Midorigreen

• My new spectacles – great service from Braintree Specsavers, especially Julie. I’ve never enjoyed choosing glasses so much.
• Getting ready for The Paper Dolls to appear at the Fling – 59 and a half minutes of burlesque here we come.
• Fabulous produce from my allotment – strawberries, rocket, spinach, and oregano.
• Nettle and Plantain tea – still loving the taste and think it is helping with my hayfever.
• Mexican millet – another amazing recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Veganomicon.
• Reading in the sunshine – something I need to do more of (sunshine permitting).
• Being complimented – on my speed and efficiency at tyre pressure checks by another driver!
• Dark shadows – I found time to watch a little TV and this was a most amusing take on vampires (and it featured Alice Cooper).

At the start of June I took up the photo challenge set by Nina from Purplenina. The challenge was to take a photo every day on a theme. You could choose your own time but Nina was going with ‘green’, and that seemed a natural choice for me.

I have managed to take post a photo to Instagram every day with a green theme. And what have I learnt in the process?

• I’ve learnt more about composition generally, and more specifically the limitations of the Instagram square.
• I’ve got a much better idea of effects the different filters in Instagram have, and which ones highlight which colours.
• Some things just don’t make good photographs.
• Light is very important when taking photos.
• I’ve discovered that it doesn’t take very long for something to become a habit. Especially if that thing is quick to do.
• However it’s better to do the work on your new habit early in the day so you get used to ‘getting it out of the way’.
• The world is a much more interesting place than you might expect once you start looking for specific things while out and about. Keeping my eyes peeled for green things made me look at my surroundings in a new way.
• I was enthused at the start of the month. Lost interest for a few days part way through. By the third week it was part of my life.
• I’d rather like a tattoo of the vegan symbol.
• The Collage app is lots of fun.

All the photos can be seen on Instagram @midorigreenuk or on my photoblog on midorigreen.co.uk

Wishing you green ink and good food,

Annastasia

My handbag has tendency to feel uncomfortably heavy. I seem to feel the need to carry ridiculous amounts of stuff around with me ‘just in case’. Being prepared for every situation is never really going to be goer. There’s no way I can be prepared for every scenario. And more to the point I’m perfectly capable of improvising. For example, in a hemline emergency a well placed staple is as good as a needle and thread.

Carrying a smaller bag doesn’t help. I just overload the first bag, and add a secondary bag or two.

So I intend to try and wean myself off this habit. Inspired by the Guardian’s recent application of the 5:2 diet for everything I’m going to use a simplified version on my handbag.

• Two days a week I will carry the bare minimum.
• I will go through subsections of my handbag such as my purse and make up bag with a view to ensuring these have the minimum.

In my head, I’m imagining a spring in my step to reflect the lighter load, and a Zen-like clarity in my head.

Wishing you green ink, and rather good food,

Annastasia