Saturday 24 August 2013

Wheat grass and gratitude

I went back to the UK two weeks ago to surprise a friend for his 40th birthday. Felt good to know that I'd brought a bit of extra happiness to the proceedings just by making the trip back, he was stoked and that felt good to me. I'm all about feeling good and grateful and positive at the moment.

I'm on a bit of a life/health/happiness kick and I'm trying to find a more sustainable way to maintain all three of those things. Firstly I'm changing my eating habits. I was vegetarian for 10 years from 15-25 and then I fell hard from the pedestal of vegetarianism, it was a medium-rare fillet steak that knocked me off, it was my 25th birthday dinner and I said to myself "I'll be veggie again tomorrow". Well I'm now quite a few years down the line and I'm finally back to it. I always tried to be a mindful carnivore, buying free-range, organic, local, farm-shop etc. etc. etc. But the fact of the matter is that eating meat just doesn't sit well with me from various perspectives. For starters there's the ethical point of view, because let's face it, there is no such thing as humane meat, regardless of the lovely life the free-range animal lived, prancing about in fields eating fresh grass and hanging with its buddies, the rather shocking, fearful, terrifying end it meets basically negates all of the happiness. I'm not going to preach about it, people who are interested know full well that any sentient being that has a concept of itself, its herd, forms complex social structures and so on, can in no way be happy about being transported to a factory of fear and death to meet its maker. If you don't know about it, then be a doll and educate yourself. So ethically I can't do it and there is the environmental impact to consider. Again I'm not going to write an in depth commentary on the myriad of environmental wrongs that go hand in hand with our modern farming and livestock practices, if you want to find out then go forth and do some research for yourself, but from my point of view going veggie or vegan is the way forward to a sustainable and green future for the planet and all its inhabitants. To that end I'm adopting a vegan lifestyle with the luxury of being vegetarian one day a week. That small luxury will allow me to indulge one of my greatest loves, cheese. I know, dairy is wrong on so many levels and I will where possible, be a mindful cheese eater. Still I figure that my 6-1 split of vegan-vegetarian has got to be better for me and the world and is certainly a much bigger commitment than the average person's meat-free-Monday effort. I'm discovering an amazing new way of eating, vegetables figured heavily in my life beforehand, but now they are the main attraction and I'm excited to go on this culinary voyage of discovery!

I've been reading a book by Kriss Carr and I've enjoyed it immensely. I'm using her book to start my own wellness revolution. I really recommend reading it folks, it's great! I know that some people will balk at some of her suggestions, but when you read the same thing over and over again from a huge variety of sources, you just have to get on board. Everyday I do something that I find unpleasant, I have a shot of superfood greens - wheatgrass, spirulina, barley grass and that kind of stuff. It's not fun but I know it's good for me and I figure sometimes in life you have to do those things, the not fun but good for you things, because it balances out the fun and bad for you!

There's a few things in my life that are not very positive at the moment but I figure that all will work out in the end and what will be, will be. So I'm getting back into meditation as a means of bringing some focus, peace and positivity into the proceedings. I know, I sound totally hippie-dippy don't I, but so what! I found this great piece the other day on the ten things you can do to make yourself happier, it makes sense and if you didn't already know about it, there's a great blog 3BT, check it out, three beautiful things. It is actually one of the things proposed in the article that you can do to make yourself happier, be grateful for three things every day. So I plan on doing that, though it might not be in blog form, just a wee note to self at bedtime, maybe while brushing teeth instead of thinking of the stuff I have to deal with the next day.

So here's to positivity and gratitude, cheers, skol, salud, slainte! *Grimaces after downing a shot of wheat grass* (Infinitely better for me than all the shots of Jagermeister or toffee vodka I've had over the last two winter seasons, but a lot less fun.)

Tuesday 6 August 2013

Shaded valleys, wild goats, rocky coves and being brave.

My friend Miss L. was here to visit and it was an amazing few days. Luckily I had fairly self sufficient guests so that left me able to really take advantage of having a visitor here, to act like a visitor myself. Several times on our magical mystery tours I felt like I too was on holiday.

