Posts

Finding Strength in Weakness

How can you find strength in weakness?

‏I am learning that it is OK to have weaknesses, to be perfectly imperfect. Sometimes, being weak and asking for help takes more courage than being brave or ‘just getting on with it’.

 

“I am willing to be wrong. I am willing to be passionate about something that isn’t perceived as cool. I am willing to express a theory. I am willing to admit I am afraid. I am willing to contradict something I’ve said before. I am willing to have a knee-jerk reaction, even a wrong one. I’m willing to apologize. I’m perfectly willing to be be perfectly human”

 – Donald Millar

Read more

/by

Totally Tropical Christmas Pudding

TOTALLY TROPICAL CHRISTMAS PUDDING

It has become a family tradition that I make the Christmas Pudding each year. It is always slightly different depending on what I have in the kitchen and this Totally Tropical Christmas Pudding came about because I had some Malibu languishing in the back of a cupboard. I decided to go for a tropical theme with mango, papaya and coconut rather than the more traditional fruits. (The one rule I have is that there has to be no orange in it, due to the dietary needs of a family member).

The result was a tropical Christmas feast, with a much lighter flavour and texture than a traditional Christmas pudding. It is pretty easy to make, the only downside is the long steaming time.

You will see from the pictures that I have gone for a more traditional pudding in a muslin cloth; this was not due to Dickensian nostalgia but rather because I had left my pudding bowls and my parents house last year. Oh well, better lucky than good…

So, stick on some Christmas music, pour some mulled wine and lets get baking…

 

Christmas Pudding in Muslin Bag

Read more

/by

Spiced Apple Chutney

I had to wait several weeks after making this Spiced Apple Chutney before I was able to taste it, but it was worth the wait.

I decided to make this Spiced Apple Chutney after collecting a big bag of apple windfalls from a recent storm. What better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon?

It is really simple to make chutney but it does take a bit of time and preparation and, just to warn you, your kitchen will smell of vinegar for days afterwards (I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the smell of cooking vinegar, it grabs you by the back of throat but is quite invigorating at the same time)

That said, it is well worth the time and effort to make your own chutney as it will be much nicer than store-bought variations. Jars of homemade chutney also make good gifts if well presented. Try this chutney with a big hunk of cheddar cheese and crusty bread, or with a ploughman’s lunch.

Read more

/by

Cancer support

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: CANCER SUPPORT

People who know me will know how deeply my family has been affected by different types of cancer, breast cancer included.

It is difficult to know how to help when first involved with someone affected by cancer, be they a cancer patient or carer. So, here is a list of Dos and Don’ts I have compiled, from my humble experience:

Read more

/by

Yoga at Home: Sun Salutations

Do you want to start a yoga practice at home? Do you wonder where to start, or how to make the time or commitment? The simple answer is Sun Salutations.  

Sun Salutations (surya namaskar) are a series of yoga postures strung together so that they flow from one pose to another. They are called sun salutations because, in India, they are traditionally done first thing in the morning as the sun rises to prepare the body for the practice of yoga.

Don’t worry if it takes a little time to perfect sun salutations; it takes practice to flow from one posture to the next. Begin by practicing each individual posture in the sequence before trying them together. In the beginning you may only manage one or two rounds, but with practice you should be able to build up to 10 rounds.

Sun salutations work the entire body and are an excellent warm up. They build strength and stamina as well as improve flexibility.

Read more

/by

Ruby Red Beet Hash

My daughter loves this Ruby Red Beet Hash.

She decided to become vegetarian ten days before her 7th birthday and has been sticking to it well so far. Up until then I had always let her eat whatever healthy food she wanted, meat included, but she decided on her own that she no longer wanted to eat meat or fish. I admire her principles for such a young age, though said it is her body and if she decides to go back to eating meat then that is her decision.

One major plus for her going vegetarian is that I now only have to make one dinner in the evening rather than two and the Little Lady is sticking to her end of the bargain by trying new flavours. This Ruby Red Beet Hash was quick and simple to make and was scoffed up!

Read more

/by

Untie the Knots that Bind Us Using Yoga

How do we untie the knots that bind us using yoga?

Many yoga postures look like you are tying yourself up in knots, making yourself smaller. How can that be comfortable? It seems like it is the opposite of untying the knots that bind us.

For me, such yoga postures are actually about untying the knots. The yoga tradition refers to several knots in the subtle body (the Sanskrit word is Granthi, meaning ‘knot’ or ‘doubt’) that block our path to development. Such knots are described in three forms:

Read more

/by

Sourdough Bread

‏Warning: Making Sourdough Bread is a labour of love, but like anything we do for love it is always worthwhile.

‏This loaf took about 4 days from start to finish. It was my first attempt and I was pleased with the result.

‏I admit that I cheated a little and bought at sourdough starter from ‘Baz and Ed’s Street Food’ at a food fair in Enniskillen. However, if you are very dedicated you can make your own starter…. I have dug out a recipe from the Doyenne of Irish cooking: Darina Allen; I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it’s the business.

‏Once you have the starter there isn’t a whole lot of work, but there is a whole lot of waiting. However, the starter can be reused over and over again so once you’ve started on your journey of sourdough bread making you may be in for the long haul.

Read more

/by

Autumnal Apples with Sausage and Red Cabbage

An Autumnal recipe with braised red cabbage, apples and vegetarian sausages:

‏ There was an almighty storm the other day, as a result most of the apples were blown off the trees in my back garden. My daughter and I went out to pick up the windfalls that lay about beneath the branches, dusky red jewels nestled in the green grass.

‏In previous years I had a larger harvest and set to and making copious amounts of chutney or applesauce. This year I didn’t want to go into the whole production line of chutney-making, but I did want to spend some time on a recipe to celebrate our modest apple harvest.

‏I decided to make braised red cabbage with apples and veggie sausages. In the past I have tried several recipes for braised red cabbage, to varying degrees of success; I find the stove-top versions make the sugar in it more likely to burn, this recipe is done in the oven and cooks to perfection.

Read more

/by

Instagram Account Hacked? How to get it back.

‏ ‏So, my Instagram account was hacked,

just in case the same happens to you this is how to get it back.

‏

 

Keep Calm and Carry On

‏I discovered something wrong with my Instagram account when I tried logging in after a mobile phone update. I couldn’t recall my password and so logged in with Facebook. When I started to log in I was welcomed to Instagram, and prompted to create an account. “Strange…” I thought, as I had my account with Instagram for about four years. Anyway, at this point there was no option to turn back so I just carried on creating the new account as prompted.

‏Once I had a new account I was able to see if there was any evidence of my original @yoga_ocean account. It had completely vanished. I searched people and tags @yoga_ocean and nothing appeared. I admit I was beginning to panic at this stage: had I accidentally deleted it or disabled it? Had I lost it forever? I sent loads of messages through my new account to the help centre but to no avail.

‏I suspected that somehow my Instagram account had been hacked (I am not 100% sure how. It may have been linked to a a dodgy app that hacked my mobile phone, though there was also suspicious activity on my linked yahoo mail account. If any of your accounts are hacked I would recommend you log in from a safe computer or device and change the passwords to any social media accounts and any linked email accounts that may be compromised).

‏Check Hashtags

‏I found out that my account still existed because I had used unusual hashtags on some posts, #yogaocean being one. I searched #yogaocean hashtags and there was one of my pictures. I clicked on it and saw that it had a new username attached. I clicked on the user name and found my original account. It still existed! My advice is if you do not use hashtags, or if your hashtags are more general, then incorporate some unusual hashtags on your posts should you need to find them. (#yoga has over 55 million posts, #yogaocean only 245, for example).

Read more

/by