Welcome to another Monday moment of pause.  I'm allowing myself some time off today as a pat on the back for yesterdays Big Dip.  I'm looking forward to my fab dance class with Jen then lunch with my swim bestie Julie.  I do have a home visit client this afternoon but I love my work so always happy to see my lovely clients.  I only have a few massage spaces left before Christmas so let me know if you need to bagsy one or want to plan ahead for January.  

This week's newsletter includes another great book recommendation and a yummy edible festive make.   Cheerio, Nic x

Breaking news (it seems) - Nic on the radio 3-12-25

Well, it was quite an experience being on Jon Smith's breakfast show on Wednesday morning.  I was invited in to the studio at 7am and sat through an hour of the show (aware of not wanting to breathe too loudly when the show was live).  Then Jon would cut to me with a quick question and seemlessly swing back to the problems faced by pub landlords, increases in parking costs in the city and weather report.  I don't know how he does it! 

You'll be pleased to know you don't need to endure an hour of local radio and can open the replay and scan through to these sections -  1:26:25, 1:41:45 and 1:57:05 (total listening time about 7 minutes).  Alternatively you can read this article which they lifted from the breakfast show chat (without first checking that I was a Mrs from Gloucester not a Ms from Cheltenham!).  Hey ho, it was all good publicity for what turned out to be a fab event.

(thank you so much if you made a donation to our just giving page - it will remain open for another month x)

Gloucester Gals did it - the Big Dip 2025

Hip Hip Hooray, what a day!  It poured with rain but it didn't dampen our spirits for our 3rd annual Big Dip at Cheltenham Lido.  The water was 6.7 degrees C and last years sunshine was nowhere to be seen.  Ken Goodwin from ITV was hiding under a tree to keep his camera dry and made this little feature from the event if you want to see just how wet and windy it was!

Curling up with a book - How animals heal us

''Jay Griffiths provides the evidence for what pet owners and animal lovers instinctively know - that animals heal us''

Buddy was a bit curious about this week's read!  I made a reservation for this book from a field in Northamptonshire in the summer.  I was at the Greenbelt Festival and had just seen the author Jay Griffiths talk for an hour about her research for the book.  Jay was insightful and engaging and had so many stories about the healing nature of our relationships with animals. Like the pot bellied pig who saved her owner's life, lions who guarded a girl from kidnappers and dogs who can smell cancer and phone the emergency services. 

Jay describes why birdsong, purring and other animal sounds have a therapeutic effect for us and how therapy animals such as dogs and horses can help ease depression and alleviate trauma.  She writes about the skunks that help calm the voices in the heads of people with schizophrenia and the llamas that offer children with autism the “gift of listening”.  In Slovenia, there are schools that keep beehives on the premises for children who are “restless and upset”, and who are sent to the bees “to be cared for”.

‘A moving, essential book . . . Nobody writes about Nature with more beauty and grace than Jay Griffiths’ - Brian Eno

Easy peasy festive make - chocolate dipped flapjack

I thought it might be nice to share a Christmas recipe this week if you have people in your life who appreciate edible gifts. I first blogged about these in 2012, when I was 40 weeks pregnant and there was no sign of baby Euan making an appearance.  They're simple to create and a great way to use up any random chocolates left over after Christmas.  They have plenty of nuts and seeds in making them more nutritious than your average syrupy flapjack.  Expect them to be more brittle but delicious with that chocolatey topping.  Here's the original blog post with the recipe. 

Questions: you to me - where do you buy your essential oils from?

I'm often asked this and as an Aromatherapist I am always careful about where I source my oils from for blending.  As with anything in life you get what you pay for and consumer ethics regarding the quality of a product and the whether someone has been paid fairly to source it are really important factors.  At this time of year, for example, if someone is selling a small bottle of Frankincense oil for just a  few quid it 's probably been diluted or is from a poor quality source as it should cost a few quid for just 1ml!  Over-harvesting of trees to obtain essential oils (not allowing the tree to recover before retapping) is a huge concern in many parts of the world.  It's a horrifying thought that the wellness industry in the West is making some tree species at risk of extinction in the East (you can read more here). 

I use Amphora Aromatics oils at the hospice as I have a trade account which stretches the budget a bit further.  They have a fab range of pure and blended oils including organic options.  They have a shop in Bristol and you can order online if looking for supplies for yourself and gifting. 

If you're curious to find out more about how to use essential oils and want to source high quality products Tisserand is always my number one suggestion.  Their website is more than a retail outlet.  Each product listing has background information about where it's come from and when you join the community you can access offers, reward points and blog posts.  The Tisserand Institute also offers educational resources and short courses.   

I'm looking forward to adding to the Christmas feel here at the weekend when we put our tree up with the gingerbread spice room mist.  I love aromatherapy mists as they are light and portable and less pungent than using an oil or diffuser.  Tisserand's wellbeing gift sets make fab presents and were always the most popular option on any Christmas wellbeing stall I hosted (I used to buy wellbeing sets and have a bowl of £5 roller balls for people to try Sleep Better, Happy Vibes, Real Calm or Total De-stress)

This week's heart smile moment was the reminder of being pregnant at Christmas in 2011.  It had taken 14 years to finally have a baby so it was precious indeeed and I'm so glad I captured the moment through my blog.  This was the last photo we took of my bump as I was truly ready to pop (4 weeks + 3) and Euan arrived 2 days later.  And what a beauty he was, all 10lb 20z of him!  Looking up the flapjack recipe reminded me why I still keep my blog even though I no longer post there.  So many reminders of time at the allotment and stories from when the boys were small.  I think I might just sit down with my mid morning cuppa and have a flick through some of the old posts.  Heart smile nostalgia is so good for the heart.

Much love, Nic