. Oranges & lemOns .

this week sees the build up to jAmie Oliver's fOod revOlution dAy . it has the very simple premise of wanting to educate children about food . inspire families to cook . & . to fight the problem of obesity . this is something that is close to my heart . having been obese for the whole of my adult life, & so aware of all the problems, sadness, difficulties & unhappiness it brings with it, it worries me to read some of the statistics on childhood obesity .

currently there are 42milliOn children under the age of five whose weight classifies them as overweight or obese .

we are raising a generation of children whose life expectancy might possibly be shorter than our own .

i will not bore you with the details but i feel sO lucky that i was able to put myself into the right mindset to finally tackle my weight problem . i've now been at a hAppy weight ( I dislike the term gOal weight ! ) for several months & cannot now imagine the life i used to live . i'm so thankful that healthy eating & exercise are not only second nature now, but such an enjoyable & important part of my life .

jAmie's campaign aims to make practical food education a compulsory part of every school curriculum; teaching children about healthy eating in a fun & engaging way . an important part of a that healthy eating is the 5Aday habit . finding fun ways to get kids eating fruit & vegetables is always a challenge, but hopefully could be a little easier with these fun ways to introduce a little bit of fruitiness into kids lives . & not only on their plates . 

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the popsicle ideas are such fun especially with ( hopefully ! ) warmer weather on the way . super easy & super fun to do with the kids . 

see lOts more ideas on my pinterest bOard { oranges . & . lemons } .

&

pOp over to the fOod revOlution page to see how you can join in . including signing jAmie's petition over here .  so what are you waiting for . go . sign it . & . share it .

. have a happy & healthy day .

. lOve . cOffee shOps .

one of the things that surprised me . & delighted me . about aUstralia was the incredible amount of really really great coffee shops . there has been a rise in the number of independent coffee shops opening here in the uK . { thankfully } . but nothing like the number that seemed to be in every place i visited dOwn Under . i'm a great one for doing my research . i want to find out all those hidden gems of shops . & markets . & galleries . & i want to feel that i've eaten at the best a town has to offer . not the most expensive or the most chic . but those great places that the locals know & love .

i never expected to be so sO spoilt for choice . there was a sense of rising panic when i had a list of far too many great sounding coffee shops & cafes to visit . could i possibly drink this much coffee . or try that many slices of cake . or eat so many breakfasts .

well all i can say is i tried my very very best . & . i still have a list of places i nEed to try . so that just means a return visit . doesn't it ?

so here are just a few of my favourites . i tried so many more . many many more . 

you think this post is long . this post could have gone on for ever & ever ! 

. emjAys cOffee . creek street . brisbane .

. hOle in the wAll cOffee . eumundi markets . noosa .

. wEst jUliett . llewellyn street . marrickville .

. sAssafrass cAnteen . latrobe terrace . paddington .

yOu'll need coffee shops and sunsets and roadtrips . airplanes and passports and new songs and old songs . but people more than anything else . you will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else . a living . breathing . screaming invitation to believe in better things . jamie tworkowski .

i think it's only right that i spend a few days visiting some of the amazing independents that have sprung up in birmingham in the past few months . all in the name of research & a good blog post . obviously . so . anyone for coffee ?

. have a good cup of coffee & a very happy day .

. lOve . cOffee .

but first . coffee . 

it's not quite the first thing i do every day . but it's the first thing i think of after my morning run . yes, most { sensible } people re-hydrate with water . i prefer to do it with coffee !  after running the Great Birmingham 10K on sunday, we eschewed the water & sport lucozade in the goodie bags in favour of a skinny americano at the nearest coffee shop !

a coffee shop is the first thing i look for when i step off a plane after a long journey . it's the first thing i looked for when i was travelling . somewhere to sit . drink . & . plan the day ahead . one of the great pleasures in life is taking time to go sit in a coffee shop . drinking a great cup of coffee  & watching the world go by . sometimes reading a book . or writing your journal . or doodling . or daydreaming . before ordering that second cup of coffee & being a little bit tempted by that yummy looking coffee cake sitting right there on the counter .

