My word of the year: NOW

Did I ever mention my habit of procrastination? My ability to decide something doesn't have to be done today when I can easily do it tomorrow. I'm guessing that you can see which way I'm heading in my search for a suitable Word of the Year? Yes, that's why I've decided on NOW for my word of the year 2023.

 If you appreciate irony, you might smile at the fact that I started this post several days ago! However I am working on it NOW and intend to finish it today.

I think the COVID years have made us all appreciate that it's more difficult to plan for the future, and we don't want to get stuck in the past - talking about the way things used to be - so living in the present is the way to go.

If I made New Year's resolutions, I think it would have to be to "live in the present". Memories are wonderful (and I'm slightly addicted to Facebook's Memories) but we all need to move forward. Planning for the future is also positive, though nothing can be certain nowadays. The answer to true happiness is to enjoy each day as it happens.

Make the most of each moment. If you're meeting friends for coffee, appreciate their friendship, listen to what they say and have a good time with them. If you're out for a walk with your dog, look around you and enjoy the trees, flowers and birds that you see, as well as the company of your pet. If you're at home having a meal, realise how lucky you are to be able to buy food and cook it, as well as savouring each mouthful. 

My overall theme for this year is to be healthy in mind. body and spirit. I am starting by eating more natural foods, which for January will be purely vegetarian and exclude fish, and to avoid processed food. I am also not drinking alcohol for the rest of the month, even though I live in a town that is renowned for its wine! I already take part in several online exercise classes, including Tai Chi and dancing, which I love doing so it's no hardship to continue with them. Finally I am starting to practise EFT/tapping and meditation. I believe that living in the present, concentrating on what is happening NOW, will add to my healthier lifestyle.

Do you have a word of the year? Have you made any New Year's resolutions? Please leave your comments below.

Finally, I'd like to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2023!

Growing old gracefully - or disgracefully?

 Actress Anita Dobson was criticised for wearing a short dress to last month's British Soap Awards. The critics claimed she was too old to be showing off her legs at the age of 73. Anita's response was that if you feel happy and comfortable, that's it. She happens to be a year younger than me, and I totally agree with her. Of course there are limits, but it's our choice, not the choice of the critics, that really matters.

It's very much an individual decision, however I do find it sad that some women feel they need to change once they are over a certain age, for fear of being branded as "mutton dressed as lamb". Most of us aren't likely to wear revealing tops or short skirts but we don't have to go to the other extreme and dress frumpily.  One of my favourite colours is red as seen in the outfit below. Does it say "look at me"? Is it too bright for a women who is now over 70? Maybe, but I'm still going to wear it even when I'm in my 80s as, for me, it's my happy colour. 

One of my role models is the actress Helen Mirren, who is a couple of years older than me, but definitely doesn't look it. She doesn't try to hide her age, but she always looks amazing, whether she has dyed her hair pink or she's wearing a stunning red dress. The fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, with many famous clients over the years, is another ageless celebrity, renowned for her pink hair and bright clothes, . I'm tempted to have my own hair dyed pink, but I'm not sure whether it will go well with my red dress. Perhaps bright blue would be a better choice for me?

What all these women have in common is a recognisable style and the confidence to stand out in a dull world of classic clothes. Of course they are all celebrities in the public eye, but there's no reason why we can't enjoy our own style too, even if it's slightly more subdued! 

I'll be 75 in September, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to start wearing neutral colours and fading into the background. I do have plenty of neutrals in my wardrobe, but I also have that bright blue jacket, my favourite short red trench-coat and plenty of other colours hanging up in my wardrobe. 

So what about you? Do you plan to grow old disgracefully, just like me? Or is growing old gracefully more your style?

Love is in the air!

Valentine's Day seems to be an appropriate day to start my journey in search of love in 2022. Now, before my regular readers gasp in horror, this doesn't mean joining dating agencies or online websites such as Tinder! I'm talking about loving my life here in Spain, loving my friends and family and in particular - something we all tend to neglect - loving myself. I'm sure many of you can identify with the last point. It's too easy to forget about yourself and concentrate on making others happy or even to become self-critical, so this year let's change things round. Start loving ourselves! I hope that you will decide to join me and start loving yourselves too. Trust me, we are worth it.

It's a long while since I've posted and it's actually the first time this year. My previous post was about Joy and this seems to be a continuation of that theme. What gives you joy? In my case it's spending time with my family and friends, walking with Lisa in the countryside, listening to music, dancing, writing and travel. These are some of the many things that I love doing, so doing more of them will be part of my plan for self-love in 2022.

Writing this post is important for me as, now I've told you all about my plan for 2022, I have to follow it through and promise to give you an update at the end of the year. I enjoy the process of writing, so this is a good start. I often write about my capsule wardrobe, which I'm in the middle of updating and, as part of this, I'm trying to declutter. Not so easy for a hoarder! 

I'm sure that many of you will have heard about Marie Kondo and her method of tidying your home, known as the KonMari Method®. Recently I've been watching a series of workshops given by Hester Van Hien of Tidylicious, which have inspired me to declutter my home and not just my wardrobe. Two key things when deciding whether to keep something are: does it inspire joy?; do I love it? This seems to fit in very well with my 2022 theme. I love the idea of living in a clutter-free home with a tidy wardrobe so this is my first project of the year.

I'm hoping that this year will give me plenty of opportunities to spend time with friends and family. It started very well with a visit from my friend Liz en route to Malaga, where she is staying for a few months. Not only did I enjoy having her here for a week, but so did my dog Lisa! I have many good friends where I live in Jumilla too, of all nationalities, so I meet them for coffee several times a week, with the occasional glass of wine and tapas.

I'm fortunate that the weather here is pretty good, though we occasionally get sub-zero temperatures in the evenings during the winter. I live on the edge of town, so Lisa and I are able to walk in the countryside. I love the connection with nature, spring being one of my favourite seasons as the trees start blossoming.

