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Due to unforeseen circumstances, We have moved. Go {here} to find out why.

xoxo

PS. The way they leave tells you everything...

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Weekend Learning's

I had an extremely good weekend! London is total chaos currently. She is littered with tourists and shoppers and Christmas fanatics. Literally, people walking around in Santa hats and the Jamaican trio who play the metal drums at the station are now dressed in red and green Christmas pyjamas banging out a very festive jingly song. It is weird. I love it! Even the hobo’s who are usually sweary and bitter have the festive cheer, I saw one dancing on his mattress to another drummers rendition of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and singing something along the same lines... not really but he was trying and getting everyone in the mood and that is what counts! There is a lot of joy. And after being here for almost nine months… I am really loving it. I know, I know, I blow hot and cold, but I fricking LOVE Christmas, and it is on steroids here! And do you know why, there is a lot of sharing going on. It has made me gleeful. This is what else I learned;

• “For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.” - Audrey Hepburn
• Liberty of London is also one of the places to avoid during the December season. I needed to get something specific and stumbled out of the side entrance where the flower shop is. What a wonderful find! The aroma of fresh flowers is seductive! And during Christmas they have someone who hand makes Christmas wreaths for you to personalise and design yourself. Not only a beautiful gift, but a stunning keepsake. 
• “Always be touching her, even when your hands cannot reach her.” - J.R. Rogue
• In a world where everyone is overexposed, the coolest thing you can do is maintain your mystery.
• This is going to be a weird one. I love looking into peoples homes in December. Wait, I am not a creeper, let me explain. People in London, decorate their beautiful trees and then put them in their windows for all to see. They actually leave the shutters open. It is so gorgeous walking home at night, seeing all the pretty trees in the windows. Some are so sweet, decorated by children. I just love this! Something that you would never see in South Africa. People share their beauty with the outside world and I love it.
• “I am infatuated by the way desire dances down your delicate skin in molten liquid moonlight.” - The Word Virus
• Polpo is a bàcaro. This is a Venetian word to describe a humble restaurant serving simple food and good, young local wines. I visited this lovely restaurant with my closest friends in London. We shared wine, food and stories. We are all from South Africa, we all moved in 2015. I feel this is the smallest our table will be… 

Have a nice week my vanilla piccolo! Stay out of the Christmas rush, or maybe join it, embrace the tinsel party, share a little!

Xoxo

PS. My moon, my man, my everything. 

Leave a Comment Audrey Hepburn, Christmas, Christmas windows, December, J.R. Rogue, Liberty, London, love, Polpo, quote, quotes, share, The Word Virus, weekend

Weekend Learning's

SO it is Friday. What a late Weekend Learning’s this is! It is the first week of December. Back home we call this Silly Season. And for good reason! Here in London, there is not a name for it. Lame. I cannot wait to go home for Christmas. I love London, this is true, but I have had enough for 2015. I want my family, my friends, my dogs, my home… This is what I learned;

• If I have discovered anything this year, my heart, lives in South Africa.
• “You’re in my bones, and my blood, and my heart. I’d have to tear myself open to let you go.” - Cassandra Clare.
• Clifton Road Maida Vale is an amazing little road a good walk from my house. There are lovely little organic fruit and veg shops, deli’s, restaurants and even a pet store. A great London discovery.
• The use of swearing to alleviate stress or pain is called "lalochezia.”
• I finished another book this weekend. Yes I am proud of myself! Any suggestions on what to read next?
• "Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.” - Bertrand Russell 
• Shakshouka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chilli peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin. I only came across this when I started dating my man. And I quite like it. I for some reason was craving it this weekend and decided to make it. Probably the fact that I miss him so much, maybe a little food could bring me closer to him... kind-of-maybe-not. Anyway! Easy, low cost, delicious. Craving killed.
• You can remove errant deodorant marks from dark clothes by wiping the white streaks with a dryer sheet. I found this out this weekend. Fuuuuun, I love doing my washing. This is one of those things you do living in London; your own washing. 
• “Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.” - Margaret Peters

I hope you keep warm my little teacups. And if you are in South Africa, soak up that sunshine for me! Have good weekends.

