I've been thinking a lot about plastic recently - haven't we all considering what's been in the press! - and the whole ethos of reduce, reuse, recycle (in that order). I do a lot of recycling, but not a lot of reducing so thought of 10 little steps I could take to reduce. They're all up on my Youtube channel now, but they are: Hand Soap, Sparkling Water, Toothbrushes, Make Up Wipes, Loo Roll, Cotton Buds, Shampoo, Dental Floss, Milk and Straws. Maybe you could try one of these ideas and reduce your own waste, or have a suggestion of your own you could let me know about?

 I've been away for a week visiting my youngest daughter who is living in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria in the Canary Isles for 6 months. She's volunteering at a local school to help with her Spanish - which she's studying at university. 

It probably sounds very exotic - but going to visit her brought back some fairly grim memories of arriving to live in a country where I didn't know a soul, and usually didn't speak the language. I went to a hypermarket one day while she was at work, and something about it freaked me out. Had to take deep breaths to calm myself down - which isn't like me at all! Something about the smell, or the sounds...and I realised that the supermarket was usually the first place I went to alone in a new country, once Adrian had gone to work and I'd dropped the girls at their new school. It's where it first sank it that I didn't know anyone in the whole country. Quite a scary thought!

Of course, I always survived and enjoyed the places I lived, but it's certainly character-building, dealing with all that comes with a new country and a new language. And now Jenny's doing it! So I feel her pain!! She's got a nearly 2 hour and 2 bus commute every day, plus she's also having to deal with an Airbnb flat that has developed mould and a landlord who keeps talking loudly AT her in Spanish, while not listening to her at all.

Hence taking her out to lots of nice places, for loads of yummy meals and generally spoiling her. We went to White Night at Carnaval, where they chuck talc over each other and the streets literally turn white. We went to the Botanical Gardens - which were epic - and saw the largest dandelion I've ever come across. We went to the Aquarium - where an octopus actually moved while I was watching it - gross!! We went to the beach and enjoyed some lovely sunshine on our winter bones. And we ate vast amounts of delicious food. Some photos below.

So to avoid doing planks in Pilates this morning the class was talking about yummy, quick, easy food. I mentioned the Oatmeal & Banana Breakfast Pancake recipe I know and passed on the info to get to the link/recipe. Then came home and watched that video (see below). OH MY GOD. It was one of my first, done in 2015 and is shockingly rubbish. I even have several comments on it from one of my daughters confirming the fact and offering to help me redo it. HAHA. What I get from it though is that I've learnt a lot. My technical filming skills have definitely improved, as has my ability to talk about something to the camera. Although the same probably can't be said for my cooking...

What I have gained from doing this vlogging - more than anything else I think - is learning. Not just about about technology and social media but also about the menopause, essential oils, pilates - all sorts. And that makes me happy :-)  So don't be afraid to try something new, something you aren't fab at, and keep learning. It'll keep our brains functioning, give us  something interesting to think & talk about and hopefully provide some fun along the way!

And I started the50yearoldvlogger Instagram account! So follow me if you want to and you've got Instagram. Thanks!

Excited as I've realised the Stars of the Silver Screen videos I helped Legal & General with is now live! Spot my star turn ;-)  Whole article here: STARS OF THE SILVER SCREEN

We all get the menopause, but some of us also think we're losing our marbles. We might even worry we getting Alzheimers. But that forgetfulness could just be something called Brain Fog - who knew that was a thing??? - and we can alleviate the symptoms using Essential Oils. Check out what Vee taught me in the short video below.

Going out tonight to a free session to learn all I need to know about Essential Oils. This is off the back of learning what ones are good for the menopause - vlogs about that coming soon. I'm excited to see what else I can find out :-)

In the meantime here's the second in my series on Pilates for Older Women, with one on KNEES. I don't know about you, but for me it was the first thing to start aching - and an area I hear loads of friends having surgery on as they hit their 50's. I even changed to an automatic car years ago as my knees ached from being on the clutch in traffic jams. I blamed it on being knock-kneed and the fact my joints must therefore be a bit out of line! But apparently it happens to loads of us. So to try and prevent needing surgery further down the line, the key is to keep those knees moving. Without straining them. If you don't keep them moving, you will get problems!

Have fun!