My lovely  friend and yoga teacher is offering the most amazing one day yoga retreats at her fabulous home (complete with brand new custom built yoga studio) at Pentney Lakes in Norfolk.

Tanya is the most generous of women and her package offers 3 hours of yoga plus lunch. The afternoon is your free time to utilise in whichever way you feel is right for you - walking, jet skiing, relaxing in the beautiful surroundings.

The price - just £25 per person! The groups will never be larger than 8 so you know you’ll also get individual attention.

She is running them every other Monday starting in May.

For more info, contact her in 01760 444294 or tkp1@live.co.uk

Another fascinating lecture at the Mind, Body, Soul weekend was given by Frances Harris, an ex marketer of 25 years standing who had, like Beverly Drumm, completely changed her life - is there a theme here I wonder?

The talk was centred on colour, but not in the way I am qualified to deliver, but in way that related to what the colour meant for you, now, at this moment.

Frances has a pole on which were tied the nine colours representing the chakra system. We had to pick the one that jumped out as us - your hello colour- and then the one you least favoured - your goodbye. She then went around the room telling us what our choices represented for us. I was pretty astounded as mine was so spot on, even my friends gasped at the accuracy.

Want to learn more, go to http://www.soothingminds.co.uk/articles.aspx?artid=213 and take the test for yourself.

Frances is also a colour healer and, as you know from my previous blogs, I have been increasingly attracted to orange, a colour I don’t like and it doesn’t like me either. I have also had trouble with my lower intestine. You guessed it. Orange is the colour of healing for that part of the body!  Intuition is a powerful thing.

Just a quick blog to say that our petite dressing expert, Karen Gillam, is in today’s Express. Good for her and for all you petites out there.

I mentioned in a previous blog that I had been away on a mind, body, soul weekend.  Much as I love yoga, even I would find 8 hours a day a bit much so I decided to tap into a couple of workshops instead.

The first was Love Your Body Love Your Life, the presenter Beverley Drumm (pictured), an ex Management Consultant who completely changed her life and now runs inspirational classes in Nia Technique and Kundalini Yoga, both slow to catch on in the UK but making their presence felt.

Beverley began the presentation by asking how many of us in the room (about 35 I guess) loved their body and their life. I wasn’t surprised to see only 2 hands rise.  In fact, I was surprised that any were raised at all. Isn’t that so sad?

What is it about society today that says we all have to be so perfect and that we need to have it all? I think, as women, we are always looking for something else in our lives - and I’m no different here - but perhaps we should sometimes just stop and smell the coffee, by giving thanks for what we have in the here and now. The future doesn’t exist, only the present is real.

Come on ladies, celebrate who you are, embrace your unique gifts and talents and live a joyful life.  It’s the only one you have. Don’t like the way you look? Then see an image professional who can help you discover who you are and dress authentically. That’s what we’re here for.

http://www.nianectar.co.uk/

for more information about Beverley and her inspirational, holistic workshops.

Then you’re in luck.

Like many of us, Oprah has realised that she has a closet that is cluttering up her life and her space. With the help of an image professional (please note that even Oprah needs someone like me in her life ) she has been able to discard those items that no longer serve her, as she is now. Also discovering her unique style through the process, she had an epiphany/’aha’ moment about why some of her choices were never worn. This is the power of a closet cleanse.

If you want to own some of Oprah’s cast offs - many unworn - and help her South African Leadership Academy for Girls in the process then you will need to go to O’s eBay auction which runs from March 1st - 11th. Visit oprah.com/oprahauction for more details.

Photo: Ruven Afanador

Just come back from something we should all do more of - a weekend away with your girlfriends. Pampering, yoga, fabulous lectures, great food and brilliant instructors all allowed us, individually, to get the most of the time we had away from our normal routines.

I can never believe the price of this fantastic holiday (I go every year so am well known to the organisers) as the quality of everything on offer is so high. Check it out:

http://www.fitnessfiesta.com/mind_body_index.php

I’ve already booked a pampering weekend in July in the newly refurbished Met Hotel in Leeds. Can’t wait.

There is something happening on February 25th that I never thought would happen in my lifetime. I’ve been asked to model some clothes for a fabulous 50’s something designer, Anne Foxley-Green, who is opening a studio/warehouse right here in Peterborough. Born into a tailoring background, she was always going to have a needle and thread in her hands and this is her GRAND OPENING EVENT. You won’t want to miss it.

 Tickets for the event are now available… if you haven’t booked yours yet then do so NOW! There will be no admission on the night without a ticket… numbers are limited and tickets are going fast!

So, what can you look forward to?

 All of the clothes currently on the website modelled on our catwalk 

 A whole new range of clothes as well… including some truly stunning evening wear
• First look at the new designs and concepts… they will not be on the website until after the opening.
• A welcome glass of wine and … ahem, for those who aren’t driving… another one at the break. Soft drinks alternatives provided.
• Some fantastic food from a world-class catering company
• Two sets of songs from a wonderful singer who should really have been on X Factor
• Special ‘on the night only’ offers
• A prize draw at the end of the evening for 2 x £100 vouchers … which is one of the reasons why it is ticket only: no ticket, no prizes!

The cost of the tickets? Nothing… nada… so no excuse, book your ticket NOW before someone else does and they sell out!

We promise you an evening to remember…

www.eyzzclub.co.uk for more information

Then you need to listen to my being interviewed by the fabulous Karen Knott. Karen is also passionate about women in their 50’s and is instrumental in coaching them to grow, develop and realise their ambitions.

To find out more, hear what we had to say by clicking on this link

http://bit.ly/aSxbzN

……. the fabulous Pure Collection cashmere company, that is. And the word is Thanks.

I have purchased many beautiful sweaters from them over the past few years because I love the colours and the quality of their garments.  I now have to add their service to that list because they are just amazingly good to their customers.

I bought a sweater in a fabulous heather type purple many years ago. It goes with stacks of things in my wardrobe and I always get complimented on it. I went to put it on yesterday and found a hole just under the armpit.  Luckily, I had other choices in my wardrobe and I was thankfully at home and not in some hotel where I would have been scuppered.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not great with a needle so I rang Pure Collection to see if they had a mending service. Not only do they have one but I was able to send the sweater back free of charge without a cost of repair!  That’s pretty good don’t you think?

www.purecollection.com

We 50 somethings have now become officially part of a new collective according to Celia Walden, Feature writer for the Telegraph - Quintastic.

There are, of course, categories because we obviously can’t all be the same.

The Inverted Adolescent - eg Sharon Stone & Madonna

The Professional eg Julianne Moore

The Enigma eg Kristin Scott Thomas

The Action Woman eg Sigourney Weaver

The Humorist eg Jennifer Saunders

Want to find out which one you are? Here’s the link to the article

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/7084717/Quintastic-50-is-the-new-30.html