Wonderful Wednesday #169


{Because there 'aint nothin' a blue sky can't fix!}
Hello and good morning, good afternoon or good evening to you - depending upon when you cast your peepers over this sweet post.  How the devil are you?!  Here's hoping that some sunshine has found you wherever you are because heavens do i wish there was a way to bottle the stuff!  What a difference it makes to an almost three mile walk to or from work - sometimes both!  Not only that, i find my spirits lifted; a spring in my step and even for me - little miss 'rush-a-lot' i find myself slowing down, not rushing from one place to the next quite as much.  Often just because the view of a blue sky and the feeling of a little warmth on your cheeks might be one of the best things ever. Are you with me?!

I feel a happy list coming on.....



1.  Challenges.  Without going into huuuuge details, I'm on a strict diet at the moment.  Not the losing weight kind of diet, one designed to give my tummy a little rest and reset.  I've had a painful tummy for as long as i can remember and nobody seems to be able to work out why or any kind of pattern or link to it.  So lately it's been about going back to basics, stocking up on supplements and the real ingredients and committing to eating this way for three whole weeks.  I'm almost a week in.  If I'm honest i have good days and bad days - i've never ever restricted what i eat in any shape or form and cutting out anything processed, refined or vaguely sweet is harder than i ever thought.  And this is from someone who was convinced she didn't eat very much processed food anyway! But with each tough day, comes a really positive, good day.  The kind where i have bags of energy and i don't notice my tummy all day long.  So much so that i forget that it's ever caused me any problems.  And then i remember why I'm doing it and it's the little burst of rocket fuel that i needed.  {PS before anyone goes getting all concerned, this has all been advised and approved by a natural practitioner and homeopath.}  



2.  Hummus.  Never has such simple thing been such a life-saving and hunger fixing JOY.  I mean i love the stuff and could happily live on it anyway but since, in it's most basic state and rubbish-free it's one of the things i can eat, we've gone through a fair few cartons.  Since I'm staying away from any kind of sugar {natural or refined, apart from some fruit} it's the snacking I'm struggling with! Hummus and celery or carrot have been saving my life!  Plus when i think of Summer and sunshine it goes hand in hand....



3.  Lavender pillow spray.  Since I'm also trying to dial down the stress factor a little here at Tangle Towers, because naturally that can also contribute to lots of other things; i've been trying out a little lavender spritzed onto my pillow each night before bed.  That, combined with a little open window and {thankfully} I've been sleeping like a baby....



4.  A garden.  I mean i knew i was missing out not ever having had a garden to call our very own but I'm not sure i ever realised how very grateful I'd be for our teeny tiny patch of green.  On Sunday afternoon i was feeling a bit fed up.  I remembered I'd bought a magazine a little while ago that had been unintentionally buried underneath some mail in the kitchen and forgotten about.  As the grey sky started to lift on Sunday afternoon and gave way to a brilliant blue and cloudless sky; i made myself a big mug of tea and dragged one of our big printed floor cushions out into the garden.  I curled up in the fresh air, wrapped my fingers around my cup of tea and read that magazine cover to cover in the fresh air.  Afterwards i felt SO much better.  Hurray for many more afternoons spent in the garden.  I quite fancy a hammock.  Is that utterly ridiculous?!?!



5.  Masterchef.  I wanted to write 'I can't help it, it's my guilty pleasure' until i realised there's no shame in it!!!!  It's sort of taken over our evenings lately as it feels like it's on every blinking evening!  Except that i can't risk missing even one night because it's so bloomin' addictive!



6.  That Mr.  For always being the most supportive of everything and not tiring of tolerating my 'i really want chocolate but i can't have chocolate' moans over the weekend.  Or just being really jolly well good at pretending....



7.  Pea soup.  I know, i was skeptical too.  I mean i love my soups, but when the Mr announced he was making a pea soup our of nothing but shallots, peas, mint and chilli even I had to wonder if it would be worth eating.  Turns out i was wrong.  Whizzed up until it's silky smooth and dolloped with natural yoghurt and pea shoots and served with rice cakes and cottage cheese - needless to say we'll be having it again.  I even ate a bowl cold for lunch the next day.  Is that acceptable?!



8.  A new routine.  It's no secret that I'm a lover of a routine:  Of knowing where I'm going, what I'm doing and who I'm doing it with.  A little upset to it and i can feel all.....funny and unsettled. Lately has taught me that in life you can't always stick to a plan, and that sometimes going with the flow is actually okay.  I'm already making a mental note to compromise more.....



9.  Frozen berries.  For being just what i want lately.  Dropped into ice-cold natural yogurt and topped with crunchy cacao nibs and seeds.  Sometimes oats.  What can i say I'm a rebel and there are ways and means to get a chocolate-y fix!!!!


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Go go!  Go cast those pretty peepers over Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El , Kerri's, Mimmi's, Martina's , Peta's , Kelly's #wonderfulwednesday loveliness!  And of you've got any recipes for refined sugar-free{and natural sugar free!}, yeast free and un-processed snacks then fling them my way.  I need all of the help i can get!  Today is my day off and i think I'm going to try out an apple soda bread....sounds delicious don't you think?!?