On the eve of Halloween....

Happy Halloween!!

I have no Halloween plans this year and avoided the bars in town like the plague this weekend due to the fact that I am still getting over my virus. I still wanted to be festive so yesterday I carved my first ever Halloween pumpkin. I also helped my sister make some Jack-O-Lantern biscuits today for the school.

I have always been fascinated by Halloween, the holiday associated with all things spooky and scary. It is such a fun time for children and adults alike and I love dressing up and making autumn goodies to eat. I found a few bits of trivia to mark the occasion.

 All Hallows Eve or Samhain is an old Celtic festival that once marked the end of summer and the end of the harvests. It would also mark the passing of the year and the start of a new one, a time when the earth began to 'die'.


It was, and still is, believed that the veil between this world and the next is thinnest at this time of year and so spirits could wander between worlds. It was a time to honour and remember those who had passed. All Saints Day, on the 1st November, remains a Christian day of remembrance.

The general association of this holiday with death is not all macabre and gloomy. It is a time of new beginnings and change. Pagans use this as a time to take stock of their lives and move on to new things, make changes and learn new things.

I am not a Pagan but I do find myself drawn to the old religions. I think this is more to do with the fact that much of my country's history, myth, and legend comes from the old Celtic religions. Also there is such a connection with nature and the seasons and I love that the old festivals are still celebrated in some form at different times of the year.

Whatever you are doing this Halloween, have fun and be safe. xo

To Wear a Poppy with Pride....

The Royal British Legion poppy appeal launched yesterday. I found this article by Hannah Wallis on the Huffington Post website today. Hannah talks about being moved by a school trip to the battlefields in Northern France and the emotions stirred up by the sight of endless headstones in the cemeteries.

As a child, my family and I often went on holidays to France. I remember once we visited the village of Oradour-sur-Glane in the Limousin region. The original village was destroyed in World War II and has been kept as a memorial. Men, women and children were massacred in the village by German soldiers on the 10th June 1944. The women and children were locked in the church while the men were shot and burned alive in barns around the village. The soldiers then blew up the church, shooting anyone who tried to escape. 190 men, 247 women and 207 children died.

I remember being so moved by the stories I read as I walked through the ruins of the village, past burned out cars and the rubble of former homes and businesses, left just as it was after the massacre took place. It is such a haunting place and a reminder of the horror of war. I remember almost being able to feel the people around me and feeling such sadness.

These pictures are from Wikipedia, taken by Dennis Nilsson.

I remember my Granddad telling me brief stories of his time during the war, about watching his friends and comrades being killed and injured. He is no longer with us and with him died the last living survivor of the war in my family. One day, World War II, like the First World War, will pass out of living memory but it is so important that we continue to remember those who fought and died for our country. My children will never know either of my Grandfathers or hear their stories but I will make sure they know who they were and what they fought for.

Wear your poppy with pride! xo

It's nearly Friday....

It's nearly the end of a long week. It's Friday tomorrow! Ready for a weekend of cooking, cleaning, studying, exercising and maybe a craft fair. Oh and pumpkin carving! I got this one from Able and Cole today. I'm going to carve it on Saturday.

I found some pumpkin carving tips on the Good Food website.

Getting back to the gym...

It's been a few days since I posted, mostly because I have been trying to get back into work and the daily grind. It is now officially dark when I go to work and will soon be dark when I get home. Bummer! But on the plus side, I am no longer infected! I do still have a hacking cough that doesn't seem to want to go away but, all in all, I am well again! Get in!

Getting back to the gym has helped give me more energy. I managed a half hour of weights today working my chest and triceps. Pretty good. Back and Biceps tomorrow maybe with a 30 minute swimming session, legs on Thursday, shoulders and a swim on Saturday. Week done.

I am having a slight dilemma with my gym programme. I found a fab one on BodyBuilding.com and got to week 5 before I got sick but the final few weeks are a 6-day split, something I just can't do with my schedule. So I have decided to adapt it slightly, stick to a muscle-building 5-day split starting next week and change to a cutting routine after around 8 weeks. I can do that for a few months and see how I get on.

