds of reasons but travelling without Mal wasn't something I'd ever thought of doing before and I'm [...]
I'm going to carry on addressing some of the issues you shared with me in last October's survey today. For everyone who's asking, I will talk about style and run the retailer spotlights again but not at the moment when the shops are short on inspiration and we're all wrapped up against the snow. So today is all about the difficult parts of midlife that nobody prepares you for - the rough comes with the smooth - and how to [...]
Well hello, I hope you had a lovely bank holiday weekend. As you know we spent ours in the sunshine with Gillian and Stephen who started off as Midlifechic readers (well perhaps not Stephen) but have now become firm friends. With disrupted travel it's been a hectic week since we got home so I'm inviting you to join us for what will have to be a whistlestop tour of our midlife weekend in Porto. A midlife weekend in Porto - [...]
What should we talk about today? It can't be clothes because I seem to be living in jumpers and jeans so I think it has to be a midlife lately - August. I know that lots of you are on holiday, as are we usually. In fact this is the first August since 1997 that I haven't been away somewhere or other and it feels strange. We spent May, June and July constantly on the move, mostly for work or [...]
And so, as you'll know if you follow my Instagram feed, there was a big day for our family a couple of weeks ago. It was the middle one's graduation, a day I found myself completely unprepared for in terms of impact. It was a bit like pregnancy when you find yourself so focused on the birth that it's almost a shock when you have to take the baby home with you afterwards and you realise that in the [...]
Today I have the great fortune of sharing another birthday post with you - my tenth one in fact. And when I say good fortune I really mean it. I've never been complacent about the sheer blessing of being alive but I'm more aware of it than ever because over the last twelve months we've lost or have worried about losing too many friends and acquaintances of our age to cancer and sudden heart attacks. And of course I also [...]
How strange it is to be back. I'm going to need a bit of time to go through the photos of our trip to Kenya but I'm hoping to talk about the safari element next week. In the meantime, I mentioned on Instagram that it had changed me and quite a few of you asked how - so before the cloak of habit envelops me again, I'm going to try to pin it down with travel and what it's taught [...]
As you'll know if you follow my Instagram feed, we set off on an adventure this morning (well at least I hope we did because I'm typing this on Wednesday so I'm assuming all will have gone to plan!). It means there won't be another blog post until 24th February but part of the project involves posting Instagram Stories every day so you can catch me there - in the spoken word rather than the written one. And I'm leaving [...]
Something a bit different today because there's no point in talking about clothes at the moment - we're going to need an Ark up here soon if the rain doesn't stop! Before I start though I just want to thank you for all of the encouraging comments and messages you sent after my Christmas post, they were so heartwarming to read and they helped my year of blogging to end on an especially happy note. So talking about learnings suggests [...]
And so I'm back from the unexpected gift that rounded off what has been a fabulous summer - a trip to St Lucia with the team from Sandals Resorts. When I left you at the end of my last post I was feeling both nervous and excited. I was delighted to have been invited but a bit surprised too because I've always seen Sandals Resorts as a honeymoon destination - so let me tell you how we found it. I [...]
Pre-script Since I wrote this we've travelled to St Lucia and on the flight over we heard the sad news that the Queen had died. It felt right not to publish this the following day but a few people have been in touch saying that they'd be grateful for a break in the sad news that surrounds them. So I hope I won't upset any of you by sending this live now. It's difficult being away and not feeling part [...]
This week and next for me are all about tinsel and baubles. It's officially my 30th year in retail and 'Christmas in July'... I've been doing this for a long time! Going in and out of Christmas events on hot London days does leave you somewhat confused - it's like the feeling you get when you wake up in a hotel somewhere exotic knowing that you'll end the day back in your own bed. However, as the boys would say, [...]
Well hello and a huge thank you for all of your comments last week - I think it's a record. Just as I was beginning to wonder if you'd stopped reading you astounded me. I usually reply to everybody individually but I have a lengthy corporate identity document to complete so instead I'm going to spend any spare blog time I have collating each comment into a report. I'll add 'noted' under each one so you know that your feedback [...]
