Personal trainer

Posted on 18/07/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

I could blame my weight gain on having cancer. I could blame it on not feeling well or lack of energy or fatigue or lots of other stuff. BUT if I’m honest I know it’s because I’ve got a lazy streak and don’t fit exercise into my already busy lifestyle. For example, instead of a 15 minute walk to the shops to get a pint of milk, I make an excuse that I need to jump in the car as I don’t have time to walk there… it probably takes the same amount of time by foot!

I also know that although I know the principles of healthy eating, know how to cook well and prepare nutritious meals, I often don’t. I regularly dash from meeting to meeting or place to place, snatching a quick snack enroute. I eat at crazy times of the day and night. I also enjoy good food.

Working from home (Living Beyond Diagnosis – now social media enterprises (twitter & facebook) and and the various cancer network meetings) means that I’m often at my computer for endless hours with little movement. I lead a sedentary lifestyle and get caught up in all that I have to do without making the time for a walk, exercise, swim, gym etc.

I also know in my heart of hearts that my weight gain is affecting my personal confidence. It needs to change. I need to change it.

Last week I signed up for personal training. I need motivating. I’ve now had 3 sessions and already feel better for them. I’ve also attended Bootcamp Pilates sessions twice – again, although hard work, I do feel better for them too.

I don’t want to be a size zero but I do want to feel good about me again. I do want to look at a photograph that’s taken of me and not want to destroy it immediately or wear clothes and feel good in them! I also don’t want anyone to tell me that I may be causing a recurrence of cancer BECAUSE I’m overweight!

Why a I telling you this? I needed to put it out there and I need you to keep me in check too! Don’t let that lazy streak reappear!

BBC Proms 2012

Posted on 15/07/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

The first Proms concert took place on 10 August 1895 and were named after the manager of the newly built Queen’s Hall in London who ‘created’ the idea. “Mr Robert Newman’s Promenade Concerts’ began and the programmes lasted around 3 hours each! I February of 1895 Newman offered Henry Wood conductorship of a permanent orchestra of the first Proms season.

Despite moving to the Albert Hall, a few World Wars which briefly stopped play, the Proms continue today in with much the same concept; to present the widest range of music, performed to the highest standards, to large audiences.

And you are still able to promenade in the Royal Albert Hall’s arena in the central area, lending the Proms its unique informal atmosphere.

This evening, the Director of Fun and I headed off to the Albert Hall clutching our tickets to see and hear Debussy – Pelléas et Mélisande. Surprisingly enough the sun was shining (albeit not warmly) and the light showed some of the buildings in the vicinity a true delight.

Inside the Albert Hall, I can’t help but once again be in awe of the beauty of the building, the splendour and design. Tier up on tier of seats, boxes and gallery. Below us is the open plan ‘arena’ where ticketholders can sit, stand, promenade or dance (just so long as they do it quietly!).

The concert was amazing, the voices reaching the upper echelons of the building. The audience captured in the music, voice and story unfolding before us. You could hear a penny drop but fortunately there were none! In the first intermission, many people begin clearing their throats – always a funny moment to think they’d been trying hard not to do so during the performance but together sounds more like a musical cacophony of illness!

Beautiful performances and I will try hard to get to the Albert Hall for another before the end of the Proms season in September.

A few piccies on our walk home. I just love the Béla Bartók sculpture in South Kensington… particularly since there seems to be his dashing Grandson stood behind him!

Champagne & Fromage (AKA French Bubbles)

Posted on 12/07/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

I mentioned a new fave place in London, Champagne & Fromage, in my posting “When colleagues become friends” but what I’ve neglected to tell you is that the 6 degrees of separation rule applies here too. Although with the advent of Twitter and Facebook, I’m convinced that it really is about 4 degrees of separation.

Anyway, I tweeted about my visit to Champagne & Fromage on twitter and was quickly replied to by Abi at Media Wisdom to say that they were working with French Bubbles (the company who owns Champagne & Fromage) for their photographic portfolio. Giles and Abi took some headshot photos of me for use with the Living Beyond Diagnosis website, press releases and other media. If you need pictures of yourself, your business, products etc etc, give Abi and Giles a call at Media Wisdom.

Yesterday however I spotted a tweet from Abi mentioning that they were shooting some pics for a champagne and cheese client… well there could only be one, surely! So I replied quickly to ask if it was in fact to one my new fave place and also how envious I was – most cheeky but it’s true! Anyway this evening I received a message from Abi:

“@mediawisdom We certainly were at your favourite place, and a little something for you… ow.ly/i/Ltm9“

Awww isn’t that just gorgeous??? You just have to visit Champagne & Fromage. Maybe I’ll see you there?