I really need to focus on lifting heavier to build muscle right now. I really like lifting but tend to get complacent and I end up not feeling the effects. Also it can be off putting when the gym is busy and the blokes are gathered around the mirrors and free weights. I have been putting off taking protein powder as I have heard it does horrible things to your bowls movements and it's not cheap. I may have to give in soon though as there is no way I take in enough protein in my diet alone.

I don't want the body-builders physique but I have to admit the bikini models look pretty good.

More

Less (just slightly wrong!)

The second one is not something I aspire to! Weird if you ask me! I just don't see this as being feminine. To be honest the bikini models don't look much better in competition. They train hard for weeks before hand to pump up the muscles and then smother themselves with what I can only describe as wood varnish! No thanks, I'd be happy with the first picture minus the fake tan.

A few programme idea for later once I have done my current plan for 2 months:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jen-rankin-fitness-360.html - specifically the cutting programme for when I have built up some muscle.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kathleen-tesori-fitness-360.html - really like the cutting programme for this one.

Most programmes seems to suggest the muscle-building/cutting workouts, changing every few months. Yes, the above workouts are spokes model competitive body-building workouts but I might as well give them a go, work hard and see what I can do. My issue is with the food and supplements. I eat fairly healthy so have a good basis but I am not strict enough with myself to eat 6 meals a day and pre-pack all my meal. I need a plan to change one thing at a time....goal one, eat a good breakfast every day. I will re-visit this next Tuesday and see how I get on this week. Tuesday on my blog is now officially Gym Day! Wish me luck! xo

This weekend, part two....

In between trying to get started on my first essay, I have finally managed to visit the family allotment. Mum and Dad have been supplying me with veggies over the last few weeks and months and I am ashamed to say I have played no part in helping to grow them. This has a lot to do with the fact that I have no car and can't get there but still I feel bad and want to help out more.

Here are a few pictures of the allotment so far. It did get hit by the first frosts this week and the beans are coming to the end of their season so looka little wilted.

Chard and Leeks

Dad at the beans

Pak Choi, Broccoli, Cauliflower

I have been inspired to grow some things in my little garden at home and I want to start off by planting some garlic and some tulip bulbs. Hopefully I can get that going in the next few weeks.

In other news, my essay has finally gotten off the ground. I was hoping to get most of it done today but will have to carry it over to tomorrow. No big deal, as long as it's finished by Monday and ready to post on Tuesday! It's half-term week so no school on Thursday. I will probably end up going into work instead for a few hours and then plod home to do some Christmas cooking. That's my week planned pretty much before the weekend is even over! Back to the present I think...xo

This weekend....

This weekend.... by jesslaura featuring zipper jeans

My Mitts....

My first attempt at knitting with double-pointed needles. It's a little stretched where I had a few issues with keeping the needles together but not too bad.  Hopefully the second one will be done by next week.

Please excuse the pizza boxes!

My climate change dilemma....

Global Warming Blamed For Shrinking Species In New Study:

'via Blog this'

The Huffington Post is another new discovery of mine that has been a needed source of intellectual stimulation while I have been off sick. The above article caught my eye today as I was flicking through my email alerts.

Climate change is a subject that I have struggled with over the last few years. While I accept that the climate of our planets is changing (we have felt the effects here to a certain extent)  I have conflicting thoughts about the extent of our involvement as a species. For me, I just don't think we have enough evidence to deny the possibility that what is happening could be a natural occurrence. This would of course, be linked to the apparent shrinking of the species discussed in the article.

Of course, that isn't to say that we aren't responsible for this planet. As the dominant species we have a duty to make sure we care for ourselves and the world around us. The green alternatives are there we just need to make sure that they are being used. And we can't always blame the big companies. Let's face  it, if we the consumer didn't buy, the companies would not make. Car companies make the gas guzzling cars because the petrol heads out there don't want a small-engined hybrid that can't do 100+ miles down the motorway!

One present down and a little crafty rant....

One positive thing has come out of being off work. I have been able to plan and make a few Christmas presents. The first completed item is my cable hot water bottle for my niece.

This is from a pattern in Lets Knit Magazine and was made using Sirdar Supersoft Aran yarn. My favourite bargain Aran yarn. It is so soft and yet the 100g balls are only £3.15 in my local sewing shop and I used less than one ball. I bought 3 so I am trying to think of something else to knit with it...possibly a cover for my netbook if I can find a good pattern.

