Just in case . . .

This is another ‘bare my soul’ style blogs where I talk honestly about habits or actions I take that may appear a little bizarre to some people.  This week’s post could also be name ‘Be Prepared’.

I admit I am a Guide/Scout through to the core.  I loved being a Guide (many years ago) and I’m delighted that both boys are active in our local Scout movement.  I frequently use some of the skills I learnt at Guides and along with organisational issues, I also like to be prepared.  Sadly this means I tend to carry around with me lots of items; ‘just in case’.  I remember my Mum showing me her Guide Uniform along with belt, whistle, penknife and compass and I realise they are all relevant (in some way or another) in today’s society.

Several months ago via Twitter @RoriRants introduced me to a You Tube video entitled Female OCD/EDC Bag which sparked my imagination.  Not only did I think this video was amazing but I started investigating EDC (Every Day Carry).  I became interested in what other people carry in their handbags and on their belts/pockets.  This brought me along to the amazing TheUrbanPrepper and his Urban Altoids Survival tin. 

Needless to say, I’ve now purchased an Altoids tin and here’s a list of the current contents:-

Emergency money

Emergency phone numbers

Needle & thread

Duct tape

Variety of medicines (ibuprofen, zantac, immodium, strepsil, allergy tablet, cold & flu tablet)

2 x plasters

Alcohol wipe

Piece of pen and pen refill

Piece of gum

Victorinox card

Calpol 6+ sachet

Nail file / match striker

Mini post in notes

Tampon

Safety pin

Paper clip

Rubber band

Matches

Along with the mini pen knife (Victorinox Classic for those who are interested) some of the contents have already come in extremely useful.  Sewing clothes at work, sticking a broken toy together at Beavers, ibuprofen for pain relief, plasters/wipes & calpol – I am a Mum of two boys after all and the scissors for a variety of uses. Oh & I carry the above penknife and a mini torch on my keys. 

I’ve also read you should have a Grab bag ready in case of emergencies.  Most local councils have an Emergency Plan which you can print and personalise along with a suggested list of items for your Grab bag

How many of you have a Grab bag and emergency plan?  What’s in your handbag or what’s in your EDC?  Please let me know in the comments below.  Do I have an OCD issue?  Have I given you something to think about?

As always, thank you for reading this blog.  If you have any questions or comments, please chat to me below.

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Friday ramblings

Just a short and obscure blog this week.

Initially I thought about discussing aesthetics; specifically those relating to human beauty.  You see, sometimes I am guilty of not noticing when someone has a new hair style or has lost a few pounds.  I don’t believe I’m being ignorant but I notice people as a whole – not just their body and image but their soul.

For example, as a child I had a crush on a high school teacher.  This teacher certainly didn’t fill the category of what most teenagers called attractive but his personality shone through.  I saw the teacher holistically. 

In TV programmes, I tend to admire, respect and am attracted to those characters who appear wise, kind, humorous and caring.  My home-made pin-up calendar at work (don’t ask why!!) raised a few eyebrows.  Not because of their body or good looks, entirely the opposite. 

Perhaps this is why I enjoy holistic therapies.  I look at the person as a whole; not just the physical but the spiritual and emotional.

Any guilty crushes you’d like to admit?

As always, thank you for reading this blog.  If you have any questions or comments, please chat to me below.

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Valentines Self Love

It is coming up towards the time of year where people partner off and it seems like the whole world evolves around couples.  However before a successful relationship can start or for an existing relationship to survive, there needs to be a certain level of self esteem.

So this brief blog post is to encourage you to celebrate you, in all your wonderful glory.

Ideas to help you celebrate you:-

• Take a leisurely rose quartz bath with a couple of drops of lavender essential oil
• Go out for a stroll/walk/run in nature
• Cook yourself a wonderful nurturing meal and eat slowing, savouring every mouthful
• Start a daily affirmation in front of the mirror and tell yourself you are a beautiful, loving, gorgeous person who deserves only the very best
• Put yourself and your needs first.  Whether this means booking yourself in for a facial every month or treating yourself to those new shoes.  You only have this one life, go out and enjoy it.

If you find any of this difficult, why not involve outside help.  Whether this be in the form of counselling, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), Reiki or similar forms of spiritual empowerment. 

As always, thank you for reading this blog and have an amazing Valentines Day.  If you have any questions or comments, please chat to me below.

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I have a confession to make . . .

I'm incredibly nosy. I love looking in other people's front windows. Hubby thinks I'm mad and my sister is jealous I don't fall off payment whilst my head is turning 90 degrees to the direction I'm walking!

Getting to the point; I'm sure several of you are nosy (in the nicest possible way) too. Well here is a nosy round our treatment room. Enjoy!

I'm also excited because it is the first video I have uploaded to You Tube and I've managed to insert into this blog.  

As always, thank you for reading this blog and watching the video.  If you have any questions or comments, please chat to me below.

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"Client Testimonial"

Something slightly different this week.  I was delighted to receive an amazing testimonial from one of my clients and would like to share it with you.  I hope this gives you a personal insight into the therapies I offer, with the aim of helping you feel great. 

"I have known Heather initially as a work colleague and then as a friend since 1998.  She is an unassuming, upbeat person who always has a smile on her face.  Whilst she works in I.T., Heather is in tune with her spiritual side and always displays a positive outlook on life and it was probably this, her strength of mind and determination that helped her beat breast cancer 9 years ago.  She fully researched a healthy lifestyle which included Reiki amongst other things and it was at this stage that she found her niche in life and now helps other cancer patients through Coping with Cancer. 

