great advice

I always fall upon this blog like a starving looter, looking for things to pillage. It never fails to inspire me.

Today I found this, from featured poet Phoebe Salzman-Cohen. This was her response to a question about advice and suggestions for fellow young poets.

Following my theme of Green Ink being a bit of a scrapbook for ideas and things I've found inspiring, I've put it here as a reminder to myself, and hopefully to inspire you guys too!

~~~

- Although it’s important to be able to take constructive criticism and improve your work, don’t let yourself be hurt by what other people say. There are some people who, although they mean well, aren’t always worth listening to.

– Read a lot. Not just poetry, and not just novels. Learn as much as you can about everything you can, and don’t be afraid to learn from someone else.

– Notice things– notice things around you, things about people you’re with, things about yourself, etc.

– Don’t get caught up in what’s “accepted” or in what seems cool. Don’t feel obligated to conform to what you see. (But as I said before, learning from other people is important.)

– Enjoy yourself! Writing isn’t worth it if you torture yourself over it.

~~~

Any more writing/creative advice to share today, dear readers?

moving =

bruises all over my body from lugging boxes

+

accidentally sitting on scissors

+

sheer, utter joy to be in my favourite part of London

+

finding things I had forgotten about, like a journal I kept earlier this year which just became one long poem to a friend that I love and miss

+

fresh sheets, dried in the sun

+

Sunday brunch in the most amazing cafe, five minutes walk from the flat

+

boxes

+

trying to keep important things within easy reach, but I've probably already forgotten where they are, which is normally what happens when I decide to put things somewhere that "makes sense"

+

questioning the logic behind bringing almost empty perfume bottles with me

+

hands stained with newspaper

+

cleaning ovens

+

stocking a new pantry

+

planning furniture placement, etc with the Devoted Lover

+

the feeling of finally having "made it"

+

mail redirection

+

key cutting

+

books everywhere

=

happiness

do re mi

I could not stop grinning while watching this!

Would it work in Liverpool St station, or perhaps Waterloo, I wonder?

I love seeing people do stuff like this in train stations. One day I might be brave enough to form a Guerilla Performance Collective, as my friend MZ suggested, spreading sunshine like this.

moving on

I'm moving house this week, and the chaos has well and truly descended on the flat. We tried to keep the facade of normal living going as long as possible - keeping pictures on walls, books in shelves...but now with only days upon us, we faced the inevitable. Aargh. I have moved at least once a year since 2004. I declare myself officially Over It.

The job I detest the most is the packing up and cleaning of the kitchen, because it's normally the filthiest room in the house. Not so filthy as to have cockroaches camping out in corners, or ants eagerly licking up all my spills...but more "lazy messes", like when the grilled cheese you were making bubbles over and leaves a blob on the griller, and you think, "yeah, I'll wipe that up later....", but a month later it's still there :p ..... I really hope that's not just me!

And of course, the pantry must be cleaned out. We've had a rule since Easter to not buy any food - well no non perishables anyway, fresh fruit and veg only. All dry goods must be used up where possible. Yesterday, to try and use up the flour, I made pancakes for breakfast (I should do that more often, move or no move!) and dinner tonight is the combination of three 1/4 full packets of various dried pastas! [note added later: it was quite delicious!]

But, to my surprise, the results of "clearing out the pantry" have not just been edible - they've been so nice I might make them a regular feature on the menu!

Take this roast sweet potato. I had a bag of sweet potatoes to use up, and had seen this very appetising looking recipe a few weeks ago.


I roasted the potato in a hot oven until it was soft and starting to char on the outside. I mashed the flesh with 1/2 a can of chickpeas, 1/2 a small avocado, and then added some diced red pepper, some fresh mint leaves (my mint plant is now dead!) and a dollop of Total 2% greek yoghurt (not that I ever buy/miss sour cream that much, but this was such a good substitute for it!). A delicious and filling lunch was the result.

