Feel Good

Our weather is a little silly right now. Summer will hold on and humidity will hang in the air thick and low until rain finally gives in and decides to come and share its love and bring that vital water into our environment as promised. :-) (brown nosing potential rain - a new low I have sunk to)

All of this impacts on our wellbeing which means that our circulatory systems will be working overtime and totally out of alignment. More energy will be required to address the unbalance - hence your tiredness.

There are many nasty little lergies scurrying around us as we speak.All you need to fight any lergy is a strong immune system.However as we live here and now with all the 21st century pros and cons, the reality is that our immune systems are not working to their optimum levels.

First place to start to is feel good about yourself. Pamper yourself a little:

1. Long Bath - add some sandalwood and basil oils.Once you HAVE the lergy - boil 6 oranges and 2 ginger stalks (sliced and diced)add a very hot bath. Let yourself sweat and sting for 20 minutes.

2. Get a massage - head, whole body, feet, and hands - use geranium, ylang ylang, jasmine and bergamot oils

3. Pressure Points - 3 inches down from your knee cap - find the sore spot and massage and rub yourself every 30 minutes. Find the sore spot in between your thumb and pointer and massage and rub every other 30 minutes

4. If you have a lingering headache, relieve it by getting 2 buckets of boiling hot water, add 6 drops of lavender oils into each and place one foot into each bucket for 30 minutes or until you have to run to the toilet.

5. Drink herbal teas - peppermint, ginger, chamomile or plain hot water 6 times a day

6. Drink 4 litres of water each day.

7. Begin your day with fresh juice - carrot, ginger, apple, beetroot, pineapple, celery

8. Avoid caffeine, sugar, wheat and dairy

9. East Plenty of Fruit, Soup, Salad, Rice, Curry and Stir Fry

10. Take Echinacea or Olive Leaf Extract - 4 tablets every 4 hours

11. Drink one tablespoon of Swedish Bitters every 4 hours

12. Try to avoid panadol and antibiotics and cold tablets as they reduce the efficiency of your immune system by attacking your liver to take the bodies attention away from the congested bits. Distraction isn't a positive long term remedy for health.

13. Take Valerian if you really need to address pain.

14. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: Get some loving - hugs, caresses, kisses (Oh OK not if you are in full lergy swing) and tons of sex.

Feeling loved, wanted and believed in cures EVERYTHING

Fog Creeps

A dusty, open faced ceramic wall clock in the corner of the Nepali tea room declared the time as two o’clock in the afternoon. Clouds have descended over the military base like aliens waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting B grade American movie. The small hand on this timepiece takes an hour to move to the next number with ticking that only seems to become slower as the seconds pour themselves into being. Watching the clock won’t bring the planes in from Kathmandu today. The fog creeps over the distant mountain and twenty degrees fall in the expectant air around me. Watching the runway won’t get me home today.
As I search for a familiar face in this sea of military and trekking individuals, I wonder how, on the 1st day in December 2003, I found myself sitting alone, freezing and bewildered beside an empty air strip in Lukla, 2800 metres above sea level in the Himalayas.

Born in the US of A....not

One of my dreams as a child was always to travel.

Since 2000, I have achieved that dream part way and have visited quite a few countries - still many many more to go.

Looking back on my journals from the first big venture OS, I have to laugh at myself as I listed my greatest lessons at the time. We were all so small minded and the first adventure occuring in the United States of America was probably a good way to dampen the culture shock. Actually in every trip, going to the toilet has occupied MOST of the adventure!

Doors are pushed OUT to go IN
East is West - Right is Left
Toilets flush DOWN not UP unless of course Sam went first then call theHousekeeping.
Toilets flush themselves
Taps turn themselves ON and OFF
There are no bath plugs.
Lights switch UPAlways arrange for Tim to visit the Restroom FIRST and arrange for 20minutes of extra activity while waiting for him.
Check out your rental car in the FIRST day not the LAST day to locate thecup holders for the driver.
Keep no less than ten dollars worth of quarters on your person at alltimes.
Five cent coins are BIGGER than ten cent coins.
The Aussie dollar may be worth just over half a US dollar, but it STILLcosts FIVE DOLLARS to get ONE dollars worth of quarters for the laundry.
Australia is a small suburb somewhere in England."Your English is pretty good considering it's your second language - whatlanguage do you normally speak?".
Alex can and will be mistaken for an eleven-year-old who can obtain achild admission anywhere in the known civilised world.
There is no such thing as TOMATO SAUCE - only ketchup.
On American radio there are only two types of music played - LATINO andCOUNTRY.
Destiny's Child and 98 Degrees are IN (remember this is 2000)
Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys are OUT (ditto)
VAN HALEN will be forever included on American Radio Playlists.
The BIGGEST radio hit currently in LA goes like this: "Who let the DogOut - Woof Woof Woof Woof" (Repeat 20 times to hear the entire song) - eventually we ALL got to know this song in OZ didnt we?
Australian children have a genuine psychotic fear of parents who know allthe words to every 80's song played on the Highway Grand Canyon radio stationand who sing them LOUDLY for five hour stretches.
Always order coffee WITH milk and SUGAR if you don't want it black.
Orders must include one of the following: TO GO - ON THE SIDE - STRAIGHTUP
OVER EASY is about your eggs and not your personality.
Common Courtesy and politeness like Good Morning and Thank You areig nored.
A dollar Bill ALWAYS gets attention.
Another way of receiving attention is to drive down a one way street on the wrong side of the road...SLOWLY...
And always expect to meet the rudest most ignorant Hotel Manager on your
very last night in America - "No there are only TWO beds available - take it orleave it!" - and crying and yelling don't change a thing.

Welcome to America!!!