We visited: Palma, the cathedral, the modern art museum, several cake shops and ate the most divine meringue in one of them. Inca. Lluc, with it's beautiful wee botanic garden and tiny blue butterflies. We hiked the Boquer valley and then swam in the crystalline sea and if we'd had sandwiches I sure would have shared mine with the wild goats that came to say hello. We went to the beach, out for drinks, took siestas in the air conditioned living rooms and had wonderful dinners out. One place we went to, on a whim of mine, a real spur of the moment thing, was one of my faves from last year that I had yet to revisit, it is called Bellaverde and it is like an oasis, I call it the secret garden. It is a luscious vegetarian/vegan restaurant where you sit in a magical courtyard under fig trees and the cats and dogs wander free, my idea of heaven basically.

I did something there which was quite bold! I caught the eye of a handsome chap, looked a bit like a surf bum with lovely sun bleached hair.We exchanged a few smiles during the course of our respective dinners and then came the time to leave. Could I muster up the courage to speak to him before I left? Sadly no. I left and as I walked out, we waved at each other. Buoyed by this action I decided I couldn't let the moment pass me by. I mean how many times in life have you caught someone's eye or exchanged a smile and thought, if I could just say hello then I could find out what an interesting person this is and explore whatever it is that made us smile at each other? I've thought that before but this time I didn't want to walk away wondering. I had a pen in my bag and Miss L. had an old business card, I wrote down my name and number and here's where my courage ran out...but Miss L. was on hand to see the plan through. She marched in there and gave him the card "from my friend" she said and he smiled.

I met him for a drink the following night and for dinner the night after that and hopefully we'll meet many more times....








Sunday 21 July 2013

Island life



Have decided that my early morning bread/pastries/paper delivery to the villas is a combination of Challenge Anneka & Indiana Jones interspersed with short World Rally stages through the narrow country lanes (where you have to watch out for dogs, goats and donkeys). The objective is to get in and out without the guests seeing you, if they do, they set you challenges. Trick is to park outside the gates, leave your engine running, at the ready you zap the gate open, mad dash to the breakfast table, dump the goodies and then run like the wind back to the gate before it closes, squeezing through just in time - that's a triumph.


Once it's done I get to drive home along the bay, between Alcudia and Puerto Pollensa. Some mornings I bring my breakfast, park up halfway along the bay and sit on the rocks looking out to sea while I have my morning repast. It makes me feel so lucky that I get to be here and all the guest issues melt away and so do all my other cares and worries. To just sit there and greet a new day in this gorgeous setting.


Tuesday 9 July 2013

Belle de Neige: Chalet Bitching: The Truth

Belle de Neige: Chalet Bitching: The Truth  I just had to re-post this from Belle de Neige. It's excellent!

A season reviewed.... better late than never eh?!

So what happened there?! I fell off the face of the Earth it would appear! Actually what I think happened was that I was working and playing that hard, that I just didn't have time to blog. This second season back in Morzine involved a lot less bed days, none of that "just staying in to catch up on sleep, need to recuperate" and so on, this season I went for it.

So in review, chalet was grand, had it all to myself and loved it (except for the mornings when I woke up feeling like I was a hundred years old or feeling hungover, then a 10 man chalet poses a huge obstacle to overcome!). Had the accommodation to myself too, which was epic beyond belief!! Guests were great for the most part, met some interesting characters, had some real fun and lovely times with them. Had a good variety in the chalet this year, some of the highlights would be sitting down to Christmas dinner with my fave group, who were constantly late for dinner on account of a recommendation I made to them, "...visit my friend Tank at Cavern he'll introduce you to toffee vodka..." apres always went on with them and they usually brought it back to the chalet! Dancing on the tables, shots of any booze we had in the chalet, nights at the Cavern with them, amazing! This year I softened to kids it would appear, one particular brother and sister combo, they were so adorable and I will admit I shed a wee tear when they left. On their last morning the wee boy came down to breakfast before anyone else and as he sat there at the breakfast table he went a bit quiet, then said "I don't want to leave Trine, because you're really kind and make yummy food". Well there you have it folks, probably the best compliment and reference I'll ever get!

