Through the misty glaze

Lost

After visiting my Aunt and taking part in my Uncles funeral , my daughter and I got back to our hotel. We stayed in an old convent that offered basic accommodation but after all we just wanted a bed.

In the morning, the day of our return, I seemed to have difficulty eating, walking and even remembering my card code to pay. We decided however to take the journey back slowly, one stage at a time, taking our time. I felt myself slipping away and entering a sort of mythical kingdom, my thoughts interrupted by my daughter asking me to count backwards from 100. On the train I munched on a sandwich but it appeared it took me a whole hour to deal with this sandwich. When she had to leave the train at her station she made me promise to look for my husband who would be there. She tucked me in and pinned a note to my coat. I however was in my mythical calm kingdom, lost to myself. My husband did indeed find me at the station and took me straight to hospital where I did not have to wait but got whizzed into emergency. My parallel magical kingdom kept me in a safe bubble. A nurse explained to me to imagine a crash on the motorway. I was observing she said, from my mythical kingdom, there was a lot of debris, it would take time to clear however to be assured that the road was still there.

Then I slept for 36 hours and when I awoke,  calmly I realised that I was quite safe in my mythical kingdom but that I had had a stroke and would gently have to find my way back. But the road was still there. The note pinned to my coat had read : please look after my mom.

HOW TO KEEP WARM

The cold weather spell is lasting a long time so today I want to explore how to keep warm with or without a fire.

CLOTHING

If we put on clothes that warm us and keep us toasty we are less likely to feel a bonechilling cold permeate us. A 100% wool sweater, gloves and socks are going to keep us cosy but if you still feel the cold the warmth of the fibre such as alpaca can raise the temperature. Wrapping ytourslef in a dressing gown or duvet heat the space wound you. The warmest fiber is qiviut but it is hard to get sufficient to date to increase the insulation factor. Check your clothing: a 50% wool/cotton combination is unlikely to keep you warm in winter. Most of our body temperature escapes via our heads so a hat is recommended.

HOT DRINKS

For just a few seconds. A cup of hot chocolate creates a fleeting feeling of warmth in your hands and stomach but not a change in your internal temperature—which is a good thing: Maintaining a stable body temperature is essential to having healthy organ function and a steady heartbeat. We associate it with a cosy inside feeling which is a placebo effect.

WOOD BURNERS AND OPEN FIRES

We do have a woodburner and without central heating it gives us the opportunity to warm one room in which we can all huddle together. It creates a warm feeling watching the logs burn and we can sit on the sofa, read a nice book and have a conversation.

CURTAINS

Closing the curtains or shutters enables the heat to stay in as a lot of heat escapes via windows and doors

DOORS
Seal your doors with doorstoppers ( a big long padded roll) so the heat stays in and draughtproofs the room.

ROOMS

Close off any unused rooms which will enable the warm air to stay where you are instead of circulating throughout the house.

FLOORS and ATTICS

Cover the floors in carpets or rugs which will insulate them against warm air escaping through the gaps and insulate the attic to keep warm air  escaping via the roof. You can see how well your house is insulated by seeing if there is snow ( when it snows) on your roof or whether the heat from the house is melting the sneow on your roof.

COOK

Make cookies, or a meal ( without too much steam)/ Not only will you be moving about but the kitchen will warm up as the oven works and dry the air in the kitchen.



The snow can cause power to be cut so keep candles at hand.

Hopefully these measures will make you feel a bit warmer. A brisk walk or exercise will raise the temperature a little in your boidy and if all else fails, hibernating under the duvet can keep you cosy.

I hope these measures will warm you up a little in the shortterm.

10 ways to downshift sugar consumption

Jamie Oliver, winner of the 2010 TED prize gives a compelling argument and visual reminders of how sugar consumption has contributed to the deterioration of health in both children and adults.

Every child should be taught to cook in school, not just talk about nutrition all day. Good food can be made in 15 minutes. This could be the first generation where the kids teach the parents.” – Jamie Oliver

Limiting consumption of fizzy drinks can initially feel like depriving your child  but a gradual reduction and change from artificial sugar to nil sugar via natural sugars can cause gradual change. Taste buds will adjust rapidly.

The following steps work towards a gradual reduction of artificial sugars and an increase of real fruit consumption and knowledge.

