What’s in a name? Part two

When I started putting stuff online I didn’t want to do it as me. I was nervous about what people might say. Scared that people from my past would look me up and belittle my efforts. And over time I wanted to be other bloggers including Alison from Brocantehome, Gala Darling, Jennifer at Vegan lunchbox and numerous daily outfit posters. I’ve always believed in the ‘act as if’ rule where you fake it until you find your own way. Interestingly I never even tried to be Nubbytwiglet; I know my limits.

So like many people who want to hide or become someone else I used another name. Maybe not a nickname as it’s one I gave myself. Midorigreen came from a weekend away camping with a spoof military theme. My group of friends called ourselves the cocktail regiment and all adopted names with an alcohol theme. With my love of all things green and Japanese midorigreen seemed ideal.

It also seemed ideal when I looking for a name to hide behind online. Since then I’ve begun to think of midorigreen as my alter ego. She’s a stronger, more powerful version of me who has emerald green hair and can actually play bass guitar.

So what’s been the point of this post and part one? Well I’ve decided it’s time for a new blog. This blog was my space to grow out of the place I was in when I started it. I’ve always thought September was a good time for new starts. So from the start of September you’ll be able to find me at www.midorigreenuk.blogspot.com

Don’t expect radical changes in content. I’m still me, I’m still growing and changing (and that’s going to be going on for a lifetime – this is not a novel or a film). I will continue to be inspired by other bloggers. The only real change will be the title and that I’m not hiding in quite the same way anymore.

Things I Love Thursday

Festivals - Dear Heart and I had a marvellous time at V last weekend. It's bene ten years since I last went for some reason or another (life getting in the way of doing other things maybe?) and it's simply gotten bigger and better. Loved the stuff that was going on away from the main stage (although the main stage did have it's moments i.e. Coldplay) and a big clap to whoever had the grand idea of payuing 10p for any cups handed in at a recycle point. It helped with the litter problem and I made enough to cover a beer or three.

Lawrence of Arabia - Ok I'm only half way through but already very impressed. Nice to watch a film that doesn't depend entirely on special effects to keep your interest. In fact for a film that so far has been a group of blokes riding camels across a desert it's amazing.

Other stuff - clearing clutter on eBay and Freecycle, looking forward to September, knowing that there is no point in worrying, greengages and plums, weekend plans, clearing joblists, early yule shopping, good reads and lsiting supplies in the freezer.

What’s in a name? Part one

Ever wonder why this is pretty little blog and not some other title? I started it back in 2006(ish) because I had started a little online business called Pretty Little Parcels. I was very excited about Pretty Little Parcels when I started it. It was a time when I was really starting to engage with the idea of being more actively online. I’d started reading Brocantehome which is the first blog I can recall reading and being excited about visiting daily. I think I was also quite into the idea of making part of my living online. Seduced by the glamour of the dot com.

Anyway inspiration struck and I began PLP. The basis concept of PLP was sending out boxes with a few delightful surprise items in them. A bit like a cracker. So there would be something to make you feel beautiful, something delicious, something fun and something to make you think. I started the blog partly as a way of promotion but soon realised that I liked being able to record my thoughts and write about life.

I’m shutting down Pretty Little Parcels, but keeping the blogging. PLP was a great learning experience and didn’t leave me at a loss financially. I’m just not willing to devote the time to marketing it. Also I have issues with what I’m putting in the parcels. I was just experimenting with veganism when I started it and had no problems buying products with milk in them to go in the parcels. Now it doesn’t feel right for me to do so. On a similar note I’ve also gotten into the habit of not buying things. I’m sure a lot of products that I bought for parcels were made in sweatshops.

One of the biggest problems with my life (and it’s a blessing really!) is that there are so many things that I am interested in. I have to face up and realise that I can’t do them all at once. It’s time to move on. To focus. We think nothing of decluttering our homes, our desks, our wardrobes and our fridges. We’re not so good at decluttering our lives. Doing less better rather then more in a haphazard not really committed manner.

It’s nearly September and time for life to move on.

Get ready for the second act!

What's in my lunchbox this week?

I attempted to consume this out of doors. However the high winds meant that it was a real effort to get the fork to my mouth before bits blew away!

From top right:

Lovely local Plum and Greengage
Blackberry and marzipan muffins - I had a load of Blackberries that I picked that needed using up. These are delicious. I made them with wholewheat flour and let the marzipan and fruit do all the sweetening.
Salad of pasta, green olives, sweetcorn and a teeny bit of Mr Singh's chilli sauce.
Slices of red pepper and cucumber.

Things I Love Thursday

Days off - I seem to have been on the go all summer long. Lunch breaks are non existent or spent travelling, rather than in the park. Days off so far have been spent travelling or meeting up with people. Hence it's been marvellous to have two days at home not having to do anything.

Clear outs - Of course I have been doing stuff. Mainly clearing out boxes from my study and stuff from our soon to be refurbished utility room. I've divided it into piles for charity shops, for a friend who does car boot sales for a dogs home, freecycle and finally eBay. I'm amazed by the demand for some items on freecycle. My beaded curtain and leaf rake could have gone several times over. However I am short on taker for my set of taps and mug tree.

Other stuff - music festivals, sleeping it off, long lunches, great reads, sunshine, not worrying, going with the flow, green tops with hint of mint worn with white heart shaped necklaces, gucamole, menu changes, living the moment.

To do list

List items on Freecycle and eBay (seller name Prettymidorigreen should anyone be interested)
Buy beer
Find shoes suitable to wear to a music festival (high heels, ballet pumps & flipflops just don't cut it)
Enjoy long lunch with good food, fresh air, music and either something engrossing to read or some godd conversation

What's in my lunchbox this week?

Another box of seasonal goodness!

Clockwise from top right:
Mock duck in BBQ sauce
Blueberries from the market and Blackberries picked by me from a nearby bush
Roasted tomatoes, Aubergines & home grown Courgette
Buckwheat

How to be happy

A bit of my Saturday is normally taken up with reading the Guardian and I always start with the Weekend magazine (unless Dear Heart gets to it first). I really enjoyed the pieces this weekend about happiness.

The basic things seemed to be: you can’t be happy all the time, help people, engage in activities that you really enjoy, be grateful, embrace the new and novel, build relationships, accept that you don’t know what will make you happy and finally invest in experiences, not things.

I can see a lot of these things really coming out in blogs I read. The one I’m uncertain about is putting money and resources into experience not things. Bloggers often write about new purchases or things they want to buy. Does the whole process of choosing an item and purchasing it count as an ‘experience’?

Anyway do have a read of the various pieces all of which are linked to in this introduction to the What makes you happy debate.

Things I Love Thursday

Big jars of buttons – I arrived at work last Friday to find on my desk the jar of buttons in the photograph and a cucumber. They’d been left by Mimi who knew that a) I love buttons and b) an always on the lookout for locally grown cucumber that isn’t encased in plastic. The cucumber came from a WI market and is currently being consumed. The buttons need to come home but are staying on my desk for a while because just looking at them makes me feel cheerful and inspired.

Watching shooting stars – Last night Dear Heart and I sat in the garden in the dark and watched the Perseid meteor shower pass over. It wet, past my bedtime and I had neck ache from looking up. It was also wonderful. I had a huge smile on my face. I saw six shoot past and the last (before cloud cover ruined any further hope of sightings) left a bright trail in the sky for a few seconds. I shall be visiting the British Astronomical society to find out about future meteors to observe.


