*Heavenly*

I treated myself to a massage the other day. I went back to the salon where I had my hair cut last month: Independent Mind Body Soul in Balham. 1h15 minutes of their elemental nature massage.

After getting changed into a bathrobe, I was relaxing in the waiting area on a chaise longue, soothing music in the background. I was then collected by my masseuse and the treatment started with a foot soak. I was asked about any particular wishes, problems etc and I mentioned that I get a bit of a back ache (my lower back) as well as tension in my shoulders, due to sitting in front of a PC all day. So, she suggested spending most time on my back and finishing with a face and head massage.

The pressure was just perfect: just the right balance between forceful and relaxing. I seemed to be quite knotty in my shoulder area, so that was bordering on the painful... But it really felt much better afterwards.
The face massage was unusual - I don't think I've ever had one; only as part of a facial. Unfortunately, the massage oil made my skin break out the next day. I'd probably give that a miss next time.

All in all, I really enjoyed it. As I had made the booking on the day of my haircut, I got a 10% discount on the treatment. In addition, the salon is celebrating its 7th anniversary and I got a little hair smoothing sample (as you know I ♥ freebies!) AND a £10 off voucher for any treatment between May and August. So, I of course booked my next treatment (this time a radiance facial) already. Something to look forward to!

It had to end some time

Yesterday Brighton played Reading. Despite it being a weekday match around 20,600 people had made their way into the stadium (probably helped by the fact that it is Easter holidays - for some, not for others...). Reading had also brought an impressive crowd - and they had all reason to cheer.

The first ten minutes were great: the boys were passing the ball beautifully and got dangerously close to Reading's goal. And then in the 14th minute, Reading scored. Which turned out to be the only goal of the match.

Barnes managed to miss a penalty. And the Seagulls had a couple more chances to score - and missed them all. Craig Macail-Smith showed once again just how fast he can run. But unfortunately, you don't get points for running fast. Maybe brownie points...

The end result was 1:0 for Reading, who are now top of the league together with Southampton (who they will be playing this Friday - so that promises to be an exciting match!). Brighton are 7th - just 2 points behind Cardiff who are 6th. So, there is still a chance of getting one of the play-off places. While it would be really cool to see clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool (not so much Manchester United...) come play at the Amex, I do wonder, whether the club would just set themselves up to immediate relegation in the next season.

Brighton's unbeaten record at the Amex (in 2012) has now come to an end. Let's hope they'll start winning again soon!

Another before and after

Following this recipe, I just baked some carrot-muffins.

And as always, the butter was a little more than just soft. Why is it that butter goes from hard to melted in a matter of milliseconds?? I use the lowest level in my microwave to melt it. Put it in for half a minute at a time. And nothing happens. And then *BOOM* - it's all melted. The same goes for bringing milk to boil, by the way... (not in the microwave, but on the hob - leaving both the pot and the hob a pain to be cleaned). I wonder whether this is somehow possibly linked to my lack of patience...

Before

... and after

Sales-land

When growing up (in Germany), there were two big sales: the Winterschlussverkauf and the Sommerschlussverkauf. And in between it was full price on everything.

Over here in the UK, there always seems to be a sale on. They cleverly have mid-season sales. And yesterday I got these two dresses (primarily for the office - and they look much nicer worn, then they do in the photos) and a pink/white striped jumper:

Esprit: reduced from £45 to £14.99!

I think I need to clean my camera lens... Esprit: reduced from £55 to £16.99

forever21: £10.50 (and it's not as huge as it looks on the photo)

Food

I made some pizza bites today (seems there is no translation for Pizzaschnecke - as for so many other words...). Really easy, quick and yummy: I used ready made puff pastry dough. Then spread some pesto and sour cream on to the dough, sprinkled with grated cheese and ham, rolled the dough up and cut into pieces. Then into the oven at 200C for about 15-20 minutes. And the result looks something like this:

'Prettiness' can certainly be improved next time

And for dessert, it's chocolate time today. I treated myself to some Hotel Chocolat chocolates, which I can highly recommend.

• Kir Royal: The classic cocktail recreated in soft champagne truffles with a dash of blackcurrant liqueur
• Cherry Deluxe: A succulent whole cherry surrounded by soft amaretto cream [will they taste better than Mon Cheri* (which you can't get in the UK)]
• Bakewell Tart: The almond and cherry flavours of a British classic captured in a soft amaretto and cherry brandy truffles

And they didn't even ask me for my ID today!

Not sure how much will be left of them tomorrow...

* Wikipedia has some interesting facts: The so-called Piemont cherry is not actually a specific type of cherry but a registered brand and refers to a specific way of processing. The name was used as it relates to the native region of the Ferrero (manufacturer) family and is clearly meant to evoke the belief that the cherries get harvested in sunny Italy.

Just for you

A very happy birthday to my big sister:

The last day on earth

Last night in The Big C:

Postscript: Who would have thought that only three weeks later this would come so much closer into my life