I am currently trying to get over the shock of seeing Richard Madden at Whole Foods (so random) the day before yesterday.

I still haven’t regained my composure.

Robb Stark of Winterfell shops at Whole Foods! Who would have thought?

You should all go and watch Game Of Thrones right now.

I shall go back into shock mode. Man I saw Keira Knightley and wasn’t as impressed.

But then again Keira’s not a hot Scottish bloke.

Anyway, I am off to Switzerland on Friday and I still haven’t packed and work’s going to be completely bonkers tomorrow. And so in preparation for the madness I dragged Rach to the Boogaloo tonight for a glass of red. Was good!

Night!

kx

And besides that I need to get my second test done. Plus I am writing a few articles for some massive blogs so fingers crossed they actually get published.

Even though it’s such hard labour I’m incredibly happy doing that. This is my baby. My heart and soul. And I don’t do things half-arsed once I’ve got my mind set on it.

Nevertheless let’s move on to something else.

Guess where I went on Good Friday (aka my birthday)?

Yeah that’s right we went to Downton Abbey Highclere Castle. We had tea with the Dowager Countess of Grantham and danced with Matthew. Oh I wish.

The grounds were massive. I wish I lived there. Although on second thought.. Just think of how much hoovering you’d have to do.

Mumster and I. Don’t I look like a wise 25yo?

So much fun. Dad was probably bored but it was great. “Oh my! The room where the Turkish dude died!”.

Gosh I love Downton.

In case you still don’t watch it (when do you wake up and realise that TV is actually doing some really good stuff at the moment), here are some Dowager Countess of Grantham / Cousin Violet / Maggie Smith quotes that might change your mind:

• "Last night! He looked so well. Of course it would happen to a foreigner. No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else’s house."

• Cora: "I might send her over to visit my aunt. She could get to know New York."
Lady Grantham: "Oh, I don’t think things are quite that desperate."

• "One can’t go to pieces at the death of every foreigner. We’d all be in a constant state of collapse whenever we opened a newspaper."

• Cora: "I hate to go behind Robert’s back."
Lady Grantham: "That is a scruple no successful wife can afford."

• Lady Grantham: "Why would you want to go to a real school? You’re not a doctor’s daughter."
Sybil: "Nobody learns anything from a governess, apart from French and how to curtsy."
Lady Grantham: "What else do you need? Are you thinking of a career in banking?"
Cora: "Things are different in America."
Lady Grantham: "I know. They live in wigwams."

• Doctor: "Mrs. Crawley tells me she has recommended nitrate of silver and tincture of steel."
Lady Grantham: "Why, is she making a suit of armor?"

Since it was my birthday and all we of course went and had dinner. It’s so funny, mum and I are so similar when it comes to food and restaurants. We both immediately brainstormed about where we should eat.

We went to Fifteen. Mum loves Jamie.

And then I died and went to heaven.

Almost.

It was so good to have my parents around.

Oh and yes, dad was around. I just had to dig deep to find a photo of him:

He’ll love that pic.

We also did some sightseeing.

Pretty, ey? Man I love London.

Kx

Boy, this week has been crap. Let’s not make it any prettier than it is. Some weeks are simply crap. Period.

However, it will hopefully drastically improve tomorrow as my parents will come to London! I so can’t wait to see them. Now if I only didn’t have to work.. But oh well.

I’ll be 25 in two days.. And for some reason that last week as a closer-to-20-year-old is rubbish. What does that tell me? That 25 will be absolutely amazing?
Gosh… 25! When I was a kid I always thought 25 was quite old.. and the perfect time for having a baby. Erm me thinks not.

Anyway, everything else has been superbe. I went for a run with my running buddy Sally on Sunday (remember when we always went for runs on weekends prior to our half marathon?) and we had a natter over brunch and coffee afterwards. It was glorious. Run and brunch should always go hand in hand.

The weekend before I went to the Vitality Show with Tamzin. It was huge!

We also listened to Patrick Holford’s talk which was very informative. Though at the same time it was also  a bit of an ad for his products which I thought was rather cheeky. But hey, guy’s gotta eat, right?

Ps Tamzin has a secret crush on him.