As much as possible I try to use the yarn specified in the pattern and did so in this project. Sometimes though it just isn't and this is where I start a little rant if you don't mind. There are some beautiful yarns available made from exotic fibres that are obviously much better quality than the man-made alternatives but why do they have to be so damned expensive?! I simply refuse to spend more on yarn to make a project than I would spend in a shop to buy the finished article. It's just ridiculous! I found a lovely tank top pattern the other week that would cost £60 just for the wool! OK, rant over.

Coming soon (hopefully) a chunky bag. x

My carbon footprint and food waste....

Recently I have been making a concerted effort to recycle more. Not only is it becoming the thing to do but I was shocked at the amount of waste we throw away as a nation and as a planet. I measured my carbon footprint the other day and apparently I live like I am powering 2 planets instead of one and what I eat and where it comes from and how much I throw away plays a big part in that.

According to the Love Food, Hate Waste site, we throw away 8.3 million tonnes of food each year in the UK; food that could be eaten. This is more even than food packaging. If we stop wasting food we could cut CO2 emissions to the equivalent of taking 1 in 4 cars off the road! This is staggering. Doing our bit for the planet could be as simple as planning meals in advance, only buying what we need and recycling or composting the rest.

If it is that simple, why aren't more of us doing it? We live in a society that has grown accustomed to getting everything we want. In all aspects of our lives and even in a troubled economy we are lucky enough to be able to buy fresh food and fast food. I can't count the number of times I have bought food from the store and then headed to the take away for dinner because I can't be bothered to cook. Fresh fruit and veggies then rot in the fridge and I end up throwing it in the bin. The only justification is that I can do this. I am not restricted because I can afford to do it (most of the time anyway!) It just isn't good enough when there are famines in East Africa and children starving and farmers being driven off their lands by large corporations.

I have changed a lot of my food buying habits in the past few weeks. I now buy fruit and veg boxes weekly that contain just enough for that week. This means I not only eat more healthy but I do not waste anything from it. All the packaging is re-usable and the air miles minimal. I am also making use of the recycling services offered by my local council. They, like many other councils in Britain, are changing to fortnightly bin collections in the new year and so I have got my free bins and am recycling my plastic bottles, cardboard, glass, tins and paper. It's actually quite rewarding.

This may only sound like a little but I do believe that we can all make a difference by doing our bit to limit the food we waste. The long term advantages could be so great and let's face it there really is no excuse for allowing this waste of food to continue.

Charitable thinking and my #LittleVoice....

I have spent this week mostly on my sofa having a cold and have had to think of posts that are a little more interesting than cold remedies....apologies if I am being a little boring! Possibly I should just wait until I am back in the world of the living before I post another entry. I know my aim of this site was to make a daily entry regardless but I am starting to hope people do read my posts, if only casually, because I am finding I have some important things to say.

I have always felt very strongly about children's rights, animal rights and the environment. From my escapades on Twitter, I have found some inspiring charities that are doing so much for all these things. I have put some of these on my Favourite Charities page and a few links in my side bar but I wanted to explain a little about why I have done this and why I feel it is important to raise awareness.

The actress Sophia Bush inspired me with her #LittleVoices campaign on Twitter. She has used social media to raise awareness of issues close to her heart. By using our little voice we can generate positive and proactive messages. Of course she has many more followers than little old me but that doesn't mean I can't be just a proactive in raising awareness for the causes I believe in; retweeting tweets from my favourite charities or blogging about the latest campaign. Even if I reach one person I would take that as a victory.

I have always made an effort to donate to charities. Children in Need and Comic Relief are some of my favourite days. Incidentally, Children in Need 2011 is on  Friday 18th November and I'm thinking of organising a bake sale at work. Anyway, why should any of us wait for these special days or events to do something worthwhile? Especially when the information is right at our fingertips on the internet?? Go on any charity website and you will find their current campaigns and how you can get involved by donating money, signing petitions, fundraising, the possibilities are almost endless.

My top charities (of course there are many more great charities out there but these are my favourites):

UNICEF

Plan

OXFAM

GREENPEACE

RSPCA


NSPCC

I have signed up for campaigns newsletters and information for all of the above. If you are reading this, please consider doing the same. Oxfam and UNICEF are currently working on the emergency situation in East Africa. Plan UK have today launched their 2011 Because I am A Girl Report which looks at the lives of girls around the world and gender inequality issues. They also work with children in disaster areas. The NSPCC are continuing their amazing work preventing cruelty to children in the UK and the RSPCA are doing the same for animals. For more on what they do, please check out their websites.

