You Said It

Star letter - Dinner at Grannys
My daughter gave me a gift of a year’s subscription to Woman's Way for Mothers Day. It is the best gift I ever received. As I prepared Sunday lunch lately, I thought back to pre covid times when grandchildren plus parents were coming for dinner. We waited for them to come running in the driveway, ringing the doorbell. We met their happy faces excited as they ran in the hallway to check if everything's the same as last time pulling out their favorite toys.

Usually, dinner was roast chicken, roast potatoes and carrots. Dessert was always ice cream with sprinkles! Grannys carrots are always much nicer! Another treat was apple tart and custard and some sneaky sweet treats when parents are not looking. Summer was such fun in the garden with games of football, races, hide and seek with parents joining in. Before going home, they always got busy drawing and colouring and placing their masterpieces on the fridge door to remind us of their visit. Most of all we miss their hugs, But there is hope as Granny and Grandad have been vaccinated. They can come into the garden and we can see them but no hugs just yet!

Noelle O Donoghue, Co Kildare

Pop of Colour
It was great to see the magazine so full of colour. It really brightened my day. With covid, I have gotten into the routine of wearing no-makeup, just SPF, and heading out the door for my daily walks. But seeing your colourful makeup feature gave me a bit of motivation to swipe on a bit of lippy before I left the house last weekend and it made all the difference to me and my confidence. I can’t wait to try out the products listed! 

Kay McNamara, Co Cork

Shopping Sprees 

How great is it to be able to wander around the shops again? I was so excited when I saw your piece on what's available in the different stores. I couldn't wait to get back into Penneys anyway but then I saw that lovely basket was on offer, at such a cheap price. I wasn't quite first in the queue, but I wasn't far off. The atmosphere in the queue at O'Connell Street was great. Lots of other women and young girls, rarin' to snag a bargain or ten. I walked up to Grafton Street then to check out Marks & Spencer. It's one of my favourite stores. The quality is always really good, and they have a great range of clothes to suit the older lady, as well as plenty of what the young ones call 'on trend'. I'm 70 on my next birthday but I still like to be 'on trend'. So, I bought myself a denim jacket for the first time ever. I'm going to wear it over dresses this summer. I think the lockdown has taught me a thing or two about enjoying life and not worrying so much about what everyone else thinks. Who says fashion is just for the young? We aul ones can be as stylish as anyone else, and we love to shop just as much as the teenagers.

Mary Johnson, Co Dublin

Native Flowers

Thank you so much for your piece on native Irish flowers. I had no idea how dangerous it was to plant non-Irish species in the wild. It makes perfect sense, of course. Our native flowers are the best food source for our native species. For the last few years, I've been leaving parts of my garden to re-wild, as they call it. I haven't sown anything, and I haven't mown but those parts are starting to look more and more like the meadows I remember running through as a child. What the piece really highlights is that we need to have more sources of native flower seeds. I'm definitely going to collect seeds from any I see come September. I suggest as many readers of Woman's Way do the same.

Ellen Connolly, Co Meath

Relatable 

I have always admired Derval O’Rourke and I can safely say that my admiration has only increased after reading the article about her. I am a huge fan of Ireland’s fittest family and have always enjoyed watching Derval on the show, but I was unaware that she was a mother with two children. As I myself am a mother with her own online business, I found the article extremely relatable and reassuring. I too have found that there is a larger amount of pressure placed on me, as a woman, than on my husband to succeed, especially during the pandemic. I recommended to friends of mine to purchase Woman’s Way in order to read this enlightening article as I believe it is one that many women can relate to. Another success for the team at Woman’s Way and for Derval. 

