My love of London

I've been struggling to find something to write about in recent months, I apologise for the silence. Nothing of huge significance has caused this, I have just had my mind on other things. I am intending to be more vocal, hopefully I'll find some inspiration in the coming weeks!

But I thought I'd write today in light of the attack on London yesterday afternoon. 

London has long been one of my favourite places. I live not too far away, and consider myself incredibly lucky as a result. I worked there for a brief period, have been visiting the theatre district for years, and have indulged in many of the wondrous activities on offer there. It, like everywhere else, is not perfect. London has its problems. But it is a diverse, living, breathing organism, full of life and vitality. It has opportunity, history, colour, sound, activity, a pulse. It is a place of inclusion and experimentation. London doesn't just belong to those who inhabit it, but shares itself with the world, inviting all to participate in its vivacity. 

Yesterday was a dark day in the city. But in amongst the tragedy, there have been shining examples of why this city is so bloody brilliant. From the bystanders dropping to their knees to assist the injured, the bravery and sacrifice of PC Palmer, and Tobias Ellwood, the MP who, without concern for his own safety, ran to his aid, to the hundreds of emergency service workers at the scene, putting themselves in harm's way to protect citizens and tourists alike. The school children trapped in Parliament who sang songs to keep everyone's spirits up. The overwhelming response for public support in piecing together what happened. These actions deserve to be recognised and remembered. We owe a great deal of thanks to those commissioned with protecting civilians. 

Those that choose to attack western cities, those that choose to kidnap young women in Africa, those who torture, maim and kill in the middle east, are weak. They seek to terrorise but only succeed in drawing us ever closer together. By trying to cause division, they achieve only in inflaming our spirit. They cause damage, yes, but they remind us why we must rally, must never give in to fear and must continue our way of living.

Today a vitriolic bottom feeder called Katie Hopkins announced to Fox News and the American public that British citizens are cowed and fearful, that we are divided. To that, I say 'Bollocks'. She does not speak for us, and her particular brand of spiteful bile is reviled by a majority of us here. I ask that you do not take her at her word. We are sad, we are angry, we are incensed. We are going about our day-to-day lives as normal. 

I'll be heading into the city this weekend and I will go with the same enthusiasm as always. I'll think of those whose lives have been so drastically altered this week. And I'll go about my day normally, in their honour. 

Autumn's arrival

At last it's here. Crunchy leaves under foot, steaming cups of tea, long scarves and warm jumpers. Just a few of the reasons I love autumn.

It's a beautiful time of year if you ignore the one or two damp days that accompany it. Even as I type, the view out of the window is stunning - blue sky, bright sunshine and burnished leaves. I've been going out and about recently, enjoying the scenery, and the benefits autumn affords us. Local to me is a wonderful community orchard, and the community is invited to pop by and help themselves to some of the tasty fruit on offer. I went there last week with the aim of filling my fruit bowl (and maybe making a crumble or two). Just walking to it is a pleasure, it feels like you're making your way to a secret garden.

I love the anticipation of what's to come when we reach this season, there's so much to look forward to. In the next couple of weeks we have our big annual beer festival happening, the Apple Day celebrations at Bromham Mill, film festivals, Halloween. you then have Bonfire Night to look forward to and then (whisper it) Christmas. Everybody else seems to see summer as their social peak of the year, but I've always preferred autumn.

I even broke out my slow cooker yesterday. It's great coming home to your dinner already prepared after work, plus my house smelt amazing! I love having friends over for dinner, so did just that last night, testing out one of my recipes on her. Luckily she seemed to like it!

Even the food and drinks available to us seem to be getting into the autumnal spirit this year. I know it's almost obligatory to drink nothing but pumpkin spiced lattes from September onwards, but now there's something better, pumpkin spice Baileys. And I have a bottle all to myself. Don't look at me like that, I'm an only child, sharing can be difficult for us...

