What to do in the morning? Go for a walk

Cool air, freshness of the morning and fairly empty streets. I honestly cannot think of a better way to start a spring day than going on a  walk with a friend. Freshly brewed coffee and a favourite magazine could compete? Nay. There is nothing better than a morning walk. 

Recently, I went back to my home-town Warszawa to spend time with family and friends. It was a great time filled with reflection, laughter, relax, interesting chats and, of course, walking. I couldn’t resist.

On the last day of the stay I met a very good friend for last one morning meeting before going back to England. We met at 8am, to be precise, and headed to a local park – Morskie Oko*.
 

We walked, we chatted, and we breathed in the morning atmosphere, reflecting on motherhood, work and life. Children going (or rather scootering) to school, brave morning runners and dog owners with their pets – that all surrounded us. Idyllic.

Morskie Oko has a special place in my life as this is the park that my dad went to as a child, our parents took me and my brother to when we were young and later on I strolled there with my friends during high school and uni years. On one of the visit my husband met there another Ethiopian who ended up being best man on our wedding and a good friend of the family. The park is always on the way and guarantees a place to escape from one of the busiest streets in the city. So strolling across this park with a friend, looking over the hills and ponds is one of essential things for me while being in Warsaw.

But the morning walk can be done anywhere. Even if you stroll along Oxford Street, if you can call that strolling, or have only ten minutes to wander around your local park it’s worthy to use the opportunity. Maybe you can walk through back streets and grab a coffee and a croissant (in Warsaw I would grab one of the sweet buns with poppy seed, cheese or curd...mmm)? Or look above your head and admire the architecture or a blue sky on a good day? Maybe, like me every day, you can only walk along the canal, watch cats playing and ducks wandering too far from the water? Appreciate that! The morning walk, no matter how long or how short, how beautiful or how ugly will give you a time to concentrate before a busy day, pray, think, meditate and start the day afresh, filled with new energy. And morning walk benefits go way beyond just that - it may even change your life like in one Bollywood movie with surprising title... "Morning Walk".

After the stroll around the Morskie Oko, I went to a bakery to buy fresh bread and in another shop I bought fresh lettuce and tomato for breakfast. O, how different they tasted after such a great beginning. And how different the next day looked when the same friend asked by me how her day began, replied that it wasn't as good as the one before. I couldn’t agree more.

*I’ll not attempt to translate the name but you can look it up – just write in google ‘Morskie Oko Warszawa’. If you write the name without the city you will probably be transferred to a website about Morskie Oko in Tatry Mountains on the other end of Poland.

Restaurants that give you more than just a receipt

Paying the bill in the restaurant doesn’t have to be a boring obligation but can be a creative discovery.

So is there anything that can make paying the bill at a restaurant more enjoyable or even fun? Yes, there is and I am not necessarily talking about financial bonuses such as discounts or meal deals but I am talking about creative ways of presenting a receipt to the customers, like the one below from Muriel's Kitchen in South Kensington, London. It goes together with the style of the place and its menu which relates to traditional recipes of family's granny.




Receipt in a pink bucket from Muriel's Kitchen in South Kensington, London

Any restaurant can give you just a bill in a black leather pouch or cover and pass an ordinary message to you and other customers: “could you just please pay for the meal”. But not any and every place can make an effort and present the receipt in a different way. I think that those that do, rather say to their customers “we really enjoyed your visit today and we’re glad you chose us and not our competition; we know that paying the bill is not most interesting part of it, so we want to make it a bit nicer by bringing the bill in a bit different way; we hope you enjoy it and will came back to us again and again”. Doesn’t it sound better?
Even if it’s only marketing trick which is supposed to encourage us, the customers, to come again and spend some more money, I prefer to spend more money in a place that “likes me” than in a place which doesn’t even bother to think outside the box.

On my various visits to restaurants in London and beyond I came across different ways of bringing the receipts to the customers and I am not ashamed to give you the names of the restaurants, because if they’re doing something creative and different, why not.

I especially like the one I saw in Dijon, France. They not only put receipt in a candy bag but add a candy for each guest. Just to make paying a bit sweeter (or less bitter).

 




Receipt in a candy bag from L'Epicerie et Cie in Dijon, France

Sometimes, you don't have to think a lot to come up with something interesting, like those who run Buttery Cafe in Burgh House in London. They're giving a receipt in a shot size glass. So simple, yet different than usual.

But everything started in Ask Italian branch in Oxford. When I saw they way the give the receipts to their customer (see below) something clicked in my mind and I thought that I would start collecting them. I found this one interesting, because (again) it fits in with the idea of the restaurant (cork from wine and the shape of pizza) and is simple but functional - it displays the name of the restaurant and has space for the money/card.

