Weekly roundup #4

Once again Sunday has rolled around, and it's time to bring together all the best bits of the week. How has your week been? I feel like the week has flown by, but at the same time last Sunday feels like it was weeks ago. I hope you've had a lovely Easter weekend so far, and if you're lucky enough to have the day off tomorrow, too, enjoy it!

THE HIGHLIGHTS

:: Having one of those glorious relaxed yet productive days on Monday, which involved sleeping in, spending an hour or so relaxing in bed, then getting up and giving the kitchen a good clean while the washing (or laundry, if you prefer) was in the machine, and then, having completed my to-do list, settling down with some scrambled egg and avocado on toast and a cup of tea to watch a few episodes of Game of Thrones, completely guilt-free. Pure bliss.

:: Seeing Namaste, Rowan grow. For the past few weeks, I feel like Namaste, Rowan has really been growing. I feel like my content is improving, and I am loving having a bit of a schedule (somehow it makes things feel a little more professional and put together), and it seems like you guys are enjoying it, too, since my page views have been increasing faster than ever before (on Saturday I hit 10,000 views, so a huge thank you to each and every one of you for helping this little blog hit this milestone!), and I've had a lot more interaction on social media which I absolutely love. This space is something I am very passionate about and adore spending time on, and it's lovely to see that the work I put in is starting to pay off more and more.

THE THINGS

:: It seems as though there is always at least one foodie item in each Weekly Roundup, but what can I say, I love food! This week I picked up a bar of Seed & Bean's espresso dark chocolate. Their entire range of chocolate is organic and fairly traded, and they do some amazing flavour combinations (Coconut and Raspberry is next on my to-try list!). My mum and I adore M&S's dark chocolate covered coffee beans, and Seed & Bean have almost created them in bar form. With ground roasted coffee beans, not only do you get that incredible rich, toasted espresso flavour, but you also get a little texture and crunch, which just makes it for me. It's safe to say the bar didn't last the week, but hey, that gives me an excuse to try another flavour, right?

:: Sufjan Stevens' new album, Carrie & Lowell. I used to listen to Sufjan Stevens back when I was at Sixth Form, and after Siobhan mentioned him in her most recent 'Listening Post', I decided to go and give his new album a listen. If you've never heard Sufjan's music before, think slow, soft and folks-y; perfect for when you want to slow down or when you're working (Carrie & Lowell served as my soundtrack whilst putting this post together, and it made the experience all the more relaxing).

:: My new 'Good Morning!' mug from Keith Byrmer Jones. We sell Brymer Jones mugs in the shop I work at, and this one is my personal favourite. My mornings aren't complete without some form of hot drink, so I thought this would be a really cute way to brighten them just that little bit more. Plus, you can never have too many mugs, right?

:: Lush's Full of Grace serum bar. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I was on the hunt for a new moisturiser and was sampling a few from Neal's Yard, but unfortunately none of them were quite right, so after doing a little bit of reading on Lush's website, I decided to give Full of Grace ago. Originally designed to be used in the Lush Spa, Full of Grace is a luxurious solid serum full of nourishing butters, calming calamine and rose, and anti-oxidising portobello mushrooms. I wasn't sure how well it would work under makeup since it's more of a serum than a moisturiser, but so far it seems to be perfectly fine, and it's giving my skin the loveliest glow! It also seems to be evening out my skin tone and is doing a wonderful job of bringing down redness. If after a few weeks I'm still loving it as much as I am now, you can expect a review to make its way into your news feed!

THE POSTS

:: Rosie's 'weekend breakfast' post had me wishing it was morning again just so I could follow her routine (despite having only recently finished the aforementioned scrambled eggs and avocado on toast). Eggs and avocado is one of those combinations that cannot be beaten in my mind; it's filling, has an oh-so satisfying combination of textures and the taste can easily be tailored to your mood, although more often than not I just opt for simple, classic black pepper. Rosie's post not only had me craving this most perfect of breakfasts, but also had me longing for a long, slow morning with numerous cups of tea, the comfiest clothes and Sunday Brunch on in the background.

:: This week Jen shared her favourite ways to spend her mid-morning breaks on A Little Opulent, and I really enjoyed reading about them. Is anyone else sensing a slow-morning theme in this roundup? Perhaps it's because this past week I've been busier than I have been for a while, and as a result have started to appreciate these quiet moments so much more. I really do think they're important for our motivation and productivity levels, and also for allowing our minds and bodies to slow down and rest a little when so much of the time we're rushing around trying to get everything done. How do you like to spend your quiet morning time?

:: I really enjoyed Zoe's most recent post this morning. I loved Zoe's outfit, a gorgeous mix of a Spring-y, feminine piece and more casual, autumnal accessories, and her photos of Portmeirion had me wishing I was there myself; close to the sea, colourful buildings, cobbled streets and an artsy, almost folk-sy festival in September? What more could I ask for?

:: Angela's photos of the banoffee pie she made using a recipe from the My New Roots cookbook  gave me a real sweet-craving; how good does it look?! I have't baked or made a dessert for quite some time now but the bug has definitely bitten, and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to ignore it. Rest assured that when the day comes, it will be documented here!

I hope you've had a lovely week and have had plenty of chocolate this weekend; I know I have!

Namaste,

Rowan

Note: You may have noticed that there was no 'Thoughts for the Weekend' this week, and I'm terribly sorry for that. I'm finding it a little tricky to think of a truly interesting topic each week and the perfectionist in me won't let me upload something I'm not totally happy with (which I'm sure you will appreciate and understand), so I'm going to make 'Thoughts for the Weekend' a fortnightly thing. Aside from making the series better, it also means that on the alternate weeks I will be able to post something different and keep Namaste, Rowan more varied. I hope you understand, and I hope you enjoy having more of a mix of posts again!