1.   Change from high energy drinks to fizzy drink without the added zing

2.   Change the fizzy pop to 50% sparkling water/ 50% fruit juice

3.   Reduce fruit juice element to 25%

4.   Change fizzy water to still water

5.   Introduce fresh fruit smoothie 50% /50% water

6.   Fruit smoothie 25%/ Water 50%

7.   Alternate 100% water when thirsty to mixture of smoothie and water  mid morning and
      mid afternoon.

8.   Provide fresh smoothie ingredients( banana, orange, apples, kiwi) on a plate and offer
      with water to drink.

9.   Provide fresh fruit and water to be taken when needed

10.   Introduce physical exercise such as a walk or a bike ride to balance sugar levels. Pack a drink of
       water and a piece of fruit and stop at a lovely location to savour. ( This last step ties in a need for
       refreshment after exercise with a solution of fresh fruit and water and sets an example for
       everyday.)

Then, you can introduce vegetables into juices starting with a combination of carrots and apples.

Often, our sugar levels drop due to a lack of hydration and when we feel a sugar craving it may simply be that we are thirsty.

Jamie's speech is a good 28 mins long but makes a compelling argument

The rewards of a simple life

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter….to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring- these are the rewards of the simple life.

John Burroughs

80% of our time is spent on our physical needs :

• Food
• Warmth
• Shelter
• Work
• Education
• Health

20% is spent on our Spiritual,  social and psychological needs :

• community
• love
• friendship
• beauty
• art
• music

When we concentrate all our energies in providing for our physical needs, we lose:

• a sense of belonging
• active and meaningful supportive relationships
• the support of friends
• an appreciation of the beauty that surrounds us
• expressions of creative beauty found in music and the arts.

Non material experiences are needed to feed our imagination and our creativity. We need time to contemplate, to make things with our hands, to express our selves.

Searching for a simpler lifestyle  may be a call from the soul to not forget our social, psychological and spiritual needs.

To create a balance we could :

• write a letter to a friend and make arrangements to meet.
• spend time with our partners and talk a walk in nature
• make time to reflect, meditate and relax
• plan a garden and sit in a nature sanctuary
• visit an art gallery
• make bread
• find ways to express our creativity.

Above all, we could simply be who we are and connect with others.

Personal exploration: leave a comment and share how you express your creativity

Ikegai - the meaning of life

There is no direct translation from Japanese to English but it appears that to live longer a series of daily habits creates a more harmonious being. One of these is Ikegai, a life purpose or a reason to get out of bed. Living in the Bluezones explores the habits some communities have that create longer, healthier, connected lives.

Haiti- ways to help

Looking at the situation in Haiti enables me to realise how fragile our lives are and how much we take nature for granted. It is heart wrenching to see children and adults being buried in rubble from crumbling buildings.

Human beings are resourceful with aid organisations set up for these scenarios that seem to take on biblical proportions.

Here at home we have found simple ways to reach out :

Donations from regular contributions in our charity account can be used for occasions such as this. Following Janine Bolon's suggestion to give 10% to charity, we use the Charities Aid Foundation to make a regular contribution. Now that we have a focus on Haiti, a click of a button sends the money towards aid that is needed.

The children's schools are raising funds in their own way by holding a uniform free day for which each childs pays a fee and another school is raising money to purchase Shelter boxes that enable 10 people to survive for a long period of time out of the contents of the box. The village wassail night shared its proceeds between a children's hospice and Save the Children with a specific focus on Haiti. You can choose between individual charities or direct funds to the Disasters Emergency Committee ( DEC).

All sales from Amazon books, DVDs. CD's ( through Magpie), and ebay sales are diverted towards Haiti and whatever we spend on a given day will be matched by a contribution to charity. The day remains secret otherwise family members may not spend anything but at the end of that day, all receipts will be accounted for. Sometimes adversity provides opportunities to share with our children how we can turn a feeling of helplessness into action so that a hand can be reached out to those who need it most.

' Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying.' I will try again tomorrow.'
Mary Anne Radmacher

Autumn

The autumn weather is simply wonderful and we seem to have long forgotten that the summer was a cold affair this year. I seem to have been busy with life, health, shop, school holidays and took a bit of a blogging hiatus. The longer I live in this village and the shop, the more I feel a sense of belonging to the place that surrounds us.The vine seemed to grow no matter how many times I tamed it and despite that the grapes are small and sweet.
A solo pumpkin has been creeping along the way in search of sunshine and many small fruits were eaten by slugs. The sunflowers that should tower behind the pumpkin patch never got going this summer and any tomatoes received a dose of blight.
Marigolds that should have flowered months ago are enjoying the limelight. The world seems to reinvent itself on a regular basis in our environment.
There is a general feeling that after years of downshifting we have found our zone, a place where we can breathe, where we can develop in tune with the life rhythms around us. The house is beginning to blossom too and more work is needed to support its structure and yet it amazes me how the spirit of the house that seemed to rebel at the beginning is also showing signs of mellowing and enjoying the care we give it. Living in a historic house is like being a caretaker of its historical content and demands respect and understanding.

