This was me last summer.
I weighed over sixteen stones and felt encumbered by all the excess weight I was carrying.
This year, on March 19, at the age of 62, I began a 100 day Juice Fast…for a great many reasons.
Today I am over half way through my 100 day journey, Day 63 to be exact.
I am feeling fantastic.
I am in the process of writing a book all about my journey.
In the meantime, here is a small selection of photos that have formed part of that journey so far.
Just updated my Juice Fast Diary over at Bealtaine Cottage Good Life! Day 11 of 60…Here’s a link for members…
https://bealtainecottage.org/juice-fast/
If you would like to become a member, click here:
https://bealtainecottage.com/bealtaine-cottage-good-life/
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Earthing is a way of connecting with Mother Earth, going barefoot, without shoes whenever possible.
There’s just something about the feel of the ground under my feet that is magical and energizing.
The energy of the Earth was part of everyday life for our ancestors.
They walked the Ley Lines, they felt the energy of the Mother beneath their feet.
When was the last time you walked barefoot upon the Earth?
Ley lines connect ancient monuments and sacred sites with Earth energies.
To walk barefoot upon the Earth is good for mental health well-being.
We are a civilization without connection to the very world we inhabit.
We fear the dark.
We fear ridicule.
We have entrapped our bodies from making progress on our spiritual journeys, for without our connection to Mother Earth we are wandering souls, alone and bereft of comfort and joy.
Earthing is a part of Natural Healing.
Walking barefoot invokes a calming energy and helps us to get to know who we are.
When I feel in any way distressed, I walk to a special place in the gardens, remove my shoes and stand, stretched out on the Earth.
It is comforting and empowering.
Stopping by the Silt-pond
Try it…get earthed!
“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . . When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar.”
Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things. ~Elise Boulding
Yesterday, I found myself with two juicers.
Through fortune and kindness, my life had become too full, and so I gave one away, to a friend who needs to take good care of her health.
She was delighted and my cupboard was, once more, roomy and ready to receive.
To live in a state of abundance, it is necessary to practice frugality.
One cannot work without the other.
Abundance needs space to grow!
Clinging onto what one does not need creates clutter, confusion and chaos.
Is it any wonder the world is in such a state?
We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it. ~Donald Horban
The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed — it is a process of elimination. ~Elbert Hubbard
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This site, Bealtaine Cottage, is free and has over 850 blogs, as well as over 3,500 photographs.
Bealtaine Cottage Good Life costs 12 euros per year and allows me a small income, to keep doing what I love doing most…writing about Mother Earth and photographing her.
Making this small donation adds your name to the subscriber list.
You will then have access to the website and full blog as published twice each week.
This amounts to 104 publications per year, at a cost of 12 cents each!
Click on button below to join the website…
One of the mainstays of good health…organically grown onions here at Bealtaine Cottage on the veranda, drying out before stringing.
Onions, Apples and Blackcurrants, organically grown, will provide an enormous amount of protection from colds and viruses and at the same time help to keep the blood free from oxidants.
A pot of tea, comforting and refreshing as well as being a powerful anti-oxidant
Garlic…not just for keeping vampires away!
Traditionally, whole bulbs of wild garlic were placed under the thatch of Irish cottages, just above the door, to keep away evil!
Studies now suggest that Rose-hip extract can reduce the pain of osteoarthritis.
In the past this was used to make a poultice which was then applied to painful joints in hands, knees and hips.
It has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect and will successfully treat the inflammatory condition AND is free of any side-effects.
This is a very easy to grow cure and has many other uses…for example, the hips are packed with Vitamin C!
Another case of prevention being better than cure…sunflower seeds, used in bread-making will provide a good source of Omega to the body and be powerful in the protection of good health all round.
We should enquire of the older generation what it is that has kept and continues to keep them in good health.
Home made vegetable soup is one of the best sources of goodness to keep good health throughout the winter.
I make this in batches, using pumpkins from the pantry and keep it in the fridge, along with home made bread.
Pumpkins will keep for the entire winter if stored in a cool pantry.
The Elder tree was used as the mainstay of good health in village life long ago.
This is another easy to grow tree that keeps on giving…Elderflower Wine is absolutely scrumptious!If you wish you can subscribe to the latest website from Bealtaine Cottage…”Bealtaine Cottage Good Life”…simply make a donation of 12 euros for a full year and access the long list of blogs now on site. Quote: “Bealtaine Cottage Good Life” with your donation.
(Please note that this small donation sustains the work on this website, Bealtaine Cottage YouTube, Bealtaine Cottage Podcast and Bealtaine Cottage Magical Gardens FaceBook.)
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Cutting back branches today.
This is a good way of creating more fuel for the fire and is easy to do even if there is no barn or shed to stack them in. Simply clean them back and make a wig-wam to stand them up so they can air dry. These little wig-wams can stand over the Spring and Summer and be ready to burn over the winter.
Daffodils placed in the warmth of the kitchen today.
I picked them yesterday whilst out on a walk in the forest. They were growing around the ruins of an old castle near the lough. The daffodils had multiplied over the years and were simply everywhere!
Spring daffodils have become a marker of displaced and emigrated families as they come into bloom around ancient, deserted ruins…
Jack is a happy dog these days…for Flo has come to stay!
Flo is yet another stray dog, re-homed through Bealtaine Cottage and a regular returnee…in fact she loves being here and Jack’s eyes have become heart shaped!
Flo and Jack make a strange looking couple, as Flo is tiny and Jack is, well, you can see what I mean!
Tea is my favourite tipple and I have recently discovered Redbush Tea…which is delicious! I have made a toasted cinnamon and sultana bagel…oh, the simple things in life are always the best!
I was chatting with Mum on the phone recently and she is already looking forward to the late Spring and the Bluebell blooming in the forest nearby Bealtaine.
It is amazing that Mum has happily been in good heath since her Breast Cancer Operation nearly two years ago. Mum resolutely refused any drug treatment or radiotherapy , saying that she simply wanted to live without any interference, appointments etc. Well, so far, so good! Mum is a great tea drinker…and I think that helps both her health and her spirit!
Many of my regular readers have said how they read this diary during morning or afternoon break, with a cup of tea or coffee…Cheers!
PS: Missy continues to be rather poorly and is visiting the Vet this afternoon. We make sure she is kept in good spirits and with plenty of love and warmth. Fingers crossed!
“Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.
To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you. ”
― Christian D. Larson