Receipt in a cork from Ask Italian, branch in Oxford

After the first one, I had to wait awhile to find another creative example but it was worthy waiting. In the Restaurant de Paul in Covent Garden, London I've got this gem. At the end of an amazing meal comes another surprise and that is the receipt hidden in a book. I found it discrete and stylish. Even if the waiter or waitress bring the receipt you may not notice it, because it is done in such a gentle way. What's more, it encourages you to spend more time in the restaurant, reading, if you know French, of course.

One of my favourite - receipt in a French book in Le Restaurant de Paul

I had a lot of fun searching for those different ways of bringing a receipt to the customers in restaurants and I'll keep searching and telling you not only where you can get a tasty meal but also, where you can enjoy being in a creative environment with people who, even tough they want your money, can say it in a very kind or funny way.

Blog Challenge: Why is it worthy to start one?

Blog challenge is completed. It took 26 days and brought 24 posts, all letters of alphabet included. On the I've learnt things, which will encourage you to challenge yourself. 

26+ days ago I didn’t know that a challenge I got myself into will show me so many thing, not only related to writing and blogging but also to my personality, a way of expressing myself and topics that matter to me. To my surprise I didn’t even need to wait until I reached letter "Z" as already by "D" I saw how much I could learn from it.

The sheer fact of taking the challenge was already exciting. From the very beginning I was determined not only to begin but also to finish, and to do it well. In the beginning I had doubts (and you will have them too): I couldn't imagine myself writing every single day for next month or so, always having and idea and enough strength to write. I didn’t want to start the challenge and stop half-way. But, as to my surprise, after only few days it became natural. The more I wrote the easier it was to continue. Even though there were days when I felt it would more convenient not to write, I kept doing it. I persevered. My husband all off you, readers were great encouragement with all suggestions and comments. I realised that I can actually write much more often than I used to. For the purpose of the challenge I wrote every day and even though after it finished I may not be able to write so often, I know I can write once or twice a week and not like before - once a month if not less often. That’s also because I realised there are so many things in life to share about that you don't have to wait for the perfect topic. There will be things that will attract the bigger audience but there will be those which will matter only to you but you still need to write about them and have courage to speak up.

The variety of subjects I wrote about, on the other hand, taught me how to express my thoughts and present my opinions. When I was setting up “Mine of Ideas” the main purpose was to write about creative businesses and people. I wanted to continue what I started when I was a full-time journalist. Once I started, I realised I could add more posts about creative thinking and processes behind it but I was thinking I should stick to the original idea. Now I see that it doesn’t have to be the case. I still want to write about all that creative side of business and life but there also other things I can have my say on and which people would like to read about. It helped me to establish a few main areas I want to write about and it may as well turn into another project. 

 

I suddenly realised and I can write about what really matters to me and people will be interested in it and it gave me again a sense of freedom. At the end I felt I want to encourage everyone to take up on a challenge of any kind. If you want to explore a new idea or teach yourself a new habit, start a challenge. Maybe you have a great idea in your mind and you are worrying if it will work, you want to learn to play an instrument, start a group, want to start a new hobby, you want to move to another town or you want to start a new project and you're not sure if that is something for you. Give yourself a trial period by starting a challenge. Just choose a reasonable amount of time not to make it too long.

I encourage you to consider taking on any challenge. It doesn’t have to be writing but can be related to doing acts of kindness, helping others, working out, eating, reading or anything else you want to be better at. It’ll give you a chance to have a look into yourself, review your actions, come up with new ideas and once you complete it, you’ll really have a sense you achieved something.

Wellcome Collection - welcomes incourably curious

One of the "stations" at the exhibition

“An Idiosyncratic A to Z of the Human Condition” at Wellcome Collection is a journey around human life. It amazed me. It didn’t surprise me, because I knew already from their previous exhibitions that Wellcome Collection's creativity has no barriers. But every time they come up with something even better than before and more out of ordinary.
Folks at the Wellcome Collection brought together objects from rich collection of Henry Wellcome, businessman, collector and philanthropist who owned a pharmaceutical company, to show us complexity of human nature. The effect is a mosaic which gives the visitors a sneak peek into human kind... means our kind, though it’s good to distance yourselve. It is a diverse picture, not necessarily the one we see every day. The exhibition took me on a philosophical journey through life and history.