Xoxo

PS. I want a pawpaw.

Leave a Comment Bertrand Russell, Cassandra Clare, Christmas, Clifton Road Maida Vale, December, home, London, Margaret Peters, Proudly South African, quote, quotes, Rare word meaning, Shakshouka, silly season, weekend

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.

1 comment art, fox, Francois-Henri Galland, Katie Holten, London, London restaurant, Nino's, quote, restaurant, South Woodford, Warsan Shire, weekend, Zone Four

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

Leave a Comment Butternut, Chris Rock, cooking, Gails, Mark Twain, Mexican proverb, migraine, Mince Pies, quote, quotes, slow cooker, Tyler Knott Gregson, weekend, work

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...

Leave a Comment Bao, Bao London, Chamomile tea, Elizabeth Gilbert, funny word, Guy Fawkes, Halloween, Khalil Gibran, Linguine, Maddie on Things, Oxford Circus, quote, quotes, Tahereh Mafi, weekend

Weekend Learning's

So I went to Israel to see my love. I do not care what anyone says, when you really love someone, it never gets easier to say goodbye. There is always a little part of me which is lost when I leave him. And when we are together, I am whole again. Everything is simple and easy, it is just right. I had an incredible time - I always do… an adventure is not a place, it is the person you are spending those little moments with. I could go from the third floor to the ground floor and he would turn it into something incredible… a ride in a lift… romanticising the waves under the moonlight, watching the democratic debate! Adventures! Because it is you. This is what I learned;

• "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." - Eleanor Roosevelt 
• That whole new thing about checking in online for your flight is becoming a big deal. Some poor souls were left off the flight due to overbooking… not cool, but I guess it is becoming an online booking first come first serve deal… shame. 
• "Republicans win when there is low voter turn out.” - Senator Bernie Sanders telling all of your asses to go vote.
• Eilat has got to be one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been. Yes I had my rose tinted glasses on… I feel a little warmth in my heart thinking about its beauty… I wish I had done more there… next time!
• "The mind is beautiful because of the paradox. It uses itself to understand itself." - Adam Elenbaas
• You cannot be on a migraine eating plan in Israel and at an all you can eat buffet! That is all.
• Sometimes my boyfriend makes me laugh so loud I stop mid laugh and think… gosh is that me? I have never experienced that before… it is those things in our relationship that I cherish… sore cheeks from smiling… sore stomach from laughing… lé good life, still, after all this time, you keep me laughing. 
• The açaí palm is a species of palm tree cultivated for its fruit and hearts of palm. Its fruit can be made into a kind of sorbet and it is really delicious! Oh my gosh it is actually divine! With the addition of toasted coconut (best), granadilla, banana, granola, just to name a few, it becomes an Açaí Bowl, delicious, especially served with two spoons and a chilly kiss.
• Anyone who cuts and shares an apple with you is a sweet and lovely human. 
• "You belong right here, in the stillness next to me. You are home with me.” - Daily Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson

Have a good week little yellow leaves, back to the grind of the fall. 

Xoxo

PS. “Learning how to love is the goal and the purpose of spiritual life… love is the truth. Love is the light.” - Lama Surya Das

Leave a Comment acai bowl, Acai palm, Adam Elenbaas, Bernie Sanders, Eilat, Eleanor Roosevelt, Israel, Lama Surya Das, quote, quotes, Tyler Knott Gregson, weekend

Weekend Learning's

The first weekend of October. Something changes in the air in October in London. Yes the weather, obs! But the menus at the markets have changed. There are now warm apple, pumpkin and cinnamon turnovers and hot spicy mulled wine. There are chimneys billowing white mist into the crisp blue sky. People are wearing burgundy and mustard coloured throws. There is a nip in the air but a warmth in the spirit, an English Autumn is vibrant and idllic! Also, while pottering around London, as one does, one noticed a lot of new things. Christmas decorations? Really? One cannot believe! This year has flown. And what a year it has been. This is what I learned; 

