Dancing at dawn with Morning Gloryville

Dancing at dawn with Morning Gloryville

When my alarm went off at 4:45am, I wasn’t sure if going to a rave before work was a good idea.  However, it was the autumnal equinox and there was sunshine in the forecast.  I got myself out of bed, ate some breakfast and ordered an Uber to get me to the Shard in a hurry.  Morning Gloryville (MG) had already started and I needed to be there before dawn.

Driving up to the Shard in the dark of night

It has been years since I went to a MG event.  That was back in the day when they were just starting out by renting empty warehouses in Shoreditch.  With the lights on and being 100% sober, those events were a bit more surreal because you felt like you were in a club but could just see what it really looked like during the day.  I didn’t know exactly what to expect at the Shard event aside from an amazing view of the sunrise.  My only time there was to take part in a yoga class a few years ago.

Good morning London!

My friends Corey and Eileen got there at the start.  From the 5:30am to about 6:45am, there were several morning rituals involving chanting, drums, and energy releases to welcome in the Equinox at sunrise.  I was glad that I chose to sleep a bit later and arrive just before sunrise.  It was the best of both worlds- to have more energy and see London slowly awaken.  I wasn’t really with it yet when I arrived so I think too much time with the chanting might have put me back to sleep. I didn’t realize this was part of the schedule for the day.  Next time there is a special edition MG, I will look more closely at the timetable. 

Tarot reading area

The 69th floor is a square with stairs in the middle so only two of the sides really faced the sun.  Even though MG started super early, there was still a big crowd ready to take part in the ancient traditions.  Another side of the square had the entrance from the lift and a bar with plenty of food and drink to buy with hardly any queues.  All the things available were very healthy selections of smoothie bowls, vegan cakes, and botanicals (virgin) cocktails.  The fourth side had beautiful face painting, tarot readings, a charity, and complimentary massages.  There wasn’t a booking system for any of these meaning you had to stand in a line but you made some new friends in the queue while waiting.  I tried to book in for a massage because there was a paper signup at first, but it was too confusing after the rituals ran overtime.  I just wanted to dance.  A guy I saw get up from a massage looked to be in absolute bliss.  I will have to  make it a priority next time.

Vegan sugar-free cakes

The dance floor facing east was packed every time I did a lap of the floor.  The weather that day was perfect for our bird’s eye view over the city.  You could see very far, and even observe fog rolling steaming up on the river.  At the top of the Shard, the bright sunshine was a natural way to light the dance floor and build up your positive energy for the day.  We could not have been any luckier!

Here comes the sun, little darling

There were a few kids there, which at first struck me as odd, but if there is a sober rave when kids would normally be up at home, why not bring them along?

Adorable dragon baby princess

If you needed fresh air or space to chill, the open air on the 73rd floor gave you the opportunity to relax or take part in one of three yoga classes.  Most of the MG events will have free yoga, so plan ahead better than I did and try to find out the schedule when you arrive.  I missed out because I didn’t realize the class times until it was too late to join.

Free yoga

Sadly I had to leave for work at about 8am.  This is when a live band took over from the DJ.  The party lasted until 9:30am for those who had a more flexible day.  If you had been able to stay the whole time, you would have definitely got your money’s worth.

I am a dancing fool so I will attend another MG and bring my husband along.  We never seem to make it to the clubs because we are old but this is a good compromise if you don’t have to be at work until 9am.  A cocktail would have been nice but I can still have a good time without it.  MG holds events all over London and across the globe so you don’t have too much of an excuse not to come along..  They are always looking to expand too if you want to suggest a venue near you.

Morning ritual facing west, giving you an idea of the costumes people wore


The next MG is Thursday 5th October at Ministry of Sound
 with Summer of Love theme.  Fancy dress was in abundance at the Shard but there were people in their work clothes too.  The Equinox  theme was nature/ying & yang so you saw nymphs, muses, zebras, earthy hippies, a family of dragons (see the princess above) and more.  It was very much come as you are which meant there was no pressure to look a certain way.  Glitter seemed to be a must!  And there will be a glitter station at the Summer of Love too.  I am still finding glitter everywhere which is a wonderful reminder of the fun I had.

Thanks to Morning Gloryville for the complimentary ticket.  All opinions are honest and my own.

