Just Humans Being...

  I like to take responsibility for my own health and believe that our reaction to a virus depends on the condition of our immune system. If it isn't tip-top then we will be susceptible to any germs going, but if we look after ourselves then we can avoid getting ill or at least reduce the impact. Of course, if you listen to today's medical experts you will see things differently, but bear in mind these guys have been trained by the big pharmaceutical industries who want to make mega bucks from their wares, so it's in their interests to fund and build medical schools to steer the minds of those who are drawn to the profession. I'm afraid I don't trust any of them, even if their intentions are well meaning. I love the books of the old doctors, those who used their intuition to assist people to heal, who learnt from their ancestors and understood the power we all have to heal ourselves.  It's been a while since I had a cold, but after a nasty mosquito (I presume) b...

Cabin life... For years, we have felt the need to shut out the light from our bedrooms. We truly believed that our inability to sleep solidly was due to our curtains not being thick enough, long enough, wide enough... And yet here we are; over 10 months without curtains in a south facing cabin with many windows, lots of light and we sleep so well!  At a time in our lives when many folks of our ages are wakeful or needing the loo in the middle of the night...as we did before living here. We now sleep soundly and only extreme weather (torrential rain or howling wind) has disturbed us.  We don’t have any electricity around our bed. Our wooden cabin doesn’t have any built-in sockets and our only electric cable is in the kitchen, which is at the opposite end of the cabin. The fridge is the only thing that remains on at night and we switch everything else off...absolutely everything; including our phones and we pack all our devices away each night. We use candles, tea lights and t...

  One thing we learn from spending time with older folks is how NOT to live! We are well aware that we are not like most people and our views on life are probably very different, but is it not weird that so many people happily follow the path of many others? All with similar jobs, houses, cars, clothes...all influenced by something they’ve seen on TV or read in a magazine. Groups of similar aged people all wanting the same; conforming to what they feel is expected of them without question. We can only imagine what it is like to feel the sort pressure that would make someone want what others have and slipping into a strange world where everyone is the same. We only catch glimpses of these lives and from where we are standing the results are not looking good. There are many lists out there for improving lives with recommendations for happy and healthy retirements; most of them are quite twee and superficial, so we thought people need to know what not to do!!! Without furthe...

Do you live in fear of growing old, of becoming ill and dying?  Or do you enjoy your life; living with purpose and seeing the beauty all around you? Our work has evolved in the last year and has taken us on a path which felt right...caring for others.  Going into the homes of older people who have needed help and human contact.  We started with 2 clients, people we have been supporting with housework and pet care for many years and as the months ticked by, they both asked if we would go into various friends too. We are now working pretty much full time, doing whatever is needed...housework, gardening, dog walking, food preparation, sometimes just sitting and chatting over a cuppa.  We feel we have calmed those who were fearful and helped them to see things more logically...there is little virus here in Cornwall and it is very doubtful anyone will catch it while sitting in their house. Those who had become frightened of the outside world, have now started going out ag...

We are living in a time when seemingly healthy people are susceptible to germs, disease and even die. We often hear of the shock family and friends feel when their loved ones depart this world..."they were so fit and healthy”! What most people don’t realise is that exercising and calorie counting doesn’t necessarily make you healthy and it is a combination of things that cause dis-ease. Those underlying problems may just be simmering away and if you are busy, work long hours and have a stressful job – you probably won’t even notice. Most illnesses will come along because of a build up of toxins in the body over a number of years, which is why it usually hits us in our 40s... from eating a poor diet full of processed foods, large quantities of animal protein, fats, dairy and foods sprayed with nasty chemicals. Top this off with living in a polluted city or large town, along with being employed in a job with many rules, regulations and other people and you have the perfect ingre...

  The idea for this stew came from Caldwell Esselstyn's book  Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease . His recipe for Marrakesh Express Red Lentil Soup is delicious, but we wanted something more filling. I added celery seed, as we didn't have any fresh celery, a pinch each of sage and thyme instead of a bay leaf and ground coriander (cilantro) instead of fresh. Along with fresh garlic, carrots, potato, leek and kale. Ingredients 1 large onion 4 cloves garlic 1 leek Small knob fresh ginger 2 large tomatoes 2 large carrots 3 medium potatoes A few handfuls of kale 300g dried red lentils 300g cooked chickpeas 1/2 tsp dried turmeric 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp celery seed 1 tsp ground coriander Pinch each of sage and thyme 1 litre or more of cold water Juice of half lemon Few drops liquid aminos Instructions 1. Chop all the veg into required size and place into a large pan. 2. Add herbs, spices and enough water to stir-fry ingredients. 3. Fry for around 10 minutes. 4. Add lentils and the res...

Do you trust your own instinct or prefer to rely on opinions supposedly based on facts? Over the years we have been advised against doing what we have wanted to do, we have experienced so many sharp intakes of breath by the people trained in the various areas we have disagreed with, but we have always chosen to stick to our guns and do what we feel is right. The thing is, our decisions came from within – we were never been influenced by others or knew of other people doing what we we wanted to do, we just felt something...a knowing. When we first got together in 1986, we discovered that we both felt repulsed by certain meats and we began questioning why we continued to eat it when we felt so uncomfortable. One evening Sime came over to my flat and made spicy veggie burgers from soya mince which were delicious and I then found a recipe for walnut and broccoli lasagne and we carried on learning more and more. In 1987, we bought our first house together and it just so happened that ...

