I have had a lot of fun in the last 4 days which is good for the soul but not necessarily for the improved health or weight loss I am aiming for
Wednesday was amazing. I went to Wembley with 2 of my sisters and nephew Harry to see Coldplay.
I met Lucy and Abi in Zizzi at Wembley for a pizza and rather a lot of wine first !! They do have a vegan cheese but unfortunately they also added goat’s cheese. Having waited 2 hours for it, I picked off the cheese bits but it was disappointing. Luckily the manager discounted our bill by all our main meals so it was quite good value in the end.
Time to go in to the stadium. So exciting !!!!
We had unreserved or pitch seats and we chose to sit.
The effects were amazing; at one point the entire stadium was filled with paper cut in to the shape of little birds.
Coldplay played on the main stage, an extended stage in to the centre of the stadium and a small stage at the end .
They are amazing to see live as they play all their hits and they also sang a tribute to David Bowie.
We were given wristbands which lit up and changed colour; this was very effective when 80,000 people were wearing them and waving them around.
And we had giant balloons to play with.
Thank you for coming they said. Well thank you for playing – it was magical and amazing and fantastic.
The critics agreed.
I had lovely supper at Jules’ on Thursday with some of the local lovelies and on Friday I went to Bedgebury, a forest near us, to see Tom Jones.
It did rain for a while but then the sun came out.
Tom was great; he is such a good singer and his band were excellent.
Thank you Marion and Colin for the ticket and it was lovely to see you both, Clare and Lesley.
Last night we were at Bedgebury again to see the Kaiser Chiefs. We had a very enjoyable evening and the Kaiser Chiefs were also good.
Sally stayed with us last night and it was lovely to have some extra time with her. We had a good start to the day this morning; a smoothie made with apricots, strawberries and bananas.
We had coffee at Hartley Dyke and then it was time to say good-bye. Lara and Harvey took their Dad out for lunch and I took mine.
Well, my Dad took me actually. We went to a local Chinese restaurant in Sutton and I had a delicious meal of vegetable spring rolls, seaweed, sizzling tofu in black bean sauce, rice with vegetables and broccoli cooked with garlic.
I think 4 late nights took their toll. I forgot to take my Dad these lovely flowers I bought him which I was so annoyed with myself about. Sorry Daddy, but here is the promised photo of them xx
Tomorrow I fast and get back on my thyroid healing protocol.
The apricots were a bit beyond their best but I just cut off the mouldy bits, washed them and used the good bits.
Blended with frozen banana.
The texture was soft and super smooth with a delicate flavour. I added walnuts and coconut for healthy fats and texture.
Lara came home for the weekend and we began by having supper with my Dad and Step-Mother on Friday evening. On Saturday we went to Hastings. We had a simple lunch in the pavilion in Alexandra Park and then strolled through the park and the town centre and on to the pier, which I have not been on before.
The end of the pier seemed very peaceful and we enjoyed looking at the remains of the original pier and listening to the sea lapping beneath the pier structure.
The pier has been a bit controversial because there is not much on it but I liked the sense of space and the fact it is a versatile space. They can set up a cinema or concert venue here. We gave the pier a big thumbs up.
I was intending to have a quiet nigh in on Saturday but my fab neighbours invited me over for supper and what a supper we had. Lucy made me a delicious vegetable paella which I enjoyed very much with sweet potato chips, salad and ratatouille, followed by fruit and crackers. And far too much gin, prossecco and wine!
It was a wonderful evening. Thank you very much Marion and Colin for being such wonderful hosts and to all my dear neighbours; I could never have such lovely neighbours anywhere else.
I sit next to a lovely lady at work called Maya and she brings in tasty home made treats for us to share sometimes. This week she gave me 2 boxes of home made spices; this one smells earthy and citrusy and I couldn’t wait to use it. I know it has cumin and coriander in it but I can’t remember what else.
I chopped up some potatoes in to chunky chip shapes. I put some oil, a heaped tbsp of this spice mix and 1 tsp salt in with the oil and then added the potatoes, mixing to coat with the oil and spice. I baked the potatoes for 35 minutes in a hot oven, turning half way through.
It was such a hot day we ate outside, under the shade of the apple tree.
After lunch, Annette picked up me and Harvey and we went to a beautiful house and garden, which was open to the public in aid of the Heart of Kent Hospice. It was a 14th Century Wealden house.
The gardens were delightful.
There were lots of interesting sections such as a large pond, a vegetable garden and areas left more wild.
We have also, thanks to Lara for organising it, had a lovely evening at the Udderbelly.
The Udderbelly is like a Big Top but cow shaped. Purple and cow shaped!
Outside is a selection of bars and pop up eateries, in a fun landscape, reminiscent of a music festival but thanks to the astro turf, minus the mud.
We ate in Wagamama before we went inside. Wagamama is a good choice for a vegan as they have information about the contents of all their dishes and there is a reasonable range you can choose from. I started with the vegetable gyozas.
Followed by one of their rice noodle stir fries. Deeelish!
We watched Closer by Circa and it was fabulous. The run of that particular show is nearly over but I do recommend it and if you miss that show, or don’t fancy it, there are plenty more to choose from.
We have had some lazy weekends at home which we also enjoy as we need downtime sometimes.
The next birthday to celebrate was James’ 50th. He chose to spend the day at a Heronry in Northward Hill in North Kent. We didn’t actually see any herons but we had a lovely walk through the bluebells and then an interesting drive around the Isle of Grain. Definitely worth visiting and I hope to return there one day.
Our next fun event was Emily’s 21st in Bristol. In Clifton in Bristol to be precise. We stayed in The Victoria Square hotel which was very good value, especially because it had family rooms. It was located in this square and we shared the hotel with most of my dearest friends. The whole weekend was lovely and we began in style with a fantastic party.
After a long and leisurely breakfast together, I bade farewell to my Besties and went for a wander around Bristol with Lara and Harvey. We walked over the world famous Bristol Suspension Bridge, which was not for the faint-hearted but the views were spectacular.
We spent most of the day in Bath, visiting the Royal Crescent and the Roman Baths. It was a beautiful day but sadly I have lost most of my photos which is a shame as Bath is stunning.
We have also spent a lot of time in Hastings recently and the last 2 times with my sisters.
It’s very hilly in Lyme Regis so I definitely did my fitness a lot of good with the regular walks up and down to the town.
We noticed a sign for an open garden and went to visit as the house looked lovely and we expected the garden to be equally gorgeous.
We were not disappointed.
The owners had spent 9 years creating their garden paradise in the cliffs overlooking the sea.
I loved this swing seat and might have to treat myself to one. It is from a company called Sitting Spiritually who are based in Lyme but who deliver father afield too.
This was a lovely garden to potter about in and gawp at the loveliness or just sit and stare. We did plenty of both.
This was one of those day where nothing was planned and it just flowed and everything seemed perfect. Such as bumping in to our Aunty and Uncle in the beautiful garden. 
We weren’t expecting to see them until the next day so this was a double pleasure. So we wandered round the garden again.
On Sunday it was still sunny – which is unheard of when I go to Lyme.
It is all part of the ritual to go for a walk along the Cobb, which is what we did. We walked there and back again which must have burnt off gazillions of calories. Through the sheep field again and past this tree, which was split in half by lightening!
The beach was packed with people and some were swimming and paddle-boarding in the sea.
Lose Weight and Gain Health 