As life gets back to some sort of normality – or, more accurately, what passes for the “new normal” even if that seems to be changing just as quickly (!) – we’ve noticed how quickly people have picked up their old lives and habits. Continued from where they left off a few months ago... 

 

Forgotten – or, perhaps, turned a blind eye to (!) – the many insights and good intentions they had during those strange months. And this applies equally whether they were already based at home, suddenly found themselves there or continued working at their usual job, albeit in a rather different way. 

 

As so often is the case, as normal life has resumed, those insights and good intentions have been left far behind. In many ways, it’s not much different to all those New Year’s resolutions which never seem to make it past the first few days of January. Although, fingers crossed, less over indulgence and alcohol were involved… 

With the rather strange year we’ve been having – in every way (!) – and people having to spend much more time at home, it’s not surprising that the barbeque season started much earlier than usual. In fact, if there’s been one saving grace, it’s that the weather has been remarkably kind to us since the spring; allowing us to spend more time outside in our gardens… 

 

Like us you’ve probably experienced your fair share of barbeques over the years; with the all too common “raw on the inside, burnt on the outside” offerings (!). All going well, you’ve survived them without any ill effects, although they account for a large number of food poisonings every year. 

 

So, with the school holidays just starting it seemed like a good time for a gentle reminder – or two – about how to survive the barbeque season without any ill effects. 

Just in case you haven’t guessed it yet, we’re talking about the number of blog posts we’ve made over the last six years. Yes, six years. Time really does fly by! 

 

So, with our 300th post, we wanted to highlight the message that’s behind every post. In fact, it underpins everything we do. 

If you need a hint, you’ll find it at bottom of every post. 

 

The choice is yours. 

 

Why do we see this as being so important? 

 

For the simple reason that the only person in charge of your life – and your health – is you. Full stop. End of story. Only you can ever truly know what’s best for you. Despite what other people may like to think – or tell you! What you decide to do – and how you decide to do it – is your decision alone. And no one else’s. 

With life starting to return to “normal” – or, more accurately, the “new normal”, whatever that might be – it’s interesting how we’ve heard the same comment over and over again. And from a variety of sources. It goes along the lines that people expected to be feeling happy once life started to get back to normal. 

 

In other words, they got back to their normal daily routine. Work. Children at school. Being able to go out shopping – and not just for food. A drink with friends. 

 

However, this didn’t seem to be the case. Instead of feeling happy to be back in the flow of life, they felt even more unsettled and insecure. 

 

Why is this? 

We’ve been following a decidedly floral theme recently, enjoying the delights of this time of year. While Elderflowers may not have been at the top of most people’s lists (!), Lavender certainly is, as is this week’s choice. Time and again, it tops the list of our favourite summer flower, so there are no prizes for guessing what it is. The Rose. 

 

It’s thought that Roses have been grown for over 3,000 years, with a huge number of different wild varieties, let alone cultivated ones. Originating in Iran, they can now be found in almost every part of the world.