Ooooh but another exciting piece of news about my fave place is that the photos that were being taken was for a new service.

“@Frenchbubbles Photo shooting for our new business: chilled #champagne + Fromage delivered in 1hr max in all London with scooters!! pic.twitter.com/LARrBPTy“

I’m sure many of you in London could think of someone who deserves a treat like this… yes??

Random photos of London

Posted on 08/07/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

During a walk through Londontown today with a friend, and managing ‘mostly’ to avoid the rain showers, I spotted these pics… thought you might enjoy them.

Robots?

An interesting and colourful tree… looked to be made of material

Oooh Oooh I’m excited.. we’ve got lanes marked out for the Olympics!

Loved these glass panels and the way they caught the light…. so reminded me of work by David Mitchell at http://www.cafe-jello.com. One day I will own a piece of his glass artwork… I will you know!

Seriously awesomely awesome

Posted on 07/07/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

Wowza, tonight after mucho anticipation we finally convened at the very fabulous Ledbury restaurant. Some months ago a reservation was made for a table for foodies to sample Brett Graham’s tasting menu and accompanying wines. It’s not a cheap night out but something that should be an experience, planned, counted down to and then every second of it savoured.

Tonight was the night.

I arrived first and was ushered by the fabulous maitre d’, who goes by the name of Stephen, down the kitchen to say hello to Brett. Brett has recently got married and we took a browse through the wedding photos – all I will say is that his friends have a mountain to climb to come anywhere near to matching up with the pure excellence of his wedding… not because of the opulence but because of the attention to detail, (by the bride and groom) that had been lavished on the venue, table settings, design and, of course, food in such a splendid way. Truly a-mazing.

The meal is to be described below in pictures… I couldn’t possibly do it the justice it deserves with words – it really was soooo utterly scrumptious, in every way.

I didn’t take photos of the many different wines and bubbles that were consumed throughout the meal and prior to the meal with the many hors d’oeuvres that were so beautifully presented before us…. but suffice it to say we had some stunning wines that each complemented the dishes so beautifully and were so carefully chosen and selected by our fabulous sommelier.

Hey I did say it was a treat… forgive me but I’m looking at the pictures again and tasting each morsel of food one more time!

B – “a wonderful evening, with lovely company, laughter, lovely food…” “we were spoiled to death”

R – “Outstanding night. Superb food, brilliant service and supremely flirty company.” “Proper night with proper food n booze n laughs n friends. Well done Wallace!”

As for my comments… Oooooh I was in heaven and truly truly cannot recommend the Ledbury enough. Brett Graham really is an incredible chef. His front of house staff are simply the best – the maitre d’, the sommelier and the waiting staff. Of course we should also mention the other incredible chefs in the kitchen who not only produce faultless plates of awesome food but do so with a smile on their faces and a passion for what they’re delivering that is clear for all to see.

My only surprise recently was that The Ledbury was voted 14th in the World’s Best Restaurants… it should have been No. 1!

PS – They also do a wonderful set lunch of three courses for £35. I promise you will not be disappointed!

PPS – If you do go, remember to invite me!!

Sssssh secret mission

Posted on 02/07/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

OK so I can’t tell you where I’ve been but I will share with you what I’ve been doing this evening.

I’ve been undercover with Silent Customer mystery dining. Obviously I can tell you no more about where I was or to describe the location and what it was like (well except to say that they’ll be getting a good review on most elements filed!)….but suffice it to say that we had a great evening.

Importantly, I was also able to meet up with a friend who I have met through twitter and ‘cancerland’ but whom actually lives only a mile or so from where I was in 2009, when I started this blog site! Funny world and I’m quite sure that if we dug down a little we’d find friends in common as well as the many places that already are.

Tonight was a celebration for us both… a celebration of life and lives past and present. It’s one of the hazards of ‘living in cancerland’ that you get to be great friends with people who are diagnosed with cancer and leave this world too soon. Or just sometimes you go through a patch when it seems that you’re surrounded by people who are diagnosed and pass away. But what we must always remember is that each of those passing are special and deserve a moment of reflection and love, together with a glass of bubbles raised in their honour.

Tonight we were able to talk freely about some things that have happened over the past few months. We spoke of the solutions to, in some instances, moving on and moving past and also stopping and dwelling in others. We talked of time for ourselves and we talked about times to give and share. We talked of volunteering and challenges. We talked about the NHS, work, projects and planning. We talked of changing the world, if just by a little bit at a time.

Truly a lovely evening with a wonderful and inspirational new friend… and the champagne, three courses, coffee and wine only cost us each a tenner after I’m reimbursed for filing the review/report to Silent Customer!

