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AngelaLewis

Jul 27
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Orange Blossom Steam Train

By | Travel | No Comments

I wanted to visit an Abbey which the man in Denbigh castle told me about and it was on a route that I wanted to travel anyway; it was through the Horseshoe Pass and on a road just before Llangollen. It was late afternoon as I drove through the Pass and I stopped to eat my late lunch of fresh cherries and admire the beautiful views, the time was about 3.30pm and I thought that maybe the Abbey would close soon so I decided to go to Llangollen anyway as I have been many times before and love the place, it’s a beautiful village where they hold the International Eisteddfod every year which is a huge competition celebrating the arts.

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Examples of the yarn bombing which was on display in the main street!

Llangollen satisfies all the senses, it’s a beautiful place to look at, with quaint little village houses and shops all built around the river Dee, with an old Mill serving delicious food, providing wonderful aromas as you walk past and onto the main bridge over the river Dee adorned with flags of all nationalities, which connects the two parts of Llangollen. You can always hear singing as you enter the town, it could be from the Maes up at the Eisteddfod or the choirs singing in the local hostelries after the competition or in this case a band singing on the station. The musical theme is so prevalent there you can almost touch the music in the air; you can definitely feel the vibrations.

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I went to investigate what was happening at the station and was told I was just in time for the Orange blossom steam train which was part of the Fringe Festival and there would be music on the platform until the train departed then another band singing on the train with dancing and wine, up to Carrog station where we all got off the train and listened to another duo singing a mixture of English and Welsh folk songs. On the train on the way back I decided to stay in the carriage where the band were playing, a couple of young lads from the local area called Steffan and Matthew, they played guitar and drums and sang country and western songs much to the delight of the passengers who sang along and danced their way back to Llangollen station where there was more music for you to enjoy on the platform, which was more of a typical Country and Western theme with the lead singer even wearing dungarees.

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It was the most wonderful train journey I have taken, on an old steam train called Foxcote Manor driven by a young blonde girl with a punky look about her and soot covered face but from her smile looked as if she was loving every minute of her job! The carriages were also very old with plush upholstered seats which all trains used to have years ago, the seats were like sitting in a booth and very snug and comfortable with some carriages having compartments like the Orient Express.   It was a slow meandering trip through the Welsh countryside until we reached our scenic destination and alighted to listen to the music. People of all ages had joined the train at Llangollen, from babies to the elderly all joined together by this wonderful musical celebration of Welsh and American culture.

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I met some lovely people on board, a lovely couple from Boston Lincs who had just celebrated their 50th Wedding anniversary in Llangollen, a couple of friends who lived locally and did this trip every year just because they loved it and a couple of lads who were the entertainment on the return journey, they probably were on the outward journey too but I stayed in my carriage during the first half admiring the views. Steffan, one of the guys in the band told me about a singing village called Rhos which I am going to try and visit as part of my adventures. Apparently it is a very small village with many choirs and you can join in the singing with them, so I will definitely look into this, as I love singing.

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Jul 25
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Meeting my hosts for Thailand

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As I have decided to travel by using the Helpx website, which is a site for volunteers to exchange work for board and lodge with hosts, the last few weeks since I made my decision has been dominated by reading the profiles of and corresponding with some wonderful potential hosts who are willing to accommodate me from July 15th which will be my first travel adventure.

So far I will be going to Flintshire in North Wales to help a family with an artisan food business on the 15th July for a month then I will be back in Kidwelly which is near my hometown for a couple of weeks to tie up loose ends, see the family etc. before I spend the next couple of months visiting a lovely family in Galway, Ireland and then on to Scotland.

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The beautiful church at Curry Rivel where my hosts UK home is.

But the most exciting adventure I have is in Thailand in November, even though I am really looking forward to the other positions it doesn’t feel as exciting because I have been to these countries before but not seen enough hence the return. Anyway to get back to the Thailand job, the lovely Julie contacted me after reading my profile and realised that I might be suitable to work for her and her lovely partner Marcus on their Ultra Marathon in Thailand.

