July 2023 – Openness

Inspirations: What a month it has been as our little business continues to gently grow in its own organic way. We have been busy with new shops, festivals and more customers on subscription looking to take the path towards better health. I am really feeling that the world is opening to new possibilities and new ways of thinking or rather back to the ancient ways of thinking, choosing more natural and healthy options as well as understanding that buying local, authentic and ethical products is the way forward to help in saving our planet.

I recently watched this documentary on Gaia: "Aware: Glimpses of Consciousness" explaining that openness is the experience of LIFE; being open to the other, to our environment, to what comes! To me, being open is an expression of love, connecting my being to the natural environment, an adventure and an expression of freedom. We can all make the choice to be open to each other and our environment as we all come from the same source; we are one and we are all connected!

When we are open we can live in the now without worrying about the past and wondering about the future. We are present, aware and connected. What can help us getting closer to this state of mind?

meditation,
remembering our dreams/ journaling,
Ceremonial sacred plant journeys can break down the barriers created by the ego and really open our hearts,
being a child again: bringing play and joy to our lives,
working on our breath: breathing through our nose - rather than the mouth - will also increase our awareness and make us more connected to our sensations and therefore the present moment.

We also know that a clean diet can help us be more connected to our environment as we reduce inflammation and increase our internal light and metabolism, and improve our well-being and mental health. So many mental conditions are now showing links with the foods we eat. Patrick Holford is a great advocate of this and all his papers are based on scientific research. I really enjoyed listening to one of his many great podcasts on the subject of autism and the links with sensitivities to dairy and gluten.

It is also the same with fermented foods! Listen to this a series on Radio 4/BBC Sounds 'Stay Young - with Michael Mosley' with one episode (14' duration) specially on fermented foods with lots of interesting info!

Basil is the herb of the month for me! I just love the peppery/ fennelly sweet taste it has. It is great for balancing blood sugar levels and high in vitamin K! Combined with garlic, olive oil and pine nuts it makes a great pesto! I also love adding the herb to a fruit salad and of course a tomato salad!

My mantra for this month:

I chose love

I am open to all possibilities

GOOD TO KNOW:

> South Wales Fermentation Revolution:

The WhatsApp group for fans of fermentation is growing with more fermenters being added at each market I attend. If you are keen to learn and up for sharing your fermenting experiences, text me your phone number and you'll soon be on the journey with us! (07515493402).

> St Lucian Sea Moss Gel: we have some great feedback from our customers about the Fresh & Blessed Sea Moss Gel that's now available on my stall at markets. Made in Cardiff, it helps to improve thyroid health, energy levels and to clear mucus - it's also full of minerals, amazing for libido and fabulous to use as a face mask to rehydrate your skin!

> Food & Drink Festival and Music Festival season: Coedfest (mid June) was such a stunning festival and we sold out on the kefir served from the barrels! We will hopefully be present at Narbeth festival in September and Newport Festival in October!

> Absorb T- Shirts: We are enjoying wearing those at festivals during the warm season. The organic cotton make them very pleasant to wear! The T-Shirts are bursting with colour and available at markets or online. The design is from an original watercolour by my cousin Brigitte, in France.

> Drinking Water Kefir for better health: If you want to drink it regularly to support your health journey, there are 2 money-saving options available:

Join our subscription scheme by filling in this document and emailing it back to us completed (absorbhealth@outlook.com) *.
Learn how to make it yourself and acquire some grains - we can teach you all you need to know and provide a recipe!

*We deliver all around Cardiff and surrounding area - and further afield (see below).

> Talks to Spread the Health:

We are looking for spaces to run 1 hour free talks about Health around South Wales and welcome collaborations with retreats, foodies, chefs, yoga centres, hubs, communities...to share knowledge for better natural health... and to play a part in reducing the strain on the NHS. If you know of any interested people or places, please do get in touch. We can also run tasting sessions like we recently did at Forage Farm Shop & Kitchen in Cowbridge and Pugh Gardens in Radyr.

> Grouped Deliveries outside of Cardiff: We have 2 separate delivery runs each month that go east of Cardiff one week and west of Cardiff on the other. Please get in touch if you live in the areas detailed below and want a Water Kefir delivery:

Gower, Mumbles, Swansea, Swansea Valleys to Ystradgynlais: Next run is August 10th
Newport, Monmouthshire and Bristol: 27th July

WORKSHOPS and Talks:

Workshops and Talks on Fermentation and Digestive Health are restarting in September!

Sat 16.09.23 will be at Love Dove pottery in Coed Hills/ I just love this space and is perfect for a small group!
October Workshop in Roath - Date TBC

Please check my calendar for the latest updates on which markets I'll be attending in the next couple of months and links to workshops (some will be updated later)!

WATER KEFIR

Flavour of the Month:

Rhubarb and Red Fruits was so popular, particularly served from our barrels, but we have come to the end of Rhubarb season! So now it's time for Basil & Lime -from next week on. We are getting our fresh Basil from Coed organic and are super excited to know what people think of the flavour! Their Basil has a mild aniseed taste which is very interesting and makes it so refreshing in the Summer!