Just been leafing through another Christmas pressie, Raleigh Brigg's charmingly illustrated and handwritten guide to making your own all -natural lotions and potions. Everything from household cleaners, bug busters, face cleansers to gardening basics is there. Ms GP bought it for me; we're both trying to phase out sundry 'nasties' like parabens and petrochemicals in the bathing and cosmetic areas as much as possible - with varying success. We're pleased to have found a few brands worth giving a look in the High Street as well as the health stores. Though to be honest, it still is a bit of a lottery, labour intensive: entailing much peering short-sightedly (for me at least) at labels and to-in and fro-ing to different stores. And don't talk about expense...ouch! For us unscientific types, figuring out these ingredients lists can be like struggling to crack a code. Not all items with long, complicated names are necessarily harmful, conversely it seems as if every five minutes somebody somewhere is putting about scare stories about something which up to now we'd thought innocuous enough.
Not easy to judge Creatvity is needed, hence my categorisation of this post. Simplicity? Hmm, not sure about that one.
The biggie for me at least just now is hair colouring. It's only over the last couple of years that I've been using safer - note not 'safe' dyes; they're something I've always been wary of, but vanity will out plus Mr GP is not happy with a greying Greenpatch. However, as these days even my health store safer veg coluring irritates my scalp, I'm wondering if the dread day has come when I'll need to go grey gracefully. Strand tests with Henna have worked out okish though horror stories about hair falling out after treatment when it comes into contact with chemicals (I've my hair waved a couple of times a year) are putting me off. And it's so fiddly! Simplicity it ain't. Plus I don't fancy spending my evenings with my head wrapped in clingfilm with what smells like a decomposing compost heap on my hair.
Ah, 'vanity, all is vanity.' Now please excuse me whilst I go off and dunk my crowning glory in a gallon of strong tea..
At the risk of bringing the wrath of a certain Archdruid down on my head - let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
Tell us why your loo deserves to be with one of our loo-nely latrines, and if your proposition is the best you'll be twinned with your chosen partner - for free.
- From Toilettwinning.org
- photo taken on holiday last year near St Mary's Loch
but I prefer the Flanders and Swann version. You'll find some weather-related and likely most un-Franciscan grumblings over on my Musings blog.
- the peaceful waters of St Mary's Loch, taken during our Durham-Iona pilgrimage last year
The credit for this post goes to Smudgie of wibsite renown, whose description of her floatation tank experience bears an uncanny resemblance to the struggles I sometimes often experience when I try to pray,
I did not like the way my thoughts continued to bombard my brain but without being able to gain a purchase and be resolved…a bit like those squelchy toys you throw against a mirror which sort of stic k but then slither down and fall off onto the carpet where they pick up all the loose hairs and fluff. I didn’t go into a meditative state – I went into a teflon state, but still with the myriad of thought-directions sparking off inside my brain…together with a sense of guilt that I should be relaxing.
Teflon prayer - I love it! To stretch the squelchy toy analogy even further, our son threw half a squelchy santa way up and out of reach near the landing ceiling just after Christmas. We're still waiting for it to work its way back down to earth. Anybody who fancies speculating as to what that has to say about my current spiritual state is welcome to have a go.