Snow was great this year, that's two for two now, epic snowfall and epic powder days with my friends. Riding the black run Le Bouquetin on Mont Chery, thigh deep powder spraying in my face, not seeing where I'm going but having the most amazing feeling of pure joy and hearing the whoops and hollers from my friends around me as they're feeling the same. Riding with one of my oldest friends, Nathalie, who came to visit during an amazing snow dump, and repeating the same runs through the trees and the off piste in the Ranfoilly bowl. Every time we got to the bottom, our faces plastered with a huge ear to ear grin and looking at each other and saying "Again?!" at the same time. Stopping for a beer or a vin chaud and feeling that you've really earned it after riding hard. One of my favourite things was seeing my friends progress over the season, getting better, bolder and braver as the weeks went on and one of my absolute best moments was encouraging Flic down her first black run, the Yeti in the Ranfoilly bowl. Listening to her continuous monologue of "shit, fuck, shit, fuck" but then seeing her grin at the end of it, well done lady, you did it!

People on a season, can make or break it, 2012-13's crop certainly made it! Highlights, Flic and me - easily led, "it's just one quick drink", she is the mischief to my mayhem. Alice MB, "what special powers do unicorns have then?", my wee minion. Juicy, just everything about Juicy. Vicky, "where you to mate", I learnt to speak a bit more west country thanks to Vicky and learnt the importance of taking off coats and jackets during team meetings, and that crocs are not acceptable, but I still wear them, just when cooking, which is something I learnt from Giles. Stacey, "snakey-snakey to giraffe-giraffe" and the realisation that it's not easy when you're learning. Teresa - teabag just for being you - and the priceless look on Giles' face as we re-enacted Bacon dog and ended in fits of giggles, "bacon, yes... nooooooooo!!!!!". Jon saying "I realise it's April fool's you fucking fucker!" when I rang to tell him there was a horse in my chalet, after he had already received calls to let him know that, hosts hadn't turned up at one chalet, the balcony door had come off in another and that the hot tub had flooded the shop below in yet another chalet. Jon's laughing fit when I did the scorpion into the powder right in front of him. Tipping  with her skis  up hill and her new shiny, red helmet downhill, stuck in the powder. Finally meeting Richie, the drunkest man in Morzine, and making a Twitter friend into a real life friend, we still need to ride together though! One of my fave days was getting Giles out of the kitchen after first having an amazing lunch of goat cheese souffle with yummy puy lentils, riding in the Ranfoilly bowl on one of the first proper spring days, so hot we rode with jackets open and just t-shirts underneath, then going back to his kitchen for freshly made madeleines and rum hot choc - a perfect day! Soooooo many great moments I couldn't possibly even do them justice by listing here, suffice to say that these people and many more, made my season special, really super memories made and hopefully life-long friendships.

One thing I have learnt from my season is that I have a weakness which really has turned into an allergy, Scottish guys, especially those a few years younger than me. Steer well clear of hot Scots you meet in toilet queues who turn out to be your Christmas day present, and definitely avoid at all costs the hot Scot lead singer in a band. You know, you learn these lessons in life, hopefully you had fun along the way, I did so all good!! Later in the season I met The Pilot, he's older than me, swapped the numbers round and took a chance....we'll see how that works out. Come now, don't blush, you knew there was going to be a salacious paragraph in here somewhere and frankly, I've cleaned it up for public consumption, what do you expect, I'm a chalet girl - this is what we do... haha! ;-)

What else can I tell you about my season, not that much more, you had to be there I guess to really appreciate it. Starting in Val with team clean and my dear Jam-jam (aka, Noblet), then Morzine my alpine home town for 5 whole months and ending up back in Val at the end of the season for the final hoorah. I treasure the memories I've made and I look forward to going back to make more.

♥ Morzine.



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