WILD THING

Good afternoon Sunday readers,

                                                     I have a quick update for you...

Started a new internship 2 weeks ago.. 

It is going well..

I only have 2 weeks left..

Then I am back to being the 'New Girl' again..

Another day, another internship..

Sending my anxiety through the roof of, will it be a good one? 

I hope so..

I am there for 5 months.

Anyway, all things aside, I met up with my favourite London gal pal yesterday to talk fashion, life, food and futures.

We decided to go for lunch to a place that has been on our foodies bucket list for a good long while now called Wild Food Cafe. 

The building was picturesque, with brick work that was so orderly you wouldn't believe, old fashioned and somewhat Parisian style blue window frames, surrounded by neat greenery and pretty florals. 

This beautiful building is in the perfect London location of the magical Neal's Yard in Covent Garden. 

The food is colourful, fresh, raw, vegan/vegetarian and created using playful innovation that will be sure to satisfy your hunger queues with not so guilty meals and puds!

There is no denying the menu had me wanting to go tapas and order everything.

I was initially drawn to the Ayervedic Salad of:

'organic lamb lettuce and wild rocket topped with amaranth, courghetti spaghetti, hijiki seaweed, slices of artichoke hearts & avocado, cucumber & red pepper cubes, finished off with coriander, rocket & parsely pesto, mango salsa, activated savory seeds flavoured with leafy greens and spices, and marinated shiitake mushrooms.'

However, I pretty much live for salads, therefore I thought trying something more unusual would be the best option.. as good as this looks and sounded.

My next temptations were the:

I Love Ewe:

'unpasteurised Neal’s Yard dairy sheep cheese, caramelized onions, Dijon mustard, gherkins & tomato sandwich.'

The Wild Pizza:

'raw, dairy-free young coconut cheeze, wild sea purslane & basil pesto, raw cultured tomato & goji berry marinara, Turkish olives, artichoke hearts, avocado.'

The Wild Burger:

'scrumtious shiitake, raw olive & dulse burger with in-house cultured Wild Sauce, tomatillo salsa verde, caramelised onions, baba ganoush & crispy gem lettuce in a wholemeal sprouted organic wheat bread.'

The Wild Falafel:

'organic pistachio, olive & coriander superfood falafel balls, sprouted chickpea hummus, baba-ganoush, sprouted quinoa tabouleh, red pepper dressing, tahini sauce.'

In the end I opted for the Wild Falafel and Rosie chose the Wild Burger.

Of course I am going to be honest with you here, we don't know if we just made the wrong choices or  we would of thought this whatever the choice.. 

The food was delicious, but not worth the money with both our lunch orders coming to around £13 each. The portions were pretty small for the price, but I guess organic and healthy food like this generally tends to be more expensive. The food tasted great, but it wasn't mind blowing like you would hope for a £13 wrap. 

Either way the food was good but I don't think I would order the same thing, I would however definitely go again.. maybe when money isn't so tight. 

Feeling slightly disappointed by the lunch mains due to how much this place was hyped up, we decided to go all in and share a dessert as these looked doubtful to disappoint! 

We decided to ask which was the dessert that is most recommended to a newbie at Wild Food, we were told to go for the Raw Chocolate Tart:

'our most popular dessert. Creamy & smooth thick layer of chocolate superfood heaven on a firm crust of organic almonds, figs, dates and coconut chips.'

This was delicious. We had wished we had just visited indulging in an array of desserts. 

The mousey, chocolatey, gooeyness, just melted in your mouth and the base provided a filling soft but crunchy end to the delectable mouthful. 

Ok so if you are reading this and you haven't already cracked open your treat jar.. now is the time to run to the kitchen and satisfy your cravings, writing this post sure had my belly rumbling! 

Time for a Sunday of Homeland, lunch prepping, chocolate and church. 

See you next week, hope you have all had a lovely weekend. 

Oh and if you are in London be sure to go and treat yourself to some Wild Food! Nothing like guilt free cakes. 

