bedroom blues

image: housetohome.co.uk

We need to repaint our bedroom. We've been here for nearly 15 years (!!) which shows how good the previous paint job was. But we've now bought a new bed (fabulous antique french style - naturellement) and we're getting shutters in the bay windows, so it's time to paint.

I'm thinking duck egg blue for the walls. Is there a more relaxing colour than blue? (well, potentially the sage green our walls are painted at the mo'). With the white bed, and the new pale silvery grey and white Laura Ashely bedspread I've just bought it'll be blissful. We'll also finally getting around to painting our wall of wardrobes, which currently look a bit "Italian Grandparent" with their dark wood, but shall be French chic when chalk painted in pale grey with white details.

We've got eight weeks from when we order the shutters to when they arrive, so we'll have to get cracking next weekend. It's going to be a laboured process - but so worth it once it's finished.

newcastle by night

The only thing I love more than looking up in my city, is looking up in my city at night. The hues are always more intense, the details on the historic buildings more sharply etched and highlighted.

After dinner at Napoli Centrale the other night (best pizza outside of Italy - I swear) we had some time to kill before the moving screening. So we took a meander through Newcastle Mall.

This is a place I need to get to now that Sprout look after the food. I hear Taco Tuesdays are a BARGAIN.

Newcastle's historic East End is so richly historic. I wish we appreciated it as much as similar cities in Paris, London, Italy, Spain and all of Europe.

There's a new vibe busting out. A more creative one, as I discovered the following night at Catapult Dance down in Newcastle's West End. A stunning choreographed dance with a film projected on the wall was followed by a breathtaking performance by University of Newcastle Fine Arts students who treated us to modern pop with some unusual instruments (hello harp and flute).

Afterwards we stepped into the alleywall for drinks and chatting. I do love a string of fairylights highlighted with garlands. I need some of this in my yard.

If you're a Newy local check out Catapult. Every couple of weeks local dancers will work with a filmmaker or other creatives to come up with something unique.

I love this city.

meal planning monday

image: housetohome.co.uk

Excuse me, but how pretty is this mirrored cabinet painted in pale pink?

Very.

It's pretty much solidified my decision to paint the back of our front door in pale pink gloss.

But enough about decorating, and on to meal-planning, and what we're eating this week.

Monday: grilled lemon and herb chicken breasts with a baby spinach and orange salad.

Tuesday: this may well be our last netball training (le sob) so we'll just have a steak and salad dinner tonight.

Wednesday: I made this awesome tray-bake the other day, diced potato, pumpkin and sweet potato, drizzled with garlic olive oil and thyme. Baked for 30 minutes, then I popped in some meatballs. This was baked a further 15 minutes - before I tossed some baby spinach in for 2 mins. In an ideal world I would have then added persian feta (but I didn't have any). It was still damned delicious. I'm making it again.

Thursday: salmon on the bbq and salad.

Friday: celebrate the end of the week with takeaway!

Saturday: out with my friends to check out the Amy Winehouse movie, the new Parry Street Garage and have a Blue Heaven Milkshake from Jim's for dessert. How good is life?

Sunday: a bbq. Let's hope this pre-Spring weather continues.

sunday's kitty

I may be biased, but have you seen a prettier face than Toulouse's?

early rider

I find it really difficult to find the time to exercise. As you may have noticed, I have a pretty busy life. Full-time work, motherhood, marriage, netball coaching, volunteering stuff AND all the cool stuff I have to see and do in Newcastle takes up a fair bit of time. I love it, but I always wish I could find the time to exercise.

My favourite kind of exercise is cycling. Not the speedy stuff, just an 8 - 10km pootle. It makes me happy and probably a little bit fitter. So I've been inspired by my friend Jayne who cycles just about every morning.

Early.

Crazy early.

So on Tuesday I got up at 6.30am, got dressed and got on my bike,

Tell you what, the sunrise over the harbour and the beach was totally worth it. I saw so many tugboats, kayakers, runners and a couple of other cyclists.

It was glorious.

Now, it was only 7 degrees so my hands nearly fell off, but I'll borrow a pair of hubby's cycling gloves next time. I'm aiming to do this two to three days a week.

Good huh?