I took a rare afternoon off this week, to visit beautiful Canterbury Cathedral. What a treat the whole city was – ancient, cobbledy alleyways boxed in by an eclectic array of fantastic architecture dating from Tudor to modern; almost every other building housing a tea shop. The cathedral is fantastic (if you like that sort of thing – I do, but I know some of you don’t). So I won’t go into detail about the Romanesque nave, delicate vaulted arches and English perpendicular gothic features, as some of my friends will fall asleep – but I do love architecture and I’m thinking now about studying it for my next degree, then maybe lecturing…
We lit a candle at the shrine of Thomas Becket, murdered so viciously in 1170 but still revered today. It was so calm and tranquil (apart from the hoards of foreign students). Then we visited the 
Canterbury Tales exhibition – Chaucer’s pilgrims’ tales written 600 years ago but presented in 21st century animation and wax. Stories that have survived generations, once told around village fires and now downloaded free-of-charge to Kindles everywhere. It made me laugh. The whole day would have been historic and cultural had I not insisted on spending some money in Phase Eight – but purple lace dresses don’t jump out at you every day. However… I couldn’t relax on my day off, for the simple reason that I couldn’t pick up the internet. So, as detached as I may have chosen to be on my holiday afternoon, the fact that I couldn’t access my email, tweet or check out Facebook was frustrating and irritating. does this make me an addict?? Luckily my meditation training prevented me from completely freaking out or rushing home early, but I couldn’t help bashing my phone at ten minute intervals in the hope that my 3G would miraculously appear or someone somewhere’s wifi would kick in. Still, I coped admirably and, despite the restrained panic, the day remained peaceful and lovely.
Canterbury’s serenity was a sharp contrast to yesterday, when Mel arranged a world record-breaking Zumbathon. More than 350 women pranced about energetically to raise money for Cancer Research. Although news of the challenge spread quickly through word of mouth, via gym sessions and dance classes all around east London and Essex, social media played a huge part in the day’s success, with Facebook glowing at its very best. News of the event was tweeted and posted on social media platforms, resulting in a day that raised a whopping £2500 for Cancer Research. Well done to Mel for organising the 15 hour event and to all the happy, bouncy people who took part!
On the opposite end of the keep fit spectrum, my friend Andrew is busy sending amazing cakes all over Europe by mail order. You possibly know that I love cake; I think I may have mentioned that once or twice… Andrew has baked many cakes for me over the years and they’ve all been gorgeous!! So whether you’re looking for something suitable for gluten- or dairy-free eaters, Kosher, vegan, weird allergies or simply beautiful looking, creamy, chocolatey concoctions, arriving squidgedly through your letterbox, you’ve come to the right place. I’m happy to introduce you – tweet me for more info or an introduction! What do we think about getting cake? Rihanna says: “Ooh baby I like it, you so excited – don’t try to hide it…” (Not sure this one’s suitable for Pinterest…??)
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