okiley dokiley do

Well my friends, i promised i would recap over my busy weekend in londres... and since i hate to break a promise!!! here you go (dont worry-i will try and sum it up in a not too longwinded post!)

Friday:

Well, im slightly nervous! I have been excited in a "its finally happening" kinda way! but im now feeling a teensy bit scared :-p what if i dont recognise nicky? what if she doesnt turn up! what if we have nothing to talk about, what if i MISS MY TRAIN?! ...all the possible dilemmas fly thru my mind, but i hop on a bus/train/tube with no problemos, and im in LONDON BABY!!!

After dropping my bags at my sis's flat, i head to high st kensington to meet my bloggy friend for the first time! im a little late (my time management is sketchy at the best of times!) and nicky is already there, looking so tiny and gorgeous in the flesh! (seriously this girl is a doll! i felt like a big clumpy giant compared to her petite 'barely over 5foot'-ness!) But the first thing i am aware of is that we must both look very underweight, when you see one person who is very thin, you acknowledge it... but when there are 2 or more together, it almost becomes a questionable thinness.

We went straight to whole foods natch! for a browse... even managed to persuade a security man to take a pic of us in front of the entrance (nicky has this pic i think!) we must have spent an AGE in there, oh my gaaad it has the most amazing stuff! Im so very jealous of the people who use that as their "everyday" foodshop. GRR!!!

here are a few of the pics that i managed to take when i remembered how to stop gawping!

Bars Galore!!

Nana's Cookies & other nibbly goodness

Fancy Chocs...

Mixed Dried Fruits & Nuts/Seeds Etc....

Self-Service Nut Butter Machines!!!

tres cool (if only i liked PB!)

After this we shopped around abit more, ken high st... knightsbridge... dropped off our purchases before heading BACK to wholefoods (yes, you heard right. but seriously, you cant keep me away from that place!) for some dinner. If any of you brits have been to the big store in london, it has an upstairs dining place where you can either sit and have your eats from the market bit downstairs or have something from one of the many stall-type food areas.

We chose to make ourselves a box of lovely bits and bobs from the market downstairs, there was SO much to choose from, all amazing roast veggie and squash casseroles and quinoa and coucous dishes, holy YUMZO!!! i cant remember exactly what i had, there was a winter squash & roast veg thing, i added in some turkey for protein, there was a garlicky mushroom thing and a couscous dish with other bits mixed in, i threw but it looked alot like this...

mish-mash of roasted veggies, turkey, couscous & salad with dressing...

(Think this one is upside down!)

But man, was it tasty! supah garlicky... just how i likes it!!

I just WISH id taken a pic of the recipes, so i could recreate them at home. it was soooo good! Anyhoo, after this we headed out into central london to sample some FRO-YO!!! oh yea! we spotted this place earlier in the day and since its in "oh so" vibrant soho, we couldnt resist coming back to see it in the sparkly night-time. It was beeeyootiful. with colour changing fairy lights hanging all over the ceiling & crazy etheral paintings on the walls.... magical :-)

PLUS it was called snog!!! how cute is that!!!

(i dont know if its a british thing, or does everyone say snog?!?! well a snog is like a mushy kiss, favoured mostly by kids and definitely experienced alot during those teenage angst years!)

Snogging IS good for you... (phew!!)

My bowl of yum sadly lacked any ACTUAL fro-yo. DAMN dairy intolerance :-(

But I crumbled in a Nakd banana bread bar instead, twas delish!

After people watching and gossiping for a while (i cant believe i JUST met this girl, feels like ive known her forever!) we called it a night and made arrangements to meet up at shopping mecca, the big oxford circus TOPSHOP! the following morning :-)

Saturday:

After a not so good nights sleep (i was only rudely awoken about 10 times by all the "friday night drunks" outside my window. grrr...) i met up with nicky and we hit the shops on oxford street... Now i wont go into all the details, but clothing was purchased!!! Lets face it, you dont go to london and leave empty handed :-p

We didnt have all that much time till nicky had to catch her train tho, so we had a quick chance look through selfridges and then grabbed some lunch at M&S before we had to say our goodbyes....

(a few piccys from the selfridges foodhall)

Macaroooooons

Lola's Cupcakes...

la piece de resistance...

a GIANT CUPCAKE cake!!! wowzers.

So all in all, a very productive trip!! It was so nice to meet up with someone who has such similar interests (hello wholeFOODS!!!) and also understands how hard this process of recovery is... i feel like i could relax and be myself without having to put on an "im okay, honestly" front. I left london feeling more motivated and invigorated in myself and more determined than anything to put this weight-gain into serious action. I dont want to be the person that stands out on the street because theyre too thin, i want people to look at me for the right reasons... because im glowing, healthy and happy :-)

Anyway, i will leave it there for now, as this has been quite long enough! I have therapy this afternoon anyway so i shud save the majority of my "recovery talk" time for that! I do want to talk to my T about the exercise thing, its still bugging me in a big way. i cant seem to just go with what is normal, because im still so confused as to what normal is.

I desperately need some guidance with this, so i will try talking to my T again this avo, and then post up my thoughts and worries on the issue... cos id like some different perspectives, one from my therapist, who yes... is a healthcare professional and therefore can tell me the medical/mental answer, but NOT the personal answer. He has never had an ED or an exercise addiction, so he cannot give me that personal insight that some of you might.... SO, if you have had or still do struggle with exercise and ED recovery, PLEASE read my next post and help me deal with some of my questions then!

Till later peeps....

Enjoy your day!!!

its GORGEOUS here today, proper sunshine and warmth!

im so glad not to be quite entrenched in winter yet :-)

xxx