Category:

Simply..exploring....

1/11/2019

..our own city.

I have an excellent new book about Glasgow called 111 Places In Glasgow That You Shouldn't Miss. My friend Ann and I grew up in Glasgow but on our first foray with the book we found three places we didn't even know existed. The Russian restaurant mentioned in yesterday's post and The Cup Tea Lounge, once the Bank of India with an amazing Victorian tiled interior....

A full day menu and at night it's a gin bar. Really nice.

The third place lies behind this fine facade in Trongate - the world's oldest surviving music hall apparently! Pretty grim and seedy looking inside and certainly atmospheric (it really felt like Halloween) A group of people are aiming to restore it. See more about the incredible Brittania Panopticon here.

I am listing all the entries that have restaurants and Ann and I plan to eat our way through the book this winter!

We also have the version for Edinburgh - we are going to have fun.

There may be one for a city near you....

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Simply..new discoveries....

31/10/2019

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Cafe Cossachok Glasgow

folk decor

the whole ceiling covered in Russian shawls

hot borsch in an (edible) ryebread bowl

and for me, selyodoschka pod Vodoch'ku! Herring with gherkin, onion, sour cream, crispy potatoes and a shot of vodka. Delicious,

Can't wait to go back!

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Simply..can't resist....

29/10/2019

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..fruit with the leaves still on!

How beautiful is that?

Spanish clementines in a natural basket for the princely sum of £1.50. I've had my eye on the cheerful mug from Dunoon ceramics (sadly no longer made in Dunoon) for a while. A fun shopping trip.

What have you treated yourself to lately?

If the answer is nothing, what will you treat yourself to the next time you are shopping?

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Simply..warming....

12/10/2019

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Cranberry green tea with a tiny sprinkle of nutmeg and a couple of raisins and an almond dropped in. We were served spiced drinks like this in Stockholm one December.

I bought the Alessi coffee spoons at The Hepworth gallery lovely shop. Simple, with a nice weight to them and perfect for scooping out the juicy raisins and almond.

Simple pleasures for the darker months.

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Simply amazed....

7/10/2019

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..at how my body's defence systems actually work!

I am really enjoying this book. It's a big read, but not a difficult one.

The author describes how our body's five defence systems work to protect, heal and regenerate,
and explains how foods are now being tested in the same way as drugs to assess their effects on diseases.

It's specific and detailed (which accounts for the size of the book) and I am finding it fascinatng.

Along with Eat Right For Your sight by Jennifer Trainer Thompson I am using it to refine my diet bit by bit adding more and more beautiful (normal and readily available) foods!

Another source of inspiration is the Blue Zones newsletter.

There is lots of good news out there on the health front. YouTube is a good place to start I would say.. you can listen to Dr William Li on Ted Talks and at medical conferences - it's all on there.

(I've not forgotten the 12 Rules For Life reviews....just got a bit behind!)

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Simply..accepting....

6/10/2019

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..and enjoying Autumn.

Some repair work and cleaning up under a new-this-year swallow nest, getting ready

for the first delivery of wood.

and swapping summer textiles for the winter ones

None of them new - just brought out of the cupboard and greeted like old friends!

i'm thinking now about stocking up with food. Home cooked meals in the freezer or at least the ingredients to make a good meal for guests, tins of beans to bulk up a stew or to have on toast for an emergency meal (ie when I've run out of food or am too tired to make anything). Covent Garden lovely soups freeze well and are only £1 in the supermarket just now, and I will make more of this easy recipe from my friend Lynne while there are still courgettes available
Cook courgettes, frozen peas and a good handful of mint in some stock till soft. Blend till smooth and drizzle with single cream or a tiny amount of truffle oil to serve.

Any other storecupboard ideas most welcome.

As you know I live a long way from the shops and sometimes I get lazy about shopping and put it off till I have run out of food...

Must do better!

I hope you are enjoying whatever season you are in where you are.

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Simply..making the most....

10/9/2019

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..of what's left of summer.

A glimmer of sunshine and I am out there for breakfast!

