Just Humans Being...

We first came across the intriguing story published in 1939 of Peter Kelder, Colonel Bradford and “The Fountain of Youth” from a book we picked up in Lanhydrock’s second-hand bookshop in 2017. We have no idea whether the story is fact or fiction, but it led us to start practicing “The Ancient Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation” - five exercises which have been found to reverse the aging process and improve health by stimulating the energy centres. The story in a nutshell is that Peter Kelder met Colonel Bradford, an elderly retired British Army officer during the 1930s. They became friends and Colonel Bradford talked of his travels and how he had heard about a monastery of Lamas (Tibetan Monks) who had discovered “The Fountain of Youth” and the older visitors of the monastery who mysteriously regained their health, strength and vigour. The location of the monastery was unknown, but the colonel felt a strong desire to find it...and so he did. He embarked on his journey of discovery and whe

Who needs a TV when you have several bird feeders? The cabin is a bit like a bird hide and we get hours of entertainment watching our feathery friends flying around and chomping. They have already gone through a large bag of peanuts and are now on some mixed seed and sunflower hearts we picked up from the local garden centre. We have also made our own fat balls – which are probably a lot healthier than the ones you can buy and the birds love them. We put all the ingredients in the food processor...Peanuts, sunflower seeds, ground flax (linseeds), oats, polenta and water. Whizzed it up and left the mush to stand for about 30 minutes, then separated the mixture and rolled into balls. We didn’t weigh anything out, just whizzed it all up until the right consistency. It’s really easy to do and probably much cheaper. In the garden each day, we have mostly Great tits, a couple of Blue tits and this morning we have seen our first Coal tit. We also have Greenfinches, Goldfinches and Chaffin

  I could capture the breathtaking views from this cabin, wrap them up and send them out as gifts to folks who need some beauty in their lives, but our camera just doesn’t cut the mustard! This morning is quite magical and is one of those occasions where I want to share the joy... I had to get out there - not just content in seeing the beauty from the warmth of the cabin, but I wanted to be out and to feel it. Witnessing the world awaken is quite an incredible experience and although this morning is probably no different than any other, I feel excited for the day ahead. We know that being in nature recharges us...perhaps living in nature supercharges us! As our feathery friends arrive to feast on the goodies we leave out, my rumbling tum is telling me it’s time for our breakfast too. Enjoy the photos! Love Kay (and sleepy Sime) xx

  This is our loo...I can almost hear some of you shouting “How Primitive!” at the screen, but we are very happy and grateful for it. It’s called a “Long Drop” and is basically a pit with a toilet seat over it. Instead of having a flush, we sprinkle sawdust each time we use it and not just any old sawdust...we came across a pine furniture maker who gives away off cuts of wood – which are great for the wood stove and big bags of sawdust, so our outdoor facilities are smelling pine fresh! When we saw this little hut I was transported back to the film “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” – it reminded me of the kidnapping of Caractacus Potts senior. The whole shed gets transported over the sea to Vulgaria, while Caractacus (Lionel Jefferies) sings a song about the posh travelling life...Wonderful stuff! We don’t really sit in fear of being kidnapped, but we have had some windy experiences...and I’m not just talking about eating pulses! The shed can feel like it’s about to take off, though in rea

  After years of making big pans of porridge every morning we have discovered a new and improved way to eat our daily portion of oats. Ingredients 50g Oats (we use Mornflake Organic Oats) ½ tsp each of dried Turmeric, Cinnamon, Ginger and Rosehips 1 tbsp raisins or sultanas 1 tbsp ground seed mix - Flax (linseeds), Hemp and Pumpkin 1 tsp Blackstrap Molasses 1 heaped tsp peanut butter (Essential is our favourite) ½ chopped apple 1 tbsp berries (if in season) 1 small or ½ large chopped banana Boiling Water Plant Milk Sprinkle of Terra Nova Living Wellbeing Powder   Method Put all the dry ingredients into a breakfast bowl and mix well. Add Molasses, peanut butter and the chopped apple. Pour the boiling water over the mixture – we fill our bowls and leave for 5 mins. Mix well again. Top with the banana, berries, powder and milk.   Hope you enjoy it!   Love Kay and Sime xx

  We work hard at being present, enjoying the moment without thinking about the past or future. It seems to be an easier thing to do in nature – watching the waves crashing over rocks and shorelines, the wind blowing in the trees or looking up at the sky on a clear night...for a few seconds; sometimes minutes we can feel totally immersed and connected to nature, the planet, even the universe. We have a tendency to operate on autopilot - especially if we are doing something mundane and monotonous, but we challenge ourselves to quietly concentrate on what we are doing, observing ourselves doing the task...it’s like a wakeful meditation and it’s not easy to achieve. The beginning of freedom is the realisation that you are not “the thinker.” The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated. You then begin to realise that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that thought is only a tiny aspect of that intelligence. You al

  Our GP first introduced us to homeopathy in 1988, when our eldest offspring, Sal was born. Our family doctor was not only a general practitioner, but a midwife (or should that be mid-husband?) and a homeopath. He enthusiastically attended the home birth of our second born as an observer, along with our usual midwife and a student midwife. It was the first planned home birth in our town in 13 years, so there was much excitement and it was wonderful! As our little Rosie Matilda was born, her beautiful big eyes opened wide as we all sang happy birthday...much to the delight of her big sis, who was two at the time. Six years later, when our third born, Hugo came along – we were very happy to discover that the student nurse from Rose’s birth was to be our midwife and she was thrilled to be on duty that night - delivering not just another baby at home, but to be sharing another birth experience with us. The health system had changed though...the midwives were no longer attached to a GP