A Visit to China

A couple of years ago we were lucky enough to have a month in China. 

Chinese Architecture

I just love the architecture of the beautiful temples. We were at one temple where they were building a new temple in the grounds. With the detail being used, you would think the temple was a thousand years old. People in China love to visit their temples.

A Chinese temple

Chinese Colours

Chinese people love the colour RED. They like sparkling gold also or a rich deep yellow to go with the red.

My husband and I both love to do art. He likes to do woodblock printing. A design is carved out into a piece of wood, printing ink applied, then it is pressed onto a piece of paper. He uses many carvings and many colours of ink in one print. This is very complicated. If he makes a mistake there is no going back.

Many years ago when he was in China, he was given a Chinese name. That is now his signature on his prints. 

An Afternoon of Painting

After a long time of being unable to paint because of ill-health, I was able to spend a couple of hours of painting this afternoon. It was so lovely to get back to it. 

An art journal helps keep all your ideas in one place

I have a project on the way and will show it when it is finished. 

After not painting for a while, I thought a little practice was needed. A journal seemed just the idea. It's a great way to do a little practice, put sown some notes and not have to worry if things don't turn out just right. Why don't you try one too?

Artist brushes and paint

Chickens in the Garden

Backyard Chickens

Some of my chicken are lucky enough to wander the yard most days, only being locked up at night. Sometimes we have neighbour's cats wandering into our yard through the night.

I have great blocks of flowers in the yard. I'm always putting cuttings in, just to see if they will grow. Nearly all my garden has been planted with cuttings, even the buddleia trees. The hens wander around in this throughout the day. They look gorgeous.

By three o'clock each afternoon they come up to the back door to hoping for a treat. They are back again at six o'clock for their evening meal.

The Ritz

Recently we had a new chicken house built. The builder called it The Ritz. Our new chicks for this season have had the privilege of being the first fowls to occupy the residence. They are very happy in there.

What to do with the Roosters?

The trouble with breeding chickens is that you are going to get some roosters and they just don't lay eggs. Many Councils prevent you from keeping roosters. Let's face it, they are noisy, especially at 5am, everyday. They just never take a break.

So when all our young cockerels have shown their colours, they will disappear from our garden. Until the next year, when we have some more.

At the moment I think I have five hens out of eleven chicks. There are at least three roosters and three are of an undecided sex at the moment.


I have homes ready for any excess hens we might have so there will always be room for next years chicks. It's all lots of fun.

Enjoy the video one of my sons made for me.

Flower Essences for Healing

 

Flower Essences come in dropper bottles.

Vibrational Healing

 Essences are just vibrations of the flower captured in the water and preserved with alcohol. We vibrate constantly.
Everything vibrates. This is a rule of Physics. When you find the essence that resonates (vibrates on your level) with you, healing takes place. We resonate with friends and are aggravated by some people as though we were rubbed with sand paper. It is the same with flower essences.

Safety

 The essences are safe to use because there is nothing  of the flower in the water. The flowers sit in the water for 3-4 hours then they are taken out. Nothing physical is left behind. Plants used are non-poisonous. Some plants have very strong healing  properties eg foxglove, and must be used in the most minute quantities. As an  essence their healing power can be used and not the plant so that the essences are safe.

Rescue Remedy

Rescue Remedy is the name on most people’s lips if you mention flower essences. This remedy works so well in relieving people of everyday fright, exhaustion, sleeplessness and distress. Dr Edward Bach combined certain essences  to help people overcome distress. It also helps turn people’s attitude in the case of severe distress as in the case of despair.

Survival Remedy

Survival remedy is made by My Heartsong Essences. It is made of flowers, tinctures and crystals. It is a very powerful remedy. The flowers used are orange and blue giving a beautiful balance connecting the throat chakra with the sacral chakra the centres for expression and emotions.Survival Remedy helps ease emotions, bringing calm when the mind is in turmoil. In this way it can help ease one into sleep, calm the emotions. It is a great help when one is experiencing a bout of sneezing or coughing and helps ease headaches.

Emergency Essence

This essence is made of the Australian Bush flowers. It works similarly to the Rescue Remedy.

How Technology has Invaded our Lives

Or, How Technology had Invaded the Life of a Two Year Old

Yesterday really brought home to me how technology has invaded our lives, even the lives of two year olds.

We had the pleasure of enjoying our granddaughter yesterday. First things first, while she was settling in there are the obligatory morning shows on the television. 