Despite the credit crunch we move forward with our business idea, supporting local producers such as the Exmoor Smokery which provides fresh smoked fish, cards by local artists, as well as being a window for local talent. The next window display will be a ' nice' Halloween scene. Life is full and every day I am reminded of Mother Theresa's quote as we rise at 6 am to walk out into a very peaceful and quiet village square, before the village wakes up to the smell of our baked goods.

Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.

On planet earth




An elusive matter, time, flying past. It has been quiet on the blog but not in my surroundings.My need for quietude, rest and peace is greater than it has ever been not just because my energy is limited but because I often reflect on who is in the driving seat when it comes to the activities I undertake.
I have questioned how I have formed my goals in life, the ones I followed as a young adult and how easily it is to follow everyone else and lose your authenticity, the element that makes us unique. What happens to our personal power when we give away or even lose our uniqueness Over the last month I have observed how my boys make choices in their lives and some are influenced by peers, some are influenced by society and sometimes there is a glimpse of an authentic human being. Those moments are rare and need to be savoured. As unique human beings we can make our unique contribution to this world, but as clones and uniform personalities our need to compete will be greater. Between young men there is definitely a need to lead and be the best, a lot of jostling and fighting and yet when you highlight that they are all good at something and if they only worked together they would really be worth following, they look up as if I am living on another planet. Maybe I am?

'Leadership is an attitude, not a position'

Peaceful moments to refresh the soul

Navajo Dawn

In the morning, before the village wakes up, a few quiet moments can be found. Opening the door, looking at the sky gives us an indication of what may lay ahead.

In an often stressful world, we can find little places of quiet where our restless minds can find a haven of peace.

I have not always loved silence but can find pockets of silence that help me focus on the now. Sitting quietly in silence, with maybe a cup of steaming tea, refreshes my soul.

After the children leave for school I go around the house, settling the noises into quiet restful places; turning the TV off when we are not watching it, turning lights off and breathing in the spaces in the house. I am mindful of the spaces in our home and take notice of the house, its people, its animals, its dust and cobwebs......

Refreshing the soul by taking a walk in nature. I notice the changes in the quality of the air, its temperature and the way the light colours the landscape in different hues. I try and read the weather and I follow the dog back home.

Meditation is more difficult to fit in to refresh the soul and takes about 20 mins.It offers many benefits and for me it reduces anxiety, depression, irritability and frustration. It brings me back to the essence of me, that part that does not change even though physically I have changed. It lowers my heart rate, it lowers levels of cortisol and lactate associated with stress and leaves me feeling a little more refreshed and more able to cope. When I spend time in the garden I am mindful in my activity and meditate on my surroundings.

Once a year our community leaves to go on a retreat together and I have found these weekends time to reflect and get to know people on a different level.

Taking care of ourselves is often neglected when the world seems to spin out of control and yet, they only demand your time and attention, strangely, money is not really the prime consideration here.

Looking for the stillness in the eye of the storm allows us to centre, to focus and refresh our whole being for what lies ahead.

Magic Winter Snowbaby

Winter has returned. It has been a very long time since our village has seen snow, approximately 10 years and there were mixed reactions when the children were told, business as usual. The eldest boy had a day off as his schoolbus was not running and the others gloomily went to the busstop. At 11am they were back from school and are doing what children do when it snows ........wonder in awe at the beauty, the whiteness and go sledding on the highest hill they can find.

There is community building as well, papers to be delivered to those who do not venture out today. I on the other hand have prepared a snow white cake to celebrate their fun today and marvel at the beauty around us.
Have a great day and stay warm.

Intensive care for your finances

Closed Green Door to Intensive Care Unit



The new financial climate

Living within your means and repaying some debt is going to be a difficult action to take and yet to safeguard where you are at the moment action will be vital.

Our financial situation can be compared to a critically ill patient and although just about out of intensive care, there is a lot that is needed to help towards a recovery.

