Matcha May

Now I'll hold my hands up, the first time someone shoved a cup of Matcha Tea under my nose and asked me if I wanted to try some they were greeted with a look of horror.  The murky green liquid wasn't very enticing until I heard the benefits, which I have to say are AMAZING!

What's so good about it?  Well teapigs Matcha Tea contains 137 times the antioxidants of normal green tea. In fact check out this little graph to see how well it compares to other certain foods.

Image courtesy of teapigs

Not only does Matcha Tea give you an antioxidant blast it also does the following: -

• Improve learning performance - Great if you're currently studying for exams
• Supports the immune system - Feeling run down?  Get some Matcha in you!
• Increases your energy expenditure and helps burn calories faster.
• Healthy skin - Matcha is full of polyphenols.  An effective agent against sun induced skin disorders

But what does it look like and how do you drink it?

Matcha Tea

Matcha Tea comes in a powder.  As it's a ground form of green tea this would kinda make sense and would also explain why it's so strong.

Mix half a teaspoon with some hot water.  The best way to do this is with a mini whisk or buy a Matcha Kit here.  I would definitely recommend using a mini whisk.  Stirring with a spoon is not enough and you're left with lots of little green bits.  Then just add more water and give it another whisk for good measure.

Matcha Tea made with water

There are other ways to make Matcha Tea.  You could make it with hot/cold milk, fruit juice, yogurt, ice cream etc.  However when you're up at 5:30.am like I was this morning, boiling water is the quickest method!

Can I feel the benefits? Funnily enough even though I've only had one cup and 5 hours sleep I do feel more energetic than if I'd had my usual 8 hours sleep and coffee injection.  That's definitely a good thing in my book.

Fancy trying it for yourself?  Well the lovely tea freaks over at teapigs are giving you lovely readers 15% off. Just enter the code BLOGGERS12 at the checkout (Does not apply to gifts and cheeky deals).

Whilst your on the teapig site why not check out their other items.  They do all kinds of herbal tea including chocolate flake and chilli chai, although my favourite has to be popcorn flavour.  It ACTUALLY tastes like popcorn!

What's your favourite herbal tea?

Retro Wrens - The 1940's Woman

In a previous blog post I mentioned a group I help run called Retro Wrens.   We originally wanted to start a young version of a WI but it turned out a) there was already one in our town and b) there's a lot more to it than a monthly meet.  For starters you have to have a president, secretary and treasurer and none of us really wanted that responsibility!

So we started Retro Wrens.

Something Vintage, Something New, Make New Friends In A Town Near You.

One of our handmade posters.  Penny farthings actually used to have a wren on them!

We meet once month at Spout for tea, cake and whatever activity we've chosen for that month.

This month we chose something a little different.  An interactive talk about the 1940's with Miss Pitchy Patchy and a vintage hair workshop.

To say I loved this event would be an understatement.  I got to wear my hair in a 1940's do, wear a stole, red lippie and listen to music on a real life gramophone!  Miss Pitchy Patchy even presented me with a gift.  A gorgeous tablecloth with my initial embroidered in the corner!  What a sweetie!

A box of goodies

Some Wrens busy making

Miss Pitchy Patchy lead us in a talk on what it was like to be a women during WW2.  From what women wore to how they did their hair (hairspray was rationed so they used sugar water to keep it in place).  Where they worked, what they ate and rations - did you know soap was rationed to one bar per household and that was used for the washing up and on yourself, including hair!  Can you imagine what their hair and skin must have felt like.

After listening to Miss Pitchy Patchy's stories it's certainly made me feel humbled and a reminder that life is very different for woman today.

Miss Pitchy Patchy at a vintage fair

During the talk we were also shown how to style our hair in various 1940's styles.  How these women managed it without hairspray and tongs is a mystery!!

 I enjoy our Retro Wren nights, not just because we're learning something new but because I get to talk to people I probably wouldn't meet in normal circumstances, oh and eat cake!

Me with my hair up!  I never wear my hair up!!

Do you go to a WI or something similar to Retro Wrens?  Would you be interested in starting a Retro Wrens group?  Let me know, maybe I can help.

Nanas Vintage Fair

Last Sunday I was proud to host our first vintage fair at Spout Coffee Shop.  I was so excited I literally bounced out of bed at 7am, very unusual for me on a Sunday morning!

