I do hundreds and thousands of memes over on my LJ blog, but never here, mostly because I dont’ think enough people read it to tag me. However K in her Square One Blog has tagged me! Yay!

Link to the person who has tagged you.Write down six things that make you happy.Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it.Then tell the person when your entry is complete.

1. Writing. This takes on many guises. I have always fancied myself as a novelist – I have one finished and two unfinished novels yearning for a publisher (although yearning won’t actually get them out there). I write poetry (I have no idea how bad or good it is), I write every night in a paper journal and have several different blogs. On top of that I’ve written several articles for yoga magazines and am trying to write a book about yoga and scoliosis/chronic pain – the drafts of which are here. Basically I just can’t stop myself writing. It makes me happy and has a certain cathartic effect as well.

2. Reading. I’ve always been addicted to a good story. I like anything with a hint of magic and the supernatural and good historical fiction. I am also a sucker for old fashioned crime stories (Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Colin Dexter). My favourite genre is Victorian gothic and end of the century novels and I am especially loving the new wave of this from modern authors such as Michael Cox.

3. Cooking. I can and will cook anything and I love it. I am very unmethodical, hardly ever follow recipes and make up my own stuff all the time. I have cooked and baked since I was a child. I am passionate about good food, organically ethically sourced ingredients and cooking everything from scratch. I love experiementing with flavours and on top of all that I love to eat the results

4. The sound of the sea. I don’t actually have to even see the sea, just hearing the waves lap against the shore is enough for me. I feel at home, at one, comfortable, relaxed when I can hear the sea. Seeing the sea of course is even better, inhaling the ozone, feeling sand between my toes. It’s a little part of the world where I can actually feel content and one of the reasons I miss Australia.

5. Cambridge. The town I grew up in. The town I did my Masters degree in. It always feels like my town. My health is always slightly better there. I love the ancient alleyways, the antiquarian bookshops, the market, the fact it still has record and vintage clothes fairs. I am looking forward to being in a position to move back there next year.

6. The Foo Fighters. This is perhaps the most important one really. If in doubt play the Foos. It is guaranteed to ALWAYS cheer me up. Every girl needs a fangirl crush and an obsession to get through the days and Dave Grohl and the Foos is mine

I’m not going to tag because I think only a few people regularly read this blog! If you do do it though please let me know!

I had to make a decision this year. I had to decide which of my classes to cut back on.

During the last 6 months of 2008 I was teaching 2 regular flow classes a week, 1 gentle yoga class, 2 pregnancy yoga classes, 1 mum and baby class and a voluntary class at a cancer centre. It was too much. I was so drained that I wasn’t giving any of the classes my best shot and I was bringing the wrong sort of energy to my students.

So I decided to merge the two pregnancy classes and run a booking system – first come first served – and to give up one other class.

I ummed and ahhhed about giving up the voluntary work, but it gives me so much happiness to know I am putting something back (no such thing as a selfless good deed after all) that I couldn’t do that. So I had to look at my least lucrative class.

Mum and baby yoga. Not so much that I don’t have a lot of interest, but more because of the nature of being a new mum it is very hard to commit to a weekly class and whilst 6 or 7 people would sign up for the class only 2 or 3 would turn up each week. So much as it breaks my heart to do it and much as I love the little ones, I have decided for now to put my mum and baby classes on hold.

My yoga teaching is going in a completely different direction to the way I thought it would. I thought I wanted to teach children, but I am finding myself going further and further down the yoga therapy route and I must follow my heart here. I’ve enjoyed teaching the babies but I have to give it up to put the right sort of energy back into my other classes.

I’m a little late posting this seeing as both Bonfire Night and indeed November have been and gone, but I know a couple of people were interested in this recipe. This is traditional Lancashire parkin, a Bonfire Night treat, and an old family recipe (not sure how happy my dad will be if he finds out I’ve gone and put it on line!)

Rachel’s Dad’s Bonfire Night Parkin

Ingredients
100g butter or margarine
100g black treacle
200g golden syrup
100g dark brown sugar
200g self raising flour
2tsp ginger
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g oatmeal or rolled oats
1 egg
half a cup of milk

Method
Put the oven 15o degrees C and grease and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Heat the butter in a saucepan with the treacle, syrup and sugar until they are all melted together, then take off the heat.
Sieve together the flour, ginger, cinnamon and bicarb and then stir in oatmeal. Gradually add the cooled syrup mixture, stirring all the time and don’t let it get lumpy.
Beat the egg and milk together and add that, stirring until you get a thick batter.
Pour into the baking tray and cook for about an hour. Cool and cut into squares and store in an airtight containers for about 3 days (it tastes much better if you wait). Keep in a cool dark place but NOT the fridge.

Enjoy x