Music and dancing make me feel happy, so they will fit in very well with practising self-love this year. One of my favourite Zoom classes in The Joy Club is Tracie's Solo Dancing, where I can lose myself in the joy of dancing every week : Lisa seems to enjoy watching me too! I find that if I'm feeling tired, lonely, sorry for myself, stressed out (we all have negative emotions at times) putting on my favourite music immediately revives me. It might be classical music, jazz or rock 'n roll, depending on my mood.

I have a very important birthday coming up in September (75, in case you want to know!) so I'm planning to visit my family in the UK to celebrate, with a possible trip to Paris. As I love Paris, this will definitely be an act of self-love too. I had to cancel a planned journey through France by train in 2019 due to Covid, so I'm hoping that this year I'll be luckier.

I trust that you don't think this is being selfish, as I strongly believe that the more we love and care for ourselves, the more love we have to share with others. Happiness is definitely contagious! Do let me know what plans you have for 2022 and whether you will join me in my journey through a year full of love. Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

No doubt many of you are celebrating today with your beloved, whilst some of us sadly have nobody to celebrate with. My husband John would always bring me breakfast in bed on Valentine's Day, complete with a bucks fizz (orange juice with sparkling wine, which was usually cava) however I haven't managed to train my dog Lisa to spoil me in this way! That being the case, I decided to spoil myself this weekend and I hope that you are all able to do the same, whether or not you have a partner to share the day with.

I was going to buy myself some fresh flowers, but when I went to the indoor market on Saturday morning, the usual florist wasn't there. I suspect that they would have been there earlier in the day and had already sold out - can't think why! Instead, I stopped in a shop on the way home and bought myself a lovely plant, which was probably more environmentally friendly anyway.

I also treated myself to a few beauty products so that I could pamper myself this weekend, which I started doing last night when I relaxed in a bubble bath. I'm going to continue this evening with a pedicure, however that might not be so relaxing as I struggle to cut my nails - I really miss going to my podiatrist! 

No doubt you've already guessed that I bought myself some cava and so I had my bucks fizz at lunchtime. I also bought some macarons to have as dessert with dinner tonight, as they're favourites of mine, so they're part of pampering myself over the weekend. I decided to have my main meal at lunchtime today so I can have a relaxing evening, especially as I'm going to be speaking to my daughters in a Zoom call later on. We may be in lockdown, but I'm grateful for being able to speak to family and friends online.

I have only seen a couple of neighbours and fellow dog walkers when I've been out walking, however I made sure to dress up a little, wearing a red silk blouse with my jeans and a pair of comfortable (but smarter than trainers) boots when I left the house. As it was fairly warm today I wore my short red trench-coat over today's outfit, as it always makes me feel more cheerful, and it also gave me a boost to be wearing smarter clothes. In case you haven't guessed, red is one of my favourite colours. Did I mention that I'm wearing red lipstick too?

What about you? I hope that you are being spoilt today however if not, then please spoil yourself. Even if you are reading this after the event, it's never too late to be kind to yourself. Go on - you know that you deserve it!

 

New Year. New beginnings. New hope.

2020 was a year that none of us will forget, although sadly it was a year that many people would like to forget, for obvious reasons. I'm fortunate in having a few happy memories of 2020, such as being able to spend some time with my family in London in August and meet my new granddaughter Edie in real life, after only seeing her in Zoom calls . I hope that you also have some happy memories.

We have already started a new year, which I believe should be a year of hope after everything we have experienced recently. I am hoping that we will receive our vaccines sooner rather than later and eventually return to a "normal" life. I am also hoping that I will then be able to travel again and ideally be in London to celebrate Edie's first birthday. 

I must admit that I have given up on New Year's Resolutions, though I do think a new year is a good opportunity to start new challenges. I have missed writing my blog posts, but it never seemed to be the right time to do so. This is the beginning of my new determination to continue with my blog, so please suggest any topics that you would like me to write about. 

I joined a new gym last year, where I've been going to Tai Chi, Yoga and Zumba classes - all with health and safety measures in place. I will continue going whenever possible as I believe these classes help me mentally as well as physically. I have also started experimenting more in the kitchen during lockdown and have become a fan of Dr Rupy Aujla's healthy eating recipes, which you can find on The Doctor's Kitchen website. Trust me, as well as being healthy, his recipes are absolutely delicious!

I'm also beginning to declutter my home, which will include every room and not just the contents of my overflowing wardrobe. I will be following the principles of Project 333, which I first heard about on one of my favourite blogs The Vivienne Files. I've just bought Courtney's new book about Project 333, so that will help to motivate me. For those of you who don't know, the idea behind Project 333 is to limit your wardrobe to 33 pieces of clothing to last you for the following 3 months. 

My final hope is that 2021 proves to be a happy and healthy year for all of us. 

My face mask protects YOU!

This is not a political blog, however it is directed towards women of a certain age (though younger readers are always welcome!) and we're living in worrying times, where older women can be particularly vulnerable. Last month I visited my family in London, although most of my Covid-19 experiences have been here in Spain, where I retired over 12 years ago. I had to go into quarantine for 14 days when I arrived in the UK, however it was worth it to be able to see my family, and in particular my new granddaughter, for the first time this year. In both countries the majority of people were wearing face masks in shops and on public transport, plus they were socially distancing wherever possible and were being encouraged to wash their hands frequently and/or use hand sanitiser.

The question of whether we should wear face masks or not is a particularly emotive one. I decided from the start that I would wear one, partly because I didn't want to have to pay a 100 euros fine for not doing so (they've been strict here in Spain), but also because I would hate to be the person spreading the virus to other people who might be more vulnerable than me. Yes, that is the important point to remember: my face mask is protecting you as much as, if not more than, it protects me. 

It seems as if many younger people don't appreciate that fact, so they don't bother wearing a face mask as they feel confident the coronavirus won't affect them. What if they get the virus? Don't they realise that they might pass it on to their parents or grandparents, who might then die because of them? I think more should be done to make the younger generation aware of that fact, as all the youngsters I know are lovely, caring people who would not want to harm others, particularly older family members.

