Weekend Learning's

Katie Holten's Trees of the USA.

Coldest weekend in London yet! It snowed on Saturday morning. Do not be daft, I did not see it, it was at 7 o’clock, I was in bed snoozing. But I did venture out, dressed like a snow man. By this I mean you wear so many items your arms stick out as there are so many layers, they sort of support your shoulder and armpits and create a funny bendy arm. As your elbow cannot bend either as that too, is padded to the max, it extends. It is fun actually. The blistery wind prickles your cheeks pink and puts a spring in your step. It is not as bad as I thought. This is what else I learned;

• Have you ever tried fresh mint tea. It is fresh, very. Try it. Delicious. 
• Tip: A woman can always tell if a man loves her by how much time he is willing to invest. Money spent is meaningless, but time spent is priceless. 
• I ventured to Zone Four this weekend to visit a family friend. It is really lovely out there. Nino’s in South Woodford is a great little traditional Italian restaurant. Really delicious and good value for money! Unlike anywhere I have been in the rest of London… Lol. Joke. 
• I also saw my first fox! In my friends garden! I could not believe it! I was so excited I almost ran into the glass doors. My friend was rather amused by my excitement, as locally these beautiful creatures are considered pests as they attack dogs, rip up garbage and poop in the street. He he. But I think Mr Fox was looking very fantastic scratching his fleas and then jumping through the fence… I felt like I reached a milestone in my move to London. Fox – Tick.
• “Later that night, I held an atlas in my lap, ran my fingers across the whole world and whispered; where does it hurt?” It answered; “Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.” - Warsan Shire. What has happened to our world? Why is there so much pain and hurt? I cannot stand to watch the news for another minute.  
• I am loving Francois-Henri Galland at the moment. He is a French watercolour artist. His new work is all of lovers, shapes and spills of colour. Simply beautiful, very suggestive. You are almost left to imagine what is not there, and more importantly what is. See some of his work {here}. 

Hope you have a positive rest of your last week of November and remember, stay weird, moon babies.

Xoxo

PS. “You are the calm that saves me from my own hurricane of maddness.” - Almaz A.

Francois-Henri Galland, Untitled.

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Weekend Learning's

First weekend I have felt back to normal in a while. Been under the weather and under so much pressure at work. Then was attacked by a migraine… like a week of them *cry, then more work. It has been an interesting few days. It has been a tad of a struggle. But I am still here, smiling and happy. Why? I have so many great people in my life, blessed. You all know who you are. It is sickening how positive I am, think I might be glowing. And it is all because of you. And this is what else I learned;

• I had to work on Saturday. I feel like if you are in a good mood, nothing can bring you down not even working on the weekend. On the other hand if you are a negative ball of gloom, not even the sunlight will feel warm on your skin. How incredible is the human mind? How powerful is it that we can so easily convince ourselves into one corner and into another… this fascinates me. 
• "They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds." Mexican proverb.
• I find cooking a butternut one of the most frustrating things. Sometimes I try to chop it myself, stick the knife in, get it stuck, *bang bang bang, butternut turns into rocket and flies across kitchen. Or, some more common problems; over cook, par and under cook. Also there is the chance I get it chopped and it is under-ripe and it is just fuzzy. I found a solution! Again, my slow cooker. 1x whole butternut, remove sticker, clean (do not peel or anything), put in slower cooker for 5 hours on high heat, DONE! {This} is the slow cooker I have if you would like to get one.
• "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." - Mark Twain. Not that I ever find myself here, I always find myself on the outside looking in and I am very happy here.
• Gails mince pies are some kind of devil food. They are so delicious. Trying a tiny sample was a mistake. I love mince pies. You know the Christmas pastry with spiced fruit in it… yum. Do not go there. Stay home and hide. 
• "You know, some people say life is short and that you could get hit by a bus at any moment and that you have to live each day like it’s your last. Bullshit. Life is long. You’re probably not gonna get hit by a bus. And you’re gonna have to live with the choices you make for the next fifty years.” - Chris Rock. I like this. At some point you decide to find the middle ground and not every huge risk is an opportunity, it is about making choices that make you light! 

Have a good week, keep warm London, it is going to possibly snow this weekend! 

xoxo

PS. "There is too much room, far too much space on all sides, in this bed alone.” - Daily Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson

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Weekend Learning's

From one of my all time favourite sites, Maddie on Things.

I was sick in bed this weekend with the onset of a cold. I had to make sure I kept it at bay by staying indoors (as much as I could) and keeping warm and snug. You know, you can still learn a thing or two from the constraints of ones own four walls. This is what I learned;

• Working late on a Friday is no fun at all. However, it does have its perks. Leaving the office late makes you see Oxford Street a little differently on Halloween Eve. Full of mad teenagers trying to get the best witchy outfit or slutty mummy. "That my dear cannot be worn as a skirt!" I heard one mother voice… rather you than me dear… 
• "I’m oxygen and he’s dying to breathe." - Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me
• I must admit, I have gotten into a habit of making chilli broccoli pasta on a Friday night. It must be the reminiscence of my parents Friday night pasta evenings back home. But when I get home hungry on a Friday night, the Lingunie calls to me. 
• A sick introvert living with two extroverts… the lock on the door is never enough. One realises how thin ones walls are when one desperately wants to sleep. 
• Bao London has got to be one of the worst decisions I have ever made. Korean buns filled with delicious spicy, crunchy, good smelling things. And then some Horlicks ice-cream to finish it off… YES in a BUN as WELL. I know it is ridiculous I was sick at myself and I want to go back immediately. And so did everyone else, there was a queue of thirty people standing outside waiting for their own buns. Buns. Amazing Bao Buns. Not healthy though… definitely only for a cheat day!
• Chamomile tea. I am an addict.
• "Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." - Khalil Gibran
• I have this terrible habit, I do it all the time. I plan to go from A to B and then that is that. A; being home and B; being the destination and then I would like to return home. But I know, in London this is impossible. So I went from A, home, to B the chemist to get medicine for my cold. I saw a crowd and somehow managed to stumble upon a motor show in Regents Street. Then a parade or strike, for I do not know what, but they were singing and dancing so I followed it quite amused and happy with the tunes and miraculously managed to end up in Covent Garden and went looking around the Rugby Stands, FOUR hours later I had not eaten or taken my pills. This is what happens, London sucks you in and POOF, from A to B turns into from A to G and then some J for a bit of L, M, N, O, P! I got home and passed out. 
• "To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow - this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” - Elizabeth Gilbert

Have an amazing week sparklers, it is Guy Fawkes on Thursday, hope you are going to see a bonfire and some fireworks somewhere! 

Xoxo

PS. Discombobulate 

My love...

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