The road to greener pastures

Or in this post, the challenge of citrussy pastures. However you want to label it, this post is going to be about you guessed it healthy eating! I.e. dieting without harming yourself.

I just want to draw your attention to that picture above. Bright colours; how does it make you feel? “A lot like summer” was one comment that I almost literally squeezed out of my friend.
It’s attractive, citrus fruits. I’m no going to ask you to swallow 6 mushrooms, 2 vitamin pills, and choke down some sort of vile concoction that will magically make you healthy. This is first of all more easy in the sense that it is not disgusting. Also, the foods and things I am suggesting are attractive.
First of all, I want to talk about lemon tea. A lusciously scented tea with a heavenly taste, it is a mystery to me why it has not been very popular with the British. But in Europe, the lemon tea has boomed, and in many countries has become the traditional tea. Good on them! The chemicals released from the lemon is said to aid your digestion system, so where you might be gaining weight over an ineffective digestive system, the lemon will prevent (or at the least minimise) this weight gain. The warm water acts as a catalyst, and the tea has its own naturally relaxing effects. An all around brilliant way to prepare your tea be it the morning, afternoon, or evening.
Moving on, we have the citrus water. Almost easier than counting to prepare at home, all you need is a glass, running water, some kind of citrus fruit (lemon, lime, grapefruit..) and a knife. After filling up your glass with water you cut a slice of the citrus fruit of your choice, pop it into your water and voilà! A refreshing drink that has almost all the vitamins you need! Everyone knows how vital water is, but many complain that it either has no taste, or that the taste is not pleasant. But putting in a slice of citrus fruit will have its own internal health related benefits depending on the fruit; all while also improving the flavour!
Now; fruit salad. Kiwi, oranges, apples, pineapple, grapefruit… There is no such thing as a fruit that is bad for you- and a whole fruit salad? I say bring it on! This is so refreshing.. and especially great for a sunny day, or a day when you need a pick me up and don’t feel like chocolate.
My dears, diets come and go, but in these revolutionary times when dieting and consciousness of weight is becoming an overly concerning issue, it is my advice to stick to the simple things that you can manage without harming yourselves. Remember; you can’t go wrong with citrus… unless it’s mouldy!

Spy dolphins

I close my eyes briefly, and allow myself the pleasure of a short, high chimed giggle. But guilt soon overtakes my giggle; here I am cocooned in the UK’s safety net when my friends in Ukraine have brothers and uncles who are being urged to join the army and I have the nerve to laugh over something like this?
But I will admit, this is a strange post to come across while searching for the latest news on the Ukraine/Russia situation. First of all, how could it even be possible to train a dolphin to be a spy, to attack ‘enemy ships and submarines’ with a suicide bomb? And who on earth had a brain wired up so strangely to come up with such an absurd thing. These are questions to which I doubt I will easily figure out. But in the time being, it seems that Ukraine’s army dolphins not only have a mind of their own, but they have made the decision to “switch allegiance to Russia”

Common sense, dignity, and the overwhelming majority of crop tops

Walking down the streets of a small town named Kirkintilloch, situated 10 miles from Glasgow in Scotland as I head homewards, I find it almost impossible not to notice the mass of girls and women alike, wearing crop tops. There ia a group small skinny girls whom I assume are about 10 or 12,  walking past me, each of them following the trend of crop tops along with the most petite denim shorts in the history of humanity. And while this strikes me as abnormal, stupid even to have young girls wearing such outfits in the middle of March in a Scottish town where the temperature is just above freezing, what really causes me to shake my head is that as I walk past this group of adolescents, they shiver and complain about how the sun ought to “hurry up and give them a tan”. And believe you me it takes a lot of strength to walk past them and not to give them a piece or my possibly sane advice. Luckily for my dignity and not theirs, I have such stregnth.
But in the contemplation of these 4 girls and their idiocy, I wonder how on earth their parents allow them to go out in such attire. That of course, is where I look idly across the road, about to cross to the other side where the towns legendary “old sweety shop” us placed. I take one step forward as the green man lights up. Another step. And another. And then I see her, walking out of my beloved sweety shop. A woman who I assume is about 40 years of age, and noticably obsese (though I mean no offence by this), who carries two full carrier bags of sweets, is wearing a crop top. A neon pink crop top that could easily be mistaken for a bra, is being paraded on a woman who is quite obviously too large for the size of the top. Her belly bounces up and down as she walks. I try my best to conceal my horror. Surely a woman of a respectable age would know how to dress approproately to the weather, and consciously of her figure?! Suddenly my embarrassment for the girls shrinks to the size of a needle, as this woman nods her head to me, saying “cold day out the day, isn’t it hen” noted, at least she is wearing respectable trousers.

Ballet: the torture dance

Featured in countless music videos, more and more is ballet becoming a dance known as being romantic and poetic in its sense of meaning. Often symbolising hard work and determination, ballet is no mere dance, and indeed is an extremely strenuous form of exercise. Unless one has experienced the utter torture chamber that is a pointe shoe, it is almost impossible to fully appreciate the pain that these skilled ballerinas are able to endure- while performing an emotional dance at the same time! But what would we do without this beautiful portrayal of passion through dance- an inspiration and a great form of entertainment? 