Another issue is how to wear your face mask! I think I have gone slightly overboard in the above photo in ensuring that my nose and mouth are covered, but it still amazes me how many people I see with noses uncovered or, even worse, with their masks under their chins leaving their mouth and nose totally exposed and able to spread germs. Don't even mention the smokers.....!

I am also very aware that there are people who are unable to wear a face mask for medical reasons. I have questioned people who aren't wearing one, but never in an aggressive manner in case they have a very good reason. As an example, when I was sitting on the tube in London I noticed a young woman sitting almost directly opposite me who wasn't wearing one. I also noticed that she was wearing a "Baby on Board" badge, so mentioned this when questioning her. Her response was that she had actually passed out when she'd been wearing a face mask for a while, which was a very scary experience, though she was lucky that people nearby looked after her, and so she had spoken to her doctor about it. She had been advised to carry a face mask with her but not to wear it in case the same thing happened again, especially as she was pregnant so she had her baby to think about as well. She also told me that a few people had been very nasty and confrontational towards her, which I find just as unacceptable (if not more so) as not wearing a face mask in the first place. So please don't be judgmental if you too decide to question other people.

There are several phrases that I could use to finish this post: "Masks save lives.." Wear a mask. Save a life." "Stay alert. Control the virus. Save lives." However the words that really sum up the message I'm trying to send you all are: "Let's be kind and considerate towards each other. After all, life's too short."

Why Black Lives Matter

I hesitated initially. Was it appropriate to publish this post when my blog is basically about fashion, beauty and lifestyle for women of a certain age? However I am a writer. I use words to express my feelings and this is an issue that is very important to me and, I'm sure, many other women of a certain age. We care about what is happening in the world, even if it doesn't directly affect us.

People who know me are aware that I'm anything but a royalist, however I was inspired by the words of the Duchess of Sussex (Meghan Markle): "I wanted to say the right thing. I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing." Click on the link to hear what she had to say.

As a woman I have experienced discrimination from an early age, although there have been laws over the decades to help us in our fight for equality. Things aren't perfect, but they are better than they were. However what I've experienced is nothing compared to the discrimination black women have known over the years.

Similarly, there has been legislation to improve things for people of colour, but clearly not enough has been done. The problem lies in people's in-built prejudices, so we need education as well as legislation.

As a white woman who is British - even though nowadays I live in Spain - I grew up trusting the police and believed that they were there to protect me. Sadly, black people have not enjoyed the same confidence and there have been too many tragic incidents to allow them to trust the police in the way that I did. This is true not only in the USA but also in the UK and many other countries around the world. We need change. We need to stand up and declare that we are anti-racist and fight for that change. We need to say that for all of us Black Lives do Matter.

If you would like to take action, as action speaks louder than mere words, please click on this link: It's nice that. You will find petitions to sign, funds and charities to donate to and resources for educating yourself and those around you. Thank you.

New Year. New Decade. New Me!

Happy New Year to all my readers!

The new year tends to be a time for resolutions: going on diets, starting a new fitness regime, giving up alcohol and so on. I've done this in the past, with varying degrees of success, but as an over 60 woman I now think that the only resolution worth making is to enjoy every day and appreciate everything that I have in my life, especially my wonderful friends and family.

The flowers in the photo above are one of my new guilty pleasures. Looking at them makes me happy, so now I buy fresh flowers nearly every week. I also have plants in the house and on my balcony, though I don't have green fingers so occasionally I need to replace them!

I have a fitness regime which isn't difficult to stick to, as I go to dance exercise classes, Zumba and Pilates, all of which I enjoy so it's no hardship. I also have a small Spanish dog who needs regular walks, so that helps keep me fit too.

Going on diets and giving up alcohol aren't on my list of things to do in January. I do try to eat healthily, but do so by choosing food that I find tasty so I enjoy what I'm eating. I gave up meat many years ago, and for a long while I was a vegetarian, although I now occasionally eat fish again. Living in Spain is ideal for me, as I like eating a wide variety of foods in small quantities aka tapas! I also enjoy drinking wine with my main meal and another regular treat for me is a glass of cava in the evening, although I try to have "dry" days too.

Music is another love of mine. When I was in London for Christmas and New Year, my youngest daughter treated me to a concert in the Barbican Hall: The Four Seasons by Candlelight. What an amazing experience that was! Now I'm back home I plan to go to many concerts in my local theatre, but I will also take advantage of Youtube and listen to my favourite music while writing blog posts.

That brings me to another favourite thing - writing. I admit that I've not written many posts over the last couple of years, but we've not only entered a new year but also we've started a new decade. Time I think for at least one resolution: make the 2020s a new era for my writing and blog on a more regular basis.

Finally, I read a post on Facebook today (I know - such a sad person!😍) that said at 8.20 and 20 seconds tonight, it will be 20.20:20 2020, so I'm about to publish this post at that exact time!

Blue Monday? No way!

I've been considering writing a post about my Word of the Year, however I have been distracted by all the on-line comments about Blue Monday! Apparently today is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year, however I for one have had an enjoyable day. What about you? Do you have anything to be seriously depressed about? Me neither.

Today has admittedly been very cold, but I am lucky enough to live in a modern apartment and, although I don't have central heating, I have electric fires that heat my home very efficiently. I also have plenty of food in the fridge so I won't go hungry and enough money to go shopping when supplies get low. This morning I took my dog Lisa to one of my local cafés for coffee and a croissant, which only cost me 2 euros, and we were able to sit outside in the sun (and sheltered from the cold wind.)

I am fortunate that I don't have any health problems at the moment - I do hope that I'm not tempting fate! - so I am able to enjoy a fairly active lifestyle. This morning I went to a dance exercise class near my house and this evening I enjoyed a Flamenco style class at a different dance studio. Apart from going for a coffee this morning with Lisa, I have obviously had to walk her several times over the course of the day. Each time I was well wrapped up, particularly for the early and late walks of the day. I am lucky to have her company in the house, which stops me feeling lonely. I am fortunate in having many good friends too, both here in Spain and also in the UK and other parts of the world.