• “Like a wild flower; she spent her days, allowing herself to grow, not many knew of her struggle, but eventually all; knew of her light.” - Nikki Rowe
• I love to read. Sometime back home I would stop reading for long periods of time. I find I struggle to get into books. Now with my trusty iPad and kindle app, I have successfully finished three books since I moved here. I know for big readers a book every two months is not impressive but I am on my fourth book since I moved here and enjoying getting lost in my books more and more. I have been reading such scary books that I sometimes get too scared to go out into the hall, let alone get out of the bed and have to watch an episode of Friends to try and relax before bed… funny! I know I am silly… stop laughing!
• "Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life’s cruelest irony." - Douglas Coupland, Shampoo Planet. I strongly believe in inner reflection. 
• There are so many health places in London. Honestly, healthy, vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free, animal friendly, green, organic and biodegradable eat-in / eat-out restaurants are the new black… it seems. I have many favourites, I am yet to find a smoothie place where I truly love the menu. Most places do juicing but I think they water a lot of them down and we all know me and a smoothie – a love affair in a plastic sippie cup. I had a great one at Crussh this weekend – The Bliss Blend - Mango, pineapple, peach, bananas, coconut milk, bliss blend booster. (I took out the orange juice and yoghurt you will see on the menu, cannot have those on the The Migraine Diet). Was a little Saturday morning treat! Their branding is terrible though… it pains me. Just saying.
• I finally finished Grey’s Anatomy Season 11. I cried like a blubbering little wet blanket, and I LOVED IT! Really was not the same watching it alone. I used to watch it with my little Sis, at least then we would cry together, and then laugh at each other. Quote I loved the most, Owen’s quote; "We're supposed to feel; we're supposed to love and hate and hurt and grieve and break and be destroyed and rebuild ourselves to be destroyed again. That's human; that's humanity. That's being alive," he told Amelia. "Don't avoid it. Don't extinguish it."
• I think its a joke that peanut butter says “once opened consume within 3 months”. Three months… do people really have that much self control that they can keep a jar of peanut butter for more than three months? Wow. A jar of peanut butter lasts me about eight days, sometimes a little more but three months… never! 
• "I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close." - Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets.

I hope you have an incredible Autumn week my fallen leaves. There will be no Weekend Learning’s next week, I am going on an adventure with my favourite sun baby!

Xoxo

PS. "Your flaws are perfect for the heart that is meant to love you."

Leave a Comment Autumn, Book, Crussh, Douglas Coupland, Grey's Anatomy, health, healthy, London, Nikki Rowe, October, Pablo Neruda, peanut butter, quote, quotes, reading, weekend

Weekend Learning's

Ahem, super messy hair!

Hey hey heeey! Another weekend has come and gone. They really do go quick, especially when you are a busy body like me. Smirk. Let me just say; Hello Autumn, I have not seen you in a long time. Since I skipped my last South African Autumn when I came over here I am really looking forward to the above quote. Some browns, reds and yellows in the beautiful parks here must be magical. I haven’t had an English Autumn since 1996, woa! This is what I learned;

• “Let us read and let us dance, these two amusements will never do the world any harm.” - Voltaire. 
• I have always been interested in the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. I cannot tell you where I heard about it. Ever since my discovery of this lunar worshipping festival I became desperate to visit one and come on, don’t you love the idea of eating something called a mooncake? It was a lot of fun. I ate a mooncake! They are very unusual… I took the leap and bought the traditional ones made with either lotus seeds or red bean paste with a salted duck yolk in the middle… I know odd. But they are weirdly delicious. I ated them. In fact I saved one for today and I cannot stop eating it, I cannot do the egg in the middle its too weird (sorry!) Thanks London China Town, I had a blast ^_^
• “Abracadabra” is actually the Aramaic (before Hebrew) phrase “Avra Khdabra” which means literally “I will create as I speak”. Fascinating! 
• You aren’t rich until you have something money can’t buy… 
• I love sitting at the front of the bus at the top. It is like riding a kids ride at Disney Land! It is a little scary how close the bus driver gets to things and sitting at the top makes it look like crash time is seconds away! Eeeee! Also in Autumn, for me it is quite cold already, so sitting in the sun spot there in the front alone (the Brits are way too lazy to go up there for a couple stops) is my ultimate… on Saturday and I must admit on Sunday too, I missed my stops and sat up there till the bus terminated. The simple joys! I just sat there, looking at the sights in the sun, snug as a bug in a er… bus. 
• "Your absence has gone through me. Like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its colour.” - W.S. Merwin, “Separation”.
• “When you are washing the dishes, washing the dishes must be the most important thing in your life. Just as when you are drinking tea, drinking tea must be the most important thing in your life… live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life.” - Thich Nhat Hanh. 

