Earth Berries

Health

We are arriving at a new age of increased focus and awareness centred on preserving dear Mother Earth. Cleaning products are one of major sources of concern with an alarming array of chemicals listed as ingredients on even the most banal of products. Darren and I have a sensitivity (of varying degrees) to washing detergent with side effects ranging from a mild rash to debilitating rosacea.

During an episode of Dragon's Den last season ( http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden), we learnt of a new product called 'soap nuts'; officially berries, not nuts and found growing in areas of India and Nepal. 

http://www.earthsberriesoapnuts.com

https://www.facebook.com/earthsberries

By a major stroke of luck, there is a lady in Collingwood who started a business a couple of years ago selling soap nuts; her company is known as 'Earth Berries'. Darren looked perplexed when I mentioned I was 'off to pick up some Earth Berries' but after explaining that Earth Berries were in fact our cleaning-saviour, he was extremely excited to give them a try. Earth Berries are very reasonably priced ($10 for a bag which claims to last for up to 95 loads!) and come, pre-seeded, in a neat little muslin bag, cute branding and 'mini' bag that would later be used during washing. 

The detergent properties of 'saponin' found in the shells is what gives the nuts their magical cleaning properties. The instructions advise that you pop 6 halves of the shells into the mini muslin bag and just add that into the main compartment of your washing machine along with the dirty laundry. The nuts can be used on a hot or cold cycle ( if you use a cold cycle, soak the nuts in warm water beforehand) and are so effective, you don't even need a 'rinse' cycle at the tail end of the wash. 

So, are the soap nuts all they are cracked up to be? Holy whites, YES! They are fantastic! You might be lured into thinking that because they are 'herbal' and 'green', they not as effective as the chemical products and laundry detergents you might find on sale at the store. I was overwhelmed at the effectiveness of soap nuts in the fight against dirt in the washing machine; our clothes come out clean, fresh and chemical free! Here is Darren with one of his shirts looking clean and ready for some summer action!

•Soap nuts are not damaging towards clothing and linen

•Soap nuts are very effective for washing delicates, wool and silk without spoiling their shape

•Soap nuts are great for restoring vibrant colour to clothes

•Soap nuts are hypoallergenic and excellent for anyone who suffers from skin complaints

•Soap nuts are more economical than traditional washing detergents

•Soap nuts reduce run off into our rivers and are totally bio-degradable. 

•Soap nuts can be used for multiple purposes ( cleaning, pets, laundry, household etc etc). Boil 'em up and use the liquid as a multi purpose cleaner. 

 And here am I ( **my first attempt of using the '10 second snap shot' mechanism on D's camera) very relaxed sleeping on 'soap nutted' sheets. I would highly recommend soap nuts as a great alternative for the standard laundry soap, they are effective, environmentally glorious, easy to use and don't make my hands hurt! Hurray!

Running

Health

We are rejoicing in a stretch of glorious weather. As many may know, I am an avid runner, have been for years. I run every day and despite the overwhelming benefits to my mental and physical health from the life long obsession, running does come with a unique set of 'issues' which I tend to stumble upon periodically. 

Recently, I have been dancing with the 'UV' devil and exposing myself to inordinate amounts of sunlight causing significant pigment changes to the skin ( and not in a good way). Darren suggested that to 'burn over a burn' is most definitely not a good idea and as I was about to adorn my running shoes and head out to the great outdoors, he passed me a smallish black piece of taut material. On closer inspection, I realized he was giving me a 'visor'. 

Not the coolest item in the wardrobe, but this visor was a life changer; I couldn't believe I had never run without the aid of an eye shield before ( I previously had an aversion to caps thinking it would get a hot-head). In fact, quite the opposite happened and my head and face remained cool whilst I was able to run without permanently squinting and probably acquiring irreparable damage to my facial tissue. What a find! I like to think I looked 'retro' in my visor.. in reality, I think I looked like a small, pink girl who was running late for the roller blade discotheque.. but at least I didn't get any more sun burn.

My other new found friend is an invaluable help in dealing with the [multiple] injuries acquired after daily, long distance road running. My current problem is focused around my Achilles but if it's not one thing, it's somethings else; it's an occupational hazard. As well as using Darren's amazing hot and cold wraps, I have started to use Arnica as a healing tonic for aching limbs and joints. 

