Happy Easter! Wow that came around quickly – even though it’s late this year I feel as though I’m still emerging from Christmas in a way. I hope you have a lovely weekend planned – ours is probably going to be quiet because I’m starting the dental implant surgery to replace the tooth that’s been bothering me for as long as I’ve been writing this blog and so I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself today. We’re spending the weekend over in Newcastle though so my spirits will be lifted regardless. Anyway there are lots of things I’ve been meaning to tell you about so it’s time for a little bit of this and that. Here’s a cornucopia – style, beauty, books and tech.
Cornucopia – style, beauty, books and tech
Remarkable update
A few of you have been in touch to ask me how I’m getting on with the Remarkable I spent so much time agonising over when we were heading to Colombia. I can only say it’s been life-changing for me from a work and life management perspective. As you know I’m trying to get away from my GenX habit of only feeling I’m working if I’m sitting in the office at my desk. The problem I have is that most of my work involves writing and I just don’t work well on a laptop. There are various reasons for this, mostly that it aggravates the tear in my rotator cuff so I end up with a stiff shoulder. I also find I’m too easily distracted by the proximity of emails and the internet so before I know it I’ve gone down one of those rabbit holes and not achieved anything. For some reason that doesn’t happen when I’m sitting at my desk with my two big Mac screens in front of me – I guess I associate a laptop with the weekends and shopping and not having to concentrate.
Anyway the first joy of the Remarkable for me is that it’s sufficiently single channel for me to be able to really focus on whatever I’m writing about, whether it’s a marketing strategy or a blog post. The second great thing is the pure satisfaction of writing by hand. I was one of those teens who used to spend ages practicing her handwriting and so I get real, tactile pleasure out of letter formation. I really like the surface of the Remarkable, it doesn’t feel exactly like paper but it doesn’t feel like glass either, it has enough friction to make you feel as though you’re scribing.
Perhaps because it’s the way I’ve worked for so many years, writing by hand unlocks a seam of creativity that typing simply doesn’t – I go into a different register when I’m working at a computer. The Remarkable adds intimacy, it feels like writing a diary or a letter, I find I choose better words and so whatever I’m writing has more power. Then there’s the daily organisation – the quicklists for the Sainsbury’s shop, for whatever we need to remember to take from home to Newcastle or vice versa, random ideas for blog posts, life thoughts, wardrobe organisation, to-do lists… it’s all there, neatly labelled in notebooks that will never run out. And yes you can make lists on your phone but it just isn’t as satisfying if you’re a written word person.
When you’re choosing your Remarkable there are two pen options, a simple one and one that is more advanced. I bought the advanced Marker Plus pen because it gives you the option to rub things out, just as you would with a rubber on the end of a pencil, another simple, tactile pleasure. Oh and you can change the weight of the pen too so you can play around with everything from a marker pen effect to calligraphy… hours of joy ahead with the different finishes and a great way of managing headings in your work or pieces you want to highlight.
Fortunately it has no problem with reading my writing so as soon as I convert it to type, there’s very little editing to be done. And every time I press ‘convert to text’ it feels as if there’s a bit of wizadry going on – a small pleasure but it makes me smile. When I come home from working in a cafe and find my words are already there, typed up on my computer screen ready to go straight into a document or a blog post it feels a bit like the Elves and the Shoemaker story.
Anyway the Remarkable that I bought and have been using until now is the Remarkable 2 and I got a really good deal by buying it refurbished, directly from them. The thing that swung my decision was that even with a refurbished model you have a 100 day, no quibble trial period to return it in. That meant that if I found I wasn’t using it enough I could send it back. In the end not using it wasn’t a problem so I kept it but I don’t think I’d have made the investment without that option – I guess it’s a no brainer for them, they must find that people are soon converted once they try it.