Go out and live that life tiny trees! Have a great week.

Xoxo

PS. Twinkle, twinkle little bat… 

xXx

Leave a Comment Abracadabra, bus, Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, hich Nhat Hanh, Moon cake, Moon Festival, quote, Voltaire, W.S. Merwin, weekend

10 Things Never to Say To a Migraine Sufferer

I am a migraine sufferer. This is true. And I get a lot of them. If there is one thing I cannot stand, it is people who have no idea what I go through, telling me what to do, how to treat it or how I should just deal with it. Migraine sufferers are you with me? So I read this article about things you should not ask a Migraine sufferer. It was quite amusing. I decided to write something similar. I especially find it fascinating when people, who do not get migraines, and are not doctors tell me exactly how to treat my problem. My favourite to date; my friends mother told me that I should wrap my head in raw potatoes and put my feet in ice water… ya excellent. 

So here are my top 10 things never to say to a migraine sufferer;

Oh I had a Migraine once. (but I changed A,B and C and I don’t get them anymore)
No you didn’t. Migraine’s are recognised as a disease in the U.S. It is a neurological disease and attacks can last for 72 hours  - it is a hereditary thing, if you got one, it is likely you will get another in your life (sorry) and yes I understand that perhaps you had a really bad headache once but a migraine and a headache are not the same. In the U.S. 80% of people get tension headaches and only 12% get migraines and 2% are chronic migraine suffers!

I read something about a cure? (You should do Botox.)

I think its lovely when people try to help me, the chances that there is a miraculous cure after all this time… are rare. Let us get to the Botox, of course I have spoken to my doctor about this, do you think I enjoy my suffering? Here are the facts; Botox takes a minimum of three months before you see full results (that is three months of injections into your neck, forehead and temples) and then you have to maintain it, so every month at £349.40 (that is the injection and the service at the lowest price I could find, and NHS does not always pay for it), for the rest of my life? That is IF its a success, not all patients respond positively to the treatment. There are mixed reviews on results, I have read about people who are on similar medication as me who have tried botox and had two weeks worth of solid migraines… No thanks. I get that it will work for some, and I am so happy for them but I will not try something so extreme till I know for sure it is safe and there are no long term side effects. 

Do some exercise

When I have a migraine, light, sound and smell raises the bar of my migraines. The day before a migraine, my sense of smell is on super alert! Anyone who has skipped a shower or who is wearing a funky scent… stay away! Once my vision starts to fuzz and it gets to a certain point, I might as well go and lie next to the toilet because I am going to be violently ill… for a very long time… and then once I have sat there I probably will not be able to get up… so no exercise is not a good idea when I am having an attack. Exercise can also be a trigger for some sufferers! Every migraine sufferer has unique triggers.

I wish I could sleep in all day like you do

Trust me, wasting my life away in bed because I have another migraine is really not the way I want to spend my life. This is quite a sore topic. The amount of my past I look back on and recall myself hiding in my room trying to overcome the agony, I wish I could get those days back. 

Drink some coffee.

Not only is coffee a (more common than not) trigger for some migraine sufferers, drinking something hot with caffeine would catapult a migraine into a stage four clinger… Caffeine, is added to some pain medication for headaches to open the blood capillaries in the brain, a migraine needs a different fix.

You still get migraines?