 “An Idiosyncratic A to Z of the Human Condition” has been designed around letters of alphabet – an alphabet rather for grown-ups. Each one of them is a reason to talk about something related to human life. So, P stands for Philosophy, V for Voice, B for Birthdays, U for Urban living, K for Keeping up appearance, J for Journey and I for Individuality. I could list all of them but I don’t want to spoil the surprise if you get to visit the exhibition. You would be mistaken though if you thought that all, that exhibition has to offer is the list of words which anyone can come up with. There are objects matched to each subject such as voice of Florence Nightingale, a model of floating research laboratory used by Henry Wellcome on the Nile River (pictured), sculptures, corset, shoes for bound feet and many more. As much as all those things may sound ordinary on their own when put together they compose an interesting picture showing us humans like we don’t see on a daily basis. I like such games in which we merge something what has a structure (the alphabet) with such a wide subject as humanity. Of course it covers only a small part of what you can say about the human race but it gives an insight into things we wouldn’t usually think about or helps us see them from another angle.

The exhibition consists of two parts – one presents the objects from the collection and the other one gives space for the visitors to express themselves. You can take a picture of yourself (to be posted on Twitter), eat a fortune telling cookie (P for Philosophy), record your own voice, write down the acts of kindness you do from time to time or you did in the past (e.g. buying a favourite chocolate for a husband), you can mark the country you come from on the map as well as pin a place you come from in the UK to visit the Wellcome Collection and finish a story other visitors have started. It gives you a chance to participate and express yourselves. For me it also has another meaning – it shows that we’re all linked to each other in one way or another, we all come with different experience that is melting in a pot of life. The discussion continues on Twitter @ExploreWellcome and you can share your experience of urban living specifically at #HumanSardines. 

For me the exhibition is only a hint, it’s not a finished thing but something I can continue on my own coming up with new words and definitions describing the human nature (which I will definitely do, so watch this space in next month or so). Great asset of the Wellcome Collection is that it crosses barriers. An exhibition about dance takes you on a journey beyond your senses and convention you’ve been used to. If you eat it from one of the plates in Wellcome Collection’s cafe you’re closer to the nature. Wellcome Collection doesn’t allow itself to be put in any box and in any mindset. Every time you get in you expect something and the exhibition takes you even further. Each of their projects open mind, eyes and encourages people not to stop (or get stacked) where they are at the moment. If definitely stands up to its claim which says that it is a place for incurably curious. I am proud to count myself in such company.

Design your day - a solution when you have lots to do and you don't know what to do

I grabbed a list of things to do with phone numbers and addresses on it and a map. I purchased a day travel card and embarked on my journey into the city. This is the story how I designed not one day but many days of my life and how you can do it too.

I really like my days off which don't fall on the weekends, because being an achiever I always have lots of things to tick from my to-do lists and the days off are those I use to accomplish all of my plans. People to meet, places to visit and things to buy accumulate throughout the weeks and when I finally get my free day I go on a journey. It makes me feel like a modern city explorer. Even if I visit places others had discovered before me, I still feel the thrill of seeing something new and adding on to the experience of my life. Later, I am even more happy to tell others in writing about the places I had visited. What makes those days exciting is planning stage, picking things I have to do and those I just want to do and doing something amazingly simple but so exciting. So what do I do?

1. I write down a list of all places to visit, things to do, things to buy that I really want to complete on the day. If they're too many I choose those which are urgent and important or I want to do the most. I check how long will take me a journey from point A to B, B to C, C to D etc., so I know how many places I can tick off in one day.

What appear on my lists are usually current exhibitions, shops I want to visit, people I need to talk to to write for blog and Weekendnotes.com. So I visited Coffee 7 at Forest Gate where I found out about the suspended coffee, Look Mum No Hands in Clerkenwell where I went for the very same reason, Victoria station where I wanted to buy tickets for our little trip and couple other places, October Gallery for the exhibition of Ghanaian painter Ablade Glover, Wellcome Collection (for my next post) and Camden Market to buy creative gifts.

2. Pin them on the map – you can use Google maps like I do or a paper map.

The map I used for planning my great big day off

This way you'll be able to design the best possible route. Even on the days off we have limited time and travelling for too long will eventually make us tired and will prevent us from enjoying the trip. I have some sort of love for logistics and creating routes, so I really enjoy that part of designing my day. I can see which route is quicker or more effective than the other, which place is better to visit in what time of the day etc.

3. Begin the journey
Feel like an explorer! Be a tourist in your own city, town or area. Enjoy every minute of your exploration, soak the atmosphere of places you visit, put your head out of bus's window and feel the breeze on your face. There is nothing better (maybe there is but let's say this gives you freedom)!

At the end of the day I arrive home feeling that I did something. And they weren’t only useful things but things I wanted to do for a long time. So next time you feel you have nothing to do, design your day.

New Year, lost papers and creative chats

It was silent winter evening. I have just left the gym in the midtown – calm, relaxed and cheerful after good sweat at the classes. I still had in my mind commands from the trainer and heard his black humour encouraging words while he was looking at bunch of girls jumping up and down on the steps. Full of good thoughts I went out on the street... and saw papers flying all around. 

