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What’s New: Things, Candle Creation, Support & Medication

By Health, Home, LifeNo Comments

What’s new? Lots. In this blog post I’ll be telling you all about new things I’ve bought (or been treated to by others), my latest batch of homemade and handmade candles, my experience of using Bipolar UK’s eCommunity, attending my local Bipolar Support Group and dealing with a change to my medication.

Things
I’ve got quite a number of new things recently. I saved up and bought-in-bulk the following Dorothy Morrison candles and oils from The Angry Cauldron:

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Photo above is of my candle collection.

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Photo above is of my oils chest. Included are Dorothy Morrison limited edition oils and other essential oils.

My old hoover started making sounds like it was going to explode and takeout half of the town with it. So I bought a new one:

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My New Hoover bought on Amazon: VYTRONIX VTBC01 1400w Compact Cyclonic Bagless Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner HEPA Hoover

Around the same time I treated myself to three Yankee candles (large) and one Woodwick candle (large). I bought Midsummer’s Night, Turquoise Sky and Flowers in the Sun Yankee fragrances. Patchouli was the Woodwick fragrance.

My mum recently got a new sofa. She kindly gifted me her old sofa. It was really appreciated as my old sofas were knackered. To protect the leather from scratches by my cats, I bought throws and rubbed lemongrass essential oil on the sofa in places they would be tempted to scratch. Cats don’t like lemongrass essential oil or at least mine don’t. I also dug out some old cushions to match the throws.

Here are the results, a lovely sofa and chair, which are both like new:

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New sofa with brown throw and red & gold cushions.

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New sofa chair with red throw and red & gold cushion.

My birthday came and went without any real celebration. Lots of people gave me money, which I am going to save for when I go away for a night in June.

But for the May full moon I’d burned one of my Dorothy Morrison Hot Damn candles. I had a load of wax remains on my altar and then came up with an idea: What if I bought a Wax Melter and burned the remains? I saw this gorgeous Yankee Candle Wax Melter on ebay and couldn’t resist:

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This gorgeous Yankee Candle Wax Melter was what I bought with some of the money I got for my birthday. The orange wax burning is the remains of a Dorothy Morrison Hot Damn candle (purchased from The Angry Cauldron).

A good friend of mine got married yesterday. I needed a suit for her Wedding and I picked up this stylish and absolutely bargain priced suit:

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I bought this Charcoal Grey suit from ASDA for a bargain price of £50 (£35 for the jacket and £15 for the pants) for a friend’s Wedding. It looks exactly like a Next suit but was probably around one third of the price.

Candle Creation
In January I made a batch of homemade and handmade White Champagne & Strawberry candles. I couldn’t blog about them at the time because a number were reserved as gifts for people. I gave one to my mum for Mother’s Day, one to my Grandma for her 75th birthday, one to Simon and two to my friend for her Wedding. Here is a photo of one of my candles:

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My latest batch of handmade and homemade candles. They are White Champagne & Strawberry Candles in a 500ML mason jars.

I’ve completely run out of wax and fragrance. I’m hoping to do a batch of orange Pumpkin Spice candles and possibly repeat the red Hot Cinnamon candles.

Support
I’ve been accessing Bipolar UK’s eCommunity and attending my local Bipolar Support Group for the last few months.

The eCommunity is an active forum/message board where users (who can be people with bipolar or friends or relatives of someone with bipolar) can ask one another questions, share experiences and share helpful information. It’s free to use, open 24 hours and 7 days a week, and goes a long way to reduce isolation people with bipolar can experience.

I regularly check the forum and have posted there and replied to the posts of others. You can access Bipolar UK’s eCommunity here.

My local support group meets once a month. It took a lot for me to go along to a meeting, but I’m so glad I did. Nobody can understand bipolar or a mood disorder as much as someone who lives with it.

The facilitator and all participants of the group that I have met have been really friendly. I have found conversations there to be very useful and learned a lot just by listening and talking to others.

My group isn’t well attended and I think Community Mental Health Teams could do more to promote these local support groups (both in terms of posters/leaflets in waiting rooms and speaking to patients about them). These groups are free to access and go along way to reduce isolation. You can find your local Bipolar Support Group here.

Medication

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I’ve recently started on Venlafaxine (antidepressant).