 

Nanas Vintage Fair, owned by the lovely Faye Williamson puts on vintage fairs in the West Midlands.  Somehow she finds the time to do this in between studying at uni.  She is one very busy girl!

 

Stallholders had the opportunity to showcase hand created designs and re-worked vintage fashion and accessories.  The traders had only been here an hour and I'd already bought something, haha.  I guess it was inevitable.  In fact I think most of the staff bought something!

 

It was an absolutely manic day but I loved having the opportunity to work with such lovely people.

 

Here are few photos my friend at work managed to take for me.

 

 

 

 

Glitz & Glamour

 

 

 

 

Belle & Butler

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forged in Fables

 

 

Great & Small

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweetpea Cherilee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Handmade by Holly Crow



 If you like all things vintage here are few links to keep you busy.......

 

Nanas Vintage Fair

Handmade by Holly Crow

Belle & Butler

Forged in Fables

Sweetpea Cherilee

Goodnight Boutique

Fuelled By Fury

My Little Kitsch

Ginger Does Vintage

Vintage By Cupcake

 

 

 

Do you like vintage fashion?  Have you been to any vintage fairs lately?

Goodbye My Friend

Today my dad rang me at work.  I knew something was wrong because he never rings me at work.  In a broken voice he told me he'd had our cat put down.

It wasn't really a shock as she was 18 and very frail but I didn't realise he was taking her to the vets.  Apparently he woke up that morning and she could barely walk so he drove her to the vets straight away .

I feel sad but I feel even sadder for my dad.  Because this is a reminder of something much worse which happened just over a year ago.

When I was 18 I moved to a different part of the country.  I couldn't really take the cat so I left her with my dad.  Eventually Berni, his wife to be and partner of 10 years, moved in with him and my cat became her cat.  I was pleased because they really seemed to dote on each other.

Not long after my dad and Berni married we discovered Berni had cancer for the second time.  As she went through treatment she spent a lot of time at home and I guess having the cat there was a comfort in some kind of way.  If you're not an animal or cat person this is probably hard to understand but that's the way it is.

Berni lost her battle against cancer last year.  They didn't make it to their first wedding anniversary.  She knew she was dying but she always remained upbeat.  She went to work on the good days and stayed at home on the bad days.

Which is why loosing our cat seems so much harder.  

You see it turned out our lovely little cat didn't die of old age.  She had cancer.  Just like Berni.  And now my dad has lost something that was close to Berni and in a way it's like loosing a piece of Berni again. To cancer.

We've both had a good cry today.  I guess it's brought back some memories I'd buried.

Dad & Berni after she'd been diagnosed with cancer.

I know this isn't your typical happy blog post but I felt like I really needed to get this out.

Sometimes we use our online life to portray a happy world we live in but life isn't really like that.

London Tourist - Part 2

Last year I blogged about a family daytrip I made to London whilst the Paralympics were on - click here if you fancy having a nosey.

For those of you who don't know, I'm originally from London but have lived up North for quite a few years. I love going back to catch up with friends and family but just lately, when we visit, we've been making more of an effort to do some 'touristy things'.

When you live in a city it's easy to take the sights for granted.  In fact you're more likely to avoid tourist attractions because of how busy it gets!  Now that I don't live in London I definitely appreciate so many things it has to offer.  Tourist attractions now being one of them!!!

This particular weekend the Boyf and Little Man were busy which meant I got to spend some time with my Dada.

Normally we visit family, go out for dinner etc so he was surprised that I fancied going into town. In fact as someone who has to drive around London on a regular basis he wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect!  However, us daughters have a way of talking our dads round and we were soon on the tube heading to our location.....The London Aquarium!

A few Twitter friends suggested the London Aquarium and I can't believe I hadn't thought of it!  It was perfect.  Somewhere neither of us had been before and could chat whilst looking at some amazing fish!

If you haven't been before then get your backsides down there !  We literately spent hours there!  Here are a few pics I took on my phone.  I wish I'd taken my 'big' camera because it really is a great photo opportunity although my dad might not have appreciated me spending hours snapping away!!

All in all it was a great day and I really enjoyed spending some quality time with my dad.

Next time you're in London you should really try and visit.  It's great for families, outings with friends, first dates etc.

Have you done anything touristy lately?