The one thing that’s been niggling me is that having found it so good, I’ve since wished that I’d bought the new Remarkable Paper Pro version. Why? It’s a big improvement for lots of techie reasons but for me, the bigger size, the fact that you can work in colour rather than black and white and the backlighting make all the difference. The self-adjusting night lighting in particular would mean that if I wake in the night I could write without disturbing Mal. So often I lie there feeling frustrated that I’ve had a really good idea knowing that by morning, if I even remember it it will have been diluted.
When Remarkable picked up that I was using the Remarkable 2, they offered to send me the new Remarkable Paper Pro to try. It arrived this week and it felt like the best of early birthday presents.
Remarkable Paper Pro; Type Folio; Book Folio
Even though I’ve just been working on it for a few days it’s wonderful. It writes faster than my other one – I’d never noticed any kind of lag until now but I’m suddenly aware of it. It’s incredibly steady so I’ve been able to put the finishing touches to this post while we’ve been driving over to Newcastle (I’m in the passenger seat I should add). Just being able to do that will add an extra five hours to my work week as we’re constantly going from one side of the country to the other at the moment. And this weekend I didn’t even need to pack my laptop because they sent me the Type Folio with its inbuilt keyboard to try with it too.
So you effectively have the option of a typewriter, still distraction free but with a lovely feeling keypad that you can set up to mimic either a Mac or PC interface, depending on the system you’re used to. As you can see, the keyboard comes with its own case that you simply clip the Remarkable Pro into if you’re going to be travelling around with it. Otherwise there’s a simple book folio case if you’re using the Remarkable on its own. I bought the cheaper Amazon version for my Remarkable 2 and I can see now that there’s a distinct difference between that and the design of the authentic cases. I can only say that it’s a bit like an Apple experience, everything you touch from Remarkable is beautiful and intuitive.
Because it’s so easy to download pdfs in colour I can now use the Remarkable Paper Pro to proof the print documents that we produce for clients and mark them up which is yet another life-changing ‘on the move’ option for me.
Until now I’ve been working with paper print-outs just as I did in my magazine days which means taking reams of paper everywhere and then passing it all back to Mal or one of the designers he works with to amend on screen. I can’t help thinking how many hours it would have saved me in my magazine editor days when the highest tech option I had if I was out of the office was to take up residence by a fax machine somewhere and sit for hours feeding things in and out!
Of course it isn’t just for word people, it’s great for drawing. Mal’s planning to use it in meetings because it’s going to be so much easier for him to sketch out initial concepts in front of clients. He’ll be able to head back to his desk with an agreed approach meaning he can go straight to the design stage without having to mock up as many versions as he always has.
The only slight drawback with the new one is that being bigger means that it’s a bit heavier so whether I revert back to the older, lighter one when I’m travelling on my own by train with a bag to lug around remains to be seen. I’ll give you an update on that at some point soon.
Remarkable Paper Pro, Remarkable 2
I’m not somebody who falls for the latest gadget and so it isn’t often that I get excited about something like this. It’s a big change for me to go over from writing in beautiful notebooks – for years I’ve scoured the internet for my favourite In Tempo Firenze softbound beauties but they’ve been getting more and more expensive to import from Italy. I really didn’t think anything would give me the same pleasure as sitting down to write in one of those but the Remarkable has. It’s given me freedom to write anywhere and it’s saving me hours in each working week. If you’re somebody who spends a lot of time writing or sketching, either for work or for pleasure then you really will find that this makes a difference to your life. And equally if you’re reading documents, marking them up or making notes it’ll be great for that too. Remarkable’s a whole strand of tech that seems to be going under the radar and yet it could transform the lives of a lot of people.
Cornucopia – books and theatre
While we’re on the subject of writing and reading, I was having lunch with some friends on Saturday and they reminded me I haven’t done any book recommendations for a while. Last week I finished The Stranding by Kate Sawyer which is such a timely book to read right now. It runs on a dual timeframe telling the story of Ruth who in modern day Britain is avoiding the news with its apocalyptic baiting and who in the in the future, is living in the immediate consequences of the aftermath. It isn’t my usual kind of topic but it had me gripped to the point that I didn’t mind my habitual 2.30am wake-up because it gave me a chance to dip back in and get on with the story.