After playing catch-up on our Greek trip for the last few weeks it feels good to be talking to you in real time again. We've had lots going on and I'm going to write this post the opposite way round to usual because it has some sadness and I don't want to leave you on a downer on a Friday. So I'm starting with some midlife ups and downs and then I'll move on to happier events and what I've [...]
The end of days And just like that they've flown. After 25 years of family life our nest is empty and it's the moment I've been dreading since my boys first arrived and filled our home with love, mischief and laughter. I distinctly remember holding each one of them for the first time and feeling so many things: joy, awe, responsibility, love... all tinged with an awareness that I was heading on a journey that would be over before I'd [...]
Over the weekend I realised how many outfit pictures I have clogging up my camera roll so it's time for a catch up. Of course the highlight of my weekend was the wedding we went to so today's post is a mixed bag of summer and autumn outfits cumulating with what to wear for a wedding over 50. You see the last few weeks for us have felt a little more like life before lockdown especially as far as work [...]
Happy Friday! Although it already feels like an age ago, today I'm bringing you my British City Staycation - Newcastle Part 2. I left you last week as we were hit with the news of Mum-in-law's diagnosis and everyone in the family was reeling. I'm grateful to all of you who've sent advice and links to the various organisations you recommend. The doctors have told us that the most urgent thing for now is to get the LPAs in [...]
Well hello, it's good to be back and talking to you after our two weeks away. I'm wondering how this post is going to work because a few of you will already have seen the photos on Instagram but of course there was no space on there to give you the full story behind them so I hope it will still be interesting for you. As you know after various holiday cancellations we decided to spend two weeks over at [...]
It's my last post before we go away and so I thought I'd do something a bit different. Several times a year I'm asked by magazines, newspapers or other bloggers to do interviews which isn't usually as grand as it sounds, it means they send me a list of questions to answer and sometimes they publish them, sometimes they don't. It's something I never really have time to do but quite enjoy doing because I find it helps to crystallise [...]
As we approached summer this year I thought it was going to feel like a long one. Without the rush of a big family holiday to prepare for I imagined it being languid, like the summers you read about in interwar novels where people spent long, limpid days at home in the shade with a book. And of course it isn't turning out that way at all, it still feels as though time's rushing by and weeks are eaten up [...]
I think it's always worth taking some time to reflect as your birthday approaches and tomorrow I'll be 54 so that's what I'm doing. I'm usually looking back over a busy year of personal achievements peppered with standout moments but this one, of course, has been a little different. It's hard to view the last twelve months with any kind of perspective because even though lockdown's starting to lift, it doesn't quite feel as though this strange time is over [...]
Well hello, how are you? Feeling buoyed by Boris's roadmap or not? I've noticed that this week has been an emotional one for a lot of people. Everyone I've spoken to seems to be swinging between elation at having a hairdresser's appointment in the diary and despair at still having weeks of limbo ahead. I feel the same and I'll have a go at encapsulating it in Midlife Lately at the end of this post because I'll be fascinated to [...]
Well as you may have seen on Instagram, we had a big celebration in our house this week because on Wednesday it was our 20th wedding anniversary. And I know that immediately some of you will do the maths and think but surely the eldest is 24? And you're right. You see there's a story behind our story that I've never told but today feels like the day to do it. It isn't going to be easy to write and [...]
Well hello! How are you? I hope your 2020 ended with a Christmas that meant something to you, even if it was a bit different - and that you feel in some way restored. Hitting a new year in a state of extreme lockdown wasn't what any of us were hoping for but we'll get through it together. Today I'm going to do a quick Christmas recap for my memory bank and then I'll share the way that I'm going [...]
My last post for 2020 - wow what a year. In fact I almost feel I should leave it at that because what can I say? I don't have enough perspective to review it dispassionately yet but I thought I'd share my immediate reflections here, even if only because one day I hope this will be an interesting sociological record to look back on. So I'm going to do it in my usual way, starting with the downs, moving on [...]
