Even though this has been one of the weirdest years I’ve had, being in ‘lockdown’ isn’t that different from having chronic fatigue anyway really. Lots of telly watching, reading, putting outfits together for no particular reason, eating copious amounts of takeaway and going out to have a quick drink, when I’m able.
Leave your questions or comments below and I will consult my foggy (but sometimes, strangely encyclopaedic) brain to reply to them lol
It wasn’t until I went gluten and dairy-free that I realised most crisps have lactose or wheat gluten in their flavouring. I’ve often walked down a whole crisp (and flavoured nut) isle, reading all of the ingredients on everything, only to end up buying salt and vinegar or Thai sweet chilli flavour yet again.
So I thought this might be handy for anyone with the same intolerances/allergies.
L-R
Top: Cofresh Corn nuts (also have lemon and chilli one’s), The Foodie Market Bites, Specially Selected (Aldi) Sririacha Nachos, Specially Selected Root Veg Crisps.
Middle: Oh So Delish (Aldi) Wasabi peas, Ten Acre When the Cheese Met the Onion, Bombay Mix, Salted roasted Peanuts.
Bottom: Oh So Delish (Aldi) Thai Spicy Bites, Manomasa Chipotle and Line nachos, Salted Roasted Cashews, Manomasa Green Lemon and Pink Peppercorn Nachos.
These have been gathered from Tesco, Ocado, Aldi and my local corner shop.
Making the most of the dark afternoons by making the living room feel all cozy.
Lots of natural skincare and lifestyle goodies in this Freedm Street advent calendar (items available to buy individually from heir online shop).
Making ‘special coffees’ by adding Baileys or Sailor Jerries Spiced Rum and throwing in pieces of salted caramel or hazelnut caramel choccy.
Jumper – Shein
Joggers – Cotton Traders
Bizarrely, for someone who has disabling arachnophobia when I see one, this was one of my favourite books as a child. It’s magical and a little creepy!
Little reindeer I found at the back of a cupboard!
Sparkly chocolate vegan brownie from Zad’s takeaway.
Dad decorated the whole downstairs in under 15 minutes. Secret festive ninja!
I’ve been watching His Dark Materials on BBC iPlayer and I am so impressed with this adaptation. Especially my favourite bad-ass actress, Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter.
I’ve developed quite a obsession with cute cartoon penguins so I was really happy to get this card from my Dad ^_^
Tee – Next
Christmas fleece – Cotton Traders
Joggers – Cotton Traders
At the Blokes flat we have our 22inch Christmas tree. I swear, after Christmas this is being packed away exactly as it is now – it was so fiddly to decorate!
Like most people in he UK we don’t have candy canes but we do have gelatine-free sweets!
This wonderful wreath gives me serious Narnia vibes. Unfortunately where we live, neither of us can put wreathes on our front door as they would get nicked and given to someone’s Mam or Missus.
Everything I post on this blog gets posted (in an abridged format) to my Instagram, as well as me posting one lifestyle photo everyday of the year there too.
Biona Fruit Bears – Full of natural fruit flavour, these are even liked by my friends and family who don’t usually like sweets. Organic. Gluten free.
Tribe Nature BombsChocolate, Caramel and Almond Butter – Caramel and Almond Butter mixed together and covered in chocolate. These are so more-ish, the two pack isn’t enough so treat yourself and get a bag.
Love Raw Peanut Butter Cups – These lasted all of two minutes nom! Vegan.
Candy Kittens Eton Mess – These creamy, chewy sweets taste exactly like the dessert. Quick, take them away from me, before I go through the whole bag. Palm oil free.
Bouja-Bouja Truffle SelectionNo1 – I actually prefer the purple selection as these chocolates were almost too rich in flavour for me, especially the champagne and espresso but I loved the rum and cherry cognac flavours. Best to keep these cool or they become sickly, quickly. Organic. Vegan.
Rhythm 108 Hazelnut and Praline – This small Swedish brand makes bars that are the most like traditional chocolate bars – delicious. Gluten free. Organic. Vegan.
Pulsing High Fibre Brownie – Although it’s called a brownie, it isn’t squishy in the middle. It does have nice big chunks of choccy and it is very substantial. It did give me a good start to the day, energy-wise.
So lovely people, do you want me to review more choccy, sweets or both?
The Zadam’s Family Pumpkin Spice Pizza from Zad’s is THE best vegan pizza I have ever eaten!
Not too sweet (like a lot of vegan pizzas tend to be), but savoury, with just a little sweet spice. Perfect balance!
‘Pumpkin, squash and sweet potato puree base, with garlic drizzle, sage, thyme, crispy kale, cheese, red onion, roasted chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, apple chunks and diced walnut coated with cinnamon and dash of chilli flakes to warm your soul’.
I’ve always loved that Bundobust is a no frills, eco friendly canteen and bar (even the cutlery is biodegradable), serving Indian street food.
It’s really spacious but still manages to be cozy and friendly. We reserved a booth because I’m not able to climb into and sit on the bench seating, plus we wanted to be isolated because of Covid.
They have gluten free beer, mango lassi, cocktails, chai tea, the most delicious peshwari paratha (sweet bread) and kulfi (pistachio ice cream).
Saag Aloo (spinach and potato); Paneer, mushroom and pepper kebabs; Peshwari Paratha (sweet bread); Sev Puri (Dry noodle, layers of samosa, yoghurt and tamarind sauce); Okra fries.
Now the weather has cooled my chronic fatigue and brain- fog has calmed a bit. Unfortunately this makes my ADHD (self diagnosed as a teen but wildly obvious) a lot worse. It’s like I’ve drunk three espressos all of the time. Nice to have some energy and my quirky personality back though! 😄 It took me five six attempts to be able to write this properly. 😆
Style
MY SLIPPERSCUTE…CREEPY (but very adorkable)
My ‘sensible dress’ which I hardly ever wear. However, I got so many compliments on it (over on my Instagram) that I’m going to wear it a lot more.
Food
We went to Allotment Vegan Eatery in town, which had beautiful food and cozy decor but would have been too dear if we hadn’t taken advantage of the government ‘eat out to help out’ scheme.
Had a lovely meal at Sai Spice in Chorlton. Here are leftovers of Mutter Panner (peas and cheese which tastes nicer than it sounds), Young coconut and green beans and vegetable Kolpahuri which was really piquant!
Vegan and gluten free cheese-on-toast using Geniusbread and Follow Your Heart, Pepper Jack flavour. Wow!
Beauty
After three months of loosely following The Curly Girl Method (but with other products) my hair is shiny and soft, with less frizz AND holding it’s curl shape.
Lifestyle
The most geeky and awesome book I have ever read! This is like the crazy dreams I’d have regularly as a kid in the 80’s.
Still writing down happy things that have happened, as and when they occur, so I can read them back when I’ve been having a succession of shitty mental/physical health days, to give me some perspective.
Watching
Dark – Complex, family oriented sci-fi
Boardwalk Empire – Sprawling 1920’s Gangsta series set in Atlantic City
Hero’s – Series featuring time travel and a big cast of characters discovering they have unique powers.
The Months Most Used Emojis
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Really looking forward to a chilly but beautiful Autumn and Halloween of course. 🦇
