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Starting over

I suddenly arrived at a difficult crossroads on my blogging journey. I didn’t like where all roads were taking me, so I’ve decided to leave Instagram and start over in a new direction with my blog. Crazy I know, considering I had 75k followers late 2021 (which was slowly decreasing and melting away as I’d stopped posting so regularly). Instagram is changing, rebranded ‘Meta’ and now rapidly going in a new direction which I don’t think will be good for my soul. It started as a photo sharing platform, a way to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Someone who could take better photos from interesting angles and add a few words to share their journey. I really do miss that about Instagram.

Meta (formerly FaceBook and Instagram) makes its money from advertising and selling data from users and creators to provide the product – for free. It’s a great business strategy and worked well until they started censoring the content, based on input and restrictions put on them by their clients. Accounts were shadow banned or disappeared overnight, with no resource or humans available to resolve or even discuss the issue. After all, you are getting the platform for free, so why should they provide you any ‘customer’ service.

Click here to buy my T shirts on my FiftySister store.

Influencers post highly filtered photos which everyone seems to appreciate. Post a photo without one and people will be horrified and share their unfiltered feelings on your timeline in record time. Verbal abuse never bothered me, but the effort deleting, blocking or reporting the accounts was such a waste of precious time.

This place name, without fail, always makes me laugh.

So here I am, back on my blog, all new, starting over from scratch. I am both relieved and excited. There’s no mystical algorithms, trolls or pressure to post daily, but I will post regularly as I miss telling stories, writing and sharing a photo here and there. If you sign up for my mailing list I will send you an update once a month and hopefully will be adding offers, vouchers and promo codes if any companies want to work with a silver haired, unfiltered, cruelty free, midlife woman. Let’s see…

Have a beautiful day.

Gail x

Fresh water swim spot just outside Tavira, Algarve, Portugal.
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Wakeup Mid Lifers!

I’ve been hitting the bottle again today. Don’t panic! It’s the same temporary vegan hair colour I’ve used before. Instead of adding it straight out of the bottle I’ve mixed it with my shampoo for a softer effect. It will wash out within 1 week, quicker if its sunny which it should be for the rest of the week.

My sister sent me a recipe for dandelion honey yesterday. I was intrigued but not convinced it would be a successful experiment. Seb jumped over a high wall and collected lots of flowers for me from a meadow next to Churston Woods. I could have jumped over but didn’t rate my chances climbing back as I don’t have his Spiderman climbing skills.
I’ve been getting a bit frustrated lately, I just can’t help it. I hear so many people talking about supporting the NHS by staying home or clapping once a week but they still smoke or are grossly overweight. They don’t consider or appreciate, the additional load their poor choices or lack of care places on the NHS.

I struggled with my weight all my life and never gave my body the care and attention it craved. It eventually crashed and it was only then I realised how stress and neglect was affecting my body. My life chasing the next goal was taking me closer and quicker to my grave.
The only goal I want to achieve now, is to wake up other mid-lifers up to the long terms effects of their current lifestyle and diet. If I can do it, anyone can.
What inspires you to make positive changes?

#vegan#plantbased#aging#healthyaging#violethair#purplehair#over50#over50style#maturebeauty#matureskin#maturemakeup#50plus#healthyeating#midlife#middleaged#wellbeing#fitover50#over40style#silverbraids#braids#maturehairstyle#over50hairstyle#silverhair#olderwoman#ageing#ageingwell#agingwell#aginggracefully#crueltyfree#selfcare

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In the pink!

Mature skin makeup demo – quick and easy using cruelty free products.

Don’t forget to hit the follow button for more makeup videos! I love liquid lipstick from Thrive Causmetics, especially ‘Chihiro’ matte which I use in this video to create dramatic dark pink lips in contrast to my subtle eyemakeup. I use all cruelty free makeup from Thrive & Elf for this mature skin makeup demo. Also, a quick tuturial for my silver braids which lots of women have asked about. Add some silk orchids for a perfect lockdown pick me up. I hope you enjoy my video. Lots of love x
#silverhair #over50influencer #matureskin #50plus #maturemakeup #over50 #matureskinmakeup #maturestyle #grayhaircolor #greyhaircolor #thrivecausemetics @thrivecausemetics @elfcosmetics #silversisters #vegan #crueltyfree #makeupdemo #makeuphowto #pinklipstick #midlife #midlifewomen #middleagedwoman #over50style #over40makeup

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Hot pink and Ginger

We had nowhere to go but that didn’t stop me putting on my favourite pink coat to hang out with Ginger in the early morning sunshine.
It felt good.
Do what makes you happy.
What makes you happy at home during lockdown?
#pinkcoat #silverhair #maturskin #over50style #50plus #behappy #vizsla #over50influencer #grayhair #midlifeblogger #emptynesterlife #vegan #plantbased #maturestyle #grayhaircolor #middleage #middleagedwoman #ilovemydog #dowhatmakesyouhappy

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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