Other stuff – working through job lists, peanut butter, wedges, green ink, planning tattoos, lunch with the ladies, fifty per cent off, giant courgettes, live music, routines, vegan ‘corn beef’ hash (thanks Dad), proper cider (except in snakebite), sweetcorn,

To do list

• Plan things to do on days off
• Look at wardrobe and create three new combinations
• Foot soak and pedicure with a glass of wine and a good book
• Breathe deeply
• Watch Perseids meteor shower (with blankets and hot tea if necessary)

What's in my lunchbox this week?

After a few weeks of eating up random leftovers and being in locations that didn't require a lunchbox I'm very pleased with how this one has worked out.

Admittedly I'd run down supplies of fruit and veg to almost nothing which I felt justified indulging in all the lovely seasonal produce on the market.

This one was easy to prepare. We had a BBQ on Sunday night and I prepared the dishes to go with and am consuming what was left for lunch.

Clockwise from top right:

Slices of tomato and red onion

Plum (sweet, cold and delicious)

Potato salad with green beans. Potatos, beans and finely chopped spring onions were all home grown.

Corn on the cob and lettuce. I carefully chopped my corn cob into bits of the right length to fit but forgot how wide corn is! Having to put in half the amount as a result.

No place like home

I seem to have been all over the place this summer. The nature of my work means that summer always sees me touring the far flung corners of the county I live and work in. This year I also seem to have done quite a bit of going further a field to visit family and friends, celebrate birthdays and just catch up. Even when I haven’t been travelling that far from home I seem to have been staying out long beyond my usual bedtime. Dear Heart and I don’t tend to take ‘holidays’ and the last five summers have been dedicated to house renovation, so such a lot of ‘play’ seems odd.

My summer so far:
Dancing in Leamington Spa and Nottingham, climbing Glastonbury Tor and wander round Abbey, 90th birthday party, 18th birthday party, Bloggers meet up, meet up with Dear Heart’s friend from Xbox Live, visits to numerous pubs and bars, midnight bowling, cocktails and cupcakes party, live jam night, lots of BBQs, farewell to house party.

I’m really beginning to appreciate the joys home and of having a routine. The routine bit makes me think about Autumn. I have always enjoyed the ‘return to school’ atmosphere in September. A chance to shape up after the madness of summer. A better time of year for making changes and fresh starts than January. I fear that I am wishing my life away by anticipating the nip of cold in the air in August.

I’m going to work at appreciating summer while it’s still here and really enjoy waking up in my own bed in my own house. I’ll also make more of an effort to keep up and stay in touch the people I’ve been to visit or been out with. Organise some visits for later in the year. Life should be about balance, not contrast. Everything in moderation.

Things I love Thursday

Having amazing friends and family – I’ve enjoyed the company of so many wonderful people recently and am looking forward to spending time with more over the next week or so.

Second hand clothes – Dear Heart’s sister was having a clear out and was kind enough to let me have a rummage through. I really have no excuse for buying any new clothes now (with the exception of a French connection LBD from Oxfam).

Live music – Dear Heart and one his pals have organised a series of jam nights at a local snooker club. The first one was on Sunday so I helped them set up and have a little play myself. Then I sat back and listened to some amazing sounds. Those boys rock!

Other stuff -The possibility of cover grey hair with emerald dye, locally grown tomatoes, an emptier fridge, only buying what I had on my list in Ikea, charity shops, the wonders of public transport, wonderful neighbours, the difference smiling makes.

To do list

Buy peanut butter (vital for the vegan on the move)
Keep drinking lots of water
Reorganise food in freezer, move older items to front and come up with plan for their consumption
Consider dyeing grey hairs emerald green
Get some sleep

What's in my lunchbox this week? and UK Lady Bloggers

Okay first off this week I'm eating a whole variety of different things in an attempt to make room in the fridge. I did intend to take pictures each day and make a lovely post illustrating the variety. Alas I wolfed down my lunch on Monday and then realised the lack of picture taking. So instead let me share with you some of the 'lunch' related activities of the UK Lady Bloggers meet up on Friday. We stood on Victoria station trying to decide what to do when Natzini sensibly suggested that we all pop up to Wetherspoons and enjoy a jug of cocktails.

So here is a jug of Frilly Tutu which definitely had some fruit in although I'm not certain it would count towards 5 a day.

This is the debris of the other half of lunch - cupcakes from the hummingbird bakery consumed in a pub across the road. Alas as they don't sell vegan cupcakes I was unable to partake in the sugar rush.

Then we all got a bit peckish and ordered some platters of meze and nachos. No one took the single slice of red pepper in a very polite British sort of way. Instead we carried on chatting as we had been all day about everything under the sun except blogging. It was a interesting day. A bit like 8 people who all live in the same street getting together. We knew stuff about each other's lives but needed to search for common ground. It really made me think about the boxes of getting to know you games for reading groups and made me wonder if we (I?) could adapt one of those for next time.

I'm certainly in for the next one anyway and propose starting with lunch (an excellent way to break the ice) and following up with a browse of a handful of charity shops. Also must remember to take more photographs.

Thanks to Aimee Marie and Vixel for sorting it out and everyone for being so lovely and braving various types of public transport in order to be there.

Things I Love Thursday

A bit short this week but it's the thought that counts, right?

UK Lady bloggers meet up – Both nervous and excited about meeting up with some other bloggers. I’m also trying out Easybus for the first time to get me there.

Being busy – it is good and beats boredom

Dear Heart doing the cooking, crazy Sundays with friends, getting through job lists, sleep, courgettes

What's in my lunchbox this week?

This week's contents came together more by luck than anything else. I made a big pan of roasted veg at the weekend. Then a friend offered me a tub of vegan cream cheese that she wouldn't be using. then I saw some reduced price bagels that said vegan on the label.

Clockwise from top right:

Vegan chocolate and summer fruit cupcake - leftovers from some I made for a lunch party. Still getting to grips with glace icing. Used my new silicon cases and they worked really well.

Bagel filled with vegan cream cheese and roasted veg, surrounded by shredded lettuce and spinach with a dollop of vegan mayo.

Compote of cherries and raspberries.

What's in my lunchbox this week?

Clockwise from top right:

Potatoes - from my allotment. I poured a little vinegar over them while still hot to enhance the flavour.

Peas - I cooked them with mint from the garden. Alas they failed to pick up the taste but were quite tasty anyway.

Courgette tart - Made with a mix of home grown and 'end of day' market courgettes. Added a bit of salt and chilli to enhance the taste.

Cherry, raspberry and strawberry compote - with the last of the alltoment strawberries.

Things I love Thursday

Exercise – I finally started doing morning walks again. Feels good and the route has a novelty once again. Also made a real effort this week and managed Pilates, Yoga and belly dancing classes.

Not feeling I have to pick up the pieces other people can’t – and the world didn’t fall apart so why have I wasted so much time, effort and energy in the past.

Hot soup with raw green leaves - I added some raw shredded spinach from my allotment to the tomato and red pepper soup I was eating on Monday night. It was a kind of last minute thing one I’d heated the sup and had it I the bowl. A kind of garnish. Totally delicious. In fact I had the last of the sup for breakfast Tuesday morning because it all tasted so good. This time I had spinach and watercress.

Other good stuff - BBQs in the rain, silicon cupcakes cases, giggly, gossipy lunches with the girls, reading trashy stuff, black Harley Davidson vests, great neighbours, being unable to decide what to buy so buying nothing.

