Apr
2017

T-Shirts and Tops: SS17

categories: Clothes

It seems like Spring has well and truly arrived. Even though there is still a bit of a chill in the air in the morning, the sun seems to have his hat on! This made me look at my wardrobe in despair. My wardrobe is designed with comfort and warmth in mind so when the temperature turns up, I’m left scratching my head! So some online shopping is in order and this is a little roundup of my favourite tops and t-shirts.

Tshirts_ss17

[Fat Face Hollie T-Shirt £25 || Fat Face Badge Raglan T-Shirt £29.50 || People Tree Equality Tee £32 || People Tree Vegan Tee £32 || Fat Face Natasha T-Shirt £24 || Hello DODO shop Get Lost T-Shirt £25]

Most weekends, I’m all about dressing in jeans and a top so these are my ideal selection. I already have the Equality tee from People Tree, which I generally wear over a white version of the Fat Face Hollie t-shirt. My only criticism of the People Tree tee’s are that the sleeves are too short, and this is mainly because I have issues with my upper arms being on show. I’m hoping (fingers crossed!) to get the Vegan Tee for my birthday because I think it’s awesome! I love the new(ish) basic t-shirt range from Fat Face. They are a life saver, mainly because they can be worn on their own when the weather gets hot, but they are also suitable for work, which is really awesome. I have certain outfits that I wear depending on how I’m feeling, and if I’m feeling tired or down, I’ll wear something ‘easy’ and this will either involve some stripes or one of these basic Fat Face tops. I’m also loving the slogan t-shirt fashion at the moment and can imagine myself wearing the Get Lost t-shirt while walking along the Cornish coast line…

 


Apr
2017

Dog Walks in Oxfordshire – The Thames: Abingdon Lock to Sandford Lock

categories: Poppy

We’re back on our plan to walk the Thames Path, now that everything isn’t completely muddy. Our first stint, since the one we did last year, was from Abingdon Lock to Sandford Lock. It was a lovely, easy walk, that had me feeling like we were a million miles from anywhere. We only saw about three or four other people the whole time. The first part of the walk was insanely muddy and it really slowed us down. But once we got away from Abingdon and closer to Radley, it cleared up a lot.

Heading off from Abingdon Iron Man in Oxfordshire

There were some fabulous views along the way, including seeing Iron Man, which was an unexpected surprise! It’s always amazing what you can see when you’re walking along the lesser used parts of the Thames. We kept on passing fields and fields, full of geese who were clearly loving the food they could find there. And you’re pretty much guaranteed to see some rowing action, whichever bit you’re walking along!

Thames Path walk Poppydog on the Thames walk Arriving at Sandford Lock

The walk is fairly easy to do and we completed it in just over two hours, with a little rest stop for drinks and snacks. There was no where to stop along this stretch, but there are plenty of places the other side of Sandford Lock, where there’s a pub and a few places to park your car. It’s the perfect walk to do in a morning or afternoon, as it won’t take up too much time and isn’t too strenuous.

Abingdon to Sandford walk


Apr
2017

Zizzi Vegan Pizza

categories: Food & Drink

I’ve been vegan for about a year and a half now, and I don’t regret anything, other than not doing it sooner. One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed is how veganism is being embraced by mainstream restaurants. Zizzi have led the way with not only have a vegan offering, but by developing their own vegan cheese, they have put themselves on the map as a vegan friendly place. Others have followed in their footpath, but I wanted to try Zizzi’s cheese. The reason being is because I struggle with vegan cheese. I’ve not really found a vegan pizza cheese that is anything remotely like regular cheese. As a result, I’ve quite happily gone without cheese on all my pizza. That being said, I wanted to see if Zizzi had nailed it.

Zizzi Vegan PizzaThe pizza itself was really tasty. I added red onion, mushrooms and green chilli and it was great combination. I wasn’t overly impressed with the cheese, as it was very wet, so that it melt like mozzarella. I was never a huge fan of mozzarella, and maybe that’s why I wasn’t that keen on this cheese. It had a decent flavour and there was plenty of it, but I wasn’t keen on the texture. I realise that nothing is ever going to be the same as regular cheese, and I’m really pleased that Zizzi have made such a huge effort for their vegan customers. Not only do they have vegan cheese, they also have vegan desserts that aren’t sorbet. I know, right?! How cool is that? Naturally, I wanted to give the vegan calzone a try, despite being pretty stuffed.

Zizzi vegan puddingMy first impression was that it was way smaller than I was expecting! This is because I’m a huge greedy guts and wanted one as big as my pizza! It had pecans, banana and blueberries inside and had chocolate and coconut ice cream on top. It was delicious! The first vegan pudding I’ve had in a mainstream restaurant! I really enjoyed it. It was warm and doughy and filling. Well worth leaving room for.

I hope that other restaurants who aren’t being as forthcoming with vegan options take note. My friends and I, one of which is gluten-free, purposely went to Zizzi because we knew we would be catered for. The vegan revolution is beginning!


Apr
2017

Healthy Life Balance

categories: Fitness

Well hello there. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I had about an hour to do some blogging a few weeks ago, but then I couldn’t remember my password. Such is the current state of my brain! Teaching can be a really demanding job (Don’t worry, this isn’t a ‘woe is me, teaching is the hardest profession ever’ post!) but it’s a job that I love. Right now, it’s taking a lot of my time, and it doesn’t leave a lot of time for anything else at the moment.

We have been walking, doing a few stretches of the Thames path, but work has been the main focus of my life. This won’t last forever. As exam season approaches, I will have less classes to plan for and mark, so I will start to have more free time to blog, relax and generally live my life again!

As result, I’m starting to think of how to make my life have a healthier balance. Back at the beginning of the year, I decided to make my diet healthier and eat a more wholefood, plant based diet. When we started eating this way, I had loads of energy, lost some weight and had a good understanding about what was going into my body. But it is a lot of work! While we still eat a generally plant based diet, we aren’t eating as well as we should be. So, over the next few weeks, I’m going to try and make a concerted effort over the next few weeks to get a few more recipes and get back on track. I know I’ll feel brighter when I do, and I’m hoping that it’ll help for when I’m walking.

The ThamesRecently, I’ve being having pain in my knees and back, which means that, funnily, walking Poppy isn’t enough exercise to keep my hypermobility in check. Full disclosure, I’m not even doing my back stretches. So I’ve decided to join a Pilates class, get some strength going in these old bones and maybe, just maybe, it’s time to start going back to the gym. As Poppy goes to daycare a few days a week, she doesn’t need walking when I pick her up. I need to move more. At the moment, I’m getting out breath, walking Poppy while drinking a coffee in my Keep Cup! It’s definitely time to kick things up a notch.

I’ve decided to revamp my work out gear, including getting a new sports bra, and am toying with the idea of getting a FitBit watch, as opposed to the one I wear on my bra, so I can keep track of my fitness and hope that it motivates me to hit the gym. I’m not looking to be an athlete or anything, I just want to make sure that my life has a bit more balance to it. If I can plough half as much energy into being fit and healthy as I have into writing courses for school, then I should be running marathons in no time!