First I thought, poor person – seems like they lost a book, notes, report, summary, speech...

Second thought was, what is that – maybe I can read it?

Then I saw a gentleman with a briefcase (I thought a professor of a nearby university) trying to catch them, so I thought, in a flush of compassion, let me help him. I started picking up the papers what, in spite of someone’s problem, was quite a good fun. Like a little game on the streets of London – „chasing papers on a dark and windy evening” – someone wants to take part? After I collected few papers, another person joined in and another, so finally we formed quite a strong team and we managed to collect all of them! As I was handing my pile to the owner, (who turned out to be not the gentleman with a briefcase I saw at first) a bit chubby young man (as for me his student), I saw the last one stacked to the railings, so I gently pointed in its direction, letting the owner have the last word(s). 

Feeling a bit ashamed he said thank you and went off. I didn’t even have time to ask what was the content of the papers. Though I am guessing it was an academic book he has just copied to study for an exam. Poor thing. And later I saw him running to the bus... phew... he got it. But definitely it wasn’t the best evening of his life. 

As much as the story itself felt intriguing, the fact that bothered me the most was that I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. If I could I would ask him what happenned, what was the content of the pages, is the exam going to be tough, what does he study, does he loose the papers on the street very often. Maybe we would become friends, or go for coffee, or I could invite him for Alpha... Worst case scenario, I would just get to know another stranger, have a chat and broaden my horizons. Anyway, something would happen. And that’s the whole point.

If we ask or say something to people we meet by coincidence something happenns. Maybe it is a girl you go for the same classes at the gym, or a person you commute with everyday, or a lady in a coffee shop, or a gentleman with a dog in the park. I am not encouraging you to harras random strangers but recognise if there is a person who needs a talk. It will help both you and them. 

You will cross your boundaries, do something unusual, make yourself happy (of course if this is your type activity), make their day, find out something new, make a new friend or invite that person to Alpha (in my case at least).

Them – they will feel that there are real people in this world, who value relationships and who cares for others, they will think that wonderful things happen, that miracles exist and that WE ARE NOT ALONE.

Be creative in your random conversations. Do not only talk about the weather and if you really have to, talk about the forecast for Buenos Aires, not for London, because that will not breath too much of optimism to your conversation. Talk about their favourite colours, where are they from, their new year’s resolutions, their dreams, last book they’ve read or a film they’ve watched. Do not be afraid – if you say something silly – it is a one off. If you meet in the future you will both laugh at it as talking to a stranger is silly enough. Open up yourself to the world.

Adventure of a lunch hour

What can you do within an hour? Let's see - go from South East to North West London by tube, run few kilometres, walk probably half of that distance, and cook a casserole. You can also waste it in the queue in the bank or at the post office. But you can choose to do something what will enrich you and make your daily routine more exciting, like take part in a discussion, attend church service or learn how to sing. During lunch break most people rush in the direction they only know, others sit in the restaurants enjoying their meal with business partners, colleagues or friends but you can try to spend it differently  I attended different lunchtime events within an hour and here are is the result.

I work in the part of London where there is nothing interesting to do and nowhere interesting to go, maybe apart from one big field. So on one of my days off I wanted to see how is it to take a 'real' lunch break in Central London. Before I arrived to Oxford Circus at 1pm I had to prepare good logistic plan and get to know what's available out there.

 

I started with lunch time service at All Souls Church at 1.05pm I was greeted by the church staff and took a seat at the back of the room as I didn’t want to disturb anyone later on when I would be leaving before the end of the service. The service lasts approximately 30 minutes and is followed by sandwich lunch, so you don't even need to eat later at your desk or spend extra money on your way back to the office. The service I attended gathered about 50-60 people. It started with a song followed by teaching. The theme was based on first two chapters of the book of Nehemiah and was part of the series – “In the workplace with… (fill in the gap with any Biblical character).” I had to rush off to another event, so I left All Souls Church before the service finished but it was a time well-spent and if I was working in the area I would be their guest more often.  

I quickly walked to the tube station and took Bakerloo line to Trafalgar Square to attend the next event - a lunchtime talk in the National Gallery. I had problems with finding the room it was taking place, so I strongly advise you to find out the exact location before attending any lunchtime event. After all, you don't want to waste your precious time on running around a gallery or a church only to listen to the message for last few minutes and miss on the whole experience.

The room in Sainsbury Wing was packed when I arrived, mostly with middle age and elderly people listening to the lecture about “Post-impressionism and Roger Fry". The lecture was planned to last 45 minutes and even though I got there for only last ten minutes it still was a pleasure to get a bit of cultural knowledge and watch some interesting paintings with a commentary.