To do list

Find good dessert recipe (Definitely vegan, wheat free if possible)

Collect up clothing repairs and alterations and begin to work through them

Sort through stack of old magazines, cut (or rip) out bits of interest and recycle the rest.

Put one item eBay (or more than one)

Drink more water

The art of camouflage

We’re often told that people don’t really pay very much attention to us. They’re too busy thinking about themselves. Although we like the idea of this we tend to not believe it because if we did we’d have to admit that we’re not the centre of the universe.

This week has had some excellent examples of this.

First I managed to tuck my skirt into my knickers and then proceeded to walk around like this for abut three hours before anyone told me. This means that either they thought my skirt was supposed to look like that or they simply didn’t notice me or my skirt.

Yesterday I wore my very bright neon ballet pumps to the office. I thought they stood out and actually began to think what I might say if anyone commented on their vividness. Not a single soul commented all day.

Today a friend came in and asked if I was wearing the shoes as she had read about them on my blog. A few other colleages then passed comment. But they had all been here yesterday and hadn’t even noticed.

I then read Doe Deer’s Blogazine where she tackles the issue of people being treated negatively or even physically attacked because they dress in a way that is not perceived to be the ‘norm’.

It’s clear that there are some people out there paying very careful attention.

I don’t like the thought of being invisible or of being attacked. It does make me think that people really do make up their minds within seconds of meeting you for the first time.

I’ve realised that I tend to play down bright and more eccentric elements when I first start a job or meet people. Then I decide how much of me to let out. It makes me sad to realise I do this and I suppose it’s a survival technique learnt at school.

I know did this last week. I can feel myself leaning towards doing the same thing at the UK Lady bloggers meet up. I’m thinking about what they will wear and how I can fit in.

Maybe I need to work at being me a bit harder and spend less time on camouflage.

As a further morsel of food for thought there’s been some discussion on Academichic recently about who you dress for, if you dress as the real you and whether the way you dress has an impact on how people treat you.

Things I Love Thursday

My neon green ballet pumps – They’re green, comfortable and make people stare. What more can I say?

Our new decking area – Renamed ‘the terrace’ almost instantly. I think it looks like a stage in the corner of the garden and I either want to put on a play or get a drum kit and some guitars up there and have a mini music festival.

Other stuff: forgotten keys that turn into neighbourhood parties, meeting someone twice but feeling like you’ve known them forever, cupcake baking plans, home brewing, the sound of silence, last.fm, dancing ‘til 3am, stoning cherries and shelling peas.

To do list

Take cloth napkins to work for post lunch clean up

File nails (points?)

Refill fountain pens with green ink

Buy corks

Choose new weighty tome for lunchtime reading (War and peace?)

What's in my lunchbox this week?

After a few weeks of simple (uninspiring?) lunches consisting mainly of raw fruit and vegetables I one again felt the urge to make something more interesting. I guess the slightly lower temperature don't hurt either. For the first time in a few weeks not much grown at home produce in the box, but lots of local produce in the market and shops here.

Clockwise from top left:

Buckwheat - got to eat more of this stuff it's so easy to cook and so good for you

Peas - I used to hate peas as a child because they were too sweet but I am very fond of them now and I find shelling them a very calming thing to do

TLT salad - my take on a vegan BLT without the bread. Little gem lettuce, tempeh rashers and sun dried tomatoes in oil. Very tasty.

Red fruits compote - I love cherries but they like me better if I cook them first. So here we have gently cooked cherries, strawberries and raspberries. I got to use my cherry stoner for the first time too.

By the way I was interested to hear about version 2.0 of the Bento lunch system from laptop lunchboxes. I have no plans to upgrade but I always love to hear about new lunchboxes.

And the living is easy

It all seems so much easier when the weather is warm. Normal rules are suspended or so it seems. The weather might not last so don’t waste time doing non essential things.

Wake up and roll out of bed. Throw on minimal, simple clothing. Chuck a bit of fruit and veg in a box for lunch because you imagine even wanting to eat again (although drinking is another matter). Consider applying make up and them wonder what the point is when it will only melt. Eat lunch in park and do a spot of people watching.

Evening rolls around. You leave work and sit in the garden. Change your clothes for something more comfortable (and less hot). You opt for water rather than vodka because it’s so hot. You wash some clothes (because you only have three garments that are actually suitable for this weather) and they dry in a flash. You leave the rest of the housework because you’re too busy sitting in the garden.

You eat something snack like for dinner because it’s too hot to eat a proper meal. You drift off to bed earlier than usual just so that you have an excuse to lie down and shed some more clothes. Listen to the voices coming through the open window from nearby gardens. You sleep badly but that doesn’t matter because nothing happening the next day seems urgent.

A hot summer is like a dream to be wandered through and carry to the winter.

Things I Love thursday

The heat is making it hard for me to think straight. I feel like everything could be put off until tomorrow. Maybe this is why everyone in places with with traditionally warmer summer are so laid back!

Anyway here's my TILT:

Doing an excellent darning repair on our ripped parasol, Chickenfoot - a great classic rock sound, Ultralight and nights in for toes from Lush, easy dinners, lunch in the park, pre dinner drinks in the garden, great music jams in our attic, not leaving the house without sunglasses, sun dresses, when in doubt wear black and green, being inspired online.

What's in my lunchbox this week?

I blame the weather. Usually I have a pretty good idea what will be in my lunch by about Friday of the previous week and I do preparation on Sunday. Not this week. I just couldn't find the inspiration. Hence I feel back on this old vegan standby - peanut butter.

Clockwise from top:

Strawberries - Yes more strawberries. I'm still picking and trying to find ways to use up those I can't eat. Strawberry wine is looking quite promising in this area but it'll have to wait at least six months before I can taste test!

Radishes - From the allotment

Cucumber - Why is it so hard to buy a cucumber that isn't encased in plastic?

Crackers with peanut butter - The cucumber went really well with this.

Just realised this is my first lunch for some weeks with no Asparagus!

The green shoes hunt continues

After coming very close to buying a pair of neon green pumps from the market yesterday (they looked amazing) I’ve had another look for a replacement for my shiny green shoes.

My heart leapt when I saw these on Bigwardrobe, alas they are just a bit too big (I’m a 5).

Then I found a possible pair on eBay but they turned out to have rather high heels. well larger then I can mange on a regular basis anyway.

Then I discovered this guide to making shoes glittery. Refashioning shoes is something that I’m slowly discovering.

Off now to check glitter and adhesive prices.

Things I Love Thursday

Picking strawberries – I just love pulling back the leaves and discovering all these red berries just waiting to be picked and eaten. It’s like finding hidden treasure. I totally understand why so many people have drawn of photographed strawberries. It’s about trying to capture the moment.

Knee length skirts and bare legs – I suppose this is down to the weather as well but I’m so enjoying wearing summer skirts and dresses without freezing. I used to prefer long skirts but think my movement towards shorter skirts is a result of all the ‘what I wore type’ blogs that I’ve been reading.

Books – I’m a big reader so I always like to have my next couple of reads lined up. I had dry patch a few weeks back where I just couldn’t find reading inspiration. I’m happy to say that I have my next ten or so titles lined up and I keep spotting new ones all the time.

Other stuff – al fresco dining, easy dinners, yoga, summer plans, cupcake baking plans, wedge shoes, Fairy Godmother soap from Lush, shandy, suglasses.