I’ve been in a depressive episode since at least last November. So I’m currently in the process of cross tapering, off Mirtazapine and on to Venlafaxine (NHS). So far the side effects of Venlafaxine have been quite severe. My side effects have included:

  • Dilated (large) pupils.
  • Daily headaches.
  • Being tired but wired.
  • Waves of nausea & dizziness.
  • Decreased appetite (not always a bad side effect).
  • Huge yawns.

Apparently Venlafaxine withdrawal is very severe. So I have two hopes for this medication. One that it improves my mood. Two that it is several years before my brain develops a tolerance and I have to be weaned off it and on to something else.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Dorothy Morrison’s Wickedly Wonderful Magical Mystery Packages

By Happiness & Joy, PaganismNo Comments
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My Wickedly Wonderful Mystery Packages arrived from the USA a few days before my 30th birthday and were a extra special gift to myself.

Dorothy Morrison is my all-time favourite Witch. I first discovered her some years ago when I read her book Everyday Magic. I loved the book that much that it made its way on to the top shelf where I put my favourite books. At the time I read the book cover to cover, and still to this day go back for ideas, spells and inspiration.

To celebrate Dorothy Morrison’s birthday she has put together Wickedly Wonderful Magical Mystery Packages in two sizes small ($30 about £21) and large ($50 about £35). These packages will be available to order throughout May. In these magical mystery packages Dorothy Morrison is putting some goodies from her own personal stash, as well as some products from her range that are available on her Wicked Witch Studios website.

Here’s what Dorothy says about these Wickedly Wonderful Magical Mystery Packages:

…I sincerely hope they elicit the response for which I’m hoping: that resounding “WOW!” that warms your heart. I can’t think of any better way to celebrate my birthday!

Since the contents of each package will be different, there’s no way to post photos of assortments. But…possibilities include autographed books, limited edition items, candles, oils, sprays, gris gris bags, and other products found on the Wicked Witch Studios website, as well as goodies from my personal stash. [No one needs as much magical miscellany as I have on hand – so it’s time to pass some of it on!] What I can tell you is this: The packages come in two sizes – small and large – and regardless of which size you choose to purchase, I can personally guarantee the retail value of each package to be higher than the $30.00 or $50.00 price you’ve paid. So the fact of the matter is that you’ll actually be getting your goodies at a discount. And that’s enough to elicit a shout of joy from nearly everybody!

Just one more thing: Even though I’ll be offering the Wickedly Wonderful Magical Mystery Packages for the entire month of May, you’ll probably want to order yours early. That way, you’ll be sure to receive some of the items I only have in limited supply – and you certainly wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity like that!

(From: http://wickedwitchstudios.com/MysteryPackages.html, Last accessed: Monday 26th May 2016.)

When I heard about these packages, I was initially super excited and then remembered that Dorothy Morrison doesn’t ship to the UK. I posted my disappointment on Dorothy Morrison’s Facebook profile and she said that she’s now working with The Angry Cauldron who ship internationally and that I could order from there. The Angry Cauldron stock and sell Dorothy Morrison’s Wickedly Wonderful Magical Mystery Packages, as well as other Dorothy Morrison’s products.

The Wickedly Wonderful Magical Mystery Packages were released in early May on mid-night eastern time, which is 5am here in the UK. I decided to treat myself for my 30th birthday. I was up at 5am and ordered, so I that I would be one of the first to put my order in. I ordered a small and a large Wickedly Wonderful Magical Mystery Package. They arrived in a big box a few days before my 30th birthday. I was so exited that I nearly wee-d.

Here are some photos of the small mystery package:

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I ordered a small (pictured) and large Wickedly Wonderful Mystery Package.

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All of the items were wrapped in colourful bubblewrap meaning that it felt like opening gifts.

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First item I opened was a Dorothy Morrison ‘Hot Damn’ candle, which is used for good fortune/good luck. I’ve since burned this and it smells Devine and burns beautifully.

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Next I opened these two oils one: Wicked Witch and the other: Puttin’ on the Witch. Both smell amazingly magical and are great for anointing candles. Oh I also should point out that these are unique blends made by the fabulous Dorothy Morrison herself.

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Next was a Dorothy Morrison ‘Ghost Repel’ candle. Will keep hold of this, in case the occasion ever arises that I need to send a ghost or other spirit on its way.

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Dorothy Morrison’s ‘Wishin’ Mojo’ candle.