Regular readers of this blog know that my 2018 wasn't the best of years (in fact you could say it was my annus horribilis), however there were many good moments too, including a very special wedding in Florence, birthday celebrations with my family in London and a lovely holiday with my daughters in Ljubljana.

I am determined that 2019 will be my annus mirabilis, which is why I wasn't going to allow a Blue Monday to spoil it. I'm a great believer in positive thinking and take the view that if you have negative thoughts you are more likely to have negative experiences in life. Think positive and the chances are that you will have a more positive life.

So what is my Word of the Year going to be? If you haven't already guessed, it is Positive. I have already outlined above some of the many reasons I have for being positive. My next trip to the UK will be in March, when I will be attending a friend's 75th birthday party as well as being spoilt by my three children on Mother's Day (in the UK it will be on Sunday March 31st). I also have another exciting holiday planned: I will be meeting a friend, who now lives in Australia, in Paris in early May. I can't wait! The picture above is from a trip to Paris in 2012, just to whet my appetite.

I'm hoping that as 2019 unfolds there will be other positive experiences, and my wish is for all of you to have a positive year as well. In case you are wondering about New Year's resolutions by the way, I have only made one: to stay positive throughout the year.

Beauty blogger take 2

It's easy to think that if you spend enough money you will have perfect skin. When I tested Avon's Anew Platinum range for over 60s, which is comparatively cheap, I was pleased by the way my skin reacted and felt there were slight improvements over the 25 days. I wasn't expecting much and, to be honest, I wouldn't have expected any more if I had been trying top of the range products (with prices to match!) Good skin isn't created overnight.

By the time we reach our 60s we can expect our skin to be a bit set in its ways and we should know how to look after it. My skin is mixed, with some areas that can become dry if I'm haphazard in my beauty routine. I always cleanse my skin at night, however late I go to bed and however tired I am. I always use products with a minimum of SPF25 on my face, even in winter. I also keep my face well moisturised to avoid it becoming dry. Those are the positives to my skincare routine. I've already confessed to not exfoliating so I have decided to buy a gentle refiner to use twice a week to see if this makes a difference to my skin. I will also try using a moisturising face mask on a regular basis. Only then can I dare to call myself a beauty blogger!

Let's go back to my first sentence. In my view, good skin doesn't necessarily come from spending money. Of course expensive face creams are likely to have some effect, but I believe that other factors are just as important and that fundamentally beauty comes from inside as well as outside.

A healthy balanced diet is very important: too much sugar and too many greasy meals are likely to show in our faces. How many of us, when suffering with spots as teenagers, were told by our mothers to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables and to stop wasting our pocket money on sweets and chips? Now that we're a lot older - and hopefully a bit wiser too! - we can see that their words made sense. We should also make sure that we drink enough water by quenching our thirst with water rather than sweet fizzy drinks. I've noticed when eating out in France that carafes of water are put out on the tables, even when you've ordered a bottle of wine. It's a good idea to drink a glass of water for every glass of wine that you drink - though I don't necessarily recommend having eight glasses of wine as well as the requisite eight glasses of water a day!

I'm a great believer in daily exercise too, whether you run, cycle, go to the gym or just walk on a regular basis. Something to raise your heart rate a bit, get the blood flowing through your veins and maybe even break into a sweat! If you can exercise outdoors in the fresh air even better, though city dwellers might want to avoid breathing in too much polluted city air. A dog is the perfect accessory, though our dog Lisa tends to amble along so no chance of breaking into a sweat when we walk her!

I've mentioned the importance of using SPF25+ whenever you're outdoors, even in winter and on cloudy days. I have pale, freckled skin so I am extra careful. I've never been one for sitting in the sun, which may be one reason why I'm fortunate enough to have good skin. When walking outdoors, I'll walk in the shade rather than on the sunny side of the street. Obviously I've already applied plenty of sun cream before leaving the house and will apply more if I'm out for a while. Of course looks aren't everything, but I'm amazed by how many women of a similar age that I see, especially living on the coast, who have a deep tan matched by deep wrinkles. It's not just the fact that it's ageing them that concerns me, but the increased risk of skin cancer.

One of my earliest blog posts, written over four years ago, was about the importance of smiling. In fact I said that it was my best anti-ageing tip ever. If we're going to get lines on our face, I'd rather they were laughter lines than frown lines. I also am a strong believer that the way we are feeling inside is reflected on our faces. How often are we drawn to people who are lovely, caring people, even when they're not conventionally beautiful? On the other hand, I tend to be put off people who are superficially good-looking but who are also self-centred and selfish.

What about you? Have you tried any expensive beauty creams that you can recommend? Do you have any beauty tips to share with us?

La Prairie Platinum cream isn't cheap!

Disclaimer: I have never tried La Prairie Platinum cream as I can't imagine spending hundreds of pounds on my face. It's possible that it will make me look at least 10 years younger, so if I am sent a free sample I'd be happy to give it a go!

Becoming a beauty blogger

I was very excited when I was asked to write a beauty blog for Avon - after all, I'm hardly Twiggy, Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren or any other glamorous star who is over 60. However I could understand the reasoning, as I'm sure many of you react like me when you see famous faces promoting beauty products: "she's obviously had work done"; "bet she's been photo-shopped" or "it's alright for her, she's always been beautiful!" tend to be my usual reactions. You too? Would you be more convinced by an ordinary woman praising a particular face cream?

I was sent four products from the Anew Platinum range, which is aimed at over 60s. I was asked to keep a skin diary and also to take some photos over the next 25 days.

I took this photo after I had opened the parcel with great excitement. The packaging was good, as you can see above, and didn't scream "cheap product", so there was no need to hide the jars from any visitors. I was given an Instant Definition Treatment, Eye and Lip Cream, Day Cream and Night Cream. I was pleased to see that the Day Cream had SPF25 as I live in Spain so need that as a minimum. Having said that, I tend to avoid direct sunlight as I have fair, freckled skin.

