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 [...]
Well I have a funny old post for you today, you see I was hoping to show you the pictures of our completed apartment but at the very last minute there was a delay on the curtains which means we're having to go over again tonight to finish things off. As you can imagine this week's been a busy one catching up with work and I haven't had time to come up with any other ideas so I'm just going [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
I came back to such a heavy workload after our holiday that it already feels as though it was at least a month ago. I'm not complaining - anybody who runs their own business will know how grateful you feel to be busy but it perhaps means I'm going to write this post in a different way than I would if I could still feel the glow of the sun on my skin. The thing is that I don't want [...]
Retail update - small British brands - and à bientôt... I'm typing with my fingers crossed because if everything goes to plan, we'll be setting off on our holiday tonight. Preparing to go has been challenging because all kinds of things have kept changing. This has included our usual petsitters being offered a holiday that was too good to resist on the same dates as ours which wasn't a problem until we realised the cats' inoculations had run out and [...]
Hello, how are you... it's been a while. As you know I've been away from my desk for the last week staycationing in London and Newcastle which means today's post is going to be a catch-up (and it's a bit of a long one so pour yourself a drink). So what was it like to go away just as the lockdown began to lift? Staycationing in London post Covid 19 London Thursday We started our journey on a very quiet [...]
This new schedule of only posting once a week is going to take some getting used to but it's nice to be back. It's going to be a bit of a cornucopia today because there hasn't been much going on here other than work which has mostly revolved around planning and strategy meetings and I can tell you, they've never been harder than they are after more than 100 days of lockdown and counting. However we are, at last, making [...]
It's a while since we've been away. When we adopted Teddy we decided that we'd dedicate three months to settling him in so we've been home based since January. But then an invitation to review The Devonshire Arms came in and because it isn't far away, I decided the boys could do a night of Ted duty so we had a 24 hour escape. As you know, I spent part of last week unravelling future trip bookings that have been [...]
And so my first proper get together with readers finally happened last weekend in the particularly glamorous surroundings of the French Riviera. A lot of new readers have joined us recently so I'm just going to backtrack a little to explain how it all came about. Earlier this year, friends in London introduced us to Darryll and Bettina and they invited both us and the boys to stay with them at The D'Azur, their villa in the South of France. [...]
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 [...]
As I mentioned last week, I have one last chapter of our 'summer of last hurrahs' to tell you about. When we got back from our teen FOMO-riddled two weeks in Turkey, I was puzzling over how to approach future holidays with the boys when Travelodge got in touch to ask if they could help me with a summer post. Immediately the idea of a road trip sprang to mind and so they suggested we [...]
School started again for us today and so I'm back at my desk busy working on the AW19 trends post that I'll publish on Friday. In the meantime we have a few things to catch up on. Way back in June, as the exams ground to an end, you may remember me telling you that I was making the most of one last long school break with the boys by planning in all kinds of things. Next year will definitely [...]
Hasn't the weather been awful this week? Let's go back to Turkey! Join me in the sunshine for the second half of our holiday - there are a lot of photos so I'll try to let them tell the story without too much rattling on. At the end of the last post, I left off when just six weeks before we were due to depart, I discovered that we had nowhere to stay for the second week. Thanks to the [...]
Well hello... it's been a while so I hope you're still there. We're back from the longest of our summer trips this year which was a fortnight in Kalkan on Turkey's Turquoise Coast. As you know it's the place where we find we can completely switch off. We first went there in 2000 when the eldest was just a toddler so we've seen it change over the years. This time I have to say it was very, very busy. Kalkan [...]
Today's post was prompted by a reader who wrote in a little while ago saying she'd like to know which products are my absolute beauty essentials. She described them as the ones that are so important to me that I can't travel without them. It popped back into my head when we were in France and I'd done my usual thing of packing random travel sizes of samples that I'd saved from beauty boxes and advent calendars. It's something I [...]
At last I’ve had a chance to go through the photos from our long weekend with teens in the French Riviera - we took so many that it’s going to be better for me to let the pictures do most of the talking or this will go on forever. A long weekend with teens in the French Riviera - Friday As I mentioned when I was busy planning what to pack, we were invited to stay with Darryll and Bettina [...]
