Wonderful Wednesday #186

{Falling for all of those golden beams of light lately...}
Hello there and how the bobbins do you do?!  I'm writing this on a Tuesday afternoon instead of an evening since it is my day off this week.  I've currently got London Grammar up loud, the window open and bright golden sunshine peeking through the gaps in the blind in our spare room. Life is good.  London Grammar are. Just. The.  Best.  Her voice.  It travels up and down my spine in pretty waves of lovely and gives me goosebumps all over.  It's just beautiful!


This week has been a funny one.  The kind where i havent really noticed it start but one which i'm definetly looking forward to it ending! I feel like my head's been busy:  like my sleeps have been long and heavy-headed and maybe even IF it was a thing i've been sort of busy in my sleep too?  Do you ever get tha?  I'm ready to count some happy and to sit still, if only for a an hour so and just think about one single thing.  God bless this little haven of a post!


1.  Squirrels.  Actual real life squirrels.  Spotted on this mornings bike ride through the park; scampering around and about and completely oblivious to me and my two wheels parked close by.  They were racing up and down the hugest tree, pinching conkers and swishing their big fluffy tails.  So lovely!


2.  A suitable coat scenario.  Silly but oh so true.  I'm dying to break out my tweed woolly wintery-ish coat but it's also not really that cold once the sun creeps up and has been warming up the sky for a few hours.  This week i re-discovered an old rusty brown trench coat i'd completely forgotten i had and re-remembered {is that a thing?!} how put-together and chic i feel wearing it, no matter what's underneath it!  Today i threw it over my favourite blue jeans and striped navy breton tee and even popped on my sunglasses.  There's something so lady-like and timeless about a good rain mac/trench coat, don't you think?!


3.  Lemon, honey and ginger.  I feel ever so slightly like i'm getting a cold.  It sort of comes in waves.  An odd day or two i've woken up with a scratchy throat.  Then last night i could NOT get warm no matter how hard i tried.  I've been firing everything at it in a desperate bid to deter any kind of looming illness and one of my favourite things has been lemon, honey and ginger.  I mix a teaspoon of manuka honey, some roughly grated ginger and the juice of half a lemon together and top it up with warm water first thing in the morning.  Standing sipping it, and watching the sun slowly peep up from behind yesterday is doing all of the magical things:  ie:  so far ensuring I havent yet caught a cold!  Little victories!  I used to have lemon and warm water every morning when i was working but sort of fell out of the habit in favour of Lady Grey....


4.  Bonfire plans!  One of my favourite times of year.  Is it weird that i might like it more than Christmas...?!?  {retail worker woes}.  This year we've got plans to go to a bonfire set in the grounds of a castle ruin and I'M SO FLIPPING EXCITED!!!!  I can't wait for hot jacket potatoes, for mulled anythings and for cosying up and watching fireworks.  Who can believe we're halfway through September already?!?!


5.  Butter beans.  If you know me you'll know i pretty much like any kind of bean in any kind of way but this week i elevated that love to another level by randomly tossing some leftover butter beans in a pan with some coconut oil and leftover greens {baby kale, peas, sugarsnaps, edamame beans and fine beans} and served them piled high on some mixed leaves and drizzled with sweet chilli dressing and chunks of half of an avocado i needed to use up and it was the BEES KNEES!  It reminded me of how much i LOVE warm salads come this time of year and also reminded me to get more imaginative with my leftovers and my meals more often!  I think it would also be lovely piled on toasted sourdough or with some rice noodles tossed through and some chopped coriander.  Mmmmm!


6.      Kindness.  This point could stretch for miles/words.  I feel a little bit like i've lost my way lately - in a job sort of a way.  Without going into too much detail or boring you to the ends of the earth i feel a bit trapped.  I'm SUCH a creative person and always have been.  But the problem with wanting to do anything vaguely creative for a living is how vast and wide open a path it can be - especially if you've never ever known which path to forge, which direction to take or even if anyone would want to pay for the kind of creative talents that you have.  If i could sing, make and eat porridge, write long and tangling descriptions about anything and everything, take photos or work somewhere preparing nourishing seasonal food {especially breakfasts!} and making it look beautiful then i would feel content.  But all of those things...?!  Where to start and where to stop?!  I digress.  As i usually do!  But this week i have had so many kind words about my writing:  Instagram comments, even a lovely email and a private message on Twitter and i can't even tell you how lovely a feeling that is.  It might just be my natty description of an amateur snap of my feet or the sky but writing the words, well that's my very favourite part and those that take the time to read and talk to me?  Well you're all just the BEST and i can't thank you all enough.  


7.  Golden-ness.  It's that time of year, or at least it's very almost is that time of year:  When the light changes; gets caught up in the first scattering of fallen leaves and casts a magical golden glow wherever it touches.  If i could press pause on now then i surely would.  Aren't the seasons just magic?!  It's been making me crave butternut squash, sticky sweet potato wedges with spiced paprika; ginger and oat crumble topped fruit and figs!  Because cinnamon baked figs with runny honey are just beyond heaven!  If there was a time of year to roast, caramelise or toast everything it would surely be now.  


8.  Porridge with honey.  Nothing else.  A simple, piping hot bowl of creamy porridge made with hazelnut milk, a pinch of pink salt and a really good drizzle of heather honey across the top - perfection!


9.  Meal planning.  This is something we don't really do but something i'm trying to change.  Largely so i don't end up going to the market and three other supermarkets just to get what i want for the week's groceries.  This is the second week of meal planning:  recipe books, scribbled lists and many a post-it AND i'm already wondering why we haven't been more organised for the last seven years of our relationship!  Am i turning into my mother yet?!?


10.  Meridian peanut, chocolate and honey butter.  I bought this today {Tuesday} and havent tried it yet BUT do you know what?  I've never met a Meridian nut butter i didn't like!  I already know i'm going to love this and i'm beyond excited for breakfast tomorrow!  But then that's nothing new....


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And that's that.  Another #wonderfulwednesday -shaped happy list sat, pondered and tip-tapped out in an effort to spend a little time each week counting the littlest bits of lovely in my week.  Why not pop right on over to Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El , Kerri's, and Peta's blogs  and have a read of what's been making their very own weeks wonderful?  Better still join in with the chit-chat online across all social media channels using the #wonderfulwednesday tag so we can see.  As always i'm @sallytangle  everywhere!
Have a lovely rest of week!