Referendum – are you an inny or an outy…

Whilst I don’t ever publish my political views, today has been a really intense day in the UK. We have been having one of the most important referendums we have had for many years. Today we will decide as a nation whether we remain in the EU or if we leave the EU. The political campaigns in the run up to the referendum have been fuelled with scare tactics and extreme views on both sides. Not one article, interview or news piece has simply presented the facts and so many voter are subsequently sat in the middle, unsure of which way to vote.

I believe in our country and that whatever way the vote goes, that our government who we have voted to run this country to thrive, will make the right decisions to encourage growth in both economy and in people and that we see less of the violence and extreme views we have had to witness over the last few weeks. Our country is better than this and together we can make it the best country in the world whether in or out…There is no point dwelling on the decision the referendum brings, we should just focus on how to make the future a bright one, one to look forward to and leave for the future generations.

 

Update needed..

I can’t believe it is nearly the end of June and I haven’t blogged since April. SO much has happened..

So last time I blogged I was writing about how inspired I was by the Marathon.. well I am very pleased to report that I committed to the challenge of running a marathon across the month of May. I felt so happy about this as i’m not a natural runner and often can give up on these challenges but I think because I had shared it through social media and decided to raise money for BHF it helped me, along with friends support, to finish it. Which I did and managed to raise £500 for charity at the same time!

Now I have been away for a bit but am planning on sticking at running little and often as it definitely makes a difference to the brain and body! I still don’t think I will be a long distance runner but each to their own…

 

Marathon May

As I watched in ore of the thousands of people taking part in London’s Marathon today it has really spurred me on to do something special. So I’m going to run every day in May about 1.5km to be precise, so that by the end I will have run a Marathon in a Month, the Month of May soon to be known as Marathon May…

It is by no means as tough as a Marathon in a day but something I believe I can achieve and if possible improve on. Life is about setting yourself goals you believe in , writing them down and then go getting them.. Last year I entered a 10k, had a fall and couldn’t compete. Worse than that it knocked my confidence and I have not run since… I am keen to get back to running as there is no greater feeling than being able to put your trainers on and just go where ever you want, stop whenever you want and feel great after you have done it…

So if you are also wanting to do something amazing, why not join me and my friends in a May Marathon..

 

 

Anyone for tennis?

The sun was shining when I woke up this morning and with only a few clouds in the sky, I smiled and knew I had made the right decision to sign up to tennis lessons.

Shortly I will be moving apartments to a new area of London not far from where I am but I won’t know anyone. It is a bit daunting because I have lived in the same apartment for 14 years and know lots of people.  So I am making an effort to get to know people in the new area before I move there and there just so happenEd to be a 6 week tennis course that I could join in! It’s win win as I have been wanting to take it back up properly for ages and now I can and make new friends too!

My teacher was great, he is from Spain and already has my lazy footwork sussed! So I have set my self some homework and am going to try do some running drills this week. Maybe I will get Barrington to drop balls that I have to run to… hmm I will see!

If you are looking to take up a new sport or hobby, search today and sign up. Create don’t hesitate you never know where it might take you

Happy weekend

Darcy  x

 

My confession of a shopaholic… review

Oh Sophie Kinsella, thank you for such a wonderful series. If you haven’t read any, Shopaholic is a series written by Sophie Kinsella and I  have read every single one since The Secret Dream world of a Shopaholic. Hooked from page 1, I always look forward to the next adventure Becky will go on, trouble she will accidentally get into and how she gets out of it with the help of her friends, husband and fun but eccentric schemes. This girl knows how to live and always gets away with it.

I know it is not everyone’s cup of tea and I debated whether to write a review on this but I did enjoy it and have for many years so why not share that with you?. It is my guilty pleasure and haven’t found anything else that quite comes close. I got the feeling that at the end of this book we won’t be hearing any more from Becky Brandon which is a little sad but what a brilliant character she was. I’m sure my niece will want to read my collection one day so I’ll save all the books for her!

So this is my farewell to Becky and family and a big thank you to Sophie Kinsella for your wonderful natural talent, you have made a lot of people happy!