If you have no idea where you are financially it is important to take stock and make a list of all your assets ( savings, property, cars, belongings, stock and shares etc) so that you can accurately see where you are.
Next make a list of all your debts, credit cards, store cards, car loans, home extension loans etc. Hopefully your assets will be higher than your debts otherwise you will be technically insolvent.

If you need any advice at this point about debt, go and see your local Citizens Advice Bureau and ask to see one of their debt counsellors. Do it as soon as possible as I am almost certain that there will be delays in the future to see a person immediately.

The reason businesses are closing down and staff are being made redundant is because banks need to readdress the hole in their balance sheets. They do this by contracting lending and reevaluating the debts they have and it is vital in order to stay solvent that you do the same. Why, will make sense later in the post.

I am going to concentrate this post on credit cards as my first focus. The reason for choosing the credit card is because it is one we have a certain amount of control over in the way we use it and it is also the first one that will show signs of cracking up . Get all your credit cards lined up next to one another and get your statements out. This will provide you with the following information. What is outstanding, what your credit limit is and what interest rate you are being charged.
There will be differences. The most important thing in this financial climate is not to start flashing as a risk on your banks computer. It is important that you pay a little more than the minimum due on each card as paying the minimum will show up as a person with a possible problem. Next look at the cards that have the highest interest rate and create a plan to pay off on a regular basis as much as you can. When that one is paid off, use the money available to pay off the remaining. Seeing a debt counsellor will give you an idea of what loans and debts are important and which ones are not. A credit card is an unsecured loan and although the banks cannot do much to recover the debt as such they are likely to do the following if you show up on the risk monitor. First and foremost,to cut their debt exposure it is feasible that your credit limit will be lowered which then increases the percentage of debt you owe on the card. Lets say you have a card with a £ 5000 credit limit and you owe £ 2500. That would be a 50% debt and you are paying 5% of your balance each month. When the bank cuts down the credit limit to £ 2500 then you are faced with a maximum credit card limit debt, i.e. 100%. That increases your risk to the bank of defaulting on your card. Next you may see that interest rates change to a higher figure because you are considered a higher risk. It is therefore vitally important to keep an outlook on what is happening with your credit card debt as it will influence your credit rating and give you a way to monitor your financial health as seen by the banks. Protecting your credit rating will be a vital element in the future. It may be an option to transfer your credit card debts to one card but you need to seek advice about that, see above.

As disclaimer I want to say that I am not a financial adviser but the above is an assumption of how I see banks are likely to react to the current financial deficit on their balance sheets. We can see that they are not lending to businesses, which in turn means that many businesses have their overdrafts cut or recalled forcing them into administration, which in turn leads to redundancies, loss of jobs etc etc. As businesses struggle with this concept at the moment and readdress their balance sheet, the individual bank customer is likely to be next in line.

As with a flu epidemic, avoid exposure, then have treatment available at home.

Our financial patient may be out of immediate danger but we must protect vital organs in order to avoid a complete breakdown.

A new beginning

Happy New Year, Old Man Time and Child

Happy New Year to you all.

As the sun has set on 2008, and 2009 starts , it is personally a time for reflection and anticipation. This starting point enables me to contemplate my personal harvests and the events of the past year. It is a time to make resolutions and set intention for the coming year. It is a time of rejuvenation where we can honour the old and clear space for the new seeds to grow and flourish.

What did we do well? What could have been better? What have we achieved, against what odds?
The landscape today in the garden is frosty and covered in white, not snow just a frosty day and as the world awakes, a few birds chirp. A renewed sense of hope and clarity for the coming year.

The time spent over the holidays with my family has been painful as well as deeply rewarding, as we have been able to reflect together on where we are at this time in our lives and what our hopes and aspirations are. We also painfully walked through some doorways, i.e. we realised and recognised that our lives have changed. A few distances are forming in our relationships as we learn to let go a little : my little boys are growing into little men and my parents are slowly and surely getting older, tired and in need of more compassion and care. Yet despite some difficult times I realised that there are circles we work with i.e, our family roles are changing. My daughter and I have an adult understanding, my boys are gradually asserting their independence and my parents are letting go gradually in ever decreasing circles. It is my understanding now that we can let these changes happen because they are natural although some of us may want to hold onto the way things have been for a long time.

The shop has been super busy and the cards and wishes we have received from our customers have been endearing and enabled my DH to realise that the decision to buy the local shop has been the right one.