Yup. And I will for the rest of my life. It is about managing the problem as best I can, and helping people accept me. Maybe one day there will be a solution. I feel like The Migraine Diet and a routine seems to help a lot but I still get them, I always will. 

Why don’t you try A, B C?

Hello? I am 30 years old. I have tried everything! Should I start from the beginning? I have been to neurologists, as they once thought it was a tumour, I was 14, this was scary. I have been to a Naturopath when I was placed on a strict diet and literally carried around a bag of herbal lotions, potions and pills to take all day – this did not work at ALL. I have been for monthly sessions of acupuncture, trigger therapy, massage therapy where they clicked my spine and neck and strapped me up with tape. I have done yoga, gone to the gym, run, skipped, swam and done nothing for days! Been a vegetarian, been a vegan, done the blood type diet, partied my butt off to see if it actually did make a difference… migraine punishment. I have done the nose spray, the wafer the injection, worn the pressure bracelet and done the cold pack and the neck brace… trust me… I have done the lot.

I have an (insert OTC headache pills) in my bag if you need?

Thank you, you have no idea how sweet this is. If only it was this simple and two Myprodol would fix me in one go. Alas… I am on daily preventative medication and the pills I take for migraines are so intense they basically give me a hangover. They are brutal, the side effects are extreme but they are the only medication I have found that works that does not induce more migraines (this is actually a thing, if a migraine sufferer takes the wrong medication they are likely to have a recurring migraine, this is called a Medication Induced Migraine, see here).

But I thought you had a migraine yesterday/the other day?

Pain is only one part of a migraine sufferers life. A "migraine attack” can differ from patient to patient. For me, on occasion, I can feel one coming. I have to be very careful and tentative to my body’s needs. There are signs I have noticed, now I look out for them. If I am lucky it might go away, if not, I take my medication as soon as that needle sharp pain starts and the following day I have the migraine fog. It is a combination of the migraine hangover and the medication. It feels like I have flu, a cold achy body, all smells are heightened and I am drowsy and quite out of it. I will go to work (because I have to) but I cannot be with a crowd or in a loud space, it is hard. This is a three day affair, the medication makes me really irritable and my fuse really short and all my emotions are heightened - its a strange place to be as people often think I am being rude or unaccommodating. The truth is I am trying to deal with an illness that is quite hard to cope with. 

Its because you’re a woman… 

So… if you are a man and you have a migraine, what does that mean for your manhood? Men get migraines, children (of both sexes) get migraines too! Migraines are a genetic disease. The differences between our hormones can trigger Migraines in those people with the genetic capacity for the disease – in both men and women. Unfortunately for us ladies, our reproductive hormones are designed to fluctuate (yay.), and lucky for men their hormones are meant to remain more stable. Hormones are only a small part of the Migraine picture though, and only one of thousands of potential triggers. Next time, consider asking the Migraineur about their particular triggers instead. 

At the ripe old age of 30 with an average of 8 migraines a month on a good month, I’m pretty pleased with myself. Of course I have a bad week and sometimes I have a good week and sometimes I want to eat or live without a care in the world, I just need to make sure I am prepared and the people around me understand and more importantly support me and what I am about to go though. 

Xoxo

PS. We are people too 

Leave a Comment 10 things never to say to a migraine sufferer, facts, health, migraine

Weekend Learning's

Illustration; Bri Emery

Gosh. I have not done a Weekend Learning’s for so long. Where to start? At the beginning. This is what I learned;