After months of toil and tension, the exams have ended and this week our summer of last hurrahs began with the first of the trips you saw me planning - a few days in the Lake District with teenagers. We were invited to stay at The Swan Hotel and Spa at Newby Bridge which is in my favourite part of the Lakes, the Western Peninsula. The Swan has always been one of my top five hotels in the Lakes but [...]
I'm trying not to mention the weather but... I am finding myself glad that we have a couple of escapes to the sunshine booked (although last time I looked, it was even raining in Turkey). Anyway I'm working with M&S today and the focus is holidays. We've spent enough time on here planning holiday wardrobes so I thought I'd look at last minute travel buys, the little extras that make all the difference. I love doing posts like this because [...]
I'm starting to think I may have been a bit ambitious with my adventure planning this year. Summer is usually a quiet time for our business but I don't think anything's running its usual course in the UK is it? I'm definitely not complaining, I'm seeing it as a positive sign that the country is ploughing on regardless - nonostante tutto! I'm just going to have to be very organised and it may mean that I do shorter blog posts [...]
What to pack for a long weekend in the French Riviera: I'm killing two birds with one stone today because as I mentioned on Tuesday, as soon as the exams finish we have a few different breaks planned so I need to be organised. We're having some little adventures because I've realised it's the last time I'll be able to plan these things for sure. The middle son is hoping to go travelling next summer and I've no idea where [...]
Who's looking forward to a holiday? I certainly am. As soon as the dreaded exams are over, we've decided to have a summer of fun with the boys so I have a few different things to plan for. We're aware that with one finishing school and the other graduating there may not be another stretch of unplanned time like this so we're going to make the most of it. In the meantime though it feels like eat, sleep, revise, repeat [...]
For the last few weeks I've had my nose to the grindstone, working hard to meet client deadlines for the end of the financial year which have had to include multiple strategic approaches for the potential outcomes of Brexit. I think we all knew it was going to be a rocky road didn't we so, when I was invited to review The Wordsworth Hotel back in December, I deliberately asked if I could schedule it for now. A Lake District [...]
Let me take you to Marrakech for a blast of warmth and downtime... it's a long post but there's a lot to say. As you know, for the Christmas before last Mr MC gave me a jar of money and a promise of time away together in 2018. We'd hoped to go somewhere in October but with the sad news of his brother, it wasn't to be. And so we made a plan to head off for our wedding anniversary in [...]
It's been a while hasn't it and some of you have written in to ask why I haven't been doing Midlife Lately. The thing is that for me, this is not a job. As I've always said, I started Midlifechic primarily as a personal journal so that I could leave a record that my future great grandchildren might read. I was inspired to start writing after reading through boxes of family letters that I discovered after my mum died. For [...]
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 [...]
So finally we've made it - our long awaited holiday is in sight. I can't tell you how excited I am at the thought of having all of my boys to myself for two whole weeks, I'm going to treasure every minute. The housesitters are briefed and Gary is on his way to Northumberland to stay on a cousin's farm. It's been a hectic week. A while ago, thinking that this would be a quiet time at work, I scheduled [...]
So you may remember that a few weekends ago I mentioned that Mr MC and I were heading off for a couple of nights on our own. We'd been invited by Warner Hotels to spend a weekend at Thoresby Hall and it was a real treat. As you know, I've been travelling up and down to London a lot recently and so we've haven't seen much of each other. At times like these we fall back on the well oiled [...]
I initially decided to do this 'make-up that doesn't melt in the heat' review in anticipation of our forthcoming holiday but with the sun continuing to blaze down on us in the UK, I've had perfect testing conditions at home. You see last year when we went away, it was all a bit of a frantic rush to pack. I was annoyed with myself for forgetting a few important things and subtle make-up that would withstand the heat was one [...]
We don't often talk about reading on here and yet as so many of you know, it is one of my biggest pleasures in life. Some people say I read a lot. I just counted for this post and I've read 27 books so far this year which is almost a book a week. Given that I used to have to get through four books a week in different languages when I was doing my degree, it doesn't seem a [...]
