Wednesday 29 July 2020

Glastonbury - Mystical Isle of Avalon

If you’ve ever been in the UK around midsummer, you cannot fail to have noticed the wall-to-wall media coverage of the Glastonbury Festival. Billed as one of the world's most famous music and performing arts festivals, it attracts some of the world’s biggest names who whip up a storm on the many stages. A couple of hundred thousand people spend up to a week getting alternately burnt to a crisp and drowned in mud as they camp out in the massive complex centred on Worthy farm. With a backdrop of the famous Tor, this “tented city” hosts a multitude of spectacular things to see and do over the long weekend.

 As does the town of Glastonbury itself. The high street is unlike any other, with every other shop dedicated to the weird, wacky and wonderful. Back in the early noughties, when I first came across the idea of a Magic Shop in Buffy, I longed for something similar over here. There are dozens of them, each with a slightly different focus on the craft, be it crystals, herbs, clothing or the various other equipment every good witch needs. Pure heaven!

Since my first visit in 2009, I've been completely under the spell. I walked the Tor twice on the day after my arrival, at 9am and 9pm, without knowing it was Beltane eve - until I met the drummers. And I met so many friendly, fascinating people, some of whom became good friends, like the owner of a bookshop who hosted my first signing down there, co-opting the services of a couple of real-live archers. They invited me to take part in a Reenactors' (Rennaisance) Fayre in Glastonbury where I saw my second real-live joust and set up stall next to a falconer. Good times.


The Chalice Well was completely enchanting - and my first encounter with Druid magic. So many enchanted places, but my favourite piccy is still this one from one of my many visits down there. Each part of the picture is a different plant, flower or seed, and the message speaks for itself.



Wednesday 22 July 2020

Perplexing puzzles

Here's the answers to the ones from June 30th
a) 5, 12, 19, 26, 33 , 40 -- 7xtable -2
b) 3, 9, 18, 30, 45 , 63 -- 3x triangle numbers
c) r, o, y, g, b, i -- colours of the rainbow

Here’s the next lot - they're getting harder ...
Give me the next 2 in each of these sequences:
a. 34, 29, 24, 19, __, __
b. 0.5, 2, 4.5, 8, __, __
c. o, t, t, f, __, __
Good luck. I will be giving the answers some time in the next month.
The second one is a little tricksy - if you want a clue, scroll down.


Never heard of triangle numbers?
Like square numbers make squares, triangle numbers make triangles. People like me think it's very cool - others (like most of the world) not so much.
Hopefully the pix below will make it clear.





















Extra bonus points to anyone who can tell me what happens when you add two consecutive triangle numbers. So-oo cool.














Clue: If you don’t like decimals, try doubling.

Tuesday 14 July 2020

Connecting With Nature

Last week I wrote about the many benefits of walking in nature, but further research has shown even more value from walking among trees.
Let’s start with the problems of our busy lifestyles. No matter what you do, from the moment you wake, you are presented with a bunch of distractions which deplete all the lovely mental calmness you stored up while sleeping.
Even if you’re not surrounded by a houseful of demanding/noisy occupants, every conversation distracts your attention from your current task, and usually requires some kind of decision to be made. Even if you live on your own, just the background chatter from the inevitable TV/radio has the same effect. It’s one reason I switch off all “news” reports – they rarely contain anything I want to hear, and if I need to keep up to date, reading news is much less affecting than having someone pump it into your ear every hour. This level of distraction ramps up once you leave your “safe” house – now you're adding many more opportunities to take a chunk out of your serenity. Any journey involves crowded streets, roads, shops, honking horns, people arguing/talking loudly, fighting for a parking spot – an endless list.
And that’s before you consider air quality. A short exposure to polluted air can trigger lung and heart problems, and chronic exposure has been linked to cognitive decline. Even downtown parks and riverside bike paths are likely to have significantly better air quality than busy city streets, and trees offer an additional protective effect. The level of vehicle emissions just 200 metres away from a road is around four times lower than it is walking next to the road.