It is certainly autumn here, and raining as I write, but this morning with a sniff of the odd sweet pea or two, the late swallows twittering all around me and wearing a cosy jumper I savoured breakfast out of doors.

I'm sure it tastes better. Would you agree?

yum.

Long early morning shadows

Sparks joy!

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Simply..moving....

8/8/2019

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I can't quite get yesterday morning at the Rock Cafe out of my mind.

I was there about 8.15, between buses (it is right at the bus and ferry terminal) and had the unhealthiest breakfast I have had in a long time to fill the hour and a quarter till my next bus. At first I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not, but it was clean and cheerful. The man and woman working there greeted all the customers - quite a few people bought food to take away - by name.
'The usual?' they asked.
And 'How are you this morning?'

It is so entirely without pretension.
Timeless.
It could have been 1940, or 1960, or 2019
The menu may not have changed in all that time.

White bread fried, white bread toasted and buttered and a fried egg with a good strong cup of tea.

I loved it. I loved the Rock Cafe and the people in it and the railings and the shore and the lighthouse and the pier and the gulls and the early morning feeling of the town just starting its new day which would be just the same as yesterday and much the same as tomorrow probably and that would be fine and as it should be.

My stomach didn't love it and the bus journey to Colintraive along a winding and hilly single track road left me queasy!

That was fine too in it's way..

Was it nostalgia?

Or just that thing about liking what's real.

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Simply..a touch of the Med....

27/6/2019

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Holidaying at home with a meal on the deck of the local hotel. 23 degrees. Just right.

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Simply..imposing....

23/5/2019

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..but friendly.

I am so enjoying trying out new restaurants and coffee shops in Glasgow since my favourite closed. and I do like this one..

Rich in maritime history with walls covered in posters and photographs, the coffee is good and the affogato to die for!

And it is across the road from my bus stop.

Just every now and then I do treat myself well :-)

What way do you treat yourself well?

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Simply..the trial....

11/5/2019

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for £1 Thornton's do this little pack of 8 chocolates - perfect for the chocolate mindfulness trial.

The record was 7 minutes and 41 seconds and I could still taste it after 10 minutes (but my mind was all over the place!).

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Simply..lost the knack....

27/3/2019

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My scones turned out like biscuits and my biscuits turned out like scones! Only just edible.

With a disastrous attempt at pastry too not so long ago I am losing confidence fast. I used to be pretty good at baking! Do you think that you can just - for no obvious reason - lose the knack?

I may just give up. .

I need a Plan B.

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Simply..work?

18/1/2019

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Simply..'gloriously dated'....

11/1/2019

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We stopped in amazement that there was a whole bed of roses in flower in the street outside the University and as my friend touched this one in disbelief - it literally fell off into her hand (much to her embarassment!).

The menu is as old fashioned as the decor. I have to go back to this cafe to try their ice cream one day...

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Simply..it's the leftovers....

11/12/2018

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..that are my downfall!

Christmas lunch for the book group was fun, with readings before and berween courses on the theme of the solstice.

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Simply..did you know..

6/12/2018

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..that a few drops of grapefruit seed extract in water two or three times a day takes away cravings for sugar?

At least it does for me.

So useful, especially at this time of year.

The freedom of being able to take it or leave it is amazing to me.

Yay!

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Simply..abundance....

2/12/2018

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Therej's something thrilling about oranges with their leaves on.

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Simply..cheering...

28/11/2018

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..on a dark winter morning with the sound of rain lashing against the bedroom window.

Loving what is..

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Simply..like saying grace....

17/10/2018

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It's the work of a minute to light a candle, place a few ptessed leaves ( they've been under the rug since last autumn) put a flower in a glass or otherwise decorate the table or tray for a meal.

I believe in it.

Even if just for one.

Adds joy.

Tastes better.

Makes me grateful.

Makes me smile.

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Simply..in other news....

16/10/2018

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Simply..basil....

1/6/2018

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..and other growing things. The weather is still amazing here. (Still no rain!)