WELCOME TO 2015

Sorry it has been awhile, I have been a busy bee, but no1 on this list will be to get back into the swing of things. Ironically in the past I would have made a list of 'New Years Resolutions', and yes like most people, this list would be made one day and forgotten the next. The ironic thing here, is that in 2014 I stuck to my New Years resolutions of working out more, eating healthy produce and drinking more water. My 2014 resolutions all sounded great but predictable, little did I know these resolutions that most of us admittedly make every year turned my life upside down, as you can probably gather from the last post I made. So before you make your list for 2015, really think about it. Yes, most people probably won't spiral into the whirlwind my mind created, but one thing 2015 should really be about is happiness, why feel guilty about not working out or eating that piece of cake, a healthy body isn't just a one man show, it needs a healthy mind to accompany it. 2015 is about balance, self love and acceptance for me. If you hate running, why put it on your New Years resolutions list to hit the treadmill 5 days a week, not only are you setting yourself up for a fail, you are not spending your time doing things you love. I found there was a lot of sadness in 2014, not just for myself, but for others, many deep and upsetting events in the world took place, it makes you realise that you only have that one life and doing little things everyday, like the passing smile to a stranger, ok might freak them out, but also might brighten their day, you never know what someone else could be going through. 2014's had many traumatic events for the world, and with the sadness that this week took place in France, we are not making a very good start, but its in times of trouble that you see how us as beings can really pull together and support one another. I am hoping 2015 is the year of conquering demons and overcoming hardships.

Anyway, in my list you won't see me striving to work out, cut out food types, and up my water intake any more (water is good, but if I drank anymore my whole day would be spent on the toilet, TMI?):

1. Consistant blogging.

2. Get more organised - make good use of my Filofax 2015 refills!

3. Work hard, making the most of my internships to hopefully startup a network of freelance work ready for graduation.

4. Explore more, I live in London right now and could only tell you about the tube stations I have been too.

5. Read more books. Kindle at the ready!

6. Become a Yogi. No, not Yogi the Bear, Yogi is the term used for "one who is adept in Yoga" (courtesy of The Free Dictionary .com). I have done the occasional bit of Yoga here and there, but I really want to pursue it further, I notice how Yoga makes my body feel relaxed and rejuvenated, it definitely makes a difference to my day.

7. Further my religious journey.

8. Keep in better contact with loved ones. I haven't been the easiest person to get in contact with since  becoming an unpaid working woman. I want to speak to my nearest and dearest (friends and family) more often now I am apart from everyone, even if its just a text.

9. Meditate. This goes hand in hand with me becoming a fully fledged Yogi. Whether it is on my walk to work or before I go to sleep, 10 minutes of Meditation a day has been proven to be a worthy source of medication and transform many peoples lives, while also being something many successful people do day-to-day, check out this article in the Huffington.

10. Aim for no less then 7 hours of sleep a day, strive for 8-9 hours. Sleep is a vital part of healthy living, I recommend listening to this - TED Talks video, it proposes some interesting facts and theories.

Let's hope I stick to these resolutions this year, I think they will be the secret for my happy 2015.

My weekly smiles #6

Two blog posts in one day?! That's right. Sunday has been my day of writing. I love writing but have been told I have dyslexia, meaning my writing skills aren't considered academic. But it is something I am passionate about, I have come along way with my spelling and punctuation thanks to good ol' spell checker. I somehow don't think spelling and punctuation is the most important thing when it comes to writing, I think you should write with your heart and use your creative mind, surely that is the most important thing? I for one don't pick up a book and think.. "wow, great punctuation". I read because the piece interests me, which is why I am such a lover of blog writing, I am not being marked, it is my little bubble, my journal for me and my thoughts and anyone else who might be interested. If you have ever wanted to look inside someones mind, wondered what people are thinking and like learning about peoples lives.. we'd have that in common. My favourite shows are Escape To The Country, Place in the Sun and Location, Location, Location.. this along with my interest in peoples lives pretty much makes the person who everyone thinks is "the nosey one".. meet me and you will probably feel like your on a quiz show. My interest in people might cause criticism but it is merely just out of interest I love learning and getting to know people and their interests. Any-who it has definitely been a day of Sunday rambles..

