Recent Good Things
Magical face oil, a gorgeous National Trust property, Wild Garlic pesto and oodles of bluebells in the woods.
Disclaimer: This is a list of things I have enjoyed recently. I have not been paid or otherwise to mention anything here.
I went back to school this week after a truly restful and chilled two weeks. I did no work whatsoever. I cooked, read, wrote, walked, swam, exercised, watched TV and we even managed to fit in a few days in Cornwall without the kids. My nervous system, while becoming increasingly anxious as Sunday went on, is thanking me. That said - I woke up this morning utterly exhausted - that pesky new moon and a brutal 13 hour day at school due to parents evening having stolen ALL my energy. What with the exhaustion, the world going to hell in a hand-cart and Donald Trump apparently now being Dr Jesus Christ MD, I thought I would share some much needed positivity. So here are some nice things I have seen, bought and eaten recently. Enjoy.
Good things we have watched:
We watched ‘Mothers Pride’ over easter, at the Newlyn Filmhouse, a fabulous independent cinema, bar and restaurant. It’s a lovely British feel-good film. I don’t think it’s going to win a BAFTA or an Oscar, it’s jam packed with cliches and you can guess what is about to happen all the way through. It is though, 90 mins of loveliness. I also re-watched ‘The Breakfast Club’. I may have watched it only once since 1985 when I was a spotty 12 year old desperate to be Molly Ringwald. Actually, from a 21st century feminist perspective it is terribly problematic (there’s upskirting, amoung other things). But, in the interest of art and historical context I just tried to ignore that. Oh, and I still want to be 1980’s Molly Ringwald.
Good Things I Made:
Cornwall was absolutely covered in wild garlic so I carefully took a little home with me. Note, I only took what I needed and did so carefully by cutting the stalks gently and ensuring I did not damage the bulb. I Whizzed it up with some organic pine nuts and good quality olive oil. It was gorgeously Green and silky. We dumped tea-spoons over the Guardians Feast recipe from the week before - Chicken pot-au-feu with wild garlic pesto. Highly recommend.
Have you heard of the app MOB? I have been using it for a while.
I tried a wedding dress on at the weekend and my daughter took pictures of me from behind. There are chubby bits on the back of my arms that I genuinely did not know were there, so I think I need to cut down on the crisps before August 22nd. And no, I am not sharing wedding dress pictures. Anyway, you can pay for the app but the free version is perfectly good. They have 14 ‘smash’ recipes. These are easy things you can make ahead for the week and they are really versatile - use them in wraps, rice bowls, whatever really. Anyway, I made the Chicken, Miso and Spring onion smash rice bowl. Bloody lovely and it kept me in lunches for 3 days.
Good Things We Ate:
If you get down to Newlyn or Penzance in the future I highly recommend The Tolcarne Inn for lunch or dinner. Lots of fresh fish bought daily from the harbour next door. Apparently; ‘More than 600 vessels and 100 fishermen land up to 40 different species of fresh fish each day at Newlyn Harbour – including hake, turbot, mackerel and cuttlefish to name but a few’. Anyway - the food was incredible. the bread might be the best bread I have ever eaten. Ask to sit away from the comedy creaking front door though.
Good Places We Went:
Our friends Jenny and Julian drove the hour from St Austell to Newlyn to see us. They took us to a gorgeous National Trust property for a walk, Godolphin House. A fabulous giant farmhouse with a medieval Garden. We walked up a giant hill and could see for miles, including all the way to Hale. The woods were jam packed with bluebells and we were amazed to learn that you can rent the whole place out for a weekend and pretend to be lords of the manor!
Good Things I Bought:
I am trying to cut down on buying things for no reason and am super proud of myself for cancelling Amazon Prime. Obviously my boycott of that silly little man Jeff Bezos and his penis rocket will hit Amazon hard. I do find myself increasingly bombarded on instagram and email by magical Arctic plant balms, all promising to remove my wrinkles for £97 and fool-proof ways to remove my middle-aged spread. I try super hard to ignore these, despite my sagging jowls. Nonetheless, while in Newlyn we passed a little unassuming shop front - it was called Cornish Skin Food. Mrs Lynch was very friendly, her shop smelt incredible, and her own skin was glowing and dewy as F*&k. I Bought myself a bottle of her Rose Face Oil. It’s bloody lovely. My face looks and feels amazing after a week. And it doesn’t cost the earth. You can buy it on her Etsy Shop here.
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