  We were asked recently if we still stick to Ann and Caldwell Esselstyn's principles...being vegan and oil free and yes we do. It's over 8 years now since we stopped using oil and apart from when other people cook or we buy something while out we continue to eat the same healthy way - always vegan and oil-free.  Simple vegan meals really don't take long to make and are easy enough to cook from scratch each day. There isn't any need to spend huge amounts of money on junk food, when simply cooked vegetables taste so good! We wrote a blog post about this some years ago:  When Everyone Runs, Stand Still  but thought it would be good to remind people... It was Caldwell's 87th birthday on December 12th and he continues to enjoy good health...35 years of eating a whole food, plant based, oil-free diet has obviously worked wonders!  As a reminder, here is the list again... 1. Eat oats  (Old Fashioned) for breakfast, any way you can as oatmeal, as a cold cereal ...

  As we ventured out yesterday, we were thinking how surreal the world has become when people are colour co-ordinating face masks with their clothes (no doubt this has been a thing for a while - just not in our little world!) - it’s quite bizarre, especially when they look so glum; almost zombie-like, pushing trolleys around shops along to the awful versions of festive music being churning out all day. We choose not to wear masks, we don’t use nasty soaps or wash our hands any more than usual, we hug our family and friends...even those visiting from other areas and guess what? We are all fine! We don’t personally know anyone who has caught the lurgy, but have heard of people who have had it and the deaths we have heard of have all been elderly with other health issues. We take full responsibility for our own health and if we do by chance get sick - then of course, we will happily isolate ourselves, but we believe we will remain well. I remember reading an interview with the Swe...

We first came across the intriguing story published in 1939 of Peter Kelder, Colonel Bradford and “The Fountain of Youth” from a book we picked up in Lanhydrock’s second-hand bookshop in 2017. We have no idea whether the story is fact or fiction, but it led us to start practicing “The Ancient Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation” - five exercises which have been found to reverse the aging process and improve health by stimulating the energy centres. The story in a nutshell is that Peter Kelder met Colonel Bradford, an elderly retired British Army officer during the 1930s. They became friends and Colonel Bradford talked of his travels and how he had heard about a monastery of Lamas (Tibetan Monks) who had discovered “The Fountain of Youth” and the older visitors of the monastery who mysteriously regained their health, strength and vigour. The location of the monastery was unknown, but the colonel felt a strong desire to find it...and so he did. He embarked on his journey of discovery and whe...

  Our GP first introduced us to homeopathy in 1988, when our eldest offspring, Sal was born. Our family doctor was not only a general practitioner, but a midwife (or should that be mid-husband?) and a homeopath. He enthusiastically attended the home birth of our second born as an observer, along with our usual midwife and a student midwife. It was the first planned home birth in our town in 13 years, so there was much excitement and it was wonderful! As our little Rosie Matilda was born, her beautiful big eyes opened wide as we all sang happy birthday...much to the delight of her big sis, who was two at the time. Six years later, when our third born, Hugo came along – we were very happy to discover that the student nurse from Rose’s birth was to be our midwife and she was thrilled to be on duty that night - delivering not just another baby at home, but to be sharing another birth experience with us. The health system had changed though...the midwives were no longer attached to ...

EE Cumings quote taken from here. You only have to do a quick search on the internet to see that laughter is becoming big business.  There are clubs, online courses and therapists dishing out ideas to bring laughter into your life...  How bizarre is that?  People need to be taught how to laugh and of the health benefits it brings, which incidentally are huge - but what has happened? Why don't folks know how to laugh? It is such a basic instinct and yet, we're not doing it... Well we do , but lots of you don't.  We know how our mental health influences our physical health, so no wonder laughter is now seen as an important ingredient for  healing illness.  There is so much fun to be had if you spend time with people who make you laugh, so if you're not getting enough - seek out others who share the same sense of humour, who can help you change and before you know it...  You'll be enjoying a good belly laugh every day, crying w...

Last weekend we needed to catch up on some sleep, too many late nights took their toll & we were grateful to not be caring for Bebe - relishing the opportunity to lie in bed until the afternoon for 3 days on the trot... Such a treat! We've enjoyed sharing our home with 2 lots of friends (something we had to put on hold while Bebe was here), so it's been really lovely.  We've also had some exceptionally tough work days, but continue to be supported by our fresh juices. We just have one for lunch & love the natural lift it gives us, yesterday - we cleaned the big holiday home we look after non-stop for over 7 hours. Admittedly, we were knackered at the end, but we did the work of 4 people on our usual breakfast of super food porridge, then green juice followed by a banana for lunch. We'd taken extra food to eat too, as we knew it was going to be a hard day, but we didn't have time for anything else. After a good night's sleep, we have felt reju...

We made this juice this morning & took it out packed in ice to have between jobs... It gave us a great energy boost! We used: 4 apples, 1/2 pineapple, half a lemon, 1 inch knob of ginger, half a cucumber, 4 sticks of celery & several leaves of pak choi. This made 1 litre of juice & it tasted like a zingy sherbet! Kay & Sime xx

Have you seen this inspirational film? If you can't see the film above try this link:  Fat, Sick And Nearly Dead . We often go through phases of juicing & love them - the greener, the better!  This film is proof again that our food choices really do make a difference to our health. Now the weather is picking up - it's a good time to reboot, so we'll be dusting off the juicer & giving ourselves a spring clean. Watch this space for some our favourite juice recipes. Kay & Sime xx