• About
    • Site Policies
  • Work With Me
  • Get In Touch
  • Personal Training
  • Fitness & Health
    • Roller Derby
    • Running
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Red Lipsticks
    • The Lazy Girls Guide
    • Vanity Sizing
  • Inspiration & Lifestyle
    • Dear Diary
    • Money Saving and Budgeting
  • Travel & Events
  • Food & Drink
    • Cocktails
    • Recipes
Lipstick, Lettuce & Lycra logo
Lost your password?
  • Fitness & Health

    Fitness & Health

    See all
    • selective focus photograph of half eaten doughnut with sprinkles

      So, The Government Says We’re All Too Fat……

      August 14, 2020
    • Can You Get Faster By Running Slower?

      June 19, 2020
    • Flexible Bodyweight Workouts for when You’re Short on Space and Time

      April 22, 2020
    • Roller Derby
    • Running
  • Fashion & Beauty

    Fashion & Beauty

    See all
    • Artelac Eye Drops Review

      September 17, 2020
    • Summer Skin

      June 28, 2019
    • Who Decided Fat Was Bad Anyway?

      June 12, 2019
    • Red Lipsticks
    • The Lazy Girls Guide
    • Vanity Sizing
  • Inspiration & Lifestyle
    • Dear Diary
    • Money Saving and Budgeting
  • Travel & Events
  • Food & Drink
    • Cocktails
    • Recipes
Home
Food & Drink
Cocktails

Cocktails

Summer Whisky Collins Cocktail

July 20, 2016

Raspberry & Mango Champagne Float Cocktail

June 15, 2016

3 Festive Gin Cocktails

December 7, 2015

A Weekend in Cocktails

August 5, 2015

Something for the Weekend: Prosecco Passion

April 17, 2015

Creating Cocktails – The Eton Mess

August 15, 2014

How to Make Hot Mars Bar Vodka

February 6, 2012
No more articles

Instagram

gemmaseager

Incurable cancer, cocktails & fitness.
HAES Personal Trainer, red lipstick wearer, cocktail drinker. Multiple Myeloma June 2021.
Norwich, UK

Gemma - LipstickLettuceLycra
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! So today is My birthday AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

So today is My birthday AND Mr LLL birthday. 

Last year was pretty shit for us both, I’d just got out of hospital, knew something nefarious was going on with my spine. No one had said “cancer” but I know how to use Google, so I knew it was likely, and I thought I might need surgery. I was also on huge doses of steroids. Not the ideal scenario for a lighthearted and chirpy birthday celebration.

So this year there’s a whole week of cocktails, frivolity, fizzy wine, Eurovision and shepherds huts planned.

There’s also blood tests and drugs to collect, but we’ll just fit those in around the fun.

Fuck you cancer. I’ve got a life to live.

The amazing birthday jar, complete with sparklers in the second slide came from @tipsyjaruk , would definitely recommend!

#birthday #birthdaygirl #cancerlife #bloodcancerbabe #bloodcancer #multiplemyeloma #myelomauk #myelomawarrior #cocktails
Happy Easter Chickadees! I hope you’re all enjo Happy Easter Chickadees!

I hope you’re all enjoying chocolate eggs and hot cross buns and all the other things that make this a fun 4 day weekend (sorry if you have to work!). 

I was reading a news article yesterday about how new government regulations mean that next year shops won’t be able to promote Easter Eggs in high profile spots as they’re unhealthy. Easter is always a holiday that likes to pop up and fill us all with guilt around food anyway, but don’t let it spoil your fun!

Remember, all food should be guilt free, so you don’t need to be buying high protein chocolate or sugar free hot cross buns unless you really like them!

I think looking after your health is important, but health is a very nuanced and complex thing and a couple of hot cross buns and stuffing your face with chocolate for a couple of days isn’t going to change that.

When you look back at your life you won’t think “I’m so glad I didn’t have a hot cross bun that Easter so I could fit into society’s expectations of how a woman should look”

So enjoy the holiday. Build memories. Eat treats, go for a walk in the glorious weather and have veggies with your potatoes.

I’m attempting to make some kind of elaborate Italian Easter pie, so that’s bound to be a hilarious disaster. I promise to keep you updated.

#easter #happyeaster #lifeisforliving #intuitiveeating #guiltfreefood #eatthechocolate #easterchocolate #selflove #selfcare #lovelife #makingmemories #bodyimage #effyourbeautystandards #livelifefully
NEW BEGINNINGS With the spring equinox at the wee NEW BEGINNINGS

With the spring equinox at the weekend it seems like a good time for new beginnings. This week also marks 100 days since my transplant and the move to maintenance treatment, and 2 years since Lockdown 1.

New beginnings are an opportunity to start fresh, but they can be really daunting as well.

