Total Mind and Body Wellness

  I have had an interesting weekend just gone, a lot happened to make me think, contemplate and re-affirm myself in my little world. I was fairly spoilt for choice for blog subjects after just one day of the weekend, let alone both, but I have chosen a subject today that has been bugging me for a while, and it's a little less full on than the other thing I was going to write about. There's plenty of time for that one! THIS subject has been bugging me, ever since my menopause qualification and subsequent online guide release. THIS is the cover of the guide that I wrote, me just sat there in the sand dunes at Instow beach, looking out wistfully into the air, feeling wonderful about ditching my menopause symptoms through exercise, nutrition, sleep and mindfulness! NOT a single whiff of HRT in sight! I thought that this miracle guide would be epic, it's fully comprehensive, although we know there are hundreds of signs and symptoms of menopause, and they differ for everyone, but...

  THIS week I am writing about a sad event that happened just five years ago this week. ONE of my good friends took his own life on the evening of the 23rd June 2021, I tried to prevent what he did, but really, he was always going to do it, no matter how hard I tried to prevent it. And I suppose, sometimes, you just have to let people go, if that is ultimately what they want to do? The photo I have used today is one that David sent me, only a matter of months before he left us. It had walked in to his office and he decided to share the experience with me. He didn't really have any other friends, and he wasn't one for sharing things like this particularly, but it was the strange time of COVID lockdowns and he was quite isolated. I met David at the touring park campsite which he managed. I would stay there sometimes for a bit of a chillout weekend and do some writing. We made friends, and then I would occasionally work there for him as a gardener, doing weeding, pruning and pesti...

 When I lived in my little pixie house in Totnes, I had a kitchen chalk board for my shopping list, I also had one for 'Happy Thoughts!' I used to write on my board weekly, with something that I was looking forward to, no matter how small or insignificant it would seem to others, that thing was special to me and kept me looking forward to something. Sometimes it may be as small as having something special for tea one day, I would write down trips away, running events, and even on quiet weeks, I would write down what I was going to watch on tv or read that week. I don't have one of these boards in my house now as we rent, and I have to admit that I want to find a way of doing it, because that daily visual would make me smile and help me get through the day if I wasn't having the best of times.  Do you do something like this? Do you plan things to make you smile every week? It's all very well having a big event like a holiday to look forward to, but sometimes you need...

 THIS Friday 12th June 2026, I am celebrating 2,000 days without alcohol, and I'm feeling good! 'Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know? Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean. Sleep in peace when the day is done, that's what I mean. And this old world, is a new world and a bold world for me.' I love the song, 'Feeling good' from Nina Simone, and I have to say I really love Muse's version, because I love Muse. But whoever sings it, look at the words, they are amazing. Being out in the world, enjoying all the moments that come your way, all the experiences of life lived fully without the haze of drink getting in the way. Sleep improves, and you can sleep better without the nagging doubt of the damage that your drinking behaviour has caused. No shame, no worry and no ill-after effects or hangovers to keep you down. And I can tell you absolutely 100% that the world will be new for you, you will feel bold, you will be abl...

 I wasn't going to blog this week. YOU see, I couldn't be bothered, I wasn't inspired, because currently, my personal life is more than a bit trying lately. Combine that with menopause and it exacerbates it ten-fold. SO I thought, you know what, I have nothing to say, I feel sad, flat, anxious, despondent, lacking any kind of positivity myself, so how can I pass on anything good to readers? THEN I thought, maybe you need to know that? To know that even people who are meant to be inspiring others 24/7 can sometimes just not be arsed because their own life isn't quite tip top? Here it is, the blog that wasn't going to be the blog because I couldn't be arsed, and actually, just writing this, I still can't be arsed, and I am guessing that is also coming across to you, so I have to make it worthwhile for all of us. HERE'S the plan......... STRESS CONTAINER - I've blogged about this before. CAN I do anything about the thing that is stressing me? ANSWER - N...

  SUMMER is pretty much here eh? ISN'T the weather gorgeous? I went out foraging at the weekend and managed to get enough Elderflower to make a cordial, but not just any cordial, I made a sugar-free version using natural stevia and an orange. Recipe. 15 elderflower heads 1.5 tablespoons natural stevia liquid or 2 heaped teaspoons ground stevia 1 orange cut into 8  25g citric acid (you can get this from the chemist) Method. Wash and rinse the flower heads thoroughly, I soak mine for an hour in some water, shake off the insects and sieve. Put the flower heads, citric acid and stevia into a large saucepan and add 2 pints water. Squeeze the orange pieces into it and then add them to the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20-30 mins, then leave in the pan to cool. When cool, using a muslin, pour into a sterilised bottle, refrigerate and use as normal cordial. FOR years I have made this cordial, but this is the first time using stevia for a natural sugar-free alternative a...