Saturday - Pies, Sunday - more rain.

Oh what a surprise, it is raining again. If my friend Adele in Portugal is reading this then she is probably feeling very smug as it still about 36 degrees out there without a cloud in the sky. I ventured down to the Barbican yesterday to try to relive that holiday feeling, the sun was out yet it still seemed a little chilly, but, I was determined not to whinge. My husband and I decided to treat ourselves to pie and mash at the new pie shop and what a treat it was, local organic ingredients, hand made to perfection. I didn't think I liked pie and thought I was making a compromise to satisfy my husband's Yorkshire taste buds but I think I enjoyed my pie more than he enjoyed his.

Pie? You may be wondering how pie and health and fitness are related but a small pie from time to time can't be so bad, can it? I had trained hard during the morning by running two advanced pole masterclasses which certainly reminded me that I had just had 5 days away from the pole. My students worked like Trojans helping to destroy the statistics stating that all Plymouthians are lazy. After the training session a nice carb loaded pie seemed like just the right thing and washed down with a pint of bitter and twisted real ale at the Cider press also seemed quite satisfactory. For any of you reading this who do not know the Barbican it is a delightful place next to the quay, fishing boats and swans fill the water and there is a continental style row of bars and cafes. Despite Plymouth's poor reputation for good architecture the Barbican provides a welcome break from some of the area's more nasty modern buildings.

What was even nicer about yesterday's trip was that there was no trouble, sometimes the Barbican can be a haven for mindless yobs who see the sunshine as an excuse to drink too much and then pick on someone more vulnerable than themselves. Yesterday was different, the atmosphere was calm, people were smiling and stress levels seemed low. All in all this was a good picture of health in the city.

Not much health advice today apart from enjoy the sun sensibly while you can and if anyone can find me a decent website to link to giving details of The Barbican please let me know, I have just spent the last 20 minute trying to find an informative website giving both pictures , history and up to date information on the Barbican, but have had no luck! Seeing the Barbican is so important to our city surely it should be well promoted on the net - if any of you can find such a website please let me know, otherwise I will start thinking that Plymouth is a lazy city and I am desperate to disprove that so called fact.

Stay healthy,

Sam x