Choices

Broken Bonds

Power Balls

Peanut Butter Protein Balls recipe.

We all need to have that go to treat to satisfy those cravings! This is a perfectly well-rounded choice that won’t ruin all your hard work in the gym!

Ingredients:
1 cup Peanut Butter
1 cup Honey
1 cup Chocolate Protein Powder

For variety try adding 1 cup of the following:
Flax seed
Chia Seeds
Cacao nibs
Dark Chocolate chips
Oatmeal
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Goji berries – my favourite
Oats bran
Wheat germ
Sunflower Seeds
Raw Nuts

STEP 1: Mix peanut butter, honey and protein powder.
STEP 2: Add 1 cup of any of the additional ingredients.
STEP 3: To make the perfect balls, play around with the honey (if it’s too dry) and oatmeal, bran, etc (too moist) until the balls hold their shape and aren’t too gooey. Than roll dough into little balls to about 1cm and refrigerate or freeze them. Nom nom nom!

Makes approximately 16 balls about one inch in diameter.

War Sex Money Karma

Yesterday was a day of two extremes for me. I had one of the busiest days ever to start off with and it just multiplied all of my to-do lists over and over. I had so many meetings too in preparation for things going on. I’ve split my diary in two this year just to make sure my creative life gets equal attention. Balancing work with non-work-work and then life is ok… but when these become charged they feel like juggling knifes on fire. Then I had to deal with a very unpleasant and venomous person in my family very quickly and read a crazy rant which kind of reminded me of some Z lister losing dignity to make publicity. I had a hilarious positive reframes from my amazing colleagues. All of this though left me running late for my first Meditation class.

Darting across London by google maps and using various public transport links to a place I’d never been before. When I arrived I was shown into the meditation cave when it had just started.

Bang. Instant silence and rock steady atmosphere underneath a giant golden Buddha. My heart was still pounding and lungs panting. The incense and heat from the candles and bodies was really heavy at first. Three hours later I emerged with crystal clear contentness. I suddenly became aware that I had left such a small donation at the beginning because I was in such a hurry and didn’t get cash out. I almost feel for some reason that will be significant one day, in the games of war, sex, money, and karma.

Wassail

Every new years eve when I was growing up, my Mum would have me and my neighbours children run out the back door around the block and in through the front door to let the old year out and new year in. We would take coal, rice and a candle with us for heat food and light throughout the year.

A new tradition I will be keen to continue around this time of year is Wassailing on the Twelfth Night. Wassailing is a celebration and toasting good health to the new year and the end of Christmas. Outside the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the Twelfth Night after Christmas we watched a folk procession led by the torch in hand Beelzebub to welcome the Holly Man from a boat on the river Thames. This is the winter guise of the famous Green Man. Following this there was lots of singing and festive performances with mince pies and willow hand made wands being sold for charity. A spectacular spectacle!

The Milkbar

Tucked away in the back of Londons Soho is a great little cafeology spot called The Milk bar. Gorgeously gothic undertones and superb coffee. Dark and delicious. There is a real positive feel in here and it’s a great spot for mid shopping refuelling. Unfortunately for a diuretic product shop there are no toilets. Somehow it gets away with that and keeps the crowds moving. Check out the artwork and attention to detail in this cafe such as the portafilter door closing device and Mexican sugar skulls.

Run

Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle… when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.

African Proverb

Graze

Spinning around and faster still,
Swinging through  coffee ringlets,
Rushes green blood to my head,
Trees falling onto grass that’s staining,
Leaves charcoal bruises upon my chin,
White wounds gash,
Drip through denim distressed,
Kiss sanguine skin upon the page.

Ellise Cottingley Fairies

When I was going through a difficult time as a teenager I immersed myself into the digital world of Photoshop. I became such an expert and perfectionist. Hours could pass by without me realising. But I never had the software on my own computer so eventually I didn’t keep it up. This year my new years resolution was to pick it up again. I mean it’s December, so better late than never! I was really surprised at how it came flooding back so intuitively like a dormant language. Although as you can see, quite rusty!

So here is my first attempt, for my Neice’s birthday. I’ve always called Ellise Tinkerbell so I wanted to do something with Fairies. I thought about getting her something Vintage from Ebay but I’ve gotten her a ballerina jewelry box once before. Then I remembered about the 1910′s photos which were so popular for 80 years, The Cottingley Fairies. Two girls used cut outs from a magazine and propped them up with hat pins. It’s funny that one of the young girls was called Elsie. With her brother I used to leave notes all around the house from ‘Pixies’ to get him to read them and write back, because he was struggling at school. So they already  have some Faries in jars from alternative craft markets somewhere. So I thought I would do a modern take of photography trickery with Ellise.

“I am learning French, Geometry, Cookery and Algebra at school now. Dad came home from France the other week after being there ten months, and we all think the war will be over in a few days … I am sending two photos, both of me, one of me in a bathing costume in our back yard, while the other is me with some fairies. Elsie took that one.”

Keep Moving

Albert Einstein said that, life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.

So I started a new journal for headspace with a Bike on the front to keep me motivated everyday.