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All the items in the small package together. The price of a small Wickedly Wonderful Mystery Package is $30 (about £21) and the items I received are worth a lot more.

Here are some photos of the large mystery package:

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A large Wickedly Wonderful Mystery Package.

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Items wrapped in colourful bubblewrap meaning that they were packed well and opening them was like opening gifts.

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Sandalwood is my all-time favourite smell, so it was brilliant to have it in an incense.

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A Dorothy Morrison ‘Extreme Bad Ass’ Personal Power Accelerator candle.

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A copy of Dorothy Morrison’s book – Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions.

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A candle that can be used for working with Santisima Muerte (around the topics of: death, healing & protection).

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A candle that can be used for working with Hekate, Queen of the Witches & Maiden/Mother/Crone (around the topics of: fertility, magic/power & crossroads).

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All the items in the large package together. The price of a large Wickedly Wonderful Mystery Package is $50 (about £35) and the items I received are worth a lot more.

All of the products are of the highest quality and I can confirm that they are well above the retail price I paid. To order your Wickedly Wonderful Magical Mystery Package (either small, large or both), if you are from the USA you can order yours at Dorothy Morrison’s Wicked Witch Studios. If you are from the UK or another country you can order your at The Angry Cauldron.

But remember that you’ve only got till the end of May to order and the sooner you order the better, as some products are limited edition and once they are gone, they are gone.

Blog soon,

Antony

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I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Money: 5 Ways to Save Yourself a Small Fortune

By Money / Finances, ThinkingNo Comments
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Image Copyright © Sye Watts/Antony Simpson, 2014.

We could all do with saving a little money here and there. Here are five great ways to save yourself a small fortune:

5. Buy less coffee.
We all like a Starbucks or a Costa. If you’re a regular customer at a coffee shop, try to reduce your visits. One less cup equals a few pounds of savings. These savings will quickly add up over the month.

I have a need for coffee, especially first thing in the morning. If you’re like me, consider investing in a thermal flask and making time during your morning routine to fill it with coffee before you leave the house.

4. Take lunch to work, rather than buying it.
You can easily spend a fiver a day on lunch at work. For a fraction of the price you can buy the ingredients at the supermarket, then make and take your own lunch to work.

To make it easy on myself, every Sunday evening, I make the lunches for the entire work week and pop them in the fridge. Each morning before I leave for work I pop my lunch into my bag.

3. Give up smoking and/or alcohol.
The average cost of a packet of cigarettes is £8.74. The average cost of a litre of vodka is £15. Cutting these vices out, or even just cutting down will save you a load of money.

2. When buying something, ask yourself: Do I really need this?
We are all guilty of impulse purchases. We are all guilty of buying things to make ourselves feel better when we are having a bad day. By asking yourself: Do I really need this? Every time you’re about to buy something, it will reduce the amount of impulse purchases you make. How much money you save by asking yourself this, depends on what you pick up to buy.

But asking myself this question has saved me literally thousands of pounds. It’s stopped me buying high-priced items that I didn’t really need, such as: new cars, new mobile phones and new computers.

1. Shop around for everything.
Shop around for everything and by this I mean everything. Every area of expenditure: household bills, insurances, travel, food, clothes, credit, gifts, etc.

The difference in prices can be phenomenal. You can literally save hundreds or thousands of pounds per year by shopping around for the best deals.

How else can you save yourself a small fortune? If you’ve got ideas, please leave a comment below.

Blog soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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My India Adventure (Part 3) – Shopping in Delhi

By Adventures, Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, Love & Relationships, Money / Finances, Shopping, TravelNo Comments
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My spending money in Rupees.

If you enjoy shopping for clothes as I do, Delhi is the perfect place to visit with an empty suitcase. As Indian’s like their clothes.

I exchanged my money at the airport (see photo left). ₹500 (five hundred Rupee) is currently worth about £5 (five British Pounds).

My first shopping trip was on my first full day in Delhi. Robert, Michael, Neha, Neha’s sisters and brothers-in-law and I went shopping for an wedding outfit. Robert choose an attractive gold colour, Michael choose a grey and gold colour combination and I choose a fabulous purple colour.

Below is a photo of our wedding outfits, see my last blog post for photos of us in our outfits:

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Wedding outfit shopping.