And this week’s book has been The Hourglass which centres on my usual fascination with midlife. It’s an anatomy of the changes in a longstanding marriage and the way it’s shaped by time. It’s intelligently and insightfully written and some of the prose is beautiful – but at the same time it’s an easy read. I found it particularly pertinent because the couple in the story chose a career path similar to ours, both self-employed and working in the creative industries, sometimes together on projects and sometimes apart.Their marriage has faced the very same pressures that ours has, when work is plentiful times are good, when it isn’t it can be tough. They’re things I can never talk about on here because clients read my blog but if you have friends or family who work like we do then read this book – it will give you so much more insight into their lives. I hardly ever read a book twice but as soon as I finished this I started it again. There are so many pages that I’ve highlighted because there are lines that need reading between. I’d recommend it to anyone in a longstanding relationship that’s weathered the years, it deserves to win lots of prizes this year.
One of my resolutions for 2025 was to see more good theatre and so as we had meetings in London last month, I asked my thespian friend to recommend something. Without any hesitation she came back with Unicorn at The Garrick starring Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan and Erin Doherty. Of course I was convinced by the cast alone and my goodness they were good. Despite there being just the three of them on stage with only subtle changes of seating in terms of props or scenery, they had the audience riveted from the moment they stepped into the lights. The power of a fabulous script delivered by superb actors is just unbeatable and their comic timing as they held silence almost a beat too long until the audience had grasped the full meaning of the words they were trying to deliver was just spellbinding. As a member of the audience I don’t think I’ve ever had the feeling of the actors playing me like a puppet before as the mood went from hilarity to the most utter poignancy. They led us through a tricky contemporary topic by balancing sensitivity with dry, dry humour. It’s only on for another two weeks but if you can get a ticket don’t hesitate – Nicola Walker’s soliloquies on the state of the midlife woman alone are worth the price. Obviously you need to understand what it’s about before you go – Premlee (my hairdresser) mentioned that he’d had a few clients in who’d gone for the line-up alone and had their eyes opened by the subject matter! The ending though is interesting… and not what you’d expect…
Instant Gloss Nails
This new nail varnish is brilliant – another time-saving life-changer for me. It does the job of a base coat, colour and top coat in one single application and it dries really fast. The finish is like a salon applied gloss that you’ve sat for an hour to achieve. It’s great if you’re in a hurry and it lasts for 5-6 days which is fine for me because it gives my nails a day to breathe on Sundays before I redo them.
Topless gloss effect single coat varnish
I’m wearing the Sofia shade here which is an orangey red and I’ve just bought it in Emma for summer but I’m finding the paler colours aren’t as effective as the bold ones – they require an extra coat.
Metallic trim tees
A wardrobe addition, I was pleased to see the return of these edged t-shirts. I’ve had the navy version with its rainbow striped V for a few years and now they’ve brought it back with a subtle metallic trim. The reason they work so well is that the cut of the wide V that isn’t too deep for those of you who don’t like a plunging neckline. The width’s doing all of the visual narrowing work for you here, it’s such a flattering shape. I bought the simple white version and the subtle gold sparkle just elevates it beyond plain t-shirt status. There are five other colours available though including a classic navy.
A better bronzer than Chanel
If you follow my Instagram feed you’ll know that a little while ago, Boots No 7 sent me all kinds of products to test. I’m always disciplined about these things and so I carefully picked out my top ten from the selection I was sent. I haven’t got time to go through them all here but my number one was this brilliant cream bronzer. It’s so much better than the Chanel version that I spent a flipping fortune on, really it’s a truly beautiful product but it looks scary in the pot so here’s a little exerpt from my makeover video to show you how softly it blends. It goes on like Nutella but it blends like butter.
