Dear friends. I've done a complete 360 degree turn on my skincare and makeup routine. I've turned my back on "active" ingredients. My skin looks far better as a result.   I was using a lot of "actives," products with ingredients like retinol, AHAs and peptides. These are said to improve the appearance of mature skin, but what they do is exfoliate. They are fine if you're in your 40s and early 50s. But my belief is, they are too harsh once we're past menopause. So here's what I'm doing instead ..read more

Dear friends. A few months ago I raved about the first Ross Greenwood I'd read. Now I'm on the blog tour for his latest thriller, Death in Bacton Wood. If you like a police procedural with a gripping plot and lots of twists, you've come to the right place ..read more

 And #WowOnWednesday Dear friends. Bouclé, or Lady Jackets, are having a bit of a moment. It's hard to find an actual definition, but to me a lady jacket is a short jacket with a round collar and fancy buttons. They're very versatile and can be used to dress up jeans, or popped over a dress.  Here are some styling ideas for two of my lady jackets.  ..read more

  Dear friends.  I'm pleased to be on the blog tour to promote a ground breaking book showcasing 15 short by women, introduced by Helen Lederer.  ..read more

  Dear friends.  April Showers is this month's prompt for the Style Not Age challenge.  Chosen by Hilda from Over the Hilda, it's very apt because it's been pouring for the last couple of days (and indeed, most of early April). Raincoats are a tricky business.  They're usually in three colours:  stone/ beige, black, navy.  I have a stone coloured trench in the traditional style but I wanted something more unique, in a bright colour.   ..read more

  Dear friends. We're still waiting for prolonged sunshine and warmer days here in the UK. April had lots of rain and it was mostly cold! Here's how my month played out.  ..read more

 And #WowOnWednesday Dear friends. Apologies for not being around last Wednesday, particularly to those bloggers who probably came looking for the link-up a few times. As I explained in my post Tell Us About Personal Style, I was having a bit of a style crisis. It happens to us all, even seasoned bloggers. The good news was that I figured out in that post how I would like to look. And I immediately dived in to the task at hand to find some suitable garments. How I would like to look is neat and gamine, with 60s style retro dresses, pinafores and skirts (not too short though), Peter ..read more

  Dear friends.  A leafy suburb where people tend their gardens and wash their cars.  A peaceful place. Not in the hands of Joanne Ryan. Poison pen letters are going unchallenged because they speak the truth.  Newcomer to the road, Lena, finds someone is conspiring against her. It all ends in an apocalyptic reckoning.  Thrilled to be in the blog tour for Don't Let Her In.  ..read more

  Dear friends. When Sue from Women Living Well After 50 set this month's Tell Us About challenge,  I was thinking it would be easy. After all, I have often written about Personal Style.  I planned to write about how wonderful it is when you discover "your" style, and you dress in a way that pleases you. That's what my summary said, when I sent it out last week to the other bloggers ..read more

  Dear friends.  A much needed improvement in the weather this week has seen big progress in the garden. I'm sharing 6 photos for #SixOnSaturday. Several take part in this, and a good blog with which to start is Garden Ruminations. 1. Clematis Montana I know this is a bit of a "Marmite" clematis for many. I have 3 intertwined on the back fence, two pink and one white.   I call it "the monster," although its flowering is always a spectacular highlight. This year the flowers are more even. Last year we pruned it late in the summer, which I knew would affect the flowers, but ..read more