Insect bites!

Well it has been an interesting week. When I was leaving Nepal, I noticed a scab on my right forearm, which I thought was a little strange, so I pulled it off (as you do), only to discover that it was actually a small, hard, red insect - a bit like a tick - attached to my skin.

Over the next week my arm bruised. Over the next month the wound refused to heal and started to become really itchy and raised. So I finally went to the doctor who wanted to do a biopsy but there was no time before my trip to Vancouver. In Vancouver it got much worse and I started to get itchy bits all over both arms and over my legs and back, so that I would wake in the middle of the night scratching without even being aware.

So I went to the doctor in Vancouver but there was no time to do anything before my trip to New York. Finally back home in Guernsey I returned to the doctor who put me on antibiotics and steroid cream while I waited to have the lump removed. By then the itchiness had spread to various patches all over my body and I had grown accustomed to waking up from scratching during the night!

Finally the lump was cut out and sent for analysis. But still the ithciness continued, although with less intensity. The results came back showing a chronic reaction to an insect bite - no joking!! During this time I was doing lots of swimming in the sea and bathing in salts and oils, to ease the itching and to help to heal all the scars.

Then last week the scar from the source of the insect bite started to get really swollen and itchy again. I also started to feel sick and just not myself. Another trip to the doctor and stronger antibiotics - which seemed to make my stomach feel really raw - and soaking my arm in hot salted water. Finally the skin broke and the infection oozed forth, revealing a lost stitch still in the wound!

A week on and my arm is much better. So too the general itchiness. Let us hope this continues after I have finished the course of antibiotics. I joke that it would have been cheaper to fly back to Nepal and see someone who is familiar with the particular insect bite and have sorted it out straight away - understandably we are not familiar with tropical related insects!

So all in all a testing 5 months on the health front. Until this time last year I had managed to avoid going to the doctor for some time and it seems that with the glandular fever and the resulting depression last year, and then the insect bite this year that I have gone to the doctor too regularly and the Universe is clearly trying to tell me something!

Being ill does make one review one's life. I am not a good patient and loathe not being able to do any exercise or practice asana. Of course it has been a lesson in letting go and relaxing, and also makes one re-consider diet and nutrition. Plus of course the logistics of being sick and teaching Yoga. I can't help thinking that the Universe has been trying to tell me something. It's time for a change.

Happy days!

Cliff walking!

It has been a rather hectic week with all this bank holiday fun so that the days seem to roll into one! Lots of meals with family and friends, lots of gardening and spending time outside, lots of cycling and swimming, and lots of laughter and good fun.

Today my partner and I decided to get away from it all and make the most of the afternoon sunshine. So we cycled out to La Corbiere, locked up our bikes and walked all the way along the cliffs to town.

Of course the cliffs are stunning at the moment, the pink campion is lovely and bright, the bluebells are still out in force and compliment the white of the wild garlic. And then there are lots of large, bright yellow and white daisies, beautiful blue cornflowers, and these fantastic little pink flowers at the side of the path. Plus, I was delighted to see the beginning of the delightful honey suckle!

We were amazed how many people were out on the cliffs this afternoon, mainly visitors, but all the same it was rather incredible. Mind you I am not surprised, as I keep saying to anyone who will listen to me - the cliffs are stunning at the moment. I mean they have probably always been stunning but I have never paid much attention - that's often the trouble when something is on one's doorstep - it is easy to take it fore granted.

It took us about 4 hours, which is pretty good going, although I must admit that we ran up and down some of the steps, especially nearer the end as we kind of got to the point where we just wanted to get the steps over with as quickly as possible as they can be so exhausting! I have to say, at times, walking on the cliffs in Guernsey is not dissimilar to trekking in Nepal with all the ups and downs, we are just spared the altitude and don't get to see he stunning mountain views.

Still the views are always stunning out on the cliffs. Today the sea was looking so enticing, a bright, bright blue and clear enough to see the rocks below. There were moments where we wished we had brought our bathers with us, especially as the tide was rising!

We took the bus back home from town, which was rather a novelty, and collected our bikes from la Corbiere. I then managed a quick dip in the cold sea to ease my aching muscles and enjoyed a relaxing bath to warm myself up afterwards!

I really enjoyed watching the Royal Wedding yesterday, they really seem to love one another and I love the fact they kept it as real as they could - the maple trees were great, so were the looks they kept sharing with one another. I am keen to ignore the cynics and am happy to go along with this being a real fairy tale!

It is like they say - we always get what we pray for, just not always in the way we expect it! So keep praying, fairy tales do exist and dreams do come true.

xxx

The magic of bluebell woods

I met Nick and his lovely family one morning last week at Bluebell woods to take some photos in the early morning light.

