My Top 5 Blogs!

I am addicted to reading other people's blogs and if I find one I love I quickly become obsessed with it!  Here are my top 5 blogs I currently check every day in the hope that they have updated with a new post.

1. The Londoner - http://www.thelondoner.me/

Along with most of the blogging community, The Londoner is one of the best things I have ever come across. EVER! I check it obsessively to see what exploits Rosie has been up to or what she is recommending to cook in the kitchen.  She has recently posted a baked Camembert recipe that I am going to try when my parents next come to stay and I've also checked out a number of restaurants on the back of her recommendations.  She is the blogger I aspire to be!

2. The Glam and Glitter 4Ever - http://www.theglamandglitter.com/

Tamara is another blogger whose wardrobe I covet and she always looks pretty and stylish! Apart from major hair envy, she also owns most of the shoes and bags I would love to own and puts clothes together in a way I only wish I had the bank balance and creativity to do myself!

3. Glossy's Wardrobe - http://glosswardrobe.blogspot.co.uk/

I am still devastated that Talita has moved to Canada and ceased to post on her blog since October, but I am hopeful that she will restart her blog once she has settled on the other side of the pond. She is currently in London and so I am hoping for a few posts about her new Isabel Marant's/Louboutin's/general fabulousness soon.

4. Spring to Autumn - http://springtoautumn85.blogspot.co.uk/

This is the blog of my friend who lives in Paris.  She is a French and Spanish translator as well as taking some incredible photos and writing touching posts in her spare time. I still think she should combine her photography with her writing on the blog as she has an album of beautifully arty photos on Facebook of little walks she takes around the city.  Definitely a talented writer, she will transport you into a beautiful world of colour and emotion through the words she writes on paper.

5. Big Fashionista - http://www.bigfashionista.co.uk/

Kelly likes to rant and rant a lot about whatever takes her fancy.  Her light-hearted but heart-felt posts are great to read and I often find myself nodding in agreement at what she writes.  A great blog to read if you are pissed off with the world!

Halfway there!

I am now at the end of Day 9 of the 19 day detox and, after a tough three days, things are starting to feel better again.

The weekend was a challenge as there are a lot more temptations when you are not locked in a classroom keeping yourself busy for hours on end, but I managed to get through it without cheating or breaking the rules.  Monday morning I awoke and felt tired, hungry and emotional, I even burst into tears over something trivial at work which is not like me at all.  Last night I really started to worry about how I was going to cope with the first 19 hour fast.

Surprisingly today is the first day I have not thought about hunger/food at all. In some ways I was lucky that it happened on a Tuesday when I have a full teaching day and because I ended up having break time detentions as well as a lunchtime drama I did not even think about food until 2.15.  When I actually came to eat my lunch I found that I wasn't particularly hungry by this point and almost had to force it down me.  This has really made me start to question what I mistake as actual hunger and what is in fact physical hunger.  I didn't have a snack because I ate so late in the day and I have just come home from the gym to have my evening meal below.  I have just realised that I forgot my 'starchy carbs' so I am going to have a banana for dessert.

Tuna Steak, poached egg, asparagus, spinach and broccoli cooked in coconut oil, garlic and chilli

I am starting to realise that a lot of stuff I do not actually need, I just want and I have surprised myself in that I have not really craved any food.  Having said that, someone on TV just said 'I love you too marshmellow' which has just got me fantasising about hot chocolate and marshmellows!

I think moving forward from this plan I am going to continue with the no dairy/no wheat as I feel so much better for it.  I don't however want to give up coffee (with a little bit of milk) or alcohol because life is too short and they are both treats I enjoy.  I'm not a massive coffee drinker anyway, I drink 4-5 cups a week usually as a social thing with friends and I don't think there is any reason to suddenly forgo this...let's meet for a green tea just doesn't sound as much fun!

I haven't weighed/measured myself yet as I am not going to do this until the end but I am hoping that from here to the end is when the big results are going to come in, so I'm digging in my heels and sticking it out.

2012 - The best year of my life!

Here we are again, on the eve of the final week of another year, excited to have some time off work and gather with our families for Christmas festivities.  I always feel quite nostalgic as the end of a year approaches and like to reflect back on the events that have passed and decide whether the year was a success or not.  Life is a rollercoaster of a story, it has its ups and its downs, and a year is a small representation of the story you are creating, the legacy of your existence.

Unusually, and refreshingly, 2012 has not been a rollercoaster of a year for me; it has been an exhilarating zip wire of excitement and joy, a year unrivalled in the happiness and good times it has given me.  I will be lucky to experience another year like it, a year packed to the rafters with fun, laughter, joy and love.  I will always hold 2012 dear to my heart as the year I got married, but I never anticipated that this occasion would shape the whole year into the magnificent event that it has been.  I am sorry to leave behind 2012 but excited and eager with anticipation for what 2013 holds.  I left 2011 with mixed emotions, I had been dreadfully unhappy in my job and had just lost my Granddad when I secured the position I have been working in since September and ended the year knowing it would be more than 8 months before I would start it, which seemed so far away.