Tam also hosted a cookie exchange on her blog so I got baking…

Chocolate chip nut cookies

And thumbprint cookies. You can find the recipe for these on my health coaching website.

They were awesome. I had to test them of course. And I had tons left over so I brought some into work. They were going crazy – everyone’s usually bringing supermarket biscuits / cakes so something homemade makes them go wild.

^^

I recently read “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. I know I am late but hey, there are so many classics that need reading I will never catch up.

I hated it. I have no idea why people love it.

Kidding. It couldn’t be further from the truth. I found that it was the most beautiful book I’ve ever read, hands down. It has everything a perfect book needs. I am sure I will read this over and over and over again. Do read it, if you get the chance. It’s a gem.

Ok I’m off now. Got to get up early tomorrow to go for a run and clear my head before work. I haven’t been for a run before work in ages. Getting up early is hard!

Love, Carren.

(Funny, they usually write ‘Karen’.. Speaking of my name… Rachael decided the other day to call me Kaz or Kazza from now on. Why do I always get the most ridiculous nicknames?)

Watch Hungry For Change for free until 31/03/12 on hungryforchange.tv.

If you’ve ever wondered why you never manage to lose weight or why you always feel drained.. this film might give you some answers.
And then you can follow it up with a initial free consultation with me!

Check out the trailer here: Hungry For Change

My friend Dani from work and I did a photography course yesterday which was pretty awesome. We bought a Groupon a few months back and paid £35 instead of £90 which was very nice. There’s so much you can do with a DSLR and I never took full advantage of it because I didn’t know where to start.

But actually it’s pretty simple. A normal beginner just needs to know how to set the following: ISO, shutter speed and/or aperture. Easy.

And never, under no circumstances, take photos in the auto mode.

We started off with some theory indoors and then we headed outside to try out what we’ve learned. Our course leader was our poor model. He spent ages jumping up and down for us.

We then got several tasks and stormed the South Bank armed with our cameras.

I need to start being more daring with photography.

How are your photography skills?

Kx

It’s been too long. I’ve been busy crying at Heathrow Airport. I kid you not, in the last week I was there twice and I cried twice. What’s happening to me? I never used to be such a sentimental person.

First time around I said bye to my little sis after spending a brilliant weekend with her. It’s so silly – I’ll see her again so soon!

We finally made it to Borough Market btw. I wanted to take her there forever but somehow we never got around to it. This time though we did have time.

Last Saturday was also Mel’s farewell party (hence the second teary goodbye at Heathrow) as she moved back to Australia (so that she then can move to South Africa).

(Btw that’s Rachael wearing a Bruce mask)

I am going to miss her lots – we’ve become such good friends.

You know what, I actually don’t mind crying because I’ll miss the other person. It’s kind of a happy cry because it’s for a proper good reason. (Does that make sense?).

Ok so I’m off now. There’s a book that needs reading. Who cares about St. Paddy’s Day?

kxx

Shine A Light.

Feel free to have a look at the webpage. However, it isn’t personalised yet and it will officially “launch” next weekend. I will also set up a more personalised website once I get things rolling so stay tuned! (Right now I am using a design provided by the school).  www.shinenutrition.com

In the meantime here’s a preview:

I had a massive mishap with the business cards. There’s a lame typo (a “5” instead of a “9” in my Swiss phone number). I hate stupid little mistakes like this. Oh well. The cards are lovely nevertheless.

It’s quite amusing how different my mood is now that it’s getting somewhere. I felt so stuck last week. I am sure there will be more low points to come but that’s ok. You might have to listen to my rant though.

Anyway I have today and tomorrow off as my sister will be in town! So right now I am in Pret near Leicester Square killing time between buying Les Misérables tickets and collecting my sister from the airport. We will go and see Les Mis tonight – it’s been on my flatmate’s bucket list forever (she will leave London Friday in a week booooh!). I am so looking forward to a long weekend off with my sister.

Love,

Kx

One.

What’s worse:

It’s one of our little local terrorist.

He attacked my feet at 3am while I was asleep. Before that he woke me up with his meowing every few hours.

“I love my cat. I love my cat. I love my cat. Lalalaaaa…”

Anyway it would be so much easier to be pissed if he weren’t this cute.

I love that cat.