Henley Royal Regatta and The Season

Posted on 02/07/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

What a super spiffing time I’ve been having this past few days. I’ve been blessed to have been invited to attend Henley Royal Regatta not once, but twice this year. In Stewards with friends and a Phyllis Court with family. What a total treat.

Of course!

The river… and the racing

Phyllis Court… Stewards

The Gloriana – A boat fit for a Queen!

I love Henley. In fact I love ‘the Season‘. When I returned from living in Australia some years ago I vowed that I should do more of things that made me happy. I also vowed to introduce others to the things that made me happy in the hope that they may also come to love these things too.

Panic not. Things that in fact are mostly both affordable and accessible but in reality life is often too hectic to find time to organise these, book tickets, rally people and plot some more…. but all possible with the inciest little bit of effort and soooo worth it.

The first years I was back from Australia I was able to chivvy along several friends and friends of friends to make up parties at each of the events through the Season. Oh and although always glammed up and looking the part we did it on a shoestring too! We managed to do quite a few ‘events’ over the season for several years… hmmm must reinstate them next year. Anyone for Pimms?

So below, I’ve put some of my tips and tricks (if you can’t blag a personal invitation!) as to how to do it in an affordable way:

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition – For those arty types amongst us. The exhibition is packed full of contemporary art work which is chosen from thousands submitted by known and unknown artists in the hope of being included. You can purchase most of the work on display (or prints thereof) and often find that you’re the first to see an up and coming artist, so perhaps an investment. There are over 10,000 entries each year. I love the way that the pieces are still chosen by way of a human chain of art-handlers displaying the pieces on the same beaten up stool whilst the academicians vote – 3 votes and they’re through to the next selection round.

Royal Ascot – A spot of horse racing… or celebrity spotting! Silver Ring tickets are the way forward and if you can get 10+ friends together, they’re even cheaper. Worth a punt on a horse to see if you can get the next round in (the drinks aren’t cheap). Either nominate a driver(s) amongst you or go by train. However we found that if someone drove with a boot full of food and booze (a quick trip to the supermarket enroute, beautifully packed into a wicker hamper with some of the packaging removed!), together with a picnic rug or two, then we could have a pre-races party too.

Henley Royal Regatta – If you’re on a budget, you can pitch up by train or car, hamper and picnic rug in hand and walk down the towpath to find a spot from which to enjoy the spectacle of racing and people watch. If you don’t mind a walk, then park for free at Mill End (off the Marlow – Henley road) and walk along the towpath. The Regatta Enclosure is next to the prestigious Stewards but is much less formal and tickets are on general sale.

Polo at Guards Club – One of my personal favourites on a sunny weekend. On a weekend when there’s not a major tournament being played you can park up with your picnic and watch some fast polo from the side lines. In the good old days we’d assess the sunshine level on a Sunday morning, pick up some friends, dash to Tesco where we’d decant a picnic into a wicker basket, purchase newspapers and drive out to Guards for a day in the sunshine. A brilliant want to see a fabulous sport. A cheaper way to go to the Cartier Polo is to pre-book a car parking space, find 4 other friends to share the cost, nip to supermarket for picnic and booze, get there really early, put down the rug and read your papers/snooze until the match begins!

Wimbledon Tennis – Head out to Wimbledon in the first few weeks of play with Ground Admission tickets. These are fairly reasonably priced and allows you to wander round the outside courts ie Courts 3-19. In the early weeks of the tournament you may be lucky enough to see the higher seeded players on these outer courts. A little cheaper are the evening tickets ie after 5pm or even cheaper still are the ones that you buy on the day but need to queue for… the queue’s quite fun too!

Proms – You really do have to love the Proms season at the Royal Albert Hall. It’s varied. It covers a fabulous array of musical genres. And it’s also affordable!

Proms in the Park – If you can’t get to the ‘last night of the Proms’ in the Albert Hall then why not get together with a party of people, picnic, drinks and flags and see it in Hyde Park. As well as the live feed from the Albert Hall there are other acts performing, Kylie, Alfie Boe, Il Divo and more. The tickets are £35 each, this year however you’ve got your entertainment from 5pm until late! Ooh and when I say take a flag, do… you’ll need it for the rousing end to the concert! A few years ago we managed to have 30 different national flags amongst our group waving like crazy things! The questions we had from other spectators about how we were all friends but… 🙂

Oh and a whole heap more fun and frovility to be had at other events during ‘the Season’. Enjoy and remember to let me know what you did, where you were etc…. or to send me an invite!

When colleagues become friends

Posted on 27/06/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

We’ve all got them. The people in our lives that we once worked with but now are in our lives by choice. They became friends and actually it’s now hard to think of them ever having been or still being a “colleague”.