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My home while in Thailand.

When I first found Helpx I sent quite a few messages to hosts in the UK just to test the water but when I had the message off Julie about Thailand it sort of made my mind up. I have worked on many similar events in the past and loved every one of them but to do the same in Thailand is a dream for me. So we corresponded and arranged for me to go to Somerset which is where they live to meet them and speak about the job and what it entails. I had pretty much decided that I was definitely going to do it after speaking to Julie on the phone and realising that we had a lot in common and I could really fit in. But when I went to see them it confirmed my thoughts immediately.

I arrived late at their house due to meeting with an old friend prior to our arranged meeting. My friend used to live near me and we were close friends for many years before she moved away, we stayed in touch via phone, Facebook and email but hadn’t seen each other for almost ten years but the years just melted away when we got together and it was as if we had never been apart, consequently we ended up chatting for hours at lunch and the restaurant didn’t have good wifi or phone reception, so I couldn’t contact Julie and Marcus to explain what had happened, anyway I really regretted turning up late although Julie and Marcus were very understanding at least to my face.

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When I got there they had two helpx people staying from California in the USA, so I met them too and we all had a wonderful evening meal and chatted until late about travelling, the job I would be doing and our lives in general. I just felt so at home with them talking about all the adventures I was due to have and which they had already had.

The place they lived was called Curry Rivel in Somerset and they were very interesting people who had built a life for themselves around their travelling. Julie and Marcus met in Chiang Mai 23 years ago after both being dumped by previous partners (their words) they spent some time travelling alone and then decided to travel together. They also have a retail business which they take to festivals in the UK and have been doing for 20 years and then they spend their winters in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. Marcus is an ex runner and has run ultra-marathons himself before knee injuries curbed his athleticism. Julie has a passion for horses and helps people to train their horses especially those who are hard to handle.

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Last year for the first time they organised an ultra-marathon in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at a place they stayed when they lived there many years ago, it was a huge success after much worry and stress and this year it will be in its second year www.thailandultramarathon.com. I will be in charge of one of the waterstops. There are two events called the Beauty and the Beast, the Beauty is 50KM and the Beast is 100KM and it’s very tough, it’s in a very hilly part of Thailand. It’s not just about the event itself, as a thank you for letting them have the event running through many tribal villages, Julie and Marcus’s company visit local schools prior to the event and hold craft sessions with the children to try and involve them in the event. Part of my role will be to visit these schools and take part in the craft activities with the children which I am really looking forward to. The whole event and volunteer role that I will be taking on will last for about three weeks which will be a fantastic time to spend in Thailand. I am hoping to hire a scooter and spend a few days sightseeing all over the area before moving on to Cambodia or Vietnam and Bali.

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My visit to Somerset proved to me that I definitely want to do this, these people are on my wave length and I feel at home in their company, they know so much about travelling and have given me many tips already and have put me in touch with a few people who can possibly employ me for money whilst I am on my travels. Life has a way of making your dreams a reality if you just see the opportunity, it doesn’t always come in the way you might think but when it comes grab it with both hands.

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For more information on the Thailand Ultra Marathon go to www.thailandultramarathon.com

Jul 23
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St Winefride’s Well, Holywell

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St Winefride’s Well Holywell

On my first day exploring I decided to go to a place very close to where I was staying in Afonwen called Holywell, my host Nicola told me about it and said it is named the Lourdes of Wales.  I have never heard of this before so was very intrigued, once I was told I could have the rest of the day and the next few to myself, I knew I had to go there, I first went to Mold to do what little shopping I needed, then went to Holywell on the way back from Mold.  It wasn’t easily signposted but once I found it, the building struck me first as very beautiful, Gothic, very ornate and obviously well kept.