I managed to fit these two events within an hour and that included travelling from one place to another. Pretty good, isn't it? There are many more events available during lunch hour and you can enjoy them on different days of the week. One day you can attend a lecture, another a church service, a workshop or just walk around you workplace. Whatever you choose it will be time well-spent. Just don't plan too much for one hour as instead of enjoying one thing to the fullest you will get back to the office even more tired. The following day after church/gallery experience I went for a talk in Photographers' Gallery, also at Oxford Circus, and spent there most of my 'lunch break'. Meeting with people with similar interest in the middle of the day is refreshing and gives you inspiration to take back to the office for the rest of the day.

Spending lunchtime in a different way is a unique and positive experience. It showed me something new, it enriched me with knowledge and… logistic skills.

I appreciate all of those who organise lunchtime activities. They are creative in offering the public the best they can in a very short time. So instead of having your lunch 'al desko' go out there and check all those singing classes, scientific lectures, gym exercises, volunteering opportunities and many more…

Talking pictures

I was walking around the Christmas Market at Southbank to see what has been popular this Christmas season. As usual there was knitwear, sweets and jewelerry but there were some new gadgets as well - Peruvian ponchos, flashing circles and jewellery with real flowers. However none of them really impressed me until I saw two things. The first one was amazingly smelling wreath made of dried fruits and spices but the second one was even better. This was a word created out of pictures of letters. Not just any ordinary letters but letters found here and there around London found in buildings' shapes, public space and "in nature".

 

These little pieces of art are all created by Naomi Bid hiding under nickname “Quirk London” who says about herself and her work that it “is all about finding quirkiness around London! I am a photographer and I specialise in letter art: I try to find the shapes of the alphabet in the natural surroundings all around London None of the images were 'set up' or faked, every picture was taken exactly how I found it.”

The effect is also far from fake. It's fresh, honest and astonishing. Every words is like a puzzle as sometimes you need to think what it says. You can buy already ready words but you can also make your own from chosen letters in colour and in black and white. That fact adds another dimension to the picture which is created as a result as you can choose those shapes that have a special meaning to you or to the person you will present with such a gift.  

Every piece brings a lot of fun (you can try and guess where each picture was taken) and can be surprising gift for anyone. The author must be a great observer of the urban space to find all those shapes and put it together int words  

 

More pictures can be seen here.  

World's Greatest Jewel

Can you imagine 300,000 pieces of puzzle spread on the floor? Do you think you would know which two pieces put together first? Sounds difficult,  doesn't it? But this is exactly what Chris Chamberlain did to create his portrait of the Earth entitled “Jewel of the Universe”. It has been made from precious gems, stained glass and LED lights. The artist (innovator? performer?) has created map of the world from 260 carats of jewels, 330,000 hand-cut pieces of stained glass and 6,900 LED lights. If that's not yet enough, every major city has been marked with a different precious stone.The result is stunning.

Chamberlain's work was exhibited in ROA Gallery on Pall Mall and can be still viewed can on artist's official website.

by Paula 

The whole picture is breathtaking - all those little piece matched perfectly together to show our precious planet. Map of the world is something unique and fascinating in itself but the way it has been presented by Chamberlain makes it not only a practical object but a piece of art. It sparks imagination. It’s amazing how much effort Chris Chamberlain put into this work just to show “the vibrancy, uniqueness and beauty of Earth”.

I have never seen something like this before and I admire the artist. It took him 26 months to complete the project but it is worthy any amount of time. And it will be reminding its owner about beauty of this world.

“Jewel of the Universe was created in loving honour of our world ... and especially its precious life ... a world that’s so endlessly fascinating, so endlessly beautiful … and with an aliveness that beams out into space as if with the chorus ‘here we are, there's nothing better, there never will be.”
Chris Chamberlain 

Covent Garden: Classical music with a modern touch

Oopsie Mamushka combines classical music and modern approach towards performance. Their improvisation of Vivaldi's Four season or another classical piece, will amuse you. 

As Hyde Park has its Speakers' Corner, Covent Garden has its informal musicians' corner. Located near Nauticalia, next to the steps in the market's courtyard, it tempts visitors with beautiful sounds. Instead of shopping they start searching where the sound is coming from. When I first heard Oopsie Mamoushka, a group of string players, playing I just followed the sound to find them.

That day, late in the afternoon I was passing through Covent Garden market, breathing in its Christmas atmosphere, when I heard the sound of my favorite violin. I followed the sound to the lower part of the market. In one of the corners I saw a group of four people having a lot of fun while playing classical music.

As many other passers by I just stood amazed and hypnotised, not only by beautiful sound but mostly by the show the group was giving. Two men and two women were beating the rhythm with their feet, moving and playing scenes while playing the music. They were interacting with the listeners, smiling and really feeling the music.

