Week 11 / Family time_LA

This week, my parents are in town on their first visit to see me since I moved out here in November.  We will spend lots of time exploring the city and trying to give them a taste of how we spend our time and give them a taste of the places we go to on a regular basis.  As soon as I knew I was moving to LA, I realised I had taken my time in London a bit for granted. I had a bucket list of places I wanted to visit:  the Tower of London, the V&A museum, the Natural History Museum and Buckingham Palace, to mention a few.  Some of these places are typically more tourist destinations and I generally would have avoided them at all costs come weekend.  But as my time living as a 'Londoner' began to run out, I started to try and cram in as much sight-seeing as I possibly could.  I'd arrange dinners at restaurants I'd been meaning to try and I used my weekends to visit new galleries or museums or revisiting some of the places I'd come to love so much over the years.  It soon became apparent it just wasn't possible to do everything before leaving.  I don't have any regrets about the things I didn't get chance to do whist living there.  London will in fact always be there... and no, I am not still upset about not getting the chance to take an open top bus tour around the city... honest! :)  

I will say this though, as much as the idea of parading the Walk of Fame does not appeal to me, nor does taking a tour of the 'star's homes', but if there is one thing I have learnt since leaving London it is to embrace what is at your doorstep.  Even just for one day.  What point of interest is at your doorstep?  When was the last time you took a day out to visit something new or allowed yourself to get lost amidst the 'tourist trap'? It's not quite as bad as you might think and who knows what you might discover on the way.

First stop this week... Solvang and Santa Barbara. 

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Pen pals and chocolate

This week, I have had two lovely surprises from my amazingly fun friend Ms Helen Renshaw.  Helen and I have known each other since September 2005, when we lived together in Manchester whilst studying at university.  We'd spend some of our days in PJs hungover watching sh*t TV whilst eating crisps and toast.  Sometimes I wouldn't even make it out of my room due to a banging headache and sickness (oh the shame) and eventually (around 4 o'clock), I'd hear a tiny tap on my bedroom door. Dishevelled and groggy, I'd drag myself out of my pit and open the door to be blinded by artificial lighting and a concerned looking Helen checking to see if I was still in the land of the living.  She'd end up rolling around laughing at me in humorous disgust. This was usually followed by a trip to Subway (yes we did go in our PJs once... twice maybe) for a footlong and a large diet coke.

To this day, she still hasn't stopped 'looking after' me.  When I told her I was moving stateside, we decided to go 'old school' and vowed to become pen pals.  Sure enough, Helen was the first to send out a postcard like we'd promised, and I reciprocated.  This week, however, the first surprise I received from her was a Converse shoe box (typical Helen loves her trainers!) jam packed with a selection of Cadbury chocolates including:

two freddie frog chocolates 

two crunchies

a curlywurly

a bar of dairy milk 

a bar of dairy milk fruit and nut

a bag of mini creme eggs

a bag of mini eggs 

AND

a bag of mini egg caramel!!!

When she said she was going to send me a few Cadbury's chocolate bars, I certainly wasn't expecting this much :)))))  It was a total dream surprise and so thoughtful.

The second surprise was a lovely and witty post that she put up on her very colourful and entertaining blog, which you can read here.

What a superstar friend you are Miss Renshaw... Come and visit me soon please ??? :) 

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Breakfast Fruit Bowl

How it's done:

- Take one lovely breakfast bowl

- Throw in a handful of fruit | strawberries and blueberries

- Add a dollop of plain greek yoghurt

- Scatter some seeds | sunflower and pumpkin

- Drizzle over some good quality   clear runny honey for some sweetness

- Devour

Quick. Healthy. Breakfast. 

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Yarn Crawl | Brooklyn Craft Camp.

There are two amazing events happening on the East and West coast this spring: Brooklyn Craft Camp and Yarn Crawl LA.  I'm getting on board with the LA yarn crawl and going to see how many stores I can visit over this four-day event.  For those who are East coast based, get down to this amazing looking one-day event.  You can partake in various craft classes ranging from beginners crochet to paper cutting crafts and DIY nail art. I wish we had something like this in LA!

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Collection 04 / Over the rainbow

1. Crocheted blanket kit from Purl Soho | 2. Ecofriendly soy & beeswax bowls from Enchanted Dandelions at Etsy | 3. Colourwheel pendent necklace from Leif | 4. Polka dot milk bottle from Poketo | 5. Rainbow hue diamond picnic blanket based on a design from designlovefest made by me!

{images taken from seller's websites}

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Week 10 / Reduce the intake

For those who know me, you'll know how much I love my food!  I love to cook, I love to eat out and I love to talk about food.  There isn't a moment where I'm not considering what I'm having for my next meal. It has been a whirlwind of new dining experiences since arriving in America.  Even heading to the supermarket for weekly groceries is a new challenge when compared to what I'm used to back home.  It's strange how you get used to what brands of food you buy on a weekly basis, and when they are not readily available how much you miss them.  New brands almost seem alien to you.  In a way, it's exciting to discover these new products, but then there are times when all you want is a good old English banger and a Pret BLT!  

The downside to most of these new dining experiences is the amount of food I'm consuming.  One thing in particular America is known for is it's portion sizes.  Unfortunately for me and my food loving self, I have fallen fail to this on a number of occasions.  In some ways, I am over the moon about the food I eat, but it's now got to the point where enough is enough:  fries with everything is not gonna keep the lbs off my backside.

My main weaknesses are bread and butter (and salted butter, at that), burgers (with blue cheese, or with  gruyere cheese, or with cheddar cheese, or with mozzarella cheese) and yes, cheese is another weakness (ahem... mac n' cheese).  As are crisps (chips) and dips!

Living with a boy also doesn't help, but there are ways and means of how I can overcome this overindulgence of food.  So for this week's task, I am planning to reduce my intake.  I aim to make healthier choices when we dine out (which we also need to reduce), and portion control:  one plate of food without any return trips back to the kitchen for seconds.  I also aim to cut down on my vices listed above.  I won't, however, be giving up on my bacon butty on a weekend and butter is out but olive oil is in!

And don't hold me to these rules.  If you catch me sneaking bread and salty butter, or heading back for seconds sometime down the road, my rules may have evolved!

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