Blogs by women over 40 that I love to read

Perhaps you're wondering why I'm advertising the fact that these blogs I am sharing today are written by women who are over 40 years old. Perhaps you're thinking it's a bit rude of me to disclose their age. But I find that, although the internet is flooded with blogs and articles written by younger women, the rest of us tend to get a bit side-lined. So, although I  try not to let the age of the writer deter me from reading a particular blog, truth be told, we're always going to have much more in common with people in our own age group. In reality, I will read any blog that has something interesting to say but I have no intention of spending my time reading lists of 'must-haves' that change with the seasons that some person I don't even know thinks I should buy. Nor will I read posts by condescending bloggers telling me what I should or should not be wearing 'at my age'. But before I get side-tracked and go off on a rant about one of my pet peeves, here are 5 blogs that are always a joy to read:

The Vintage Contessa

One woman and her pig - Elizabeth & Banksy.
Photographed by Ari Seth Cohen

This blog is written by Elizabeth Kirkpatrick but all her readers know her as the Vintage Contessa. I love Elizabeth's outlook on life, her joie de vivre, her love for all things 'worn and rusted' and her larger than life personality. Elizabeth is a bit like the fairy godmother of the blogging world because she is so kind to everybody and leaves the sweetest comments. She hails from the San Francicsco Bay area in California where she lives with her husband (The Italian) and her famous fur-babies that include Theodore, the cat that can almost speak, Sir Winston, who I believe is a Corgi, and Banksy, a tea-cup piggy that loves to eat Cheerios. Her house is filled with vintage treasures that she has collected over the years and it has the most magical garden I have ever seen. Elizabeth writes about the things that make her happy and she has introduced us to a host of wonderful women that she calls friends and who are artists or creatives and who themselves have a wonderful story or two to tell. Our Vintage Contessa has been featured on many, many blogs and also in a number of magazines including Orinda  Living, Romantic Country Living and Where Women Cook.

Elizabeth is on  Instagram as Antique Goddess.

Collage of Life

I have been reading this blog, which is written by Jeanne Henriques, for quite some time. Jeanne has led a nomadic lifestyle for many years and I first came across her blog when she was still living in England. From there she and her husband moved to Vietnam, then to Hong Kong and finally, to the beautiful New Hampshire hills where she now has her forever home: the charming Tahilla Farm. Jeanne's blog is a pleasure to read. She has a way of drawing you in and making you feel at home as she chats about books, travel, family, her garden or Tahilla farm. Jeanne's posts are always interesting and they provide a wonderful window into her world. Her knack of sharing her surroundings with us always makes me feel like I am right there with her, whether it's in a mango-coloured house in Vietnam or in the lush woods and rolling hills of New Hampshire.

You may find Jeanne on Instagram at Collage of Life1.

Writer's Cramps

Gattina is the author of Writer's Cramps and, one thing I love about her blog is that she sometimes makes me laugh out loud. Her posts are always amusing and she never takes herself too seriously. Gattina is German but lives in Waterloo (Belgium), is married to an Italian and loves to travel to many beautiful places. She also loves cats and currently has two, the most famous one being Arthur, who is another cat that can almost speak and loves to get up to all sorts of mischief. Gattina blogs every day unless she is travelling and she perfectly describes her daily life in a town that was made famous by the battle between Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington in 1815.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Mary is a British ex-pat who now lives in North Carolina. She mainly blogs about her home, her garden, the amazing wild creatures that she glimpses from her windows, and her travels. Mary has travelled extensively and has visited all seven continents. It is always a pleasure to join Mary on her trips to places that I may never get to visit. Of all the places she has been to, I think that I am most in awe of her trip to Antarctica. I would so love this see this land of ice for myself one day. But, until that happens, Mary has shared some beautiful photos of her trip so that we can all travel there vicariously.

Not Dressed As Lamb

This blog is written by Catherine Summers, a style blogger who won the Individual Fashion and Beauty Award (UK Blog Awards) in 2017 and 2018. In her own words, Catherine is 'Opposing the term "age appropriate" and encouraging women to be fabulous at any age'. For this reason she started the hugely successful hashtag #iwillwearwhatilike. Every Tuesday bloggers can link up to her blog to share outfits they love and to encourage and inspire women of all ages to wear what they like no matter what age they are. Apart from fashion, Catherine writes about health, beauty and fitness and occasionally shares photos of her newest addition to the family: her greyhound Suki. She is well known for her love of bright colours, bold patterns, bubbly personality and striking red hair.

You can fine Catherine on Instagram at Not Lamb.

I hope you visit these blogs and enjoy them as much as I do. There are other blogs by 'mature women' that I will share in the future but I thought that 5 is the perfect number to keep things short and simple.

All photos I've shared today are the property of the respective blog owners.

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