Part two of a three-part series on midlife, following   This Is NOT the Life I Ordered At the end of my last post, I said some things had settled. This is about the ones that haven’t. I thought once you reached a certain age, you stopped caring quite so much about how you looked. Not in a careless way — just a dignified, unbothered, above-it-all sort of way. The kind of woman who owns one good coat, wears sensible shoes, and isn’t quietly scanning reflective surfaces. Apparen

There was a version of me who assumed that by now I would be a homeowner again. Not flashy. Just settled. Keys dropped into a bowl. Pictures hung without permission. The quiet security of knowing no one can tell you to leave. Instead, I’m a midlife woman still renting  in the UK. Statistically unremarkable. Emotionally, still something I occasionally trip over. That’s what midlife really brings—not a crisis, but an audit. A quiet stock‑take of what you assumed would simply… h

Christmas is a magical time of year… apparently. For many midlife women, it’s less Silent Night  and more Silent Rage , as we watch everyone else float about sipping mulled wine while we carry the entire operation like an exhausted Christmas donkey. By 50-plus, we’ve learned one crucial truth: Christmas doesn’t “just happen.” Christmas is built, held together, and executed by women who are one burnt sausage roll away from walking out and joining the carol singers just for the

Christmas can be a joyful time, but it often comes with financial pressure, especially during the current cost of living crisis. Many of us feel the weight of stretching budgets to cover gifts, meals, and decorations. For women over 50, who may be managing households or supporting extended family, this pressure can be even more intense. The good news is you can enjoy the festive season without overspending or feeling guilty—and without causing tension with your loved ones. Th

Christmas Day: the one time of year you receive presents you never wanted from people you wouldn’t trust to choose a tin of beans for you. You’ve cooked, cleaned, prepped, basted, chopped, peeled and hosted like the domestic goddess you are… and in return? An assortment of gifts so baffling they could be used as psychological warfare. Let’s break down the characters, the chaos, and, most importantly, your survival tactics. 1. Auntie Harrods (Budget: £5. Swagger: £500) You kno

We’re told endlessly that youth is where the magic happens. That happiness peaks somewhere between low-rise jeans and regrettable boyfriends. But then something miraculous occurs: we reach midlife… and discover that happiness hasn’t disappeared. It’s actually arrived  — finally, fully, unapologetically. Midlife women are some of the happiest, calmest, most grounded people on the planet. Not because life is perfect (it rarely is), but because we’ve stopped trying to make it pe