• I live in a semi-detached, ground-floor, newly refurbished (so new it was finished two weeks after I moved in) house. It is complicated! I am still learning her ways. It reminds me of this quote to one of my favourite movies, Under The Tuscan Sun.
  "Pick one room and make it yours. Go slowly through the house. Be polite, introduce yourself so it can introduce itself to you." - Frances Mayer.
• Maybe I hope too much, maybe I dream too much, but at least I won’t give up until I’ve tried, and I won’t regret anything.
• Did you know that all the swans in London are owned by the Queen? Well since back in the day they are a protected species so the Royals look after them. I like it. Hurt them and get fined! Wish South Africa would do this for the Rhino’s. 
• “The best smell in the world is that man that you love.” - Jennifer Aniston. Oh how I miss the little things the most.
• I live in London. Just incase you forgot! Which means sometimes I will catch a bus somewhere and go past Marble Arch or Selfridges or Big Ben or any of these amazing landmarks! This weekend, the bus I caught took me past Harrods. Their window dressing is out of this world. Every time I realise I am about to go past there I get excited, open my eyes a little wider to see a little more (like a little kid) and gawk with my mouth open at the incredible display of the Harrods windows. This particular weekend I think I heard myself gasp out loud - they are magical! 
• “It takes both sides to build a bridge.” - Fredrik Nael
• My little sister is getting married! Yay! So I spend a lot of time looking into wedding stuff, did you know there is a bouquet glossary? Like a Pompander, is a flower covered ball tied with a ribbon for a flower girl? And a Nosegay is a compact cluster of flowers wrapped tightly and cut to one uniform length? And that is only two of them… I know. 
• I recently started a migraine eating plan to try and figure out what foods are triggering my migraines. I am a chronic sufferer. This means if I am not medicated, I can get 15 migraines a month… debilitating. So I am basically a vegan at the moment who cannot eat some select fruits and veg and nuts to add to it. But I feel great! Can you believe? I did have one migraine last week though… one is better than four… I’ll keep you updated.

Hope you have a Harrods window kind of week!

Xoxo

PS. Be grateful. Eat more vegetables. Love others. 

So many friends I thought would build haven't,
Friends I thought wouldn't have surprised me,
thank you.

Leave a Comment Frances Mayer, Fredrik Nael, Harrods, health, Jennifer Aniston, London, London Diaries, migraine, quote, quotes, SAFA in London, Stephs Wedding, swans, vegan, Wedding, weekend

London Diaries

How I felt... a lot.

Six months in London. What can I say? 

Well I can say that last month I was so convinced it was six months I tried to convince myself and my boyfriend it was until I actually said to him… “So I got here in March, so one month, twoooo, three, four… five… Oh...” It felt like six. It has felt like forever. But it has also felt like I left yesterday. It feels like yesterday I was trying to fit my life into 23kg’s of bag. Yes that’s all I could bring. It also felt like yesterday where I lived happily on my own and drove a car and NEVER took public transport for fear of death. 

It also feels like yesterday that I had my first night in London. I got lost on my way home. In the dark. No GPS. Naturally I feared getting stabbed or mugged (The South Africa Hangover I like to think of it as)… till I saw a girl, alone, sauntering down (what I thought) was a dark alley, iPod, cell phone and headphones blaring looking at me like I was insane… or escaped from Africa… which I kind of did… Now I walk home at night with not a care in the world. Can you imagine? I have to admit, living in a safe, first world country, swinging from train to sidewalk like a wisp in the night is a wonderful thing. 

I always dreamt of living in London, since I was a little girl. There is an electricity in this place that no other city spills. The old and the new. The creativity. The architecture that is juxtaposed by the nature, I love it! You can never be bored! OH a hedgehog! 

There are always a hundred things to do at any single moment. There are these sites and magazines which come out and tell you what you can explore, not monthly, not weekly, daily! And each one is different. You can walk down the street and find an artist selling his soul all for a penny and a pound. 

My favourite singer in Oxford Circus (I work here!! Wow hey?) is a man who sits with his legs crossed on the street and sings the same haunting song into an orange street cone which he rests on the sidewalk in front of him. What rubbish!? You say? His song is strangely melodic and he is very dirty and his song is very pure and I can hear him from five blocks away and the sound soothes my soul. I love his consistently, I love his brand! I truly will hang around him listening to his mad echo because compared to all the guitars and soapboxes littering London, this street cone songster, stole my heart. And this my darlings, is London. To be continued…

xoxo

PS. “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” - Samuel Johnson.

I am yet to see a fox, have heard one... scary.

Leave a Comment immigrate, immigration, London, London Diaries, move, new beginning, new life, Oxford Circus, quote, SAFA in London, South African hangover, take chances