Last night, to use up the remains of the sweet potatoes, a box of veggie sausages and some spices that were starting to look more like jars of dust (!), I created a moroccan style tagine:


I sauteed one onion, 1/2 a red pepper, 2 large sweet potatoes and a box of veggie sausages cut into chunks with some cinnamon, chilli flakes, paprika, ground ginger, turmeric and some Ethiopian spice blend. When the mixture was starting to brown, I added a few dollops of TS's mother's homemade apple and green pepper chutney (just for some zing - you could use another fruit chutney if you have it) and vegetable stock to cover, then I brought it to the boil and let it simmer until the sweet potato was tender. Then I tipped in the remains of a packet of baby spinach and stirred it through and cooked until the spinach was wilted. Finished with salt and pepper to taste, and a squeeze of lemon. If I'd had fresh coriander to hand, I would have sprinkled that over the top. I served it with couscous, possibly the easiest grain in the world to cook. It was really good!

I think even if you aren't moving that a pantry clean-out is definitely a good thing. How many times have you thought to yourself "there's no food in the house" and headed out to the supermarket, only to realise that you probably could have made a meal with what you already had? It gets you using stuff that you'd forgotten about, it reduces waste, and it also saves you money because you're using up what you already have - win win!

The plan has gone well - as I am now down to the basic elements of food, and I am full of ideas for the week's meals to rid us of the last few pesky items. Some expensive and "will use" items will of course be coming with us - M&S Italian olive oil, my balsamic vinegar, my giant jar of Swedish mustard, homemade chutneys, etc - but as for the chana masala mix I've used once, and the dried mushrooms that tasted like fish food the only time I've used them? It might be time for the bin for that lot.

Fortunately, my new flat is within spitting distance of many wonderful looking supermarkets, so the pantry will be restocked in style. Although moving is a pain in the arse, we really are so excited about it as the flat we're going to is just gorgeous, and the area is so fantastic - everything I love about London is going to be on my doorstep! Best of all, I can walk to work! No more tubes! And I really hope this is my last move for a very, very long time.

So it might be quiet on here for a bit while I finish packing up and manage the logistics of getting my stuff from a to b, and then of course there's the unpacking! But who knows, maybe it will all go very smoothly........

And please do share - what are your favourite "from the pantry" meals? How would you use up one lone jar of kidney beans? What is something in your pantry that you know you should chuck, but never have, in the hope you might find a use for it one day?! I'd love to hear your ideas and stories.

Thanks, as always, for reading :D

Resources

• Kathryn at Limes and Lycopene writes about her week of eating from the cupboard and mid week meals from the fridge - loads of inspiration!
• The Frugal Cook - some great ideas here!
• Beyond Baked Beans - great ideas for budget cookery
• Pantry Gourmet
• Simple Meals From Your Pantry
• Nine msn Meal Maker - put in a few ingredients into the search engine and the recipe finder goes to work!
  

my friday night

This has been a rather thrilling evening, I must say! Usually I spend my Friday nights either at various bars with the work lot (a quick after work drink turns into an all nighter quite frequently) or grocery shopping (only because it's so much better than Saturday morning!). But this Friday evening I spent at Waterstone's Notting Hill where I attended the Spring Fiction Panel, and got to meet one of my favourite authors of contemporary fiction:

LISA JEWELL!!

I first discovered Lisa's work trawling on Amazon one day - I'd actually just bought another book and it came up with one of those "67% of the people who bought the book you just bought also bought this one" (I'm easily influenced) and after reading the reviews of 31 Dream Street I thought, why not?

That why not turned into an obsessive scouring of bookstores all over London for every Lisa Jewell book I could lay my hands on! After tonight, I now own all of them!

Her books are very easy to read, in the sense that the story flows so effortlessly - although after talking to her tonight I gathered that the writing process is certainly not effortless by any means! Her stories transport you into the minituae of people's lives, right down to the colours of their walls and what they have for breakfast. It's the sort of writing I love to read - pure escapism. I also love that they are all set in London - the city that has become my home over the last two years - and I get a giddy thrill over the familiarity I feel with the settings. Joy in Vince and Joy buys a house in the suburb I live in, for example! (well not for much longer, as I'm moving next week).

