Saffron & Cyrus
WOMEN'S HEALTH / MIDLIFE

The Question.

My Cinema Clinic: Menopause film screening in a cosy cinema

Can a film really change the way we talk about menopause?

I thought I knew plenty about menopause before watching a new film ahead of its UK cinema release. What surprised me wasn't the information. It was hearing women talk so openly about brain fog, anxiety, sleep, work and the things we still don't say out loud.

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HANDPICKED / WORTH YOUR TIME

The Edit.

A handpicked mix of stories, questions and discoveries worth your time right now.
Saffron planning family finances while Cyrus enjoys his dinosaur costume
MIDLIFE / MONEY & FAMILY
We're saving for retirement, but what if we never live to enjoy it?
At nearly 51, with a mortgage, school fees and a ten-year-old to raise, I'm wondering how we're supposed to save for the future without missing out on the present.
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Saffron reflecting on her Botox experience at 50
BEAUTY & AGEING
My 50th birthday Botox disaster and how to avoid the same mistake
I wanted a subtle refresh for my 50th birthday year. What followed was a rather less subtle lesson in Botox, expectations and knowing exactly what you are signing up for.
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Saffron drinking saffron tea at her desk
WELLBEING / PERSIAN LIFE
Can a few strands of saffron in tea really make a difference to your mood?
I started drinking saffron tea as a small daily ritual. But was the saffron actually doing anything, or was simply stopping for ten minutes the part that mattered?
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Questioning whether to give up the gym in midlife
FITNESS & REAL LIFE
Should I give up the gym?
The gym became part exercise, part routine and part community. So why did I suddenly find myself wondering whether it was time to walk away?
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Pregnancy, childbirth and becoming a mother at 40
PREGNANCY & BIRTH
Giving birth at 40: my induction and forceps birth story
I had the birth plan, the birthing pool and every episode of One Born Every Minute behind me. Then came the induction, epidural, forceps and a Persian clay cooking pot.
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Saffron enjoying Persian food and tea at Persian Delight in Newcastle
FOOD / FAMILY / NEWCASTLE
Craving proper Persian food in Newcastle? This place deserves a visit
Saffron chicken, warm bread, kebabs and cardamom tea. We went looking for a taste of Persian family life in Newcastle and found something unexpectedly familiar.
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OBSERVATIONS / REAL LIFE

Life, actually.

Health headlines worth questioning, numbers that don’t tell the whole story, and the things that look rather different from this side of 50, from childhood stories to the family moments modern life has a habit of squeezing out.
At 50, I finally understand the film Labyrinth
MIDLIFE & REINVENTION

At 50, I finally understand the film ‘Labyrinth’

I thought it was about finding Prince Charming. At 50, I see a story about getting lost, finding yourself and realising you had more power than you thought.
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Bride having her Labyrinth-inspired wedding hair styled for a Persian-inspired wedding
MARRIAGE

I married my Persian prince in a castle, but it took me 15 years to understand the fairytale

I wanted a Persian prince, a castle and Sarah’s hair from Labyrinth. Years later, I realise the fairytale wasn’t finding the prince. It was everything that came after the castle.
Biological age and BMI in midlife women
THE BODY

Biological age in midlife: why your BMI doesn’t tell the whole story

We measure our bodies constantly. The more useful question may be what they can actually do.
School ski trip and the pressure of parental guilt
PARENTING & MODERN LIFE

When does saying no start to feel like parental failure?

A school ski trip, an expensive decision and the uncomfortable question of what giving our children “more” actually means.
VOICES / INTERVIEWS

The Conversation.

Interviews and conversations with women doing interesting things, thinking differently, challenging assumptions or just having something worth saying.
MATERNITY CARE / WOMEN'S HEALTH

“I wouldn’t trust me to look after a cactus”

The hidden pressure on midwives

We hear plenty about women’s experiences of maternity care. Less often do we hear from the people providing it. One midwife describes the staffing pressures, exhaustion and emotional strain behind the delivery-room door.

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Have a story to share? If you’re doing something interesting, thinking differently, challenging assumptions or just have something worth saying, I’d love to hear from you.
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THE SAFFRON EXPERIMENT

I wondered what
would happen if…
so I tried it.

Products, health claims, trends and ideas. I try them, look at the evidence and work out what’s useful, what isn’t and what probably wasn’t worth the bother.

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AIRY Forest Breath reed diffuser photographed in warm autumn light THE LATEST EXPERIMENT Can scent help me focus? I tried AIRY for seven days. SEE WHAT HAPPENED →
Saffron smiling at her kitchen table in a warmly lit kitchen
BEHIND THE WORDS

Meet Saffron.

Saffron is a former newspaper journalist and PR professional writing about midlife, women’s health, fitness and the things she tests for herself through The Saffron Experiment.

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TRAVEL & PLACES

Places we’ve been.

Family escapes, hotels and the places that leave us with something worth talking about when we get home.
Saffron celebrating her 50th birthday at Mitsis Royal Mare in Crete
CRETE, GREECE

Celebrating 50 in Crete

Nine days at the Mitsis Royal Mare, with family beach days, moussaka, cats and a little midlife indulgence.

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Family break at Forest Holidays Strathyre in Scotland
STRATHYRE, SCOTLAND

A family escape to the woods

A log cabin, Loch Lubnaig, canoeing, cycling, Persian barbecue and an unreasonable number of wasps.

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Family stay at the Atrium Prestige hotel in Rhodes, Greece
RHODES, GREECE

Atrium Prestige, Rhodes

A family stay in Rhodes, looking beyond the glossy photographs to see what a hotel actually feels like with a child.

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FOR TRAVEL PRs & TOURISM TEAMS

Planning your next travel campaign?

I’m interested in thoughtful family travel, hotels, destinations and experiences that give readers something worth talking about.

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I was 40 and pregnant, but could my body breastfeed?
Family & Motherhood | Newcastle

I was 40 and pregnant, but could my body breastfeed?

At 40, I was the oldest mum in my antenatal class, quietly wondering whether my body would produce enough milk to feed my baby. After months of being labelled high risk and of advanced maternal age, I had begun to doubt myself. But when Cyrus arrived, breastfeeding surprised me in ways I hadn’t expected. This is my experience of breastfeeding after 40, the worries about milk supply, the emotional shift to bottle-feeding and what I learnt about trusting my body.

August 21, 2017
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