As I listened to their music and watched the show, I felt so joyful. I thought that there were still people who are not that serious about classical music and want others to follow them. And that all for pleasure and fun of playing only. They made formal and sophisticated pieces of music into something completely opposite, Isn't it easy to make someone's afternoon magical? 

Good Gym: Run the Race With a Purpose

Good Gym runners do good not only to their bodies but also to other people. 

It was few minutes past meeting time when I arrived to Archway Gallery in East London to join the runners from Good Gym. They get together every week in different locations to run and do something for the community – move the furniture at school, help elderly people or organise a community garden. Simple yet meaningful .  

I passed the door and a thick curtain and saw over two dozen people warming up before the run. I quietly joined them. People were still coming in - some of them directly from work. After a quick change of uniform they were joining the rest of the group. Mark, the leader of the group, announced the most important things - the route (7 km) and the purpose of that run (shuffling a big heap of soil in a community garden) I was soaking in the atmosphere of doing something good with other people. Over thirty of us who barely knew each other gathered together to help others. And one thing was going through our mind - run to help others and increase the level of good done in the local community. As we were getting ready to set off, I breathed in the atmosphere of partnership and working for common good. That's the fuel to run on! 

The sky was already turning darker when we finally set off but it didn't discourage anyone. Once we reached Victoria Park and were running along the canal we were already spread across few hundred metres. While trying to catch breath I spoke about Good Gym to its coordinator Mark.
While  we were talking, we reached the end of the canal path and we were running again on the streets of East London. At 8pm there was barely anyone out. 

When we reached the community garden, it was already dark but it didn't stop us nor took any of our enthusiasm. We were warmly welcomed by Tanjina, Kerry and two little children. One of them, a girl around three years old, was very excited about the work we were about to do and while we were listening to the instructions she started pushing one of wheelbarrows! A three year old pushed a big and heavy wheelbarrow! 

There was a huge heap of soil waiting to be shuffled to wheelbarrows and transported to the garden boxes. We organised ourselves quickly and started to work cheerfully. Some runners got the wheelbarrows and shuffles while others were trying to figure out forking the soil and were also looking for bags and buckets to carry as much soil as possible. Soon everyone got into production line mood. Commands were heard from all over “wheelbarrow to the end”, “wheelbarrow to the middle stand and next one next to the gate”. We were moving like ants in their anthill. After few minutes the heap looked much smaller. 

Working in a of positive trance, we heard Mark shouting that 15 minutes had passed and we left with twenty five. Most of us sped up. Countdown had continued - 10, 5 minutes and finally one last one. We felt like at an exam - when you left with one last minute and try to write as much as you know. Finally, the time ended. Last buckets and wheelbarrows were filled and shuffles put aside. Everyone breathed with a relief but most of all with joy, because again they did something good. They made a difference.

We left with one last group picture to be taken, words of thank you from Tanjina and Kerry and it was time to go back. Few people decided they would come back after few days to finish the work. We've been given water, juice and biscuits. It helped to regenerate before the run back. 

The next morning I woke up with hands sore with pain from shuffling kilograms of soil. It reminded me how well we did as a team. Mark sent an email with blog post and statistics of the challenge. Total time: 120 min, total distance: 7.2km, average speed: 8.6 km/hr, total calories burnt: 1017. Level of positive energy increased by 100 per cent. 

Bitter-Sweet Taste of Cupcake

It was one of London's rainy Wednesdays when Melissa Morgan was heading to the Greenwich Market with three dozens of handmade cakes to sell. It was her trial day. With her mum by her side, who came specially for that day from Canada, it seemed like a first day at school. 
It was cold, Melissa wasn't sure if she had made a right decision and she was scared of other traders who would be following her every step and observing her throughout the day. Despite all that, she and her mum stayed at the Greenwich Market for the whole day - freezing but filled with joy as they sold all the cakes long before the closing time.

That was in 2010. Now Melissa Morgan is well-known London vegan sweets maker. But she is not going to finish planning and dreaming, because as she says, every time one dream is fulfilled another is born. And her cupcake oriented mind stores many dreams – having a stall and a shop was only the beginning. With her own cook book on the horizon, having a TV show will be the next step. 

From teaching to baking

The story begins some time before the stall in Greenwich Market. She was teaching drama and music in primary schools and doing a lot of consultancy, so she traveled extensively around the UK. Melissa loved her job but everyone around encouraged her to do something about her passion for baking. She had always loved making sweets and was giving them to family and friends as gifts. As a vegan she had been looking for suitable treats in London but found nothing interesting. Nagged by her friends and family she started researching how to run business from her own kitchen and sell hand-made products at the market.

She had no idea about running a business but was good in asking questions. "I went to several workshops. I phoned different kind of authorities to find out what my kitchen had to have to be considered safe. I also researched London markets to find out where could I sell the most but also where I would have a chance to build relationships with the customers" Melissa recalls.