Lisa's books remind me that there is so much pleasure to be found in reading. Reading for the sheer joy of it, to be lost in a story, to relax and escape. When I studied English at university I still read for pleasure but found myself constantly in an analytical mode where I couldn't really let go and enjoy it for its own sake. I remember a tutorial where one of my professors said "when you've finished studying and can read for pleasure again..." and going on to recommend a few books to us (which I promptly went and borrowed from the library out of sheer curiousity) - so yes, even they were acutely aware that too much of anything will eventually make it less enjoyable. Hence why Ulysses continues to be such a challenge for me!

This evening didn't get off to the best start though. If you're in London, you'll know that it was pouring with rain. I had an umbrella, but unfortunately it had got an ink stain on it from a leaking pen in my handbag some months back. I'd forgotten about this. I walked merrily to the tube, and when I got on the Central line to Notting Hill, I noticed nearly everyone was staring at me, and not in a good way. Thinking that it was probably just my mascara running from the rain, I got out my compact.

Did I mention that the ink stain on my umbrella was a green ink stain?! I looked like I'd walked out of a swamp! Boots cucumber cleansing wipes to the rescue.

And the umbrella went promptly in the bin!!

Anyway, after that drama was taken care of (had I not noticed the stares, would anyone have told me I wonder?!) and I'd had a latte-stroopwafl pitstop, I went along and enjoyed the panel very much. Two other contemporary writers were there, Carole Matthews and Isabel Wolff, and the three read excerpts from their latest books and then took questions from the crowd. I got my burning "how to solve writers block" question answered! Carole Matthews suggested I do something completely off-the-wall like naked bungee jumping, and then write about it! I don't think I'd do it naked, but I liked the tip! Carole also reinforced for me the importance of discipline, which I seem to have lacked a little lately. She said "even with everything else in your life, you can find half an hour or an hour to write each day. If you can't find that small amount of time, then you don't want it enough." My stomach lurched a little with the truth of those words.

When the evening drew to a close, Lisa very kindly signed my books (I resisted the urge to bring all of them with me, on the advice of TS that I not look crazy!) and we had a nice chat about some things she'd brought up in the panel discussion. She was so friendly and easy to talk to, exactly as I imagined she'd be. I can't believe I'd thought twice about going - I'm so glad I did!

I started reading on the tube home :)

Hope you all had an equally wonderful Friday night!

you gave me hyacinths

The hyacinths have stopped flowering, but I am now drying them, ready for replanting in the autumn. The cycles continue.

~~~

'You gave me hyacinths first a year ago;
'They called me the hyacinth girl.'
- Yet when we came back, late, from the hyacinth garden,
Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not
Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither
Living nor dead, and I knew nothing,
Looking into the heart of the light, the silence.
Oed' und leer das Meer.

- TS Eliot, The Wasteland


~~~

I have been re-reading my Collected Poems by T.S Eliot (I note the irony that I refer to my doting lover as TS on here!). I first discovered him at high school. When I don't read him for a while, and then return, I am hit with a stunning realisation of how truly great his work is. Re-reading all the poems I love, and some I have forgotten about, I feel everything that has been lying dormant in me awaken and blossom, like the pregnant belly at the start of the film Amelie. I'm reminded of what I want to do, what I could do. And what I can do.

a is for ashley

Ash after running the entire Run For The Kids course a few weeks ago - go you good thing!

Part of my project here on Skinny Latte Strikes Back is to share things that inspire me, in the hope that they will inspire you too.

One of the biggest inspirations in my life is my dear friend Ashley.

Ash and I on the day we met in October 2005!

I first met her in October 2005, just after I had moved to Melbourne. She was the first friend I made there, and from the moment we met on that sunny Sunday at South Melbourne markets, I felt I had found a kindred spirit. We were both at similar points in our fitness journeys, and even started a little "competition" to see who could get to goal first! (she did, by about two weeks!). Having her around made the journey so much more fun, and gave me so much motivation to keep going.

I think this was March 2006 - Ash was at goal, and I wasn't far behind.....

