Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things which may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, this week's subjects: African Fashion: March fashion tips for West African women, Honesty between partners, Regal Chinese Restaurant, Real wine corks and fake cork wine corks.

March fashion tips for West African women **Odefille Grand Dame Collection Remember, fashion is about expressing your individuality and celebrating your roots. Mix and match these tips to create your own signature style. Enjoy the vibrant colors, textures, and warmth of March with these few tips... 1. Maxi Skirts and Dresses: Flowy maxi skirts and dresses are comfortable and stylish. Choose prints and patterns that resonate with you. 2. African Print Blazers and Jackets: Opt for blazers or lightweight jackets in African prints. They add flair to any outfit, whether paired with jeans or a skirt. 3. Colorful Sandals and Slides: Ditch heavy boots and embrace open-toe sandals or slides. Look for bright colors or intricate beadwork. 4. Embrace Ankara Patterns: Ankara fabrics are richly patterned and versatile. Incorporate them into your wardrobe through dresses, skirts, or tops. 5. Support Local Designers: Explore local markets, concepts stores and streets for unique finds: the number of local concept stores is on the rise due to the increased demand for African fashion brands. Precision O, Farrar Avenue/Kojo Thompson Road, Adabraka has quite an extensive range of African brands like Odefille with beautiful Grande Dame collection and custom made pieces, Ellen Gwen, Sangal Women, Victoria Grace, Mikoko Deluxe and Funke Fashion House.

Honesty between partners. Assume you have identified your future partner. Of course you will show yourself from your best side, and likely he will too. And your bad sides? One day he will most likely discover at least some of them, no matter how you try to hide them. And maybe he will feel cheated to find these things out after the marriage only. What could be such a bad side that it has to be kept secret forever? Did you lie about your age? Did you lie about your qualifications? About previous sexual experiences? Is there bad blood in your family? I suggest you come clean on all these things before you marry, if this is a reason for him to stop the relationship then let him stop it, you are what you are and either he accepts that or he does not accept you. He's to be your partner in everything, don't play hide and seek games, that is for children, and in a relationship there is no place for such things. Have peace of mind and be open to each other.

Regal Chinese Restaurant Labone 25 Dr. Esther Ocloo Street, has replaced Hinlone at the same address. Regal in Osu, 10 Dr. Esther Ocloo Street who have now added Regal in Labone, and Hinlone have been operating here for years, at least 43 I hear from someone who then celebrated her birthday with them, and their founders have meanwhile gone on well-deserved retirements, back to Ni How Ching Chong country. I can always recommend Regal in Osu, Hinlone was not one of my favorites, but I was disappointed at Regal Labone, had a bit of an obscure noodle beef dish which did not impress. I'll try again, after all, it is a Regal, and go with some people, for comments, maybe I was not in a good mood. Anecdote: I hear that in the eighties Regal Osu had a 45 rpm vinyl record with Happy Birthday on it, that was a novelty at that time, making many kids extremely happy that they were taken for a dinner at an exotic Chinese restaurant, which at least had the familiar rice and chicken and then on top of it that record was played. A day not to forget, but at that time without pictures unless a photographer had been hired. Things have changed, now it has to include a 600 GHC birthday cake and sparklers candles and everybody present takes pictures. Are we today more happy than the elder person at that time who told me this story?

Real wine corks and fake cork wine corks, does it matter? It does. But these days often the corks are replaced with screw caps or even plastic caps, or even the bottles themselves are replaced by carton boxes with caps. This is perfect for wines that need not mature, so typically for wines that need to be drunk “young” like Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc. For wines that need to, or can be kept for some time I still recommend glass bottles with a cork, glass is a proven material (be careful with crystal though, more on this later) whilst plastic or cartons with plastic linings of late do not get much positive press coverage. So a glass bottle with a cork on it. But a Grade 1 cork for a premium wine costs about $1/per cork, so people look for alternatives. This grade 1 is typically used for wines which must mature between 5 and 15 years, the length of the cork is about 50 mm, 2 inches. The worst alternative is a plastic cork, sometimes made to look like a real cork. Next comes a cork consisting of small pieces of cork compressed and glued together, often with a slice of real cork at the bottom, the part that touches the wine. It's your choice, but do you know what is in that plastic or in that glue. But there's another warning. If you recork a bottle of wine to drink the rest later, a plastic cork which has been drilled through with a corkscrew now has a hole in it, air gets through to your wine and your wine spoils quickly, a real cork will close that corkscrew hole again and stay drinkable longer. You can often find inscriptions on the cork, they will confirm what is already written on the label and are just a form of marketing. Extra: A study found that real cork has the least environmental impact of all corks.

Lydia...

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