.
Much as I love travelling I always savour that first night back in my own bed. When I got home from York I woke the next morning with my head still full of how life was for ordinary people in medieval York and I though how very rich I am.

I was lying in a soft warm bed in a room of my own (not shared with other people or with animals), between clean sheets of finely woven Egyptian cotton. I rested my head on a soft pillow of duck feathers which was made for me half a world away in China, and the prettily decorated pillowcase was sent from Vietnam. I was wearing a pure cotton nightdress decorated with embroidery and brought from India. A faux fur throw made in Britain gives an extra luxurious feel to the bed. What's more is that I have spares and extras of all of these goods, as have most of the people I know.

It was snowy outside but the room was warm without even a draught of cold air and I could adjust the temperature at the flick of a switch. A flick of a switch also produced instant light. No naked flames are needed for either the heat or the light. At 6 am I heard the huge snow  plough and gritter go by. An army of men and women are out during the night working to keep the roads passable. We don't pay directly for this to happen - or have servants to do it for us - but each pays a small amount according to their means.  The poorest don't pay anything towards it.

I go downstairs to a clean flushing toilet in a separate room for bathing. The waste is dealt with by sophisticated systems and invisible others, as in all houses, even the poorest. There are scented soaps and lotions and soft towels, and I turn on a tap for instant clean water, both cold and hot.

And this is all before breakfast!

My ancestors  would be astonished at how richly I live.

I am too when I think about it.

..phtography from Washington DC (for you Mary!)

A silent four minute meditation.

Thank you Karen.

I loved the fun headings in this book shop -

Made me smile..

 
I expect many of you know more about health retreats than I do but from my one experience of an away retreat and a home retreat here are what I see as the advantages and disadvantages of both.

I think they are both well worth doing by the way!

If you go away for 6 days as I did in January 2017 it can be quite costly. I expect prices vary hugely. But for my money I got lovely accommodation, and freedom from responsibility for it. I had the company of new people  which provided a nice distraction, though there was almost complete privacy if you wanted it.  All the juices and soups were made for me - no washing up!  The programme was varied and interesting with short seminars on many different aspects of health and the chance to try new things if you wanted to. There was a good selection of books and DVD's. Katrina told us to rest as much as possible - so nice to be told that! - and the walks were gentle and varied and a chance to get to know the other participants. I learned a lot.

At home I am lucky to have the same inspiring scenery!  It was cost free. I am in the habit of making juices so that was easy - but healthy food is heavy and the amounts of fruit and veg I needed enormous so this took a bit of planning and shopping. I had the comfort of my own bed of course and although not in the luxury bracket I had everything I needed. I found being surrounded by all my usual responsibilities hard to ignore. and a bit of a distraction  - not in a good way. I did see friends but motivating myself was not as easy without others doing the same thing. And food in the fridge and biscuits in the cupboard were tempting! I did have a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits late one evening and it didn't feel like the treat I thought it would be. I did have my own books to browse including one bought for the occasion, and I did a lot of research on the internet finding meditations and inspirational videos (thank you blog friends). I didn't walk as much as I would have in a group, but I could make up my own itinerary every day and do what interested me most.

I know I am lucky to be free to do this but if you really want to do something similar you will find a way - a weekend, your lunch hour, or two hours every Wednesday evening for 6 weeks - whatever.

I will try the two hours once a week for a bit, and am thinking of doing another 6 day one in summer....

It was brilliant.

Wishing you good health!

...but (to paraphrase FlyLady) even imperfect efforts bless your body.

 If you don't look after your body you won't have anything to live in.

,I am so glad I gifted myself six days to concentrate on my health. (It does take time and maybe no-one else is likely to give that to you!) Time to consider what you need to prioritise, to figure out what suits you and how you can fit it into your lifestyle.

It's easy to be overwhelmed by the barrage of health and wellbeing advice, so much of it contradictory, and much of it taking the form of Only 10 minutes a day to.... Only 30 minutes a day to achieve.... Only 40 minutes etc but by the time you factor in work/childcare/household tasks/others' needs - it all adds up to more than 24 hours!

I am feeling lighter, both literally and metaphorically, and more energetic. I have come up with a new weight beyond which I will not go.  I am even more interested in the subject and in finding out more, and am I imagining it, or am I thinking more clearly?

The city again today, but wild and wet. Beetroot and goats cheese tortelloni with sage hit the spot today. How pretty is that? A starter size, eaten slowly, is usually enough.

Tomorrow - the pros and cons (from my very limited experience!) of retreats away or at home

Sunny though very cold. The restaurants had flowers on the tables outside (though everyone was inside) but it looked so jolly and so spring-like and reminded you what it is like to sit outside, and that it might not be too long before we do. Click to enlarge for a pop of colour.

