This big lump of a week has truly been about the little things.
Although all the days have now all blended into one, the things that stand out are the moments spent indoors looking out at the sporadic downpours, the reasonable bed times that have allowed for a bit of fiction reading, the showers after working up a sweat in the gym or yoga studio, the cancellations that have allowed me to crawl back into bed, the tasty improvised meals (from pasta by Ben to giant salad by me via pizza by Village Pizza), the bus journeys into work for a nice change from the train, the genuinely kind smiles from shop keepers and kiosk vendors and random strangers on trains… and I could go on.
But I won’t, because I have set headings for this weekly review, and none of them reads, “Fairly insignificant miscellaneous happenings and coincidences”.
New things I have learnt this week
I’m struggling to think of anything here, if I’m honest. It has been another one of those weeks spent mainly away from the computer, with little time to spend on solid research. Having said that, working with clients, having Ben treat clients and give me instructions for their rehab, playing with my own training and generally clicking around on blogs and sites like Doctor Skeptic (not to mention helping a client proof-read an academic essay) all contribute to the firing of my brain cells significantly enough that I don’t feel I am stagnating, but rather haven’t focussed on any particular topics worth reporting this week.
New things I have eaten this week
- A couple of weeks ago my lovely friend Necla gave me a sachet of black sesame pudding – I can’t remember the exact ingredients apart from black sesame and sugar but I have a feeling there may have been some form of rice powder in there too. I mixed it up with some warm water until it formed a paste and… ate it. You may have seen it on Instagram, but it wasn’t overly pretty so I don’t think I will post it again here. It was a lovely breakfast but would also make a great dessert, and as tasty as it was on its own it would happily welcome various sweet toppings!
- Astoundingly, the London Vegan Festival failed to decisively entice us with any of their food stalls (more on that in a later post), so we left the Kensington venue to wander off in search of food. It was only after we had walked for a few minutes that I remember how bland Kensington is for eateries if you’re not in the mood for a big chain, a full sit-down meal, or a disappointing and over-priced Wholefoods purchase. So we wandered on to Earls Court and after lots of humming and hawing we stepped over the threshold of Masala Zone. I have certainly made worse food choices. The waiter was extremely warm and helpful, reacting instantly to my mention of “vegan” with a walk to the kitchen to ask the chef, and returned explaining that I didn’t have all that much choice but that I could have the Undhiyo & Lentil Khichdi (“mix of vegetables – sweet potato, raw banana, baby aubergine, snow peas, purple yam, val dal cooked with greens, a celebratory gujarati dish“), and choose from the Baby Spinach With Garlic and the Fresh Potato Of The Day as sides.
I had been planning on having that curry in my thali – which I couldn’t have because other pre-cooked elements weren’t vegan – so I was fine to have the curry on its own, with a chapati which they made without butter. The waiter also came back to say I could have dhal without cream if I wanted, but I declined. My curry was delicious! And for £9.70, I didn’t finish my rice and walked out very full and satisfied – definitely a good high street option!
Other highlights this week
- There is little doubt that having my friend Sara come over on Thursday afternoon, after finishing work early, was a major highlight of my week. I gave her some of my old clothes (such a generous friend that I am) while she gave me her handmade organic raw dark chocolate stars made with ingredients she brought back from her travels, all prettied up in their recycled packaging. We had tea and chatted, and when she left I was filled with that buzz and inspiration that amazing people leave you with. It’s strange to think I met her at work when I was the first timid intern working under her!http://instagram.com/p/rr96tupn-1
- I can’t actually describe how good it felt to wake up without an alarm this morning – and to get up at the same time as Ben. Most of the week I have gotten up and gone to work before him, except for Saturday when he got up before me, and Wednesday when we both went in together. Knowing that I could drift off to sleep and drift out of sleep peacefully and organically felt so soothing and has done wonders for my soul.
- After our peaceful start, it was lovely to take our time over breakfast and wander in to central together. Although neither of us works antisocial hours, our schedules had been complete opposites this week so we didn’t get to spend extended chunks of time together like I had grown accustomed to doing.
In other news, I have a glass straw and some cool new matte nail polishes, and some organic matcha green tea powder to play with – but I will tell you all about those when I get a post together about today’s London Vegan Festival.
I hope you have all had a lovely week and a refreshing weekend, and perhaps more importantly, I hope next week is a good one!
Great Vegan Expectations 