I love the whole area; it just has such a special energy with the sun trickling through the trees and the carpet of bluebells giving the whole area a purpley-bluey glow.



Of course we were very conscious of not trampling on any of the bluebells so we made the most of the little paths in between them. It was a relatively straightforward location for a photo shoot, doesn't get more grounded than that, with bare feet on the earth, surrounded by trees, a very different experience to the one at Vazon!



Fern joined me for a few photos. We happened to be wearing similar coloured tops and I love the fact that she can get involved - maybe one day she will practice Yoga herself.


So another huge thank you to Nick for his creativity and incredible ability to capture the essence and spirit through a camera lens. You can see more of what he does at www.nickdespres.com (and my brother designed his website too!).

xx

The red full moon!!

Hayley and I went out to Jerbourg to watch the rising moon last night. We couldn't see it for a while and wondered what was going on, and then I caught it out of the corner of my eye, all red and rising, and Hayley literally shrieked with joy - believe me it was well worth a shriek.

Stunning. That's her photo above.

I was having some kind of strange camera thing going on, because here are mine!



Apparently this full moon emphasises the signs of Aries and its opposite sign of Libra. This is 'me' versus 'you' - the relationships axis - which may have been strained over the last month.

This full moon is the third in a series of Super Moons when the Moon is closest to the earth and appears larger. Full Moons bring out emotions and this one has been powerful, lots of fire of action and yet opposition - I have heard it described a little like having one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake pedal.

Thankfully we are set for a change on the 20th, signalling a far steadier and grounded end to the month!


Anyhow Hayley and I were blown away by the experience and I must admit I found it difficult to sleep last night. In fact at 3.30am I decided to go outside and have a peak at it setting...what I wasn't expecting was to see a shooting star. Wow, that was pretty cool!


Thankfully I did go back to sleep but was wired awake at 7am in time for an early morning practice, before meeting Chris at Petit Bot for a high tide swim - absolutely freezing of course but we must have managed at least 7 or so. Such a fabulous way to start the day, certainly woke me up a little.

I then met my cousin Nick and his family for some photos in blue bell woods. Now this was an even more perfect way o start the morning, it is just so peaceful in there, especially before the hoards of walkers descend! Thank you Nick, Karen and the girls, another fun, peaceful and grounding time!

We are so blessed with this weather, it is simply unbelievable. Thank you!!

xx

Sunday adventures on Guernsey

I keep saying it, but the cliffs are absolutely stunning in Guernsey at the moment, I never realised quite how blessed we are to have this kind of beauty on our doorstep.

On Thursday I went Nordic walking with the rest of the group out at Fort George and through Bluebell woods to Village de Putron. The bluebells are out in force, much earlier than usual, and the woods are stunning, albeit full of people enjoying the scene - lovely to see the painters however! Walking back along the cliff path we saw incredible views of Fermain, the sea just looks so temptingly blue in comparison to the brown granite above, and all the greens and purples and yellows. Heaven.

Yesterday my partner and I decided to go for an adventure at Portlet out on the South Coast. My cousin, Yo, had put us on to it, to be honest I didn't even know it existed - she has an incredible knowledge of the cliffs over here. So we parked at Petit Bot and wandered through the lanes and out onto the cliff path and followed the signs down to Portlet, set between Petit Bot and the Gouffe.



As Yo had said, the walk down was its usual stunning self, lots and lots of bluebells and still the primroses. It really is like a fairy wonderland around there, especially as the path is so ancient, it just has that feeling somehow. We had unintentionally timed it rather well...low tide meant we could access the beach itself. Usually to do this you have to clamber through a small slither of space in the cliff face itself for about 40 metres, which of course my partner did all the same. I was impressed to say the least, I got claustrophobic just stepping a metre into that small space.

The beach is heavenly. It is not often, when the sun is shining so strongly over head on a Sunday, that you can find yourself the only people on a Guernsey beach, but alas we did, so cool. We walked across the beach and started clambering over the rocks figuring we could probably make it all the way around to Petit Bot, but alas not. We hit a crevasse in the rocks and with us both wearing flipflops, there was no way I was attempting any risk-it-all cliff rock jumping.



My partner thought it may be a good idea to attempt to climb the cliffs themselves, up onto the elevation above, nothing like getting the adrenaline going. Thankfully he soon realised that this was not going to be possible, flipflops or not, there were quite a few overhangs and all I could think about - check out the fear - was him falling and us being stuck on the beach as the tide started rising and having to call out the emergency services to come and collect us. I was struggling to simply navigate myself off the rocks, again the worst case scenario running through my mind...talk about mind over matter!