In the station's Piano Garden someone had popped down the suitcase to stop and play something fabulous. I think it would be so thrilling to be able to do that! Do they have street pianos in your town? Whoever thought that up should get a medal.

And Carluccio's exhorted us to make the day Magnifico!

Another reason to be cheerful was that my eyes are 'stable'. Will keep juicing!

And sum up my health week at home when I have got my head round it.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Nearly forgot! 9403 steps!

You are a great bunch!

My determination was flagging last night and this morning. I was feeling good, had lost as much weight as I wanted (and more than I expected) and was thinking maybe 6 days is too much to do on my own, maybe I could stop now
but reading Swissrose's comment I began to look at some videos and the pep talk from Dr Jason Fung and the LCHF video by Dr Andreas Eenfeldt - I love the ethics of his approach described in the last 10 minutes of so - gave me just the boost I needed. I reminded myself that part of the plan was to take the time to do some research, lit the fire, made a juice and sat down to listen and learn.

Tomorrow I visit the opthalmologist.  My eyes are the real reason I am doing all this. (See under Simply Seeing - Or Not.)  I'm looking for macular regeneration not degeneration..

I think it helps.

And I am fitter!

Lingering snow on the tops. Here below - mud, but 6349 steps.

 
Lucille's comment yesterday (I immediately went and looked up The 4 Pillars) got me thinking it would be good to take a look at the health and wellbeing books I have found interesting and/or useful over the years.

there has been a huge shift in attitude towards taking responsibility for our own health and wellbeing  - ie self help.

I've read lots of these books and found them fascinating. I've always had a craving for sugar and was cured of a (mild) depression and educated about sugar by Potatoes Not Prozac by Kathleen Desmaisons.. I like the writing of the late David Servan-Schreiber, notably Anti Cancer A New Way of Life and Healing Without Freud Or Prozac. You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay I use as a thought provoking reference book every now and then, and books about gut health have been useful (I am a convert to kefir!) Gut by Julia Enders is the one I have kept. Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers was quite influential at one point. Zoe Harcomb probably changed my eating habits more than anyone and my current favourite is Lean For Life by Louise Parker. Her 4 principles are Think Successfully, Live Well, Eat Beautifully, and Work Out Intelligently - which just about covers it all wouldn't you say?

Do you have favourites?

Day Five has gone well except I seem to be doing fewer steps each day!!

Yorkshire Steam II  :-)

Yorkshire Steam

Day four and all's well.

Skin brushing, water and lemon, morning pages, three juices one soup, two meditation sessions, one short exercise session, 4lbs weight lost, 2079 steps (must do better!), Fly Lady's Home Blessing Hour, some reading, some researching online, and still full of energy. Loving this health week but also planning my next meal...prawn, cucumber and cashew salad I think. Mmm. Looking forward to Friday night.

..and tulips

Still going...

(PS I'm sotty I could not fix the music on yesterday's post.)

..of my health retreat at home, and I have two posts really.

I want to share a lovely experience I had today which was like a beautiful meditation. It was really snowy and as I sat watching this piece of music played on the radio. If you care to listen while you look at the following photographs I hope you might feel some of the enchantment....
Apologies!!  I cannot load the YouTube of John Cage's In A Landscape!  I have it on the page but when I press 'publish' it disappears.  Sooo sorry - will keep trying,,,

 




When I did the Body Tool Kit retreat I had the company of some lovely people for distraction and I did not use any technology for the duration (neither did I have shopping, juicing, washing and household chores to do!) but doing this at home, I am not trying for a digital detox as well this time.

I was enthralled by Brian Cox's programme on iPlayer BBC 4 - Forces of Nature The Universe in a Snowflake. Beauty, maths, physics, poetry and some wonderful film of people doing astonishing things.

When you look at a snowflake you see history and the deep structure of nature condensed into a frozen moment.

Watch it if you can. It's really special.

Moving more is really important to me now. You might like to try walking more and seeing if it makes you feel better - more energetic, more supple, better in your skin...
I was given a Fitbit and it did motivate me. I'm using it this week, but am not altogether keen on wearing it all the time (I don't really like being tracked and have concerns about possible health risks of wearables).  Instead I am working out how many minutes walking = approximately how many steps, and how many steps my favourite walks are.

Having said that, I put the Fitbit on when I got up this morning then took it off to wash my hair and forgot to put it on again! Grand total? 404! I think I may have done 1000 but as it is thawing tonight I will catch up in the next few days. I've skin brushed and juiced and meditated, done 15 minutes of ballet exercises and a few strength exercises. I want to build some muscle!

I am also taking the time to research a few things I didn't take on board from last January's retreat such as acid/alkaline balance and earthing - at this point I just want to know more....

Long post. Long day. I'm off for a bath. Have you tried a magnesium bath? I think it helps me sleep better.

I hope you've had a good day.

Thank you for your encouragement for my health week at home efforts! The main thing I realised today was how important company is.