Our stress levels are reducing gradually as we find our place with worthwhile work, right environment and a sustainable way of life. An inner peace is evolving too.

The coming year is going to test our ability to provide 30% of our dietary needs. Eating seasonally will continue but also more continuous sowing and reaping.

I am not one for new year's resolutions per se but it is worth looking at where you hope to go this year and prepare to walk that path with confidence.

Season of hope

Blessings Of Christmas


The village prepares for the Christmas season and at the shop we are busy collating food hampers and other foodie gifts so that nobody will be disappointed. Deliveries are coming in fast and furious and many parties take place.

The spirit of Christmas fellowship is alive in this place and what is joyful is that people who would be on their own this year, are invited by others so that no one out of choice will be spending Christmas Day alone.

Its a week of thanksgiving too and we find ourselves receiving as well as giving. The decision to invest in our local shop was a real turning point for us last year and currently we really are encompassing the principles we started with. Worthwhile work, independent shop, local focus and building on community strength.

The shop has a heart traced in stone outside in its pavement and as long as this heart beats, the village will find it a hub of activity and networking. Last week we managed to put someone who is destroying boxes for recycling in touch with someone else who wants boxes for their business and who buys them currently. Together they can both gain, one loses boxes, they are given a new use and then sent on again.

The Christmas season will be spent together with our family and friends. I will return in the New Year to start the next step of our journey. In the current global economic climate it is vital that we prepare for a new way of living. The challenge will be great, the opportunities greater for each and every one of us to find our strengths and work together. I wish you well.

There is only one corner of the universe you can change, and that is yourself, but in changing that corner, you change the universe. Chinese proverb

A single action

Action: Drop of Water

It only takes a single thought to move the world.

Ever decreasing consumerism sounds a scary place to be if you look at it from an economic point of view and yes, it is likely that temporarily many people will lose their jobs and find themselves in a very different environment from what they were used to. First financial institutions, then service providers, retailers, wholesalers, transport companies, manufacturers etc.
Life from now on will not be as we have known it, it is about to change drastically and yet,as I have mentioned before I see it as an alignment from a virtual world to a more realistic real viewpoint. This is also a moment of opportunities.

In our lifetime, many of us get that moment where it seems as if the whole of the world as we know it has collapsed and from somewhere we have to find the courage and the energy to get up, look ahead and rebuild with what is available to us at that moment in time. I am certain that we will do the best we can with the resources we have. The pattern in nature that I compare this situation to is the one of a stone being thrown into a pond, the impact is great, the stone heavy and the circles go outwards. The stone falls way down but it does not drag the whole pond with it downwards.

The change of direction and the next step has to start from our center, and work outwards. This is the opposite way it has worked so far, everything came to us and we received, then took some more. I am wondering whether to change this energy pattern we need to change our way of thinking and start giving instead of receiving. Instead of sinking deeper we need to find the energy to raise ourselves.

While the economy is on an ever decreasing circle, I am working on a global economy that starts locally. It requires a series of personal actions. How?

In permaculture, the first zone is zone zero : This is usually the house, the home zone. This is where you would start reducing your energy needs, save water, harnessing natural resources and generally creating a harmonious, sustainable environment in which to rebuild. My zone minus 1 goes a step back and looks at me as the starting point. What can I do today to manage my energy, to create a harmonious, sustainable balanced body, mind and spirit from which I can go forward to work and relax.

As human beings we function on a variety of levels and to create a harmonious way of living we need to find ways of engaging with all these levels.

When was the last time you listened to your body? What is needed to enable you to be healthy? What addictions stop you from fulfilling your potential? What or who drives you?

This is a time to find out who you really are, what your talents and gifts are and start radiating them out. This is probably very difficult to visualise but not impossible.

Which gift do you possess that you can radiate outwards.......

Hope in a box

When I woke up today I received a couple of gifts as it is my annual day. These are no ordinary gifts as they are not available in any shop. That in itself is not the most significant thing about them. They are a sign of hope to me that our children are working actively at recycling, reducing consumption but more importantly that they know the secret of giving a gift. It matters very little what its material value is because it is priceless. Priceless because they gave it thought and time rather than money. It warms me and it gives me hope for a different future. A different way of life where less really is more. A basket bought at the school fair, a bottomless box so my wool does not roll all over the floor. When we had the roof insulated, there were some bits of wood left over from a new roof hatch and the youngest boy spent hours filing it to the right size and asking Dad to help him put the nails in. All the while he pretended that he was just messing about with wood. It is a very useful, thought out piece of kit. The added value was time spent with his Dad working on it together.

