Things I love Thursday

• My new spectacles – great service from Braintree Specsavers, especially Julie. I've never enjoyed choosing glasses so much.
• Getting ready for The Paper Dolls to appear at the Fling – 59 and a half minutes of burlesque here we come.
• Fabulous produce from my allotment – strawberries, rocket, spinach, and oregano.
• Nettle and Plantain tea – still loving the taste and think it is helping with my hayfever.
• Mexican millet – another amazing recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Veganomicon.
• Reading in the sunshine – something I need to do more of (sunshine permitting).
• Being complimented - on my speed and efficiency at tyre pressure checks by another driver!
• Dark shadows - I found time to watch a little TV and this was a most amusing take on vampires (and it featured Alice Cooper).

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Things I love Friday

• Vegan Churros – for being vegan and delicious
• People watching in London - for inspiration and intrigue.
• Vx – for being an amazing purveyor of good vegan things.
• The unexpected – because life is more fun when it's not predictablem
• Mel for Forever21 in the USA – because they have a green pair
• Being comfortable with the way I look – Let time worrying is more time to have fun
• Exciting burlesque projects coming together – next stop the Fling
• Risotto balls – I refer you to my well documented love of leftovers

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Things I Love Thursday

Warm weather – rediscovering my summer clothes – lots of lovely new blogs to read – water with lemons and mint – taking the bus so I can read and enjoy the scenery – lunch in the park – Adding handfuls of home grown rocket and spinach to my meals – Getting grips with G+ and enjoying some interesting discussions on honey – ridiculous new green shoes (see photo) – eBay (perfect place for purchasing shoes) – completing job list items – tending my allotment - playing bass and getting excited about how good my band sounds

 

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Things I Love Thursday

It's tofu - in case you were wondering

• Pulling the right thread for a jumper to unravel – because it’s more fun than endless unpicking
• Progress on goals with Club 20 – tofu making, knitting socks, decluttering for cash – find out more at www.changeyourlifeon20weeks.wordpress.com
• Amazing vegan food - because between Krazy Korean lunch club, Vegfest, my own cooking, and supplies from Vx I have one happy belly
• Time with friends - self explanatory but no less wonderful
• Sunshine – it’s a novelty
• Decluttering – less stuff, more space
• Playing with my band - we're sounding really tight and it's fun
• Using a Pomodoro timer online http://e.ggtimer.com/pomodoro – great for getting me to stop procrastinating and get started on stuff
• Green glittery shoes - I’ve yet to find an outfit they don’t go with
• Asparagus and potato soup the recipe for this in VWAV is amazing nad extra yummy made with Jersey Royals
• Green mascara - because I never realised it could look so good

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Things I love Thursday - into autumn

Button heart

I honestly thought that I'd feel really relaxed and that life would be so simple once my big day (craft fayre followed by cabaret night). Instead all the other things in my life have expanded to feel the gap. Add in the rain, tension headaches and lowering light levels and its only now I feel like my mojo is back and that I'm embracing autumn.

• Being cosy inside while it rains
• Burlesque - I love the exercise, the opportunity to pull faces and the fantastic people I've become friends with as a result of attending class.
• Becoming a small business person - Inkdrops boxes opens for business next week
• Cooking for the week ahead - it was great to try new recipes, revisit old favourites and know that I didn't have to worry about what I wa going to eat each day.
• O2 staff - I was thrilled with the service I got in an O2 store tis week (not least because I've had terrible service in the past). So it was doubly nice to have someone who took on lard the issue, solved it and had me leaving with a smile on my face.

Right back to relearning a burlesque routine I need to perform tomorrow. Having changed my mind on my intention to never perform this one I'm regretng that I didn't include it in my regular practice schedule.

 

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Things I Love Thursday - moo cards, potholes and Ryvita

Making me gleeful this week

• My new business cards from Moo
• Potholes getting filled in
• Ryvita with vegan mushroom pate and veggies
• Realising how destructive jealousy can be and turning it into something more positive
• Devouring The real mad men by Andrew Crackell
• Making better use of technology to be productive and stay in touch
• Finding inspiration
• Having an excuse to do lots of sewing
• Fresh home grown strawberries

Things I love Thursday -friends and fabric

It's not been a very jolly week so it seemed even more vital that I take some time out on a Thursday evening to celebrate the things in my life that are good.