I managed dry skin brushing, morning pages, Three fresh juices and one soup, but only 5,665 steps for which I had to take the bus into town where there were pavements cleared of snow and ice which I could walk on. I had the odd pang for a nice cup of coffee and a slight headache some of the time - probably withdrawal from coffee. But so far so good. Not all easy but not hard either....

Perhaps if you want a tiny try at a health retreat you could substitute fresh green juice, bought or homemade, for  breakfast or lunch for a few days and see how it feels?

Icy fingers over the porch today. Tonight I went and stood out there for a bit, stargazing and listening to some very screechy owls quite close in the forest. Another very hard frost.

I am really intrigued that making a public commitment to something makes (most of) us actually do it. Even something as simple as filling out a new address book or taking up the hem on a pair of trousers. (See this recent post.)

I had thought I wouldn't blog daily during my health retreat week (I am starting tomorrow) but I am realising it may be harder than I think to do it by myself and I may need a little cheering on....

So may I check in with you once a day?

The 10,000 steps every day may be a bit of a challenge as I've become an awful wimp of late...am loving being inside looking out.

From the front door this afternoon.
I love the patterns.

From the sitting room window.10 minutes later.
I love the glow.

..and Roman, and Tudor, and Georgian, Victorian, 21C ...

I met up with Mary, long-time commenter on this blog, in York on Monday. It was like meeting an old friend!

We had a leisurely lunch in that Yorkshire institution Betty's then a mini tour of York.  Mary had come up for the day from London (which she said she probably knows better than Washington DC where she worked in the field of refugee resettlement).  She had visited the Minster in the morning, so we walked some of the medieval streets and this section of the Roman wall

The poignant tiny shrine of Margaret Clitherow in Shambles reminded us of how harsh life was in the 1500's in England for those who would not conform.

We glimpsed the work of stonemasons by the Minster and marvelled at the skills, we ventured into a shop in Stonegate  to see the stained glass, painted ceilings, fireplaces and wood panelling of the building, dated 1682 (the staff are used to people treating it like a museum), thought of the seige of York in the Civil War, noted the portcullis on Bootham Bar which kept out the Scots, rested our feet in the cafe of the newly refurbished Art Gallery, noted the beautiful proportions of the many elegant Georgian buildings.....all the while learning about each other's families and work, travels and opinions.

We could have talked for a week, but we packed quite a lot into our few hours together!

It was such a pleasure Mary. Thank you.

A snowy journey home..

And heroes appeared to be a theme..

Here is the engine that pulled the train on the outward journey.

And I saw Gary Oldfield as Churchill in Our Darkest Hour (he will surely win an Oscar).

Where was I?

In York to meet Mary!

After the success of my first ever health retreat last January (see here and here) I am planning to do a home version of it this month.

Here is the plan so far.  I am preparing now. Over six days later in the month ...

I will start the day with water and lemon juice and skin brushing, morning pages and a freshly made juice. I'll have three juices every day and either soup or a very light meal in the evenings. I'll walk 10,000 steps each day, take naps and magnesium baths, read poetry and motivational books,. do a little yoga, and switch off all technology for most of the time and certainly 2 hours before bed. (Sorry probably no blog posts for the duration!).

I'll also make appointments with my doctor and optician. I may have a massage and/or a sauna. I will try and find a body lotion without parabens or sulphates which doesn't smell of coconut. (I don't like to smell of food!). Any recommendations welcome.

I can hardly wait!

At least one reader of the blog has gone on Katrina's wonderful retreat and I do recommend it. It was a treat as well as a retreat and worth every penny.

I have a used copy of Jennifer Loudon's The Woman's Retreat book  - quite a tome but dipping into it might give you some ideas if you fancy a retreat. It is subtitled A Guide To Restoring, Rediscovering and Reawakening Your True Self - in a Moment, an Hour, or a Weekend. (There's a copy for £2.90 on Amazon today.)

More when I come back here in a week...meanwhile you might like to browse previous Januaries?

Hyacinths to feed thy soul..

Nine minutes is all it took to put the Christmas decorations back in the awkward cupboard under the eaves  (see here).

In my mind it was a big task which was going to take at least half an hour  - first I have to fold back the rug and pull out a box of paintings, then I have to move three very large and rather heavy ones to access the small door to this storage space.

Just out of interest I set the timer. I was absolutely amazed that it took only nine minutes and realised that in my mind it was a big task because I was thinking of all the other boxes in that cupboard which need sorting through. By not focussing simply on the task at hand I was making a simple job into an overwhelming one. I hadn't realise that this is something I do!

In fact there isn't as much in there as I thought, and I know exactly what is in two of the boxes. What I'm not sure about is are there more boxes behind the ones I can see from the door?

