Consuming 30,000 cups at our desks every year, tea is the essential elixir that gets us through the working day. Its restorative properties help spark ideas, relieve stress and provide a soothing moment of calm. But with sales of alternative tea soaring, has the traditional office brew had its day? I headed to tea bar and shop, Piacha, to get the lowdown on the new tea trends that could soon be sweeping through your office.
Piacha tea bar
As the cold and rain continue to batter our misery-laden, grey old island, my thoughts turned wistfully to freshly plucked, glistening seafood savoured on endless blue-sky summer days. And where better to seek wish fulfilment than at Covent Garden’s Big
Easy Bar. B.Q. and Lobstershack. Specialising in all American tucker from ribs and hogs to steak and seafood, the Big Easy Lobster fest grabbed my eye. But was it really worth shelling out my salary for? Claws at the ready, I set off to find out.
The Big Easy, Covent Garden
After a few years of absence, the Chinese New Year celebrations in London will take place once again on Sunday 22nd January. As the biggest celebration outside Asia, 300,000 people flock to Trafalgar Square and Chinatown every year to take in London’s most colourful festival.
As Valentine’s Day returns, office romances are thriving with nearly 40% of
office workers finding love between the spreadsheets. This is just one of many
fascinating vital statistics revealed in CareerBuilder’s Office Romance survey.
A high-risk career strategy or the path to everlasting love? We reveal all………
Office romance
Proving more than a mere flash in the pan, Pancake Day has endured since the
15th century. Providing a spot of light relief before the privations of Lent, what better excuse to indulge in some wanton Nutella indulgence. Never missing a treat, London’s office workers have also got in on the act with pancake races taking place across the capital. Grabbing my frying pan, I nipped down to London Bridge during my lunch break to catch a slice of the action.
Better Bankside Pancake race
Offering towering mountains, coursing rivers and shimmering plains, Tibet sparks the imagination like nowhere else. A mecca for mysticism, its magnificent monasteries, fluttering prayer flags and chanting monks are as compelling as its dramatic scenery. Intrigued by this mysterious land, I slipped out after work on Thursday to explore Tibet’s Secret Temple at the Wellcome Collection.
Yarlung Zangbo River, Tibet.
Creativity, spontaneity, playfulness and relaxation are just a few of the fringe benefits of the hot new trend in mindful colouring. With a 300% increase in sales of adult colouring books in Waterstones last year, it’s clear that doodling’s not just for kids. Capable of slotting into even the most meagre lunch break, could mindful colouring de-stress me from more grown-up PowerPoint pursuits? Packing my felt tips in my work bag, I prepared myself for a mindful lunch break filled with whirls and swirls.
Mindful colouring
What do you dream of doing on holiday? Flopping on the beach, sipping evening cocktails, perhaps a street market or two. Or climbing to the top of a volcano. Gazing across the Caribbean Sea from the lush volcanic summit of St Lucia’s Gros Piton would take some beating. Injecting a dash of adventure into your weekends is the first step to dreaming bigger with your annual leave. Dreaming of St Lucia’s bubbling hot mud baths, I embraced the squelching mud of Surrey’s Box Hill in preparation for my longed-for Caribbean adventure.
Box Hill hike
Relaxing on deck, savouring gourmet cuisine and visiting exotic ports – the cruise lifestyle’s a far cry from life back at the office. If you’ve ever dreamt of cruising round the Caribbean or disembarking to visit the Rio Carnival, the London CRUISE show is for you. Hosting the largest collection of major cruise lines and specialist cruise operators all under one roof, it’s Europe’s leading cruise event. And we’re giving away free tickets to three lucky readers.
The London Cruise Show
Rising at 7.00 to run round a muddy field on a Saturday morning has as much appeal as sticking pins in my eyes. But shamed by my expanding midriff and spurred on by my alternative New Year’s resolutions, parkrun was calling. Enticed by the tidal wave of rave reviews, I dragged myself kicking and screaming out of bed to find out what all the fuss was about.
Shaking up Saturday mornings at parkrun