A Day to Remember

When I write a blog post I like to try to stick to a theme or to have some semblence of continuity in what I'm writing about, at least that is how it starts out in my head even if it doesn't end up that way. But sometimes something random pops up in my brain (sometimes? Who am I kidding?) and I end up writing about that instead. Which is by way of an explanation as to why a post about a rather splendid day out (I'm coming to it, I promise) starts with a quick mention of a self help book. You may well have already heard of the very handsome Dr Chatterjee as apparently he has appeared on TV, not that I had noticed!

However I did hear him speak on Saturday Live on radio 4 last week and was so impressed with the common sense he was talking that his book seemed to end up in my Amazon shopping cart. And I am just as impressed with the book. His basic premise is that all parts of the body are connected and so we should be looking at the whole body and taking a more rounded approach to treatment of ailments. A lot of it is what we know already (although possibly ignore), like eat more vegetables, drink more water, walk more steps etc. but it is presented as clear easily achievable chunks e.i. small changes in our lifestyles that can make a difference. As someone who often has digestive problems and hardly ever has a decent night's sleep it seems worth trying some of his suggestions.... so I am starting by foregoing my nightly cuppa for a herbal tea, trying to cut out sugar again (it made me feel so much better last year) and all devices/screens are going off by 8.30 pm... no checking messages before I go to bed. I'll be reporting back! He also advocates making time for ourselves to relax and that leads me rather nicely into my lovely day out.

My friend Kim couldn't make it to my birthday party last year so offered to take me out instead. At her suggestion we met in London at a fabulous vegetarian restaurant off Regent's Street, Tibits, where we had a wonderful lunch of the most delicious salads. There was so much choice and such wonderful flavours... see, I'm already taking Dr Chatterjee's advice and feeding my body with five a day. From there we off to the Regent Street Cinema, apparently the birthplace of British cinema.

We arrived to the sound of the organ being played just like in times gone by and were both amazed that the place was absolutely packed in the middle of the day. This historic cinema dates back to 1848 and was the first theatre in the country to show moving pictures. Over the years it was used for various screenings and diferent types of entertainment but it closed to the public in 1980 and became a lecture theatre. In 2015 it was reopened as a cinema, having been restored to its former grandeur. And what better place to see the classic love story "An Affair to Remember". A delicious lunch with a lovely friend followed by an afternoon spent with Cary Grant... definitely fits the bill for taking time out to relax! And as the Regent Street cinema is another 'first' for me, it also means another sixty x sixty ticked off my list... and quite appropriate as it is the sixtieth anniversary of the first screening of the film, released in 1957 when I was born!

Kim and I also managed a quick visit to Anthropologie where I treated myself to this rather gorgeous cup... which made working all day today on tedious admin tasks so much nicer. It's the small pleasures that make all the difference.

Now if you'll excuse me I must go... my laptop/screen watershed is rapidly approaching and I'm going to do some drawing and read a book before bed instead of browsing the internet and checking emails.