So I went back home and holy mother – let’s just say we had a beer or two.
I don’t go out in months and then kaboom! the beer flows. That’s what social life does to me.

I returned to London to my kale-eating and tea-drinking habits. It’s like I’m Jekyll and Hyde – food-wise.

On another note: Lately I’ve been stressing out about the legal and business side of having a health coaching practice. Last week I was at an all time low. You see whenever there’s a massive mountain in front of me that I need to tackle I feel rather demoralised. I also feel like I’m doing everything half-arsed as I am also working full time and studying and trying to fit in some decent healthy meals, workouts, time with friends, reading and DVD-watching. One busy bee could say “well just ditch the DVD watching” but I can’t be on the go 24/7. Girl’s got to relax sometimes as well. Well at least I can read while I commute. Multitasking!

Anyway.. I am trying really hard to not get anxious despite being a “get everything done” person. It’s hard work to learn to accept that it’s ok to not get everything done.

But then again I want to make most of it – le sigh. I wonder how Gwyneth Paltrow does it. She has a successful acting career, is a cookbook author, has one fine hubby, has two kids, owns goop.com and works out for 1+ hours a day. Oh and she looks perfect while doing it all. Does she have a Hermione Granger time-turner?

Breathe, Karin, breathe.

Love,

Kx

Ps: I have a business name. And I will launch my webpage hopefully tomorrow so stay tuned!

I decided to go on a 6 miles run and as I walk outside the small drizzle turned into a thunderstorm. Ok maybe I’m exaggerating but it certainly started to pour down seriously. It kind of pissed me off (pun not intended). The thing is – I’ve been doing the same loop over and over again and it’s basically along the main road and utterly boring. So in addition to that it was pouring down like crazy. Sigh.

But then (!!!) I discovered a fantastic path. I have no idea why I never saw it before. So what started out as a 6 miles road run turned into a path/trail run.

I love trails. Love love love trails.

Gosh I had such a blast. Who needs partying when there’s trail running.

Gosh, running is such an unattractive sport. I looked like a mess when I got in but hey what are the chances I’m going to bump into the man of my dreams while running through the woods near Finchley.

But then again I also love surfing and that’s also not the sexiest sport out there. Well apart from if you’re a sexy surfer.

I had a fab recovery pudding when I got in. Silken tofu blended with berries and agave (inspired by Tamzin’s fab dessert). And Mel poured me a glass of cider. My kind of recovery drink!

Now that we talk about food may I mention that today has set a massive milestone. Do you have  a vegetable which you really hate? Well that vegetable would be – in my case – Brussel’s Sprouts. Ewww. As a kid I was convinced they smelled like poo.

So in all fairness I decided to give them a chance so I roasted some for dinner tonight (with coconut oil, a drizzle of honey and s&p).

And guess what? I rather liked it. Still not my favourite veg but it was lovely nevertheless.

And now I’m chilling in my sexy socks.

Rawwwr!

Happy V-Day! Are you excited?

Yeah, me neither.

In fact this morning – on my way to the tube – I was wondering why they were unloading a crapload of roses next to the florist’s. And then after a few seconds I realised that today was Valentine’s day.

Don’t get me wrong I think that day is lovely. In fact, I think we don’t tell each other not often enough how much we love them. However, I think it’s awful how businesses use it to cash in. And also, it puts people under so much pressure!

Singletons are once again reminded of the fact that they are single and people in a relationship need to do something special for their partner otherwise their significant other will be disappointed.

I think a nice meal and a film would do. Not much pressure, just a normal day in.

Despite the fact that I was in longer relationships before I never really had a Valentine (Or at least I can’t remember I’ve ever done anything special for V-Day). And you know what? That’s absolutely fine. I would rather have someone spoil me on 364 days a year rather than only on one. Heheheheee.

All love/hate of Valentine’s aside I think it’s the perfect opportunity for us to be grateful for loved ones – not only our partners but also our parents, sisters, brothers, friends, pets… Because sometimes we all get caught up in the troubles of life and don’t pause for a minute to appreciate the people who surround and support us.

So I encourage you to take a break now.

Think of someone you love.
And then send that person a message or give him/her a call.

We all need a sprinkle of love in our lives. We all deserve it.
Kx