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I found a place to park just opposite the church which houses St Winefrides Well and went across to see how much it was to go in; there was a little gift shop at the entrance with a small museum area telling you the story of St Winefrides Well.  It was only £1 to go in so I decided to take look at the museum room and go for a walk over to the Well, I could see a lot of people milling about across the grass verge and knew that was where the Well must have been, but first I wanted to read a little more about the history of the place.

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According to legend St Winefride’s Well first appeared at the spot where her alleged rapist Caradog cut off her head with a sword.  Restored to life at the prayers of her uncle St Bueno, Winefride lived as a nun until her second death 22 years later.  She was a 7th century Welsh woman who had been venerated as a saint ever since the moment of her death, since that time her Well has been a place of pilgrimage and healing; the only such place in Britain with a continuous history of public pilgrimage for over 13 centuries.

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It is believed that thousands of people have been cured after bathing in the Well over the centuries and the museum houses many wooden crutches which were discarded after being healed at the Well.

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The present Shrine building is a glorious 2 storey Late Perpendicular Gothic building erected in the first year of the 16th century and is unique in the world.  It is a Grade 1 Listed Building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.  The Well precinct also houses an Interpretive Exhibition setting forth the story of the saint and her shrine in detail, and the Victorian former custodians’ house has been converted to house a museum of the Pilgrimage.

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The Well is described by some as one of the Seven Wonders of wales.

I looked around the museum and read the literature to get a feel for the history of St Winefride’s and then crossed the grass verge where I could see everyone milling about, I noticed a small room which said changing room on the door and I hadn’t realised on entry that you could actually still bathe in the waters of the Well for healing purposes.  I walked over to the crowd of people who were all changed and taking turns to bathe in the Well and carried on past them into the Shrine, I paid my donation and lit a candle, where (if you are religious) you can then sit and say your hail Marys and Our Fathers or whatever your prayers are depending on your religion.  There were a few people at the Shrine in prayer so I respectfully went back outside to speak with one of the members of the group who were bathing, he told me they were from London although of possibly Taiwanese descent and this was their second time visiting the Well and the people who were bathing were definitely feeling the benefit from their earlier dip, (it is said that you must bathe three times in the Well for you to be completely healed).  There was a young girl with Lupus who had been before and was now off the drugs given to her for the disease initially and she was starting to feel better.  I also spoke to a German lady there who was just observing and she told me that she knew someone who had had cancer and bathed in the Well and was completely cured.  It all seemed very interesting.

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The man I spoke to told me how it should be done, he pointed out two crosses etched into the stone around the Well and there was an iron railing running along the inside of the Well which was for holding onto as you bathed, he told me to hold on to the rail between the two crosses and kneel on the stone below, fully immersing your body in the water and to do this three times in quick succession.  I really wasn’t sure what to do as I hadn’t come prepared to go in the water, I came out of interest but it just seemed an opportunity not to be missed, the man I spoke to was very encouraging and told me he had arthritis and it was healing and that I should give it a go even though I was fully clothed.  The more I watched the others the more I felt the need to go in, I wasn’t that far from home and I had a blanket in the car that I could wrap myself in once out of my wet clothes.

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While I was making my mind up and talking to other members of the group about their experience another group of Irish people came to the Well and had bought empty bottles from the gift shop which they filled with the holy water, they also all decided they were going in fully clothed so that convinced me to give it a go, I videoed this Irish girl and she took photos of me while I went in, it was absolutely the most freezing water I think I have ever bathed in and I have been in the sea on Boxing day in Wales, but it was very invigorating, I swear when I came out I felt wonderful, could have been because the sun came out as I left the water which made me feel very warm and I definitely felt like something special had just happened. I’m not sure if it had done any healing but I’m definitely going back another twice before I leave North Wales.