Today I am grateful for my family, my friends, my life and all the abundance that surrounds me. Despite difficult times, I have a sign of hope in a box.

One man saying no

This film is a retrospective look at Neil Boorman's life twelve months on from the bonfire of the brands

The sky at night

The skies have been brilliant and inspiring over the last few days. The days are cold and the wind is whipping up from a different direction. The garden is being put to bed and my attention is drawn to the inside of the house.

Now is a time to tidy the tools away, clean and oil them. It is satisfying to see that the garden will still be producing some salads; purslane, parsley and celery still abound and there have been plenty of bulbs planted to bring spring colour.

The canning equipment is being put away, the damson gin is about to be put into bottles as gifts for loved ones and a tipple for me when it gets really cold. From the corner comes the spinning wheel and the many bags of fleece that still need to be spun,the knitting needles can click away, the pile of books is ready to be read. I have started a sweater that is lighter and warm for next year's cold spells. I also check the supplies of essential oils, essences and other supplies.

It’s time to begin making gifts for the December holiday season! First though, a day of Thanksgiving. This year, my thanks are not only for continued health, friends, the shop, the home that feels more like ours and the countryside around me; but more - they are for quiet, serenity, inner peace, and a recognition that the things with which I am blessed become too numerous to list as soon as I begin. May it be so for all of you who share this blog and downshifting journey.

Remembrance

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war; this was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole, who established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917.[1] ( wikipedia)

Now my life is only weeping by Karl Jenkins is part of his new work Stabat Mater and I offer you the clip by Miss Wed combining the song with clips from the Robin Hood series 2. Its a powerful emotional combination.

Remembrance and grief are universal themes and part of our human experience whether in wartime or other times. As leaves fall to earth, as trees are felled and lives end, let us contemplate remembrance and in particular family, friends, fellowship and the fragility of life. (© Anne - downshiftingpath 2008)

Let us not forget.......

A poison tree

A Poison Tree, from Songs of Experience

Its been a while, and I have missed you all. Its been a time of reflection, busyness and wondering where we go from here.

Health wise there have been some challenges a bit here and bit there and the reason why I have not been participating in the blog is simply that it would have been too depressing. Surprisingly, the weather joined in in the doom and gloom by producing the wettest summer since records began and the economic climate seemed to take a nosedive too.

So here is the olive branch.....

I will be posting again regularly but probably not daily. The focus is going to be on eating local, growing local and continuing to simplify our lives.

The shop has grown from strength to strength and has been a roller coaster ride: 9 months so far, sleepless nights at times but we have at last mastered an acceptable rhythm.
The house is still under construction and repair as is the garden. At times we have felt overwhelmed with it all, but all in all, it is all taking shape.

I'll start sharing soon, that is if you are still reading.......

Detoxing breakfast

One of the side effects of detoxing is that in eliminating toxins from the body, the body reacts( in my case giving me headaches), as in general it craves the missing element.

Take for instance the morning cup of tea. It contains tea, sugar and milk. I am simplifying by drinking it black first without sugar, then when I have got used to that, I change from tea to redbush or herbal teas. Reducing milk and sugar in tea does not seem to have as many side effects as reducing the caffeine in my daily cup.

Many breakfast cereals contain sugar. Here are a few breakfast options to try to reduce temptations of instant, conveniently packaged breakfast cereals.

Porridge
Oats soaked overnight in water, with cinnamon, almonds and currants
Oats, yoghurt and fresh fruit
Smoothie ; 1 banana, cup of raspberries, cranberry juice and yoghurt

Good Morning

I have come to realise that when I feel hungry my body is infact thirsty. Ultimately our bodies are made up of a large proportion of water ( not tea, coffee or fruitjuice). Water therefore seems a good source of hydration.
I used to drink 6 cups of tea per day, now am down to one. I am not saying its for everyone but we do load our bodies with complex infusions, drinks with sugar and extra sugar and maybe we were not designed to deal with that amount of sugar on a daily basis.

Herbal teas have never been a favourite of mine but I am trying a variety of them, some I like and some I do not. Herbal teas are made from herbs and many can be grown in the garden. Lemon balm and mint are easy to grow and make a really refreshing cup of tea.