Arnica can be used externally to aid healing in:

• Bruises
• Sprains
• Muscles Ache
• Wound healing
• Rheumatic Pain
• Insect Bites
• Inflammation after fractures
• Conditions caused by over exertion ( i.e. running)

I must say, daily application of the cream appears to help my swollen achilles and has most certainly reduced the pain and 'electric shocks' I was experiencing when walking. I still regularly stretch my calves and have abandoned my favorite flip flops in an attempt to regain full ankle-power. All helps in my quest to become Blue Mountain Half Marathon champion for a second time in the fall!

Golf

Health and Happiness

Ahhhh, Golf: The gentle sport... ( but also highly competitive seen in evidence most recently in Rory Mcilroy's incredible Victory at the US Open http://www.rorymcilroy.com). Darren is a huge fan of golf and also [extremely] good at it which has inspired me to pull my socks up and get putting!

Golf is played by millions of people around the world, most of whom confess deep love yet wild frustration at their game. Sure, it is annoying when you ball lands in a bog, so why do we all want to leap onto the golf train? I did a little research to find out more. 

Relaxation: 
Life is becoming more stressful and claustrophobic all the time and even at the gym, it is hard to switch off from the outside world with most people now physically attached to their IPhones, even on the Cross-Trainer. On the golf course, nothing can touch you, not even network coverage which allows the feeling of total escape, even for just one hour. 

Beauty

Humans love beautiful things and Golf course are pretty much, without fail, Beautiful! We tend to respond extremely well to pleasing colours, landscaping and shrubbery and I challenge you to find a golf course that is gross; golf courses are invariably stunning and allow us to appreciate the countryside and nature at it's most glorious. Darren's good friend Jeff even teed off onto an alligator last year down in Florida ( although maybe this is a side of nature that one might prefer to keep at a distance).


The Game:
It can get a little expensive, but that is pretty much the only down-side to a round of golf ( there are many cheap alternative and deals out there). Golf  is an extremely sociable game  (possibly the only sport where a glass of pinot grigio can actually 'assist' one's game) and allows you to have quality time with friends and lovers out in the sun whilst actually engaging in a stimulating game.


Successful Shots
You may be a beginner and swipe the golf ball as if you were laying hockey, but we still all hold out for that magical moment when the ball is catapulted into the air, landing slap bang in the middle of the green like a golden egg. It's rare, but its awesome and worth every bit of flying earth.

Here are Darren and I at the drivin range: Darren is a fabulous teacher and I am improving with great speed. I love golf!

We've been practicing hard at the driving range; Darren is an excellent teacher and my swing is getting better and better. My goal is to get to a golf course by the end of the season!

Kevin Nealon

Career Success

We love Kevin Nealon! Darren and I started watching Weeds after signing onto the infamous 'Netflix' and have never looked back. The joy of Netflix lies in the unlimited access to a huge selection of popular Television series which one is able to watch back-to-back with NO COMMERCIALS. 'It's like a dream' I hear you cry, but also potentially bad for anyone with addictive personality issues or a full time job. 

Anyway, I started watched Weeds during a bout of heavy flu and then continued to watch further series whilst recovering from a wisdom tooth extraction. Weeds is a wonderful sitcom; well written, hilariously funny but the icing on the cake is the joyous discovery of the comedic treasure, Mr. Nealon. 

We love Nealon; so I was exhilarated when during our last trip to Chapters in Barrie (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca) I stumbled across Kevin's first Novel, an autobiographical account of his  journey into fatherhood, 'Yes you're pregnant, but what about me?'. I added it to my increasingly large pile of goodies ( we had gift certificates *yay*) and made a bee line for the magazine section. 

As expected, this book is hilarious. Kevin is fortunately able to pen using fabulously witty prose and Darren was frequently tickled by hearing me roar with laughter from the bedroom. He discusses the classic high, lows and melodramas associated with early courtship, dating, marriage and pregnancy and is very clever at identifying the salient points in his life that will cause us to nod in agreement and then fall about laughing. I am a world away from having children ( other aspects of the 'success' clause need to be addressed first) but Kevin's light hearted account of his transition into parenthood made if seem not all that bad. 

I urge all Kevin and non-Kevin fans alike to seek out this book as the perfect summer, pool-side read. It's an instant feel good romp and I promise, will have you laughing out loud; We love you Nealon!