Stephanie Moriarty, Co Dublin 

Delicious 

I tried out a number of the recipes in your latest issue of Woman’s Way and I honestly could not recommend them enough. I am not a great cook and find that I do not cook well unless I follow a recipe step by step, and so I always look forward to the recipes that feature in Woman’s Way. I tried Ciara Gorman Fennessy’s Creamy Tuscan which was decadent. It was the perfect example of a good, hearty, home-cooked meal. My family loved it and we have made it twice this week. I also made Rory O’Connell’s Roast Rack of Lamb crusted with Grain Mustard, Chilli and Thyme Leaves. This was another family favourite that I will definitely be making again. 

Charlotte Brogan, Co Donegal.

Single Life 

I cannot express enough how much I loved the article on being single in this issue of Woman’s Way. This piece was quirky, funny, enlightening and struck a chord with me. I am a single woman in my 40s who has never married, and I too have fed into the perpetuated notion that there must be something wrong with me because of that fact. This article opened up my eyes to how completely incorrect that notion is, and how I am privileged to have complete control and freedom within my life, as a single woman. Jennifer Aniston has always been a role model for me, since she first appeared in FRIENDS in the 90s and after reading this piece I am even more inclined to “fan-girl” over her. Thank you to all at Woman’s Way for always producing content that makes me feel good about myself. 

Emma Tyrell, Co Meath

Weightloss Surgery 

I found the article on Samantha King’s gastric band really empowering. I could relate to what she was saying about trying every diet under the sun. It’s always motivating to find a new ‘easy weight loss hack’ but it rarely works, or it works, and then you gain more weight than ever before! A dangerous cycle. It was comforting to know even a successful CEO like Samantha struggles to stay organized with food and diet - that it is, in fact, a normal struggle. Meal and food prep is always an issue in our house, especially with covid. I applaud Samantha for taking the steps to get help losing weight, as she says, it isn’t the easy way out but a tool. Everybody needs help once in a while and if you aren’t comfortable in your body, it can feel a bit like a prison. I wish her all the best with her surgery. 

Anne Fitzpatrick, Co Galway 

Cocktails and Food

Wow! I loved the recipe pages in the last issue. I especially loved the cocktails, they were all easy-to-follow and no mad ingredients either - everything could be bought in my local off-license or SuperValu. I’m looking forward to trying the ‘King Harvey’, it looks like the perfect refresher for summer. I also loved Rory’s recipe for French Onion Soup. It looked simple enough so I tried it out one Thursday evening - my husband loved it! I made sure the baguette on top got extra crispy to finish. Delicious! 

Hannah Devon, Co Kerry

Things to hold on to 

Looking back, pre-covid, I really can’t believe how close we were to each other. It feels as though we were packed in like sardines sometimes doing the weekly food shop, and what about the young people going clubbing? Using public toilets, pushing open doors and even pressing the open button on the Luas is mind-boggling for me. I will definitely be keeping my hand sanitizer with me at all times. Although I never used zoom, I can imagine people are looking forward to seeing friends and family again face-to-face just as I am. I have stood at the wall, socially distant, for over a year now saying hello to everyone that passes but it will be great to get a hug. I’m so glad we’re coming out the other side!

Linda McNeill, Co Mayo

Colourful Festivals 

How amazing will it be when we are finally allowed to travel freely? I want to attend every single festival on your list. All of the colour and happiness in the images filled me with joy. More than likely I will skip being pelted with the tomatoes, but the Mardi Gras festival is top of my list of places to visit. I can’t even remember what it feels like to get on a plane but I’m looking forward to having my memory jogged! 

Sally Byrne, Co Waterford 

Lemon Beauty 

I love anything lemon-scented. I think it is the most refreshing and energizing scent, so I was delighted to see your Lemon Beauty feature. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but some products are very subtle and you don’t feel as though you are overpowered by the smell. I think it was interesting to see the amount of Vitamin C products - I have used a vitamin C cleanser for over two years now and I truly love it, I couldn't start my day without it. I do find that some lemon products can be quite drying on the skin and make me oily throughout the day which is why I use a good quality moisturizer after using my vitamin C cleanser. 

Maria Carey, Co Louth