1. Fashion show at Park Lane with Valerie Austin, Sally, designer (I am getting name of the designer and redhead assistant from Sally hope tomorrow or have to go without his and redhead name), Valerie Blondeau.
2. Sally's table at the forces ball Grosvenor Hotel not to be missed.
3. Ladies enjoying Polo in Cheltenham
4. Fun Polo in Wales
Following the Sun
Here I am sitting at my computer writing this article in a beautiful big bay window looking at the mountains and pretty French houses in a light and airy apartment in Monte Carlo. I am here for a month and thoroughly enjoying the simple life of going to the market, casually wandering around or just having a beer or a glass of wine in one of the many outdoo r restaurants or cafés. Everywhere you look there are fabulous views of either the Cote d'Azur with its spectacular coastline, where the clear blue sea meets the brilliant blue sky or the breathtaking mountains that are sheer and majestic. I ask myself why I'm here instead of on my lovely yacht in London in its picturesque marina and the answer is simple: the sun. It's warm, in the 80's, and this helps show off the incredible scenery at its best. Even our beautiful lake district or any beautiful place in Britain can look foreboding with dull skies.
Both my husband and I love the sun. That's why we live in Florida in the winter and spend time here in the South of France for the summer. The temperate climat e provides inspiration for my novel and my husband's research. I am currently co-writing with my attorney in Florida. She was the assistant to the prosecutor for Miami and was involved with clearing up much of the drug dealing there, just when Miami Vice was popular. She's an incredible woman that we met whilst fighting my condo (apartment) legal battle in Florida. They call her the 'loop-hole queen' and rightly so as she has staved off a nightmare for us in Florida from unscrupulous engineers and contractors. As I said before, beware of buying a condo in Florida as there is enough skullduggery going on there that could even result in you losing your home; but that is another story.
Pomp and Ceremony:
So what is happening in our lovely country? I have been going to some of the Polo matches, balls and functions around the country during the last five years and enjoying the company and the pomp and ceremony, but this year there is a significant difference that will keep me in London. I was surprised to see that the crowd has changed somewhat. No longer are they exclusive occasions catering for the normally untouchable aristocratic type that were great company if you were in the correct set. Now you have the new wealthy - not so much the nouveau rich but it seems we have become a nation of 'Essex girls' and boys. Potential wags were everywhere. The clothes and manners (or lack thereof) were equally distressing.
So I am coming back to the London scene to enjoy the consistency of the Balls and functions. Recently, I was at the Forces Ball that Sally Farmiloe had invited me to on her table and thoroughly enjoyed it. Margaret Thatcher was guest of honour and she not only got a standing ovation but the clapping went on for about three curtain calls. I have to admit I lean towards Conservative but didn't necessary agree with all her policies: However, the applause gave me a lump in my throat. Maybe it was because in the 80's and 90's when you thought you could do anything the world was yours for the taking. The Champagne years were when Champagne was a treat and not the norm as it is now – nostalgia is really what I was feeling I loved those heady times. This month there was also a fun fashion show on Park Lane and the prestigious Beaufort Polo Ball which was very enjoyable with good company on the Table of my friend Tony (Lord Leitrim).
Interesting News
Organic milk cuts risk of heart disease and Cancer
Researchers found that when cows graze on grass the milk is far more superior because it is higher in fatty acids20antioxidants and vitamins. They showed that linoleic acid was 60% higher in organic milk during the summer which is believed to ward off cancer. Also containing omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin E makes it a good choice to ward off cancer and heart disease. Gillian Butler who led the research is the livestock production manager at Newcastle University's Nafferton Ecological Farming Group. She said that they have known for some time that what the cows eat has a big influence on the quality of milk. I would have thought this was common sense but now we have evidence that letting cows graze naturally using a forage based diet is the most fundamental reason for the difference between organic and conventional milk. The study showed that natural grazing produced 84% of the food for cows on organic farms in the summer compared with 37% for conventional cows whose diet is made up of cereals, grains and silage. If you are having problems with conventional milk you may find that you will feel better on organic non-homogenised milk. We get ours from Prince Philip's own Duchy brand.
