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Creativity in the kitchen

My favourite place to relax and be creative is my kitchen. My cottage kitchen is not the most luxurious or high tech kitchen in the world but it has everything I need to produce healthy and tasty plant based meals.
Thank you for all the lovely comments and messages following my last IGTV cookery post. I had fun making it and have learned a lot already about ways to shoot better and that I need to be more organised.
My son has tried to convince me for many years to open a restaurant. But, I only enjoy cooking for people I like. For me it’s a way to show love and gratitude to those who mean the most to me.
Sharing my recipes and joy of cooking via IGTV should be enough to get Seb started with some basic cooking skills. I tried to teach him a new recipe every week when he lived at home but he was more interested in eating.
Crispy tofu recipe coming soon. I just need to hunt some down first!
Thank you all for your unwavering support.
Much love x

#vegan #plantbased #silverhair #whitehair #grombre #over50 #50plus #over40 #vegancook #silversister #eatlikeyougiveafuck #healthyfood #fitover50 #learntocook #over50influencer

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Missing donuts

I think I may be the only person who has lost weight during lockdown! No access to vegan ice cream or donuts is the secret. I LOVE donuts!

I feel like I have been prepared for this isolation for a long time. I have silver hair so no worries about colouring and a cupboard filled with nuts, seeds and pulses. Yesterday I made some coconut pancakes and shared this on my story. So many people asked for the recipe again that I will make a short IGTV with the process again soon. I get asked many times what I eat to have so much energy for my long walks.
I only eat plants and follow a whole food plant based diet. I shared a few vegan swaps for dairy on my story the other day. If you are thinking about switching to a high energy, cruelty free, vitamin packed diet, maybe start with swapping out dairy and butter. Check out a few films to get you motivated:

Forks Over Knives
What The Health?
The Game Changers

None of these films involve animal cruelty so don’t be scared to start watching. It shows how animal products can affect your health and how to improve your health by removing these products from your diet.

I feel 16 inside! My energy levels are very high and I feel fantastic. I researched the best way to improve my health almost 6 years ago and made the change after reading so many stories about energetic plant eaters. I have never looked back.
The biggest change for me is that I no longer count calories or require portion control. It’s impossible to overeat on a whole food plant based diet – just too much fibre!!! I may start sharing recipe videos via IGTV as my son loves my cooking but isn’t gifted with the joy of cooking but he does love to eat. If it’s easy to follow with a few cupboard ingredients he will give it a go. So stay tuned for more on this.
#plantbased #planteater #vegan #whatthehealth #forksoverknives #thegamechangers #eatlikeyougiveafuck #fitover50 #fitover40 #over50influencer #midlife #midlifereset #emptynest #silverhhair #grombre #grayhair #naturalhair #pelosgris #matureskin #matureskinmakeup #maturemakeup #over50beauty #over40beauty #whitehair #crueltyfree #over50vegan

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Staying sane

So happy I decided to ditch the dye last year and grow my hair so that I could have some beautiful viking inspired braids! I love my hair like never before.
If you are waiting for the salons to reopen and wondering whether you should embrace your sparkles, take it from me you will not regret it for 1 minute.

Ginger and Bird are helping me stay sane through this period of lockdown. We have previously always had a large garden, but when we returned to the UK last year we moved into our little cottage by the sea which only has a small terrace. Having 2 hunting dogs (who normally get about 5 hours off lead exercise per day) and no garden sent me into a complete panic and mini meltdown when the lockdown started, but between the 3 of us we are providing them with all the exercise they need. We set off early in the morning and take very steep trails around the area which means we rarely see anyone else.
The sun has been shining every day since this all started. It has made confinement a little easier being able to hang out washing, scrub paintwork (seagulls like to decorate it for us!) clean windows (this is a new concept for me) and sit outside to eat my breakfast and enjoy the first coffee of the day.