Dancing at dawn with Morning Gloryville

Dancing at dawn with Morning Gloryville

When my alarm went off at 4:45am, I wasn’t sure if going to a rave before work was a good idea.  However, it was the autumnal equinox and there was sunshine in the forecast.  I got myself out of bed, ate some breakfast and ordered an Uber to get me to the Shard in a hurry.  Morning Gloryville (MG) had already started and I needed to be there before dawn.

Driving up to the Shard in the dark of night

It has been years since I went to a MG event.  That was back in the day when they were just starting out by renting empty warehouses in Shoreditch.  With the lights on and being 100% sober, those events were a bit more surreal because you felt like you were in a club but could just see what it really looked like during the day.  I didn’t know exactly what to expect at the Shard event aside from an amazing view of the sunrise.  My only time there was to take part in a yoga class a few years ago.

Good morning London!

My friends Corey and Eileen got there at the start.  From the 5:30am to about 6:45am, there were several morning rituals involving chanting, drums, and energy releases to welcome in the Equinox at sunrise.  I was glad that I chose to sleep a bit later and arrive just before sunrise.  It was the best of both worlds- to have more energy and see London slowly awaken.  I wasn’t really with it yet when I arrived so I think too much time with the chanting might have put me back to sleep. I didn’t realize this was part of the schedule for the day.  Next time there is a special edition MG, I will look more closely at the timetable. 

Tarot reading area

The 69th floor is a square with stairs in the middle so only two of the sides really faced the sun.  Even though MG started super early, there was still a big crowd ready to take part in the ancient traditions.  Another side of the square had the entrance from the lift and a bar with plenty of food and drink to buy with hardly any queues.  All the things available were very healthy selections of smoothie bowls, vegan cakes, and botanicals (virgin) cocktails.  The fourth side had beautiful face painting, tarot readings, a charity, and complimentary massages.  There wasn’t a booking system for any of these meaning you had to stand in a line but you made some new friends in the queue while waiting.  I tried to book in for a massage because there was a paper signup at first, but it was too confusing after the rituals ran overtime.  I just wanted to dance.  A guy I saw get up from a massage looked to be in absolute bliss.  I will have to  make it a priority next time.

Vegan sugar-free cakes

The dance floor facing east was packed every time I did a lap of the floor.  The weather that day was perfect for our bird’s eye view over the city.  You could see very far, and even observe fog rolling steaming up on the river.  At the top of the Shard, the bright sunshine was a natural way to light the dance floor and build up your positive energy for the day.  We could not have been any luckier!

Here comes the sun, little darling

There were a few kids there, which at first struck me as odd, but if there is a sober rave when kids would normally be up at home, why not bring them along?

Adorable dragon baby princess

If you needed fresh air or space to chill, the open air on the 73rd floor gave you the opportunity to relax or take part in one of three yoga classes.  Most of the MG events will have free yoga, so plan ahead better than I did and try to find out the schedule when you arrive.  I missed out because I didn’t realize the class times until it was too late to join.

Free yoga

Sadly I had to leave for work at about 8am.  This is when a live band took over from the DJ.  The party lasted until 9:30am for those who had a more flexible day.  If you had been able to stay the whole time, you would have definitely got your money’s worth.

I am a dancing fool so I will attend another MG and bring my husband along.  We never seem to make it to the clubs because we are old but this is a good compromise if you don’t have to be at work until 9am.  A cocktail would have been nice but I can still have a good time without it.  MG holds events all over London and across the globe so you don’t have too much of an excuse not to come along..  They are always looking to expand too if you want to suggest a venue near you.

Morning ritual facing west, giving you an idea of the costumes people wore


The next MG is Thursday 5th October at Ministry of Sound
 with Summer of Love theme.  Fancy dress was in abundance at the Shard but there were people in their work clothes too.  The Equinox  theme was nature/ying & yang so you saw nymphs, muses, zebras, earthy hippies, a family of dragons (see the princess above) and more.  It was very much come as you are which meant there was no pressure to look a certain way.  Glitter seemed to be a must!  And there will be a glitter station at the Summer of Love too.  I am still finding glitter everywhere which is a wonderful reminder of the fun I had.

Thanks to Morning Gloryville for the complimentary ticket.  All opinions are honest and my own.