Recent research speaks of two types of attention: “voluntary,” where we consciously focus on something, and “involuntary,” where something attracts our attention whether we want it or not. We need to direct voluntary attention for so many daily tasks, but it’s tiring. Walking near trees lets your mind wander aimlessly, away from attention-grabbing loud-noises, while your brain gently registers the natural scenes and sounds, revitalising a fatigued mind. A study showed volunteers suffering from depression demonstrated a marked improvement in cognitive ability after an hour’s walk in a woodland park compared to those walking on city streets.
A Japanese research team propose that trees emit a fine mist of essential oils which reduce levels of stress hormones, lower blood pressure and enhance immune function. Called phytoncides, these olfactory-provoking chemicals can protect against cancer – rates of lung, breast, uterine and prostate cancers are lower in highly-forested areas.

On a personal note, if I am ever stuck trying to figure out a tricky plot point or find a way to connect the dots between a scenes I've just written and where the story needs to go next, I don my trainers and walk around my local farmland. My preferred route takes me through four small woods and along a babbling stream. I never fail to get inspired - usually fixing whatever was broken/stalled. An absolute must for any kind of writer's block!

Growing/eating seasonal fresh food

I learnt long ago that the green leaves surrounding cauliflower make a fabulous, authentically cauliflower-flavoured soup without a single floret. Last week, I learnt that, instead of discarding the huge leaves from rhubarb, if you boil them, the resulting juice tastes of rhubarb. It may not look as appetising, being dull greenish-brown instead of day-glo pink, but you can be sure it has every one of the same vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.  
I then used the rhubarb stalks, along with gooseberries and apples (all lightly stewed) and raspberries to make one of my favourite breakfasts – a fruit fool with cold custard and a generous dollop of creamy yoghurt. I always add cinnamon, ginger and a dusting of freshly ground black pepper to wake up my metabolism. Yummy! All accompanied by a glass of the juice.

But the real boost was the sense of accomplishment from growing all the fruits myself - free from all pesticides, preservatives and zero air miles. Even my husband remarked on how much better the raspberries were than the ones you buy in shops. Like eating proper fruit instead of a watered down imitation. One of the side-effects of lockdown is that people have had much more time to spend in their gardens and many have resorted to the old ways of growing their own and making their own bread (hence the shortage of tomato plants and flour).

N.B. Before trying this at home, it makes sense to research well – for example, rhubarb leaves are high in oxalic acid and anthraquinones which can cause problems, particularly in those prone to kidney stones. As ever, it’s about being sensible, trying a sample first, and listening to your body.


There are many sites extolling the virtues of eating locally-grown, seasonal food, and here’s a summary of the benefits:

1. Health
Seasonal food includes ingredients essential to the body's needs for that time of year, such as the anit-histamine properties of summer fruits, and the spring-time leafy greens to support liver function and regulate the body's energy system. As well as supporting your immune system, there's a feel-good factor of eating mindfully and conciously choosing what you put into your body.

2. Flavour
Without the toxicity of pesticides or the preservatives required to grow out of season and transport from distant shores, foods are bursting with unadulterated flavour and pleasing textures. Growing your own means you pick it when it's ripe, unlike transported produce which has to be picked before the flavours and nutrients have properly developed, and often taste bland or watery.

3. Nutrition
The potency of the vitamins and minerals decreases as the food ages and most forms of food preparation in processed foods kills or reduces the efficacy. Mass-produced fruit and vegetables are often genetically engineered to improve appearance, usually at the expense of flavour and/or nutrients. Where possible, eating raw foods, reducing cooking time to eat al-dente, and not adding salt/sugars increases the nutritional value tremendously. 


4. Harmony
Living in harmony with nature has a tremendous impact, reducing the air miles, supporting local businesses and our own bodies. We were designed to benefit from the variety of foods available throughout the year, eating root vegetable stews to combat the wintry months and staying hydrated in the summer with water-dense salads and fruits. Many holistic nutritionalists suggest getting in touch with Mother Nature's cycles connects us more deeply to the earth, helping us to get in touch with our own natural rhythms.

