photo.

a too-far-away friend is a much better photographer than i could ever hope to be. her images inspire me and the work she does, and the reasons she does it are inspiring too.

take a peek at her blog post today. it took my breath away. and her words. oh they are something also.

a.b. is set to arrive in 12 hours. i'm about to run to homegroup (hoping they kept some dinner for this late-at-work-girl.)

so so excited for this weekend and just spending time doing nothing with my single most favourite sibling (ok so she's my only sibling, but it's a sister thing, ya know?)

cake.

sometimes, i don't know why, i get it in my head that the weekend will be incomplete without a cake. the thing about cake though is that with two of us, it's usually a little while before the entire cake gets eaten...so i'm always on the lookout for cakes with some heft and that appear rather dense and moist.

101 cookbooks is one of my favourite cooking blogs, although i'm usually too intimidated to actually cook anything from the site - the strange and wonderful ingredients are just so california, and i definitely live in england (grin.). but when i saw this last week, i knew i had to make it. pitched as the perfect cake for toting around, i knew it would have the resiliency to stand strong for days to come - and indeed, we're still eating it - it's been packed for lunch today!

a colleague and i the other day were remarking that while we don't crave a treat after dinner necessarily, after lunch at work, it seems almost imparative. perhaps it's the whole having to eat lunch at your desk? the blandness of being at work? or just the need for a midday pick-me-up? personally, i think it is due to my packed lunches as a child always including a cookie or a square, something to finish off the lunchbox...lunch treats are the best kind.

i won't attempt to rewrite the recipe, heidi does it so well here. i'll just tempt you with instagram photos of the gorgeous, delicious, luscious and wonderful thing that it is. it's not even all that sinful - what with yogurt, maple syrup and whole wheat flour, it's practically healthy! i could see this making an foray into a regular baking routine. a cake that can last.

sacred mundane guest post.

i'm guest blogging over at sacred mundane today. join me?  

geneve.

geneva, a city for international politics and business and travellers seeking a gateway to the mountains. it's not exactly on the top-ten list of coolest spots in europe. it's a city with purpose: banking, the UN, watches, you know swiss things. as i was researching geneva i read this small but incredibly interesting fact: geneva was one of the hotbeds of the reformation. the reformation that broke the protestant church from the catholic church, the reformation that refocused christians on the central tenants of christian faith, as taught by jesus. encompassed by the 'five solas' they translate into 'by grace alone, by faith alone, through christ alone, through scripture alone, to the glory of god alone.' this is the bedrock of protestant thought, particularly in the reformed and presbyterian traditions.

via: www.monergism.com

john calvin spent much of his ministry in geneva and consequently there are many significant sites in the old city associated with the reformation. the international museum of the reformation was absolutely excellent. it gave a great overview of the story of the reformation from its beginnings and martin luther, through to how it is currently expressed in present day. a fascinating story and a very well appointed museum, definitely a must-see for anyone visiting geneva. 

we were also able to visit the small church where calvin preached more than 2000 messages! in the early days the geneva council required him to preach three times a week and twice on sundays, this was later reduced to once on sundays, and three times during the week.

and finally we climbed the bell tower of the cathedral. it was a spectacular day, crisp and cold, but with brilliant sunshine! the climb was personally very gratifying for me, as i was exactly one year post injury and three months post surgery and able to do it all without pain! recovery is definitely in progress. 

geneva's famous fountain, from the roof of the cathedral

after a lunch of cheese (what else?) and crepes (oh my!) we started to head for the mountains. it was wonderful to finally see some of the city that i've travelled through many times in recent years, but only ever enjoyed the airport. and it was a real blessing to learn more about the history of our faith and the struggles that so many endured to keep the faith. 

the coffee. it comes with a chocolate and a glass of water - it's pure genius.

lately.

i spent the better part of saturday afternoon and evening and sunday morning and afternoon reading the hunger games.  while it is a teen fiction, it's incredibly well written, and an extremely interesting exploration of good and evil, and of redemption. i heartily recommend it. 

on another note, i had this sicilian orange today. it is without a doubt or an exaggeration, the single best orange i've ever eaten. i'm glad i took a picture of it. 

i've been podcast crazy at the moment. radiolab has been overwhelmingly good recently.

and i did my first spin class in more than eight months - it felt good to move again, to have my heart pound so hard against my chest it felt it would explode, to pour sweat, to feel the energy again.

i must finish with the single best recipe i've found in a long time. le boy is in love with this dish. skinny enchiladas...oh. my. word.

march.

a day behind. i feel that way a lot recently. like i'm coming to life late or something. i wonder if i need to slow down or speed up or evaluate what's on my list and what's possible or get a better routine or abandon routine? but i'm also here. so that's good.

a recap on february. i'm trying to be gentle with myself. some great things (great big things) happened, but they took energy and time, and so there was less of me to do the things i absolutely love. i've also decided to set myself a monthly creativity goal - most often sewing or knitting i expect, but we'll see what else makes it's way in...

creative: i finished a baby blanket for our closest friends' new baby, she is now snuggled up in it, so it was finished and delivered just in time. no pictures of the blanket yet, but i used this purlbee pattern and i LOVE the way it came out. possibly the cushiest, softest, loftiest baby blanket.

spiritual: memorised hebrews 4:12 & john 10:10

physical: ran/walked my first 2 km in more than 13 months! this is huge. i've not lost weight as quickly as i'd like (we went to france, they do bread and cheese and chocolate particularly well...), but i am reinvigorated to stay focussed on the goal!

mental: this was pretty much a failure. i started off with my fiction pick - the children's book by a.s.byatt. a.s.byatt is notoriously dense. and this is no exception. i am liking the story, it's just taking a long time to plough through. i may set it down to read the hunger games, which a.b. emailed me about to say that i HAD to pick it up. i'll report back. in other news, i've decided that at the top of my birthday wish list is a kindle, perhaps this will make reading novel (no pun intended) again! i've also started eat this book by eugene peterson, in the non-fiction category, i'll report back.

::intentions for march::

physical: get to running 20 min straight through. lose 2kgs (but i have a good incentive, we've just booked a florida trip for easter, so it's bathing suit (or swimming costume, as they say here) time! 

mental: read the hunger games - i'm so serious about this i'm picking the book up on my way home tonight :) finish the children's book and eat this book. 

spiritual: i've started a lenten devotional on my youversion bible app - i want to make sure i finish it! and to continue memorizing two scriptures this month. 

creative: working on a short sleeved alpaca sweater knit sideways - i'll be interested to see how this goes, and sew a slip cover for a storage unit in our living room.