Aftershokz Bluez 2 Wireless Headphones review

Aftershokz Bluez 2 Wireless Headphones review

Lately my Facebook feed has been full of questions about wireless headphones and bone conducting headphones.  Here is my review that was originally posted on the now defunct H2 Life Blog.

Thumping beats really help me keep my pace. However, my small ear canals make ear buds uncomfortable and they usually fall out. I prefer the old school headphones that slip over your head. True, they are not cool and get really sweaty but I don’t have to worry about my run being disrupted so I can put my music back on. On the flip side, I worry about my safety. As a woman who usually runs alone, I always try to be aware of what is going on around me-cyclists, cars, pedestrians- I need to be able to hear my surroundings. It is a tough balance though when your music motivates you to keep going at a steady pace.

Aftershokz  Bluez 2 are a wireless ‘bone conducting’ headset that allow you to listen to audio tracks while running, cycling, cleaning, walking, etc.  I didn’t realise how annoying wires were until they were gone. I wasn’t getting tangled up when I swung my bum bag around or needed to remove my jacket. It was fantastic. If the volume is up too loud, the sound waves will make your cheeks buzz, but I took it as a sign that I need to turn the volume down. The sound quality is fantastic for both music and my Harry Potter audiobooks, however busy traffic can sometimes overpower the recordings. I did find on longer runs (10+ miles) the band around the back of my head would start to drop which would then need a bit of readjustment around my ears. The battery holds charge for at least a week between uses and the system will tell you (literally, it speaks) when it needs charging. It is also really easy to sync to your mobile phone.

SIde view of how they headphones sit

I should add that one night at dusk, I did not hear a man run up behind me. There wasn’t any traffic and I was in my running zone with Podrunner playing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall man running up behind me. I jumped and he apologised. He was out for a run too and said he was trying to be loud as he came up behind me. Lesson learned: even though your ears are uncovered, you might still be vulnerable and not hear your surroundings.

My husband is more of a cyclist than a runner (hence the recent ride to Paris).  To get another opinion on the functionality of these headphones, I asked him to try out the Bluez2 on a long bike ride.  Here are his thoughts:

Commuting in London (and I’m sure elsewhere) you often see those cool guys with their headphones weaving through traffic to get where they’re going, no doubt fuelled by some up-tempo beats. Craziness.  No doubt fun, but crazy all the same. Safe cycling really demands an awareness of what’s happening around you – hearing the sound of the vehicle approaching from behind can give an indication of its size, speed and, sometimes, likelihood of it trying to overtake you on that blind bend. So listening to music or the radio on closed headphones seems to me like a pretty stupid idea.

Although the Bluez2 seemed a possible way around this, I was initially sceptical. They have proven me wrong though and do a pretty good job of allowing you to listen to your favourite beats or radio show while still listening out for that traffic around you. On a couple of rides out from the suburbs of London in to the Hertfordshire countryside I listened to both a talk show – the irreverent Danny Baker Show – and music. At the moderate speeds I rode at I could hear Danny’s stories without too much problem, although much faster and on downhill sections the sound of wind past my head began to drown things out. Music wasn’t such a problem and the beats came through fine, but I imagine a windy day combined with moving at 30 km/h would make listening difficult.

The main issue for improvement I see is the need to better accommodate the wearing of sunglasses at the same time as these headphones. As they currently are you need to sit the glasses on the outside of the headphones – although not designed for this it works but after a couple of hours on the bike the sides of your head about the ear begin to ache.

Sunglasses vs headphones

Overall though I think these things are great. The Bluetooth connection means there’s no need to worry about wires and I can both listen to speech and music without too much problem, while at the same time feeling like I know what’s going on around me. Just beware; if the radio show is too amusing you might get distracted, and if the beats too big you might try to take that corner just a little bit faster than you might otherwise normally do.

Front view of me in the Blues2


For both a running and cycling viewpoint, the Blues2 worked really well for us.  If you normally wear sunglasses, a cap, a headband, or a big hairstyle when running or cycling, these factors may influence how well the Bluez 2 fits on your head.  You should also consider if  you will use it for dialogue or music and if wind speeds will impact in your ability to hear.  The toughest thing is remembering to charge them once a week, although the verbal reminder is quite effective.