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The Shrine and Well are open throughout the year except Christmas day and Boxing Day.  1 April – 30 September, Sunday to Saturday 9am to 5pm.  1 October – 31 March 10am till 4pm.  If visiting it’s best to check times of museum openings before you go.  There is a daily service at the shrine, following an unbroken tradition first established over 100 years ago which the public can take part in throughout the Pilgrimage season (Pentecost to last Sunday in September).  Bathing is only allowed at certain times so it is best to check before you go; organised pilgrimages take place annually there with many different organisations

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Jul 22
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Only the Lonely

By | Health | No Comments

As I prepare for my journey, there is a lot of thinking and worrying and wondering going on in my brain. Should I be doing this? Why am I doing this? Do I need to do this? So many thoughts, so much surmising. One of the main questions people ask me is “Are you going on your own?”

There are a lot of lonely people in the world and there are a lot of loners but there is a difference between the two. In my mind a loner is someone who enjoys being alone and is not too bothered about spending time in their own company for long periods, however, a lonely person is not that happy about being alone and just because they enjoy going places on their own doesn’t mean they are the same as loners. In fact I believe lonely people go places on their own because they want to be with other people, they don’t like being on their own and they prefer the company of others.

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I believe this is one of the reasons I feel compelled to travel alone, there is nobody within my family and friends circle who can or would want to do what I want to do at the same time as I want to do it, so there are not many options other than to go alone. Many people think I am brave to make the choice to go alone but it is not bravery it’s necessity.
I have brought up five children who are now all strong independent people, admittedly my youngest is still only 16 but from a young age he has wanted to join the army, the application process has already begun and he is going through the interview stages, once he has officially left the family home I will be alone. By alone I don’t mean that everyone is gone forever and I am completely alone, what I mean is I will have to live alone. I don’t want that. For the last 29 years I have had other people living with me which includes my children and my ex-husband, one by one over the years they are all leaving, I don’t say this for sympathy, it is a fact, however, it is a fact that I find hard to take.

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Living with my children has been full of joy, laughter, noise, mess, chaos and so much more and I miss all that. Apart from missing the buzz of a full house, I don’t want to be paying so much in utilities, just for me. So I have known for the last few years that things were going to change when my youngest finally left.

I didn’t expect to be travelling the world, even though I had jokingly talked about it on many occasions, I never truly believed it was possible for me because I have severe financial restrictions, but as mentioned in previous blogs I will be volunteering, which is much more financially viable for me at this moment in time.

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To get back to the loneliness issue, I truly feel that one of my reasons for doing what I am doing is to alleviate the feelings of loneliness. I will be meeting new people all the time and living with them as part of their family, while working and helping them in any way I can. I think, for me, it’s the fact that I will feel needed again that draws me to this way of existing. I like to be needed. Whenever I have joined anything like clubs or associations in the past I haven’t wanted to just be like a spare part, I like to have a role and fulfill that role to the best of my abilities.

Jul 21
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Mold Market

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I was told on Saturday morning to take the next few days to explore, but first I needed to get some fresh food in so I decided to go to Mold which was about 15 miles away, Afonwen, the little village where I am staying is in between Denbigh and Mold. I needed a big supermarket but also decided to explore Mold market for something different. The weather wasn’t very good, in fact it was very drizzly, which meant I got drenched just going to Aldi, anyway I took a walk to the market as I needed a couple of things. I don’t really like shopping but I like little markets which have lots of different things for sale made locally.

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Mold market is one of the oldest markets in North Wales and still has a livestock market which has been in operation since 1879 which auctions the best of Welsh lamb and beef every Monday and Friday morning. The street markets are every Wednesday and Saturday from 9am to 3.30pm and take place on the High Street and Daniel Owen Square, Farmers markets where you can try a range of freshly produced food and drink, is held in St Mary’s church Hall on king Street and is held on every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, this would be my favourite market where you get to meet the local farmers who have produced the food and drink and the local craftspeople who are selling their wares. Organic produce is a speciality in Mold and well worth trying. As well as all the individual markets, Mold also has an indoor market which is open throughout the week.