I hope you're enjoying the glorious summer that I ordered for you all the way back in the dark days of March - I told you it was going to be a corker didn't I? You find me feeling a little weary today. I don't know how it is where you are but everyone in the north is in full-on spontaneous party mood and we seem to be going out almost every night. It's lovely but I need to up [...]
A quick one from me today because having said that my schedule was calming down, I'm now heading off to London again. The light at the end of this current tunnel of madness is our holiday in Turkey so I've been having one last look around at holiday dresses for hot summer nights before the sales start. Here's a shortlist of the best hot weather dresses I've found that still have stock available. Holiday dresses for hot summer nights Before we [...]
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 [...]
Wait! Before you go any further you're going to need a pot of tea. This is a long post but I'm going to be disappearing for a bit so I thought I'd leave you with plenty to think about while I'm away. Today we're having another wander round John Lewis, this time with holidays in mind. I particularly wanted to look at how to find the best swimwear for your body shape after 40. So, a couple of weekends ago [...]
Right, I've started my research and stock of high summer clothes is already looking low in some places so it's time to crack on with the capsule holiday wardrobe 2018 posts. Quite a few retailers have told me that although sales of ordinary clothing have been depressed by the slow start to spring, holiday clothes have been selling well for a while. It seems that people have found consolation in thinking ahead to their sunny holidays and it makes sense. [...]
Hello, it's good to be back - I feel as though I haven't blogged for ages so I'm going to make up for it with a long post. As you know, I spent a few days in London last week so I thought I'd do a "working in London - what to wear" post and of course tell you all about the UK Blog Awards 2018. By the way none of this trip is sponsored but I'm going to add [...]
Hello, before I go on I must thank you for all of the fascinating feedback on my last post - it's been interesting to hear so many different thoughts about Boden. I will be replying but I'm having a crazy week (again) so please do bear with me. In the meantime, we've just had such a great weekend break that I thought I'd share it with you. Plus there's a new drop arriving at Hush today so I've shortlisted some [...]
At last I have the opportunity to write one of my most requested posts - a local's guide for when the weather is iffy in the Lake District. People often get in touch to say that they love the Lakes but hesitate to come because of the rain... or that they love the scenery but feel there isn't much to do for non-walkers. So, when an interesting brief popped into my Inbox I knew this was my chance to share [...]
I've finally managed to plough through the hundreds (yes honestly) of photos we took on our midlife adventure in Transylvania. There's just so much to show you that even after some serious culling there are a lot of them. So I'm going to try to make sure this Ice Hotel Transylvania review isn't too wordy. Join us virtually through the pictures... and even the occasional video. Before I start though, I just want to say that I have two pieces of fashion [...]
Capsule packing for a winter city break. In my last post I mentioned that Mr MC and I are heading off for a winter adventure. You may remember that back in October we went to a formal dinner with friends. At the end of the meal, there was an auction in aid of our local homeless charity. Having had a few glasses of wine, I found myself momentarily inspired to bid for a weekend in Transylvania, fully expecting lots of [...]
The best place for a family holiday with teens. I spent a few hours over the weekend wrapping up the final details of our main summer holiday as the sleet hammered down outside. I think I've already mentioned that we've decided to go back to Kalkan, our favourite spot in Turkey. We're aware that our days of school summer holidays are numbered. In fact we only have two more years after this one when we will be tied to the [...]
A little while ago I mentioned that just before Christmas, I was invited to review the newly refurbished Pentonbridge Inn in Cumbria. I don't know about you but I'm busy plotting things to look forward to - so I thought I'd give you the lowdown on why this place is worth a visit. It's close to home for us but we'd travelled from one end of the country to the other because we arrived straight from spending two days in London [...]
Marrakech in 3 days with teenagers. Before we dive fully into Christmas madness, I thought you might like to join me for a few days of sunshine. As you know, we had a little trip to Marrakech last week. It was a plan that we came up with back in the spring when we realised that my 50th birthday was going to be somewhat subdued because it fell, as it has done all of my life, in exam season. Why [...]
