It’s been so lovely to have some warmer weather lately, and the hammocks and deckchairs have been out on the lawn for sunny chilling. I used to be a dedicated sun-worshipper when I was younger, but these days I find I get too hot and restless although a little meditation (or snoozing) in the warm shade never goes amiss!
This month saw 6 fabulous women attend my Afternoon of Wellness and the weather was glorious. We sat outside in the sunshine on arrival and took tea and cake on the lawn later on (the most gorgeous chocolate and orange vegan cake… thank you Buttercup Bakery, Hebden Bridge). It was a really chilling, relaxing afternoon and I received some lovely feedback from attendees. The afternoon consisted of a gentle yoga session, a sound-bath, a Yoga Nidra focusing on gratitude, a group chanting and meditation session and a lovely ceremony whereby we journaled our desires and then burnt these outside in a fire-pit. All-in-all, it felt rather magical and everyone left to go home floating on air a little, which is always rather lovely. I was surprised at how much we fitted into the afternoon and how there was still room for chatting and laughter throughout. I really love the spirit of community and friendship these Wellness Days and Half-Days cultivate; such a relaxed, friendly, supportive feel to them. The power of a group of people with open hearts is so strong and so enchanting.
In other news, the downstairs bathroom and kitchen of the house is being renovated at last. We have been in the house 18 months now and these two rooms were left to the last on Phase 3 of the renovations (Phase 3 of 7!). This was because there was a lot of structural work needed in the kitchen and also the bathroom had a wall that was added at some point, which we thought we would have removed at the same time, to save on mess. Oh, and what a dusty mess it has all been and still is for that matter. The farthest room in the house from the kitchen – the main bathroom, was thick with dust, so you can imagine how the downstairs looked! Despite trying to keep all the doors shut, the dust still gets everywhere. We are currently living with a make-do kitchen consisting of a toaster, microwave and kettle in the hall on a shelving unit we have put up. The novelty of takeaways, sandwiches and toast, wore off pretty fast, and we are now into our third week of absolutely no kitchen.
The builders were amazing and finished all the demolition work in a week, which was unbelievable. It was like the army had arrived on the first day, with around 12 builders piling out of the van and commencing the work. The plasterers finished last week, and this week it’s the tilers who are starting. Hopefully, they will be finished in two weeks time (floor needs levelling and underfloor heating going in too) and then the bathroom and kitchen can be installed. I am hoping by my birthday on July 12th we will be more or less straight! At the moment apart from no kitchen and little of a bathroom, the contents of both are being stored in the snug and sitting room so every room is chaotic and we don’t know where anything is. The new fridge is now taking pride of place in the sitting room, the first day it arrived, I kept purring and stroking it as I walked past, very chuffed with its ice-blue shade, but the novelty of this has now worn off too and I’m longing for it to be put into its rightful place in the kitchen. All in good time though and I need to remember the discussions we had at the Wellness Afternoon and learn more patience and also gratitude for what I do have. Life is a lesson in learning, in my humble opinion, and I have a long way to go yet! 🙂