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  • Muddle Age

    Getting older. It’s a funny thing isn’t it? The general consensus is that we spend most of our childhoods willing the years away until we become adults and can do cool things like not go to school, go to the pub and wear what we want. Then at some point, we flip the script, we realise how carefree and easy we had it as a youth and yearn for the days of ‘being young’ again. Admit it; some of the things you love most now are things that felt like a punishment as a kid – taking naps, going to bed early, putting your PJs…please say that this isn’t just me!

    Different stages come with different ages – baby, toddler, tween, teenager, young adult, middle aged and pensioner. But what about that huge grey area in between? That’s exactly where I am right now.

    Picture the scenario: you’re not exactly classed as young any more (I’m not sure at exactly what age this label is officially cut) but you’re definitely not middle aged (though there’s also some debate about when exactly that kicks in) so what are you? Today, I’m officially christening this stage of life ‘muddle age’.

    A muddle aged person is that transition between youth and ‘there’s no mistaking I’m a fully fledged adult’. We like to go out with our friends and have fun, but we may prefer to do it in the day/afternoon so we can get to bed at a decent time. We may be allowed adult things such mortgages, but spend a lot of time trying to cover up the fact we still have a mental age of 21 (or, in my case, 16). We still enjoy makeup and clothes but we also enjoy home interiors and nice looking gardens to relax in after a long day of adulting.

    Any of this sounding familiar? Welcome to muddle age dear reader, enjoy it with me!

    Thanks for reading,

    J xx

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    Random things I discovered about life and myself during lockdown

    Yep; you read what sounds like the start of a very profound, slight hippy dippy blog post in that title…but thats not my style!

    We’re going more along the ramblings and random musings route that I did in this post last year . I know lockdown isn’t fully over yet but who knows when I’d have published this if I waited for it to end completely….

    • I can do some basic levels of DIY, but I’d rather pay someone else to do it for me
    • Messiness stresses me out
    • I prefer to eat cake rather than bake it
    • A fairly pared back, slow pace of life suits me nicely and is great for my mental health
    • I do in fact have common sense. In some cases, more than some senior government officials (tbf I think a large majority of us can claim this)
    • Its sometimes easier to observe than create what you see in the Internet (specifically Tik Tok) but its fun to try
    • Workouts come in various forms – walking, vigorous decorating or learning the latest viral dance
    • I wear a lot of print. Mainly floral and leopard
    • People will use a global pandemic as a golden opportunity to ‘legitimately’ make their lives easier, and other peoples lives harder as a result
    • I’m a dab hand at covering my roots with a bit of box dye and an unused foundation brush (if you’re reading Chelsea, sorry!)
    • It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks. If that dog is your parents/grandparents and the trick is going on Houseparty for a weekly catch up
    • My Spanish speaking skills aren’t quite as basic as I thought, but my written Spanish still sucks a little bit

    And just one more…..

    Thanks for reading,

    J xx

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    Let’s Chat – June 2020

    In a month where lockdown restrictions were eased and things looked like they were moving forward…

    I didnt really have the opportunity to get dressed in anything other than leggings and PJs until the latter part of the month, but when the weather was nice I cracked out some of my fave summer dresses old and new. I also picked up a pair of chunky trainers from Topshop to see if I would enjoy the trend (and get away with them at my age, haha) and I’ve reached for them a lot.

    • A Simple Favour
    • RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 5
    • Catfish
    • Scary Movie 1/2/3
    • Smash Hits ’95
    • Ministry of Sound Throwback R ‘n B Anthems
    • Sounds of the 90s

    Another month of delicious food to make your mouth water! Ive finally gotten back into cooking this month, the only photo worthy dishes so far have been my super cheesey pasta bake and veggie lasagne (both Slimming World recipes as they’re the only cook books I have). Although I’ve been trying to reduce my consumption of meat a bit as I seem to have eaten more than usual lately, I enjoyed a birthday BBQ with some more unusual meats (ostrich and venison) which was yummy. My mum also rustled up some corking side dishes of watermelon salad and potato salad which were perfect with the sunny weather. I also had TWO birthday cakes, one of them was my favourite rainbow cake made by a local bakery and was amazing, the other was ‘Cuthbert the Caterpillar’ from ALDI which was also yummy. I’ve been going nuts for the new Ben and Jerry’s Netflix and Chilled ice cream which is peanut butter with pretzel and brownie chunks (I’ll pause whilst you wipe up the drool). Finally, the Mr got us a Piano Bar Events ‘Perfect Measure’ box that contained pre mixed ingredients to make two cocktails at home (we just needed to add ice, shake and pour).

    • Went to the beach: Two or three times me and the Mr went for a morning stroll and sit on local beaches when the weather was nice. They’ve been the only times that I genuinely felt like I was getting fresh air and that I’d blown some cobwebs away.
    • Had a birthday: BUT I didn’t get another year older because, lockdown rules prevent it. My hubby and family gave me the best day and made me feel very spoilt and loved. I’m a lucky gal. I’ll add some photos below to give you a flavour if the day and some of my gifts
    • DIY: Sooooo technically I started this last month ut there were a few delays so I’ve added it here. I decided to decorate my larger spare room a beautifully girly yet chic dusky pink shade.shoukdve been a quick job but – it turned out there were 2 layers of wallpaper and 2 layers of paint to get rid of first, cracks to fill and 2 coats of primer paint before I could even touch it!
    • Dyed my hair a cute colour: I still couldn’t shake the need for a different colour, so I decided to try out the Bleach London Burnt Peach shade (paid for with Boots Advantage Card points, gotta love a freebie). It turn out a really lovely shade and mixed well with the blonde underneath so I was happy with it, although it didn’t last anywhere near as long as the red i used a couple of months back.
    • Had a socially diatanced girls night: me and 4 of my fave girl friends got together in a back garden and drank, ordered Greek food and sang/danced extremely loudly to a variety of throwback tunes. It was brilliant and much needed.
    • Took part in a ‘Task Master’ style day out: my brother-in-law booked this as a fun girls v boys family activity which was hosted by Escape Rooms Beverley to engage people whilst the business is closed. We were set a series of questions and tasks to complete around the town that we had to take photos of and collect points for the most imaginative/quickest to complete/most challenges in a single photo. It was fun and different so if you’re local I’d definitely recommend booking it (its currently free and you could win a free escape room once they’re back open)
    • Job hunting: earlier this month I got the news I am being made redundant as a direct result of the current health crisis, so I’m on the lookout for my next opportunity

