Dharma in the Garden

WhiteSpace

WhiteSpace is a local art workshop run by the City Council's Arts Development Team. I stumbled across a page about them on the Council website about a week or so ago during a google search for local art classes but the information there was well out of date.  Then last night I was flicking through our local free newspaper (which I don't normally do) and there was an article advertising the latest programme of art classes at WhiteSpace! 

I knew they would be very popular so phoned first thing this morning.  As I expected most of the classes were fully booked already but they did have a jewellery class starting in January which still had places left.  Now synchronicity definitely played a big role here.  Surely it was meant that I would find this course at this particular time...  So I didn't hesitate and booked a place there and then.  It's a ten week course for beginners. We will be working with silver which is exactly what I'm interested in. 

Summer's Lease

"...one wishes for more, but it suddenly turns to leave, dragging summer away." August by Elizabeth Maua Taylor

It's been a particularly awful summer this year as far as the weather is concerned so really we should be glad to see the back of it.  But with autumn just around the corner and winter not far behind, one really does wish summer could stay a little longer.

Pottering

"So you see, imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering." Brenda Ueland

Moodling - what a wonderful word!  Moodling is really what I do best.  Although pottering is what I call it.  I can potter for hours, around the garden, around the house.  I can start lots of tasks then be distracted by something else far more interesting.  This makes me sound like I'm incredibly lazy, which I'm not.  I don't spend my life just pottering.  I wouldn't get anything done for a start!  However, for the chance to feed the imagination, to just let it float from one thing to another, to plan, to dream, ... nope you can't beat spending a day (or two) just pottering.

Testing the water

Woke this morning feeling quite down and worrying about what I should be doing with my life, whether I should stay in my current job or take the leap and do something completely different.  Last week I had tentatively put my toes in the water regarding becoming a Virgin Vie Consultant but then immediately pulled them back out again as my confidence plummeted. 

However, in the short space of a couple of hours I have phoned my Reiki teacher to arrange a hypnotherapy & motivational coaching session, exchanged emails and phone numbers with a consultant from Virgin Vie about having an informal chat over coffee this week, and spoken to a recruitment agency about dropping in sometime with my C.V.  Of course this time next week it's quite possible that for all my plans I'll be right back to square one again as far as my confidence is concerned but at least I've done something.

Rosy Red Apples

This is the first apple from one of the fruit trees in the garden. Well actually it's the second apple because we ate the first straight off the tree!  It tastes really delicious - crisp and sweet. On Monday we had to take all the fruit off because the tree was bending over with the weight.  We got about twelve apples in all which is a pretty good crop for the first year. Only two were damaged.  The second fruit tree will be ready to pick in a couple of weeks.

Ring, Ring

"If the Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me" - Jimmy Buffett

I'm really bad at staying in touch. No, I mean really bad.  I'm sure friends must think I've dropped off the planet it's been so long since I called them.  You would think it would be ever so easy just to pick up a phone and say "hi" but somehow the weeks slip past and of course it's just quicker to send an email. 

Creative License

I am currently reading "The Creative License: Giving Yourself The Permission To Be The Artist You Truly Are" by Danny Gregory

Give or Take

I am loving Give or Take which is such a great idea I'm surprised someone hasn't thought about it sooner.  Via this website you can click on the links to over 500 well-known stores and earn cash rewards when you shop.  If you feel saintly you can choose to have the money donated to selected charities or you can keep the money for yourself.  There's a category for Organic & Fair Trade stores as well so you can really feel doubly virtuous. Each time you make a purchase through Give or Take, they are paid a referral fee by the store.  Give or Take give 100% of this referral fee back to the member who made the sale. It's free to join, although if you choose to keep your cash rewards there is an annual admin fee of £5.00.  But that seems fair.  It's certainly a great way to give money to charity and you can gift aid your donation as well.

Fire the Grid :: Be Defined

I recommend a visit to Fire the Grid.  If, like me, you are concerned about what we are doing to our wonderful planet and worried about its future then Shelley Yates provides 'The Plan' which will hopefully provide the remedy to our situation.  It requires only one hour from each of us on 07-17-07 at 11:11. Shelley's story is incredible - she is truly an inspiration.