1. Making friends. New interns joined our team recently, like I said.. I like getting to know people!
2. Sushi Saturday happened. Working during the weekend means sushi lunch. The company treat us to lunch if we work during the weekend and the bins become filled with empty wasabi bento boxes and many happy tummies.
3. Learning new skills. I have learnt so much through my internships and it's only been 3 months, bring on the rest of the year.
4. London Fashion Week outfit purchased.
5. Relaxing Sunday of writing.
6. X Factor. I haven't watched the X Factor in years, but I flicked it on to see if the new judge panel could rope me back.. yep, that's right.. it did. So glad to have Cheryl and Simon back! Is it just me that thinks Simon seems a lot more timid since becoming a Dad?
7. Thinking about the future. Feeling excited and determined! Working in the industry makes me fall more and more in love with the creative world everyday.
8. UniDays. HOW HAVE I ONLY JUST REGISTERED.
9. Tea and biscuits. After dominating a sushi lunch in work on Saturday I continued to fight for true health and happiness, sharing out my biscuits among the Embroidery team & we all got dunking. It's safe to say there is nothing like a biscuit dunked into a freshly brewed cup of tea.
10. Turtle neck. I never thought I would say the phrase, I am loving turtle neck fashion. It is going to be huge this Autumn, turtle neck dresses, turtle neck tops, turtle neck jumpers. The turtle neck is making a comeback and I am welcoming it with open arms. Embrace the turtle.

Song of the week: Not just a song it is an album! Gabrielle Aplin - English Rain. This Album reflects my mood these days, it is the perfect album to sing along with into Autumn to!
Movie of the week: Fool's Gold. Kate Hudson is simply divine. Sunday night movies at there best.
Blogger of the week: Charlotte's Web. Her posts on Love are great. I like her writing style it is different to most bloggers, I have spent this evening with movies and catching up on her blog posts.

My weekly smiles #5

It's that time of the week again and oh has it been a mad one. Things are starting to get busier in work and everyone seems that bit more stressed. It is only going to get more hectic from here, so apologies if I am not posting as regularly or posts become shorter, I will be sure to keep you updated on the crazy happenings though making sure each post is a little special. Things will be less crazy after the 15th September, our London Fashion Week show date. I am very nervous but luckily my manager has confronted me about health, I managed to explain to her about my struggles. I know I haven't really gone in depth about what is actually wrong, I have always just brushed over it.. maybe one day I will open up completely to you all, but for now just know that I am fighting & improving, finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was nice to speak openly to my boss and for her to be understanding, this is a hectic time in such a cutting edge industry and I know the last thing they need is me being ill and having to attend dr's appointments. But, talking to her has somewhat gave us a good relationship as her advice is so comforting and motherly.. just what I needed when my family is so far away. Even though this week has been busy it was hard to think of what to post just because I was so rushed off my feet, it has been a case of work-eat-sleep-repeat, but this is what I came up with:

1. Bank Holiday Monday, it was a productive day but I spent it in my lazy clothes. Check out my 'Relaxed Bank Holiday Weekend' to see what I got up to.
2. DMC (deep & meaningful conversations) in work.
3. Finally got in the Embroidery room. Hoping the Print department start needing some help soon too, I am a studio intern so I just kind of float around where I am needed.
4. Wasabi Hosomaki Sushi Bento Box. Weekend working started this week, they provided us with lunch choices of Wasabi Sushi or a Pret Salad. Of course I opted for the sushi!
5. Smoked Salmon. I have been a lover of salmon since I turned pescetarian, adding fish into my diet. This week I bought smoked salmon slices to add into my salads for work. This was the best decision I have made in awhile! Love trying new foods. However, this was great for my taste buds and not so good for my bank balance. Why is it so expensive?!
6. Church. Went to the HTB 9:30am service on Brompton Rd. It was one of those services that you think, wow he is literally talking about my life. I especially like this quote from today's speaker "The antidote to anxiety is gratitude, thankfulness gives contentment".
7. Mugs. Vintage and handcrafted I have finally bought some large mugs, they were the perfect charity shop find at only £2 each and covered in a beautiful floral print. They are so big, perfect for the morning coffee and night time hot chocolate.
8. Student Finance. I got paid!
9. Morning Porridge.
10. Autumnal fashion. Autumn fashion is my favourite, starting to make it's way into the stores. Even though I will be in the sunshine continent when it is autumn in the UK.|

Song of the week: Lily Wood & Robin Schulz - Prayer in c (Robin Schulz Remix). Gives me that Summer vibe.
Movie of the week: Sweet Home Alibama. Sunday night movie time.
Blogger of the week: Laura Jane Williams aka Superlatively Rude. Blogger of all things vagina, spiritualism and food. This girl is a super talented writer, not to mention hilarious.

My week in smiles #4

I was unsure whether to post about smiles this week as sadly my Grandma past away. It somewhat seems wrong to post about having a happy week when in reality it has been filled with many tears. But, Grandma was very unwell.. and she is at rest now. I know she would want us to all be positive and strong, while smiling at the good times. So this week my weekly smiles is going to be a little different, it isn't necessarily going to be from the last week. I have instead decided to write about 10 family times and smiles spent with my family as well as remembering my Grandma. I hope everyone has had a great week and bank holiday weekend and that you enjoy this post even though it is not the norm. Bring on next week, may it create many happy memories!

1. Ice cream cake for my birthday in Australia. I always remember this cake being the best birthday cake I had ever had. 

2. My Grandma was GLAMOROUS! She loved her makeup, getting her hair done and a pamper. I always remember her dyeing her hair.

3. Making french toast together.

4. Christmas, spending Christmas many years ago in Australia. I remember getting a baby Annabel! That's how young I was. Anyone else have a baby Annabel when they were younger?

5. Bingo! Grandma loved bingo.. but who doesn't! 

6. Skyping Grandma and Mum when I was in University. I hadn't seen her since I was very young, so when mum went to visit her in Australia we Skyped, it was a conversation filled with many happy tears. 

7. The Big Bang Theory. This is more a memory from my mum, I remember mum saying Grandma loves watching The Big Bang Theory, whenever it is on it now makes me smile.

8. Spending precious time together. Every moment no matter how small I am grateful for.

9. Even though my family are spread all over the world, we always pull together and support each other. There is no love like the love of family. 

10. Memories. Grandma may now be in the heavens but she will always be in our hearts, her memories will never leave us.

Sorry if this post was too personal and not what you were hoping to read this Sunday. I know it doesn't really give you much insight into my week and what I have been loving, but it didn't feel right posting anything smiley other than happy times spent with my family and Grandma.

To keep you enticed until next weeks smiles I will however still share my favourites in song, movie and blog, so check them out if you haven't already!

Song of the week: MNEK - Wrote A Song About You Last Night. Such a great track, I am obsessed!

Movie of the week: Warm Bodies. I have been loving Amazon Prime to catch up on films I wanted to watch but never ended up getting around to watching. I did have Netflix, but they got a bit slow on updating there contents, anyone else feel like they watched everything on there? I bid farewell to my Netflix membership a few weeks a go and have now jumped on the Prime bandwagon.

Blogger of the week: The Londoner. I am sure everyone knows Rosie over on The Londoner, she is my all time favourite blogger, I religiously refresh her blog waiting for a new blog post. This week she has been keeping us all updated regularly on her Parisian adventures.. so grab a cup of tea and head on over, you will spend hours perusing her blog if you haven't already!