♥ Yoga ♥

My love for yoga began 15 years ago and I have continued to practice on and off since. It is so much more than exercise for me, it’s a way of calming and centering and for me it brings clarity to my everyday. I recently discovered a teacher that really appeals to the style and pace of yoga I enjoy. I was initially attending classes at hot power yoga however the cost and times made it hard to attend regularly, after a little research I found a fantastic cd and book so I can now practice at home. So I have set myself a challenge, to try and practice 20 mins per day for the next 40 days. In preparation for my upcoming visit home to sunny new Zealand. Ill keep you posted on my progress.

♥Powder Puff Girls and Bowling ♥

Mike and Danielle’s 50's inspired engagement party started with an appointment with The Powder Puff Girls. http://www.thepowderpuffgirls.com

This beautifully vintage salon specializing in hair ups from the 40's and 50's. Within 20mins both Danielle and I were transformed into a scene out of Pearl Harbor. What a perfect start to an evening of cocktails and bowling.

♥ Birthday Dreaming ♥

I have been day dreaming about what would be the perfect gift to open on my birthday February 3rd, and I have fallen in love with these two lens for my camera. A Nikon 50 mm F1.4 AF Nikon perfect for close ups with amazing depth of field along with the Nikon 85 mm F/1.8 AF-D Nikon perfect for portraits.So the hunt has begun to find the best offers on both, I will keep you posted. I also found this lovely aquamarine cushion ring in 14k rose gold on a cup of jo blog. So so beautiful.

♥ Black Swan ♥

I have been waiting in anticipation for the release of the psychological thriller Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky (of The Wrestler and Pi). Natalie Portman plays Nina Sayers, a ballerina from New York. Nina encompasses all the fragility and body obsession involved in a career in dance. Her tunnel vision reality is focused solely on becoming noticed. Vincent Cassel is the director of the production. His character in Black swan is far cry from his role as Jacques Mesrine, one of the most notorious gangsters in French history. After awarding Portman the lead role of Swan Queen in his production he pushes her to the point of perfection, losing her control of reality. She is everything the White Swan symbolizes - so perfect, controlled and withdrawn. Lily ( girl from the seventies show) is all that Portman is not, free, dangerous and open. Together the world of dance becomes twisted with Portman’s dark reality until eventually hallucinations take over her character. The visual power of Black Swan is perfection. The layers of dance and madness mixed with the sadness and beauty of Portman make this a web of theatrical brilliance.

♥Cupping ♥

♥Cupping ♥

I recently treated myself to a massage at Eastern Natural Care, which specialize in traditional Chinese medicine. Along with a relaxing hour-long massage chief consultant doctor Lui applied the ancient practice of Cupping to my back. This was the first time I have had this kind of treatment. After the hot cups were heated and positioned down by spine I was left for 20mins before they were removed. I left feeling slightly car sick and a little wary of the effectiveness of such a technique, it seemed that all I was left with was a very distinctive circular bruise. In the following days to this treatment I did feel a calmness and what seemed to be a reduction in stress levels. I am still unconvinced and wonder whether this technique is more of a placebo, rather than an actual cure to tension. However I am tempted to return and try the follow up treatment doctor Lui recommended of Osteo-Manipulation??.. I will keep you posted on my results.

SJ

I've been lucky enough to experience a taste of decadence in East London. Les Trois Garcons was the venue for a lovely surprise dinner to celebrate the recent engagement of our good friends Mike and Danielle. We walked in to find a scene which was more like a strange dream or fairy tale from some foreign land. A stuffed giraffe head greeted me as we are seated to the most beautifully dressed table I've ever seen. That was just the beginning as on closer inspection of the dining room I soon found quite a zoo with a twist. From the stuffed hammerhead shark, a bulldog with a tiara, to the crocodile holding a sceptre lunging at a bejeweled tiger. My personal favorite was the mounted sabre tooth tiger, something that would seem more fitting in the natural history museum than a French restaurant off Shoreditch High Street. By now I was already swept away into the world of this magical place. We had a winter tasting menu which was outstanding with highlights been the home cured foie gras with quince chutney and toasted brioche. The sea bass delicately decorated with scallops and mussels was my favourite along with seared gressingham duck breast and slow cooked leg with pickled cucumber and a red currant orange jus. The quirky world of Les Trois Garcons will remain a highlight of my dining experiences and I couldn't think of a better way of toasting the union of great friends. Thanks again mike and danielle for a perfect evening.

SJ

♥Mad Men ♥

What is it about men behaving badly and lack of female rights that seem to draw on a nostalgia and old school romance that makes you want to jump into the screen and rewind back to the 50's era. Don Draper the tall man of mystery, womanizer, husband, ad man....or his wife betty the picture perfect housewife all to aware of her husbands many flaws however chooses to look the other way.

Maybe the days gone by seem just a little bit simpler , people have a role to play and they all play it. All I want to say is I cannot wait to watch the next season.

Welcome 2011

May this year bring me new adventures, creative energy and lots of laughter..

Couldn’t think if a better way to start

Breakfast in bed

Morning sunshine

And a day off work….

SJ