Meatless Monday {2020 - week 28}

So here we are: week 28 of Meatless Monday 2020… First week back at work (from home) and the boys last week before the summer holidays – isn’t timing great ;)…

Here’s what we wore:

JamJarGill: Meatless Monday {2020 – week 28}

Me: Dress: FatFace (thrifted), Mustard Cardigan: Gifted, Sandals: Clarks

Boys: T-shirts: Sainsburys & ASDA, Shorts: Tescos & Jackets and Hats: thrifted or gifted from various sources, Rucksacks: Skiphop, Shoes: Clarks

What’s in my ears:

I still so enjoying this book this week for some much needed summer escapism; 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:

Back to work: Another change week this week as I logged back on and got to working from home again. Met new managers on video chat and started to get back on top of my inbox and reminded myself how to use all the old systems again, it was amazing how it came back to me, like it had been filed away in my brain. But it was ok, I’m certainly glad to now work from my new full size computer screen, makes things so much easier. It is good to be back, and reconnecting with familiar faces in such uncertain times 🙂
After school walks: We had fallen out of the habit of regular walks since the boys have been back at pre-school/nursery, so I have made the conscious effort to start this up again when I pick the boys up from school, even if it is rubbish weather – its so important and always makes us all feel so much better 🙂
Memorial in the Garden: This was an idea my Mum planted with me as a seed, to do something in the garden as a memorial to my Dad-in-law, I got through the Sarah Raven Catalogue this week and his favourite colour was yellow so I think I have found what I want to order to use. I just love the idea of remembering people who are gone through nature, what a beautiful thing, and something which comes back every year makes it even better <3
Social Distance meet ups with friends: I have managed several social distance meets with friends this week and its been so wonderful to see people in person, I really get so much from that. I met my sister and niece again, my dear uni friend Laura, my wonderful nanny and her son and our lovely Hartbeeps teacher Tania. I’m so grateful to be able to do this again.

Video(s) of the week:

I am a big fan of Brene Brown, I must get round to trying her new podcast too, but I came across this video this week and it really spoke to me so thought I would share, there are so many nuggets of wisdom in here, so hear it well…

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 cereal, fruit and milk for the boys.

Lunch:

When I got home from the school run I had a cup of fresh mint tea, using mint from the garden and a packet of skips (again surprisingly vegetarian), then a glass of water and a frusli bar before my main lunch of leftover brie and tomato pasta and a glass of orange juice.

Dinner:

After school we went for our walk and shared a flapjack bar on the way. When we got back I had a cup of tea and a little dark chocolate and the boys had a banana and the split a kinder bueno bar. For dinner they had beans and toast followed by yoghurt and I had some crisps to keep me going whilst mine cooked, which was a mushroom pie, rice and broccoli. And then an apple and a magnum double raspberry for afters.