Local Produce

It's summer and the height of the strawberry season here in the UK.  Scottish strawberries in particular should now be in abundance in the shops and supermarkets.  Can anyone tell me then why my local supermarket has imported strawberries from the USA?

Tamara de Lempicka

The Lady in the Painting

A Summer Place

Pots by the Shed

The Scent of Vanilla

Apples on the Tree

Newly Planted

No Room for Secrets

I have just finished reading Joanna Lumley's autobiography 'No Room for Secrets'. Tony had bought this book and didn't particularly enjoy it.  Not because he doesn't like Ms Lumley.  He said it was more to do with the style of writing.

Quote of the Day

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye. Miss Piggy

Fashion Statement

I have just finished clearing out my wardrobe so it is looking a little empty at the moment.  The time had come to be ruthless and I finally made the decision to ditch a lot of items that had never been worn in a long time. Then I realised that I hadn't even tried some items on in years and my only reason for keeping them was purely sentimental, to remind me of a different time, a different me.  But it wasn't even as if I regularly took them out and looked at them to conjure up these memories. So why on earth was I keeping these items and sacrificing valuable space when I knew I would never wear them again?

My Sense Of Summer

newly mown grass

insects buzzing

the warmth of the sun on my skin

the first local strawberries

the fresh new green leaves on the trees

a cloudless blue sky

lemonade

children’s laughter

a picnic blanket

being woken by birdsong and sunlight

washing blowing in the breeze

warm sand between my toes

eating outdoors

Watercolour Flowers

I was doing a bit of satellite channel hopping yesterday and came across the Painting and Drawing Channel.  So I stopped and watched a 20 minute programme on watercolour flowers by Jeremy Ford.  His demonstration of 'wet on wet' was excellent - very easy to follow and a complete joy to watch as his painting of poppies unfolded. 

The programme gave their web address at the end so I've had a look at this and printed out the programme schedule for the coming month. I really want to see more of this artist doing his stuff - he's a great inspiration!  Also Jeremy Ford's watercolour flowers series is also available on DVD and can be purchased from the SAA shop (Society for All Artists). Will try to make room in the budget for this next month.

Plainly Speaking

I've been getting more and more frustrated by the constant misuse of the word 'literally' in TV programmes, particularly from broadcasters and presenters who should know better. The worst offenders would appear to be presenters of shopping channels.  Is it their excitement and enthusiasm for a particular product that is responsible for their gaffe or just a basic lacking in knowledge of the English language?  I found the following on a great site which reassures me that I'm not the only person who finds this word's misuse particularly annoying:

Like “incredible,” “literally” has been so overused as a sort of vague intensifier that it is in danger of losing its literal meaning. It should be used to distinguish between a figurative and a literal meaning of a phrase. It should not be used as a synonym for “actually” or “really.” Don’t say of someone that he “literally blew up” unless he swallowed a stick of dynamite.

Thanks to Brian's Errors Site for the above.

You wouldn't think it possible but I have actually heard a presenter say "You literally just open this...".   It's not only misused, it's also overused.  Several times in the space of a few sentences is not uncommon.  Now my life is not so sad that I sit and watch TV all day counting the use of the word 'literally', but it is something that I feel quite strongly about.  And don't get me started about bad spelling!  In this computer age where we have software that checks our grammar and spelling we have become lazy in our use of the English language.  That's sad.  Such technology has certainly made our lives easier, but at what cost? 

Today's Horoscope

"Although you can be so intently focused on the minute details of your immediate environment, the astrological month of Taurus opens your vistas of thought and imagination. Today, however, with the Moon in your 10th House of Career, it's crucial for you to make an effort to push beyond your own self-limiting boundaries. Widen your vision in a practical manner so you can eagerly open the door when opportunity knocks."

This is very appropriate considering the current situation here in my office.  We are living on the knive edge at the moment and not sure which way things will go.  Before I read the above this morning, a few of us were discussing the way things are and how we probably need forced change in order to jolt us out of our current environments.  We moan and complain but we put up with our lot because it's safe and it's what we know.  I think this is true for the majority of people.  Unless change forces us out of a situation, we are happy just to stay put and accept our lot.  But if our work is a huge chunk of our lives (we spend more time at work than we do with our families), why are we putting up with something that makes us so miserable? 

