Obligatory Weekend Recap

It's Monday and I haven't blogged in several days. Truth is, I've been keeping myself pretty busy and haven't had time to sit and write! I think I owe you all a quick weekend recap before I'm off to explore a bit with a new friend.

On Friday, I double yogaed and then took a new friend to Borough Market. There's always an interesting sight or two there! I spent way too much money on things like raw butter, Italian prosciutto, mushroom pate, and of course my refillable wine, olive oil, and half of a grilled cheese sandwich.

 On Saturday I checked out a ballet class in Covent Garden. I really liked it and I think I might sign up for a course! I don't know what sparked my interest in it, but I randomly decided I wanted to try something new, and ballet should be it. I'm hoping it will help my yoga practice and help with my grace/ rhythm/ not being a klutz.

 I've also been cooking a TON and experimenting with paleo recipes. So far I've made cauliflower "hummus"(bean free), "paleo cheez-its" (good, but taste nothing like the cheesey, salty goodness they're named after), "paleo ice cream" (made with frozen banana as the base), and loads of pancakes (just eggs, banana, and coconut flour). I also roasted a massive chicken and then made some homemade chicken stock with the left over bones. I had NO idea how jelly like the stock turn out to be, but it is very tasty.

Me showing Daniel my new yoga pose I finally learned- 1 armed, 1 leg wheel. No, my head is not on the ground, although it appears that way. 

Sunday was double yoga fun and then Daniel date night fun in West Hampstead, where we had some affordable Italian food at Bellaluna. I was a bad girl and had pizza, and oh my goodness does my stomach feel terrible today. But it was worth it- so delicious.

I hope you all have an amazing week! Thanks for stopping by!

Sunny Day Bliss

I can usually always find the bright side to every situation. I am always that annoying friend whom, after you complain, will come back with a "well, at least...". I think being positive is a choice, and one I try to make every minute of my life. With that being said, I think that I have seasonal depression. Looking back on this past winter, it just feels so dark. Gloomy. Depressing. I didn't have much will to go out and live. This wasn't apparent to me until these past couple of weeks, when I found how happy I was with the sun! I guess this just proves to me that I need to live in a sunny place (Hello, TX! Or, I don't know, Hawaii? Maybe one day?).

I have been outdoors 24/7 to soak up all of the sunshiny goodness. My cheeks are getting rosy and freckled, and I've even been able to run in tank tops! I love how in London, I can make a statement like "I think I am going to go take a nap in the park" and totally come off as being normal, vs homeless. 

Last Friday, Daniel was home by 12:30, and it turned out to be a fantastic day together! I was supposed to babysit, but that got cancelled, so we were able to be spontaneous and enjoy the blissful day.

We saw our very first movie together in London- Grand Budapest Hotel. As far as Wes Anderson movies go, it was enjoyable and I managed to not fall asleep (sorry, I'm not a huge fan normally).

We went to this quirky cinema a block from our flat, Everyman Cinema. It is cozy, filled with overstuffed love seats and little side tables. The screen was tiny! Like, you probably have a TV larger than the screen at Everyman. BUT, we enjoyed seeing an eclectic film in an eclectic theater! 

 Then, on Sunday, the weather was perfect. Daniel needed some down time after a long week of training and Cambridge, so I left him at home while I played in the park. Perfection!

Photo Dump!

What is a girl to write about after a good but regular old Monday? I suppose a phone photo dump is my best option! 

Daniel celebrated 5 years at Total and got this awesome plaque, plus he gets to pick a gift from a catalogue of Waterford crystal, luggage, and other random knick knacks. The guys at the UK office were giving him a hard time, since 5 years doesn't get celebrated there like it does for people from the US office (they are just jealous because they don't get a certificate or random gift), so Daniel didn't think it was that special, but I am very proud of him!

I can't help but take pictures during a run on Regent's Canal! No, I didn't run at 6 am or pm. This was around noon...the sun has disappeared again. But I still have hope that it'll return soon!