Shrug it off - a pretty little how to

I arrived late during the shrug trend of 2005. In fact I didn’t purchase one until the sales of 2006 and then it was couple of years before I wore it. However I find it vital bit of wardrobe in that it goes with things that proper cardigans don’t. I really see it as a set of sleeves. It keeps you warm and covers up bare shoulders in the office. A great bit of summer kit. I was about to start looking for a shrug pattern a while back when refashioning inspiration struck!

I have a jumper that was just a little bit too small. But I really like the colour. So I fiddled around a bit chopping and sewing and created this:

This refashioning concept also works well with t-shirts that have gotten a bit baggy or thin (i.e. see through). On Saturday I converted two tops into long sleeved shrugs and have loving documented the process for your crafting pleasure.

Take top and be certain that you are ready to cut it up. I have green t-shirt which is so loose bending over in it has become dangerous and a creamy jumper which don’t fit very well.

First decide how long you want the back to be. Measure an existing garment if possible. Don’t forget to leave a bit extra for a hem if you want one. Some fabric rolls up in a very pleasing manner and removes the need for a hem.


Measure this length on you garment and chop the bottom off.

Then cut up the front of the garment. You can hem the raw edges now if you like (or not).

That’s it unless…

You have very long arms (like me) and want to use up the leftover bit of fabric that you chopped off you can extend the sleeves.

Take your chunk of fabric and either rip the stitches or cut up the seam. You want to keep close the actual seam. Now you want to make tubes of fabric. Put your shrug on so that you can see where the sleeves come down to. Wrap the fabric round your arm and pin so that you can get an idea of width. Then cut. The amount of fabric and the size of your arm will affect how long your tubes will be. Remember you do need to be able to get the thing on and off so unless you have a lot of stretch in the fabric absolutely skin tight probably won’t work.

Make the tubes by turning the fabric wrong side out and sewing done the open side. I’ve done this on a machine but you could hand sew.

Join the tubes together. I find this easiest to do by putting them over my hand and spreading my fingers to stretch smaller bit of fabric. On my first shrug I hand sewed these because I wanted the joins to be invisible. I did this round on the machine. Then in the same way attach tubes to existing sleeves.


That’s it unless you’ve been lazy like me and left the hemming to the end. I used a zigzag stitch in this which results in this pleasingly wavy edge.

Go and discover all the things your new long sleeved shrug goes with.

What's in my lunchbox this week?

This is the half home grown lunch box. Thrilled that I grew fifty percent of this box.

From top right:

Tofu - marinated in watered down dregs of BBQ sauce and then baked.

Radishes - Grown on my allotment. I've never been able to get radishes to grow before and isn't the colour divine!

Strawberries - These taste amazing. My plants are producing so many at present that we starte to make Strawberry wine on Sunday. Might try some jam next.

Pasta with peas and asparagus

A perfect lunchbox for eting in the park under a blue sky.

Free pressure

A while back I signed up for a free session of Acupressure. I’ve had various back and neck massage before (and have my next one scheduled for Friday) but acupressure always sounded a bit too medical.

However not being one to look a gift horse in the month I booked the session. Then I was emailed a health check questionnaire to fill in. No problem with that until I was asked what I intended to get out of the session. I was straight over to Google to find out what the benefits of this treatment actually were.

Various sites suggest that it both relaxes and energises. Massage usually leaves me feeling a bit dopey so I headed off to last Friday’s session to see what it was like.

First of all you are fully dressed and kneel on a stool which supports your face and arms. The process of the treatment itself goes between really relaxing and almost painful. I’m not entirely certain what part of her body (the elbow maybe?) the very sweet therapist was pushing into my back but it did indeed feel (her words) a bit tender.

Work on the arms and hands by contrast almost had me dozing off. I came to thinking that I’d dropped a plectrum!

There was a definite result by the end of the session. A sensation of water running down my arms which mean that something had been unblocked.

And the after effects?

Well I wasn’t quite as sleepy as after massage but probably should have gone to bed early on Friday night instead of trying to stay awake and being grumpy.

Saturday my back ached, presumably because the muscles that had been clenched in place had relaxed and some other muscle was now having to work. I also felt tense. Watching a couple of horror movies was a strain.

Sunday I felt great. Very relaxed. No aches. Quietly energetic. I didn’t go to bed particularly early and I slept fitfully but woke up this morning feeling refreshed and ready to face the week.

Relaxation seems hazardous but that probably because I’m not used to it.

Things I Love Thursday

Fresh seasonal produce - I just love all the glorious fruit and vegetables that are in season right now. My allotment is producing huge red strawberries and purple radishes. The Market is is full of colours and it's so good to know that a lot of it is grown locally. My fridge is full of delicious stuff and meals are a dream of tastey good for you stuff.

Wedges - my sister suggested them years ago as an alternative to heels and I didn't listen. Then last week I bought a pair of beige wedges in a charity shop & wondered why I hadn't before. Comfort and height!

Other stuff - haircuts, teal green, shrugs, the blues, Christmas shopping started early, ladies who lunch, patchwork, meetings held outdoors, drop in drinks, sharing gluts.

What's in my lunchbox this week?

The strawberries are here! so I've been a bit inspired by cream/cricket/picnic teas in this week's lunch.

Clockwise from top right:

Vegan sausages (Vegetarian Choice in the freezer cabinet at Holland and Barrett) and gently cooked Aspargus

Radishes, cucumber, red pepper and a stray bit of asparagus

home made scone (rather heavy - I need a light touch) and some vegan whipping cream I found hanging around at the abck of the pantry. Tastes a bit like the custard in doughnuts.

Strawberries from my allotment.

Quite frankly the strawberries are so delicious I am happy to eat them untouched by anything else but they do decay rather swiftly so compote may be putting in an appearance.

The average temperature

I smugly planned my summer wardrobe based on hearing that temperatures would be ‘higher than average’ this year. Oh good I though assuming that a knee length skirt, t and flip flop type sandals would cover me for the gloriously sunny days that were clearly ahead.

Then I had a look at the Met Office website. It occurred to me, you see, that my idea of average temperature and theirs may differ a little. And I was right. Alas the average summer temperature in the UK is 14.1C. Check it out for yourself on the Met Office summer forecast page

So time to re-jig my thinking a bit. I don’t fancy cold legs all summer long. Definitely don’t want to be in tights even if they are flesh/black/brightly coloured. I’m not certain about the leggings under a dress look. Partly because I’m not certain about the sort of shoes that go and partly because I’m just not sure about the look generally.

So jeans are back in worn under summer dresses. Shrug type cardigans are my new favourite thing for topping the dresses. I’ll have a handy big bag with me and if it get warm the jeans can come off.

Shoe wise I have decided that I no longer want wear shoes that carve my feet up and make them sore. So I’m putting shoes that hurt in the charity shop bag or shoe bin. I’ve bought a pair of wedge from Oxfam. These are not only comfortable but keep the hems of my jeans high enough off the ground that they don’t drag in puddles.

I like the idea of summer as much as anyone but one must be realistic about these things. Which makes me think – why are all the glossy magazines selling the fantasy of summer when they could be explaining how to wear skimpy summer wear when it’s 14C?

Fab Stuff Friday

So I missed TILT this week. Oh well, here's a Friday version instead.

Big bags of clothes and fabric – My very excellent and stylish grandmother has sent me another big bag of stuff including the most amazing 1960s kaftan in a green flora pattern and a (not 1960s) white button from top. Both are huge but with my trusty belt to define my waist they look great. Alas I now want some green wedges to go with the kaftan.