The last few years have seen me taking steps to change my working life so that it incorporates some or all of my interests. Progress hasn't been as fast as I would have liked but moving from full-time to part-time working is one change that has definitely had a huge impact on my life (for the better!).  I'm still heading in the right direction as far as my plans are concerned, although I now accept that things don't always happen when we want them to.  Life can change at any time and we never know what is just around the corner.  I'm definitely going to be prepared for when the opportunity comes knocking.

Today's Horoscope

“Sometimes, you appear cooler on the surface than you truly feel. You may be tempted to downplay your feelings so that others don't get worked up with your emotional drama. The problem with this strategy is that your secret passions may not find a way to express, unless others in your life know how you are feeling. This can be terrifying, for you don't want to be inappropriate, but it's time to act on your feelings now.”

Now this is particularly accurate in my case.  I’m not inclined to show my emotions very easily.  And yes, I have been known to downplay my feelings on occasion.  However, after reading the above, I’m left wondering exactly how I should go about expressing my ‘secret passions’.  Passionate displays certainly sound terrifying, but I’m thinking probably more so for the person on the receiving end than for myself! But on reflection this has got me thinking.  Is the reason behind my calm exterior and downplaying of feelings a way of trying to convince others (and more likely myself) that I am in control and that displays of emotion are a sign of weakness?   Putting my emotional dramas ‘out there’ for others to see just seems way too scary right now.  I’m going to think more about this and return to it at a later date. 

Today's Affirmation

I am generously and spontaneously acting each day to ease another's life.

A Day at the Races

What a wonderful day we had yesterday at Musselburgh races.  Fourteen of us were there to celebrate Mum & Dad's 50th wedding anniversary and we really did it in style.  We had a private box and balcony situated right at the winning post.  On arrival we had champagne and canapes then sat down to a beautiful three course lunch.  The private room had it's own bar and barman and we had a personal tipster who advised which horses to bet on.  The big surprise for Mum and Dad on the day was when they were asked to judge the best dressed horse and then to present the winning trainer and jockey with the trophy and champagne.  We didn't manage to back many winning horses but it didn't really matter. The atmosphere, the noise of the crowds and seeing all these fabulous horses was just amazing - it was all really exciting.  We have a wonderful collection of photographs to remember the day so I will create a special photo album here for these.

Nature's Cycle

For our meditation class today we chose an exercise from a little book of easy meditations - focusing on a flower.  Using a daffodil, we meditated on its perfection and form. We then visualised the cycle of nature where its petals shed and the seeds would scatter. The flower would decay but the cycle would begin again.

Artistic Expression

I am taking inspiration today from an article by Kenneth Wapnick Ph.D. and his discussion on 'proper' and 'improper' art and how the latter places emphasis on the external effect (form) rather than on creation's internal and inspirational source (content).

This is a lengthy article which will require more study on my part, but essentially, if I understand it correctly, it states that form flows from content and that content inspires form.  Content and form are synonomous with cause and effect.  This relationship can only flow in one direction - cause precedes effect, not the other way round.  And so it is the same with content and form - form will always flow from content.  You cannot seek to change the content by modifying the form.

So rather than focusing on concerns such as "is this art any good", my aim should always be to create a true work of art (form) that is created from my inner experience (content).

Oasis for The Body

Way back in 1990 I was a solo visitor to Le Sport in St Lucia.  It's on my travel wish list as the place I would like to return to (I'm thinking a holiday for our anniversary next April might be nice...).  I also read recently that Kira Bowie, a lady here in Aberdeen who runs pilates classes and who I bought my MBT trainers from, teaches a few weeks a year at Le Sport as a Master of Pilates. 