Today I love....

....cupcakes!! To be honest, everyday I love cupcakes but I read this article on Hello Giggles and was inspired.

Sweeten Up Your Space With These 10 Cupcake Creations

I think it may be cake making time this weekend.

I Love Cupcakes by jesslaura featuring knit socks

Cold and flu remedies....

The Best Cold Remedies

Some natural cold and flu remedies I shall be making use of. I will be stocking up on Echinacea for future use. Apparently garlic, onions and leeks help the immune system too so leek and potato soup will be my dinner tomorrow. Also, liquorice is good for coughs too...bonus! :)

Organic Nutrition

Anything to get a decent nights sleep!

Of illness and a bit of knitting....

I have had a horrible cold and I am not feeling good at all. I am at the sneezy, running nose stage which hopefully means it's on it's way out but it means I have to endure the blocked nose stage which seems to happen at night and affects my sleep. To top it off, my smoke alarm keeps beeping (I think the battery is running out) and I can't reach it to sort it out and England lost in the Rugby Quarter Final.

Anyway, despite my ills, I have managed to make a start on my Christmas gifts. I have started making my hot water bottle cover (pattern from Lets Knit Magazine) and you can see my progress on Ravelry.

Here is the cover so far. This is the first proper attempt at cabling and it's going pretty well. I'm not sure if you can tell but there seems to be an error in the chart I am following . It's not my error because I am following the pattern exactly but I am almost wishing I had changed it myself. Of course there is always the risk if I do that of messing up further along which is why I stuck to the pattern so I am hoping no one will notice! And, if I do knit this again (and I definitely bought enough wool to do another) I will change it.

I found some really nice patterns by Kind Cole in Snip today (the wool is a bargain too) so I might have to go back there in the next few weeks. I hear another project calling already! :)

Support UNICEF....

Support UNICEF - Connect and share - Support UNICEF

UNICEF is an international charity focusing of the rights of children and child rights. They help children in emergencies, help build schools and support families and communities. Every child has the right to a childhood and I wanted to post a little something about UNICEF to raise a little awareness. The link above is to the UK support website.

Right now, they are trying to spread the word about the East Africa Crisis at UNICEF East Africa Crisis. In southern Somalia, 4 million children need urgent assistance.

Children are dying and we need to spread the word

© UNICEF/NYHQ2011-1191/Kate Hol

© UNICEF/NYHQ2011-1115/Holt

UNICEF are delivering supplies and medical equipment as we speak

©UNICEF/Somalia/2011/Mony

The season is changing....

Yes, autumn is definitely here. It's getting colder now and soon it will be time to dig out the winter woolies and the blankets. In a way I am sad to see the sun go; for the nights to get longer and the mornings darker. But I do love this time of year; cosy nights and crisp cold days.

I am not loving the cold and flu season much however. I had to come home early from work today because I have a cold coming. My throat is so sore I can't swallow and my head is getting to that stage where it feels like it's full of cotton wool. I have a horrible feeling that I am going to wake up tomorrow feeling like crap and I have my first day of school tomorrow....typical right?! The timing is perfect!

I found this post on Fun. Fit. Chic. Some advice on treating colds: Cold and Flu fighting season.

I usually know when a cold is coming. I tend to feel tired and lethargic for a few weeks beforehand, then the sore throat starts. The advice seems to be at this stage to stock up on vitamin C and echinacea, drink plenty to avoid dehydration and gets lots of rest. Some chicken soup wouldn't go amiss either. Lets face it, I'm not going to be short of veggies now! :-)

The forgotten victim....

As the world watches Amanda Knox's family celebrate her return home, let us not forget poor Meredith Kercher and her family.

Meredith Kercher: Forgotten victim

I'm not saying I believe Amanda is guilty but there is still a family mourning the loss of a daughter and sister, brutally murdered for no reason and the worse part is they may never know what happened.

So much to learn....

