Showing posts with label 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2015. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Lifestyle Favourites | Winter 2015
Food:
This winter I have been loving smoothies. Using a hand blender to make my own (or buying the occasional cute supermarket variety) has mean my breakfasts are now fruitful ('scuse the pun). I love this Innocent Pomegranates, Blueberries and Acai pure fruit smoothie, with its own cute knitted hat; the hats are hand-knitted and raise money for Age Concern and Age UK. Double win! So why not boost your antioxidant/vitamin intake for the day and put a smile on your face at the same time.
Beauty:
Winter can put a strain on everyone's skin, let alone people with sensitive or dry skin. With rapidly changing indoor/outdoor temperatures and dry, cold winds our skin can be left dehydrated and dull. Maintaining a good regular skincare routine is vital during winter. One area we often neglect is actually our hands. I've been loving this Nivea Anti-Dryness Smooth Nourishing Hand Cream with Macadamia Nut Oil and Hydra IQ.
Drink:
Winter is the time for hot drinks. Drinking regularly, including cups of tea, is a way of boosting not only your nutrition but also your mental health, as tea is a proven stress-reliever. I have been trying out all types - Twinings Mango and Cinnamon, Twinings Earl Grey (occasionally, as it stains my teeth) - but have recently been trying Pukka Supreme Matcha Green, which is Fairtrade :)
Dental Care:
As some of you might know, I am at the end of fixed appliance dental brace treatment. Anyone who has had braces knows that they take a lot of maintenance and mean that you have to be extra vigilant with keeping your teeth clean. I use the Colgate Plax Antibacterial Mouthwash twice a day as it is alcohol free and so doesn't taste disgusting!
To see some of my previous braces updates:
Entertainment:
February can be a quiet time on the social life front. Stuck between Christmas/winter celebrations and Easter/spring, a lot of people (including me) like a good hibernation. But that is no reason to be bored! Films, books and plays were made for winter! I have been getting back to 'reading' after a few months of slump and have been posting regular book reviews. Look out for The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Hamlet posts soon!
My review of the 1979 Moonraker film:
A review of the original book of The Jungle Book:
Tuesday, 13 January 2015
Ambition and Aspiration | 2015 Reading Challenge and TBR
On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin - I have a slight obsession with butterflies on book covers, and butterflies in general, at the moment.
Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life, Justine Picault - This is an entrancing read that I found in the library. I'm nearly finished.
Shakespeare, Ivor Brown - This year I am challenging myself to do a Shakespeare course in order to fill some gaps in my literary knowledge. Back to school!
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou - A well renowned autobiography and author. I've never read anything by Angelou and so decided to start in the middle of her series of autobiographies of her life.
From Russia With Love, Ian Fleming - Since getting the entire James Bond box set a year ago I still have 12 of 14 to read. Oops!
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak - I'm bringing some much needed YA into my reading list with this one. It's a classic and widely appreciated so hopefully it won't disappoint!
A Woman in Your Own Right, Anne Dickson - Also with the aim of continual development and learning for life, this is an almost-feminist take on assertiveness training in the 21st Century.
The above represents some of what I hope to achieve in reading this year. I have dropped my reading challenge from 80 as, conversely, the more free time I have the less I seem to read. Now that that minor haul is out of the way, here are my loose reading goals for 2015:
1) At least 52 books/1 per week, to include:
2) At least one back-to-university book (feminist, anthropology, etc.)
3) At least one autobiography (e.g. Coco Chanel).
4) At least one historical non-fiction book (e.g. A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor).
5) At least one back-to-school book/play (e.g. Shakespeare's Hamlet).
6) And, finally...at least one science non-fiction book (e.g. Sherlock Holmes).
What are your reading goals for the year?
Sunday, 28 December 2014
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