5. Cost
When food is in season it is more abundant and therefore cheaper. Out-of-season produce is more expensive to grow locally in a greenhouse, or there are travel costs if it comes from a different country. And, of course, if you grow it yourself, the outlay is minimal.

Wednesday 8 July 2020

Benefits of Walking in Nature

I’ve always appreciated living near a large area of farmland accessible to the public. For years, my family have taken daily walks, enjoying the fresh air, fabulous views and exercise. Back in the eighties, Rocky (a cute Staffy) would bark at the sheep. In the nineties, Barney (a lolloping Lab) would take every opportunity to wind up the cows. On the first day of the new millennium, a sledging accident down the biggest hill left my daughter in hospital with numerous broken bones in her foot. Nowadays the only crops the fields have are animal feed, and our Welsh collie (Sasha) has only rabbits and squirrels to round up, but she loves the chase.
Throughout these decades we’ve watched the place change, especially when they built a road through the middle of it. One thing was constant – we rarely met more than a dozen people for any hour we walked. During lockdown, I could barely walk for five minutes without meeting dozens of new faces, many of whom had walked a considerable distance to reach this place they’d heard of.

And because people love pix of dogs, here they are.
Rocky                                                                     Barney                                                      Sasha




The internet is full of articles extolling the benefits of walking in nature from obvious ones like calming the mind and improving athletic performance to increasing immunity and even reducing cancer. Recent research shows a nature walk changes blood flow in the brain to a state of relaxation and increases the number of natural killer cells the body produces to battle infection. Other research suggests that while many people enjoy a walk in the park, pleasure isn't required to get cognitive benefits. Even in the pouring rain or on a grey, wintry day, people have been shown to benefit from a nature walk.

Some of the ways walking nourishes mind body and spirit are:
  • helping to focus and relax your mind
  • letting go of your problems, real or imagined, even for a little while
  • improving aerobic capacity for more efficient oxygen intake
  • burning fat and sugar more efficiently while you’re walking
  • mastering your mind (and body), being able to accomplish any goal you set for yourself
Read more about it here: https://www.wildwomenontop.com/blog/mind-blowing-benefits-walking-nature

Bringing nature in 

Olive tree leaves
One of my Friday treats (along with lunching with my dad and sharing a pizza and bottle of red with hubby at dinner) is to fill several vases with seasonal greenery. No matter what time of year, I can always find some interesting colours and shapes in the foliage in the garden, even if there are no actual flowers.
Rowan tree leaves

In addition to cleaning the air by reducing the amount of airborne pollutants, plants can reduce stress and anxiety. The natural aromas not only make our environment pleasant, they are also full of chemicals that enhance our thinking, mood, immune system, and more. Lavender is well known for its calming effects, but studies show peppermint oil enhances attention and lessens mental and physical fatigue.
The simple act of opening the curtains (whether or not you have a verdant view) can help as letting in natural light increases job satisfaction, enhances performance, reduces depression, and enhances recovery from illness. Views of natural elements, such as trees, also have a positive effect on mood, attention, and recovery. So, if you can’t get outdoors, at least look out, particularly if you're feeling stressed or in pain.

If you don’t have a view of nature from your window at home or work, you can still benefit from a landscape painting or photo – visualise all the wonderful scenes used as computer backdrops.

Pictures of nature can produce cognitive benefits, which suggests part of the effect is mediated by what we see. Colour could play a part; nature scenes feature more green than urban scenes, or a pleasing combination of tones and shades. As you can see from the montage to the left, I'm particularly drawn to pictures featuring water in its many forms - seas, lakes, rivers and especially waterfalls account for at least 60% of the outdoor scenes I 'm drawn to capture in photos to look back on.

Natural landscapes have more fractal patterns – complex, repetitive shapes found in coastlines, mountain ranges and many leaves and flowers – compared to the simple straight lines of man-made structures. Correlations have been found between these patterns and levels of cognitive function and/or tranquillity.