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Mold is proud to be the first town in Wales to be accepted into the Cittaslow movement which is an international network of towns where quality of life matters. Cittaslow grew from the Slow Food movement which advocates that our food should taste good, be produced in a clean way which respects the environment, human health and animal welfare, and that food producers are paid a fair wage. www.slowfood.org.uk

The food and drink festival is a two day event held every September in Mold and is a great place to visit if you like traditionally made food and drink.

I will definitely be coming back on the first Saturday in August to take a look in the Farmers market and try the local produce for myself.

Jun 02
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Adventures Galore

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For as long as I can remember I have wanted to travel the world, I have never really known how I would do it, over the years I have had mad ideas to cycle around the world and also read the book by Rosie Swale Pope “Just a little run around the world” a story about her 5 year run around the world which made me think that anything is possible.

When I was in my teens I messed up at school and ended up taking evening classes and becoming a mature student in college after I had had my first child, to try and better myself.  Travel was not an option then because of my daughter and my studies but was always there in the back of my mind as a far away dream, one day, maybe one day.  I went on to have another 4 children who became my world, my dream of having a family was always bigger than my travel dream.

During the time spent bringing up my children, my husband and I talked about travelling many times, in different ways, we discussed taking the children and going to live in France, we talked about taking them to Australia and hiring a camper van to see it all, we even talked about taking a whole year out with the children and sharing exciting far away places with them but there never seemed to be a right time, when it seemed ok to take one child out of school, another had exams, in the end we decided to opt for exciting holidays with our brood.

We took them camping in France, Italy and Spain, went on the Santander ferry which was great fun,  driving through the countries which was always part of the excitement, seeing the real towns and villages not just the touristy parts.  We took them to Iceland, New York for New Years Eve and then Niagara Falls all in one holiday.

We did the obligatory Florida Disney holiday and got caught up in Hurricane Charlie, the first category 5 hurricane in ten years.  Sharing those times with the children will always be special to me, however, now that my children are all grown up and have lives of their own,  what becomes of me??

meditatngMy youngest son is about to join the army, leaving me child less, for the last few years I have travelled on my own to various countries for study and for fun, my husband and I split up 8 years ago and during that time I have been to China, staying in Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing to study at a Chinese Medicine hospital in Nanjing.  I have enjoyed an all expenses paid trip to Dubai as part of a choir to sing at the Rugby Sevens tournament, which was being filmed for a tv programme called “Codi Canu” meaning Get up and sing.  Bucharest, Rome, Egypt have also been wonderful places to visit as well as special places in the UK including the Highlands of Scotland.

For many years I have joked that when my youngest leaves I am off to travel the world, never really knowing if I would, because I never really had enough money.  Last year due to illness I lost my business and all the money I had was in the business so my chances were slimmer and my dream was slipping further and further away from me.  Maybe one day?

What to do now all my children are young independent people, nothing ever prepares you for the massive hole in your life when your children become their own people, when they were children they were mine but now they belong to themselves, I was merely borrowing them.

Jun 02
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Fresh organic yellow smoothie with banana apple mango pear pineapple and lemon as healthy drink

Nutri Bullet smoothie maker

By | Useful Stuff | No Comments

While on my travels my main aim is to recover my health, last year I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid which triggered Rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and possible bowel problems.  I believe through my past training in naturopathy and acupuncture that most disease starts in the gut, if your gut is not functioning correctly this creates an imbalance in the whole system and the way it manifests in everyone is different.  For me it has manifested in problems with digestion which I believe is linked to my ongoing problem with RA.

I had lots of health problems last year which had been coming on for a about 2 to 3 years but culminated last year in an almost complete breakdown, it was as if my body was shutting down (a whole blog in itself) anyway I am on the mend now and like I said this blog is about my road to recovery as well as my adventures.

I will be visiting some places in the UK first and will be taking my nutri bullet, the best way to guarantee you are getting all your nutrients if you are in a tight spot and have no cooking facilities but also when you don’t have much time, just put all the ingredients into the bullet and blend, it is very filling and ensures you have your daily vitamins and minerals for the day.