September 2006

Ash and I at her baby shower, November 2006

I thought she was pretty amazing when I met her - but I think she's even more amazing now. A year or so after we met, she had a beautiful baby girl, Molly Grace, and while I knew she would be an incredible mother, it was still wonderful to see her blossom into being a parent and everything that goes with it. She remains one of the most positive, focused and determined people I know. Nothing is too hard for her - nothing makes her stop and give up. And she's bloody fun to be around as well :)

At my farewell, April 2007

There are many things I love and appreciate about Ash, but mostly the fact that she has given and continues to give me unwavering and enthusiastic support in whatever I do and has always encouraged me to go for my dreams and never to settle for second best. It is a very rare thing to find a friend who is genuinely happy and proud of you for your successes, and who never judges you for your choices and mistakes.

She was my inspiration right from the start, and she still is. Not just the way she pursues her fitness and healthy body goals, but her entire attitude to life amazes me. Her grace, her humour, the way she gives so generously of herself to others, how passionate she is about the things she loves, the way she is raising her beautiful daughter.

She is everything a true friend should be, and more. And she is living proof that it really is up to me to make my life the way I want it.

The last time I saw Ash (and Molly!), November 2007

Anyway, a few months ago, I asked her if I could "interview" her, and here, to my delight, are her answers! I hope you enjoy reading, I certainly did.

Thanks for doing this Ash :) First question, what do you think have been the biggest obstacles in your fitness journey?

For me, the hardest obstacles have been the plateaus in weight loss. These are the times when everything seems hard. It's difficult to persevere when you seem to see no result.

How have you worked at overcoming them?

Luckily, I have become friends with the tape measure and have noticed that while I may not be moving the numbers down on the scale, my body is changing shape. I have lost 20cms from my body whilst only losing 1 kilo! So I have built a lot of lean muscle! Yay! Also, ramping up the exercise and eating a lot of variety in my diet has helped me through plateaus.

What achievements are you most proud of?

There are so many things I am proud of since beginning my healthy journey. Here are a few:

- Doing my first fun run (Run For The Kids 2006)
- Doing 2 triathlons
- Gaining control of my emotional eating
- Getting pregnant and, whilst putting on weight, keeping a healthy balanced outlook
- Having my baby Molly and being a good mummy
- Losing most of the baby weight
- Taking up running again and doing 10 fun runs in 2008
- Taking up cycling and completing a 40km bike ride
- Running the whole 14.1km Run For The Kids course in 1:48

What are your goals for 2009?

See www.ashs101.blogspot.com

What advice would you give to anyone who wants to get out of their exercise comfort zone?

Try something new! Try something that you may not think of as strictly exercise. Something fun like salsa dancing, rowing, waterskiing, snowboarding, hiking, synchronised swimming (don't laugh, there's a class at my local pool!!)

Try something that you didn't think you could do. This may mean setting a goal and working towards it. For example, this year I want to complete the 210km Round the Bay in a Day bike ride. This is in October and whilst I may not be up to it right now, I have given myself enough time to train properly and be more than ready by the time October rolls along.

Something else I find useful is exercising with people who are fitter than me. Okay, so you don't like coming last? I LOVE coming last, as I know I am working out with the right group. As soon as I catch up to the fitness levels of the others I find something more challenging to do and am back in the last place again. Remember, it's not about comparing yourself to others, it's about pushing yourself to be the best you can be!

What would your last meal on earth be?

My last meal on earth... well, that depends on what the food is like wherever I am heading to next!! My favourite food is my mum's canneloni. I have the recipe but I don't make it like she does. Mmm....I'm getting hungry right now! I would have to chase that with some fresh mango and a slice of lemon tart.

What is your favourite way to spend a summer's day?

I love walking around markets and enjoying outdoorsy entertainment. Music festivals would have to be one of my favourite things to do in summer.

And a winter's day?

I love rugging up and exploring my city. Melbourne has so many great nooks and crannies. I can walk around all day and not get bored. I love enjoying an italian hot chocolate with whipped cream on days like these (not every cold day!)

What is your motto in life?

