Friends, Family & Food

I've been quite the social butterfly this week.

Which considering how manic work's been, is quite an achievement in itself.

I've been making an effort to participate in more things that make me happy this week. I've been binge reading my current book Fairytale by Danielle Steele. Its at that, what I like to call 'peak point' of the book. I'm so engrossed I'm even reading whilst walking to the washing machine to get clothes. Reading is definitely up there, as one of my top five ways to spend time. As much as I understand the practicality of a kindle, I do prefer to be able to turn the pages of a book.

As the title of this post suggest my week has consisted of friends and food.

Monday - I took the day off work , under the assumption of going to a Game of Throne's party. That didn't come to play, so I figured, I'd stay up and watch what I assumed was going to be an epic finale. Cue the disappointment. For me, the last ever episode of GoT was the worst one I’ve ever seen. It didn't give this legendary show the the amazing send off I would have expected. Don't even get me started on ”Bran the Broken” being king 😞 With that being said GoT still is and always will be one of the most awesome shows to ever grace our TV screens.

Cheeseburger & Fries @ The Ned 

Wednesday - I went for what I thought would only be a couple of drinks with my loony pal Mr Francis. We proved we can be adults and rather than drinking enough, to already see the next days hangover, by 10pm, we decided to go to dinner. We were both quite proud of ourselves for making such a grown up decision. We rocked up to The Ned, ordered a couple of burgers, had few more drinks, listened to some live music and being the little sociable sally’s that we are made a few friends along the way.

Jack Fruit Burger & Sweet Potato Fries @ The Ned 

Friday - I met up with an old friend. Monica and I haven't spoken in almost 10 years. Due to a falling out, over which we both now agree,  was a simple case of miscommunication. It's weird how in life, there are some things, you'll just  never see coming. The universe intervened and presented an opportunity, where I bumped into her at the train station and said hello. It then sprinkled a little fairy dust and gave her the courage to reach out to me. To which I am  grateful for. We met up at Liverpool street station and from the minute we saw each other to the minute we left to go home, It was like we'd been friends for the last decade. I've missed having her in my life. Sometimes you make peace with the way things have been and figure Its best to leave them that way, until a situation occurs to show you, that change is possible. We have both agreed, that we would like to see if we could rebuild a friendship and I'm super happy that we're both in a place in our lives where we can be open minded enough to try.

Smoked Schinkenacker @ German Gymnasium 

 Saturday - I went to see Jon Wick with a friend. For the sake of this blog and keeping shit under wraps we'll call him Mr Seeing What Happens. (Mr SWH for short) We went to the at Everyman Kings Cross. As you may or may not know, Everyman Cinema's are slightly pricier than your average Cineworld or Vue, so it isn't necessary to watch every film there. However, the  sofas paired with a few glasses of Prosecco and some popcorn, imitates a good night in,whilst actually having a night out. I'm also not unhappy about the cozy setting it created for Mr SWH and I. Now, if you haven't yet seen Jon Wick: Parabellum, I would suggest you trade in this month Netflix subscription money and go and see it. Without giving away any spoilers, there is some serious violet action, literally within minutes of this film starting. There were parts in this film even I had to turn away from the screen for. Knife in the eye. I'll leave you with that. Needless to say, It did'nt disappoint and left it open for a chapter 4. After the usual critique over anything we watch, we strolled through the newly done up Kings Cross, to German Gymnasium. The outside of this building, does not do it justice as to how beautiful it is inside. The food was really good. I had the Smoked Schinkenacker -  2 smoked and grilled pork sausages, with sauerkraut, potato puree and crispy onions. When it turned up, I was sure I'd have room for dessert. I was wrong..lol. It's easily going on the list of great meals I've had in a long time .
Mr SWH had the chicken schnitzel and this bird literally covered the plate. With good food, a good film and good company Saturday turned out to be a rather good day. Topped off by getting home and having a few more drinks and a lot of laughs with my dad and my uncles.

Bank Holiday Monday - Had a Family lunch at Prezzo. I'm not a massive fan of the food at Prezzo. This is my second time going and I have to say, I wouldn't choose to go again. However, I did try my first ever Calzone and it was a nice afternoon spending time with some of the family.