What kind of headphones do you wear when you run or cycle?  What is the best feature about them?


Aftershokz kindly gave me these headphones to review.  All opinions are honest and our own.  This post contains affiliate links which cost nothing extra for the buyer and help support the running of this site.
Easy rice salad recipe

Easy rice salad recipe

Packed lunches are a beautiful thing, if you get them right.  I am a big fan of crack vegetables and will often have them as a side dish for lunch.  Right now, I am trying some other dishes to expand my repertoire with an easy way to get a vegetable and carb serving in.

This week, I started working with Shannon S Nutrition after seeing the amazing results my co-Zero Advent Calendar founder, Becca, had.  Shannon is teaching me to count macros, which is a new practice for me.  During this first week, I am just getting used to logging all my food on My Fitness Pal and being aware of portion sizes.  Next week, I will take more notice of my macros.

If you are new to the term, macros means looking at the amount of protein, fat, and carbs you consume.  It goes a bit beyond calorie counting to ensure your body is fueled properly.  Shannon has given me the ratio I need (30% protein, 29% fats, and 41% carbs on average) to achieve my goals.  Now I just need to stick to it!

I developed the recipe below using what I had in the cupboard to get some carbs in, along with vegetables.  Everything is to taste really so feel free to adjust the ratios to what you like and what is in your kitchen.  I am a big fan of Mexican food, which is why I chose these spices.

Easy rice salad
2 servings of cooked brown rice
1 can black beans
150 g frozen corn, defrosted
2 tbsp coconut oil
Sauteed medium onion and one bell pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic granuals
Salt and pepper to taste

  • Prepare rice according to package directions.
  • While rice is cooking, chop up onion and saute in coconut oil on low to medium heat.
  • Add one chopped bell pepper to pan once onions have cooked for a few minutes.
  • Cook peppers and onions to desired tenderness.
  • Defrost corn in microwave.  It should only take 1-2 minutes.
  • Drain can of beans and rinse.
  • Add corn, beans, and spices to pan with pepper and onions.  Heat through.
Ack! I will replace this photo soon.
  • Once rice is cooked, place in a large bowl.  Add everything from the pan to rice.  Stir to mix.
  • Serve hot or cold.  Keep in the fridge.

Easy rice salad recipe

Easy rice salad recipe

Packed lunches are a beautiful thing, if you get them right.  I am a big fan of crack vegetables and will often have them as a side dish for lunch.  Right now, I am trying some other dishes to expand my repertoire with an easy way to get a vegetable and carb serving in.

This week, I started working with Shannon S Nutrition after seeing the amazing results my co-Zero Advent Calendar founder, Becca, had.  Shannon is teaching me to count macros, which is a new practice for me.  During this first week, I am just getting used to logging all my food on My Fitness Pal and being aware of portion sizes.  Next week, I will take more notice of my macros.

If you are new to the term, macros means looking at the amount of protein, fat, and carbs you consume.  It goes a bit beyond calorie counting to ensure your body is fueled properly.  Shannon has given me the ratio I need (30% protein, 29% fats, and 41% carbs on average) to achieve my goals.  Now I just need to stick to it!

I developed the recipe below using what I had in the cupboard to get some carbs in, along with vegetables.  Everything is to taste really so feel free to adjust the ratios to what you like and what is in your kitchen.  I am a big fan of Mexican food, which is why I chose these spices.

Easy rice salad
2 servings of cooked brown rice
1 can black beans
150 g frozen corn, defrosted
2 tbsp coconut oil
Sauteed medium onion and one bell pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic granuals
Salt and pepper to taste

  • Prepare rice according to package directions.
  • While rice is cooking, chop up onion and saute in coconut oil on low to medium heat.
  • Add one chopped bell pepper to pan once onions have cooked for a few minutes.
  • Cook peppers and onions to desired tenderness.
  • Defrost corn in microwave.  It should only take 1-2 minutes.
  • Drain can of beans and rinse.
  • Add corn, beans, and spices to pan with pepper and onions.  Heat through.
Ack! I will replace this photo soon.
  • Once rice is cooked, place in a large bowl.  Add everything from the pan to rice.  Stir to mix.
  • Serve hot or cold.  Keep in the fridge.