I know some of you, the Scots in particular, have been wondering whether I was ever going to publish this. It's two weeks since we went away for Mr MC's birthday and already it feels like a lifetime ago - not just in terms of time but also in lifestyle because now our freedoms are far fewer again. We were so lucky to snatch a weekend of fun when we did and looking through the photos it reminds me that [...]
Well I hope you're getting used to the increasing levels of lockdown if you're in the UK. Given our proximity to a two university city with rapidly increasing rates of infection, we were quite surprised to find ourselves in tier two but I suspect that will change very soon. So as today is my sister's birthday, I made the most of being able to spend this morning drinking coffee with her in her garden which means today's post is a [...]
Well what a week it's been here, I have lots to tell you. In this post I'm wearing quite a few new season pieces for people who just come for the clothes and I'll finish with a surprising development on the life front for those who follow my ups and downs. But first, a huge thank you to everyone who joined me for a workout in the park with Sally at an ungodly hour this morning - I'll embed the [...]
Today I'm wrapping summer up with one last blast of sunshine from Turkey before I move into everything autumnal. I have lots of questions coming in about Kalkan - I think a few other bloggers have been out there this year so it's on the rise as a destination. People are asking me for more detail about what it's like and whether I'd recommend going there now. Of course I can't tell you what is and isn't safe - you [...]
The zeitgeist and what to wear for the weekend Has anyone else found this week to be a tough one? For me it's been by far the most challenging of lockdown, not for any particular reason other than the new monotony. As I've said before I've realised how much I rely on forward goals to keep me going and with the endless uncertainty that seems to surround us in the UK in particular, it's still impossible to implement any. Of [...]
Quarantine - as the days roll on - Coronavirus 2020 How are you getting on? I have to admit that today is the first day when I've felt a bit fed up of all of this so I'm glad it's a blogging day. With the possibility that somebody has happened upon this post few years on from now, let me just apply some context. We're now in the eighth week of quarantine and in Boris Johnson's broadcast on Sunday evening [...]
Well hello and a Happy New Year to you. I'm back to blogging a little later than planned because we had guests until 30th December and then went over to Newcastle for a family funeral so it turned out to be busier than we expected. However everything went well and mum-in-law declared it to be 'the best Christmas for years' - phew! Reflections on a midlife decade Even though it's ten days old now, I feel as though I need [...]
Oh it went so quickly, our weekend break in Spain - and well done to Jenny who was the first to guess our destination of Jeréz. We decided on this trip on our wedding anniversary in February when we were looking through the 'wallpaper roll of dreams' that we made when we were first married. Amongst other things it lists all of the places that we hoped to travel to and because we've spent so many years choosing destinations that [...]
Well here we are on 'Brexit Day' at the end of what must have been one of the craziest weeks in British history. Our business is feeling the impact. We work with a number of Sci-Tech businesses that are being badly hit by the loss of European funding, the stalling of potential global funding and the inability to get innovations passed in the absence of a governing system. As a result, some people we know are facing the loss of [...]
I've been compiling Mother's Day gift posts for as long as I've worked in retail and as always, this year they're everywhere. So when Marks and Spencer approached me to put one together for them, I pushed back. But then they asked me to go beyond the clichés and do it with a difference and after spending some time looking through their site, I felt that I could. So, today I'm thinking about Mother's Day and the gifts that you [...]
Before I start, I have to say thank you to Nicky Keep who sent me a picture of the above jumper when she was shopping in Sainsbury's - I rushed straight out to find one! It's my last day in the office and I'm hoping to log off for two whole weeks so that means that this is probably the last post of 2018. I haven't really had a chance to look back at the year yet but I feel [...]
Hello, its a post of two halves today because this week has taken an unexpected turn. I'll move onto that later but I want to start by telling you about the dinner party that I mentioned we were hosting last weekend. You see a little while ago I was contacted by a company called La Belle Assiette. I hadn't heard of them before but they're an online chef service. Their website covers most of the UK and it enables you [...]
I do find the new retail calendar weird. Mid-season sales in the third week of September would have been unheard of a few years ago but of course retailers do smaller drops throughout the season now to meet the demand for perpetual newness. So, I have two of these new drops to whizz through with you. They're both from retailers that tend to sell through quickly and in my eyes, these are the best pieces from the latest collections. Hush [...]
