Welcome to the February Library Diary!
Ahh, February. Snowdrops are popping up everywhere, it’s not (quite) pitch black when we wake up anymore - and love is in the air. Almost time for us to come out of hibernation, start enjoying the great outdoors again and ditch the thermals - but in the meantime - working out at home with your ever-flexible 'Damson Hill Cottage Library for company is the perfect exercise solution.
There’s also the wonderful ‘Woodland Workout’ happening at Damson Hill Cottage every Saturday and Tuesday of course (a great way to keep warm) which you can follow with a cuppa from Betty the Caravan Cafe. If you need a bit of motivation I’m only a WhatsApp away and remember there are now THREE live workouts per month as part of your Library Membership that you can join in with (or catch up with when it suits you.).
Pilates If you're interested, drop me a line and we can see if we can find a space or add you to the waiting list.
Woodland Workout continues!
The Men's Club, for men in need of a little help with flexibility & core strength : 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month from 8pm.
BOOK NOW for the next Damson Hill Hike on Sunday 20th March at 9.30am.
Next Lift Lean Lite 5 day programme starts on the 21st March and is booking now.
You can read more about all these in the 'classes' section of the website.
Now here’s something interesting...
I read lots of health related articles on line each week - some of which are actually very interesting! I thought I’d include one or two going forward as part of your ‘Library Diary’, just in case you get time for a browse (go on, grab a cuppa).
This one is from www.formnutrition.com (a brilliant company producing plant-based nutritional proteins) about how Alcohol causes weight gain, so perfect if you’ve just completed a dry January and would like to know some more of the facts.
Live Zoom classes...
THERE ARE 3 LIVE ZOOM CLASSES THAT YOU CAN JOIN IN WITH NOW… AND THEY’LL BE Added TO THE LIBRARY too…
Monday Pilates
A classic Pilates matwork class for stretching and toning the whole body.
8pm Mondays for 25 mins.
Wake up Wednesday
A high energy session that’ll workout and energise your whole body.
6.15am Wednesdays for 25 mins.
Friday Sculpt
A blend of HIP Pilates & Barre using light weights. Builds core strength & sculpts.
6.30am Fridays for 25 mins.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89801155754?pwd=UXFZdWRHZ0ZzTm9jbCtsVWR1MFRZZz09
Meeting ID: 898 0115 5754
Passcode: 337011
Recipes for February...
As Shrove Tuesday is on 1st March I thought I would share some alternative pancake recipes that you can trial and enjoy. They can be savoury pancakes for breakfast lunch or supper too or the sweeter kind.
Chickpea Spinach Pancakes
Makes 4
100g chickpea flour (or choose your choice or combo), 240ml of oat milk/water combined or your choice of milk, plus a handful or two of spinach, salt, oil for cooking.
Whizz all the ingredients together, pop some oil in the pan and start flipping.
Chickpea Beetroot Pancakes
Makes 4
Exactly the same ingredients but use 30g of cooked beetroot instead of the spinach.
Fluffy Almond Pancakes
Makes 8
200g ground almonds, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 eggs lightly beaten, 180ml milk of your choice, pinch of salt.
In a bowl mix the almonds, baking powder and salt, whisk the milk and eggs in another, then combine and leave in fridge for 20 mins minimum. Heat oil in pan and start flipping!
Savoury toppings: cherry tomatoes, hummus and other dips, feta, goats cheese, lots of salad greens, avocado, garlic mushrooms, roasted veg, poached egg, smoked salmon, herbs, spices and seeds.
Sweeter toppings: Berries, banana, pear, kiwi, cinnamon, honey, maple syrup, nuts - you can always blend any of these into the pancake mix before you cook them too.
Workout Highlight of the Month
During Lockdown 2020 week in week out I taught a 30 minute Barre class, mainly on our house deck in the heat!
Now that I am teaching a weekly Barre / HIPP / Sculpt live Zoom class on a Friday at 6.30am I thought it fitting I remind you what it was like in those hot days 18 months ago.
This is the classic routine that you will know very well, there’s even a glimpse of Grace and even John in the background at one stage.
Its just 30 minutes long, so grab your chair and your light weights and reminisce.
Get your logs from Damson Hill Cottage!
We are now selling Damson Hill Cottage seasoned hardwood for fire pits, fires and wood burning stoves! A huge builders bag full for £75 so great value… and local delivery is FREE!*
There’s a special price for library members of £130 for 2 bags this month so give Tors a call to order yours. You can pay online to make it easier if you like.
*(There is a small charge for delivering further away ie. Winchester and beyond).
How about trying one of these?
This intensive 5 day health & wellness plan will give you a reboot - all ready for Spring! Brilliant if you could do with switching some unhealthy habits to some new, sustainable ones…. and as a Library Member you get £5 OFF the regular cost of £25 so it’s even better value than usual!
We’ve got another fabulous ‘Damson Hill Hike’ lined up for Sunday 20th March from 9.30am. Including a 10 mile-ish walk with a chance to meet new friends, refreshments along the way and a delicious one-pot lunch back by the fire pit afterwards - all in for £25. What a lovely way to spend a morning!
Our Men’s (Mat) Club is the perfect blend of core strengthening, flexibility increasing workout… with a nice sociable twist. Workout at Damson Hill Cottage -in a small group with plenty of guidance from Tors - and then head to the pub for a refreshing pint of something and some chat. What’s not to like?