In between all the fall festivities, this is the best time of year for reading that book you haven't quite got around to, or watching those movies you've had on your list for ages. So if anyone needs me, I'll be found curled up in a blanket somewhere with a good book and a cup of tea.

Soup in Summer

I'm that weird breed that constantly craves what I can't have. It's summer? I miss autumn. Tell me I'm gluten-intolerant? I want to mainline bread and beer. I can only buy brick-red lipstick? But I want oxblood. I can't help it, I'm bloody difficult. I also want things that are deeply inappropriate for this time of year. Boots, hats, but mainly soup. And none of that cold gazpacho. Hot, hearty soup.

Yes, yes I know it's due to be a scorcher of a week. The sun is bright, sky is blue, and the thermometer is edging towards 30. The normal among us will be sipping a cool drink and contemplating a salad (or a tub of ice-cream) for lunch in their quest to stay cool. Me? I want soup. The stomach wants what the stomach wants. Plus the sight of another lettuce leaf may just tip me over the edge.

I've been making a conscious effort to be healthy of late (ignore recent Instagram pictures, we're all allowed a cheat day), so I wanted to put something together that would be filling and satisfying, but packed full of nutrients, not calories. I also wanted to make something that would be accessible to as many as possible, so stuck with the vegetable variety, and what wouldn't cost a fortune to make. I took inspiration from the website Yummly - http://www.yummly.co.uk/. If you haven't got an account already, I'd suggest signing up. Free to use with hundreds of suggestions, you can't beat it. It's particularly good for those of us who are restricted in what we can eat. 

I found a recipe that utilised a slow cooker, so lessened the effort involved as you just bung everything in! It's a bulk recipe so make sure you have plenty of tubs to hand, or a large group to feed. But with it's lack of meat it should last for a few days, and the ingredients are robust so should freeze well too.

You need:

• 1 litre vegetable stock (I use Knorr, as all of their standard stock cubes are gluten-free)
• A sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, diced (alternatively, a handful of shallots would be a lovely addition)
• 2 tins of haricot beans
• A tin of chopped tomatoes
• Celery
• 4 carrots
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped (if you don't like spice just omit this. You can also replace with chilli flakes)
• A pinch of allspice
• 1 1/2 tsps paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Prep all your vegetables and place in your slow cooker, along with the garlic, beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle over your seasoning and add the stock. Set the slow cooker to low for 7 hours. If in more of a hurry, set to high for approx. 4 hours.

The beauty of this is that you can throw anything in that you like. Have a play and see what you think!

Trying my hand at upcycling

As is the case with me more frequently than I would like to admit, I become ridiculously busy, my attention is diverted and I forget to commit time to the things I enjoy! I hope that the summer is going well for you wherever you are! Or winter depending on which hemisphere you are reading this from!

Mine has been, as previously mentioned, a bit hectic to say the least, and is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. Between weddings, hen dos, birthdays, house projects and work, I've been kept rather busy!

I did find time to work on a project I've been meaning to get to for ages - upcycling my bedside drawers. I've been inspired by my cousin, who is incredible at taking plain, unloved furniture, and transforming them into gorgeous pieces. Freecycle is a wonderful thing, and I managed to nab a set of 2 pine, 3 drawer units a few months back. Having been stored in a garage with several things piled up on top of them, they were a bit scratched and sorry looking, but were functional and did their job. I've been planning their makeover for a while, but am the most indecisive person when it comes to choosing colour, or anything for that matter.

But as you can see, they needed some love and attention...

Finally having selected their new hue, and bought some beautiful new drawer knobs to add to them, I decided to make a start. Before these I'd only upcycled a small side table, so this job was slightly more daunting! 

I used chalk paint, as I love the finish it gives. The great thing about it is that you only need to provide a light sand on the surface for the paint to take. Just be sure to give it a thorough wipe over to remove all the loose particles. Once that was done, I added a coat of paint - colour choice called Flint - and allowed it to dry. I topped up a few areas where the wood colour was still visible, but as I was going for a vintage, worn look, I didn't worry too much. Once this was completely dry, I added a coat of clear wax, allowing it to set for a while before buffing off. Adding the final touch of the new handles, they were complete, and quite beautiful if I do say so myself!