A 50th birthday party
A little bit of midlife lately joy for you here. You already know my friend Sarah, she’s the only one of my local friends who’s ever willing to appear on my blog and you’ve seen her do outfit try-ons with me here. A couple of weekends ago she (finally!) hit her 50th birthday and so she had a party with a silent sunset disco on the beach and a gathering in the bar that she and her husband Matt have recently opened across the road. We thought she was mad when she planned to have it outside at the beginning of April but the birthday gods smiled on her and it was the most spectacular sunny evening. The theme was rock and pop so it was minimal effort for us to go in our usual 70s stuff…
Sarah was Madonna…
… although as the evening went on she acquired bits and pieces from other people’s outfits and transformed into endless new versions of herself…
It was such a good way to celebrate a 50th, instead of presents every attendee gave a donation of £10 to the village fund so it raised a good amount of money for the community and the outdoor bit was over by 10pm so we weren’t too much of a nuisance. We hadn’t been to a silent disco before, Mal’s always been reluctant feeling it would be missing something but I loved it. And the good thing is that while you’re lost in your headphone world you have no idea of how stupid you look. Ignore me and just enjoy the beauty of the sun setting over the Lake District hills (and yes I did hug that one bottle of cider all night long, alcohol just doesn’t go down like it used to).
Sarah is the most selfless person I know and life’s given her a series of seemingly endless hurdles in her 40s… of the biggest and most serious kind. Even with everything she’s had to face, I’ve never once heard her complain or feel sorry for herself and she’s always, always putting everyone else first. My birthday wish for her is that her 50s will be a midlife decade filled with sunshine and rainbows.
If anybody deserves it you do Sarah – happy, happy birthday 🩷.
Bar to beach chic
Moving on, whenever I post beachy evening shots like the ones in Colombia where dressing for dinner requires little more than laidback resortwear you ask me to tell you where I get it from. Of course by the time I feature it it’s often seasons old but here’s a beauty that’s reasonably priced. Wear it with a halterneck tee, a racer vest or a t-shirt and you’ll have that wafty, relaxed holiday look that isn’t too try-hard. The way I work these things is to wear them fresh for dinner and then use them for breakfast/the beach the following day which really saves on packing – it would look perfect on the deck of a cruise ship. I dearly wish I had a reason to buy it this year.
Putting structure into your outfits
A few people I know have been raving about these shoulder pads that you simply clip on to your bra to give a more on trend, structured look to clothes you already have and they sold out within a few days when they first appeared. They’ve now been restocked, they’ll make your existing bretons look more Coco Chanel in Deauville and add shape to your t-shirts. I’m picking my order up tomorrow so that I can play around with them this weekend – I do wish they’d do them in a neutral though because the thing I most want to wear them with is white t-shirts.
They’re back – the shorts that suit everyone
If you’re lucky enough to have a holiday ahead, I just wanted to flag that the brilliant chino shorts are finally back this year. I find the 4 inch leg the best length, I like them because they’re just the right cut on the thigh, wide enough to be slimming but not so voluminous that they flap about. They haven’t made them since before lockdown but this shows a return to some of the old product heroes. Lots of colours available.
No bulge tees
Here’s a quick picture of one of the racer tees with built-in bras that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, if you’re a D cup or below they’re brilliant. The biggest obstacle to wearing a racer tee well is the problem that comes with a bra underneath – managing the straps so that they don’t show and then avoiding the ugly lines that appear with a tight fitting top. They, along with bulges of back fat, are eliminated with this version. If you prefer t-shirts with sleeves they have those too here. I’m wearing a medium and it’s true to size, there’s a collection of vests in plain colours here as well.
The best value gradual self tan
As we head towards warmer weather I’m being asked about how I’ve made my Colombia tan last. This is the gradual tan that I use all year round, even in winter, it builds up slowly and never streaks. You don’t need to spend a fortune on the Gatineau version, you’re paying a premium for the amount of influencer advertising that they fund. This is every bit as good and a quarter of the price.
