Homemade strawberry lemonade...

I love lemonade and original homemade is my favourite but with a recent excess of strawberries I decided to try the strawberry variety and it was well worth the effort. I found various recipes online, all fairly similar but I mainly followed this one from Gastronomy Domine (I added a little more sugar and I used my handheld blender to liquefy the strawberries as I didn't have time, ie. the patience, to soften overnight). It was pure loveliness in a glass.....

I heart these...

I have always had a bit of a 'thing' for enamelware and I was in a bit of sulk recently as this enamel mug from John Lewis had been sold out before I could get my hands on one. But they are now back in stock and I will definitely be purchasing some. Yes, such simple things give me joy! Particularly as it is also Friday and nearly the weekend, hope you all have lovely ones...

Not buying it......

This is a particularly apt post considering what this blog is called. Having moved fairly recently I have had cause to sift through my vast piles of possessions and all I can say is.....for shame! And again....shame on me! I seem to have accumulated the most ridiculous amount of stuff. Some of it good (especially the books, I could never be ashamed of the books!) but some of it oh-so-very bad. Shoes that I had worn once and earrings I have never worn and make-up, expensive make-up, that is still it all its unused glory. And yet....I found myself still trawling the shops on a regular basis gazing lustfully at the very stuff I had languishing at home....only this was shiny, new stuff and hence somehow....so very superior. I illustrate my point below:

Just some of my earrings collection

Nail polishes!

So I just thought enough! I need to stop buying for the sake of buying because not only is over-consumption harmful to the environment but somehow it's just not the type of person I am aiming to be. I have always considered myself quite a grateful person, not taking my privileged position in life for granted and yet I just seemed to be buying more and more for no reason. So July has been my 'Not buying it' month. Judith Levine has actually written a book on the subject called 'Not Buying It' way back in 2007 and the message is not new among the environmentally aware. 'Do The Green Thing' also highlight this on their website and their 'All-consuming' campaign is part of their seven steps towards a greener life.

So this month, although I have spent money on food and travel, I have not purchased any magazines, books, toiletries, clothes, accessories or anything else. This might not sound like much to some people, I know that my love of shopping is particularly pronounced and some people don't suffer with the same affliction, but I have found it quite difficult at times.....I see something in the sale and think, well now...I really do need another pair of black trousers so maybe I should just buy this....but I didn't and am remaining strong. I am not sure I could keep this going for a year, but certainly it has made me think and going forward I plan to consider whether I really need something before I buy it. The other great thing is that I am starting to actually use and appreciate the stuff I do have more. I still have another week or so to go of my 'not buying it' month but I think this is going to be something of a theme for the rest of the year....will keep you posted!

Food news....

Although I actually love general grocery shopping (which may sound very odd to some people), I also like looking at and buying unusual ingredients and online food shopping opens up a whole new avenue for this. Online food shopping doesn't, in my mind, compare to having a wonder around an actual market (especially Borough market which may just be one of my favourite places in London) but sometimes when that isn't possible online browsing can be the next best thing.

A great site I came across recently is Goodness Direct. The site has all sorts of information, an interesting blog (which recently featured a post about ethical food) and a number of different food categories such as fairtrade and raw foods and they only use biodegradable and/or recyclable packaging.

In other foodie news, it is currently Organic Fortnight so visit the Soil Association's website, http://www.soilassociation.org/ for some more information about the campaign to promote awareness about organic products.

Sign up to 10:10 today....

10:10 is a new initiative (the launch event of which is today actually, so if you can, get down to the Tate Modern from 4pm) which calls on individuals, companies and other organisations to cut carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.

There is plenty of information on the website, www.1010uk.org. about why this is a good thing and how we can all go about achieving this target (in our homes and in the workplace) so I am not going to go on about it here. I just suggest you support the campaign by signing up on the website as soon as you can.....

Wish list...

A website I recently came across, and have been visiting frequently lately, is Devidoll London. Every label they stock meets at least one of the following criteria: "made from organic fabric OR made from alternative fabric (including soya, hemp, bamboo, peace silk, modal and more) OR helps revive traditional handicraft among local populations OR especially benefits women and/or children OR made from vintage or repurposed materials".

Some of the items I am currently coveting:

• DOIE Silk Tie Trackpants


• FIN Goddess Dress (way out of my price range but a girl can dream....)


• Sarah Donegan Golden Wheat Bag

Tube strike madness....

Well I like complaining about the tube as much as the next Londoner, I really do. Tube ranting is one of my favourites. But I now have tube strike fatigue to be honest. The guardian even felt the need to blog about it and to share their journalists' journeys via twitter...and oh god, now I am talking about it too. So I will keep this brief...

I have no idea about my official position (and I know people are dying to know) on the strike. I think it's just not possible for a member of the general public (i.e. me) to really know what is going with regards to who is being the most unreasonable....and I don't really care. But I do like this website: http://www.walkit.com/ which I consulted so that I wouldn't have to use the tube to get to work. While forgoing my little tube commute only prevented (or avoided as the website prefers to say) 0.06kg of CO2 emissions, I have realised that the walk is far quicker than I anticipated and about a hundred times more pleasant than my usual Circle Line experience. So strike/don't strike...I don't really mind, just please don't tell me any more about it.

Harsh but fair....

I know it's mean to laugh at the misfortunes of others but as I see it, if they didn't want to be laughed at they would share on a website appropriately called FMyLife. Check it out for a daily dose of schadenfreude.....