My new yoga teacher – My previous yoga teacher has retired but that’s alright because the new one is great. You just know when five minutes into a class you feel relaxed and in very safe hands that it’s going to be OK.

Tasty one liners! – I’m rather taken with Chef_Pete and his one line recipes. Follow him on Twitter or visit his blog. His recipes might not be vegan but they inspire.

Other stuff - Purple hose held up with elastic bands, remembering how to walk in high heels, anticipation of strawberries, family visits, taking shoe related action, green nail polish, belly dancing, a freezer full of delicious food.

My favourite shoes

These are my favourite shoes in the world. My sister bought them for me in 2006. She saw their glittery greenness on a shelf and knew that they were for me. They go with pretty much everything and liven up dull outfits. They always get attention. They are really comfortable. However all good things come to an end....

I could get away with them being a bit battered. But they now have a hole in them. I'm on a quest for (vegan) replacements, but I'm not hopeful. Can you manifest shoes just by concentration and belief?

What's in my lunchbox this week?

My strawberries are so close to being ready to harvest (jumps up and down with excitement and squeals with glee). I'm giving definite thought to some kind of (vegan) cream tea theme to my lunch box next week. In the meantime:

Clockwise from top right:

Radishes

Cucumber (and is it me or are there more cucumber being sold this year that aren't encased in plastic?)

Lightly steamed cauliflower - I got two from the market because they were cheap at the end of the day and let me tell you these are totally delicious. I'm thinking about these with a tiny smear of margarine the way I would normally think about mashed potatoes with loads of oil.

Nut loaf - I looked in the pantry and discovered I had several bags of nuts that needed finishing up. A quick consultation of Rose Elliot's Vegan Feast, a few minutes with a blender and a saucepan and this was in the oven. Topped with leftover mango chutney from a weekend curry.

Time for a shoe shuffle

These are my shoes. They are not even all of my shoes. These are my summer shoes. It has become quite clear that they need taking in hand. I've no idea why I have two pairs of trainers given that I only use them for walks. I have several pairs of very high heels that I am out of practice walking in. I've got flip flops that are worn and so thin that you may as well walk bare foot.

Hence I am going to sort my shoes out. I will find out where I can recycle shoes that are beyond wearing - I do not mean out of style but worn out. My favourite shoes do take a pounding and I am often reluctant to part with them. No more over the next few weeks I intend to get my shoe collection in order.

Things I Love Thursday

Sunny weekends - Last weekend was amazing and it felt like a total break from work. Lots of garden sitting, good times with friends and easy food. Hot weather means fewer clothes to worry about, washing loads that dry in no time and lunch in the park.

Sunglasses - I don't leave the house without mine even in winter. They are my favourite summer accessory. Even a very serious outfit can be made more fun with sunglasses. Instant glamour!

My summer clothes - I am always astounded by my summer wardrobe but I just cannot believe the stuff I have. Great items in good colours. I feel like a vintage queen.

Other stuff - Peanut butter and watercress sandwiches, figs, campbeds, browsing and not buying, requesting a vegan meal, stuff from Lush, wearing long skirts under dresses.

What's in my lunchbox this week?

It was lunch in the park yesterday and I thought the change of background more than made up for the slightly dodgy photo.

Clockwise from top right:

Little tub of soy sauce and wasabi and three dried Figs. These are Crazy Jacks brand and are huge. However they are delicious and are making me impatient for the strawberries on my allotment to be ready to eat.

Ted's Asian Asparagus - prepared according to the instructions in Vegan Lunch Box minus the dressing. I just pour any leftover soy sauce over it.

Sushi containing red pepper or brown lentils. I'm getting much better at making sushi. The trick with the rice is to use almost equal amount of rice and water and to the turn the water right down when it comes to the boil. Do not be tempted to add more water! Also don't overfill the rolls.

Salad of Gem lettuce, radishes, cucumber and red onions.

Outside the comfort zone

It’s only when we do something that challenges us and makes us uncomfortable that we realise how much of the time we wear a mask.

Last night I went to a belly dancing class for the first time in five years. I went along with a neighbour who I suspected (correctly!) to be an excellent dancer. It was a really good class with a lively teacher, but very intense. You suddenly find that you are trying to move your body in ways that you haven’t for years. You don’t just need to observe the instructor, replicate moves and be graceful. You are also meeting group of people for the first time .You are exposing yourself to humiliation. There is no brain capacity left to try and look poised. So instead you giggle like an idiot.

But as the class progressed I relaxed and rather than resisting tried to engage with the experience. I’ve no doubt I’ll humiliate myself again next week but I’m going back. And I’ve also no doubt that no one is the class was really looking at me because they were all too busy thinking about them. In a few weeks I won’t even be thinking about whether I look stupid to the other people in the group because I’ll be too busy thinking about dancing.

Doing things that scare you are good. It’s very easy to try to construct a persona and try to ensure that you do nothing that will expose any flaws. This is nonsense – life is unpredictable. You can’t stop change. You don’t have to like it but you will have to live with it one way or another. If you can live with it and laugh then you’re on your way. Queen of the Universe that you are at the centre of.

I remember reading somewhere that generally it’s better to do something than not. It doesn’t matter if you do it and end up feeling stupid and ‘failing’. Our brains tend towards the optimistic so you will find a way of finding something positive about the experience. If you don’t do something then all you can do is regret the lost opportunity because it might have turned out ok after all.

Join the evening class. Request a vegan meal. Cook something you’ve never tried before. At the very worse you’ll have a funny story to tell about the time you tried Salsa, or argued with a chef or burnt salad.

The ten outfit solution

Much as I love rediscovering all my summer clothes I find myself unable to make my mind up what to wear. I stand by the wardrobe filled with indecision. Should I wear this? Should I pair it with that? Should I save it for later in the week when the weather might be chillier? This is not good on weekdays when I (a) on a tight schedule with no time to day dream/experiment and (b) I’m not that great first thing in the morning so it’s easy to pick an outfit that just doesn’t work.

My solution is a list of ten outfits. I used to have a job with a very long commute and a fairly formal dress code. I had a set of five outfits that I rotated because it meant that I didn’t have to think in the morning. I just checked what day it was and pulled on the designated clothing. I’ve upped this to five outfits for a number of reasons.

Firstly my work is much more variable these days and I want enough different options to be able to accommodate various levels of meeting, contact with the public and days doing desk work. Secondly I don’t want to be worrying if I get behind on the washing. Ten outfits allows me two weeks of rotations including a few warming outfits should the Great British Summer turn out to be less warm than one might hope for. Finally I want some variety. I have some excellent clothes and I want to enjoy wearing them. I love the concept of a summer uniform but I’ve spent years doing that with linen skirts and fitted white t shirts.

Weekends I’m assuming that I’ll either have time to experiment with new combinations or I’ll fall on a default outfit of shorts and vest top.

Let’s see how the organisation of summer wardrobe works out and if it leads to a more organised and merrier me! Maybe I can get organised enought to photograph said outfits over the course of a few weeks.

the big wardrobe change

I had this afternoon blocked out to put my winter clothes away & get my summer stuff out. As always I was delighted to rediscover so many lovely items of clothing. I also believe that there clothes that have to be put away for a few years and others that you suddenly see potential that they just didn't have before.

I am truly horrified by how much stuff I have. I had this plan about trying tho be on and purchasing stuff to fill any gaps but there just cannot be gaps - I have too much.