My highlights of 2012 have not just been personal experiences but also sharing the joy of the nation in the jubilee celebrations (if you followed my old blog you will know I am a closet royalist), the London Olympic games, Felix Baumgartner’s death defying leap and, despite being a Liverpool fan, a new football team taking the Premier League title when Manchester City secured their trophy in the dying minutes of the season.  In all it has been a fantastic year for our wonderful nation.

On a personal level, I have loved the amount of time I got to spend with friends and family on my three hen dos and at my wedding.  I am disappointed in the fact that next year there will not be as many excuses to meet up with my loved ones and I hope that we still make the effort for fun times despite being more than 200 miles apart.  My wedding day was undoubtedly the best day of my life, it is probably the only time that every single person you love is in the same room and having fun and, if there was one day I could go back and relive again it would unquestionably be 4^th August 2012.  My honeymoon experience was unspeakably fantastic and I am happy to have been able to cross off two other lifetime goals of mine in sailing around the pacific islands of Fiji and staying in LA’s The Beverly Wilshire, both experiences I will hold dear in my heart for the rest of my life.

As well as the massive landmark of becoming a wife, August also saw me move to London and start a new job.  Whilst I will not deny it has been stressful, I am resolutely convinced that I made the right decision and I am ecstatic to be enjoying the experience of living in London, one of my favourite cities in the world, as well as having made some great new friends in the process.

So as I say goodbye to 2012, I look to 2013 with hope and excitement at what lies ahead.  Normally I set myself goals and aims for the approaching New Year but this year I have but one and that is to enjoy myself.  This is the first year I will be able to enjoy not having to plan or work towards anything in particular and I look forward to exploring London further, visiting some Southern Cities I have yet to acquaint myself with such as Oxford, Brighton, Bath, Bristol and Cambridge as well as reacquainting myself with my two favourite European cities of Barcelona and Paris.  I hope to have plenty to write about and plenty to smile about. 

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2013 and hope you are looking to the future as optimistically as I am.  Remember, you cannot change or revisit the past but you can shape your future.

Alexander Du'Bel Launch

On Sunday evening I was invited to attend the launch of a new lifestyle company from the Alexander Du'Bel group at The West End's top cabaret venue, Circus. 

Circus is one of my favourite venues in London; the cocktails are punchy, the food delicious and the entertainment never fails to amaze me.  In fact, the last time I was there, as part of the audience in a cooking programme to be aired on BBC3 in the new year, I left convinced that when the episode is shown it will contain far too many shots of me gazing up, open mouthed at the gymnasts performing on our table.


One of the acts from the launch night party

The free champagne was already flowing when we arrived and, never one to turn down a glass of bubbly, it wasn't long before I had raised a glass and was mingling amongst the trendy West End crowd of footballers, dancers and models that had turned out for the launch of this interesting, members only lifestyle club.

Alexander Du'Bel lifestyle allows members access to exclusive offers on high end luxury brands such as Bang and Olufson as well as its Travel Service offering exclusive deals on luxury, worldwide resorts and bespoke VIP packages to Vegas.  Perhaps what makes this exclusive membership different to other lifestyle companies out there at the moment is the links it has with various charities and a percentage of each membership is donated directly to the charities it supports.

Managing Director Damian Batt took to the stage to welcome his guests and explain a little about the vision he had when setting up the company.  He also welcomed on stage a representative from one of the charities, a hospice based in Oxfordshire, that he is supporting.
 

Managing Director Damian Batt
delivering his speech.

It is nice to see a young footballer with the foresight of thinking about life after football and his vision and drive are likely to be the driving forces behind the company's impending success. 

Damian spoke with passion about the charitable links of his company as well as his desire to provide his members with a high quality, bespoke service befitting of their lifestyles.  He certainly succeeded in creating a professional and high quality launch night whilst the first edition of the ADL magazine offered a promising taste of what is to come as the company grows and develops.  The magazine contains a variety of lifestyle articles from health and fitness tips by a personal trainer to reviews on the latest gadgets hitting the world of technology, not to mention an interview with one of Britain's most current and in demand artists, Paloma Faith.



After the last act of the night but before the over indulance of the free champagne started to make me feel woozy, my husband and I made a discreet exit to avoid being persuaded to join the after party at Whisky Mist, knowing that despite the temptation to carry on the festivities, it was back to the day job on Monday and teaching teenagers with a champagne hangover is not the most enjoyable way to spend a day!

Thank you Alexander Du'Bel and Circus for a fabulous night and I wish you every success with your new venture.

Musings of A Fantasist

Having used Tumblr for my fashion/lifestyle blog for the past few years I have decided to change blog providers and take up with Blogger. I think this will allow me to see who is reading my blog and also for readers to comment and interact with me better.

A little bit about myself for anyone who wants to know:

I am originally from Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire but have spent the last 8 years based in Liverpool (with stints in Spain, France and a few horrific months in Manchester interspersed in this time).

This summer I got married and my husband and I also moved to Richmond which, thus far, I have found to be the best place to live on earth!

My 2 aims in life are to publish a best selling novel and write for Vogue. I hope you enjoy following me as I set out to achieve these aims.

Liverpool

Liverpool is the city closest to my heart. I miss it everyday, even though I feel extremely privileged to be living in Richmond.

This photo shows Liverpool as the special and magical place it is.