Hello my lovelies!

Welcome to this week’s Weekend Coffee Share! How are you? I’m alright, back from my travels, though wishing I was still on the road.

I’ve been feeling the post-travel slump this week and it’s hit me hard. I got back from London on Sunday night.

If we were having coffee today, I’d first of all tell you that I am busy preparing for next week. On Wednesday, Canadian wholesome chef Doris Fin from Feed Your Bliss will visit me, and she’ll put on a vegan & raw food cooking class on Friday that I’m helping to organise.

Several years ago, I got to know Doris as she kindly volunteered to write for my travel magazine Shoestring. So she contributed pieces about eating raw food while on the road, and how to relax muscles while travelling, and we’ve stayed in touch. So next week, we’ll finally meet in person! I just know she’ll cook up a storm, and I’m really curious what she’ll dish up!

The cooking class is on Friday, August 21, from 5pm till late at Naturfreundehaus Solingen-Theegarten. Fee: €40 but this includes all fresh and local ingredients and the meal we’ll prepare and share together.

We’ve got limited space left, so if you want to participate please get in touch with me beforehand.

If we were having coffee today, I’d also tell you that Ronni and Dave, whom I’ve stayed with in Warrington three weeks ago, will get here next Saturday. They’ll be staying for almost a week, and I can’t wait to show the two of them round. We’re even planning on heading to Luxembourg for a day, and we’ll do an overnight trip to Amsterdam together.

However, I’ve still got plenty to do for university until then. I really need to get my act together, and this slump isn’t helping. I hate feeling (and knowing) that I need to get on with things and do so much and my body and brain just go: “not happening. You’d better just lay down, you won’t be doing much anyway.” I’m trying to beat it, but that’s not so simple.

If we were having coffee, I’d ask whether you’ve seen the theatre reviews I posted this week. As you probably know, I saw three plays while I was in London. First I saw Constellations, starring Louise Brealey and Joe Armstrong, at Trafalgar Studios. Then I went to Three Days In The Country at the National Theatre, starring John Simm and Mark Gatiss. And finally, I saw this summer’s most anticipated show: Hamlet at the Barbican, starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

I do love the theatre. In any shape or form, with the possible exception of Christmas pantos. Having grown up in Germany, I really don’t get their appeal – I just put them under “weird British culture.” Hamlet will be shown live in theatres around the world on October 15, and I’m going to see it again, as I know I saw a preview and some aspects are still likely to change until then.

But I checked the rest of the NTlive website, and got a bit carried away. So this autumn, I’ll see the live screenings of The Beaux Stratagem and The Importance Of Being Earnest as well as the encore screening of Coriolanus starring Tom Hiddleston and Mark Gatiss. So those three reviews are coming up for Study.Read.Write between September and November. Did I tell you Tom Hiddleston brushed past me in London? Oh well, I recognised him too late and he didn’t stop or anything, but yeah. That happened.

If we were having coffee today, I’d tell you to tune in tomorrow, as I’ll post some London photos, as I know some of you have been waiting for those. At some point, I will also post my book review for Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore and a review of my Midori Traveler’s Notebook, which I love even more now.

If we were having coffee today, then that’s it from me. Thank you for stopping by. You can find the other Weekend Coffee Sharers via the Linky on Part Time Monster of the #WeekendCoffeeShare tag. Oh, one more thing before I leave. Have you heard of the Ned Flanders themed metal band Okilly Dokilly? They say they’re a “Nedal Band”, and they actually dress in ironed slacks, pink shirt and green jumper and sport moustaches. That just sounds fan-didilly-tastic!

Anyway.

Same time, next week?