I thought I'd take a breather from the madness of new season so that we can have a quick catch up. Today I'm bringing you a post of recent outfits, try-ons and a midlife lately catch up which has ended up being more introspective than I intended but that's what happens when I have something on my mind. So, as far as the weather is concerned, we seem to be sliding quickly into Autumn here but every so often, summer [...]
And so here we go, the last taste of high summer on Midlifechic before we move on to Autumn. That means we should talk a little bit about beach holiday style before we move into cosy jumper and boots territory. So here's my beach holiday packing post mortem. Packing for a beach holiday - conclusions As an experiment, I packed differently this year. You may have noticed that about 95% of my holiday wardrobe focused on dresses. Once I'd worn [...]
Hello, I'm back and I've already been down to London but I'm itching to blog again so I thought I'd divide our Kalkan summer holiday into two parts. You see we didn't really do much in the first week which means I have enough time to give you part one today. So, seeing as the forecast is bad for the Bank Holiday weekend, I'll bring you a taste of sunshine. Before I get to that though, let me tell you [...]
I've been interviewed for a few magazines and websites recently. So, given that quite a few of you said you'd enjoyed the FAQ post I did last year, I thought I'd pull some of the questions together just to fill the gap while we're away. I've added some of the questions that I'm asked regularly by readers too so it's a bit random... but welcome to the inside of my head (my family would tell you that it can be [...]
And so the world of style blogging is hitting its summer lull. As the sales are in full swing and the storybook sunshine goes on, I can feel my mind turning away from its usual fascination with retail towards the things that matter more. I'm very aware that for our family, this will be our last calm summer for a while. We have no important exam results to anticipate and when autumn comes, our status quo will continue with everyone [...]
Hello, I'm back. My schedule is still slightly disrupted but it's good to be blogging again. Let me tell you all about our trip to Valencia which turned out to be very simple and very relaxed - just what we all needed. This is one of those posts that is a bit of a personal journal as well as a midlife style blog. As you know, one of the reasons I write is for any future great, great grandchildren of [...]
This morning I am feeling every one of my 51 years which could have something to do with the fact that I decided to party like a 15 year-old in celebration of my 51st birthday. I haven't stopped all weekend and my brain is dead so I'm going to let the pictures do the talking and share a bit of my birthday joy with you. It all started on Friday night when my sister and brother-in-law popped over with presents. [...]
It's my birthday tomorrow which means I've been 50 for a whole year. Like most people I still reel slightly when I have to write my age on a form but other than that, I feel great about it. I've just had one of the best years of my life, not because anything particularly remarkable happened but because everything finally started to make sense. I noticed this new feeling of 'rightness' when I was chatting to my auntie on her [...]
(Note to confused overseas readers - Mother's Day or Mothering Sunday is on 11th March in the UK) I've always maintained that Mother's Day is my favourite day of the year. It's better than a birthday because you don't get any older and it's a celebration of the incredible task that we undertake as we help our children grow into decent human beings. For the last 20 years I've been lucky. On Mother's Day my nest has been full and [...]
It's the time of year when everyone's thoughts turn to love. Whether you like it or not, you are surrounded by hearts and flowers and meal deals for two. I have been endlessly prodded by retailers to create lists of things we should buy to prove to our loves how treasured they are. And as I've been drafting emails in reply, explaining why I'm not running a "50 things to buy your Valentine" post, it's made me think hard about [...]
Hello - and a very Happy January to you all, I hope you've had a wonderful break. We had a lovely couple of weeks off despite being beset by illness and I'll tell you all about it in a 'midlife lately' post next week. In the meantime, I'm just popping up briefly. The boys don't go back to school until Monday and so I'm trying to be around while they're off. You see we were chatting over dinner one night [...]
I'm following on from my post about leather leggings with a focus on a different type of trouser. You see when I was down in London last week, I gambled on not having to stand up too much in my consultancy sessions. For once, I travelled light without 'street shoes' in my bag. It misfired. I was working with a larger team than expected and so I had to stand to enable everyone to hear (and see) me. We were [...]