    And that’s the end of another month and on to July, WOW. I hope you’re all staying safe and keeping well, and thanks for reading once again,

    J xx

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    Hay fever hacks – part 2

    A couple of years ago I wrote this post sharing my top hay fever hacks aside from medication that will help to ease and prevent symptoms, and over the last few weeks it seems to have been read rather a lot more than usual! Less traffic and pollution clearly allows those pesky pollens to get through to us better than ever before in the 21st century, so I thought I would add a few more tips and tricks I’ve learnt since the last post to hopefully offer a bit of extra relief to fellow sufferers. I’ve found that they work best alongside taking a standard antihistamine first thing in the morning*

    • Wipe, wipe, wipe it down

    If you’ve watched a decent amount Tik Tok as I have, you’ll be singing that as you read…cleaning the house more regularly will help get rid of any pollen that you bring in from outside as quickly as possibly and keep your home a safe haven. Don’t forget to pay close attention to places like sofas and chairs where you may sit in your outdoor clothing, of you can make sure you take off your day clothes as soon as you get home.

    • Garlic – for more than warding off vampires

    I was surprised but delighted to learn that my favourite seasoning also acts as a super charged natural antihistamine. Pass me the garlic bread ASAP.

    • Get your (water) vape on

    When you have a cold, one way to ease symptoms is to inhale vaporised steam underneath a towel, and the same idea can also apply to hay fever. Instead of vapour rub, add in essential oils like eucalyptus or lavender which will help clear your airways and make you feel relaxed (increased levels of stress are also said to increase the severity of hay fever symptoms).

    • I C you baby

    Start your day off with a healthy dose of vitamin C and you’re adding in yet another natural antihistamine to your immune system. Berries are perfect for this and are super easy to add into a breakfast or snack.

    • Shower and hair wash last thing before bed

    You’re removing any final pollen from your body before you get in bed so that it doesn’t transfer to your bedding/sleep clothes and continue to affect you in the night (not getting a good night’s sleep is also supposed to help reduce hay fever symptoms).

    Between the two posts I hopenyou have some decent ammunition to help make your symptoms more bearable so that you can enjoy the summer.

    Thanks for reading,

    J xx

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    Let’s Chat – May 2020

    In the month I was meant to be heading off to Ibiza with the sis-in-laws and to the hen do of one of my oldest dearest friends, I….well, I didn’t! I’m extremely thankful for all of the people I follow on YouTube and social media for keeping me entertained with outfit posts and video ideas, its definitely spurred me on in some of the activities I’ve been doing.

    • Love Island playlist on Spotify: I’ve never watched the show but they play some damn good songs on it apparently!
    • Bad Boys
    • Rupaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race (I’m gonna be honest and say I didn’t know who a good few of them were, and I’d love to see a UK version)
    • Crime channels on YouTube
    • Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back
    • I’m about to lose control and I think Joe Lycett

    I thought I’d add this little section in (for now, at least) as this is something I imagine most of us are living for at the moment! Take out wise, we’ve enjoyed a cheeky bit of tapas and gome made champagne sangria from El Toro and some yummy cake jars from Button Bakery (based in Sheffield bit deliver all over the UK). At home I made an afternoon tea with bucks fizz to celebrate VE Day and have been making some Greek inspired dishes (I wanna go back soooooo bad!) Such as gyros, meze and Greek salad. Nom. For snacks, I finally got my hands on the new mint Malteser buttons which I adore, as well as the biscuits which are incredibly moreish.

    • Organised my wardrobe: I took some inspo from Style Sisters and started using my storage space more effectively. I have a decent amount of fitted storage in my house so I armed myself with shoe racks, vacuum bags, hanging shelves and velvet hangers to make some big improvements. Everything isn’t 100% how I want it but it has made such a huge difference to have everything I need for spring/summer organised and in one place. I genuinely didn’t realise how much I wear print either – leopard, star, heart, even bee print is in there!
    • Experimenting with photo techniques: I watched a couple of YouTube videos about Tik Tok trends for pictures and some looked like they could be executed by someone with limited skills (i.e. my sweet spot) so I thought I’d have a go. You can see some of the more successful results on my Instagram
    • Had afternoon tea on the couch: to mark mine and the Mr’s 10 year anniversary (which was at the end of March, but I was poorly and we were going through a bereavementso it wasnt the best time to celebrate) my mum surprised us with a delivery of afternoon tea from Mrs M’s Secret Tea Room. We arranged everything on our own cake stand and enjoyed in our PJs (also adding in a cheeky bottle of prosecco) and it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.
    • Joined Tik Tok: oh yes she did, and now I know I resisted so long…these weird lil videos are very addictive aren’t they! At the time of writing I’ve posted 1 video and am going to have a think about other content I may want to make (if any).

    Thanks for reading, J xx

About Me

I’m Jenny, nice to meet you. I’m a thirty-something who likes fashion, holidays and wondering about life. A lot.

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