Meatless Monday {2020 – week 27}

So here we are: week 27 of Meatless Monday 2020… It has definitely been a roller-coaster of a week, starting with the funeral at ending with Adam’s birthday but we are keeping on keeping on and getting better at doing so 🙂

Here’s what we wore:

Me: Vest: Primark, Jumper: Joules, Linen Trousers: Tescos

Boys: Tops & Trousers, Waterproofs: thrifted or gifted from various sources, Rucksacks: Skiphop, Shoes: Clarks

What’s in my ears:

I started a new audiobook this week for some much needed summer escapism and I am so enjoying it :); Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls…

A glamorous, sexy, compelling romp of a novel about showgirls in New York in the 1940s. It is an addictive story, with vivid, brazenly drawn female characters, that brims with fascinating historical details of the time . Radical and refreshing to read — Dolly Alderton, Sunday Times

I adored this story, I fell in love with Vivian from page one, she has an utterly singular voice, and I was captivated by tcombination of glamour and grit – it’s a dazzling escapist fantasy with characters and emotions that are thrillingly real — Daisy Buchanan

A glorious, multi-layered, emotionally astute celebration of womanhood . An eloquently persuasive treatise on the judgment and punishment of women, and a heartfelt call to reclaim female sexual agency — Sam Baker, Guardian

Glamorous and vivid, Independent, Top 15 novels of the year so far

Breezily funny and vividly written, City Of Girls is a quietly radical celebration of feminine sexual inhibition that slips down as easily as a gin martini. Expect to see it on multiple beaches this summer — Claire Allfree, Metro

A rollicking, beautifully rendered ride of glitter and fun. Gilbert’s novel is something of a masterpiece of flapdoodle itself . Gilbert has a knack for storytelling and her plot doesn’t so much twist as twirl, high-kicking all the way . A rambunctious anthem to living a life joyous and satisfyingly full – and that deserves an ovation, Evening Standard

City of Girls will be a hit … Readers will adore its bolstering message of hope, Sunday Times

Written with such wit, verve and emotional honesty that you feel you’ve washed down 100 life lessons within a vodka martini . There are some of the most brilliant and truthful evocations of youthful sexual exploration that you’ll ever read . She has triumphed. City of Girls is aneducation in love, and an iridescent delight — Rowan Pelling, Spectator

Brilliant on female friendship, desire and the influence a good mentor can bring to enrich a young woman’s life, Grazia Summer Reads

Compelling . works with themes of freedom, responsibility and empowerment that feel both timeless and timely. In a moment when women’s desires are still being governed, this is a story about a woman who recognises – and embraces – hers, Time

Here’s my week in 4:

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View this post on Instagram

1. The kids brought the sunshine after the rain: After the funeral we went back to my in-laws for a very small family BBQ/ mini wake (as the true celebration of life will come later once the pandemic is over and restrictions are lifted, but we all went and collected the kids for this bit of the day and man were we the better for it. Adam’s Dad was called Ray and I just love the idea of the kids being his legacy and our little rays of sunshine. They’re not at the point where they understand the magnitude of death enough to have a personal emotional reaction, but they understand the facts and I told my boys their job, once we got to Grandma-Jack’s was to cheer everyone up, and they certainly took that very seriously. Bless them for it <3
2. Starting regular walks again (around nursery): Since the boys have been back at nursery I have gradually fallen out of the habit of going for walks, this week I decided I needed to get back on track with this, and that we will try and walk everyday, and when they are at the school we will go for a little walk after school on the way home, it really does just help so much with mental and physical wellness, even the short walks, its just about making it a priority every day 🙂
3. Haircut in the garden: I decided to go back to the lady who I had used for the boys to get my hair cut too this week and I am so glad I did. So nice to get your haircut, and would much rather do it in my own back garden right now than all masked up in a salon 🙂
4. Let July be July: I literally just read this post on instagram but it just resonated with me so much that I wanted to share:

“Let July be July.
Slow down and make space to breathe.
You are free to know peace
no matter your uncertainty.
Worry less about what comes next
letting tomorrow be tomorrow
while you focus on today.

For it is absolutely okay
to be fully present, on this Sunday
even without the answers
you thought you would have by now.

And let this be the July you always remember.
The July you chose to believe beyond what was seen.
Where you learned to trust that after everything happened,
in time, you would grow in courage to open up again.
And through it all, you will still be worthy of love,
no matter the times you were made to feel you were not enough.
Let this be the July you chose to rise above.
The month where everything changed,
and you decided you were free
to heal never be the same.
The July where to chose to come and rest
by the gentle waters of grace
that flows through the drought
of your anxious thoughts.
To come and just be
where the river flows,
through the middle of the desert of your unknowns,
slowing down long enough to find
after everything you went through,
they did not have to the power to take joy
away from you.

Light still pours through.

Let July be July.
Slow down and make space to breathe.
You are free to know peace
no matter your uncertainty” – I hope the words help you too <3 (credit: MorganHarperNicholls)

Video(s) of the week:

I’ve got two videos to share with you this week, one new piece of advertising which I had to share with you as it was too powerful not too, and I agree that the myths around women and times of the month need to be exposed and we need to get rid of the taboo around it all, not in an aggressive at all but just in that it should be ok to know the truth which women go through and respect them more for it. For me this new campaign from BodyForm entitled #wombstories gets it spot on! Would love to know what you think too…

My second one is a BBC series which I have started watching on iPlayer this week, which is fabulous and the cast is amazing…. Mrs America…. Has anyone else watched it?

What we ate this week…

Breakfast:

I had my first tea in the garden, then I made another cup to take upstairs on the breakfast tray with hot cross buns and fruit and milk for the boys.

Lunch:

When I got home from the school run I had another cuppa (I hadn’t had a great night unfortunately) and a packet of quavers. For lunch then I had a meze of hummus, carrot, pitta and apple and then I went for a walk up the hill with my hubby, and had a nakd bar (these are my new obsession – each one is so yummy but good for you too, if you haven’t had them you need them)

Dinner:

When the boys got in from school they had half a banana each and I had a cup of tea, some matchmakers and a handful of nuts. Whilst I was cooking I had a piece of toast to keep me going too. Then I did them beans, scrambled egg and toast for dinner with fruit for afters and for myself did my mushroom toast omelette from last week again but this time with the addition of some tomatoes too, which was a very yummy addition I have to say 🙂 (recipe below)

Please check out my Pinterest meatless inspiration board: #MeatlessMonday to gather some pinspiration:

Along with the official Meatless Monday board which I am also now sharing on:

Find out how I got onto Meatless Mondays in the first place by watching this video:

And check out #meatlessmondays on this blog to see all my Meatless Monday posts and recipes. Hope you have a lovely week. 🙂

Go on Pin it!