The attic is almost empty (five chairs which I plan to sell) and I intend that it will stay that way. The basement is almost empty (some rolls of insulation and a few bits of wood which I will give away). If this cupboard held nothing other than rarely used large suitcases and the Christmas boxes - with nothing impeding access to them (which means some decisions about the paintings) - I'd be very happy.

Today has been a good reminder of how far I have come in my clearing and declutteriing journey to a simpler life.

Getting rid of stuff is very freeing - and a timer is a great little tool!

The dark recesses..

How is your journey going?

A world frozen white
Sun by day and stars by night
My home my refuge.

..Rachel Whiteread!

See here.

I've begun to use a book called A Year To Clear by Stephanie Bennet Vogt and am enjoying the few minutes a day it takes to read and jot down a few thoughts. I've done a lot of clearing out of stuff as many of you know, and there is more to go, but am thinking also in terms of being clear-sighted and clear-thinking. Taking it gently. I don't like the website but I'm liking the book so far...

I just love this story!

Heartwarming.

Definitely not my style. I find it difficult to do nothing. I'm a doer, and if I'm not doing I'm planning some doing!

I complain a lot about the rain here in the west of Scotland but feeling tired after the festive season I used the excuse of a few days of lashing rain to just stay home and stay in and do very little. Often when life seemed a bit hard I would say 'Sometimes you just have to plod.' and that always worked for me, but this time I did not even plod. I kept the fire going, cooked just a little, watched The Miniaturist and Little Women on iPlayer (both very good), read a lot, and slept quite a bit.

It's been surprisingly restorative.

And about 8 hours without email, at first annoying, seemed strangely peaceful!

Gently gathering up the Christmas decorations...

Including all the crystals which flew off the tree in the high winds (next year will attach them to a string).

Do you ever get tired enough (and lucky enough) to do nothing for a bit?

..easing myself into 2018.

A quote from Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth -

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.

I'm changing that to a gentle yes....I'm feeling more fragile than hearty at present and gentle spans the gap between fragile and hearty.

Would your word substitute by chance?

I will miss my Christmas lights.

I set up this little arrangement to inspire me. I was thinking 'simple'.

A jug of water with lemon and cucumber sitting out will remind me to drink often.

A single candle because it is murky outside today. It's a token gesture really as it is not about light to read by or work by. It has more life in it than the electric light on which I depend and which I am grateful for but it means something else, something more, something elemental.

A card which has happy associations.

And a hyacinth for its delicious scent and because it is a living thing.

Elemental things - water, fire, scent and memory.

Have you thought about the real meaning of the things you choose to have around you? How do they make you feel? And can you get rid of some of the meaningless stuff that is in your precious space?

I have this grouping on the dining table but it could be by your bedside, or a place where you see it as you come in the front door, or on a favourite shelf.....or all three.

Where will you put yours?

And what are the things that will lift your spirits?

.
Of course my real and true word is Simply. As in Live Simply Simply Live. It's been my guiding word since I started this blog nearly eight years ago.

But it's taken an age to decide for 2018! A few weeks ago I thought I had settled on autonomy, but it began to feel full not of excitement and freedom as I had first thought but heavy, weighted  with responsibility. I read Susannah Conway's quite in-depth course which had some good ideas but nothing felt quite like something I wanted to stay with for a whole year.  I spent a tearful evening looking through some of the many beautiful cards my husband Barry sent me  - always carefully chosen and with a loving and thoughtful message.

In one card he wrote -

Because we share a love of music
Because we share a love of art
Because we share a love of gardening
Because we share a love of learning
Because we share a love of life and each other
Because we share


 I decided share would be my word.

Then another evening late, feeling the satisfaction of completing a task I had been putting off for ages I realised I need these two words for 2018

DO  IT

Then the thought came to me
Do it GENTLY
Ah, there it is!
There's my word!
GENTLY.



If you've chosen your word would you like to share it here?

Too much rich food, too much wine, definitely too much chocolate and marzipan, too much travel in difficult conditions, too much emotional turmoil, too much sitting around. Don't worry! I have had a lovely time and  I'm not totally overwhelmed just sluggish and tired and in need of simple.

Simple light food for a few days. Eggs, salad, fresh home made juices
Simply needing to move more, rain or no rain.  Gently - no goals or programmes or measuring (yet)
Simply drinking more water - this one thing makes a huge difference to my energy levels and is so easy to do (and so easy to forget to do)
Simply sleeping more. Going to bed at a reasonable time. Not setting the alarm
Simply getting back to ordinary restorative routines, the kind that make me feel I'm managing ok
Simply letting go of the non-essential for now
Simply just enjoying my day, taking what comes, not overthinking it all....

Do you need a little simple in your life right now? And can you find a way to give that to yourself?

When my energy returns I will be making plans and decisions, setting goals and writing  to-do lists but right now those things don't look like fun....do you know the feeling?