Calzone @ Prezzo 

I can go weeks without having a full social calendar. Sometimes because there is simply nothing on the books, sometimes because I’m not in the right head-space to be sociable. I’m grateful that the past week has seen fit, to allow me the time and mindset be able spend time with so many people. I'm lucky enough that I have people around me. I'm lucky enough that I am still welcoming people into my life. I'm lucky that until the 3rd June, my weight is the least of my concerns. 

So today’s message is...

Enjoy life wherever you can.
Spend time with people that make you smile and bring out the best in you.
Appreciate the friends and family you have.
Make room for new people to join your life.
Create space for old people to return.
But most importantly....eat as much good food as you can. I’m all about being healthy and in the best shape to maximize my confidence and happiness, but not at the expense of a couple of good sausages. I’m still talking about food you dirtbags, get your mind out of the gutter

Have a great day, remember you are a unicorn and don’t let anybody shit on your rainbow💝

Girlie Giggles & Roman Fries

Managing to go out for a few drinks on a Friday night, and not ending up going out out, is definitely going on my list of achievements for this week. 

It started off with the customary “Let’s just go for one” which 9 times out of 10 is just the opening line, to either an epic adventure or a catastrophic memory bank of events the following morning. Thankfully last night resulted in 5 Proseccos, Roman Fries ( Chips with Parmesan, truffle and rosemary - which I actually got for free as they brought over haloumi fries instead), a good girlie chat with my work pal Sabs and tucked up in (albeit slightly tipsy) with an M&S chocolate bar by 11pm.

All in all, it was a successful attempt at not joining the hungover herd this morning. We also had quite the giggle. We talked about everything from our current endeavours to brexit. She encouraged me (with the help of one of our new colleagues, who should hopefully be bringing in a duck Shepard’s pie next week 😋) to join bumble. She reassured me to keep up with my blog, as not only had she seen a difference in me since I began writing it, she also enjoys reading it. Which made my jaw cramp up from smiling. I helped her to covertly “redistribute” 😆 some flowers from one location to another, as well as discussing her need to go on holiday. She wants to relax but more importantly, wants to get a tan. I told her I also needed to work on my tan, to which she gave me the look most people give me when I say that. Probably because I’ve been rocking a pretty decent tan since birth, but we can all use a top up. She was weighing up the options between actually getting away to somewhere sunny or fake tanning. I couldn't really weigh in on this as I have never fake tanned, which the look on my face probably conveyed as rather than expect an actual answer from me on the subject, she simply replied “White Girl Problems” to which we both almost fell off our chairs with laughter. 

She is probably one of the most random people I have ever met, and I need a mute button for her when she's had her afternoon Starbucks (think toddler drinking a can of coke). However she really does have the biggest heart, is always up for a laugh, gives me the most jokes and is just an all-around cool cat. 

Now as much as I wasn't hungover this morning, I didn't drink enough water before going to bed last night, so I did have to gulp down what felt like an entire river upon opening my eyes this morning. But I was up and out by 8 am getting this walk done. I did have to take a little nap not long after getting back, but if you can't nap on a Saturday, what is the world coming to? I also realised - when I saw it pop up on sky movies today, that I have never actually seen all of Wayne’s World. I know, I know, it's ridiculous behavior on my part. I should be rectifying that over the next 24 hours. 

Have a great day, remember you are a unicorn and don't let anybody shit on your rainbow ❤️

Climbed Out The Comfort Zone

Honestly, I’m surprised I can even type today's post. My arms are aching so much I’ve spent half the day just stroking them, telling them everything’s going to be alright. 

I went indoor climbing at Arch Climbing Wall in Bermondsey last night, with me Rooley. She’s been climbing for about 8 months and she’s bloody gangsta at it. I saw a video she posted on insta of her climbing and I wanted to give it try. Plus it was a good excuse for us to hang out. 