Hence I will be wearing outfits I love to death this summer. In the hopes that I might wear some stuff out. Also I will be using long dresses and skirts as my cold weather/legs need defuzzing/can't be bothered default
. I'm fed up with trousers that wear out too fast.

Here's to a lovely summer and I finally figured out how to do text posts from my phone! More spontaneous posting lays ahead!

What's in my lunchbox this week?

A rather haphazard mix this week of combined sunday lunch leftovers and things knocking aorund the back of the cupboard.

From top right:

Aparagus - locally grown (not by me!) and baked for bit.

Cauliflower - The bits that wouldn't fit int he steamer when we were making lunch on Sunday

Rice spring roll wrappers filled with lentils mashed with various oils vinegars and spices, radishes, carrot, cucumber, white cabbage. I'm not very good at getting these to roll up. Contents were inspired by a recipe for vegan wraps from The Everyday Vegan. However I think the author had tortilla style wraps in mind, not brittle disks that need soaking and drying with a tea towel. This is the last of the packet I bought with a wheat avoiding friend in mind. I've no idea how I was intending to serve them to her but I probably won't bother - Life is too short to stuff a rice paper wrap.

Rhubarb crumble - Sweeter and runnier than I usually make it as it was served to our Sunday lunch guest. I realised that most people do not relsih the sour taste of rhubarb quite the same way as I do. I bought the rhubarb because my own plants have started to flowerand I still trying to work out if this is a good thing or not!

It’s that time again…

When I feel that my bloglist needs a bit of updating. I’ve got a habit of holding onto URLs for blogs that haven’t been updated for ages in the hopes that one day I’ll log on and there will be a new post. The thing is that there is no shortage of marvellous blogs on the Internet so there is no reason not to refresh and update my list regularly. I really must put a blogroll on my blog!

I’m biding farewell to Casey Paper Rock , another little blog, the healthy lunchbox , Flippantly vague musing of a quirky vegan, Made by Tess , and veganlunchcast .

New additions are Charade , Second hand shopper, empty-purse , aimee marie and sparkle and glitter. Most of these I’ve discovered via UK Lady Bloggers and am looking forward to meeting some of them in person at our meet up on 24th July.

In other news I’ve been busying refashioning, allotmenting and running the prettylittlehotel otherwise known as my home. Pictures soon – next week if not this one!

Things I Love Thursday

The summer is coming! – The weather is taking a turn for the warmer. I’ve made a date with myself for next Friday to change my clothes over and look over my summer wardrobe. Plants are growing. The prospect of lunch in the park and dinner in the garden is not far away.

Discovering the secret society of vegans have a shop in London http://www.secretsocietyofvegans.co.uk/central/index.php/

Lunch with friends at Baroosh – I get confused these days when there are more the two things on the menu that I can eat! No only was I delighted with the food but the company was nice and I could barely drag myself back to my desk after.

The weekend – I’m really looking forward to a few days when I don’t have to leap out of bed to go to work, do a training walk or do anything particular.

Other stuff - Bagels with vegan cream cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, the concept of creative energy seeking a medium, Vodka and tonic, sleep, daisy covered lawns, Milky bar soap, a diminished sewing pile, sisters, Soya Latte from Starbucks.

What's in my lunchbox this week?

I seem to be cooking far too much food then my lunchbox needs at present. I think I'll have to look at freezing some of it for days when I don't have so much time.

From top right:

Spinach (from my allotment) and radishes

Watercress toppped with roasted aspargus

Pesto and mushroom tart

Rosewater rice pudding

Who says that vegans don't eat interesting food?

I owe it all to my sister and my iPod

Saturday night and the first half a dozen hours of Sunday morning I was walking around London in a decorated bra completing a marathon. I made it round in about 6 hours and 40 minutes.

I was rather pleased with this. this is the fourth time I've done the Moonwalk and I've tried to learn from my experience each time. I really worked hard at my training. I stayed sober on Friday nights and got up early to train on Saturdays. I planned routes, kept going when it rained and braved dozens of scary dogs who wanted to chase me.

Two things really got me through though. One was my sister. She's so much more athletic than I am but she stayed with me and made me keep going and keep the pace up even when I could have slowed. She made me eat sugar when I crashed after finishing.

The other was my iPod. I always find the last four miles really hard, slow and painful. I made a play list of upbeat rock to get em through this and it worked. As Motley Crue's Piece of your action flooded my brain I speeded up and was able to ignore the little aches and pains until they went away.

I would like to publicly declare that I will never be doing such an event again. Four times is plenty. There are lots of new things I could be trying rather than putting myself through this again. I'm looking forward to having Saturdays back for sewing and being creative. I'm also liking the thought of not having to work out what I'm wearing two days in advance so that I can take the clothes to work.

This feels like a new lease of life.

Ready to moonwalk all night

Things I Love Thursday

My training for the Moonwalk being all done – I did my last training walk this morning and I’m so looking forward to not having to find time to do it. It’s not just the time it takes to train; it’s the making sure I have a change of clothes a t work, getting to bed early and sober so that I can get up and walk , avoiding wearing heels in case I sprain an ankle. The impact on my appearance has been much less noticeable this time round which probably means I was in pretty good shape to start with.

New books and music – I’m having one of those weeks where I keep spotting new stuff that I want to read or listen to. This is good as I’m planning a very chilled out Sunday afternoon and a week of early nights to follow that.

Massages – I really enjoyed my back massage last week. I’ve booked another for next week. I’ve also managed to get a free acupuncture session. This is the start hopefully of me being nice to myself and not overdoing things constantly!

Other stuff: sleep, water, green tea, reading blogs and feeling inspired, desk clearouts, making progress, being connected, shopping on Etsy.

Musings

I want the Moonwalk to be over and done.

I want this because I have an urge to be creative, to make stuff, to write, to sew, to organise, to clear out. I don’t feel that I can focus on doing any of this because I’m terrified that I’ll (a) exhaust myself before the big night, (b) drop a box on my foot or similar and (c) I need to do Moonwalk related stuff like decide which snacks to take, organise transport, decorate bra, create play list for last few miles and so on.

My hairs needs more henna. It’s just a little too warm for leggings but not nearly hot enough for bare legs. Lacey patterned tights seem to be the answer but they seem to get holes really easily. Holey tights are part of my look sometimes. I do love outfit details that suddenly seem to startle. Like a perfect 1950s housewife look with a huge spider necklace. Can you buy fair trade, vegan, organic tights?

I’ve realised that my endless quest to discover my style is actually just that endless. People change all the time even if it’s just in very small ways and that includes me. Consequently what my style is will always be changing. I should embrace that change and not worry when my daily outfit choices revolve around half a dozen garments for a week or two.

I’ve been listening to The Red Hot Chili Peppers because just about every bass related thing I’ve read recently talks about what a big influence Flea was on them. One of the things I liked about Dear Heart when we were first dating was that he seemed to be the only person I knew who didn’t get the RHCP and couldn’t figure what all the fuss was about.

Photocopiers are really interesting things. I love all the hidden doors that one only discovers when the paper feed jams.

I’ve rather enjoyed rambling like this. I don’t know what any potential readers will make of it? Maybe the signifiers slide enough for them to muse as well.

What's in my lunchbox this week?

From top right:

Baked tofu (marianted in a mix of soy sauce, nutritional yeast flakes and agave syrup).

Baked Asparagus (slightly over cooked but still very good indeed)

Salad of cos lettuce, watercress, spinach (home grown!) and radishes

Quinoa dressed with olive oil, raspberry vinegar and salt/pepper.