Hello, I'm back! It's always a bit strange starting the first post after a holiday. It reminds me of the first day of term when you used to feel a bit nervous about going back to school even though you were going to be reunited with all of your friends. I hope you've had a good few weeks. I'm just going to write one post about our family holiday in Kalkan this time because I'm going away again next week [...]
It's a last minute post from me today as our house / catsitters have arrived and we're heading off on our holidays. I've been working really long hours over the last couple of weeks just to get everything finished so I feel ready for a break. We're going to our favourite Turkish resort of Kalkan. It's our first family holiday without the effervescent eldest and so I thought we'd go somewhere that we know well. It's going to be very, very [...]
Hello - as promised, I'm back with part two of my holiday packing posts for women over 40. It has taken a very long time to put it together so I'm mostly going to let the pictures do the talking. Thank you to everyone who got in touch to say there was a mistake in the downloadable packing list. I have a junior designer in the office with a red face but really it's my fault for not checking it [...]
Well if the UK's future was unclear when I left you last time, it is even more so right now! However, as women over 40, we know things will sort themselves out one way or another. In the meantime after a week of unsettled news and weather, I've found myself focusing hard on the thought of escaping it all for a sunny holiday. I had an email from a longstanding reader saying that she keeps a print out of this [...]
I'm very pleased to be working with Baukjen again today. You may remember that they were the first of my brand Spotlight Posts back in February and this time they've sent some of their Spring / Summer 17 collection for me to review. As always, when I work on a Spotlight post I like to assess whether a range can work hard for me by covering my key wardrobe requirements: work, weekend and evenings out. Baukjen Spring / Summer working wardrobe Starting with workwear, [...]
I've set myself a completely different kind of challenge today. Let me tell you how it all came about. Over the last Bank Holiday weekend, Mr MC and I were reminiscing about the different holidays we've had. He asked me which was the best one and although it was hard to choose, one that really stands out is our first holiday abroad as a family when the youngest was very small. He asked me why I'd chosen that one and there [...]
Well a huge thank you from me to everybody who supported the sale on Saturday. I had no idea it would be quite so manic, nearly everything sold out in 20 minutes (the last few pieces will be live here until Friday when it closes). I have finished wrapping and dispatching everything and so it is all on its way. I apologise in advance if it smells very strongly of roses. The youngest was keen to be involved so I [...]
I am very pleased to bring you the first of the spotlight posts. It's a big thank you to Baukjen for being the first brand to come on board as part of this series and I'm particularly pleased to be working with someone that I haven't featured before. I have only one Baukjen piece in my wardrobe and it is a jumpsuit that I bought in a hurry after seeing it featured in a magazine last year. For some reason [...]
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 [...]
Hurray, it's nearly holiday time for us but before I go, I just want to leave you with one more post to cover off some great beauty products for women over 40. Just to recap, my policy is only to cover beauty products if I can honestly see a difference. If a beauty PR gets in touch with me I make this clear which means there are quite a few things I don't write about. However, here are a few [...]
There is tumbleweed blowing through the streets of our village. Everyone we know seems to have packed up and gone away for the Summer... except us. When I booked our holiday, it was such a relief that for the first time in ages our dates weren't dictated by the dreaded exam results day that I planned it for later than usual. We're doing our best to have fun in the Lakes which, after all, is a holiday destination for lots of [...]
Despite the fact that it is the UK's second city, until now my view of Birmingham has always been rather negative. The boys know it as the obstacle we have to pass before Mr MC will agree to stop on our journeys to London. I relate it to hellish exhibitions at the NEC - and to the time I got lost in my old banger on the way back to uni and ended up stuck in an endless loop of Spaghetti Junction (I was [...]
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 [...]
I think summer in the city is one of the hardest things to get right sartorially. I'm casting my mind back to my commuting days, heading into the urban heat island of London and seeing the yellow haze of smog hanging over the city as the train approached Waterloo. A hot city is a harsh environment but wearing the right clothes, whether you're a tourist or a native, can make all the difference to how you cope with the day so, summer [...]