A small Scottish spectacles business
I have new sunglasses to show you from a small Scottish brand called Iolla. They design fashionable frames for both ordinary glasses as well as sunglasses and have showrooms in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester. All of their prices include prescription lenses and coating so there are none of the extras that add up with places like Specsavers. You can order online, all you need to do is choose your frames and give them your prescription. As I’m wearing contact lenses these days I went for non-prescription sunglasses. I’ve been looking for this year’s trend for a white frame and as these had my favourite cat eye shape they were an easy choice. One great option is prescription glasses with a matching, folding clip-on sunglasses frame – Mal has some similar ones and the clip-on is really good for keeping in the car or just folded in your pocket on a mixed weather day. There are some great styles and it always feels good to support a small brand in the UK, you can see the full collection here.
20% off weekend on chic building blocks
There’s a great 20% offer on all of the John Lewis own brands this weekend. You saw my pick of the great value Anyday range in this post, now I want to point out the new drop that’s arrived. One of my favourite summer outfits last year was this one with the superwide linen palazzos balanced out with the shorter cotton utility jacket. The jacket has been introduced again this year by the way in a few colours and it’s unbelievable value at the moment for £39.20. You can find it here.
The trousers sold out so fast that this year they’ve brought them out again but in cream – they’re an elegant summer look and great value for linen. I notice a couple of reviews have said that the fabric’s light but you need it to be, if there was too much weight the volume of fabric would make them too heavy to wear.
The other great buy I want to point out to you is this organic cotton tee. With its lovely bonded neckline it’s a simple wardrobe basic and it’s available in black, navy, grey and green too – an absolute bargain this weekend.
Texture and volume for ageing hair
I’ve been trialling the new texture spray from K18, a company that has to have one of the least appealing brand names given their high functioning products but I think it must be a play on keratin – it’s become a cult brand amongst beauty journalists though so maybe it’s just me. This spray is science driven and it’s been developed specifically for ‘fragile, ageing hair’ (they perhaps need to work on their bedside manner as well as their branding!). The difference between it and other texture sprays on the market is that as well as adding volume, it’s packed with amino acids and peptides so it repairs and strengthens the hair follicles as well as giving a styling boost.
I haven’t been using it for long enough to vouch for its repairing properties yet, I’m hoping they work because I use straighteners every day which doesn’t help my hair. Good Housekeeping has reviewed and rated it highly for repair though. I have a lot of hair but it’s soft and so I’m always trying to add more structure to it. I’ve been spraying it on after towel drying, it gives great unsticky texture and I can confirm that the added volume lasts for two days so it cuts down on damaging washing and styling.
Come to Colombia with us in 2026!
I’m delighted to say that the trip to Colombia in September next year is filling up nicely, we only need a few more people to join those who have already booked. It’s great that there are so many of you out there who are up for adventure. Salsa really does open up your life because there are so many people doing it in the UK and we find every event we go to is full of friendly, joyful faces who are really keen to help you learn.
Anyway if you didn’t manage to come to the Zoom meeting a couple of weeks ago and would like to know more, here’s the link. In it I go through what to expect if you decide to join us and there are questions from other readers too. If you’d like to know anything more just email me and I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions – I know it’s quite a big leap to make so no question is silly. Just remember that every year that goes by takes us closer to the time when an adventure like this will no longer be possible. So don’t just keep on booking ‘pleasant’ holidays telling yourself that you’ll do something more exciting ‘one day’ – before you know it it’ll be too late. Come on, join us – live your life!
View Zoom Meeting Recording here
Passcode: hfg?+gl3
And so I must finish typing now and wend my way to the dentist’s. I’m not looking forward to it and I dearly wish I hadn’t spent so many years trying to save this tooth – it’s had so much previous surgery that it now needs a bone graft before the implant work can begin. My dentist is trying to convince me that it’s worth the price of a sunny holiday – right now it doesn’t feel like it but… cost per wear I guess. Have a lovely Easter weekend… do something joyful on my behalf… and I’ll see you next week.
