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.