Fresh organic green smoothie with salad apple cucumber pineapple and lemon as healthy drink

Fresh organic green smoothie with salad apple cucumber pineapple and lemon as healthy drink

If you want to give the Nutri Bullet a try click on my link and take a look.

Jun 02
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iphone 5s

By | Useful Stuff | No Comments

As I am using my blog to try and earn a living it is important that I make it interesting (feedback gratefully received), in order to make it a little more interesting I find that visuals work well, in other words, I need to use photos of my adventures to give a better picture of what I am up to. Below is an example of one of the pictures taken yesterday on my iphone, no filters, no colour enhancers just the image taken at the time.

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I have chosen to use the iphone 5s as a means to take photographs, the pictures are great, it’s easy to use and easy to upload the photos to my laptop. I am a bit of a technophobe so would find it difficult if this wasn’t the case. It really is so simple that a child could do it, in fact a child could probably do it better then me.

I am including links to the products I have mentioned simply because some people who read my blog might want to buy the product themselves in which case the link is provided below the article.

Jun 02
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Life is an Adventure

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What is adventure? What does it mean? I think it means different things to different people. If you look up the definition in the dictionary: Adventure = “An unusual and exciting or daring experience”. Whatever you do in a day that you don’t normally do in the daily run of your life could be considered an adventure. Therefore if you go to work every day at the same time, eat the same food etc. then by making a change to just one of these regular happenings, it could be considered an adventure, for instance if you eat packed lunch every day then decide to have a pub lunch in a place you have never been to before, in the middle of the week, this could be seen as an adventure to some, but, to others they need something more exciting like bungee jumping or swimming with dolphins or any number of things which people might put on their “bucket list”.

I believe things you might put on your list are big adventures and other things you might do which are a change from your daily routine are small adventures and everything in between vary on the scale of adventureness!! (I know this isn’t a real word, just thought it sounded good lol)

a girl walking in a field with a flock of birds with an original quote

Anyway I believe that everything in life can be an adventure if you decide it is going to be, the problem with a lot of people’s viewpoint is it’s negative, they go to work and feel like hamsters on a wheel while their life disappears before their eyes but I think they can try to experience an adventure regularly by doing things they might never have done before. For a start they can do what is mentioned above and go somewhere different for their lunch, they could do a meditation class in their lunch break, basically anything they do that is different can be an adventure and I believe we should all ensure we have at least a few every week if possible.

Happy children silhouettes on summer meadow running and jumping

When I go on my great adventure I want to experience something new and different as often as I can so I am open to all sorts of things, already I have been offered the chance to work at a pop up restaurant, join an Irish choir, go sailing off the coast of Ireland, go snowboarding in France, learn about making yarn on a spindle from a sheep fleece in Wales, do crafts with local children in Thailand, feed chickens in Bali and these are just some of the fun things I will be doing over the next few months.

For some people these might seem mundane and for those people I would urge them to find something which they would find more interesting and just make adventures out of them. Life is very short and to go through it doing the same thing all the time means you will look back and wonder where it all went, but it has been proven scientifically that the more different things you do the more memorable your life is.

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There are many things people want to do but they very often put it off saying that the time is not right so they will wait until that time is right but sometimes that time never comes and they regret not having done the things they wanted to do. Think about the things you want to do, like learn how to play an instrument, learn a language, learn to sing, travel the world, have a family, buy a house, all these adventures resonate with lots of people but their fear stops them from going for it, however, the time to go for it is now. All we really have is now, the past is gone, the future we plan may never come, and this is why we have to do it now.