Day one photo

This is the photo of me on day 1 - no make-up and not smiling, so pretty scary, yes? It was soooo tempting to photo-shop this photo in an attempt to look ten years younger, but I managed to resist. This is what a real make-up-free woman over 60 looks like, folks!

I won't show you the photos that I took over the following three weeks, as they were no better than the one above. I usually smile in my photos, as I believe that a smile is better than a face-lift (as well as being cheaper!) and so in my view all the photos were highly unflattering. The reason I decided not to smile was that I thought it would be easier to spot any changes if the photos appeared similar.

To be honest, I couldn't see any miraculous changes to my skin. I think the wrinkles might have lessened a bit, my jaw might have tightened a fraction and my skin definitely had a healthy glow. After only 25 days I hadn't expected much,so this was very promising. I think it's definitely worth continuing to use this range of beauty creams. However I'll post the final photo and let you be the judges!

Final day photo

Would I recommend using these products? I certainly felt that they compared well to much more expensive brands. I was slightly concerned by tiny flakes on my skin when I first started using the products, but put that down to dead cells (I have to confess to not exfoliating my skin!). Also, I wasn't using an Avon cleanser, so I then made sure to wait a while after cleansing in case the products were reacting to each other, and this seemed to do the trick. I thought the day and night creams might be too rich, however they absorbed easily and my skin certainly felt lovely and soft after using them. I flew to London and back during the twenty five days and was pleased that my skin didn't dry out.  I was particularly pleased when a consultant at one of the beauty counters in John Lewis commented that I had very good skin!

So, what is your verdict? Can you see the difference? If you're over 60, would you be persuaded to use these beauty products too?

NB. I was gifted the four products, which is why I have decided to let you be the final judges. They do say that pictures speak louder than words anyway!

My word for 2017: Celebration

Celebration. What do I have to celebrate? What do you have to celebrate? Let's start with me - after all, this is my blog!

I know that I'm a bit late with revealing my word for 2017, but life has been getting in the way of blogging recently. There's another reason, however it's too early to tell you, so that will have to be added to the comments at the right time. (I do love a mystery, don't you?) I will tell you though that it's to do with money, however I have realised that there are so many other things in my life to celebrate that are nothing to do with money - and which are far more important than money - some of which I describe below.

First of all, I have to celebrate my family and my friends. I have three children whom I am immensely proud of and who are all lovely people: a real cause for celebration. I am lucky enough to have many good friends, some of whom I have known for many years, and others who became my friends after we moved to Spain nearly nine years ago. I should also add that I count my extended family amongst my friends. Last, but definitely not least, is my second husband John. I have known him for twenty five years (we met through Serpentine running club) and we married almost eight years ago surrounded by both our families and close friends. Since we met we have been lucky enough to go on some amazing holidays together, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the USA as well as many countries in Europe. Having said that, it's still good to return to the UK to visit our families and meet up with many of our friends there.

Next I have to celebrate the fact that I am fit and healthy. I know many people aren't as fortunate as I am, so I appreciate the fact that I am able to go to dance exercise classes three mornings a week. I have also started to learn Sevillanos and Flamenco for one hour on Tuesday evenings, which is great fun. As we don't have a car we walk everywhere, plus we go on walks in the countryside of between 9k and 10k with our local Day Centre.  John and I follow a healthy diet, apart from the occasional pizza - after all, both chocolate and red wine have health benefits, don't they? In my case I haven't eaten meat for over 30 years, though I do occasionally eat fish.

I also celebrate the fact that I have a roof over my head and that we have running water and electricity. Many other people in the world don't have these luxuries that most of us take for granted. Having said that, we have experienced the occasional power cut since moving to Spain, usually because there is a fiesta in town with extra lights and musical acts using lots of electric power!

Another cause of celebration is the way we have been accepted by our Spanish neighbours in Jumilla and how patient they are when we try to speak to them in Spanish. Sadly, nowadays, residents in many other countries are not so welcoming towards immigrants. We have been accepted as part of the local community and are referred to as "Jumillanos".

As I said before, I have so many other things to celebrate in my life, however the final one that I would like to mention is my blog and the new friends that I have made through blogging: yes you, my readers.

Now it's your turn: what do you have to celebrate in your life?

My Word for 2016: Future

Do you use facebook on a regular basis? If so, maybe you have seen friends posting the results of (to give a recent example) entering their name and clicking on "next" to find their word for 2016. You may even have tried it yourself, as I did! 

Of course we realise that this isn't exactly scientific, but I decided to see what word it would give me for 2016. As you can see by the title of the post, my word was "Future". Apparently I will make new connections and find a lot of happiness. This word will guide me through the year of 2016. It will support me in my daily struggles and situations that may appear hopeless. This word will always show me the silver lining so that I won't ever need to worry. As I commented on facebook, wealth would have been good but I'll settle for happiness!

My first reaction on being given the word "future" was that it wouldn't be an appropriate word for me. I believe in making the most of the present. Not looking back and regretting the past, and definitely not looking forward and worrying about things that may never happen. 

However I gave it a bit more thought and could see how "future" might be a very helpful word for 2016. I have decided to try an anti-inflammatory diet in the hope that it might ward off arthritis, after my doctor told me that I have arthritis in my jaw. This may not have an immediate effect, but hopefully it will improve my overall health for the future. 

I have also started doing a daily shiatsu facial massage, which I'm hoping will show positive results in a month or so. Why not take a look here at an example of giving yourself a facial massage? I am using a video, which assures me that it will prevent wrinkles - in my case I already have them, but I'll be happy if it will prevent more wrinkles in the future! I am also starting a body toning routine, which will supplement the walking that I do every day to keep fit. I have learnt that it can take time to see results from any fitness programme, so again this will be something for the future.

Beautiful Paris

I will be visiting France in 2016. We are going to Bordeaux at the beginning of March to celebrate my husband's birthday and we will also be meeting friends there, which will be great. Talking of the future though, I hope to visit Paris in 2017 to celebrate my 70th birthday, so I will be planning this in 2016 and definitely looking forward to our future visit.