As always, it's the small things that get under your skin isn't it? For the last couple of years, as I've descended the stairs I've been aware of a patch of carpet on our landing that has been getting thinner and thinner. Last week, it finally wore through. Of course the £1,000 plus that will be required to replace it is one of the reasons that I've been ignoring it- but it's more than that. The hole in the carpet [...]
I have a late addition to the summer sales for you. Hope will be opening their sale tomorrow (Saturday 8th July) and I have a VIP preview which means you can go onto the site and snap up the bargains before everyone else. In preparation for the new stock arriving, they are having a huge clearout from past seasons and a lot of items are 70% off. It's a great opportunity to buy something of high quality at an amazing price. Here [...]
Today I'm talking about Hush, another of our favourite Midlifechic brands. I've been trying to meet the team there for a while and it has become almost a running joke between us that whenever one of us suggests a date in London, the other can't make it. In the end serendipity played a part when I went down to London for the John Lewis 'Christmas in July' event. I'll tell you more about that soon but the important thing for today [...]
I know a lot of you are facing this as I was last year, the countdown to the day when your son or daughter leaves for university. They will be brimming over with anticipation as you brim with tears of dread. I thought it might be helpful to give you an idea of what to expect, not from an expert point of view, just from a fellow mum who has been through it. It is going to be hard for you, however [...]
So let's get on with the second instalment of "Kefalonia with teenagers." The first week of our holiday flew by. For a change of scene, we hopped onto the ferry that trundled into the harbour every morning and headed over towards the mainland for an afternoon. Prices were about 30% lower than in Fiscardo so we had an especially nice lunch and did a bit of kaftan shopping. The distinctive thrum of a Greek ferry engine transported me right back to [...]
Hello - I'm back, it feels like a long time since I've posted. So - as a lot of you guessed, our mystery destination was Kefalonia in the Ionian Islands. I managed to keep it a secret until a few days before we left when I had to give the boys a small clue in case they read my last post. As it was with you, the one I chose was too easy - Hellas. In an instant they knew [...]
I had an email last week from a reader, Sue, asking about how to have a happy family holiday with teenagers. She said “you seem to manage to really enjoy your holidays with your boys. When my two were little I used to look forward to them being bigger, I imagined that holidays would be more relaxing but actually I find them really stressful. Now that they're both teenagers they just seem to be bored and we end up having [...]
So the sales have started early. Because the weather has been bad there is a glut of clothing that retailers need to offload and temptation is everywhere. I've been through a number of stores and picked out what I think are the best bargains but before we start, let's make sure we set off on the right track. 12 things to remember when you hit the summer sales Don't forget that high summer clothing only needs to be a very small percentage of [...]
Paris is always a good idea - you'll be pleased to know that our trip was good. So good in fact that I've had to break it up into 3 consecutive posts, Paris by day followed by 2 Parisian nights. So, how do you spend two days in Paris when you already know the city well? You revisit a few of your favourite places and make the rest up as you go along. This was our weekend... When we woke up on [...]
One of the interesting things that my new site has shown me is which have been my most popular posts over the last 2 years. Top of the leaderboard is 'chic basics for women over 40'. Unfortunately because it is now so old, most of the products are no longer stocked so today I'm giving it an update. Here are my capsule pieces for a simple Spring wardrobe, the no brainer items that enable you to look perpetually well put [...]
As we come to the end of the year I'm in a reflective mood so I thought I'd share an article about a new year life audit that I read at the hairdresser's. Unfortunately because I took a photo of the pages I can't tell you which magazine it was but it was by Libby Purves and she was talking about a new year walk that she takes with her husband (she said that it was important to do it without your children to [...]
It's a happy day in our house today - it's our wedding anniversary. I have more reason to celebrate than most because my life now is my very own happy ending. As with all good fairytales though, I had to go through a struggle to reach it... ...Shall I tell you the story? Are You sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin... Once upon a time there was a girl who left university with her whole life ahead of her. Even though [...]
