A Sunday Ride

By Sunday, I was aching to be out in the gorgeous weather.  Martha and I put schoolwork aside and put our bikes on the bike rack and headed to the breeches.  We took a nice hour bike ride, enjoying the gorgeous fall day.

Job, Homework, Job, Lesson Plan, Eat, Sleep, Repeat

Today is my day to breathe.  I have a lot of homework to do and a meeting for my teaching job, but other than that, it's a slow day!

Teaching last week was amazing.  I love my students.  I had seven students for the week.  It was so exciting to see them start to understand what I was teaching!  The job at the fitness center is also going well.  I had an intense 5 days/30 hours of training and Tuesday night will be my first night working solo.  I think it will be ok.

I have to do one project for Linguistics, and one more week of class, and then I will be my second class!  I can't believe how quickly this is going!

In a fun twist of events, I met a South African girl at the fitness center.  We started talking and now we are meeting for coffee on Wednesday because she has been thinking about doing a Masters in Education!  Life is fun.

Green Smoothie Goodness

I've gotten a few responses to my green smoothies.  My sister thinks I'm nuts.  My mom likes them.  Some friends also make them.  I think they are amazing!  I actually start to crave them if I go a long time without one.

The idea behind a green smoothie is to use green veggies as the base of your smoothie.  Fruit can be added to sweeten the taste.  I add a little bit of kefir as well.

I make all sorts and I don't really follow a recipe.  Whatever happens to be in the fridge is what goes into my smoothie.  Here is this morning's smoothie:

Don't the colors look pretty?  I started with some cucumber, then added three big strawberries. Next, I chopped up a banana and then added several handfuls of baby spinach leaves.  I poured a little raspberry kefir (or yogurt) on top, added a bit of water, and blended it together.

I know some people are put off by the green color, but it tastes delicious!  I actually love the brilliant green.  I prefer to use baby spinach, but I have some friends who use kale.  The baby spinach tastes a little sweeter to me.  If you haven't made one before, you should really get out your blender and try it!

Gardening: Take 2

Today was my day off.  It was so hectic but good.  As I sit here, I realize I'm becoming my father.  After a long hard day, all I wanted was a Pepsi.

Before my day took off with a bang, I thought I'd be good and do Pilates.  I'm trying to be more consistent with getting exercise and mornings are a good time.  So I did 50 minutes of Pilates.  Finally, I'm starting to realize I DO have some muscle!  I could hold teaser for perhaps the first time ever! (Teaser is a move where basically you are sitting on the mat and your upper and lower body form a V.)

Well, Joanne and I got breakfast and then walked to the bank and then to HomeBase (think HomeDepot) to get some gardening things.  (Pause for one moment.  My family keeps emailing me saying...?!?! Hope? Bike rides and gardening?  Now listen here, dear family, I've always enjoyed biking!  Need I remind you that I grew up riding my bike several kilometers to a stable to then ride horses for a few hours? And as for the gardening, I did help my mother garden, mostly without complaining!  Additionally, am I not the one who convinced my two younger cousins to "clean up the barn" because I thought it was too dirty for the cows to live in?  Ok, resume.)

So we spent about £30 on gardening things and managed to entertain the staff there.  We bought seeds for our flower bed, new gloves, a potted plant, weed kill, plant food....We also bought a huge bag of potting soil, dreading the thought that we had to carry our purchases the 1.3 miles home.  The men at HomeBase did seem to be skeptical, but as the one told us, "I used to know a woman who did kickboxing.  I was terrified of her.  Ever since then, I haven't dared to doubt a woman's strength."  Wise man.

We were equally wise.  We took the bus, which wasn't direct, but saved us part of the trip.  We also walked by a fruit and veg stand, and added onions, apples, and apricots to our handfuls.  (That part wasn't wise.)

Once home, we ate a quick lunch and dug in (pun intended) to the gardening.  We had to pull lots of weeds, cut back the most impossible bush with huge thorns (we have marks to show for our efforts) and planted some seeds.

This is what we took turns carrying home!  

If that wasn't enough, we then walked to Paul and Claire's, another 20 minute walk, to check on their house and feed the fish, and then to the high road to get some groceries.  By the time we go to Tesco, we were so hungry we just bought a frozen pizza and Pepsis for dinner.  (Another sign of my genetic heritage.)  Hopefully soon we will have some little sprouts to show in our flower bed, aside from the few little flowers that have withstood the destructive power of weeds through the years.  I'll be sure to post pictures :)

I posted my picture from my bike ride yesterday on Facebook.  A friend in a very dry climate commented on the greenness of the park in envy.  Michele, I had to laugh.  We clearly live in different climates.  I take the green for granted.  What I notice and celebrate is the blue clear sky!  

green in the midst of concrete

This park is only a few streets over from my house.  I think I'll be spending a lot of time there.  The park is open from dawn until dusk, and there is a little tuck (snack) shop and cafe inside the park boundaries.  I've already sampled the lattes.  

The park, as you go up to the highest point, gives a nice view of the area, as well as the Wembley Arch.  The arch is part of Wembley Stadium and, at 316 meters (1037 feet) wide, it is the longest single roof structure in the world.  Its also a really pretty site when it is lit up at night.  

My favorite part of the park is the dogs.  I miss my puppies, and although dogs are supposed to be on a lead at the park, but many owners disregard that rule, and I don't mind a bit!  Its great to have a dog come running over to you, tail wagging, happy to be running free.  

(I don't really walk like that, by the way!)