Many of my posts are about fashion for over 60 (and particularly petite) women. Over the last 12 months I've learnt a lot about what colours, shapes and styles suit me. My capsule wardrobe is developing and I expect it to develop further over the next 12 months, so that eventually I will have a wardrobe consisting of clothes that I love and that love me. My capsule wardrobe is a work in progress, however I am hoping that some time in the future you will see a far more stylish version of me on my blog.

To summarise: 2016 will be a work in progress for me, definitely living in the present but at the same time working towards a happier, healthier and more stylish future. Have you picked a theme for 2016? If so, please share it with us.

Be the best you ever!

As well as writing my own blog - written for fellow over 60s, though under 60s are always welcome - I am an avid reader of other blogs aimed at over 40s and upwards. Many of them are written by professional bloggers whilst others are, like mine, the random thoughts of keen amateurs. There are some gorgeous looking and very stylish women out there, who always inspire me even if I cannot hope to emulate them! It's important to create your own style if you want to look your best. I love many of the outfits that Inès de la Fressange wears, however she is a tall, slender ex-model whereas I am short and not-so-slender, so I need to dress for my individual body rather than try to copy Inès.

What I am hoping for with this blog is to convince my readers that, even though we're older and not as slender as we were, even though we have a few grey hairs and lots of wrinkles, and even though we are over 60, we can still aim to look our best. We need to create outfits that flatter us, that reflect our personality and that we love wearing.

In my pursuit of becoming the best Sue Walker possible, I have tried colour analysis with the House of Colour, Dressing my Truth and finally the 7 Steps to Style system. It's been an interesting journey, especially with the different options I've been given for colours. I'm warm in two systems but cool in another one. I've posted photos of myself in both warm and cool colours for readers to comment on and even they couldn't agree. Click here for a few photos showing me in both warm and cool colours and see what you think.

First up is "Dressing Your Truth", which recommends that you choose colours and styles based on your energy type. According to their system I'm a bright and animated type one so I should wear clothes like the two tops and bright scarf shown in the photos below. They have an on-line store where you can buy clothes true to your type, however to be honest many of the clothes were too fussy or cutesy for me and I didn't like all of their colours. Colour-wise, type one is closest to Spring in seasonal colour analysis, however they did have some cool colours as well as the warmer tints. What I liked about DYT is the way that they encouraged you to be true to your own nature and appreciate who you are.

My DYT colours

DYT green top

DYT top and scarf

Seasonal colour analysis has changed a lot since I was first analysed as a Winter many years ago. When I booked a colour session with House of Colour I was expecting to be told that I was a different season, especially after so many people approved of me wearing warmer colours, however the verdict was a Jewel Winter. I think the key factor was my dark hair, which was one reason that many of the lighter Spring-like colours of DYT didn't look right on me. Here I am wearing a Kettlewell top from the Jewel Winter palette, in one of my best colours.

 

Some of my winter colours are shown above, with my best colours highlighted by **. The common factor between being either a Jewel Winter (House of Colour) or Enigmatic (7 Steps) is the fact that I have dark hair and eyes, so deep colours suit me. However a Winter looks best in cool shades while an Enigmatic looks best in warm shades. Confused? I'm not surprised - so was I! I am fairly close to the border between warm and cool though.

I also went for a style consultation with House of Colour, which I thought was very good value. We not only established that I'm a Natural Gamine, which was based on my answers to a questionnaire plus my consultant Fiona's input, but my body proportions, body shape and facial features were also considered, as was my lifestyle. This part of the consultation covered similar ground to the 7 Steps to Style system and this holistic approach does help you to create more flattering outfits that suit your lifestyle and your personality.

In the end I decided that the 7 Steps to Style system was the most comprehensive and enlightening colour and style system of them all. I have described the 7 steps in some depth in my previous posts, but when it came to Step 3: Your Colours what impressed me was not only the fact that Imogen's system has 18 different colour groups (I'm Enigmatic, because my colouring is warm, smoky and deep) but the way she personalised each colour swatch. I had some colours that other Enigmatics didn't have in their swatches and vice versa. When I look at the colours in my personal Enigmatic swatch, there are very few that don't appeal to me, and I have eighteen signature colours all of which I love and which are very flattering.

The knowledge that I gained through doing the 7 Steps helps me understand why the two DYT outfits in particular don't really suit me.  The green in the first photo isn't too bad, though it's not quite warm enough, but the style doesn't flatter my H shape figure and the proportions aren't right. The second photo highlights the fact that colour alone is only a small part of looking your best. I need high value contrast but low colour contrast. Basically this means I look better in monochromatic outfits or neutral outfits with one colour, ensuring that I have a mix of light and deep colours. There's definitely a high value contrast with the light coloured trousers and darker top, but have you noticed three different colours? The darker top against the light trousers cuts me in half, making me look broader and shorter than I would like and finally, the wide trousers - need I say more?

The third outfit is better than the two above it, however the blue is a bit cool. I'm only just on the warm side so I can get away with it, especially if I wear a lipstick that's warm or a scarf or necklace in the right colours. Most of us can't afford to discard an entire wardrobe just because the colours don't blend with our swatch so the solution is to choose make-up that flatters us and buy a couple of scarves or necklaces in flattering colours to wear near our face. My black jeans will stay in my wardrobe until they become faded, but I'll ensure that the tops I wear with them are in the right colours to compensate.

The cardigan I'm wearing below is what Imogen refers to as a "hero piece": any garment that's not a basic and that has some detail, colour or pattern that makes it the centre of attention. I love the fact that there are so many warm colours to choose from in the pattern when I'm deciding what to wear with it. In this case I selected brown and wore it with a brown necklace, top and jeggings (plus brown shoes that you can't see), thus creating a column of colour, which has the effect of making me appear taller and slimmer. What's not to like?

I'm wearing the same brown jeggings in the next photo with a soft teal top, plus a necklace and bracelet that blend well with both my top and my jeggings.

