The Weekly Happy Edit

The 5 happy things showcased in the news this week...

1. Shrek and Smurf: The Rescued Coloured-in Kittens 

These two gorgeous little kittens were rescued by police when investigating a house in Bradford. They are now being cleaned well cared for and well be ready for happy new homes very soon!

2. Paralympian's Stolen Bike Returned

Tim Farr is a British paralympian with a huge personality. So, it is no wonder that when his £5000 specially-made bike was stolen from outside his house, a crowdfunding site for a new one raised nearly £2000. Well, this money will now be donated to charity as his bike has been recovered from a pawn shop after being sold for just £150.

3. Gene Therapy Reduces Sight Loss

Sight-loss is undoubtedly an incredibly difficult disability to deal with. A new and recently proven therapy now represents hope for thousands of those who would otherwise become blind from the rare disorder called 'choroideremia'. A treated patient said of the therapy 'it has opened a new chapter of my life for me when I thought that the book was about to close'. 

- Jonathan Wyatt

4. Mother Reunited with her Kidnapped Son 22 years on

Zou Qixiu was reunited with her son who disappeared from their home in 1994 at the age of four years old. He was abducted my human traffickers and sold to another couple. After recently having his own child he thought about the anguish his mother must have suffered and still be suffering. He got in contact with 'Baby come home' website and tracked down his mother. His parents were illiterate so could only do what they could to track him down which including going door to door. There were huge celebrations on his return.

5. Disney to make Maleficent, Mary Poppins and Jungle Book Sequels (and Cruella)

Any release of a Disney movie is good news to me! Fortunately, we have four to keep us busy. There will be a Marry Poppins sequel starring Emily Blunt, a Jungle Book and Maleficent sequel (starring their original casts including Angelina Jolie) amd to top it all of a brand new 101 Dalmations spin-off called Cruella. They also confirmed further future releases- in 2017, 2018 and 2019 which should be more than enough to keep our thirst for Disney quenched.

Have you had any happy news this week?

ARW x

A week of healthy office lunches

I have a confession. I never, ever make and bring lunch to work. I have another confession. I am terrible at Maths. I am of the opinion that these two statements are directly related. This is because when I employed the help of my not-so-mathematically challenged colleague, I worked out just how much my daily lunch splurges were costing me. The grand total was around £2600 yearly. Not to mention all the calories I must be gorging on every single day!

Here is how we worked it out for the skeptics. 

Average daily lunch/ breafast/ snack spend: £10 

Average weekly spend: £50 

Average monthly spend: £200

Average yearly spend: £2600 

Which in normal people terms equals most of this:

LUX hotel, Maldives, Private Pool Villa, £690 per night

Larson & Jennings, £225

Chritian Louboutin, £575

YSL, £1350

The problem is I just want to be lazy when I get in and whats-more I hate whatever lunch I do bring in. So, I challenged myself to a week (well, everyone needs a Friday treat) of healthy and easy work lunches. Here is how it went. 

Monday

Feta, cucumber, avocado and edamame bean salad with feta and simple dressing. Gluten-free pita chips with taramasalata 

Tuesday

Lean turkey slices with cherry tomatoes and cheddar, cucumber snacks. Hummus and pretzels, berries and protein flapjack.

Wednesday

Leftovers: quinoa and currant salad with a butternut squash and broccoli salad (tomatoes and avo in for good measure). Sour cream and onion corncakes, pear slices and shortbread. 

Thursday 

More leftover quinoa with spinach, sweetcorn and feta. Hummus crisps and homemade cinnamon balls with blueberries.

Fri-YAY

Okay well not quite a week...

Comment below with any tips you have to help me continue with this healthy habit!

ARW x