Dirty Chickens?
It looks like there may be moves to lift on bans on 'dirty' U.S poultry. The worry is that it could put our shopkeepers' health at risk. They tend to wash the carcasses with chlorine to kill off the food poisoning bugs but it may not be effective and could even worsen the food poisoning. It is also a worry that we may be consuming chlorine deposits left on the meat. The European consumer group BEUC carried out a study in 2007 and found 83% of U.S chickens carried harmful bugs.
Some of our food producers use chlorine to wash lettuce but I think there are more problems with the anti-bionics fed to chickens. I haven't20eaten chicken for 5 years because of this. I find the taste was very bland compared to what it used to be like when they were allowed to roam carefree and eat grit.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy has been criticised:
It has now been thought that 'talk' therapy for the depressed could be wasting millions. It has even been reported that the government have an obsession with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and many psychotherapists are showing their disapproval. They say that the idea of this sort of treatment being more effective is a 'myth' and yet Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, said that by 2010 the government will have spent £173 million on this therapy.
CBT looks at exploring how the patients think about the world to enable their thoughts and actions to be changed rather than looking for the cause. It's a shame that hypnosis, which has an excellent history with depression, is not even considered as a viable therapy.
Watch the Sugar and Salt in your Diet
Food producers are still packing sugar into everything. I went into the kitchen in my Monaco apartment and took out a teaspoon to put sugar in my tea. Since I eat all organic I can afford this luxury. I was amazed to find such a tiny teaspoon and realised this was what we used to have before the large ones became the norm therefore the normal one and half sugars has increased threefold. It comes home to you when you read that nowadays 100 victims lose a foot to Diabetes every week. The charity that reported this said it was due to a lack of awareness of the devastating complications that diabetes has. Undiagnosed Type 2 Diabetes can cause heart attacks, strokes, blindness and kidney failure and up to 70% of people die within 5 years. Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK says, "This is shocking given that most amputations can be prevented with better awareness and management of the condition." So be careful when you are eating food with a long shelf life that has hidden sugar to compensate the stacks of salt and juices that are full of sugar.
Technology may hit back!
What do we do if someone hits our technology and locks us out? No phones, no computers and you cannot buy food or go to the bank.
I noticed a tiny piece in the paper about a disgruntled cyber expert that had hacked into a computer and locked everyone out but himself. Terry Childs, a city tech employee is currently on bail for $5 million after allegedly failing to hand over top level passwords. It was interesting that this was no ordinary computer but San Francisco's multi- million-pound computer network that stores records of official emails, payroll fees, jail bookings and much more. It is only a matter of time before there may be a global hit. Are you prepared with some money under the bed and tinned food that will last?Thank you for reading my page. You can e-mail me at: valerieaustinhyp@aol.com
Please visit my website at www.valerieaustin.com
Valerie Austin Training (founded 1989)
Validated (GHR, GHSC) Hypnosis Training courses at foundation & practitioner level in business and medical hypnotherapy.
Valerie Austin is author of six successful self-help books including SELF HYPNOSIS published by Thorsons
Founder of UKRAH (1992) The UK Register of Advanced Hypnotherapy.
Eds Note: VALERIE AUSTIN is an author, journalist and trainer with an international reputation in the field of hypnosis. Her best selling books and training help people achieve their full potential. She founded the Austin Corporate Stress Management Company focusing on reducing stress and anxiety amongst executives and CEO's. She also worked as a consultant in hypnosis at the Priory Hospital, the UK's equivalent to The Betty Ford Clinic, which specialises in food addiction and alcohol abuse. Valerie's work in the film industry (Hollywood) interviewing movers and shakers, producing TV news segments and publishing celebrity magazines in London gave her invaluable experience for her current Harley Street practice. |
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