So many decisions to make. Looking at my future now seems huge, I can’t have my old life back, so I need to decide what the new one is going to look like, and decisions like that are incredibly hard!

I want to build a life of experiences with whatever time I have left (hopefully loads!). A life with space to breathe and relax, and a life that I enjoy living.

So I’m just taking one step at a time. I can always take a step back again if I start on the wrong path. But I keep moving forward. Just a teeny bit, and one day I’ll be able to look back at how far I’ve come.

#newbeginnings #springequinox #spring #cancerlife #lifedecisions #lifechoices #lifeisforliving #multiplemyeloma #bloodcancer #myelomauk #bloodcanceruk #stemcelltransplant
Very Good Partial Response. That’s what I’ve Very Good Partial Response.

That’s what I’ve achieved after 6 months of treatment for Multiple Myeloma. I got my results yesterday, so I thought it deserved a grid spot!

The initial results show no abnormal bone marrow cells (fingers crossed it stays that way when more results come in) and although there are still proteins in my blood they are very low.

Obviously I’d have loved it if there had been no evidence of the bloody disease at all, especially as my numbers started so low anyway, but this is a good result.

This isn’t going to go away. I knew that. I have incurable cancer and I need to find space for that in my mind and my life and adjust to what life is going to look like.

I’ll be on Lenalidomide, a cousin of Thalidomide, for maintenance. And basically I’ll keep taking that until it doesn’t work anymore to control the cancer, which will “hopefully be years” says the Consultant. If it’s less than 18 months then another transplant isn’t an option. If it’s more than that then I have enough cells saved to go through all this excitement again (yay!). I’ll also have a monthly drug to strengthen my bones.

Now, it’s one day at a time. Seeing if I can get some mobility and strength back, dealing with side effects, deciding what colour to dye my new hair and cracking on with living my life the best I can, that’s all anyone can do really.

#multiplemyeloma #myeloma #myelomauk #bloodcancer #bloodcanceruk #incurablecancer #cancerlife #stemcelltransplant #hsct #myelomawarrior #multiplemyelomawarrior #livingwellwithcancer
ad. A love letter to my mat…. It’s been a rou ad. A love letter to my mat….

It’s been a rough 2 years. When the pandemic started I was glad you were there. We went out together to the park, worked out in the garden, and in the dining room when the weather wasn’t great.

Then I started to resent you. It just wasn’t the same as heading to the gym. I begrudged our time together and missed the excitement of heavy weights and machines. I’d rather head out on my own for a run than spend time with you. It felt wrong, forced and unexciting.

Then it all changed. Injury and illness made me miss our times together. I realised what I was missing, but it was too late to make up.

A year later and slowly we’re finding our way back to each other. It might not be as intense and sweaty as it used to be, but the slower pace suits me now and I appreciate how you’re still there for me when nothing else is. We’re discovering new things, like Tai Chi, and rediscovering old loves, like Yoga.

So I want to say Thank You. Thank you for being there for me in good times and bad, you’re all I need.

Love

Gem 

*ad break incoming*
You heard it from #TeamFabletics: New VIP members can get 2 leggings for £24 AND 70% off single items using the link in my bio.

Todays sunny outfit is the Jaylee colour block track bottoms (I sized up 2 sizes as they’re a snug fit) and Live-In Racerback bralette.
@fableticseu 
*end of ad*

#yoga #cancerfitness #cancerworkout #yogamat #norwichbloggers #teamnobs #fableticsuk
Sometimes you just really need to not be in your b Sometimes you just really need to not be in your bloody house anymore.

So I decided my credit card could manage a night away.

We stayed in a Yurt that we actually stayed in last year in April when I was in huge pain with my back and also needed to not be in our bloody house anymore. It was overnight here that I had one of the first terrifying electric spasms that I started to have more regularly after that, so it was nice to come back in more pleasurable circumstances.

We drank the champagne I was too ill to drink on New Years Eve, baked Camembert in a wood burning stove and played silly games by the fire.

It was bliss and I’m trying to hang onto that feeling of calm and space as well as pondering whether I could actually live in a Yurt full time. 

While I’m here, I’m super lucky right now to have a credit card that still has money on it and family that will help out with fun things as well as vitals so I can get space like this for my poor bod and brain to recover a bit, bit, even if it’s just for a night. That won’t last forever, and some people don’t have that at all. So there are some amazing charities like @something_to_look_forward_to that provide, well, things to look forward to, for cancer patients of any age and type of cancer.

If you’re in a position to donate something to them, whether it’s a holiday, a meal, a massage, whatever, do consider it. 

The financial burden of cancer on essentials like water, energy bills and petrol, let alone “luxuries” like clothes for a changing body, skincare, good nutrition and complementary therapies is more than I would ever have realised, so, as I believe someone once said, every little helps.