My first treatment with Heather was a Reiki session and whilst I wouldn’t say I’m a sceptic, I was unaware what to expect and what the health benefits were.  I can only say that the session changed everything for me.  It gives me a chance to escape from the stresses and strains of every day life and I’m often known to fall asleep during the treatment!  I have also experienced some unique sensations which I won’t detail as they can be different from person to person (and not always experienced) but are nonetheless quite amazing.

Having been bitten by the bug I then booked in for an Indian head massage. I had had these before at beauty parlours and felt as if I’d just been slapped around the head. But Heather’s treatment is so much more and includes face and neck massage but for me, the best bit is the relieving of knots in my back and shoulder muscles – bliss!  

As Heather is always looking to continually expand her knowledge, she has also added organic facials and full body massage to her many talents (all self funded).  What can I say on both counts?  Superb!  I hate it when the facial comes to an end and whilst I cannot usually stand having my feet touched, this wasn’t a problem at all during the full body massage - I loved it as Heather was gentle but not to the point where my feet felt tickled.

Heather always greets you with a warm welcome and is very thorough at the beginning of all sessions to assess your current health and any problems since previous treatments.  I cannot decide which is my favourite treatment as they are all fab and choose them depending on how I feel – if I am particularly stressed, I will have Reiki; if I have a big night out coming up I will opt for the organic facial.  Treatment usually ends with a glass of water and I always leave with a feeling of euphoria and looking forward to next time.  I can highly recommend Heather and any of her treatments – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

Festive crystal

As you can imagine I read lots of blogs and try to absorb lot of information.  Whilst reading the incredibly informative Hibiscus Moon’s crystal blog (http://hibiscusmooncrystalacademy.com/crystals-winter-celebration/) , she mentions her Garnet Winter Solstice meditation.  It sounded divine so off I trotted looking for some almandine garnet.  Not only did I manage to find some beautiful little tumble stones, the seller was local to me – Yay.

I have spent the last few days meditating with my new garnet and I’m looking forward to spending a little more time exploring any sensations and thoughts that may appear in the next few days. 

The Almandine garnet is a beautiful deep red (very seasonal) colour.  I’ve tried to take a photo on white to give you an idea of the depth of this beautiful crystal.  I therefore relate this crystal to my base chakra and feelings of sensuality, sexuality, compassion and self-confidence. 

Garnets are a related group of minerals. Members of this group include: almandine (red to violet red); spessartite (yellow, rose, or orange to reddish-brown); pyrope (deep red); grossular (white, yellow, yellow-green, brownish-red, orange or black); andradite (colorless, yellow-green, or brown to black).

It is said Noah used a garnet lantern during the Ark's journey through the rainy gloom. Eastern Europeans used the stones to ward off vampires and the Crusaders wore them as protective amulets. During the Victorian era, garnets were given as gifts to symbolize lasting friendship.

Garnet is also used to help stimulate success in business and Hibiscus Moon believes it helps with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). 

Around this Winter Solistice/Christmas period, what crystals will you work with?  Have you asked for any crystals for Christmas?

Thank you so much for reading my blog and supporting Heather Holistics in the past year.  I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very blessed Solstice and Christmas and a healthy and happy 2013.

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Quick disclaimer; I am not a medical practitioner so therefore I’m not prescribing.  All of my blog posts are based on complementary therapies and not as a replacement for conventional medicine.  

I finally got a Baroque

Long ago when Doris wrote her wonderful Philofaxy blog post on her range of Baroque Filofaxes (click here), I must admit I suffered with planner envy. I constantly watched Ebay just so I could own a Baroque. I wanted to stroke the super, soft, embossed leather and see for myself if the Baroque’s really were as beautiful in real life. After months of waiting, bidding and a few fails along the way I finally got my wish. So (drum roll please), here are the requisite photos:-

I’m using my mini black baroque as my daily carry around Filofax. Whilst I still adore my A5 Cuban filofax (for further details see here), sometimes carrying around an A5 Filofax is just too heavy and bulky. Even when I trim the contents down to bare minimum pages, A5’s can still be a bit of a beast.

However, a mini filofax is no hardship to carry or fit into the smallest of spaces. On occasions where I don’t even carry a handbag, the mini baroque serves as a filofax/wallet too. As I print my diary pages out from Outlook, downsizing them to mini size is not difficult either. Yes, it makes the print a bit small but still readable.

Here is a quick tour; The black leather is soft and smooth. The embossing on the inside is . . . just divine – classy and understated. In the front there are several card slots where I slip a debit card if I’m using the baroque as a wallet. There is also a small zip compartment where I keep my money if using as a wallet.

I print out my Outlook calendars using the Microsoft Calendar Printing Assistant and shrink it down via pdf to 50%. Next I just have some lined paper for notes, shopping lists etc..

At the rear is the cutest, little notepad holder I have ever seen. I put my business cards in there to save on bulk.

And that’s it. Baby baroque earned its stripes when I helped host a burger stall at the village Christmas fete a few weekends ago. I didn’t want to carry a handbag but I also didn’t want to be without pen & paper. Baby baroque was able to write down drinks orders, quickly show me my appointments to arrange meet ups, hold my money and provide safety for my business cards.

As always, thank you for reading this blog and following my crazy flitting from one filofax (size and style) to another. If you have any questions or comments, please chat to me below.

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