In the Summer time when the weather is fine!

I don't have an awful lot to report this week folks.

We've done as normal.... as you know already.... The weather has been very hot, the Swiss Chard and Lettuce garden silently screamed for refreshment, swayingly aggitadedly in the 25 degrees breeze. Their prayers were later answered, when yesterday an entire morning of the wet stuff deluged their leaves and roots.

Today, as I sit here quietly typing on my little organic grocery stall, the temperature is slowly roasting me - note I didn't say burning - that's past stupid, increasing your risk of skin cancer by leaps and bounds, no one should risk getting burned these days, though no one
 should smoke either, not with all they now know, but they still do it.

I have a very good friend, who recently had 'a cancerous lump' removed from his mouth. He was waiting for his post op results, which he was incredibly worried about, as he didn't feel the operation site was healing well at all. We chatted extensively the day before he got his results (which was yesterday), about trying to give up smoking, which he is seeing a hypnotist for today. We also chatted about changing how he eats and drinks.... No... I don't mean force liquidised food up his nose, or through his eyeballs, rather different foods and cutting out booze. Like he said if he gave up everything he enjoyed, what sort of life would he be leading. I can understand that, but... I have cut out most of the stuff that I thought my taste buds loved, needed and desired and I'm still enjoying life. You begin to not have cravings for sugary foods, processed foods and snacks. Hard to believe, I certainly wouldn't have believed it 4 months ago, but it's true. What do a miss a bit, if it's there to be had.... Cheese? Yes. Biscuits? Not as much as I did, though I do enjoy a well textured cookie. Alcohol? Well no not really, because I still have a pint when I fancy one - we just don't have a tipple every night of the week like we used to. Eating organic all the time is difficult when it comes to eating out, or eating at friends, but for the time being it's what Amanda must do, and to be quite honest, it's what I want to do from now on in. Having read so many studies on the chemicals they use on our foods to keep the natural bugs from munching them, and the chemicals they use to preserve foods and cosmetics, and the fact that so bloody many of them are listed carcinogens..... which is absolutely disgusting. Add that to the fact that these chemicals aren't tested in combination with one another, which could make things exponentially worse, is even more mind boggling..... Any way I'm getting off the subject again..... Crikey it's hot!

My friend does want to give up smoking, and I'm sure he will. After all, he's a strong human individual, what's stopping him. We all have will power, it's just whether we can be bothered adhering to it.

On Wednesday Amanda had her CranioSacral Therapy. Before hand we found a little Organic Deli Café in Oxford, and dined out - Wow! It was lovely and fresh, and more importantly, organic.

Afterwards we took a jaunt out to a tributary of the Thames, and I had a little fish. Amanda found a corner of the field to read and meditate in, partly because the field I was in was full of boisterous bullocks. I always tell her not to worry about them, they are just curious. It's probably the Summers I spent on my grand parents farm in Ireland that has me so relaxed with farmyard beasts... Even when they are running around bucking and kicking, coming in for a closer inspection, snotting all over my fishing bag etc etc. I walked the length of the field, when the heavens opened, and I mean really opened! Thunder & lightening, the works! It was the heaviest rain I've fished in for years. I made my back across the field, slipping and sliding around in my flip flops, water tumbling down my back and face. Initially it was warm, but as the minutes passed and the storm got closer, the rain seemed to drop in temperature. By the time Stu and I reached where Amanda had been sitting, there was just a little pool of water - had she melted? No. A shrill whistle from a small hawthorn tree next to the car grabbed our attention. By the time we reached her, we were all well and truly sodden. I think Amanda enjoyed being stuck in the heavy rain, nothing to beat bracing storm!

On Thursday she went to Stratford to have lunch with a lady who she had been chatting with via email. 'Mrs Stratford' had suffered breast cancer recently, and had endured a mastectomy a few weeks ago. She was following an alternative route to chemo and radiotherapy too. She was following 'The Health Creation Programme', run by one of the former Penny Brohn Doctors.

It's similar to 'The Bristol Approach' run by the Penny Brohn Cancer Centre. Incredibly healthy organic eating and drinking, plus lots of mind and body work. The lady is 69 years of age, Amanda thought she was in her mid 50's.

Amanda spent a lovely afternoon with this lady, so much so that when she got back in her car and saw the time was 6.20pm she was astounded. She thought it was about 3pm.... Amanda has never been good with time! Ha ha! She is going to have lunch with her again in September where once more she will enter some sort of time vortex.

Bye for now x