#gingerbreadcottageyurts #yurt #minibreak #life #baldisbeautiful #cancerlife #holidayuk #norfolklife
I am resilient. The last year has been physically I am resilient.

The last year has been physically tough. But I’ve realised it’s getting mentally tougher as I come to the end of the initial treatment journey.

I’m not just tired physically, but mentally too. I’m tired of feeling anxious, tired of drugs, and worrying about my health. Tired of hospital appointments and worrying about the future. Tired of staying at home, tired of sitting outside in the cold and tired of having to plan every trip out. I’m tired of worrying about money and I’m scared I’ll never be able to go back to the job I loved. I’m in pain from my back, and I’m scared to move too much in case it gets worse again. I want it to go away and have my old life back, and knowing that will never happen is tough. Piling a pandemic on top makes it harder. Coping mechanisms are taken away, and my baby immune system gives an extra layer of worry.

I feel like almost everything that made me feel like me, everything I liked about myself, has been taken away. Sometimes I just feel empty and lost.

BUT I know I am resilient. Resilience doesn’t mean bad times don’t affect you, it means you bounce back. And I know I’ll bounce back. 

We can’t always feel positive about everything but we can own our emotions and focus on what’s important now. And that’s giving my body and mind time to recover from the trauma of the last year. The future will look after itself.

This time next year this will all be a memory. I won’t be the person I was, but the new me will be just as awesome. I promise.

#mentalhealth #mentyb #cancerlife #toxicpositivity #emotional #multiplemyeloma #cancersucks #resilience
Ad. So if you’ve followed me for a while you’l Ad. So if you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know I like to celebrate things. Often they are made up things. But when the world throws you a valid celebration excuse I’m ready to pick up on it.

Even when I’ve been single I’ve been a fan of Valentines Day. Chocolate, bubbly and roses breaks up the dreariness of February and love is definitely something to be celebrated in all its forms.

Some of you might remember @spongecakesltd who donated a prize for my fundraiser raffle last year. Well, they asked if they could send me one of the Valentine Gift Boxes, and I said “no way! I couldn’t possibly accept free cake” only kidding. I said yes. Never turn down free cake. Especially not if it also comes with chocolate, cocktails and Prosecco.

I think the boxes make a lovely gift for someone you love, or just for yourself to be honest. They’re like the ultimate self love night in box! Just add Netflix and a bubble bath.

My laughable attempt at an unboxing is on my stories right now, along with a link. 

Thanks to @spongecakesltd for keeping me in tiny cute cocktails.

#valentinesday #valentinesgift #love #selflove #cake #cakegift #valentinesdaygift #celebrate #celebratethelittlethings
You can’t put life on hold. I mean, wouldn’t You can’t put life on hold. 

I mean, wouldn’t it be great if you could? “Imma just press pause now and when I’m fitter/thinner/healthier/the pubs are back open we’ll just press play”.

But you can’t. The fact is life DOESN’T stop, not for pandemics, weight loss or cancer treatment. Life keeps happening, and it’s the only one we have. 

So we make the most of it.

Look around, breathe, appreciate the little things. Like a trip to the beach with friends on a sunny winters day, a Zoom call with your family, or a really tasty sandwich.

Because that IS your life. Maybe it will also include exotic foreign holidays, glamorous parties and gourmet meals. But if it doesn’t, that’s ok. It’s still the only life you’re ever going to have.

#lifeisbeautiful #life #lifegoeson #lifeisforliving #beachlife #lovelife
A year ago I posted almost this exact picture, I’d received a pair of trousers to model and had to go up a size due to weight gain over the pandemic and lack of movement from my back injury. The caption from that post is in the last 2 images.

Goodness me, I had no idea how much I was going to be challenged with my body image over the following year!

But I was right, bodies change. You are not supposed to stay the same forever.

It’s can be hard not to look back and mourn the body you used to have, whether it’s for its capabilities or its appearance, or both.

It’s ok to feel that way. The world makes us feel we have to look, feel and move a certain way. But the truth is you can’t see health. Year ago me had tumours growing in her spine, coccyx and shoulder that would have killed her if she hadn’t turned into today me.

I’m not feeling at my most healthy right now, but what’s important is the same. My body needs nourishment not punishment. With food, movement, naps and treats. And yours does too.

#dietculture #dietculturesucks #haes #healthatanysize #healthateverysize #antidietculture #antidietrevolution #intuitiveeating #intuitiveeatingjourney #bodyimage #bodyimagehealing #nobsnfr #selfloveclub  #selflove #bodylove #bodyneutral #myelomawarrior #bloodcancerbabe #multiplemyeloma #cancerbody #cancerbodyimage #cancerlife
Load More… Follow on Instagram
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy




  • About
    • Site Policies
  • Work With Me
  • Get In Touch
  • Personal Training