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you can see lots more wonderful coffee imagery on my pinterest board . { love . coffee } .

oh . did i mention that this week is UkCoffeeWeek ? 

established to support coffee growing countries through fundraising initiatives within the growing coffee shop community, it supports Project Waterfall, helping to bring clean water & sanitation to those communities in need . many of the larger coffee shop chains are taking part . Starbucks . & . Caffe Nero to name two . & many of the smaller independent shops too . 

also supporting the week are Writing Maps . who are donating £1 from every Cafe Writing Map sold . & . Black Circle Coffee . who are donating 50p for every bag of Pondering Tiger Coffee sold .

but for now . my cup is nearly empty . so it's time to put on a fresh pot of coffee . 

. have a contented day .

. hellO mAy .

hAppy mAy dAy . i hope the sun is shining for you today . i spent a little time looking through my april instagram photo's yesterday . in the whirl of day to day living it's so easy to forget all the lovely things you've done, all the lovely things you've found the time to bake & cook . all the coffee's with friends . & . also those quiet moments . reading & remembering . 

& so we say hellO to mAy .

i'm looking forward to

. running my socks off in bIrmingham on sUnday .

. visiting the selvedge spring fair in stroud .

. lots of reading & book love at the hAy festival .

on my to-read list this month

 . alice's adventures in wOnderland .

&

. mrs dalloway by virginia wOolf .

. have a hAppy mAy dAy .

. lOve . statiOnery .

this post was originally planned for yesterday . which would have made far more sense as yesterday was wOrld statiOnery dAy ! but things got in the way . by things i mean i spent far too much time on pinterest . & . browsing statiOnery loveliness on papermash & a beautiful mess . which begs the question . is it possible to have too much stationery in your life ?

which is a rhetorical question . obviously . 

as the answer is nO . obviously .

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. lOve . statiOnery .

so if you happened to miss out on wOrld statiOnery dAy fear not as it's also natiOnal statiOnery wEek . which means another 4 days of statiOnery lOve . take a look over here . and . pOp out & pick yourself up a cute notebook to celebrate today being #nOtebookdAy !

. have a happy day .

. april showers . bring . may flowers .

that is what they say . 

i hope that is true . but i fear in my garden it may just be weeds that continue to grow . i have managed to mow the lawn . but only the front lawn . & . only the once . i have not yet dared to venture further than the back door for fear of what i will find lurking in the greenhouse . this is not good . 

seeds are waiting to be sown . tomato plants are waiting to be potted . early potatoes to be planted .

but for now i find myself looking back to hAlloween & christmAs . the strange life of a designer !

lets hope the garden will wait a little while longer . 

in the meantime i will leave you with some drawn flowers & seeds . & . mAy's calendar for you to download . & . as always . to use & abuse as you wish . 

. mAy 2015 .

for now i'll go back to pumpkins & robins & snowmen .

. have a happy day .

. anzAc biscUits . for . anzAc dAy .

i have a confession . despite my best intentions to eat my way around brisbane & sydney . it seems that i managed to overlook the anzAc biscuit . a complete oversight on my part . but . easily remedied with a little home baking this week . 

the anzAc biscuit is a biscuit traditionally made with oats, desiccated coconut & golden syrup . & . they were made by the wives of soldiers serving in WorldWarI . who sent them out to their loved ones serving abroad . today marks anzAc dAy . australia & new zealand's national day of remembrance for those who served & those who lost their lives fighting . & . in particular memory of the Gallipoli campaign . i think it's easy to forget that those wars were fought the World over by those in every part of the globe & all of us have everyone of those soldiers to thank for the lives we lead today . 

but . back to those anzAc biscuits . there are so many recipes out there . some hold true to the origins of the biscuit . including this recipe from Donna Hay . who also has this amazing recipe for an anzAc carAmel slice . but as i'm trying to be a little bit healthier i was looking for a recipe that make me feel a little less guilt ridden when i ate it ! i was tempted by this gluten free recipe from Teresa Cutter aka The Healthy chef . & . also this one over at Delicious Everyday . but in the end returned to a recipe i'd spotted in ' love, bake, nourish ' which included dried blueberries . 

. however . not having any dried blueberries i've adapted it slightly & added dried cranberries instead . a twist on a twist on a twist ?

so . however you are spending today . & . where ever you are in the world today . take a moment . over tea & biscuits if you can . & . remember those who battled for us all those years ago .

. have a peaceful day .