You can see from these photos that looking your best involves much more than just wearing the colours that suit you. It may have taken me more than sixty years to realise this - I'm a slow learner! - but I honestly believe that I now have the tools to truly look my best. What do you think?

Fashion, Style and Elegance in Women Over 60

If you think that this sounds like a good name for a book, then you're quite right.  I've just read the e-book with that title, written by Patrizia Molechino, and found it refreshingly different. Unlike many style books it doesn't give you just one way to dress stylishly: you know, that list of 10 or 12 essential items including the infamous LBD, which to be honest is too harsh a look for many older women. Instead Patrizia encourages you to express your own individuality.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm not exactly elegant or indeed fashionable, though I do have my own style that can loosely be described as casual chic - with the emphasis on the word casual! I am a woman over 60 though, so I decided to take a look at Patrizia´s book in the interests of research for my blog.  Patrizia's aim is to give more exposure to a large selection of the female population that has been somewhat neglected by fashion and the media in general: yep, that's you and me.

To begin with, the purpose of this book is not to make you look younger (hurrah!) but to help you make the best of yourself. Women with a strong sense of style have never cared about a few wrinkles anyway and have first and foremost always been themselves - think of Diana Vreeland, Anna Piaggi and the amazing ladies of "Advanced Style". However, much as I admire them, my goal isn't to look as fabulous as they do, turning heads whenever I go out. I would just like to be a more stylish and elegant version of myself.

Most of the women in this book aren't famous, which is fine as most of us aren't famous either. They are portrayed as an example of how to achieve looks and styles suited to your own personality. One of the women in the book is tall, slim and blonde - stunningly classy - and as I am short, not-so-slim with dark hair, clearly she isn't the obvious role model for me! I liked the photo of Carlotta with her poodles (the dogs look as elegant as she does) but Cécile and her dog both looked more casual, so obviously I identified more with her style.

Pages from the book

What image do you want to present? As you look through this book, you should consider the different looks as guidelines to inspire you to be yourself, though hopefully a far more stylish version. There are even suggestions on clothes that you can wear to achieve a certain look, with links if you decide to purchase any items - not that I want to encourage you to add to your wardrobe! As an aside, the challenges in Evolve Your Style suggest shopping your own wardrobe rather than rushing out to buy new clothes, so if you have been doing EYS you should have a good idea of how to make the most of your existing wardrobe.

Patrizia is planning to update this book with more examples of over 60 women who have developed their own style. Keep it quiet for the moment, but I may be making an appearance in the next edition! Why don't you submit your own photo and biography and join me there?

Take a look at Patrizia's blog for more details about her book: Patrizia Molechino.360° Fashion. I'm sure this guide to the style and elegance of women in their later years will inspire you just as much as it inspired me. As I state in the side-bar, we may be over 60 but we're definitely not past it!  Even if you are under 60 - and I know some of my readers are - I think you would enjoy reading Patrizia's book and seeing how women of a certain age enjoy expressing their individuality through what they wear.

July Hat Attack - yes really!

I've never done this before, and I'm highly unlikely to do so again as I'm not a hat person, but I've decided to join the Hat Attack for July. It was because I included a photo of myself wearing a hat in my travel report and some of you were kind enough to make flattering comments that I decided to join the Hat Attack for the first (and probably last) time.

What is this "Hat Attack"? Is it dangerous?!  A blogger called The Style Crone (if you haven't come across her before, do click on the link) hosts a monthly Hat Attack on her blog, where she encourages other bloggers to post photos of themselves wearing a hat and then link to her blog. I have to say that the Style Crone looks amazing and is clearly a hat person, which does inspire me to look for more hats in the vague hope of looking equally amazing myself. I think one of the many differences between us is that Judith wears hats because she loves them and it's part of her style, whereas I only wear them out of necessity: a woolly hat to keep me warm on winter walks and the hat shown below to protect me from the hot summer sun.

Me and Gaudi in León

In my defence, I'm not a serious fashion blogger. I enjoy reading and writing about fashion, however I write from the personal perspective of a "woman of a certain age", hoping to inspire you to find your own style and enjoy what you're wearing regardless of your age.  This photo is a holiday photo, not a fashion shoot - and I would be worried if any of you thought "I must rush out and buy an outfit like Sue's!" What I would hope is that you think "Perhaps I will try a hat on next time I go shopping" or maybe "Sue's over 60 and wearing a bright pink top, maybe I should buy a brighter coloured top for my summer holiday."

Points to bear in mind when choosing a hat if you're a petite like me: check your outfit in a full length mirror to make sure that it doesn't overwhelm you and remember that a higher crown will give you extra height!

Don't forget to click on the blue link above to look at all the gorgeous ladies wearing their hats. As a bonus, you will receive a 15% discount up to 7th July from the lovely Citizen Rosebud, who also looks amazing in her hats.

Spots before my eyes

Today a parcel arrived from Wallis, with a new summer dress that I had ordered.  I had looked around town first, as I like to support local shops whenever possible, but most of the dresses were either a bit too skimpy for women of a certain age or too dowdy for this particular over 60 woman!  Wallis have a petite section so I decided to browse their on-line store. I was slightly disappointed by the limited choice as there were lots of maxi dresses (not my best look), several lace dresses that I liked but thought would only be suitable for evenings out plus a couple with polka dots. After dithering for a while over the polka dots, I finally decided on this dress:

I liked the dress as soon as I tried it on, as it is a flattering shape and just touches my knees. That's the problem with being short - so many dresses fit me ok on top but are far too long and look dowdy on me.  I decided to get a second opinion by giving a fashion show for Mr Over 60 and Over Here.

"Haven't you already got a dress like that?" was his immediate reaction, which proves that men DO sometimes notice!  This of course was one reason for the dithering as there are two similar polka dot dresses in my wardrobe, but the one above will be far more versatile, especially for our forthcoming holidays.

This is one of my other polka dot dresses.  As you can see, the neckline is different, the dots are smaller and it's longer - well below my knees. Nothing like my new dress and not as flattering either. It may very well go into the recycling at the end of this summer, if not before, however it's very comfortable to wear, which is always a plus point with me!

