My 'retreat' ~ R&R

My little 'retreat' is actually a spot of house and pet sitting for a dear friend whilst she is in hospital having a new hip fitted.  She had come through the op well and should be home on Tuesday nest week.
So, while she is away Aura & I are looking after her huge house and assorted furry companions which is lovely.  It is very peaceful here, rather like our own home, and surrounded by wild beauty of the Buckinghamshire countryside.  I am blessed to be able to walk for, well miles if Aura were able to, along the gallops at the farm here, but we make do with a shorter stroll so not to tire her out too much!
She would go for longer walks if left up to her as she is not aware of being restricted by her dis-ease, but, if she has too much exercise she is very tired and sore, so 'mum' keeps her walks shorter nowadays.

I have decided to take advantage of being away from the kitchen to catch up on my studies and rest up a bit, well, alot actually!  The last couple of months has been pretty full on in the kitchen, and, now that I have been given the opportunity to go in a slightly unplanned direction, I can spend time re-structuring things for the next pathway of adventures.
It does feel a little lazy to be spending so much time just 'sat' studying, but, as life is about to go 'mega' it feels great and luxuriant and decadent...all lovely words and ones we perhaps should embrace using more often, even daily or hourly!  Loving oneself with these feelings is wonderful, just like taking a long hot bath in some lovely bubbles with candles...and we should do that more and more...

I purposely left all my fiction reads at home and only brought practical work with me, as to spend time in fantasy would perhaps have been a waste of energy...plus I use fictional books to shut off in an evening from all the work energy, so to bring that with me here would prevent me spending time on my studies...being a bookish girlie I love reading, learning, exploring the realms of conciousenss and fantasy etc..
So, how am I spending my days here?
I start the day as I would normally, by drinking 2 pints of pure water before getting clean and dressed.  I sort out all the furry ones needs and then prepare the days smoothies.  I make about a litre of smoothie and drink half before my morning walkies and half when we return.  This keeps my bodymindspirit full and happy until about 1pm most days.

It is cold today so I made a cup of coffee...something I would not normally do at home, and it was yucky!  Instant coffee really sucks big time...I now only have posh coffee when out and about ~ now I know why!!!!  Should have chosen tea like I was going to!

Anyway, I had a pinapple to eat up, so just had half of it now, followed by 3 squares of my raw mint chocolate ~ totally lovely!

Whilst waiting for the next video lesson to load (which takes forever on this computor)  I thought I would update the blog...lol

This afternoon we will take another walk along the gallops, hopefully not in the driving rain like this morning...even though it was invigorating.  Then come home and back to the studies until bed time...interspersed with mooching around and brushing the doggies and some hoovering upstairs.

Tomorrow is forcast to be a lovely day, so we will spend it outdoors tidying the garden for a couple of hours, as I have always done when staying over here...she has a lovely garden ~ quite huge, and full of cottage garden plants which now need putting to bed for the Autumn.
I may pop into the village at some point for a coffee and some world watching, just to take a break from isolation...you can go days here and see no-one!

I suppose I could explain about the course I am taking?  Well, I am studying Raw Nutrition with the Body Mind Institute of Canada ~ it is David Avocado Wolfes Certification course and is an online study system.  I am really loving it as all the lessons are by video feed from Davids home in Canada...a wild and beautifully abundant ecosystem...David is such a passionate and energetic teacher and this really comes over in the lessons.  Each lesson is followed by a multiple choice quiz.  At the end of the course is the exam.  It will take me another couple of months to complete it as I want to read all the writen support notes that accompany it before taking the exam.
After this exam I will begin the next course that came FREE with this one...another Nutrition course but direct from the Institute.  By early 2011 I will have completed this one.
There is an affiliate scheme with the Institute and once I have set it up I will link it here and to the website, so that, if you want, you are able to have access to the courses they provide.  I feel that the content and value they provide is amazing and so available to us no matter what restricted budget we are in...personally this was the best way for me to study as every penny coming in needs to be spent so wisely and I know we are all in the same vibration with this.  We need to invest in our futures to provide the best for us all.

Back to the love of my life...Aura...she is the most beautiful dog in the Universe...and has been such an amazing friend and guide for the last 11 years.  Here is a picture of her for you