We’ve recently been away for a few days and were amazed to see a huge sign in a shop window. It proudly proclaimed “Smoking is dangerous. Vaping is the healthy and safe alternative.” We should quickly add that this wasn’t in the UK but, even so, we were still surprised to see vaping being marketed in such a blatant way. 

 

Interestingly, conversations with smokers have confirmed that this is their understanding of vaping and explains why so many are now making the switch. The question is whether it’s true? 

This week we’re going to take a brief trip back in time to the mid 1990’s. Whether it’s a walk down memory lane or a living history lesson (!) do join us for a quick visit. 

 

Back in those dim distant days, the internet was shiny and new. Not only was it dial up – which was incredibly slow on a good day – but far from user friendly. If you were fortunate enough to have access to it, you used it for a short period of time and then got on with the rest of your life. It was a novelty and, once you’d finished using it, you rarely thought about it. Surfing, other than that involving a trip to the sea and a board (!), had yet to become a mainstream leisure activity. 

With the Flu season now in full swing, accompanied by near hysterical reporting in the press about it being “the worst ever”, it really is time for reality check. Not to mention a dose of that seemingly rarest of all commodities, common sense. 

 

In recent years, the Flu season seems to have started earlier and earlier. Hardly has the summer begun here in the UK, when stories start appearing in the press about the forthcoming Flu season. How new strains are appearing in the Far East / Australia / fill in the blank. That they’re all heading for the UK. And it’s going to be the worst season ever. The picture painted is of Flu rampaging its way round the world, a sinister figure with evil intent bent on worldwide domination. A bogeyman for adults. 

 

It’s enough to make you want to retreat to the safety of your bed, pull the duvet over your head and stay there until it’s all over. 

 

But is this really the case? 

As many people may know we rarely watch television. This means that the vast majority of what’s on the “one eyed monster” completely passes us by. So it’s always interesting when people mention the programmes they’ve been watching. And, sometimes, a complete revelation (!). 

 

As so often is the case, several people have mentioned the same programme recently. It’s about people filling their homes with all sorts of hoarded “treasures” and the effect this then has on their lives and relationships. Sadly, many of them are on the verge of losing their homes or relationships, with drastic action being required to remedy the situation. 

 

Thankfully, for most of us, we’re nowhere near that stage. However we do all have “treasures” – or clutter – that we don’t seem to be able to deal with, for whatever reason. Or rehome. Whether that’s on E Bay, a charity shop or the local dump / recycling centre. 

Having read the title, we know what you’re thinking – that we’re going to be talking about healthy eating, detoxing or something similar this week. After all, it is the start of the year, with many people still feeling the effects of overindulging over the festive period. Well, you’re on the completely wrong track! 

 

Instead, we’re going to pass on a great story we’ve heard recently, albeit involving a rather unlikely topic. Road rage. And if that sounds like a rather unlikely topic, bear with us, it’ll all make sense in a minute. 

Last week we looked at vegetable oils and which are the best ones to use at home, both as a dressing and for cooking. As promised, this week we’re going to focus on one oil in particular which has become increasingly popular over recent years, but there are widespread concerns about. Rapeseed oil. 

 

Here in the UK few people can have missed the bright yellow fields each spring of rape in full flower. Or its pungent smell, which seems to mark the beginning of the Hayfever season, although this is a topic for another day. 

With so many people making healthy eating one of their new year’s resolutions, it’s not surprising that we’re being asked about which vegetable oil is best to use at home. As this is a topic we looked at a couple of years ago, this week we’re going to cheat (!) and put this post up again. 

 

Next week we’ll focus on one of the oils there are widespread concerns about – rapeseed oil – as there’s so much more to say about it. Like soy, it’s another example of how a half truth can be used to paint a rather misleading picture of the health benefits of a product. It’s also a timely reminder of the need to do a little research of your own rather than taking things on face value. And this applies wherever the information comes from, ourselves included (!). 

 

So, without further ado, here we go. 

First things first. Happy New Year. We wish everyone a very happy – and healthy (!) – new year. May all your dreams – or at least some of them (!) – come true during 2018… 

 

As it’s the first blog of this shiny new year, it must be time for our annual post about new year’s resolutions (!). This year we’re not going to focus on the traditional approach to this annual ritual – and, sadly, why it simply doesn’t work – but on a completely different one. It still has the aim of improving your life which, after all is what it’s all about, but in a way you’ve probably never thought of before. 

 

With the madness of the festive season reaching its peak, this year we thought we’d look at things from a slightly different perspective. And we do love giving people something to think about before we then skip merrily on our way(!). 

 

So not the consumer fuelled frenzy that epitomises the modern approach. Enough said. 

 

Nor the Victorian one seen on so many cards. The nativity scene. Or, perhaps, the snowy landscape, usually with a flock of sheep in the foreground. And not forgetting the perennial favourite, the festive robin. 

 

With the nights drawing in – and temperatures dropping – it’s not surprising that our thoughts at this time of year turn to warming and comforting treats. Spices have long been treasured for their ability to pep up our staple fare not to mention their preserving and medicinal qualities. 

 

Many of the winter treats we still enjoy today – fruit cakes, Christmas puddings, mince pies and mulled wine – date back to medieval times, when spices were a luxury. A long anticipated treat. 

 

These days with travel having become so much easier – and the world much smaller – spices have become an integral part of our everyday lives. However, they offer much more than simply being an ingredient of our favourite Indian or Chinese foods. They also have an important medicinal aspect which has long been recognised by many traditional forms of medicine, including Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine.