Style Not Age ‘Do’ The Full Skirt

It was Jacqui’s turn this month and she chose ‘Full Skirts’ as her prompt.  I guess you either love them or hate them. I love the full skirt on other people, but I feel they can be tricky to style. If you are neither tall nor slim you might need to wear high heels and
The Merchant Hotel Exterior

The Merchant 5-star Luxury in Belfast

The Merchant Hotel is perfectly located in the heart of Belfast. There is so much within a short walking distance of the hotel: great shopping, a variety of pubs and restaurants such as The Crown Liquor Saloon and plenty of iconic/historic landmarks e.g. City Hall, The Albert Clock and the Titanic attraction. But to be
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Autumn Hues with ‘Style Not Age’

Hello my friends. ‘The trees are in their Autumn Beauty’ and so I decided that Autumn Hues might be an appropriate prompt for ‘Style Not Age’. Can you believe that we are heading into November? In Ireland, we have changed over to our winter time and we all had an extra hour in bed on
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view from Bosphorus cruise

Top Tips for Visiting Istanbul

I have always wanted to visit Istanbul. There is something exotic about the name which conjures up images of past civilizations, beautiful palaces, mosques and emperors. And divided by The Bosphorus, it is the only city to span two continents. The city has had several names throughout its long history, each reflecting a different period
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Gerard Horn

George Horn Mixing Traditional Craft with Modern Technology

Let me tell you why I ended up on a tour around the George Horn . a few weeks ago. I met co-owner Gerard at the launch of Helen McAlinden’s autumn/winter collection. More on that later! I had taught Gerard about thirty years ago. He had been living in New Zealand, but returned to Dublin
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second hand September

Second-Hand September with ‘Style Not Age’

Second-Hand September was Gail’s idea!  And I knew it would be a challenge for me. I used to shop in second-hand, charity and vintage shops when I was in college! But I got out of the habit in recent years. My favourite was Jenny Vander, which opened in George’s Street Arcade in 1974, the year
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lovely linen

Lovely Linen with ‘Style Not Age’

Hello friends. Lovely linen is our Style Not Age theme this month. I wore a linen dress from Whistles which is about eight years old. But a shirt dress never goes out of fashion. Right? I might not have worn it much recently, but this gave me the perfect excuse. The weather has really changed
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Derry Peace Bridge

Derry is ideal for a Short City Break

GG and I have been eager to explore Ireland more and Derry has been on our must-visit list for years. One of the advantages of getting older is that we both have free travel passes north and south, so we took the train to Belfast first and then another one on to Derry. It was
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Dreamy Dresses with ‘Style Not Age’

Jacqui chose our ‘Style Not Age’ theme of ‘Dreamy Dresses’ for June! Perfect, I thought, I will have had plenty of opportunity to wear my summer dresses and take lots of photos. But, in reality, summer (and therefore dreamy dresses) has been a bit of a non-event until this weekend. While in Derry/Londonderry last week,
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HydraFacial

HydraFacial Glow at South William Clinic Clontarf

Have you had a HydraFacial?  I had attended an information event at South William Clinic a few weeks earlier, so was excited to head to their clinic in Clontarf for my first. WHAT IS A HYDRAFACIAL? A HydraFacial is an award-winning multi-step facial treatment from America, performed using the handheld wand of a proprietary machine.
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French Girl Style with ‘Style Not Age’

Gail chose this month’s theme French Girl Style.  What is French Girl Style 2024? Well, it depends on what magazine or which blog you read? But I think we can all agree that it is effortless, yet sophisticated. The French girl/woman is chic. What they all have in common is a strong sense of personal
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Florence

Trip to Tuscany with Travel Department

The Dublin to Pisa flight with Aer Lingus on our Travel Department Holiday to Tuscany was pain-free and on time. We were met in Pisa by our guide Claudia and were in our hotel by 11 am on day 1. Our first impressions of Tuscany were that it looked very much like Ireland. Its terrain
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Max Mara Weekend

April Showers with ‘Style Not Age’

Hello, my friends. It was my turn to pick the theme for our ‘Style Not Age’ gang and I chose ‘April Showers’. Well, let’s face it, we have had more than our fair share of wet weather here in Ireland. A new trench coat has been a priority for me for a while. I have
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Whistles jumpsuit

Packing Tips for a Week-Long Holiday Abroad

I love going on holiday but I dislike airports. Remember when travel used to be fun, but now airports are so stressful, particularly until you get through security. And then there is the packing. I nearly always get it wrong, returning home with half of the clothes never seeing the light of day. But last
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Bons Secours Hospital

What to Expect in a CT Heart Scan: My Health Update

Yes, I had a CT Coronary Heart Scan, also known as a CT Angiography or CAC scan. There are so many different names for it that I found it quite confusing. Why did I need one, I hear you ask? Well, here is the background. BACK STORY I have had high cholesterol since I started
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On Valentine’s Day Remember Importance of Self-Love

Today’s post is about self-love. It may be Valentine’s Day tomorrow and I am all for LOVE of others, and having a loving partner to support you is wonderful, but not everyone has that. I am one of the lucky ones. The pic below was taken a few months ago when we stayed in a
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Health and Holidays in 2023

Happy New Year and welcome to my first post of 2024. A special welcome to new subscribers; I hope you will find something of interest in my posts. So here is my review of 2023, loosely titled ‘Health and Holidays’. Well, they begin with the same letter and it is important for your health that
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MIAMI SOUTH BEACH

Miami and Key West: A Wonderful Holiday

Florida USA was our destination for a long-awaited holiday in November with good friends…four of us flew out for three days in Miami South Beach before linking up with two other friends in Key West for another ten. MIAMI SOUTH BEACH After a 3-hour delay leaving Dublin Airport, we endured another 2 hours waiting for
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My Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Experience with Amber Oxygen

Have you heard of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)?  Neither had I until I was invited to Amber Oxygen in Northern Cross in Dublin to try out their new oxygen chamber.  It might sound like something out of a science fiction novel, but it’s a medical treatment making waves in healthcare. What is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy/HBOT?
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October Highlights include, Travel, Tea and a Bubble

Well, October was a busy month! I still have not got back to golf since I broke my finger. The weather has been too wet and the course has been closed quite a bit. My finger is not back to normal yet and yes, I am doing my exercises. Plus we have been busy. You
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Finn Lough Bubble Dome

Magical Stay in Finn Lough Forest Bubble

Finn Lough is a luxury, magical hideaway on Lower Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, half an hour’s drive beyond Enniskillen. And if there is a more relaxing place on earth, I have not found it, yet.  From the moment you arrive in Finn Lough, you feel you are in another world. Firstly, the welcome is
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Piran Slovenia

Slovenia and the Coast of Trieste with Travel Department

Before we went there with Travel Department, I knew very little about Slovenia except that it was part of the former Yugoslavia (it was one of the first to declare independence 32 years ago). Yes, I had heard it was a beautiful country and was fast becoming a popular holiday destination. It lived up to
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tiger

September Highlights 2023

September was a very important month in our house. Here are the highlights. GG TURNED 70 IN SEPTEMBER We spent a lot of the month celebrating Graham’s 70th birthday. Boy, does he know how to milk it! Celebrations started at the beginning of the month and only finished last weekend. Let me put it on
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Why You Should Supplement with Omega-3

I take supplements. For several years now I have taken Omega-3 supplements, because I do not believe I can get enough through foods alone. WHAT IS OMEGA-3 Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of different fats. Here is the science! The three main types of Omega-3 are: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Eicosapentaenoic acid
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