My New Roots

Health/ Financial 

This blog is AMAZING! Gorgeous Karla found the link and ever since, I am hooked. 'My New Roots' is an utterly inspirational and beautifully crafted blog written by Canadian, holistic nutritionist and vegetarian chef Sarah Britton, now living in Denmark and who spends her days working in a prominent position in a top Copenhagen Restaurant. Her blog is award winning and on scrolling down through the posts, you can see why. It would appeal even to the most die hard Carnivorous, junk-food loving folk with it's melodic, witty prose and fabulous photography; this girl is good!

http://mynewroots.blogspot.com

Sarah brings a charming element to often very sophisticated information about various health food items. She claims to be able to turn 'even the most yukky, green things' into a fabulous culinary treat and I can testify to this having tried her 'Raw Cashew Dreamcake' first hand care of Aranka at Sakura; it was sublime!

http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2011/01/raw-cashew-dreamcake.html

I love how 'My New Roots' makes healthy eating so appealing; with sumptuous, versatile recipes, fantastic photography and a wealth of well researched information about the various ingredients and produce. I am not surprised in the least to hear of Sarah's success and am very inspired to emulate her blogging achievement! Check out 'My New Root's, eat and be healthy!

Lily of the Valley

Happiness

I will try not to deviate too often towards my 'favorite things' in striving for success but I am a sucker for anything in the garden and am alive with excitement with all the gorgeous colours that are illuminating Collingwood. 

My current fascination is the rampant invasion of Lily of the Valley on The Georgian Triangle, a flower so beautiful and delicate that even the lovely Princess Catherine chose the blooms for her wedding bouquet. 

I grew up understanding the beauty of Lily of Valley seeing my mum wishing it would grow in our garden and occasionally catching a wave of it's gorgeous scent whilst walking through the woods. 

Lily of the Valley symbolises the return to happiness, purity of heart and sweetness. It protects you and the garden from evil spirits and fills one life with humility, happiness and Love's good fortune. No wonder Kate decided to walk down the isle holding a bundle of the stuff!

 

I couldn't believe it when I popped over to my gorgeous friend, Rebecca's house earlier in the week and found that her entire back yard was covered in Lily of the Valley. It was amazing. It didn't know where to rest my bike for fear of crushing one of the gorgeous blooms. I was very amused to find out that in fact the flowers were growing 'wild' and were actually a dominant species in the area *gasp*. Lovely Rebecca wouldn't let me leave without a large bouquet of Lily of the Valley; we picked it together, she has a relative field of the stuff! So Canada wins the prize for best crop of 'L of the V'; I am very impressed and excited to plant some in our garden and watch it blossom!

 Here are a couple of my pots now thriving in our garden, strongly attributed to these intermittent hot days and stormy showers we are having as well as a good dose of miracle grow....

Surviving a Heat Wave

Health

We have been catapulted into SUMMER! At a balmy 33oC degrees today, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to assess our summer-fun kit to ensure that we enjoy the next few months to the full!

I did a little research and in order to enjoy the seasonal heat wave, experts recommend we follow this [fairly self explanatory] list of guidelines:

 1. Use Fans throughout the home  (day and night)

**In the evening open windows and doors to promote air circulation

***After sun rise, close those doors and shut all blinds to keep the indoors a cool haven. 

2. Water. Drink, shower, bathe, spritze; water is cooling! 

3. Downstairs. Hot air rises... stay downstairs kids

4. Turn off things that are hot. No stove, oven, lights, radiators etc etc

5. Avoid alcohol and caffeine *boooo*. It's annoying.. but true.

6. Go to 'cool' places. Libraries, shopping malls, etc etc

7. Stay away from large, protein rich meals (They can increase metabolism and warm the body)

8. Recognize signs of heat related illness. Remember the number, 911!

9. Don't forget your dog! A cool bath, cool washcloth or fan will help. Call your vet if you find your pet has any of the following symptoms:

• rapid panting
• wide eyes
• drooling ( and not because of your steak dinner)
• hot skin
• twitching muscles
• vomiting
• dazed expression ( and again, not because of the steak)

Darren and I decided that our summer would start with a little shopping trip to equip ourselves with the necessary items to enjoy the heat wave to the max. 

1. A standing fan c/o Wall Mart. Check out this sunbeam beauty. She was cheap but she works *sigh*

2. Darren's Bike needed fixing so we took her in to Little Ed's in Collingwood. Ed LOVES his bikes and as we left Darren's bike to get her [very minor] repairs done to the handle bar grips, we caught him giving her a few extra bike 'spa treatments'. 

And here is someone enjoying the new hot weather.. 

3. Patio Furniture from Canadian Tire. This involved multiple experimental comfort checks, squish monitoring and price analysis. In the end we went for cheap and cheerful (it seems one can pay anything from $10 - $1000!) and they look fabulous!

It's going to be an awesome summer!