Ms. Cupcake is born

When she was given a stall for a trial at the Greenwich Market she was ready with the products and business idea. She had already set up a fanpage on Facebook and an account on Twitter and was communicating with potential customers. For them she was Ms. Cupcake. Because of the relationship she had built, customers started coming to Greenwich. That's what market owners liked and allowed Melissa to sell there few days a week on a regular basis.

Soon another opportunity came - this time it was an offer from Brick Lane market, one of the trendiest markets in London. - I thought I would be teaching few days a week and the rest would be baking and selling cakes at the market. Very soon I realised it was impossible and I needed to  make a decision what to do. My family gave me a year to try. We made an ultimatum, if it didn't work, I would go back to teaching" says Ms. Cupcake. This is how she became full-time market trader. "I was waking up at 6 am, packing my car and from 8 am to 5.30 pm I was at the market. Boxes with supplies were everywhere, even in my bedroom" Melissa laughs. She needed help "I hired Derek, who is now Ms.Cupcake's shop manager, to help me. It meant I had a stranger in my kitchen while I wasn't at home".

In the beginning it didn't seem like fulfilling a dream. "Very quickly I realised I needed to change something, otherwise I would go mad. We had to move to a permanent shop" admits Melissa. Asked, if  it didn't happen too quick, she answers firmly "I had already made a decision that I was not going back to teaching, so I had to make a move. It meant even bigger responsibility but  it was also a chance to get closer to the customers."

Before opening a shop she took two weeks of 'holidays'. – I toured some of  the biggest American cities – NYC, Jersey, and Philadelphia and visited vegan cake shops. The owners were more than happy to talk to me when they heard I was going to open something like this in London." With every conversation, she picture of her business was getting clearer. She was on a mission of fulfilling her customers' dreams of vegan birthday and wedding cakes. She not only had the idea but also location to make it come true - it was in Brixton market in south London where she is still based. Three weeks before opening she realised she still needed around ₤1000. With her team they set up the stall in front of the shop-to-be and started selling the cakes to earn that money for. They made it.

More than just a cupcake

Shop opened the Brixton shop on anniversary of her first day at the market. It was 1st April 2011, Fool's Day. But the business wasn't a joke at all. "Once we started, I again had to think outside the box because the shop wouldn't earn all the money" says Melissa openly. She started giving classes. After hours she was teaching how to decorate cupcakes but also how to run a business from home and at the market. The classes proved successful and are now organised regularly. If you pass Ms. Cupcake's shop on some of the evenings you will see a group of several people starring at her and soaking every of her word. Asked, if she is not afraid of competition, she answers that it’s her duty to share the knowledge she got and let others open their own businesses. She knows what they need to go through, because she had to do it herself. – Each person who comes to the classes has different personality and also the business they want to set up is different than all others. This is why I’m not afraid of selling my ideas."

If that wasn't enough, Melissa speaks at the conferences, writes for magazines and is preparing a cook book to be published in 2013, as well as a TV show. Her growing popularity is not only the consequence of high quality of her products but also of Melissa's personality. "Name and character of Ms. Cupcake came before everything else. It helps me to express myself. Even my shop and home look similar" she says.

Love and passion for vegan sweets of this energetic Canadian woman, who has lived in the UK for many years, is visible and contagious. As she says, she looks at business from non-business perspective. She enjoys every day in the shop and every part of her business. And is always on the look for new opportunities.

She also does manage the business in a fair way. "I don’t pay minimum wage, because it would mean staff involvement is also minimum. By paying them fair money I get great and passionate people who are fulfilling their dreams in the shop" admits Melissa.

Derek, Sara, Fibi, Jhenn and Tracy couldn't live without Ms.Cupcake and her products. And she couldn't live without them. Every day they have great fun creating new recipes, especially when they try to turn non-vegan food into vegan. Recently they tried it with lemon curd! That must have been real fun. "I hire the most creative people from different parts of the world and we all together make this company fun" says Melissa.

Is Ms. Cupcake ever going to stop? "My brain is like one big cupcake. I want to go on a national level but I'm not ready yet". Even though different supermarket chains wanted to sell her products she keeps saying no. "I’m not yet ready. I am also not yet ready to open another shop in a different city. I feel you can only grow to the point you’re really ready for" she says. Maybe it’s not a usual business approach but Ms.Cupcake knows why and what she is doing and sooner or later she will bake many more cupcakes with her attitude. 

Leftovers from scratches

Margot Waggoner’s, half French, half American girl living in London, dream to open shop with vintage clothes came true much sooner than she'd expected. Once opened she thought it wouldn't survive longer than three months, but Leftovers has been growing for two and half years. She says she was lucky, I say she found her niche.