So we took the conventional route back onto the cliff path and back around to Petit Bot, where lots of people were making the most of the weather and chilling out on the beach. You kind of have to pinch yourself to remind yourself that it is only April, this weather is simply glorious.



A few hours later I went for a swim at high tide at Vazon. It is funny, the West coast used to be my favourite side of the island, and Vazon my chosen beach, but these days, thanks to my partner, I am much fonder of the South Coast and the cliffs - certainly for swimming as the beach has a steeper gradient so it is much easier to get into the cold water, plus the south coast beaches have pebbles and so you don't get covered in sand when you are changing! The sea is only about 10 degrees at the moment, I can't wait for it to warm up over the next few months.



After dinner at my folks later that evening I was fortunate to drive home when the moon was rising. Stunning. It was not quite full - that happens today - but all the same I can feel the heightened energy in the air as it kind of makes me feel both extra sensitive and a little wired. So tonight should be lots of fun!

Happy April days, so much for April showers...although the garden could certainly do with some of those!

With gratitude and in peace.

x

Trying to balance on one leg!

Nick and I had fun over the weekend taking some more Yoga in nature shots. We seem to have developed a hand theme! i guess this is rather appropriate, not least the mudras themselves, but also the hand being an extension of the heart space, and the conduit for the Reiki energy.

The blossom is incredible at the moment, I am rather awe struck by it all, the bright whites and the intense pinks, and yet so easy to disregard or overlook in our busy day to day lives. Nick's garden is particularly blessed, not least all the flowers and vegetation but the general energy, it is just so incredibly relaxing and uplifting, so quiet aside from the sounds of nature - the ducks and chickens, the wind rustling through the trees and just the general hum of the land.



We met at Vazon on Saturday evening and while it looked like the sun was going to set behind a bank of cloud, it turned out to be a very worthwhile trip. We tried something new - I was standing on one leg on an upside down plastic beer crate in the rising water! This was no mean feat. In fact it was incredibly difficult.


The crate itself was really painful on my feet, not only the sharp plastic but the fact it is uneven so that it was difficult to get my grounding. Coupled with that the fact that the waves were often breaking against the back of my ankles, plus moving water all around me, cold too! It took me a good few minutes to figure out how I could possibly balance on one leg with all this distraction - in the end I focused every bit of my attention on Nick's red plastic tub further up the beach (my drushti then) and just breathed! Never have I found balancing on one leg quite so challenging!


The great thing about all these photos in nature is the fact I sleep so well, it is clearly a grounding and relaxing experience! Coupled with that the fact I have been swimming in the sea every day this month and getting out on the bike and even running again, well it seems to make a difference to one's overall sense of wellbeing. Long may it last, this time last year was an entirely different story so I am very grateful for all the healing.

A huge thank you to Nick, more of his images can be viewed at www.nickdespres.com, he is an incredible professional photographer.

xx

The sun sets and then it rises again...

When I got home from Yoga last night I could not help but notice the incredible sunset, wonderful how the sky can produce such colour.



And while the cat may have woken me really early this morning, in many ways it was a blessing as I got to see the incredible sunrising sky too! Nature certainly has a joy about her these days, not only the reminder that the sun rises and the sun sets and thus the continuity of life, but also the amazingly colourful display of life generally. I feel very lucky and blessed to live on Guernsey, very spoilt! Thank you nature.

Early summer fun!

Wow I can't believe it has been two weeks since I last wrote anything here; how time flies!

Actually it was a period of retreat for me; after spending so much time on my own in Vancouver, and then back to the familiarity of Guernsey, I was craving a bit of silent time to turn inwards and get away from the laptop for a while! Plus of course the weather has been absolutely stunning and encouraged much outdoor living.

It has, of course, caught us all unaware and I am amazed the number of people at Yoga this week who have gardening related aches and pains! Seems as if everyone has been spending time in the garden.



I must admit I have sensed a minor panic in the air, that summer has arrived early and we are all unprepared - garden in a mess, house hasn't yet been spring cleaned, can't find the summer clothes and haven't yet had a chance to buy a new summer wardrobe, let alone sorting out the bike, start pre-summer exercising, cleaning the bbq and finding the time to get to the beach and do a spot of sunbathing!



You have to love it however, longer evenings, beautiful sunsets, and the sheer beauty of the Island at the moment - the trees with all their bright white and pink blossom, the hedgerows coloured with pink, yellow and purple flowers, the wonderful yellow gorse out on the cliffs (Icart especially) and the start of the bluebells as the daffodils sadly die away. Maybe my awareness has shifted but I can not remember the landscape looking so incredibly bright and colourful as it does at the moment, new life everywhere...long may it continue, I love Spring!

xx