I discovered the other day that it's Black History Month here in the UK. My Mum found a story the Southern Daily Echo, about a man from Haiti who lost his life on-board the Titanic. Most people know that the Titanic set sail from Southampton harbour which is not too far down the road from where I live. Most people also know that many people lost their lives when the liner sank nearly 100 years ago after striking an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean (there is a certain movie that will fill in some of the details for you if you don't know).

Most people do not know about Joseph Phillipe Leroche. Joseph was born into a wealthy Haitian family, the son of a white French army officer and a Haitian woman who was the descendant of the first ruler of Haiti, Jean-Jacque Dessalines. His Uncle was the president of Haiti in 1911.

Joseph lived and was educated in France and married a white French woman, Juliette Lafargue. They had two children. Despite his upbringing and education, Joseph had difficulty getting work because of the colour of his skin. The family couldn't afford to pay for the medical treatment needed by their youngest child, Mary-Louise, and Juliette was also pregnant with their third child. The family decided to move back to Haiti where Joseph would be able to find well paid work.

The family weren't meant to travel on the Titanic. Joseph's Mother had originally them bought first-class tickets on-board the La France but because the children would not be able to dine with their parents, Joseph opted to travel second-class on the Titanic instead. Despite enjoying the opulence of the liner and dining with the first-class passengers, the Laroche family would suffer racial insults from fellow passengers and crew members who disagreed with their inter-racial marriage.

When the Titanic struck the iceberg, Joseph led his family to a lifeboat and gave his coat to his wife. His last words to his family were, "I'll get another boat. God be with you. I'll see you in New York." He went down with the ship and his body was never found.

I found this story, like so many other stories from the doomed liner, so tragic and poignant. We have seen the decadence of the ship and how the upper class lived while on-board and that film gave us an idea of how bad the third class passengers had it when the ship sank. We also know that despite it's obvious flaws, the Titanic was a mechanical marvel of it's time. It symbolised the great achievements of man. But the story of Joseph and his family and their struggle to be accepted in the place they certainly belonged really shows how much society was not as advanced as the rich white folks of the time may have thought.

We still aren't. We still have a long way to go before our attitudes catch up with our technology. People still suffer abuse and ridicule because of the way they look, even in societies as diverse and multi-cultural as the UK. There are parents raising their children to be bullies rather than teaching them to accept the differences of others. We have television shows and magazines that basically portray the image that to be anyone in this world you can't be a real person but a carbon copy of what the media has deemed 'perfect'. We still have so much to learn.

Abel and Cole and Recipe: Chard and leek soup

I love Abel and Cole veggie boxes. I have always thought of myself as a healthy eater but I do have a tendency to buy the same old things and when I buy new things I end up with waste. Abel and Cole send me a small box of fruit and veg each week, costing no more than what I would usually pay in the supermarket. It's enough to last me a week and contains a variety of seasonal fruit and veg so I will never be bored. Plus it's organically farmed which makes it even better!

I have been wondering how to use up the Chard from my veggie box this week. I found this fab recipe by Anthony Worrall-Thompson which will make use of the leeks that I will get in next weeks box too.

BBC - Food - Recipes : Chard and leek soup:
'via Blog this'

A secret hiding place....

The sun brings the crowds to town. I popped to the shops for a few things and it was so busy I couldn't think. I almost collided with a few people and some were walking so slowly they were almost standing still! So, I escaped to the Arts Centre with my books....

It's a converted church that plays host to fabulous local musicians and art exhibitions. It's a great place to go to chill out on a sunny day.

I knew the Cathedral grounds would be just as busy and this place is only a few hundred yards from my flat but I never venture to it. It's so nice and quiet and makes you forget that you are in a city as it's away from the hustle and bustle. 

The above building is a council office, newly built around a year or so ago. The Arts Centre is to the right of this building and to the left is a beautiful park know as the Green Croft (below). 

It's not very big but it's full large shady chestnut trees and lots of places to hide. Every now and then you find an ancient stone epitaph whose owner's name is lost to time. It's quite a magical place really.

I searched for a few shiny conkers too! 

My weekend plans 1st Oct 2011

My weekend plans 1st Oct 2011 by jesslaura featuring dark skinny jeans

It's study time for me today after the thrill of the Rugby match against Scotland that I watched in my PJs this morning. Well done boys!

The try that clinched England's progression to the Quarter Finals!! xx