I bought a packer of cut basil as the supermarket had run out of pots of growing basil, not sure if it would last. And indeed it drooped balefully in a glass of water for a day or two, then perked up and as you can see every shoot developed some good roots.

I've potted them up as it is a particularly delicious type. They are drooping again in the heat today, but it's worth a try!

(My herb garden is a disaster and about to be ripped out for a fresh start. And I won't be putting mint in the ground again. I should have known better.

I'm also sowing my favourite annual poppy papaver rhoeas Mother of Pearl - thrillingly subtle colours. See here. Available from Chiltern Seeds

Many of the things looking good just now in the garden will be over by Open Day - two weeks tomorrow but I was delighted to see the first flower on geranium psilostemnon which really makes a show in the centre bed of the garden..

The all important 5.30 G&T signals the end of work for the day!

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Simply..indulge me....

22/4/2018

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as I post a few more memories of Venice!

I learned from Heather, who learned from Cinzia, who learned from her mother exactly now to make an espresso. I didn't know I liked it.

This came today. First try tomorrow morning.

How do you like your coffee?

This is quite fun.

I only read it after I came back :-)

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Simply..delicious....

7/3/2018

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Salmon cooked with butter and lemon, served on spinach with strawberries in balsamic vinegar, basil and pepper and a tiny bit of sugar. An unusual combination I really enjoyed.

from a new book..

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Simply..imperfect....

27/1/2018

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...but (to paraphrase FlyLady) even imperfect efforts bless your body.

If you don't look after your body you won't have anything to live in.

,I am so glad I gifted myself six days to concentrate on my health. (It does take time and maybe no-one else is likely to give that to you!) Time to consider what you need to prioritise, to figure out what suits you and how you can fit it into your lifestyle.

It's easy to be overwhelmed by the barrage of health and wellbeing advice, so much of it contradictory, and much of it taking the form of Only 10 minutes a day to.... Only 30 minutes a day to achieve.... Only 40 minutes etc but by the time you factor in work/childcare/household tasks/others' needs - it all adds up to more than 24 hours!

I am feeling lighter, both literally and metaphorically, and more energetic. I have come up with a new weight beyond which I will not go. I am even more interested in the subject and in finding out more, and am I imagining it, or am I thinking more clearly?

The city again today, but wild and wet. Beetroot and goats cheese tortelloni with sage hit the spot today. How pretty is that? A starter size, eaten slowly, is usually enough.

Tomorrow - the pros and cons (from my very limited experience!) of retreats away or at home

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Simply..thank you....

25/1/2018

17 Comments

You are a great bunch!

My determination was flagging last night and this morning. I was feeling good, had lost as much weight as I wanted (and more than I expected) and was thinking maybe 6 days is too much to do on my own, maybe I could stop now
but reading Swissrose's comment I began to look at some videos and the pep talk from Dr Jason Fung and the LCHF video by Dr Andreas Eenfeldt - I love the ethics of his approach described in the last 10 minutes of so - gave me just the boost I needed. I reminded myself that part of the plan was to take the time to do some research, lit the fire, made a juice and sat down to listen and learn.

Tomorrow I visit the opthalmologist. My eyes are the real reason I am doing all this. (See under Simply Seeing - Or Not.) I'm looking for macular regeneration not degeneration..

I think it helps.

And I am fitter!

Lingering snow on the tops. Here below - mud, but 6349 steps.

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Simply..exploring....

Simply..new discoveries....

Simply..can't resist....

Simply..warming....

Simply amazed....

Simply..accepting....

Simply..making the most....

Simply..moving....

Simply..a touch of the Med....

Simply..imposing....

Simply..the trial....

Simply..lost the knack....

Simply..work?

Simply..'gloriously dated'....

Simply..it's the leftovers....

Simply..did you know..

Simply..abundance....

Simply..cheering...

Simply..like saying grace....

Simply..in other news....

Simply..basil....

Simply..indulge me....

Simply..delicious....

Simply..imperfect....

Simply..thank you....

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