I love it when the season foods on offer begin to expand. I'm really looking forward to the first strawberries. The plants on my allotment are all flowering at present so I'm hoping for a really good crop this year.

Like writing a diary

I’ve been keeping a diary in some form of another since 1988. Most of them are stored in a printed diary for the year but I have some collections of entries that are written on pages ripped from other books (usually when I was somewhere and I forgot to take my diary with me).

For a big chunk of the last twenty years there is actually an entry for every single day. Sometimes more than one entry as I also have a few diaries where I’ve written random entries in addition to my regular entry. Generally speaking this was when I had issues that needed more space or privacy than I felt my diary gave them.

The diaries are punctuated with ticket stubs, deflated balloons, pressed flowers and other bits of ephemera.

I have entries written when I had glandular fever (I complain of being tired in every entry for the six months proceeding). Entries written while drunk (in one I’ve written every word twice). Entries where I wonder why I wasted so much time worrying about the trivial.

The entries that I find hardest to write are the days when something really exciting happens. A concert. A party. A big trip. A diary writer gets so much more practice examining the tiny details of daily routine and extracting pleasure from them that it’s had to find a way to express something bigger.

And similarly in this vein I write more when my life is stable. So during big chunks of my university years and the years following there are months with either no entries or just a few words here and there. These were probably some of the more interesting (although not always in a good way) times in my life. I was too busy experiencing life to write about it.

Likewise when my life seems to be running quite smoothly and I am not ridiculously busy I write four or five blog entries each week. I examine small daily details. Try to work out the best way to do routine tasks. I get hung up on what to wear or eat. I dramatise where it’s unnecessary. So when my hairdresser and I got mixed up over dates a few weeks ago (I arrived at her house for an appointment and it was all locked up) this would have become an entire post. Probably ending with some soul searching about hair and identity. Instead I was busy rushing off to make use of the spare time and move my job list along.

My blog is for public consumption. My diary for my memories. I’m always impressed when politicians publish their diaries which recount in details crisis after crisis. How do they find the time to run the country and keep a diary? I might not be cut out to be politicians but I enjoy blogging because I enjoy writing and just like the diary it’s written for me first, other readers second or never.

Things I Love Thursday

Feeling less stressed – I’ve had a very busy few weeks with lots of deadlines, 48 hours giving a presentation in Germany and the pilot of a new project launching this weekend. This in addition to Moonwalk training and keeping up with my allotment. I’ve been getting by on adrenaline, not sleeping and suffering from Eczema. Therefore it is such a pleasure to feel that I am half way through this time and am coming out the other side. I’m sleeping better, enjoying food and other small pleasures and my Eczema is vanishing.

Sewing Inspiration – I’m getting all inspired for a bout of sewing. I’ve had a semi deconstructed pair of trousers sitting on Rosie (my dress making dummy) for weeks now just waiting for me to get it together with the muse. I suddenly feel full of inspiration and energy.

I've got to try this - And at your next party when someone asks you what you do, lower your voice and say "I can't divulge any details but I help preserve the integrity of civilisation."


Don't knwo if I'll manage to try this but I like the idea -Inspiration for what to wear every day in May http://fabfindsunder50.blogspot.com/2009/05/inspiration-for-may.html


Other stuff: Prospect of a back massage, produce from my allotment, accepting loss as Zen/exchange/necessary sacrifice, new socks, Jack Daniels on the rocks, biographies, green glass beads.

Remember Life is Beautiful

What's in my lunchbox this week?

I've been very busy of late. Hence the lack of blog posts. One of the more pleasing side effects of extreme occupation is that I don't plan every detail of life in an obsessive manner. So I open the fridge and find food that I bought and forgot about or ran out of time to do something with. the unexpected half cauliflower at the bottom of the fridge combined with an unexpected BBQ forcing me to remember dishes I haven't made for ages has made for a packed box this week.

Clockwise from top right:

Cos lettuce (new season) and roasted Asparagus (new season)

Boiled potatoes (from the allotment)

Easy Cauliflower dahl from a Linda McCartnery book. The spinach just keeps on coming so I threw a couple of huge handfuls into the lentils towards the end of cooking.

Buckwheat with Marinated mushrooms. The mushroom recipe is another Linda McCartney one and tastes so good BBQed. It's not bad made in the oven either.

What's in my lunch box this week?

Another round of spinach and Purple sprouting brocolli!

Clockwise from top right:

Spinach ( from the allotment) lightly steamed and then served with a splash of raspberry vinegar

Tempting Tempeh sticks - recipe from Cooking with PETA

Steamed cauliflower - served with salt, pepper, nutritional yeast and pure margarine

Pasta and lightly boiled BSP with vinegarette and nutritional yeast.

I can't believe how healthy this is and how filling! Usually I crave a snack mid afternoon so either I'm to busy to be hungry or too full.

Things I love Thursday

My work load shrinking (or at least thinking about slimming) – It’s been a bit like playing Tetris for the past few weeks – a line disappears and a load of new shapes appear at the top of the screen to be dealt with.

Happy hippy shower gel – There is nothing like the smell of fresh grapefruit to wake you up first thing in the morning.

Free food – Produce has stated appearing on my allotment. As it’s all stuff that I planted this year I’m assuming this is an example of ‘over wintering’.

Warm weather – It’s been very nice to be able to go out without a huge coat (or any coat) and dream about the summer to come.

Other stuff: chocolate with chillies consumed while drinking red wine, deli boards, not being too lazy to straighten my hair, Five, the enduring power and endless adaptability of the LBD.

What's in my lunchbox this week?

From top left:

Crazy Jacks dried figs and apricots

Steamed purple spuriting brocolli - totally delicious and grown on my allotment!

Fridge mix pastie - Odds and ends from the fridge (couple of spoonfuls of potato salad, couple of spoonfuls of lime lentils, cooked Basimati rice), cooked spinach (from the allotment), nutritional yeast and dried chillis all wrapped up in puff pastry.

Steamed potatos - more allotment goodies served with a tiny blob of margarine.

Hopefully the Rhubarb will have come on enought this week for me to enjoy some in my lunch next week.

What I wore 27th March - 2nd April 2009

This week I've actually included some photographs in the hopes that you'll have some idea what I'm talking about. this has made me realise (a) I look really odd in most of my clothes, (b) I look better in more fitted clothes, (c) my photographic technique has improved over the week (Dear Heart took Thursday's photo) and (d) it would have been a really idea to start this last Friday rather then Sunday.

Here we go:

Friday - no picture
Men's jeans, black ‘crowning your beautiful life’ t-shirt, grey shrug, Black velvet jacket, multicoloured scarf, brown boots, black and green necklace, sequined beret.

Saturday - No picture
Exercise clothes
Old jeans, grey ribbed jumper.
Black hooded dress, black leggings.

Sunday - lots of pictures as I tried to find a good angle
Allotment clothes
Black Lame leggings, grey pillowcase top, grey shrug, Black buckle boots, silver shark/tiger tooth necklace.

Monday
Black leggings, grey wrap dress, turquoise vest, brown boots.

Tuesday
Exercise clothes
White vest, pattern green wrap dress, black brown boots.

Wednesday
Black tights, grey dress, big brown belt, brown boots, green and black necklace.

This is the dress that used to be a pair of trousers.

Thursday
Exercise clothes
Men's jeans, refashioned blue and gold ‘guild of radical militant librarians’ t-shirt, green velvet jacket, spider necklace, brown buckle boots.