Several years ago I found myself working at a London law firm as a contract legal PA. We were sat in bays of 4 PAs to get on with the challenges of the day. During our working day there was a camaraderie and we often founds ourselves cursing something or helping out when one of us was busier than the other. But mostly we had a bit of a giggle. We became friends.

Today I met up with three such friends for a day out in London. One of them made the observation that it was like I was their daughter… something I never really give a thought to, the difference in age. These ladies make me laugh out loud (usually very loudly and with much consternation from others looking on!). It always makes me laugh when I’m the one telling them off for being naughty or irreverent. This usually then has us all in stitches that I’ve suddenly become the adult! We don’t get to meet often but when we do get together, it really is a hoot!

What a blissful day. We headed to Brasserie Blanc in Covent Garden for a fabulous lunch. As the sun was shining (for once) we secured an outside table (pretty much by the LL of the Duracell sign in the piccy above).

Even the odd spot of rain didn’t deter us from enjoying our meal and I think we were the only diners that carried on eating, drinking and chatting whilst others requested indoor tables. But it really was only a spot or two!

Jan then suggested that we find my new bestest shop in town, Champagne + Fromage. Joan and I had already worked out that instead of a dessert in the Brasserie Blanc we were heading here for our cheese course! And what a delight. ~~Two~~ Three of my favourite things, champagne, cheese & friends.

Truly there really is nothing better than great friends. Ones that even though we don’t see each other often, laugh from the first moment we meet until the last and final dash for a train.

I’m blessed to have met them all those years ago and to still have them in my life.

An extra pair of hands

Posted on 26/06/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

I moved back into my flat two years ago. The garden has never quite recovered from my not being here and taking care of it. Those of you reading this who have ever had your own garden may understand what I mean when I say that you really can’t leave it for too long before it gets out of hand. Well imagine 3 years!

In 2005 I paid some friends (who were also gardeners) to dig out areas, turf, plant, landscape and generally make it fabulous. It was. But it matured and looked amazing when I was living in the country near Mum and not here. By the time I came back the shrubs were dead (or dug up), the roses dying, the lavender hedge out of control, jasmine clambering everywhere and pulling down a fence and the lawn full of weeds and moss. I can’t explain in words how disappointed I was and saddened that shrubs that I’d taken from Mum’s garden and also from my childhood home had now perished.

Since returning to London, I’ve done heaps in the garden but somehow the weather or busy-ness seems to take over and the garden lapses once more. It’s hard. If it was just maintaining it and weeding it, it’s somehow easier. But because I’m left with a garden that is barren from decent shrubs and flowers but still full of weeds and a lawn that is patchy and unattractive, I know it’s a chore to bring back to beauty. Each morning as I look out to the garden I see weeds and rubble and unlovedness. Although I have got so much better at looking at eyeline to see only the brightly coloured fence and sheds that bring sunshine into my garden. But sometimes I remember to look down. I also want, on the rare days with sunshine, to enjoy the garden and long to be able to pull the sun-lounger out of the shed and lounge!

Today however a friend of mine, Maria, gave up her day to come and help me. What a joy it was to spend the day digging and weeding whilst chatting about life, universe, everything. We managed to get two of the bigger flowerbeds weed free. Only things that remain in one is the small conifers with really big roots. I think I can manage to dig around the roots and perhaps to yank them out. Then I can turf that section. The other section I am going to build up with soil from else where (weed free soil) and then to set different levels and plant pots. Granny’s pots. I can’t wait to see them used again and to grow some vibrant coloured plants (easy to maintain ones).

I’m so tremendously grateful for an extra pair of hands today, good company, great work and importantly a little bit of headway toward regaining my garden. But boy does my back ache.

(Oh and of course, we finished the day with a bubble or two!)

I Want 2 Sing

Posted on 25/06/2012 by AnnaGoAnna

What would you say if I told you that one thing I’ve always wanted to do was sing? I don’t just mean at home with a hairbrush. And I mean sing in tune and in a way that someone else might want to listen.

In addition, I made a promise to someone that I’d sing something bluesy for his 40th birthday. OK so he’s a few years past 40 now but perhaps I can surprise him for his 50th?

It’s on my bucket list. My ‘living bucket list’. I’d better make it happen.

OMG I just put that in ink, didn’t I?

Anyway I contacted a singing coach and tonight’s entertainment was a showcase opportunity for some of her students to perform. I watched in awe of the people who got on stage. I also felt sick that I’ve set myself this challenge.

There’s a video from tonight’s show which demonstrates the different ages, different singing styles and different levels of confidence – do take a minute to see the show (particularly the young girl at 0:56 and the 13 year old at 2:00 who were both awesome).

As for me, watch this space. Eeeek