Day 33 & 34

Time to catch up what a weekend! I think it all started when I had Saturday morning to myself and went into bliss mode. I've been lost in the enchanting world of Louisa May Alcott's 'Little Women' which I am reading for Book Club on Tuesday night - all welcome by the way (don't worry if you haven't read it all - I'm only half-way through)! It really is a most delightful read, each chapter has a valuable life lesson and messages of living simply with love, truth, integrity, hope and peace are woven beautifully through the text. Less really is more and I am so thankful I am continuing to discover the joy of living simply. Sunday morning Miss Jen and I visited Northey Street Markets. I bumped into Ames again from Raw and Peace whose own bump is growing so she will soon be taking some time off but you will still be able to have raw breakfasts at Northey Street. Ames had these delightful waffles and other scrumptious treats available on Sunday so I want to try making these next! We had 'In the Raw - Afternoon Picnic' booked in for the afternoon and so did the weather apparently! What better to do on a sultry summer's day than to pack a picnic basket with goodies and spend the late afternoon lounging on the lush lawns of one of my favourite spots in Ipswich - Kholo Botanical Gardens. We had a lovely little turnout including a beautiful breeze that came to cool us, new friends  and and some guests hadn't visited the gardens before so it was a lovely discovery for them! It was a most serendipitous picnic for without consultation we had a four course meal laid out before us - rainbow quinoa salad entrée, followed by pumpkin, courgette & coriander savoury cakes topped with cashew cheez dip and tomato salsa, vegetable sticks and fruits to crunch on (and if so desired to dip in....) Adrienne's divinely decadent mudge (a raw cacao fusion of fudge and mousse) the recipe for which will be distributed Thursday evening at our gardening meet-up, raw tiramisu and an absolutely decadent rawberry pie (which to see you will just have to visit Miss LouLou's blog). There was plenty for all to share and I was deliciously full all evening nourished by delicious raw food, sunshine, nature's gallery of beauty and lovely friends.

Day 6

Summer sure did remind us of it's grandeur today. Friends dropped in for around lunch time and after that I decided to retreat to the library for the afternoon, found some great raw food books and had some me time reading the latest edition of Vogue. We have a wonderful library here in Ipswich - libraries in my view are the cities second most valuable resource after the people that inhabit them. Treasure troves full of knowledge and information and one of my goals this year is to spend more time there! Later in the afternoon I cycled down to pop some new stock on the shelves before the shop re-opens tomorrow. For those of you who don't know I run a little fashion 'outfit' called BoutiqueTrès Chic. I love all things pre-loved, recycled, upcycled and vintage! I started online and now have a space in the amazing Cultiver in the Top of Town. I am there on Tuesday mornings so come and visit if you're around. I wanted to share with you guys about Brisbane based Raw and Peace which was established by the lovely Ames. They provide recipes, classes and breakfast each Sunday morning at the Northey Street Organic Markets. I adore the Northey Street markets so another visit is definately penciled in! Lastly we've started a social walking group Tuesday evenings, 5:15pm - all welcome! It's so important to schedule in time to exercise - combined with wise food choices - it's the best health insurance policy you can invest in! See you all tomorrow!