Welcome to your Monday moment of pause...

Welcome to another hot week (heightened by World Cup fever for anyone with a football fan in the house).  I got an early start on my day this morning as Luca was at school at 8am to watch the replay of the England v Mexico game.  

Remember this week if you're feeling the heat you can look back to the 1st June newsletter for tips on keeping cool

Run Cheltenham for Maggies

I popped into Maggie’s last week to see my former Sue Ryder colleague Matt who has taken on the Fundraising Manager role there.  It was lovely to see him and really nice to return to the beautiful Maggies Centre in Cheltenham (8 years since Dad and I were last there!)  It felt so familiar and welcoming. They've had an extension built recently so have more space for group activities and are able to make better use of the outdoor spaces. We were delighted to see staff members Sam and Gaynor who were such a big support to Mum and us through 5 years of cancer treatment. Dad and I were amazed and chuffed that they remembered us!

This year is the 30th Anniversary for Maggies and staff are taking part in Run Cheltenham on Sunday 20th September as part of the 2026 celebrations.  Maggies have 30 fundraising places available for anyone wishing to run, jog or walk in support of the work they do for people living with cancer.  If you would like to enter the 10km race to fundraise for Maggie’s the entry fee is £10 with a £125 fundraising target.  If you’d like to do the half marathon around Cheltenham town and finishing at Cheltenham Racecourse it’s £15 entry with a fundraising target of £200.

Running is not one of my talents but I plan to cheer from the water station. If you'd like to volunteer drop me a message and I'll put you in touch with Matt. These amazing events happen through the hard work of volunteers and it's such a great way to get involved if you don't have money you can donate or interest in the activity itself.

Using Bach Flower essences for self-care

You may have heard of Bach Flower remedies as they've been around for decades.  38 flower essences were developed by Dr Bach in the 1930s to gently balance and restore emotional well-being by targeting specific negative moods like fear, uncertainty, and stress.  My friend Faye at Flower Moon Therapies is a certified Bach Flower Remedies practitioner and offers consultations in Tewkesbury.  I had a session with Faye last year when I was holding a lot with work and with family and she helped me to create a blend that would work on the subtler aspects of mind and body balance. 

Faye has started to put together short Youtube videos to share details of individual remedies.  Follow her channel here to receive updates each time Faye posts something new.  Faye has also produced a beautiful ''Summer Self Care Rituals'' guide which is available here as an instant digital download for just £4.14.  

NEW from Weleda this summer

People have been asking for years if Weleda would make a natural fragrance without the nasties.  Wishes have been granted and this is so hot off the press I've not had my training yet.  So all I can tell you is that these mists are for the hair or body, made from 100% natural ingredients and cost £15.95.  There are 3 flavours (Tropical Crush, Vanilla Cloud and Mystic Aura) and you can buy all 3 for the reduced price of £38.25 (Smells like paradise Island trio in my websop - saving £3.20 each).  Use JULY10 to get 10% off and enjoy these offers below for one week only (until midnight 12th July).  Any questions please get in touch.  I am happy to order for you for delivery direct to your door or for collection from mine. 

A note from Weleda about price increases from July 2026

From this week the price of some, not all, Weleda products have changed by 50p-£1. Karen, Head of Sales, explains 

''For over 100 years, Weleda has remained committed to creating genuinely natural products of exceptional quality, without compromise.  Like many businesses, we continue to face significant increases across ingredients, packaging, transport and production. In some cases, raw material costs have risen dramatically - Arnica alone has increased by more than 400% over the past few years.  Weleda have absorbed these rising costs for as long as possible, but to continue delivering the quality and standards you expect we now need to make some carefully considered price changes for 2026.  

What will not change is how we make our products. We will not compromise quality standards or reformulate with cheaper synthetic ingredients, reduce ingredient quality, dilute formulations, or compromise on their commitment to biodynamic farming, ethical sourcing and sustainability.  

This week's heart smile ...

Flowers, flowers and flowers.  They're everywhere looking bright and beautiful.  My camera roll is full of them.  My friends and I are swapping pictures and these flowers have cheered a friend who's currently in hospital.  Bringing nature in is so good for the soul.  Find those precious moments in the day to pause and admire nature's rainbow of colours. 

Wishing you a wonderful week x