A brief search of the internet after that found the website for Le Sport - they have certainly added to the resort over the years and it looks very impressive.  When I was there I particularly liked the Oasis, which is the Spa which stands on a hill overlooking the hotel.  It is moorish in design (see photo) and is a haven of tranquility.  Since I was there they have added to their list of treatments and therapies.  They now have a resident doctor of holistic medicine who is available for consultation and individual treatments which work with the body, breath, mind and soul.  They also offer ayurveda therapies and a series of holistic practices encompassing yoga, meditation, massage and detoxification.  Add to that the healing arts of Kinesiology and Iridiology, a specialist skin clinic, a whole range of fitness classes, a gym, massage rooms, nude sun deck, meditation temple, not to mention the incredible list of heavenly face and body treatments, and it's no wonder that this resort was recently named as the number one destination spa in the world by readers of Conde Nast Traveller.

The tag on their website says "give us your body for a week and we will give you back your mind".  I'm having to hold myself back from booking this holiday right now.

Breathe Colours

You can bring a little colour into your life (and mind) with this exercise.

Sit up with spine relaxed and straight, breathing at a rate that is comfortable. Establish a natural rhythym, focusing on the breath.  In your mind, place yourself in a location where you feel comfortable, safe and happy.  Now bring a colour to mind. When you have decided on your colour, breathe in, visualising the colour spreading slowly throughout your body.  As you breathe out, visualise the complementary colour. Repeat this for five to ten minutes.

Breathe In Red – for vitality

Breathe Out Turquoise

Breathe In Orange - for joy

Breathe Out Blue

Breathe In Yellow – to increase objectivity         

Breathe Out Violet

Breathe In Green – cleanse                      

Breathe Out Magenta

Breathe In Turquoise – to aid healing      

Breathe Out Red

Breathe In Blue – for relaxation and peace         

Breathe Out Orange

Breathe In Violet – to increase spirituality            

Breathe Out Yellow

Breathe In Magenta – to initiate change 

Breathe Out Green

I've just had some 'Color' Massage at the Oasis of Visual Sanctuaries.  No, I haven't gone mad!  This works better in the dark playing some soothing background music.  The theory behind this method of healing is that whatever colours are lacking or needed are automatically absorbed by our energy fields upon exposure to that particular colour.

The Frustrated Artist

I looked through my portfolio at the weekend, which I haven't done for some time.  Guess I was prompted by my reading of 'Keeping the World Away' last week.  One of the characters (Stella) in the book was frustrated by her attempts at painting and looking at my work I also felt some frustration at what I had produced.  I began questioning whether a successful artist can be self taught (is Vetriano the exception?) or whether it is only possible to consider oneself 'talented' after several years training.   I view some of my work with distaste and consider it amateurish at best.  However, there are one or two pieces that I do like (mostly my pencil sketches) so take comfort from the belief that I have a modicum of artistic talent.  One of my favourites pieces is the 'Ballerina' above.  I did this many years ago and it was just a very quick sketch with pen and ink.  Now that I have dusted off the old portfolio, maybe it's time to dig out the brushes and pastels and have another go.

Keeping the World Away

Have just finished reading 'Keeping the World Away' by Margaret Forster.  I chose this book mainly because it was about a painting and the women who lives it touched.  Each of the women in the book were very different but essentially the same in one respect.  The saw something in the painting of an attic room that others could not.  I shared the frustrations of Stella who finally accepted she would never be a talented artist.  I envied Jacasta her beautiful attic studio filled with light and her wonderful talent as a portait painter.  I loved how in each woman's story there was a link with the women who had gone before and marvelled at how the painting found its way into their lives (and hearts).

The woman who painted the picture was Gwen John, a talented Welsh artist (1876-1939). She studied under Whistler and was the mistress of the scultor Rodin.  It was only on finishing the book that I realised that Gwen was a real person (obviously the story and other characters in the book are fiction).  I'm frustrated that I didn't know about her and by my lack of knowledge about many artists and their work.  Should I have known about her? There are such huge gaps in my knowledge.  However, on a positive note I know about her now and will make a point of finding out more.  Although the story is fiction, I completely understand her longing to (sometimes) keep the world away. 

Healing Angel

I am reading the 'Angel Bible' by Hazel Raven and have discovered several fascinating facts about Archangel Raphael.  I have always called on Raphael (and other angels) when I practice Reiki but I didn't really know why.  However, I did know his name means "God heals" and that he is the angel of healing.  Since reading the Angel Bible, I now know that Raphael is also associated with Spring (my favourite season), Wednesday (the day I was born), the zodiac sign Virgo (my birth sign) and the planet Mercury (ruler of the sign of Virgo).  It's no surprise that he also appears in my favourite book, Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers! 