We got lost trying to find the place. We learnt yesterday that there are times that we both have the ability to be shit at reading maps. Seriously it would have been easier to have found Narnia. Thankfully we bumped into a lady who just happened to be going to the same place as us and managed to use the directions her friends had given her to get us there. There was a queue to get in when we arrived. Apparently this one is a very popular location. So I got registered, got changed, picked up my climbing shoes and off we went. Being the anxious Annie that I am, as much as I had been looking forward to trying this, I did wake up with an element of fear. With my luck with injuries, I was sure there was a higher chance of me plummeting to my death (I know, proper drama queen) When I voiced these concerns at work, everyone soothed my overzealous mind, by reminding me that I would be strapped into a harness, controlled by someone else, so I had nothing to worry about. That statement went a long way to putting my mind at rest. 

Fun fact, Arch climbing doesn't use harnesses. You just climb. Climb up. Climb down. Climb side to side. Even climb horizontally. So upon realising that I would be climbing up a wall, with the only person to rely on for not falling being myself, It occurred to me that I could either pull up a stool in the little cafe and read my book, whilst waiting for Rools, or I could strap on a pair and starting climbing. Thankfully it was the latter. To be fair, all of the floors are covered with crashmats. I managed 4 climbs before my body gave out. This shit takes its toll on you physically. It didn't help that the higher I climbed the more fear set in. However, it's a damn good workout and I have to say it does get you quite determined to get to the top each time you climb. By my 3rd climb I was gaining a little confidence and was starting to find my stride. By the time I had finished the muscles in my forearms were dead. Holding myself up on was about to become impossible. That was my cue to have a walk round and just watch other people. I have to say, some of the climbers, I saw amazed me. The body strength and the technique were impressive. 

I'm not sure I’ll be climbing as my regular workout, but I definitely want to give it another go and soon. I enjoyed it and would like to see, how I get on with less fear and more practice. Plus you just get talking to people, which makes it a social activity as well as a physical one. As far as trying something new goes, this experience gets a 👍🏾 from me. I had to bring my mouth down to my toothbrush rather than the normal bring my toothbrush up to my mouth this morning, because my arms a literally dead, but it was totally worth it. 

Have a great day, remember you are a unicorn and don't let anybody shit on your rainbow ❤️

Friendship

The great thing about friends are, they can come into your life at anytime.  Some when you least expect it and some when you need them the most.

I met up with my darling Jiggy aka My Stalker and Rooley aka The Ying to my Yang.  I met both of  them at my old work place.  We haven’t managed to meet up this year yet, but I am so glad we made the time tonight. I miss them.  I may not see or speak to them as often as I’d like - we all have our own lives and making time can be difficult.  However, whenever we do get together its like no time has passed.

The minute I saw them it put a smile on my face. They were both my rocks when I worked with them, and seeing them tonight just reinforced how valueable their friendship is to me. I am lucky enough to have this bond with a few of my girls (and some of my boys) 😌 

We went for a lovely dinner at Dishoom Carnaby.  We talked about the good, the bad and the ugly.  I told them about the blog and they were super supportive and encouraging as expected.  I told them about Mr HG, they were proud I finally got back on the proverbial horse. Jiggy even schooled us on Pillow menus. Now some of you may be aware of what a pillow menu is. Rooley and myself found out today.  Now if you re wondering what this is, the answer is as obvious as it sounds. When staying in a nice hotel, there is a menu you can peruse, to choose different types of pillows for a great nights sleep.  Or whatever else you plan on doing in the hotel room. Apparently you can request as many as you like. Kind of like room service, but instead of duck l’orange you get duck feather pillows. Needles to say, Rooley and myself immediately started looking for hotels we could stay at to sample this service.  I only need 1 pillow to sleep with, but given that kind of  choice I’m requesting enough to build a fort. 

Rooley and I did try to discuss the events leading up to the last series of GOT before the new series starts, but as its taken jiggy 10,000 years to only get to season 5 we didnt want to spoil it for her. OMG she doesn’t even know about John Snow yet. Jiggy if you’re reading this - he just buys a farm and starts raising chickens😆

Shockingly I was home by 9:30. Which if you knew what we were like on a usual night out, is a surprise in itself.  I am glad not to have had a late, late one though, not being hungover on a Friday has been a knew tradition for me this year and I’m liking it. 

So thank you ladies for a great night 

Have a great day, remember you are a unicorn, and don’t let anyone shit on your rainbow❤