Gretna Green

Today, as you wander around the quiet town, it is easy to imagine how people lived and dressed in the past. The romantic landmark has been preserved as a beautiful hotspot for weddings, where visitors are welcome.
Every so often you can see a vintage horse and carriage promenade down the town streets, and one cannot help but feel as if caught up in a dream. Due to its being so close to the borders, Gretna Green was once a hotspot for English runaway teens who longed to marry- without their parents approval. Today, walking in what seems to be an innocently pretty town, you would never suspect that years ago it was a magnet for scandalous affairs.
But although the floral decorated cobble stone streets have been preserved, the town has also modernised along with the world, and in the center you will find a shopping outlet. As much as a girl loves a scandalous romantic atmosphere; what is better than shops where you can splurge all your loose cash? After all, the Gretna Green of the past is very different from the Gretna Green of today.

The city style: london

A city filled with vibrant colours; of which the most compelling is red. From the telephone boxes, to the double decker buses, many have been known to label red as London’s colour. After all; it goes well with the rose, which is England’s national flower. Through the years, London fashion week has been known as bright, bold, and wild. With colour themes being the center of every outfit, and a large majority of clothes consisting of block colour, perhaps we ought to take a leaf out of the fashion capital’s book. Preferably not the flyleaf.
Many designers in London choose to use primary colours in their creations; unmixed reds, blues and yellows are taking over. In this prestigious city, the wisest of people in the fashion industry work with their surroundings. With the brown hues in surrounding buildings and red hues dotted all around the city, it is important that one does not choose an outfit which clashes with these surrounding colours. But there are always those who do not follow the set rules. As long as you are aware that there are guidelines, nobody is preventing you from letting your wild side take over!  As coco chanel said; “fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with the ideas, the way that we live,  and what is happening”

A scandalous romance

You spent the night together but nothing happened, and now you’re left hanging on edge, wishing for more. If only you had taken that first step- made that first move.
But does he even like you in that way; your friends say that you’re made for eachother, but they’ve never even met him and all they know about him has came from your lips. Does he like your lips? Why hasn’t he made a move.
Every girl (and woman) go through the same thing; a romantic entanglement. The problem is that the only romance was in your head, and the entanglement was just a dream. But perhaps one day, it will be a reality. After all, a friendly bonfire on the beach can always lead to slightly less innocent fireworks.

The gardelia

Simple. Sometimes, simple can be beautiful. Like when you wake up in the morning, throw on some comfortable clothes that you like and look in the mirror, and smile. Or like when you look outside your window, and like what you see because you can’t change it anyway. Sometimes, simple is what you need.

In life, you can often find yourself in a place where you’re stressed, and you start to lash out on the people you love. But the onles who mind dont matter and the ones who matter dont mind, as the infamous Bernard M. Baruch puts it. The people who stick by you end up either being your family, or your best friends. Its in the midst of all the craziness of life that you find your simple place. The place where you can be a gardelia.

That takes me to the next place.. the gardelia. Above this writing you’ll find a picture of a beautiful, simple white flower. Look at it- it’s beautiful because it’s simple. What would it take for you to be that gardelia? The cliché motto of many is that less is more. But perhaps the sea of repetitive magazine titles has a hint of wisdom in it. Perhaps

Now, to the part I bet you have all been waiting for- its all fine and dandy for me to talk about the deep simplicity of a perfect life; but how can you channel that into your closet? I hear you, believe me it’s been something that has been challenging me alot recently. I guess, as in life, fashion comes with territory, and territory changes like the chapters of a book. As you keep moving forwards, you change, and as the world moves forwards fashion changes. But the simplicity of fashion, where you will find the place that people will admire you- its where you feel most comfortable.
For me, I wear wedge shoes with trousers or converse with dresses. For my close friend, its all about the pretty tops. From one girl obsessed with her hair to another that falls head over heels for a bag, we all have the things that we are most comfortable. Fashion comes and goes, but the simplicity of a personal style is something that gains admiration.

Things aren’t always black and white

“Looks like you’re clued in” I turn around as I hear an older woman speak, fingers crossed she was talking to me. I’m wearing black skinny jeans, a black and white patterned top with black heels, and of course, my …

Pink tux to the prom

While the world outside my window is going positively googoo for gaga, and following all the latest trends on twitter about #justinbieber #onedirection and all the other mainstream idols of today, I have been looking down a path that does not lead to today, nor tomorrow, but rather a looking glass that directs me to the past. Thinking back to days when I was just a kid, retro had always inspired me fashionwise. I can almost hear my mum’s voice echoing through this empty room; telling me that my blue eyeshadow was way too strong and bright, that legwarmers weren’t the in thing anymore, or that there was no way that she would allow me to wear those shoes. Even as a 10 year old, I loved experimenting with the wild side of the fashion world. Now, with a little more experience on my hands, I can’t bring myself to say that much has changed… and it hasnt. The phase two years ago when bold trousers and leggings were all around high street stores and front covers of vogue and elle, I relished it. Now, with skater skirts coming back with a bang, I feel as if I’m living a dream; experimental style is no longer something to hide. With the help of a cliche teen tv series from 2012, my daring heart has been awakened. A wild streak is no longer something my mum chides me about, but something I get complimented on the street about. The time to be bold and to make a statement is now- but will you make the most of it?