I said that 2020 was a year that I would focus on other things aside from my blog but somehow when I told myself that, the ideas started pouring in for posts to write.
You’ll know if you’ve stuck around for a while how I love the slower pace of life, it helps with my anxiety (which is becoming much less of an issue now and you can read how in this life coaching post) and I’ve never been one to travel at a million miles an hour.
January is often a month of hibernating after a busy festive period, there’s also less money in the bank after a long stretch since December’s payday but I’ve found January 2020 to be super fulfilling since I allowed myself to enjoy the quieter, more still moments in life.
In a bid to keep up with my never-ending pile of books and desire to make more time for it, I thought by adding a monthly addition of “Slower Days” I can let you know what I’ve been loving, reading and watching so you might find inspiration from it and help encourage me to keep going! (And it also allows me to indulge in my Netflix habit without feeling too bad!)
I don’t know who I’m kidding but I feel like Mary Bloody Berry at the moment. I’ve suddenly become rather obsessed with whipping up some sugary delights in the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon and I am here for it, especially as it gives us something nice to nibble on after work on these dark & cold evenings. I’ve never been great with baking, I can make a pretty good banana loaf and fairy cakes but that is as far as it goes.
With a free Sunday afternoon, and determined to create some nice treats for James to take on the road with his new job, he put in a request for some flapjacks and over the course of the last couple of weeks I’ve made a few varying recipes, one of which I just have to share with you, because, oh my days – it is incredible!
Recipe
500g of oats
250g of butter
250g of brown sugar
8 table spoons of golden syrup (or more or less, depending on how gooey you like your flapjack)
A bag of @reesesuk peanut butter drops
Method
°Mix your oats, butter, brown sugar & golden syrup (preferably with a mixer but don’t blend too much!)
°Once all mixed, add your peanut butter pieces.
°Line a tray with some baking paper and put in the oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius
°Take out and leave to cool (if you can manage the temptation!)
°Eat & enjoy
Let me know if you make them, I really hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
If you want a programme that will make you simultaneously laugh and cry at the same time this is the one for you. I’d seen this show advertised when it was first released well over a year ago, and with my adoration for the Drag Circuit and Drag Race at an all time high, I’m not quite sure why I didn’t binge this many moons ago. I devoured both seasons of Pose, very quickly considering some episodes are over an hour long (but oh-so worth it!)
The premise follows various “houses” within the 1980’s ballroom movement in New York, the “House of Abundance” are clearly a family that are to be reckoned with until Blanca goes AWOL and starts her own House, “House of Evangelista.” From thereon, she invites people in to her home and her heart to create an amazing house to compete against.
The characters are so utterly wonderful and I was so invested in their lives and their stories, I found myself crying with laughter and then crying in sadness.
The soundtrack that accompanies Pose is also something so unbelievably incredible. Trust me when you get to the episode that features Kate Bush’ incredible track of “Running up that Hill” I implore you to not feel something within yourself that feels hopeful, romantic and also want to cry because, my goodness, these scenes sincerely moved me so much that I am thinking about it weeks later.
With a cast that has included the biggest team of LGBTQ+ community, it feels so very raw and so very true and powerful when you watch it.
I would go as far to say that this is one of the best TV shows that I have watched since Breaking Bad.
At first when I read Melissa’s chapter, I was perplexed – I’m not quite sure if I was really paying attention to this section or if my mind just really couldn’t take it in as it seemed a little high brow (and I’m not ashamed of admitting that), every sentence felt like it was going off on an tangent and was a metaphor on top of another metaphor and then if you throw in some more metaphors you might about just understand how bloody difficult it was to follow. However, I persevered and moved on to the next chapter and then a few more, which somehow felt much easier and lighter to read (thank god!)
Whilst I haven’t finished this book I am going to keep going with it, there’s nothing more I hate than starting books and not finishing them so I might just report back my final findings in next months post. It’s won book prizes, so that surely counts for something right?
I find that the only time I can slip in to a book and really relax is when I’m on holiday, so I’m really trying to push myself to get back in to the swing of things with reading, and re-programme my mind to do it at home and not think about the mounting tasks around me. It’s okay to take a bit of downtime!
