Conversations through the middle

Life from a (slightly) more mature perspective

Neck lines


I am a moisturising addict – I confess, I’ve been applying cream to my face and neck since I was about 15 years old. As I get older, the need to introduce more moisture into my skin becomes ever more important, so I’m always happy to try out creams, lotions, serums, any product that holds out the hope of better looking skin, fewer wrinkles (laugh lines), or staving off that dreaded turkey neck.

My neck is one of my sore points – in that it is the place that bluntly demonstrates in the mirror that I’m getting older. Looking at the skin on my neck sometimes makes me want to weep – you see in my head, I’m still 18. So I’m big, big, big on neck creams.

Therefore I was very happy indeed to try the Q10 moisturising milk and Q10 neck cream by DHC.

I was impressed with the look and feel of the milk as it has the texture and lightness of a serum. Unfortunately for me, it isn’t rich enough and doesn’t seem to have any effect on my skin at all. I reckon it would be great for somebody in their 20s, but sadly that’s no longer me.

The neck cream however I like. I’m not too keen on the fragrance (perhaps that’s because it doesn’t have a fragrance) but the cream seems to improve the texture of the skin on my neck, even taking away a few lines temporarily. It’s light, non-greasy (despite the face it contains olive oil) and it sinks in fast. A keeper I think.

Playing together and staying together?

I’ve just read a news release from Lego that reveals people who play board games generally tend to fall out. I could have told them that, you only have to watch a game of Monopoly in our house to see usually well-adjusted people turn into shouting monsters. I now refuse to play Monopoly with my other half as it gets way too heated – he takes it all too seriously.

Last time he played Monopoly with our daughter I could hear the arguments from the other side of the house and Anya was as vocal as he was. Thankfully they did forget their row as soon as the game was put back in the box – unlike some people. According to Lego their poll revealed “one in twelve adults have got so outraged with other players that have never spoken to them again”.

Laura Di Bonaventura senior brand manager at LEGO said: “The best advice is to probably stick to playing games with the children – hopefully this should avoid any competition with good friends.” She has obviously never met my little girl – a more canny and forthright Monopoly player you’d be hard pressed to find.

The poll also found that dads are the worst culprits when it comes to cheating, while nana and aunty are the most honest. Enough said.

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Pancake prowess I


Recently I received a pancake maker from a kind PR who must have known my pancake-making skills are somewhat lacking. With much excitement and dancing around from Anya, I gave it a go. First of all, it gets really hot so beware if you use one that you don’t burn your fingers (I did). Second, it’s not as easy as it looks. I’ve watched crepe makers in France creating delicious concoctions in seconds, they make it look so simple. But it’s not. Instead of swirling elegantly around the hotplate the mixture clung to one place, stuck there stubbornly. Eventually it came away – in bits – and it in no way resembled a perfect circle (which is what I’d been aiming for). Alas, I need much more practice. Not that it mattered to Anya who happily ate up all the misshapen results and even asked for more.

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Bring me sunshine II


Clinique has launched a yummy light version of its Happy fragrance. Happy in Bloom is a lighter, floral version of the bestselling scent and could be just the thing to boost your mood in time for spring. It also comes in a pretty funky bottle.