Things I Love Thursday - food, food and green things

Life is very satisfying right now. I feel like I've got the balance of stuff going on in my life right. I'm busy as ever with loads going on but feel enthusiastic about all of it and have stopped worrying that I need to relax or should be doing other more important things. From the photos below it may suggest that food plays a rather large role in this!

So this week I love:

Days off indulging in hobbies, domestic activities and delicious meals

Days at work doing things I believe in, avoiding the rain and stopping for lunch

Evenings talking with friends, doing burlesque and making meals in mugs

Other good stuff: green things, being an auntie, patchwork, mugs of tea, plans for Cybher, performing, Melissa shoes.

My weekend - Jubilee, patchwork and ladies of leisure

Who doesn't love the prospect of 4 days off work? The buzz surrounding the Jubilee has made it almost like having a second Christmas this year. Shoppers in the town centre on Friday were buying as if their lives depended on it. I've been getting a kick out of seeing red,white and blue decorations everywhere and have decided that bunting is the new tinsel.

It's particularly lovely to have 4 days to do my usual weekend stuff in. Particularly as I have suddenly become inspired by creating squares of patchwork using my sewing machine. It's still towards the crazy end. Let's face it I'm never going to be the quilting type who buys specific fabric and uses a rotary cutter for precision. However I was inspired by a blog post I read (can't recall where so let me know if you recognise it) where some made a patchwork quilt for their dad in blues because he likes the sea.

This far I'm liking the way different colours and textures sit together and how it allows me to use up bits of fabric too small for anything really useful. My piece has actually grown rather substantially since I took this photo.

Sunday I partook of some vegan Jubilee themed baking. I still can't seem to get buttercream icing to set when I use Pure margarine so had to resort to a ring of blue icing to keep the out of control buttercream in place.

Then I spend several delightful hours being worn out by my niece while her parents went to watch Jubilee celebrations on the Thames get soaked to the skin while attempting to enjoy themselves. I really don't know how parents and carers keep it up day after day. I actually took a book with me in case I had some spare time! I took home a lovely thank you from my niece (now displayed over my bass amp next to a picture of Nikki Sixx) and slept soundly.

 

Today I've been allotmenting, spending hours enjoying the calm state that patchwork brings and making a stick from the garden glittery. I'm taking part in a Jubilee show tomorrow with my burlesque troupe and one routine requires a hat and cane.

 

It's being busy great! Maybe the secret to a long and happy reign life is to keep busy or as my late grandmother would have put it - 'I wasn't meant to be a lady of leisure'. My cat would clearly disagree.

 

What's in my lunchbox this week? Experimentation

I seem to have all minds of odd things in my lunch this week. Most are experimental variations on things I've enjoyed but don't actually have the ingredients in hand to make. The spread I made to go on Ryvita with slices of radish is a kind of take on guacamole. The avocado was rock hard but decaying. The vitamix had the dregs of lemon purée. So I mixed the two with some soya milk, oil and linseed. It tastes ok actually although makes me crave cucumber for some reason.

Anyway here's the rest of the food.

Clockwise from top right:

• Buckwheat
• Almond and Lemon cake with Kiwi fruit. This was my attempt to veganise a cake made from blended lemons, sugar, almond and eggs. It came out a bit more pudding like than I intended plus it took ages to cook. Tastes good though.
• Steamed Jersey Royal potatoes with home made vegan mayo.
• Chopped home grown Spinach and Rocket - I really love my greens - and home made setian sausage - flavoured with rather a lot of celery seasoning.

 

My weekend - time off

I was so looking forward to the long weekend and so determined to relax and recharge. By Friday evening I was, as usual, tired and about to start planning what I could catch up on. Instead I decided I would do as little as possible except for a Burlesque class on Sunday. I certainly wasn't going to write a long list of tasks.

So I cancelled my usual Saturday morning walk, reminded myself that there was no rush and that I could sit and read or take a nap anytime I wanted. The result was a lot of cooking, 2 afternoon naps and a feeling that I need a week off! I enjoy my bass and burlesque practice so much more when I'm not rushing onto the next task.

Weekend antics:

Friday - giant vegan burger (burger, mayo, onion, faux turkey, faux cheese, ketchup) and curly fries followed by viewing the original Fright Night.

Saturday - made Fresh pasta (enough to feed 2 and fill my storage jar), took a 3 hour nap, picked up loads of new books from the library, cleaned teapot (it now pours beautifully again). Re-organised shoe storage (they are now in vintage trunks rather than on racks)

Sunday - an hour at the allotment making a new lid for my composter from an old air bed. Burlesque class with fridge cake and a flask of tea. Very late lunch of bagels, faux cream cheese and Buck's Fizz (left over from NYE and only 3 units of alcohol in a bottle). Looked at fabric storage on Pinterest (my fabric stash needs to go somewhere now shoes are in vintage trunks).

Monday - lots of tiny and satisfying tasks completed. A return to codecademy after a break. Afternoon nap. Experimentation with mashed potato and a George Foreman grill (results: inconclusive).

 

What's in my lunchbox this week? Cold and wet v hot and spicy

The cold, rainy weather and a visit to The Farm Shop (slightly more convenient for work than the market but less selection) inspired my lunch this week. Based on a recipe from La Dolce Vegan it's a mix of onions, cauliflower, lentils, garlic, chilli and ginger. Awesomely warming and perfect with a chunk of bread and a magazine full of bright, sunny locations.

My weekend -the promise

A promise is a promise. So when my sister asked me years ago if I'd go to see NKOTB with her if hey ever reformed I gave my word right way. After all it was a kind of calculated risk. The chances of NKOTB reforming seemed highly unlikely. How was I to know it wouldn't happen just once but twice.

 

Which was how I found myself at the O2 watching NKOTB and the Back Street Boys (who I'd always thought were from the UK). To be honest I had a much better time than expected. My Mum came along too. So I got to enjoy family time and see how retirement was suiting my Dad (clearly good - he looked chilled and arty). I enjoyed Thai food, some red wine and tried to look on the show as some kind of musical. Plus I had the amusement of popping to the toilets midway through the show to find them deserted apart from two blokes trying to get a plunger to work.

My sister was clearly really happy (particularly when Danny came into the audience near us).

Sunday morning was an opportunity for more family time with my niece. She was sleepy and grumpy to start with (must run in the family) but a little nap later and she was her usual cheeky, chirpy self.

A drive home in torrential rain later an it was the perfect day to spend in pyjamas with my sewing machine.

Weekend antics *cauliflower and lentil soup *lots of burlesque practice * showing off my Rome photos *an early night *tofu scramble and potato waffles *plotting trips to Somerset

 

Things I love Thursday - shoes, robes and being alive

 

It's been another busy and tiring week where I will insist in trying to do far too many things at once. But it's good to be alive so what's making my life worth living this week.

High heels *spinach *rice and vegetable combinations *sleeping deeply *driving *dancing on a daily basis * wondering if I might be 'worth it' *kitchen blackboards and menu planning

*ticking stuff off my job list *Band of Skulls *tackling multistorey car parks *dressing robes with burlesque names *taking the kitchen scissors to my hair when the hairdresser failed to please *homemade pasta *time with friends