Later, as she was playing with a basket of toys, she picked up an old phone, you know the ones that had the earpiece and microphone attached to the base by a long curly cord? Remember them? The curly cord has been taken off but she does know what to do with handset. 

Is it a Laptop or an iPad?

In the late afternoon, after we had done lots of technology free activities, she sat up to the table to watch Disney cartoons on the laptop. Well you might say Disney cartoons have been around eighty years. Yes they have but she was watching them on You Tube on the laptop. When each one finished she could choose which one she wanted to watch next.

And here's where she has caught up with the latest technology, I even caught her tapping the screen to see if she could make the next cartoon start. When that didn't work (Oh, Granna's OLD technology!) she resorted to the mouse.

New Technology QR Code

 

Have you seen these new marks on products?
They are called QR code.
Hidden in this code is a lot of information. it looks as though someone has been scribbling with a texta pen while on the phone, doesn't it?

Well, this code is especially for my website, www.allergiesandcfs.com

Here's how to use it. If you have a QR code reader installed on your iphone or android then you are off and running and know just what to do. Otherwise,

• go to the App store and search for Free QR code reader. There are a few available. I selected the first one that came up.

• Install the App. Tap Install.

• Tap open

• point your camera at any QR code and in a flash it has read the code.

• Your phone will take you to my website.

I have seen these codes on the Post Office bags and in store catalogs. Scanning the codes will give you more information about the article or whatever the owner of the code wants you to see.

Scan this code and you will be able to find me wherever you are.
Have fun!

Chakras of the Body

 

Different colours are assigned to areas of the body

Chakras are Centres of Energy in the Body
The knowledge of these energy centres comes from the Sanskrit or old Indian way of life. In many parts of India people, particularly men, devoted their life to prayer and meditation. They become very sensitive to the the unseen things of our world.

They have passed on to us this knowledge and gradually it became known in the West.

What is a Chakra?
These energy centres are like a swirling vortex where energy from the outside passes in and out of the body. It is a collection centre.

From here it spreads along our spine and from there affects  our body. We could think of this as our senses being on high alert. We are continually picking up things from our world as we go about our daily business. We sense that someone we know is across a crowded room or that the phone is about to ring. We may sense another person's emotions. We 'feel' for our loved ones.

These energy centres are called Chakras. They have also been assigned certain colours that resonate with them. These colours are the colours of the rainbow and arranged in reverse order of it.

Chakras and Their Colours
The Base chakra is at the base of the spine. It is affected by the colour red.
The Sacral chakra is in from the navel and has an orange colour.
The Solar Plexus is associated with the waist line area and is assigned the colour yellow.
The Heart chakra is the green area and of course, as the name tells us is associated with the heart.
The Throat chakra affects the throat area and is assigned the colour blue.
The head has the centre of energy in the Brow chakra, just between and slightly above the centre of the eye brows. We also know it as the Third Eye. The colour for this centre is indigo.
The Crown chakra is situated at the top of the head and the colour is violet.

 

Reference: www.allergiesandcfs.com  

My World of Watercolour - The Art Of Shirley Trevena R.I.

Shirley Trevena can really show us a thing or two about painting. 

She shows us useful tips and tricks to improve your painting. She makes it all look so easy. 

Enjoy this well made video.

Five Good Reasons to Keep Chickens

This young boy just loves his chickens

1  To get fresh eggs from happy hens. You know that your hens are nor cramped in tiny cages but have room to flap their wings and perhaps roam in the garden.


2  You receive free manure to fertilize your veggies and flowers. Chicken manure is high in nitrogen so is especially good to make leaves grow. Try the manure on your green veggies or flower garden to get things growing.

Chicken manure is best left to dry before being put in the garden. However if the hens decide to deposit themselves it will save you the work. Thank them and move on.


3  Chickens will get working for free. They will catch nasty insect pests in your garden, cutting the number. They delight in catching any small flying insects, creepy crawly bug and even a worm or two after they have distributed the topsoil for you.

4  They will gladly eat your leftover food, and you will not have to throw it in the rubbish. Your hens will thank you with great excitement and see your leftover food and great delicacies. You could try them with your cooked veggies, rice, watermelon, soaked bread or anything else you have.


5  You teach the next generation how to care for animals and birds. You teach them that every creature is special. Children find that each hen has its own personality. You teach children that these birds depend on them for food and water.