From start to finish, the 2 units took around 6 hours to complete, and cost about £50 to renovate once the cost of the handles, paint and wax are factored in. I used the same products to upcycle a dresser for the bedroom too, without having to buy more, so a little really does go a long way. 

If you've been thinking about a similar project but have never tried it before, do what I did, practice on something smaller, preferably something that you didn't spend a lot on, if anything at all. But it's surprisingly easy, and really therapeutic. No item of furniture in my house is now safe! 

Independent Businesses - The Healing Shed

Recently I've been feeling sluggish and more than a little lethargic. It had been a while since my last break from work, so last week I headed off to (occasionally) sunny Norfolk for a few days of relaxation. It was much needed. As with everything the stresses of work and the every-day build up until it's take a break, or actually break. It's worked wonderfully, I'm feeling pretty great! However this isn't all attributable to my little trip away. A couple of days before setting off I was lucky enough to visit the lovely Jennifer in her beautiful Healing Shed.

I met Jennifer at a fundraising pamper evening for the Bedford Daycare Hospice. She was one of the wonderful volunteers who had sacrificed their evening to provide treatments for attendees, all in the name of donating their fees to the Hospice. Having been treated to a back massage with Jen (which was heavenly), we got talking about her life and what other treatments she offers. Whilst there are a multitude of strings to Jen's ever-increasing bow, her passion for Reiki really caught my attention.

I had never experienced reiki before, and knew very little about it, but Jen was more than happy to talk to me about it and offer me insight into its meaning and purpose, a well as inviting me to a session.

Reiki was developed by a Japanese buddhist in the early 1920s, and centres on the concept of transferring positive or healing energy from the practitioner to the client through the placement of hands. Reiki masters train students in the field, and the knowledge is passed on from master to student and so on and so forth.

Jennifer has been conscientiously working on developing a space on her property at home to practice from, transforming a space on her land into a beautiful, tranquil spot for her clients to visit for a number of treatments, including reflexology, deep tissue massage and, of course, reiki. You can find out more on her website here http://www.thehealingshed.com/treatments.

When I arrived, I was taken through to Jen's back garden, a beautiful space. I was taken through to the treatment space, where Jen told me a little more about her ambitions for the business. She has a series of workshops available for people to attend. These include meditation, reiki levels 1 & 2, smudge stick making, dreamcatcher workshops and reiki shares, with more to be added soon. It's clear just from talking to Jen that she genuinely adores what she does, and has a powerful desire to help others.

The treatment began with Jen asking me to lie down on the treatment bed. She then placed specific gemstones at various spots around me, and began the session.

It's incredibly difficult to describe the session, as I was so calm and relaxed, I very nearly drifted off! Jen was aware from having given me a back massage that I struggle with upper back issues, so she focussed on this area. She placed her hands at specific points and held them there for short periods of time, whilst I relaxed, eyes closed, listening to the sound of the birds in her garden and enjoying the stillness. I came away feeling incredibly peaceful, and felt throughout the session a strong sense of positive wellbeing.

It was perfectly lovely. Jennifer has created a beautiful little nook for her clients to visit, and she is such a lovely presence to be around, you would be hard-pressed to leave feeling anything but rested and serene. I really do believe that you are only capable of having a positive experience with a person who has a true enthusiasm for what they do. Jen is such a person. Friendly, warm and welcoming, she is an open book, so willing to talk about her craft and explain the reasons behind what she does, and you leave feeling as though you have made a wonderful new friend. Having never tried reiki before, I'd certainly go back to see her. That relaxed feeling is addictive!

You can also follow the Healing Shed on Twitter and Facebook at https://twitter.com/@the_healingshed and https://www.facebook.com/jenshealingshed.

