Purple Reigns and Rains in ‘Style Not Age’

‘When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.’ Written by poet Jenny Joseph at the age of 29 in 1961, the poem ‘Warning’ went on to spawn ‘The Red Hat Society’, an organisation where women over 50 have fun and which now
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The Quantum Health Analyser – Science or Science Fiction?

The Quantum Health Analyser sounds like something from a Science Fiction movie or TV series.  In fact, it sounds pretty scary. And when my physical therapist Andrew Smith of The Willows Clinic offered me a free analysis, I was unsure at first. You will have read about Andrew in my previous post on STRESS! I
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How Work Stress made me Sick and Complementary Medicine Helped me Recover

Stress is one of the biggest problems in today’s world. Of course, we all have to deal with stressful situations at various times in our lives, but continuous stress can impact hugely on our health, as I found out to my cost in 2010. BACKGROUND I taught English very happily for 34 years and even
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group Stylish Mondays

Maxi Madness with my ‘Stylish Mondays’ friends

I join with some stylish sisters in showcasing our love of the maxi. Those of you who know me well, or who have followed my blog for some time, know that there is one item of clothing that I wear more than any other and that is the maxi dress. I have about a dozen
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Pretty woman dress

”Steal her Style” with ‘Style Not Age’ Collaboration

Stealing someone else’s style is actually far more difficult than it sounds or looks. I chose this theme for this month’s ‘Style Not Age’ challenge because I thought it would be easy. Having dithered about whose style I was going to copy, I eventually settled on Julia Roberts’ ‘Race Look’ in the movie ‘Pretty Woman’.
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Where to stay and what to do in Portaferry, Co. Down

It seems as if we have been in Northern Ireland quite a lot over the past year. First was a wonderful stay at the Galgorm Resort & Spa near Ballymena and a tour of the north Antrim coast. Then last April, I wrote about our stay in The Cairn Bay Lodge in Bangor and a
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Shopping for the Real You

Good morning. My last blog post is all about looking the best you can for your age. It is about taking care of your skin, boosting collagen and elastin with customised treatments and products. I make no apology for trying to look good for my age.  I have written plenty about how I take care
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Endymed – The Non-Surgical Facelift with Jeanne Brophy
Is it possible to tighten the jawline and have some of the effects of a facelift without having surgery?  The answer is Yes.  I have been lucky enough to have been gifted some treatments at Jeanne Brophy’s salon in Clontarf and I am delighted with the results. You may have read my post on the
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Bewley’s Cafe Tour – a trip down Memory Lane

Bewley’s was the place where I spent quite a lot of time in my student days back in the ’70s. I studied English in TCD, which meant only a few hours of lectures and lots of time for reading. Of course, I could have studied in the College Library, but my friends and I preferred
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Ageism is Never in Style and Brands should Take Note

Within the next two years, for the first time in human history, there will be more people worldwide over 65 than under five.  That should be a wake-up-call to BRANDS that they should be more inclusive when it comes to promoting their products. Older people can be more discerning (in many instances) and have a
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Health Checks for Women Over 50

Most of us tend to avoid doctors and health checks in our younger years unless there is some specific reason to book an appointment. But when we reach 50 or so (and have been lucky enough to stay healthy) it is definitely time to schedule some health checks. Much as we hate to admit it
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Stylish Mondays Summer Whites Collaboration

Stylish Mondays feature Summer Whites this month. I actually do not have a lot of white in my wardrobe and the whites I have tend to be soft not bright. In fact, I am not even sure that these jeans, which I have for years, are even white. They are more off-white or even cream,
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‘How to Live Better for Longer’

Tonight I will be making my television debut on ‘How to Live Better for Longer’ on RTE1 at 9.35pm! Having told everyone who listened that I probably would end up on the cutting room floor, I saw and heard myself on the preview, so I know I will feature, however briefly. Below you can see
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 Fried Halloumi in The Cairn Bay Lodge Starfish Cafe

When in Bangor, County Down recently, GG and I stayed in The Cairn Bay Lodge, the most amazing B&B or guest house we’ve ever experienced. Friends of ours were putting on a play in a local theatre, so we hopped up the road, merely a two-hour drive from Dublin. A dormitory town for Belfast, Bangor
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Serious Readers’ Alex Light Review

I can see clearly now…. I am actually talking about my vision, but it is also a bit of a ‘light-bulb’ moment. You see, I took delivery a few weeks ago of my Serious Readers’ lamp. And wow has it changed how I see things. Let me explain. MY EYESIGHT HISTORY 30 years ago, I
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Pastel dress

Pastels as worn by our ‘Style Not Age’ group

Wearing Pastels is our ‘Style not Age’ challenge this month and that is, indeed, a challenge for me, because regular readers know that I do not have many pastels in my wardrobe. However, I do like pastel colours when I think of decor and houses. I normally associate pastels with babies (think baby blue and
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Top Tips to help improve your Memory

There has been a lot written about memory recently and what we can do to help prevent dementia and maybe even Alzheimer’s so I thought I would re-post this. I waited until after Easter to post because it has been suggested that high sugar diets (as well as being detrimental to overall health) can also
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view of Lisbon

Top Tips for Visiting Lisbon

Lisbon is one European city we have been eager to visit and we were not disappointed. 1. CLEANLINESS Graham and I were astounded, because Lisbon was so clean and we hardly ever saw litter on the streets and there was absolutely no dog dirt fouling the pavements, unlike one particular European city. Yes, Paris, I
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Review of ‘The Middle Place’ by Kealan Ryan

What an incredible first novel. No, what a brilliant novel. Full Stop.   I was an English teacher in a former life and I know the narrator of The Middle Place. I taught him. I taught plenty like him and they were great ‘craic’. Cheeky, chirpy, funny, confident. You had to like them. But you
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Hilda and instagram husband

Beside the Hilda – confessions of an Instagram Husband!

This post – confessions of an Instagram Husband – first appeared two years ago and I thought it time to give it a second airing. I asked Graham if he had any changes to make to the original. You can read his answer at the end of this post.   My husband Graham (a.k.a. GG)
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crannog in National Heritage Park

Irish National Heritage Park is highlight of Wexford visit

A visit to the Irish National Heritage Park, less than a mile from The Ferrycarrig Hotel, was one of the highlights of our brief stay in Wexford. I had heard great reports of the park from hordes of pupils and teachers who had visited it, so was delighted to finally see it for myself. We
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March Madness Murder Mystery Party

It is ‘March Madness’ with The Style Not Age Collective and I decided that there is nothing ‘MADDER’ than a theme party. I did mention in my Sunshine Blogger post that there is nothing I like more than a fancy-dress party and we have had some fun over the years throwing and attending them. MURDER
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wexford harbour

What to see, what to do and where to eat in Wexford

Wexford, a Viking town in the south-east of Ireland, has always been a favourite of ours and we spent a pleasant few days there recently. We stayed at The Ferrycarraig Hotel about four kilometres outside the  town centre. The Ferrycarraig Hotel We booked our hotel through a discount online  site and it seemed to be
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Nomination for The Sunshine Blogger Award

I am honoured to be nominated for a Sunshine Blogger Award by two of my lovely blogger friends: Gail from IsThisMutton and Jacqui from Mummabstylish Thank you so much for the nomination, Gail and Jacqui. I got to know these two ladies through our ‘Style Not Age’ challenge and even met Gail at The Bias
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