This is me wearing the other polka dot dress, which is clearly shorter than the one above. It is also v-necked with smaller polka dots and, though you can't see because I'm wearing a jacket here, it's sleeveless and the back is v-necked too. This dress is probably more suitable for evening occasions as it shows a lot more skin when it's not covered by a jacket.

I like polka dots and, because my skin is freckled, the slight pattern suits me.  As well as three polka dot dresses (!!!) I have a blue and white polka dot top, which I also enjoy wearing.  Another favourite pattern of mine is stripes, but I'm wary with floral patterns, which have a tendency to look too old lady on me. (I know, in many people's eyes I am an old lady at the advanced age of 66!)  Do you like wearing patterns and, if so, which ones are your favourites?

To end on a slightly more serious note, many of us women of a certain age may experience spots before our eyes, also known as floaters.  I went to my optician when I first experienced this a couple of years ago to have my eyes checked out, so I know it's nothing serious, although if the floaters get worse I also know to have them checked again. One of the many joys of getting older!

What's your greatest achievement?

I suspect that many people will react to this question by stating, modestly, that they haven't achieved anything. We tend to measure achievement by success in the material world, which is a shame as there are far more important things in life than that. Look back over the last few days. Did you make a meal for your family that they all really enjoyed? Surely that's an achievement - especially if you have any fussy eaters in your family!  Did you chat to an elderly neighbour and bring a smile to his or her face? That's definitely something that you should be proud of achieving.

Like many mothers, my immediate reaction if I were to be asked what my greatest achievement was would be to say my children, however that's not really accurate. I am very proud of Vicky, Mark and Kate and all three of them have achieved a lot, but what they have achieved has been through their own talents and hard work, and is nothing to do with me! Of course my first husband and I brought them up and tried to instil our values in them, but all we did was what most parents do, so we can't claim any credit for our children's successes. I am proud of what my children have done so far with their lives but even more importantly I am very proud of who they are.

Many of my most satisfying moments in life have been to do with my family, however I do have one achievement of my own - the publication of my first book -which is almost entirely due to my own efforts.

I say "almost entirely" because I wrote the book myself, however I did have some help from my first editor, Debs Jenkins, and my daughter Vicky proof-read the revised version and made some very helpful suggestions. Very few of us are able to achieve things in life totally on our own,

So back to my original question: what's your greatest achievement? Please share with us and remember that you should be proud of yourself for what you have achieved.

Pesky pop-up ads are driving me crazy!

This bag is following me around!

I appreciate that advertising is a necessary evil.  In the UK, independent TV channels rely on advertising to pay for all the programmes that their viewers enjoy. It's the same with Spanish TV, where they often tell you how many minutes you have until the programme that you are watching returns, so at least you know whether you have time to make a cup of tea during the break for adverts. Occasionally, TV adverts are entertaining and actually worth watching!

My son is one of four young people who have launched a free newspaper in London called "The Peckham Peculiar", and they are obviously relying on advertising to cover their costs. I don't have any problems with this and neither will their readers, as this is what people expect, especially with free publications.

I buy women's magazines from time to time (living in Spain, I find it helpful for improving my Spanish) and most of these are full of adverts.  That's fine, as all I do is turn over the pages until I reach the articles that I want to read and for the most part I ignore the adverts.

We are surrounded by advertising in the modern world, so why do I find it particularly annoying when I come across adverts on-line?

I go into my email account, and I see sneaky little adverts there that are based on the content of my emails. Facebook is even worse: currently I am being tempted by mobile phone deals in both English and Spanish as well as shoes, jeans and car insurance. Sometimes the offers are so embarrassing that I couldn't possibly share them with you!

How about the La Redoute advert above, that popped up on my screen when I was looking at another blog? Is it just a coincidence that I had looked at the La Redoute website last week? If I want to buy something from their website, I don't need them to send me not-too-subtle hints. I'll make my own mind up, thank you.

I swear that the bag I've shown at the beginning of this post is following me around. I see it everywhere and I'm convinced that I'm going to start dreaming about it soon. There's no escaping from it, however it's a pointless advertising ploy, as I've already bought a different bag from that website and have no intention of buying another one.

Does anyone else find these advertising tricks really annoying? Far from encouraging me to visit their websites, it actually has the opposite effect and makes me want to avoid them like the plague. I considered signing up for adverts on this blog, in the vague hope that I might earn a few pennies from them, but I don't want to annoy my readers.  If I did so, would it put you off and stop you looking at my blog? Am I the only one to be annoyed by all these adverts that keep popping up?

My challenging hair

Day 8 of the New Year Style Challenge asks us to consider whether our hairstyle enhances our style.  This is a tricky one for me, as my hair has always been challenging.  I had hoped that once I was over 60 my hair would turn a lovely silver colour and would become thick and coarse.  It may sound strange to anyone with thick hair, but if your hair has been fine all your life you will probably sympathise with me.

It wasn't too bad when I was younger because although my hair was fine it was reasonably thick, which tended to confuse hairdressers when I walked into their salon. It used to take me a long time to dry my hair so,  although I kept my hair long when I was younger, once I started running in my late thirties I tended to go for shorter styles.

My face shape is long, closest to an oval shape, so I looked at the guidelines for that shape and was delighted to see that one of the celebrities with a similar shaped face was Anne Hathaway. Yes, Anne Hathaway of the cute pixie crop. Having fine hair, which sadly is a lot thinner nowadays, as well as being short in stature, long hair is no longer a good style for me. A short layered cut seems to suit me more now that I'm over 60.  You may notice that in all of these picture I have a fringe (or bangs as some people say). For those of us with long faces, a fringe makes our faces look more balanced. Luckily it is particularly good for over 60s as it hides some of our wrinkles and disguises a receding hairline!

In my late teens, with my youngest brother

In my late thirties - not a flattering outfit!

My style is casual chic, so the shorter hairstyle shown below is ideal for both my lifestyle and my fashion style. What about you ? What influences your choice of hairstyle?

Over 60 and over here!