  

Bedford Daycare Hospice

This blog has been a bit of a blessing. What started out as a casual opportunity to write some babble that perhaps a handful of people may wish to read, it has become a wonderful chance to meet some truly fantastic people doing incredible work.

This week I was invited to spend time with a group of people doing one of the most fundamentally selfless, generous of jobs - running a hospice for those in our society who suffer from life-limiting conditions. Bedford Daycare Hospice provides support, company and activity for seriously ill people from Monday to Friday, as well as raising awareness and fundraising on behalf of those who need support in their time of need. I am lucky enough to know one of the fantastic folk that work there.

My friend contacted me, asking if I would like to visit the hospice and take a look at some of the work they do, and I jumped at the chance. As I have said in previous posts, chances seem few and far between these days to celebrate the positives in life, it seems silly to pass up the opportunity to do so. So keen was I, we in fact arranged 2 visits. The first took place before the hospice opened one morning last week. I took my mum along with me, a further opportunity to both spend time with a friend not seen for a while. On arrival, Caroline showed us around the main building.

I imagine that, when the word 'hospice' arises, most people picture a clinical, cold, impersonal place, full of uniformed staff and blank, spaces lacking personalitiy. This could not be further from the truth when it comes to Bedford Daycare Hospice. The staff wear their own clothes, to make their clients feel more at ease around them. The main lounge is full of comfy armchairs for visitors to relax in. Beds are available in other rooms, if quieter, more relaxed times are needed. It feels warm, bright, and, importantly, it feels comfortably familiar. So good are they, that they were awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Services 2013.

The staff could not be lovelier. These guys are fantastic. Enthusiastic, caring and generally just rather brilliant, they are a wonderful bunch. The time they dedicate to making every experience here pleasant is only surpassed by the willingness of all involved to dedicate free time outside of work to fundraising money to keep the hospice ticking along.

Once we had completed our look around the main building, Caroline took us into one of the hospice's ongoing projects, the Butterfly Boutique. A quaint addition to the grounds of the hospice, the Butterfly Boutique is an onsite shop, selling all manner of treasures kindly donated by the public. Needless to say that, with myself and my mum in attendance, it was slightly emptier after our visit! It really is gorgeous, full of goodies, and in such a beautiful setting. I urge you to visit and take a look. Not only will you enjoy your time there, but you will be helping fund an excellent, necessary cause. And you can always donate your own items if you are feeling particularly generous!

Once we had the full tour and I had taken plenty of pictures, it was arranged that I would come back and attend the pamper evening organised to raise funds for the hospice. I was lucky enough to nab a facial and back massage spot on the evening, no mean feat considering how many people attended! All the treatments given were as a result of time donated by local practitioners, and what a lovely bunch they were. My first treatment was provided by the wonderful Caron who gave me the most relaxing facial. During the session we talked, and I asked what prompted her to join in the festivities. Her response was touching, being that she wanted to assist in making the lives of those in difficult situations easier to handle. She also visits the hospice regularly to provide treatments for visitors, she's a genuinely terrific individual.

I then had a session with the lovely Jennifer from the Healing Shed for a back massage. This was her first time volunteering at the hospice. She wants to contribute more of her time to the community, and offering help to those who need it. She's fantastic.

On the evening, a raffle was taking place, products were available for purchase, and socialising was taking place. It was a wonderful atmosphere, with everyone enjoying their treatments and getting to know those who had also come along. Treatments on pamper evenings are £10 for 30 minutes, with the proceeds donated to the running and upkeep of the hospice. It was a lovely way to spend an evening.