I don't know whether it's because of the sudden burst of hot weather in the UK or simply because it's holiday season but Summer clothes are now disappearing from the shops so I'm writing this 'what to pack for a hot beach holiday' with some urgency. In Friday's post we took a fantasy trip to the Brittany coastline for a breezy holiday with unpredictable weather. Today we're jetting off a little further so we need to pack for a hot beach holiday. [...]
It's time. By the end of June, the sales will be starting and all the good clothes will have gone. We need to think about holidays and what to pack so today we're focusing on what to wear for a holiday by the sea. I can't tell you where we're going this year. You see last year I booked a very luxurious villa in Turkey thinking that it might be the last holiday we would have as a family of [...]
In a post last week, I explained that my midlife return to Paris centred on a special dinner, the culmination of a promise I'd made to myself 29 years ago. It was special because I was with the right person, in the right place at exactly the right point in my life when new beginnings are opening up all around me. It was extra special because I had a second elegant dress to wear. The look I was aiming for on [...]
As I looked around the plane on the way to Paris, I could see lots of excited little girls dressed as princesses on their way to EuroDisney. I don't think we ever grow out of that fairytale dress dream - although perhaps our tastes become a little more sophisticated and I had the same flame of excitement burning inside me knowing that I had two special dresses in my suitcase. I am now quite often approached with offers of clothing (and [...]
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 [...]
Hello. It's my birthday today. I've had a fabulous morning; my usual breakfast was replaced with a bowl of floral gum sweets (courtesy of the youngest) and I've received a bounty of good wishes from so many people that I feel utterly happy and truly blessed. I have lots of style ideas to talk to you about (and I will end with a list of style posts) but today I'm writing one of my wordy pieces because tomorrow we're going to Paris. I thought [...]
My last two posts have been practical ones, focusing on summer essentials - tailored cropped trousers and summer sandals so today I thought I'd do something a bit more frivolous. I'm writing especially with Nicky B in mind. For those who read the comments section, you'll know that she is my longest standing and most regular commenter. She has been with me since the very beginning (shortly followed by Nicola R who is also very special to me) and I [...]
We've had bright sunshine all week in the Lake District. The daffodils are out, the lambs are gambolling and it feels as though a new season is finally rolling in. This always makes me feel as though I have nothing to wear. Suddenly the core wardrobe of camel and grey that I've loved all winter feels dark and dull so I'm very much in the mood for some new season shopping. Last Autumn I focused on specific retailers which you seemed [...]
I'm very late blogging this week (again) but I have news on my work life balance and a tough midlife career decision that I can finally share with you. One Sunday night a few weeks ago, I was sitting at the dinner table with my head in my hands dreading the madness of the week to come, feeling that I was living in a very small but very fast hamster wheel. Mr MC looked across at me and asked me what [...]
Ta dah! Welcome to the new look Midlifechic. Mr MC has laboured hard so that it would be ready in time for its second birthday but we know there will be glitches. It will take until Saturday 13th to flush through fully in the meantime, if you're reading on Bloglovin please could you view this post directly on my blog here just this once and let me know what you think and also if there are any viewing or technical [...]
I love half term. Somehow it's aways a more chilled out break than the major holidays - you expect less, good weather is a bonus and nothing is scripted. When the eldest was busy packing for uni back in September, I decided we needed to work on our new shape as a family of four rather than five so I booked a break for us all to look forward to. Of course the prices of all of the hotels are [...]
Hello friends. It's been a very busy week - I feel as though I haven't stopped talking - presentations, long shared car journeys, meetings and dinners. It will all start again on Monday (yes I'm working on Monday again - the 3 day week isn't happening)! I need to retreat into some peace and quiet to recharge my batteries for a bit. So - not as many words as usual today - I know you'll understand. Instead I'm treating you [...]
Hello dear friends - it's been a while but we're back from our holiday in Kalkan. The daily grind has resumed and before the glow wears off, let me take you with me to Turkey for a whirlwind tour of our lazy days and nights. Before we get on to outfits I must remind you that my life was so very hectic in the weeks before we went away that, unlike last year when I shopped and planned outfits for [...]