Raphael grants us many gifts, including joy and creativity. He encourages self-motivation to become who we are meant to be. He is also the angel of communication (I am calling on him right now to help me convey this message!). Raphael spreads love and laughter and delights in helping people.  I am reassured that, despite being an Archangel, anyone can call on Raphael for help and we don't need to be psychic or have any special powers to do so. We just need to open our minds and our hearts.  Synchronisities are the angels' way of letting us know they are there. Thank you Raphael - I've got the message.

Well done Liz

Hats off to Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare for their commitment to working with the environment. The Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce has recently awarded Liz and her team their ‘Green Business Award’ in recognition of the company’s efforts to make their workplace ‘greener’.

Liz Earle is no stranger to awards for her products and services: ‘Outstanding Customer Service Award’, ‘Best Cleanser Award’, ‘British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection “Golden Bunny” Award’ to name but a few. As a customer of the Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare range, I have no difficulty in promoting her products.  I use the range because it works and I wouldn’t be without it. But the reason I’m such a huge fan is because of the philosophy behind her company and the care and attention she puts into her products and customer service.  It is important to me as a consumer to know she is committed to using only high quality natural ingredients from sustainable sources and wherever possible uses organically grown ingredients.  Yes, the products work, they smell wonderful and the packaging is beautiful.  But more importantly they contain no animal ingredients, no mineral oils, no chemical sunscreens and have not been tested on animals.  I'm also seriously impressed that an order can come from the Isle of Wight to Aberdeen in three days (on one occasion it arrived the next day!).

The company will shortly be moving to bigger premises which will be ‘eco-friendly’, using geo-thermal heating and clever use of rain water for flushing toilets! They are also working towards ISO14001, an environmental management system accredited by an independent body.  I wish them well on their ‘green’ journey.

"The more honest I am with those around me, the more love is returned to me."

Courtesy of Affirmation Planet

I have been looking for a jewellery course for some time but it's always been difficult to find one with a time and location that suits, not to mention being too late in applying! I stumbled over Wire Sculpture a while back and bookmarked it because I thought it looked like a 'goer' at some stage in the future.  I was drawn to it again the other day and read some of the testimonials.  With a view to the summer house being ready by May, I am starting to plan the kind of activities I want to do there and certainly jewellery will be one of them.  I've initially signed up for Preston's free 7 part e-course and weekly newsletter but will certainly be thinking about buying his CDs in the near future.

Big Garden Birdwatch Weekend

It was the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch this weekend so we had the binnoculars ready.  I didn't think we would see many of the smaller birds because of the large amount of gulls in and around Aberdeen and this was certainly the case yesterday.  There must have been about twenty gulls circling and diving at something we couldn't see in a neighbouring garden.  However, on Saturday we did see a lot of activity at the bottom of our garden where several small birds were flying in and out of the hedge.  We could see that they had a bluish green back and yellow breast so are pretty sure they were Great Tits.  I watched two birds fly right inside the hedge but after five minutes or so they still hadn't reappeared so I assume they are nesting in there.  We have a lot of cats patrolling our garden so will keep an eye on these little ones.  I am also hoping that our little feathered friends will take a dip in my bird bath soon.  So far the birds just don't seem interested.  Maybe it's still a little cold...

Happy Birthday Rabbie!

Today is Burn's Day in Scotland, so for those who don't know all the words of Auld Lang Syne (and there are many) here is the full poem courtesy of the official Robert Burns website. 

Only the first and last verses are sung at Hogmanay (or New Year) and a common mistake is for people to cross their arms at the first verse and keep them crossed. However, arms should only be crossed when singing the last verse.

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o'kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

And there's a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

Hogmanay.net has information on Hogmanay customs and practices, and a glossary of some of the Scots words. 

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity. Gilda Radner

I long for the perfect ending. If a book I’m reading doesn’t have an upbeat conclusion, I feel let down, cheated somehow out of the “happy ever after” that doesn’t exist in real life but that I look for in fiction.

Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that I’m a perfectionist, or should I say a recovering perfectionist. I was, and still am to a certain extent, a real stickler for everything to be just right, nothing out of place, to always have the perfect ending. But you don’t half set yourself up for disappointment when you try to control and organise every aspect of your life. I learned that the hard way. Of course, life isn’t perfect. Deep down I knew that. It didn’t stop me trying though.

Today, I can accept life and all its imperfections (although not without a struggle!). I wouldn’t want it any other way. Life can have moments of desperate sadness and terrible tragedy but equally can give us moments of sheer joy and untold pleasure. We definitely do have to make the best of what life deals us. To learn from the past but not dwell in it, plan for the future but live for the moment. To look forward, not with fear or dread but with anticipation and hope.

"If the whole world followed you, would you be pleased with where you took it?” Neale Donald Walsch

My 'character strengths' journal was delayed over the weekend as I needed all my reserves to fight off the beginning of a cold. I'm glad to say that the bugs lost out, although I know there are many who weren't so lucky.

Anyway, on Friday I took the camera into the garden and snapped a few shots of our new dwarf apple trees. Something I've been meaning to do for a while so one point scored for the 'creativity' character strength.  I think both these trees will grow to about 3 metres high, producing fruit in August and September.  However, I wasn't able to find them in my plant & flower encyclopedia as I didn't have the latin names so further research is required. They look very small and bare just now but hopefully come Spring they will be covered in blossom. 

Then I grappled with the clever little gizmo I was given for Christmas which transfers pictures from the camera by connecting the XD card with the computer. Encouraged by my success, I set about putting a new XD card into the camera.  Relatively simple for all those techies out there I'm sure but for me it took a few failed attempts before I succeeded with both these exercises so I think I can safely say one point each for 'love of learning' and 'persistence'.

Thought for the Day

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities." Dr Seuss

Growing Stronger

There’s no doubt that most of us spend a lot of time dwelling on our weaknesses.  We regularly beat ourselves up about all the things we believe we are no good at.  If we could only apply the same amount of time and enthusiasm to praising our strengths!

A colleague received a mailing from the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology which is a new organisation promoting the science and practice of positive psychology.  The pack contained several cards with a word or phrase on each, and a comic representational drawing on the reverse. We decided to do a quick exercise with the cards to identify what we thought our strengths and weaknesses were. Thankfully, of the two piles of cards we chose, the one representing our strengths was bigger!  Our choices were similar.  We had both picked ‘social intelligence’, ‘perspective’ and ‘humour’ as strengths.  I had also picked ‘creativity’, ‘kindness’ and ‘spirituality’ as my strengths. Interestingly, we had both picked ‘love’ as one of our weaknesses.  Not that this means we are completely incapable of feeling or giving love.  We just felt we didn’t express it as well as we could and this was something we wanted to work on.

This was an exercise that definitely got us thinking about how little we recognise and acknowledge our strengths.  I am particularly inspired by the suggestion on each of the cards about starting a daily ‘Strength Journal’ where you record three occasions during the day where you displayed that particular strength.

Clean Regime

I usually enter a New Year in the mood for cleaning out. Sometime during the hiatus between Christmas and New Year I start planning my clean regime around the house. I'm very good at planning. Not so good at the doing unfortunately.

However, the old digestive system hasn't been so good the last few weeks and this is one area that really could do with some attention.  So in order to get some 'friendly' bacteria into my digestive system I've started taking Lactobacillus Acidophilus twice a day. In addition I'm taking two Red Clover Combination supplements twice a day to cleanse the toxins from the bloodstream.  Caffeine has been replaced with peppermint tea (also great for the digestion) and I'm getting lots of nutrients from home made vegetable soup. 

I've read about Bodytox Detox Foot Patches and apparently the results are amazing! You place the patches on the sole of each foot before going to bed and the toxins are absorbed while you sleep.  I'm going to give these a try and see if what they are claiming is true.

While the house might not be spick and span, hopefully I'll be starting the New Year thoroughly cleansed!

Dharma Creation

In the beginning...

Dharma in the Garden is being created.  Watch this space!