There are a multitude of events and experiences made available, all in aid of continuing the excellent work taking place at Bedford Daycare. In the next few weeks alone you can attend a coffee morning (4th June. I'll be there. Come along, I'll buy you a coffee.), the Sweetings nightclub 30th reunion (11th June), a river cruise including food and bubbles (13th July), Proms in the Park (tickets purchased from the hospice will donate £5 back to them), and the Purple Butterfly Ball in Pavenham (17th September). There is so much to get involved in, all great fun. There is something for everyone, and it all contributes to your brownie points! You can find out more about future events, and the hospice itself at http://bedforddaycarehospice.org.uk/About.htm. You can also find out more about the Butterfly Boutique on the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/butterflyboutiquebedford/?fref=ts.

There are thousands of charities out there, all needing support and funding. Many of them are almost faceless. We receive pamphlets through our doors, asking for help, collectors on the high street, informing us about the good work occurring. But it's something else entirely to see it in practice. To talk to the people on the front line of it, day-to-day, delivering the care, working with the people, trying to keep everything running. These people care so deeply about what they do and who they do it for, you can see it when you talk to them, in the dedication they show to their work. They had a fundamental effect on both myself and my mum. We left wanting to, wishing we could, do more. And we're hoping to. The lounge in the main building needs a spruce up. If needed, we're going in, paint brushes in hand. We'll be attending their events, and jogging our friends to join in with us. There is a multitude of ways to help. New towels are needed for visitors. Cleaning products, items for the Boutique, charitable donations, time that can be given to improve onsite areas. Painters, decorators, plumbers, electricians, tinkers, tailors, soldiers, sailors, I'm calling on you guys. If you can help please do. You can contact me and I will pass on details. Alternatively you can contact the hospice directly on their site. But if you feel that you can offer anything, I really do, in the most heartfelt of ways, urge you to. Charities like this one, community based, quietly getting on with their work without making a huge fuss, are the ones that need help. They require our support in order to support others. I just hope that, should anyone I know and love ever need the assistance of such a wonderful enterprise, that they are still going strong, and that it is still filled with the kind of gold-hearted souls as it currently is.

Brighton, cocktails and inflatables

My friends have all deemed 2016 the year to get married, which is setting the tone for an exciting summer! Along with the beautiful wedding invites, hen do invitations have been winging around all over the place. The first 'do was this weekend in sunny Brighton.

My friends are a wonderfully eclectic bunch, all different but all fab. For this particular bride-to-be (my gorgeous friend Clare), lovely bridesmaid Amy arranged for us to compete in It's a Knockout. Think inflatables, think foam, think raucous lunatics running around! Great, great fun, all completed with the obligatory hen-do t-shirts and the cork hats favoured by our Australian buddies. Needless to say the only photo you guys are getting a look at is the one above! I did rather well in the drunken penalty shoot-out, wearing goggles that give the impression of one too many gins and dribbling a ball past 3 inflatable defenders, but it was pointed out that, as I enjoy a tipple, it's likely I've grown accustomed to seeing that way anyway and my success doesn't count!

My personal favourite moment was bride-to-be Clare dressed as a penguin being chased by 2 other brides dressed as penguins, all ending in a bout of sumo wrestling. What's not to love?!

It was a brilliant afternoon. If you're looking to organise anything similar I'd recommend checking it out. We were blessed with gorgeous weather, but they do still run in the rain so don't be put off by it's outdoorsy nature.

The evening was a slightly more refined occasion. Well it involved a cocktail making class, so it didn't remain refined for very long, but still, there were dresses and heels, as opposed to the trainers and trackies from earlier! We had a lovely cocktail waiter, Carlos, demonstrating all the tricks of his trade, then the poor soul let us loose on his bar. Shots, slushies, bombs and cosmos where all enjoyed!

Afterwards, we headed for dinner, then on to a nightclub, before collapsing at an hour too early to be decent. Breakfast at an American diner was my saviour the next morning!

We're heading to Bournemouth next weekend for the big day, so it will be all systems go again. I'll make sure to take plenty of lovely photos for you all to enjoy. When I get back, I'll be telling you all about the wonderful work of the Bedford Daycare Hospice, and the events that they run. Have a great week!