When you come in to Leftovers, a shop with French vintage clothes in Brixton Village in South London, you are welcomed by clothes hanging from the ceiling, on the walls and on the railings. Clothes are all over this tiny place. You feel like you entered an old attic where you can browse for a whole day and you can be sure you'll find a fashion gem or two. Behind the counter sits a frail brown-hair girl welcoming you with a smile and engaging small talk. That’s Margot Waggoner. Her small unit in this South London market is full of clothes brought from south of France and from Paris. She looks for them at flea markets, in vintage shops and on the clearances at the castles for sale! London  airport staff doesn’t check her documents anymore, because they know who “the girl with the bags” is. At the moment she can’t count how many clothes she displays but they are all over the shop – children’s clothes, dresses and accessories.
The beginning wasn’t easy though, and Margot didn’t even expect to run the business for longer than a few months. But it seems that her passion, energy and spirit, and courage to take a risk, won.

From Paris to London

Margot studied Fashion Design in Paris but didn’t want to be a designer. She thought she could be a stylist. While still studying life led her to work in a shop with vintage clothes and antiques run by Brigitte Compagne. It's more of an institution than an ordinary shop - top designers, film producers and costume designers go there to find an inspiration, costumes for the movies, or to have a chat with the owner. Margot continued to work there after her graduation in 2008. She admits: " I learnt there how to make a business". After she moved to London to be with her boyfriend, she did an internship at Alexander McQueen's. – While there I realised didn’t want to go deeper into the fashion industry because this business seemed too stressful and too fast paced. I love clothes but I hate fashion, because it has nothing to do with each other –  the owner of the Leftovers comments. She was dreaming to own a shop but was sure that such a thing can’t happen any sooner than in 20-30 years. The opportunity came as a surprise. - I was coming to Brixton for shopping and found out about competition to run a business in Brixton Village. My boyfriend, who is an accountant, helped me to write the business plan and the agency organising the competition accepted it – Margot tells the story. That time many new businesses moved in to Brixton Village.

Welcome to Brixton

At the time Brixton Village wasn’t a place where people wanted to go. There were Colombian restaurant, a hairdresser and… drug dealers. Spacemakers, an agency which specializes in recreating urban space, took the challenge to rejuvenate Brixton Village, and it was them, who announced the competition. Businesses that won were allowed not to pay a rent for three months but the units they were given required a fundamental refurbishment. That’s when Margot thought that her shop will survive only three months. She had some clothes ready to sell as she had been collecting them, so when the opportunity to open her own shop appeared, she was ready. - I had around twenty pieces of clothes, but Brigitte, from the antique shop in Paris, offered me some more and in return we shared the income – explains Margot. Even now her mentor supports her by advertising Leftovers on her own shop website.

What am I doing here?

In the beginning it wasn’t easy. It was cold and customers weren’t many. Doubts if she had made a right decision were unavoidable. - We opened in December, so time before Christmas was pretty successful. January and February were really hard, because it was cold and we didn’t have any heating. In the beginning, there were weeks when I wouldn’t see people in here. It was depressing. When my mum or my boyfriend called I had hoarseness because I wasn’t talking to anyone for a whole day – says Margot. She was making enough money to pay the bills and buy a lunch. Thankfully she didn't need a loan to start the business, so she could be thinking about expanding. She started her business from savings and with friends’ help. Somehow she survived the tough times.

 Her patience was rewarded that summer. It became warmer and Brixton Village became more popular. People started coming and the shop started making a real profit. She became her own boss, learnt book-keeping and other skills. Business is only in her hands, so she barely have time to rest - in past two years she had only few chances for short getaways but nothing longer. Margot started thinking to hire someone but she realises she is not yet able to pay them enough money. – I don’t want to pay minimum wage because I know what does it mean to work for such  money. I prefer to wait and find someone in the right time – a person who will be happy to come to Leftovers and meet people everyday – explains Margot. This is what can be called a responsible business.

A nose for success

Margot thinks her success lies in the clothes she sells. They all come from France, so for the English customers they are unique. Moreover, she puts her heart into searching and knows the industry she is working in. It's being noticed and Leftovers are being mentioned in press like ASOS Magazine. It was singer Jessie Ware who recommended Leftovers in an interview there. 

Now, when the business is going in the right direction, Margot can think about further development. - My next steps are to set up the website and online shop. My shop can’t be bigger, so I choose to expand online – she admits. Margot admits that London is catalyst of her success. - While I was in France I thought that opening my own shop is impossible – customers and investors there have less trust for young people. In London they see their energy and risk they take and appreciate that – admits owner of the Leftovers. Her success sets a path for others.

written by: joanna sopylo-firrisa