Financially this business pause will be rough for us, as for everyone else. I feel so sorry for the seasonal businesses who worked all through the winter preparing for spring opening. So sad to see the beach cafes closed when the sun is shining and the sky is blue.

My lockdown meltdown lasted 24 hours, after which I accepted this is a challenge we can all get through. I am not a parent waving my husband and son off to war. Being shut in the house with my favourite people and two gorgeous ginger girls is the best confinement I could ask for.
#lockdown #meltdown #hikingiflife #vizsla #silverhair #grayhair #grayhair #goinggray #silversister #silversisters #over50 #50plus #over50influencer #influencer #50plusstyle #matureskin #silverbraids #vikings #vikinghair #ilovemydog #maturemakeup

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Hit by the virus

Wow its been a long 2 weeks! Thank you to everyone who sent me a message following my story post about my husband. It’s day 13 today and he’s finally out of bed and eating again. Day one started with a dry cough and fatigue. Day 2 – 7 a fever, no appetite and complete fatigue. He was asleep for a total of 10 days. His skin was the colour of wax. I walked into the bedroom day 6 and actually thought he was dead he was such a strange colour and lifeless. Day 11 the colour returned to his cheeks and he started eating a little. I had to shout at him to get him to drink the whole time he was ill, he was so sleepy and disinterested in food or drink.

I’ve been posting on my stories with snippets of my early morning walk. Nobody panic that I am out and about and potentially contagious. I rarely see anyone on my walk and if I do I climb up into the woods to completely avoid all contact. Walking Ginger & Bird kept me sane and I am very lucky that Seb is back home helping me with the dogs and chores. Also, I believe I had the virus 4 weeks ago when I was in bed for 10 days. No testing unless hospitalised so I will possibly never know.
I haven’t worn makeup for almost 2 weeks and I’ve been living in my workout gear to help me run up and down the stairs all day. So today I thought I’d put on something pretty, blow dry and braid my hair and slap on some makeup to make me feel feminine again. It’s amazing what a difference a bit of lippy and eyeshadow can make to my mood. I feel so much happier and positive.
We’ve had some sunshine this week so my whites are starting to sparkle again. Loving my braids!

I hope you all stay safe and well xxx

#grombre#silversister#silverhair#grayhair#greyhair#goinggray#midlife#over50#50plus#over50influencer#over40#goinggrey#silverbraids#whitehair#maturewoman#over50_style#matureskin#matureskinmakeup

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Stay positive

There isn’t an inch of my home which hasn’t been painted in the past few days. We are trying to stay busy, keeping ourselves occupied whilst we stay indoors. Business is quiet as most companies are not recruiting at this time. We hope that our outstanding invoices are paid so that we can survive financially for the next few months.

Everyone is suffering.
We must remain positive and enjoy the freedom we have to remain at home.
In other countries, people are forced from their homes and businesses, escaping with only the clothes on their back. I met a Syrian refugee several years ago and his story was heartbreaking. Sat at his desk in the bank, he received a call from his father, telling him to leave work immediately and to run as far away as possible to find safety.

He came from a very close family, everyone living on the same street. Everyone eating together and providing financial and emotional support, their lives completely intertwined.
He eventually settled on the streets in Turkey, one sister in Germany, the other in Canada. They didn’t want to be apart or living in someone else’s country, they just wanted to go home, but home didn’t exist any more. He had a good job in Syria, but made money in Turkey cleaning shoes. Life changed so quickly for him.

I often think about him and his family, torn apart by war.

I feel very blessed that I can remain at home, in contact with my friends and family. Even though some food is in short supply, I still have access to fresh produce.

Instead of feeling sorry for myself at this time of confinement, I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to remain in my own home with fresh water and clean clothes.

#quarantinestories #stayhome #over50 #refugeestory #silversister #grayhair #greyhair #silverhair #over50influencer #shortstory #over40 #staysafe #quarantine #positivity #behappy #gratitude