Fun Places to Socialise.
As usual the lovely black tie dinners that Sally Farmiloe keeps me abreast of are well worth going to. The Dorchester in particular is my favorite as the food is so good.
I have found some fun places to eat that are fairly new. One place is a restaurant in the city. The waiters burst into fabulous opera while your eating. They are absolutely engaging and so polite when serving you. Wonderful for a romantic evening the deco is very boudoirs and lush, however the meal is £65 so it isn't cheap.
Another fun place is Just under the London Bridge is a little wine bar that is on the South side under the arch. If you walk under the bridge you have to pass it It has a spectacular view with a wall-to-wall window looking onto the Thames and at night you can see the boats go under the bridge while having some cocktails that are not overpriced. Another romantic spot and very lively at weekends with live music. I could not make out the name so it would be worth the walk and a great area to explore.
I have found 'round' to be useful in the cold.
There has been lots of parties and fun this month as well as hard work. I have been getting my boats on my mooring in Chiswick ready for renting and so I have been dashing about one minute in work cloths and the next in ball dresses. If you would like to rent a (stationary) narrow boat and live among the swans and water birds do let me know. I have the ideal spot to de-stress and yet be near the centre and lots of great places to go on your doorstep at the wonderful Strand on the Green with its cozy riverside pubs and wine bars.
You can usually find some good out of what would be
potentially bad. There are so many large 'round' people walking about now because our food is so full of chemicals that when I was cold, after a hard day of cleaning up boats and the weather becoming freezing, I just put a douvey type coat over my thick jacket to go home and it didn't look out of place or (very) big. Of course at one time this would look colossal and I would never have dreamt of doing so. The good news is that I can take my coat off the overweight aren't so lucky. But like anyone else it takes discipline to stay slim and sometimes more than others.
Unfortunately, for me, I have lost a lot of this wonderful natural discipline this month and found myself not only eating unhealthy food but also deserts (thank goodness for my husbands organic cooking when I am at home). Since I am not a desert person I can only put it down to the global collapse of the economy. We have to blame something, but it seems I am not alone some of my friends, who, are normally slim have confided in my that they are going through the same problems, stuffing themselves.
A dose of hypnosis should do the trick for us all.
I will be 13 days on a cruise to Florida this month and since they don't have any organic food it will be interesting to see how my husband and I survive. I will keep you posted we are taking our supplies with us to at least stay somewhat healthy.
No News is Good New, I wish!
This month has been hectic and I am fortunate that I cancelled my Sky TV recently so I only have basic TV and very little news. The economic climate is dire and effecting most people. However, the general talk is that it was an accident waiting to happen and giving a wake up call to greed. I am not sure if this is what we needed but I do think it has been on the cards for several years. I realized only a few months ago when I was about to go shopping in London and it was a bit chilly I just needed to buy a sweater, of even a jacket ,if I got too cold. Easier than bothering to carry one with me and the price would be only the same as a round of average drinks. That surly isn't right.
All this waste and cheap goods surely must affect the environment. Since the buzz word is 'Green' and the old saying seems to be truer now than ever, "Where's there's muck there's money" it looks like there is a lot of coning going on in the name of the environment.
Government Policies are responsible for the new illness on the block, 'Bin Rage'?
It is now official and a result of unnecessary stress that we are put through on a daily basis. Part of the punishment society we are living in.
This throw away world is causing mountains of rubbish to be got rid of. However, instead of making it easier to disguard it is more complicated. Fortnightly collections have created 'Bin Rage" . As more council refuse to empty bins if residents don't follow their complicated procedures the householders are hitting back literally. A survey of more than 200 local authorities shows attacks on Britain's 40,000 bin men have gone up by a fifth over the last year even to the extent of being headbutted and even shot at. More of the punishment culture which is encroaching on our lives. So when I heard of the new website that you can just give away your unwanted stuff and you can also pick up other peoples unwanted stuff free I was delighted this includes bicycles, technical equipment etc. A bit like a modern day 'robbing the rich to feed the poor' but the goods are being given willingly.
I have actress friends that have cloths swap evenings and others refuse to buy Chinese goods so they are not tempted buy cheap and also they don't risk the problems of poisonous chemicals that have been found in many items from China even cloths and toys. Every little helps to save this empty buying.
Bees to the rescue, not for long!
Bees have been to our rescue for centuries they honey feeding us naturally and the magical Propolas from their hives healing unhealable wounds in the elderly (has to be used undiluted though).
But now they are at risk. There are reports that there are diseases among the bees but they is little reported what is happening to them. The Queen bees being genetically engineered, or being bread in such a way natural selection is not occurring. Making them use hives that are plastic instead of wood. If there is a disease then the hives have to be burnt but you are not allowed to burn plastic so they are being buried with their Disease.
Creating flavored honey so they only allow the bees to pollinate certain flowers disturbing the balance of their diets; Try to avoid flavored honey for the bees sake. G.M crops weakening their immune system. In fact it is a mess and may turn out to be like our economy no turning back.
When a bottle of Plonk is really Plonk.
Just when I thought I would have a bottle of plonk with my friends I have just read an article to say that my wine would be full of chemicals, and not even from the country it is labeled, well I sort of knew that but I didn't know it may have a secret ingreient, 'Cat Litter". There is lots more shocks May be worth reading it is in a book that is called the 'Great Wine Swindle 'by Malcolm Gluck now it looks like we can't even drown our sorrows without poisoning ourselves.
Tips:
For smokers who don't want to stop smoking. Don't forget I can help you if you want to. Then they are bringing out a new drink that has the nicotine hits in it and doesn't annoy your non smokers. What can I say, you would proably say, "I'll drink to that" have a great month.
Eds Note: VALERIE AUSTIN is an author of six successful self-help books including SELF HYPNOSIS (Thorsons), 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 is also founder of UKRAH (1992) The UK Register of Advanced Hypnotherapy. Valerie has 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. Her 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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