 As I have complained about a lot lately (I'm sorry, but it's my blog, so I get to say it), my diet has not been a healthful as normal, and in return, I have gained an annoying 13 lbs. I don't mind it that much, until I see pictures, then I am totally mad at myself. So, I have made the choice to stop doing this to myself and get back to my normal weight. I have been experimenting a lot with going grain free, and I am curious to see if that'll help me. I have been scoring lots of recipes to replace my vices- hummus, toast, etc. I am thinking of following this to a T mon-fri, and then on the weekends I can eat my pizza and drink my wine (wine is grain free, however, it is nearly impossible for me to drink wine and not pair it with bread and cheese. Honestly, this has been the number one reason why I think these 13 pounds have appeared. YUCK!)

The 10 year old girl I nanny, Miranda, goes to Brownies at this church. It looks so beautiful with the red brick and cherry blossom trees (I think that's what it is?) blooming.

Photo dump complete! You all have a great day now!

That Time I Forced Daniel to Hike 9 Miles in the Mud

The other day, I was thinking about how badly I wanted to see some English countryside. The problem with going to the country is, you need a car. Most trains do not take you to remote areas, ya know? However, renting a car is incredibly pricey, plus Daniel does not like driving in the UK.

 

So, I was searching on TripAdvisor for an alternative, where this book was recommended to me:

 

 

It is seemingly perfect- 52 walks that are easily accessible by train and maximum of 2 hours outside of London. We picked hike number 23 for Sunday: a 9 mile trek between 3 different ancient villages in Kent.

 

 

We started off on the wrong foot: we missed our first train, due to tube closures, AND upon arriving to Kent, we realized that the hike would be a VERY muddy one. Our shoes were COVERED in mud, plus the bottom of our pants, and I pretty much lost track of how many close calls we had to creating a human landslide. But, it turned out to be a great experience. The air was crisp and cold, not a drop of rain, and even a bit of sun! We didn't see too many people, but the ones we did say always stopped to say hello. People are much friendlier outside of London!

 





Beginning of the hike, we started in the village of Otford, before making our way to the countryside

Daniel was in charge of the directions, and it is a wonder that we never got lost once- I count it all to Daniel being an Eagle Scout! Since we were going on trails, there were obviously no street names. Everything was measured in meters, something we are not quite as used to. Here are some excerpts from the book:

-"Curve right at the horse chestnut tree"
-"Go rightish along a wide grassy avenue"
-"Go left once you get to the slope"
-"Turn left once you get to a break in the trees"

So, we were always worried that we turned at the wrong tree or hiked up the wrong slope. But alas, we never got lost once! Just did a ton of second guessing!

The ground was icy! At least, while it was frozen, it made it less muddy!

All around the UK there are these intersecting public footpaths that are hundreds of years old (some originating from the Roman times), leading the way through woods, farms, and between villages. It is SO neat imagining old villagers hundreds of years ago taking these same trails!

An old farm we walked by

After every hundreds of meters or so, there are either kissing gates or these little step things. This was to ensure that cattle didn't get out, and unwanted animals didn't get in!

 

The middle village, Shoreham, that we were hiking to.

Shoreham was an adorable, 3 road village. You had your tea shop, your pub, your church, and that's about it! Not to mention the sound of the roaring creek, and cows!

Some "boisterous cows" we had to walk past to get to the next kissing gate. I call them boisterous, because our book warned of "boisterous cows along the trail". They just stared at us, but never moved a muscle!

We happened to walk past a castle, several hundreds of years old. I don't recall ever walking by anything like this when in Texas! Does a country club count?

Sheesh. Some more boisterous cattle

The village of Eynsford was larger than the other ones- had about 3 pubs instead of just one! I love how the creek just took over a street.

There were some castle ruins in the village- over a thousand years old! It was strange, because it was just in the middle of Eynsford- there were houses now built close to it. Could you imagine? "Yes, we are in the house next to the thousand-old castle- can't miss us!"

All in all, the hike was very rewarding but LONG. It took up our whole day, and 9 miles through the mud is harder than you'd think, plus a lot of it was uphill. We are both very sore today! I loved getting to see a different side of England, though, and I really hope I can convince Daniel to go on another country walk with me!