Some things that made me smile in… July 2024
Including a whistlestop visit to Weesp, a new yoga spot and pottering around Portobello
If you’re a regular here, welcome back! If you’re new, this is my round up of some of the things that have made me smile over the past month. Please feel free to share in the comments anything that’s brought you joy too, whether big or small! Are you currently a free subscriber but would like to upgrade? You can do that here.
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A whistlestop visit to Weesp
My month began with arriving in a small North Holland town late on a Saturday night to the cheers and singing of jubilant Netherlands football fans. A delayed flight and couple of train cancellations meant that I’d arrived in Weesp completely unaware that the Netherlands had been victorious in their match earlier that evening.
I woke up to a much more sedate scene on Sunday morning ready to walk via the canal over to the YogaEasy (formerly EkhartYoga) offices.
If you’ve been following me here for a while you might already know that I am one of a number of teachers with classes on the YogaEasy platform but this was my first time ever visiting their base in Holland.
I was only there for a day and a bit but I really enjoyed what I saw of Weesp. My accommodation was close to the canal (Weesp lies on the River Vecht, next to the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal), the vibe was quaint and quiet, the surroundings were picturesque and as a female solo traveller I felt safe strolling the town around on my own. (A tiny snippet of my evening walk below.)
On the recommendation of the YogaEasy team I took myself for meal at La Base Pizza that evening - I found the service very welcoming and friendly and the food did not disappoint.
If I’d had more time I definitely would have checked out more of the sights and the museum. If you happen to be visiting central Amsterdam and fancy exploring, then you might consider taking the 15 minute train ride to Weesp and leisurely pottering around this charming town.
Find my latest class on YogaEasy, Neck and Shoulder Love here, and all my other classes on the platform here.
Find La Base Pizza at Newtown 30 1381 CC Weesp.
Pottering Around Portobello
A sunny Friday catching up with a friend and pottering around Portobello Road was a perfect way to end the week.
This isn’t a part of town that I spend much time in so it was really lovely to amble with no agenda and definitely no rushing. There were lots of Notting Hill (as in the Julia Roberts / Hugh Grant movie) souvenirs as one would expect, vintage shops, antiques (NB - Friday is antique stalls day if that’s what you’re into), and plenty of jewellery and boutiques.
A highlight was meeting illustrator and author Charlotte Preval-Reed at her stall, The Table of Positive Thoughts. I’m a fan of the positive thoughts and illustrations that Charlotte shares on Instagram and some years ago I was gifted a copy of Charlotte’s earlier book, May the Thoughts Be With You. Since then Charlotte has published Positive Thoughts From Portobello Road and a book about her recovery from mental illness called My Portobello Road To Happiness which you can purchase directly from her stall or online here.
After all that walking we found sustenance in the form of tasty fresh cardamon buns and coffee at Fabrique, an artisanal bakery born in Stockholm, Sweden now with branches in New York and London too.
(Tip - if you’re visiting Portobello Road Market go earlier in the day if you’d prefer to avoid the crowds.)
Find details of market opening hours, what’s on etc. at https://www.portobelloroad.co.uk/the-market/
Find Charlotte Preval-Reed on Instagram and visit her website here.
Find Fabrique at 212 Portobello Road, W11 1LA
MIND Yoga & Pilates - a welcome new addition to south East London
Newly opened this month in the heart of Forest Hill is MIND Yoga & Pilates - a welcoming boutique studio with an ethos of community and inclusivity founded by Evie Woods.
“Above all, we stand for the mental impacts of yoga and movement” - MIND Yoga & Pilates
(Above is a little post-class video upstairs at MIND that I posted on my Instagram account.)
With a wide range of classes including Energising Vinyasa, Yin, Barre Pilates, Prenatal Yoga, Senior Yoga, Kids Yoga, Guided Meditation, DanceFit, Kundalini, community yoga and much more there’s lots to choose from!
I’m thrilled to be on the team of teachers at this beautiful space. You can join me on Thursday mornings at MIND for Wake-Up Hatha Flow 8.30-9.30am
Find MIND Yoga & Pilates at 53 Dartmouth Road, SE23 3HN (4 minute walk from Forest Hill Overground station. Nearest bus stop - Forest Hill Pools). For more details and to book classes visit the MIND website here.
A Year of Nothing
I’m currently reading and really enjoying this pocket-sized two book memoir by
(pictured above).“In nature, things are allowed to break down and regenerate and build back up again. But as humans, it feels trickier. Life is busy. You can’t really schedule in a breakdown.”
- Emma Gannon
(I wrote here about how A Year Of Nothing sparked an evocative memory of a one of my childhood joys.)
Published by The Pound Project, and split over four seasons, Emma details what happened when she was struck with chronic burnout and how she navigated this. As someone who has also experienced burnout and touched on that in my book, Rest + Calm I relate to much of what Emma writes about.
Reading A Year of Nothing now is timely because though July has been a great month for me it’s been very full.
We live in a world that doesn’t really encourage us to slow down, let alone stop. Burnout doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It tends to creep up on you, and when you’re self-employed without a big support network it can be a delicate balancing act. If this is where you are too, something that is key is learning to tune into the early warning signs your body gives you. (I really do my best to be diligent about this because slipping back into the old habit of pressing onwards is all too easy.) Getting still enough to pause and check-in with yourself really matters.
A Year Of Nothing is currently sold out BUT it will be available again via The Pound Project this Christmas. Find out more and get priority access here.
Heart of the Nation - Migration and the Making of the NHS
I didn’t expect to become so emotional visiting this exhibition, but in hindsight I shouldn’t really have been surprised.
It’s 75 years since the National Health Service was created. For those of us who haven’t known life without the NHS it can be criminally easy to take it for granted.
From its inception right up to the present day the NHS has only been able to function because people from other parts of the world came to Britain to work in it. My mother was one of them.
This critically acclaimed touring exhibition, shining a light on those who came to this country to work in the NHS closed its run this month at The Migration Museum in Lewisham. The combination of photos, objects, outfits, oral histories and films left me feeling teary as I remembered some of the stories my Mum told me about her years in nursing. I wish she could have been here to see it.
Though the physical exhibition is finished you can see highlights online at https://heartofthenation.migrationmuseum.org/
Find out more about The Migration Museum, and their upcoming and past exhibitions here.
Black Culture Market - Celebrating African and Caribbean Culture & Commerce
A client cancellation gave me the opportunity to head down to the most recent Black Culture Market at The Department Store in Brixton.
It also gave me the chance to meet Iké from Dibia (see more in last month’s post here) in person.
And as it was proper summer weather that day I treated myself to a cooling drink of Hibiscus & Ginger from the Sobel’s stall.
It was a great way to spend the morning it took the edge off my afternoon of necessary admin.
The next Black Culture Market takes place on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th October 2024 at The Department Store in Brixton. Find out more and register for a free ticket here.
Simone Biles - Rising
Simone Biles withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to protect her mental health and her physical safety after developing a case of the twisties.
As I write this the Paris Olympics are currently in full swing and Simone Biles has made her spectacular return.
If you have access to Netflix and you haven’t already watched Rising, I highly recommend it. This documentary series charts Simone Biles’ journey to rebuild her skills and mental fortitude and it is very inspiring viewing.
Last but not least this month’s kitchen dance track is one of my favourites from Rachel Chinouriri:
Over to you:
What’s brought you joy during July?
A fundraiser you might wish to support here
I love this monthly round up, full of sunshine 🌞😘😘
I always love your monthly round up! They are full of inspiring nuggets!