Girl on the Train – Superb debut novel

I have to admit I couldn’t put this book down. Recently I read Bones of You and wanted to read another thriller asap and this one was recommended. Normally it would take me a while to get into a book but from the moment I started reading this I was hooked. I have to admit that I didn’t warm to the main character at all, I found her annoyingly weak but I think this was the genius of Hawkins in how she wrote about her, and told the tale from her eyes, although not likeable, I couldn’t stop reading!

Some people saw the twist early but I didn’t and enjoyed it thoroughly to the end. I hear the studios have picked this up and are turning it into a film, unfortunately someone decided to shoot it over in NYC which is a shame as I really enjoyed being able to imagine the commute into London but I’m sure it will still be a good movie, just nothing like the book…

In summary- fantastic read, great debut, looking forward to reading some more from Paula Hawkins.

 

 

Fish on Good Friday

We have always enjoyed fish on Good Friday since I was little. As you might remember, I absolutely LOVE fish so this is a day I really look forward to. Barrington loves fish too so I thought how I could make our dinner special…

I was a little naughty with the ingredients but wanted to share the recipes.
Starter – we had Mussels in white wine with parsley and garlic – very easy to cook, just make sure to throw away the closed ones after cooking!

Main course, we have oven baked cod with a naughty side of king prawns pan fried with chorizo! Now I know you shouldn’t really have chorizo on good Friday but I had the ingredient’s in and thought why not! We had this with broccoli and red and white quinoa. A very healthy, happy and almost good… meal!

 

 

 

Happy Easter

We have had a wonderful weekend at home celebrating Easter. After a brilliant long weekend last week in the alps we were looking forward to a weekend of relaxing, rest and most of all lots of yummy food! (of course…)

A year or so ago I could quite happily avoid trying to cook lamb but through trial an error, I have now got a really simple yet delicious recipe for rack of lamb, served with roasted sweet potato and green veg (we went for broccoli and sweetheart cabbage). When you buy your rack, we get ours from our local butcher the Ginger Pig in Borough Market in London, we always ask them how long to cook it and at what temperature because it takes the hard work out… plus butchered meat doesn’t come with instructions. My advice, write it down so you don’t forget… About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the lamb from the fridge and cover in olive oil and rub rosemary and garlic all over it and leave it to absorb this.

 

Prepare your roasting tin with a bed of rosemary and garlic and oil to place the rack of lamb on.Then heat the over to 180 degrees and cook for however long you need, we needed just 40 minutes. When cooked remove from over and slice into individual racks as so and serve with vegetables as you like…

The lamb was so delicious we didn’t need any sauce at all, which is quite lucky because I forgot the mint sauce hehe..

 

 

The Bones of you – book review

The  Bones of you by Debbie Howells – book review

Wow! I could not put this book down… a punchy, well written psychological thriller with all the twists and turns you would expect but by no means predictable!

Howells tells a twisted tale of a seemingly perfect family residing in the countryside of England. It is so cleverly told through the eyes of different characters.  An absolutely brilliant debut novel, I hope she goes on to win some awards. I will definitely be looking out for Howells.

A captivating read, if you’re looking for your next thriller, look no further.. Howells is brilliant!

 

Black cabbage.. my new favourite!

 

Seriously though…  I have always enjoyed cabbage and black cabbage was on special offer at Sainsbury’s, a taste the difference vegetable which looked intriguing so I went for it!

Chorizo crusted chicken served with Black cabbage and leeks sprinkled with Parmesan and black pepper

The recipe was really made from left overs but I have to say, it was so delicious and so simple!

Use https://cookedbyme35.wordpress.com/2016/01/10/baked-cod-with-chorizo-crust/ this recipe with fish or chicken. If using chicken, make sure you butterfly it for tenderness.

Then bake it for around 25 – 30 minutes and remove from over. Cut the chicken into slices.

Meanwhile boil the black cabbage and leeks in a saucepan of boiling water, when cooked drain the water and serve. Sprinkle over grated parmesan and black pepper and squeeze fresh lemon over the meal.

It tastes delicious and gives you a real boost of goodness!