I'm not sure that I really have one. I guess it might be something like the words from Micah - "do Justice, love Mercy and walk humbly with your God".

What is something you've done that you would never do again?

I will never eat oven baked chicken legs again. The last time I had one there was a pocket of blood that spilled all over my plate. Ewwww!

Skinny Latte aside: I'm so glad I'm vegetarian.

And what have you done that you would love to do again?

I want to go to the UK again. I loved visiting in 2003 but my visit was too short and I was too unfit to enjoy it.

What inspires you?

So many things! But mostly people who achieve things. Goal setters and go-getters!

Where do you see yourself a year from now?

Travelling hopefully! Destination unknown at present but it will involve the UK and Europe! Make us up a bed Phil!

Tell me something not many people know about you.

Every Thursday I visit and do informal counselling with prostitutes in some of the brothels in our area. We are developing some really good relationships and I am taking one girl out for driving lessons!

How do you relax?

I like to stay home by myself and either read or just enjoy the silence. Just be.

Finally, what is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming... Oh no, that was Dory from Finding Nemo...

No, really... the most important lesson I have learned is that we are all the same. If you ignore people or treat people any way other than how you would like to be treated you are doing yourself and the world a great injustice. There are so many amazing people out there waiting to be our families. We just have to look outside our circles of comfort.

Thank you Ash!! xx

Ash finishing her second Triathlon Pink in 2008

best chocolate ever

Seeing it's nearly Easter, I thought chocolate might be an appropriate topic for this post!

My question to you: what's the best chocolate you've ever had?


Mine would have to be these orgasmic morsels of delight from Puccini Bomboni in Amsterdam when I visited there last year. I've had some good chocolate in my time, but nothing prepared me for this!

I'm sure you can imagine from this photo how utterly heavenly the shop smelled.

I only tried two things from here - yes, I too am amazed at my restraint - one on each day! The first one I tried was the calvados, and then I had the cinnamon. Oh my. My tongue is quivering right now from the memory of it.

It's funny, when the chocolate is of this sterling quality, you don't want to be a pig about it and absolutely gorge. You want to savour every single skerrick. And one delicious, rich mouthful is just about all you need. Unlike something like, I don't know, Roses, where yes they're nice, but they are sweet rather than decadent. And I know decadent is what I'd go for any day! I would rather treat myself to the very best occasionally, rather than have cheaper, lower-quality stuff three or four times a week!

Unfortunately, Puccini Bomboni don't have a shop in London :( So to quelch my chocolate cravings on a less extravagant basis, I tend to go for this:


I also love Green & Black's Maya Gold. It reminds me of when I first moved to London and I had a little bar on my writing desk, and would break off a chunk when I'd written a page (it was my incentive!).

This Easter, my mother has sent over the one chocolate I miss most from home:

Me with another block Mum sent over in Paris last year!

Seeing it cost $25AUD (ouch! Sorry Mum!) to send two blocks of it over here, I will ration it very slowly! The Christmas Top Deck only ran out last week! How restrained am I?! :P

Overall, I think chocolate is wonderful. A life without it is not worth thinking about! Like everything in life, get the best you can afford and enjoy it.

I hope you all have a lovely Easter, with just the right amount of decadence.

my favourite things

brunch

packing light

typewriters

pay day

essential oils

the feeling of doing 20 pushups in a row without stopping

yoga

new york city

postage stamps

piano music

jane austen

cinnamon rolls

indian jewellery

whole days spent on my own

songs

hummous

claret nail polish

ikea

going home

going away

moleskines

chocolate brownies

markets

butterflies

cardigans

art

windchimes

fresh basil

old fashioned suitcases, tiny ones, for holding letters and diaries

homemade bread

kookaburras

rain

sunshine

knitting

sewing stores

vintage china

music

ringlets

champagne bars

cadbury mini eggs

tea shops (like T2)

ducks

sunday papers

gum trees

icing (especially icing on top of boston buns)