If you are not a very adventurous person because of your fears, start with small adventures like going out for lunch in the middle of the week and gradually build up until you are ready for the big adventures like travelling, having children, moving house etc., you will feel more alive the more adventures you have. It has been mentioned to me by someone I know very well that they feel I am constantly looking for something that I will never find, because I am continually having adventures but this is not the case, I am happy with my life, I don’t believe in regrets because there is nothing we can do about what has gone, as mentioned before all we have is now and those moments while you are living in the now can be many and precious and exciting. I have believed for a very long time that I needed and wanted to cram as much adventure into my life as I could and I am still trying to achieve this. There is never too much adventure!

Senior couple on country walk

If you feel you can’t afford whatever your adventure might be, find a way to do it in another way, for instance, if you feel you can’t afford to visit a certain country because the hotel costs are too high, think about camping instead, I have always been a big believer in finding the cheapest way to do things, probably because when I was married there were seven of us living in the house and everything we did, everywhere we went could have been expensive but I became Mrs thrifty and always found a way to save money and still have our adventure.

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If we went on holiday that involved hotels, we would make our lunch out of the buffet breakfast food, or if we were camping we always went to the supermarket and made our own meals instead of eating out at every opportunity which can be very expensive. These are just a couple of examples that probably a lot of people already do but it’s just to point out that you shouldn’t let money or the lack of it rule your life. Money really isn’t everything. After I took part in the London to Paris bike ride I realised that I wanted to do that trip more often, but couldn’t afford it, so I went to work for the company, there is always a way to do what you want when you really think about it and there is always plenty of ways to have adventures.

Jun 02
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Doctor uses needles for treatment of the patient. acupuncture needles. alternative healthcare

Practical Acupuncture

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There seems to be a lot of confusion over what acupuncture can treat, I get asked this question all the time, when people find out what I do, bearing in mind Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture has been used in China for about 2500 years, it is a more holistic approach to medicine with the view that each mechanism in the body affects all others, so in order to ensure the health of the body or person, you need to look at all the parts and treat accordingly.

TCM acupuncture helps the body to heal itself, so any condition you may present with, be it Migraine, back pain, Tennis elbow, IBS etc. etc. then acupuncture can treat it, because through the diagnosis, which involves taking a full case history, taking the pulse and analysing the tongue the practitioner will try to treat the root cause of the illness as well as the symptoms which helps the body re balance and heal itself. Acupuncture also helps your body to create the right environment for healing.

Acupuncture - Application of needles in senior at the spa .

Traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis is based on eight principles, those being, Yin and Yang, Hot and cold, Internal and External and excess and deficiency, alongside these eight principles we look at the whole person and how they present at that exact moment in time. This means the treatments each week may vary depending on presentation.
Very fine sterile needles are inserted at points on the body which are found on any one of the 12 channels/meridians carrying qi through the body in the same way as veins and arteries carry blood. These points are determined by a diagnosis as mentioned previously. Every patient is treated differently according to how they present at that precise moment in time.

The Eastern or Asian acupuncture medical treatment said to prevent or treat a variety of medical ailments including pain.

TCM Acupuncture also uses other methods of treatment including: Fire Cupping, Slide cupping, Moxibustion, Electro acupuncture, Ear acupuncture and Tui Na massage.

 

Female laying on chest with cupping treatment on back

In a recent analysis published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers concluded that acupuncture has a definite effect in reducing chronic pain, such as back pain and headaches – more so than standard pain treatment. Real acupuncture also produced slightly better results than using sham needles, which suggests the benefits of needling are due to more than the placebo effect.

The Eastern or Asian acupuncture medical treatment said to prevent or treat a variety of medical ailments including pain.

The researchers discovered that acupuncture can be an effective treatment for back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, Osteoarthritis and migraine. Although within this research these were the only conditions proven to respond to acupuncture, it has also been proven in other studies to work on other pain conditions such as arthritis, knee pain and most other pain conditions. It has also been proven an effective treatment for anxiety and depression.
Another major advantage of using it is that acupuncture, which is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is remarkably safe with few, if any, negative side effects, so it certainly doesn’t hurt to try.