• Memories of sunny days without worries
• Lovely evenings at Mimi's eating, drinking tea and chatting before dashing to Burlesque class
  

• This glorious under bust corset in my favourite colour
  
• Making plans with friends
• Green dresses, especially my new lace one
• A belt that goes with everything
• Hours of patchwork creation
• A floor coveted with fabric scraps
• A pin board covered with sewing ideas
• Getting inspiration from Mollie Makes magazine -almost tempted into a subscription but happily I can't decide between print and virtual
• Cheery emails from chums
• booking tickets to see Alice Cooper in October
• crafting plans for the weekend

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.

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

 

Things I Love Thursday - work, blog, declutter

My job - I am blessed to do work I enjoy with fab colleagues that I hope makes a difference to the world. I enjoyed Easter at home but felt perfectly happy to go back to work on Tuesday.

Finding new blogs - I love finding new blogs to read. They satisfy my craving for information, inspire me and sometimes make me glad to be alive! My new favourite is Conversation Pieces which I stumbled upon following a link from A Domino Effect about an Aero tray bake (more on that and my vegan version next week hopefully).

Decluttering - the DVD and video cupboard in the corner of the front room got tackled on Easter Sunday and once again I am amazed at how much better a space looks when there is nothing excessive in it.

Other stuff - potato planting on Easter Sunday, vegan Easter eggs, choosing a burlesque name, early Christmas gift inspiration, Sudoku, Working through my sewing pile, The Walking Dead, green nail varnish

Things I Love Thursday - mystery parcels and packets of hope

I'm not certain I'd include brown paper packages tied up with string in a list of my favourite things. Probably because the possibility of receiving them seems so slight. Grey plastic packages another matter and I was thrilled to arrive home and find one waiting for me on Wednesday night. Even more exciting were the contents. My mum have knitted me a scarf and gauntlets in my favourite colours just because. I love these. They look great, are so warm and will make thing of my mum everytime I wear them.

Packets of hope! Spring is on way! I popped out to look at seeds and couldn't resist buying loads. I'm so excited about planting them and thinking about the amazing produce.

Other stuff *hot water bottles *sunny days *excuses to buy a green top hat *embracing unpredictability *letting go

 

Things I Love Thursday - awesome food, bad science and little and often

Amazing food - yesterday I had a meeting in London and took the opportunity to visit Planet Organic, Whole Foods and Chinatown. Then filled with inspiration I had dinner at Moaz. Result? I just want to buy stacks of fresh fruit and vegetables and cook up amazing things.

Little and often - despite various hectic, unavoidable activities going on in my life I'm applying the little and often principle where I can.

Bad Science - Ben Goldacre's book has really made me look at things in a different way. Previously I'd read various websites with health and nutrition advice and then been slightly surprised when they would suddenly come out with some wacky suggestion. On reflection I can see that I should have seen the warming signs and checked the reliability of the information.

Other stuff - *what I earn, I deserve *the smell of spring in the air *50% sales in vintage stores *cups of tea *Plans for relaxation

 

Things I Love Thursday - LVD and the grace of nature

Once again the awesome London Vegan Drinks has pushed back Things I Love Thursday to become Things I Love Friday. And once again I'm feeling totally inspired by the food at Tibits pictured above. I've got to scour the veg stalls for kale and find out how they make their roasted veg taste so amazing.

 

And isn't nature just amazing and, quoting Ben Goldacre, graceful. I took this photo of ice crystals while I was out walking last weekend. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this. A flat surface of snow with crystals on top. It was almost like moss.

Other stuff - *afternoon naps *cat stroking while blogging *codecademy *looking at hotels in Rome *thermal underwear *green lace gloves

Things I Love Thursday - tea, snow and optimism

•  I've always liked a cup of tea. Best served very hot with no milk or sugar and in a decent sized mug. However it did take me by surprise on Friday night when I opted for tea instead of wine! Maybe I'm turning into a proper adult...
  
• Snow - ok I don't like the uncertainty with snow (will it still be heavy in the morning? Will I be able to get to work?) but a snowfall on Saturday night was just perfect to have an excuse for a Sunday pottering around the house and getting the most out of my thermal underwear.
• More layers - I've spent years building up a great winter wardrobe with plenty of garments suitable for layering. The mild winter thus far had mean so many garments were lingering in wardrobe because it just wasn't cold enough for them. Happily the drop in temperature of late means that I can make use of some items I really love wearing. How's that for finding the glass half full?

Other stuff - *buying vegetables from markets *sewing *vegan pizza *routine *face pack Friday *codecademy *Making plans *staying on top

 

Things I Love Thursday - losing track of time, hand made and hand massage

Things I Love Thursday - simplified, yoga in ten and office love