toasted sandwiches

french

lists

museums

buttons

paint

antique cutlery

strawberries in summer

beaches

the beatles

people leaving their curtains open so I can peek inside

art galleries

chilli jam

vegetarian dumplings

washing my hair

china town

toffee

ginger biscuits

teapots

poetry readings

lilies

bookshops

wine

moroccan mint tea

candlelight

love letters (or emails)

snuggles

homemade jam

bordeau glasses

japanese food stores

roses

mangoes

unexpected nice things, like emails from old friends

figs

good pizza

vancouver

cookbooks

tea cups

libraries

lattes

1970s and 1980s cookbooks

goats cheese

journals

board games

vegetable gardens

tarot cards

paprika

travelling by train

pancakes

running

dresses

funny shaped ice-cubes

tattoos

recycling

kindness

frozen yoghurt

paris

handmade paper

fantasies

basmati rice

cherries

freshly ironed and scented linen

crisp apples

ylang ylang oil

sunsets

walking

french doors

forgiveness

travel writing

german chocolate

amsterdam

puppets

frida kahlo

films

good cameras

scarves

handwritten letters

perfume

soy hot chocolates

autumn leaves

travelling

long hair

swimming in the ocean

theatre

day beds

gin and tonic with cucumber

gelato

hope

the lady who hands out the London Lite on Euston Road

pineapple juice

sleeping in

botanical gardens

grapes

melbourne

foreign films

cushions

holding hands

cashew nuts

courage

secrets

green

funky t-shirts

shanghai dumpling house

blank notebooks

new clothes

love texts

sushi

reading in the park in the sun

blankets

coconut

outdoor patios

terracotta tiles

my lover's laugh

chickpeas

80s themed nightclubs

coloured ink

meringues

ts eliot

haloumi cheese

tube stations

babies that smile at me in coffee shops

fountain pens

skype

mint

victorian terrace houses

wooden floors

lavender

scones with jam and cream

poetry

limoncello

puppies

hyde park

sylvia plath

reading plays out loud

australian films

bank holidays

gucci for men

clarity

bach concertos

charity shops

marinated artichokes

reminiscing

bakeries

surprises

free lunchtime concerts

collecting

barbecues

olives

the southbank

thoughtfulness

history

acceptance

meaning

letting go

asking someone to swallow the sun

I just loved this video. Eat Pray Love reassured me and sustained me at a very difficult time in my life. I will always be grateful for it.



I teared up at the end of this. Maybe I'm hormonal or tired or stressed, or all three, but it was just what I needed to hear. Don't be afraid. Don't be daunted. Just do your job. And even if you aren't a "success", good on you for doing it anyway.

Thank you MZ and E. Hunter Spreen for finding this.

the sunscreen song

My sister-in-law, just returned from six months volunteer work in Mumbai, played me this song this morning. It's been around a while, and I'm sure most of you have heard it but it's a very timely reminder about what really is important in life. I wanted to share it with you.

PS: Thank you Mary :)
~~~

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.


From The Sunscreen Song

one of my mantras

dress or shoes?

Silk Swing Dress from Topshop

or

Asics GT-2130 Trainers

I'm curious - which would you choose?

If I'm honest, I need the trainers more than I need a new dress, but you all know what I'm like with dresses....and I haven't bought a new one for ages......

Please cast your vote!

[life lessons]

Image from weheartit

If it sounds too good to be true
it probably is.
Pick your friends wisely.
Never take happiness for granted.
Try to finish what you start.
Don't sneeze too loudly
in public.
Wear lipstick on Sundays.
Remember you don't have to fake it
when you're with the right person.
There is nothing that can stop you,
short of death.
Recycle.
Smell strawberries,
roses and clean hair
with equal delight.
Drink water.
Have more books than clothes.
Always offer.
Buy a good coat.
Say please.
Don't rent a flat when you can see
rat bait in the kitchen.
A good bolognaise needs red wine.
As does cheese.
Take a day off. Don't be afraid to ask
for what you want.
But don't do it just because you can.
Write only, and flamboyantly,
with a fountain pen.
Wear sunscreen.
Say thank you.
Smile at people on public transport.
You'll either brighten their day,
or confuse them.
Find some stars for your sky.