Wonderful Wednesday #179

{**Proud 'grower/keep alive-r' alert**}
I woke up this morning {Tuesday}, to bright-as-it-comes, blinding sunshine on what was to be the 1st of August and i felt all ready and raring to fire out oodles {SUCH a good word - why don't i use it more often?!} of happy bits about lately.  Except that time was short.  I was to be at work and generally only really have enough time to get myself up and out the door in the morning.  My day quickly disappeared before my eyes and any hope of jotting down any kind of points or ideas as i went and now i'm sat here {7pm, Tuesday evening} and i feel like i can hardly string a sentence together in real life due to being completely cream-crackered so lord and ONLY know how this weeks post will read!  I'm going to apologise in advance for any kind of dis-jointed excitable-ness that comes your way.
 
I'm sure that once i get to the end of this post i'll feel much better and if not, by the time i've got to the end of the rest of the gangs posts tomorrow they'll sort me out!  I feel as if i hardly know one day from the next!  Shall we roll with it and dig for some gems?!
 
 
1.  Blackberries.  I feel as if i won't be the only one mentioning these little devils this week in my post.  They're only just starting to ripen up here and being the impatient bean that i am i couldn't resist a couple of punnets from the supermarket. I don't feel quite so bad since they are British ones!  I LOVE blackberries at this time of year.  We've really been making a conscious effort to eat in season all of the time now and apart from the fact that it makes things much, much cheaper - there's also no denying that everything tastes SO much better!  This week blackberries have been dropped on top of apple-y porridge {usual porridge-shaped recipe, only add a grated apple - skin and all - in to warm through}; stacked high on toasted rye bread on top of cottage cheese with a few torn mint leaves for good measure.  Or often just eaten straight from the fridge as a 'i've walked all of the way home in the sun and need something refreshing and zingy.'  I'm also thinking i might make a compote.  But not sure if that's a bit Autumnal..... Sorry it's only point one and i've already said the 'A' word....
 
 
2.  Pea soup.  Not your usual 'pea and mint' or 'pea and ham' malarky either.  I can't even take credit for this one since it's all of the Mr's good work.  He announced he was making us soup on a rather warm day after I'd walked all of the way home.  As you can imagine I was less-than impressed expecting to feel even more hot and bothered then i already did right after eating it!  But this soup is DREAMY!  It's a simple pea and chilli concoction made with nothing other than good quality veg stock, frozen baby peas, shallots and fresh chilli.  We serve a small bowl of it with a zig-zag of natural yoghurt and a little handful of chopped peashoots.  And usually find it goes great with beetroot houmous, rice cakes and chopped radish.  Mmmmm!
 
 
3.  Sunshine.  I know i know how many times do i harp on about this stuff?!  But lately the weather up here has been nothing short of chaotic and that sunshine?!  Well it's the least dependable thing around i can tell you!  On the days where it's hung around long enough to mean i don't have to swim out on my lunch; i've not been able to resist a walk out and about - even if i haven't needed to!  Sometimes i just stand with my face in the sun and my eyes closed.  Just for a minute or two.  I try and shut everything else off and just be.  And that simple little few rays, well it's been doing wonders!
 
 
4.  Goals.  It's good to have something to aim towards in many aspects of life, don't you think?!  Lately's little mission is make more of an effort to use cruelty-free, paraben/sulfate-free and natural and organic products in every aspect of life.  I've slowly but surely been replacing each item i/we use in our day to day as best i can.  And do you know what?!  Progress is slow.  You get so used to using what you know and have always known that a lot of the time you barely think about what's in it and where it came from.  I'm always so careful and thoughtful about what i put into my body food-wise - that it only makes sense for this to follow through in every other aspect of life.  I don't know why it's taken me until now to realise.  I didn't want to simply throw everything away, so I'm just making sure to make better choices as each item needs replacing.  This also spreads the cost too.  Hurrah!
 
 
5.  A little walk.  I'm proud to say that i have never ever got the bus up to where i live from the city centre, despite the fact that it's at least three miles to walk.  There are odd days where the Mr and i finish at the same time and i do usually get a lift into work with him each day but truth is?!  Well I'd just rather walk.  Last weekend i woke up in the oddest mood:  All grumpy, unsettled and....antsy?!  I sort of couldn't keep still or work out what was the matter in equal measure!  It was torrential rain and my plans of spending the day tootling about on Willow the bike had been ruined!  So i set out to walk to the city centre, knowing that i had a few errands to run too.  I walked the long way round:  skirted through some woodland and went via our local park by myself.  I got soaked even with an umbrella but i felt SO much better afterwards.  I still don't know what was up, but that little couple of hours wandering sorted me right out!
 
 
6.  A cooler breeze.  Now i'm not going to say it i mean it i wont.  But, well the past few evenings, before the sun has set and the past few mornings, when i've been huddled up with a cardigan strewn over my pyjamas and clutching a mug of hot lemon; well there has been a little nip in the air.  That's all i'll say.  I've been taking slow, deep breaths of it all and it has been WONDERFUL.     
 
 
7.  Being thrifty.  This week, squirrelled away right at the back of our cereal cupboard, i found a box of Dorset Cereals 'Bircher Muesli.' i couldn't even remember buying it and wondered why i'd bothered since making bircher muesli is easy-peasy.  I glanced at the use by date and realised that it expired in August this year.  Not one to waste food {ever} i decided i to try and use it for porridge.  Essentially all it has in it are porridge oats, flaked and toasted almonds, dried apple and raisins.  And do you know what?!  My GOODNESS it makes the very best, most deliciously creamy porridge with a good glug of my favourite almond milk and topped with almond butter and seeds.  And i feel all kinds of virtuous!  I'm wondering if it might also make a nice crumble topping orrr flapjack/breakfast bar base...?!?
 
 
8.  Tidiness.  The thought of it is awful.  Almost as bad as the thought of washing your hair.  The thought of drying your hair.  The thought of putting away the dishes or leaving the sofa to go all the way upstairs to brush your teeth and go to bed when you're tired right NOW gosh dammit and wish for there to be a 'Bed Now' button that would do all of those things for you.  Just me?!  Oh okay where was i?!  In short, in my ideal world i'd be tidy always. But sometimes life gets in the way and tidiness takes a back seat.  But know one thing, I will always, always feel a million times better when everything is put away and tidy.  There is no greater joy!  Okay well apart from ALL of the previous points....
 
 
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And with a whoosh and a whizz i'm only all done!  Oof this list has made me want to do cartwheels in the sunshine and then eat porridge for supper!!!  It's a good list this week, don't you think?!?  Hurry right on over to Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El , Kerri's, and Peta's blogs and fill your boots with even more #wonderfulwednesday goodness and happy-listin'!  Don't forget to also join in online on Twitter and Instagram by tagging #wonderfulwednesday so we can share and join in too!

Happy halfway through the week!