Things I Love Thursday

Flowers- I love seeing the evidence of new life. Blossom on the trees, primroses at the side of the path and daisies and dandelions sprinkled across patches of grass. I bought six bunches of daffodils last week and put them in jar jars around the house. They have all opened and smell so delicious.

Chilli sauce – Just about everything tastes better with a splash of chilli and I totally adore the sauce I got last week at the Vitality show.

Being busy – I feel like I’ve got so much on at present and I want to be grateful that I have such a full life rather then grumbling that my life is boring or that I have no time. Afterall – time to do what?


Other stuff: staying on track with training, Tempeh, fried mushroom sandwiches, resisting the urge to buy more unnecessary stuff and feeling the craving go away, learning about tempo, the truth is a lemon meringue

What's in my lunchbox this week?

So what have I got this week?

Clockwise from top right:

Stewed Rhubarb - I did this in the microwave which was very easy. However there was quite a bit of liquid so I added a sample of Jordan's muesli that I had lying around that just so happened to be vegan. Very yummy and a change from pears!

Tempeh and dried apricots - I love Tempeh and had to resist eating the whole packet in one go. It's so good when it's fried. The dried apricots are the last of a bag from the stall on the market. I've got Crazy Jacks Apricots that I got at the Vitality show to move on to after these and they look totally different.

Carrots and hummus - Dear Heart and I popped into the Co-op on Sunday to buy something random and I noticed that there was a reduced pot of hummus so it came home with us to add a little something to my lunchbox.

Italian Style rice - A veganised version of a recipe from Lunchbox by Amanda Grant. It tasted a bit bland so I added some chili sauce. It reheats very well.

I seem to have been filling up the freezer a bit over the past few weeks so I'm definitely thinking that next weeks menu needs to clear things out a bit. Breakfast wise this week I've been eating leftovers (I just love it when the fridge has all kind of odds and ends in it) - Lemon spinach sandwiches, baked beans. I'm not finding that I have such a need for afternoon snacks so I guess that my body has adjusted to all the extra exercise.

Incidentally if you need inspiration to eat nice, healthy food, first lose your appetite by visiting this is why you're fat and then recover it by heading over to this is why you're thin!

The Vitality Show 2009

This was my fourth or fifth time at the Vitality show. I find it hard to believe that it’s been going for ten years. But then I find some of the stalls hard to reconcile with the show’s slogan about taking care of the girls. However once again despite not buying much (some wine, dairy free chocolate, chili sauce and dried fruit) I came away with loads of heavy bags.

Good stuff:

*A fun day out with a couple of buddies. This has become something of a tradition for us.
*New venue was slightly easier to get to and apparently we could have visited the Ideal Home show as well (but didn’t discover this until too late to really be bothered with it).
*Good programme of workshops and talks – Deciding in advance some of the talks we wanted to go to helped to give our day some structure. Facial yoga was good fun and the Burlesque taster was fabulous.
*Much less 'let me read your angel card and predict your fabulous spirit guided future' than in previous years. There is a place for having your aura read I’m sure but I don’t think this is it.
*The Vitamix demonstration – When my current stuff dies I want one of these because it does everything and lasts a lifetime (or twenty odd years in any case).
*The Highways Agency stand – offering you the chance to play with card, glue and snippets of pretty things and think about how you’d spend your time if you weren’t caught in traffic. Basically they were promoting the travel information services they offer. I usually get my traffic updates from the BBC but I’d much rather get them from the horses mouth.
*Black Tower sparkling wine in little cans – Perfect for picnics.
*Mr Singh’s Chilli sauce – like a hot salsa, how could I resist?

Less then impressed by:
*The talk on de-ageing your wardrobe – We left it very early on as we just couldn’t stand all the celebrity name dropping and less then original/inspiring content. Plus I’m never going to give my full attention to a presenter who opens with the line “Hello, girlie girls.”
*Not enough massage treatments – we ended up going to Ibiza Angels who were actually very good but we spent time trying to check out alternatives too (rather difficult when there aren’t any!).
*People with wheelie suitcases – What do they have in them? Why don’t they check them into the cloakroom?
*No healthy lunch options – we took our own packed in laptop lunch containers. I’m so glad we did because the food on offer seemed to be all sausages and greasy Panini.
*The Philadelphia sponsored cooking demos – you were just waiting for the chef to add a certain cream cheese to the ingredients.

Other things to worry about:

*No Colour me beautiful, Lush or Redwood foods.

*Skin breaking out after. Obviously my complexion is usually flawless. Was this bought on by facial yoga?

* Do people actually need showers that change colour?

My approach to next year: Plan in advance which talks to attend. Wear solid shoes to avoid being run over by wheelie suitcases. Pack healthy lunch. Consider booking massage closer to home for day after.

What I wore 21st - 27th March 2009

I am definitely starting to feel a little warm in my layered winter outfits. However I am not rash enough to head out into uncertain spring weather wearing a light coat and high heeled sandals.

I may shed a layer or two. Swap leggings for tights. I’m already leaving my hat at home and if I didn’t wear scarves partly as an accent they would be staying in the box some days too.

I think my spring wardrobe will be revolving heavily around grey dresses, belted things and short skirts.

Also working on at least one photo to go with this post each week...

Friday
Grey v neck tshirt, woven belt, short black skirt, green velvet jacket, patterned tights, lace up black boots.

Saturday
Exercise clothes
Old jeans, olive green ribbed t-shirt.
Black and white skirt, black and white top, sheer tights, black ankle boots (Fancy dress party).

Sunday
Allotment clothes
Red and black dress, black slip, black tights, woven belt, black mary jane shoes.

Monday
Black leggings, green velvet jacket, grey dress, chunky brown belt, brown boots.

Tuesday
Exercise clothes
Mens jeans, turquoise vest, grey wrap cardigan, brown boots.

Wednesday
Black leggings, black vest, emerald green knitted dress, black buckle boots, green and black necklace.

Thursday
Grey knitted dress, turquoise vest, black leggings, brown buckle boots.

Things I Love Thursday

I've used logos from Icing in the past since it's the home of tilt. However today I am inspired by Vixel at Sparkle and Glitter and have created my own image in Paint! Feel stupidly proud of myself and fear this may spark an entire rush of logo madness only inhibited by my drawing skills.

Girlie days out - I'm off to Vitality Show with some and looking forward to it. The classes, demos and talks look particularly good and I'll be finishing it off the day with a glass of champagne.

Meals for free - well almost. Deart Heart and I have been really good at using up leftovers this week. Cottage pie type thing on Tuesday night using up leftovers from Sunday lunch and Pasta last night using up the last of the sweetcorn soup we had for dinner on Sunday/Monday night. Tonight we're making French bread pizzas using some of the baguette that appeared in our kitchen after the party we went to last weekend.

Lara bars - the market near to where I work has started selling these again. They are so good!

Charity shops - Last week I went hunting in charity shops for belts and a Mod outfit. I picked up a black and white skirt and top which I did a few temporary alterations to for my costume. I was able to pick the stitching out the next day, give the top to Dear Heart's Mum and set the skirt aside for the next choose2reuse Tuesday. I got two terrific belts both of which I have worn several times already. What a difference they make to an outfit!

Other stuff: new blogs, grey dresses, water, good reads that you didn't expect, not worrying, trips for work, being inspired, spinach, being able to wear sunglasses, really good sleep.