Then we headed to an outdoor market where we bought some wedding shoes. These shoes were more about style than comfort and I named them The shoes of DEATH after they shredded my feet.

Prior to travelling to Delhi, I had been talking to a lovely guy named Eddie. I needed to buy Neha’s parents a thank you gift and was in need of a guide and shopping buddy. So I hired Eddie and a taxi for the day. Eddie was gorgeous, patient, kind and caring. We quickly connected and became more than friends. During my stay in Delhi I visited at least five Malls, two Bazaars and four outdoor market places.

On my first shopping trip with Eddie (there were a few) we went to Benetton where I bought a fleeced hoodie, a smart shirt, two plain t-shirts and two t-shirts with designs all for £55. On another occasion Eddie took me to an outdoor market and I got two pairs of smart work shoes for £8. I bought two real leather belts for £1.90. Delhi could be cheap or expensive depending on where you shopped and who you shopped with.

Eddie helped me buy some small gifts for close family and some of my friends. Believe it or not is where most of my money went – on other people. When Indian’s see foreigners they triple their prices. So having Eddie who spoke Hindi helped barter the prices down. I am extremely grateful to him for his language skills, superb company and for soo much more ;).

My favourite place to shop was Connaught Place. It had a good mix of shops, a Bazaar and an outdoor market place. Plus, it has plenty of places to buy good coffee. However most importantly for me, it was where Eddie and I created some amazing memories.

After much searching, Eddie and I found the perfect gift for Neha’s parents (to thank them for taking such good care of me). We found this lovely stylish mirror in the shape of the sun, which was the perfect gift for them.

Wherever you shop in Delhi there’s plenty of roadside stalls selling drinks and ice cream. There’s copious Tuk Tuk bikes and auto Rickshaws that you can use to get around. Or there’s always the Delhi Metro. The Delhi Metro is cheaper than Tuk Tuk bikes or auto Rickshaws and is quite an experience.

Eddie introduced me to the Metro and we used it together on about six journeys while I was in Delhi. The Metro in Delhi has been so popular that it is currently being extended. By 2020 they want 50% of people travelling on the Metro, which in the sky, and 50% of people using the roads. This will ease the current road congestion problem Delhi has, along with reducing air pollution. The Metro is exactly like the London Underground, just above ground rather than under it.

The first two Metro carriages of every Metro line are reserved for women, along with woman only seats in the other carriages. Getting on and off the Metro was a bit of a challenge at times, with a little fast-paced pushing and feet shuffling required.

I got plenty of stirs on the Metro because of my white skin. They were stirs of curiosity because most people hadn’t ever seen someone with white skin. After a while it did leave me feeling a bit awkward and unsure of how to respond. I wasn’t sure whether to stir back, smile or do a little dance. Luckily for the the other Metro users it was too cramped to allow me to do a little dance. On most journeys Eddie and I held-hands and no one stirred because of this or seemed to even notice it.

Whether you’re shopping or using the Metro there are many security check points. Where civilians in official, security, looking uniforms will ask you to walk through a metal detector and put your bags through an x-ray scanner. They then frisk you with a hand-held metal detector.

Eddie is gorgeous and looks so young. I want to reassure you that he is in fact twenty-two years old and I am twenty-nine years old. He is funny, kind, caring, intelligent and multi-talented. He has already had much success and many achievements. He seems to do well at anything he takes his hand to, which is no doubt due to lots of hard work and determination. I know that I’m a very lucky man. Here are some photos of the gorgeous Eddie and me:

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Eddie and I outside one of the many Malls we visited.

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Eddie & I on a Tuk Tuk Bike.

Can you recognise the brands photographed below?

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Starbucks Coffee :D.

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Me with a scary looking Ronald McDonald statue outside of a vegetarian McDonalds Restaurant.

Yep – Starbucks and McDonalds.

I was pleased to be able to get a decent coffee from Starbucks, but the prices where the same as in the UK making it an expensive luxury in India. Costa Coffee was much more reasonably priced. Coffee’s from both shops tasted the same as they would in the UK.

Other recognisable brands in Delhi, India included: Pizza Hut, Dominos, KFC, Burger King, Vans, Levis, Van Heusen, Nike, adidas and Marks & Spencer’s.

On the departure from London Heathrow my suitcase weighed 11KGS. On the way back home it weighed 20KGS, which just gives you an idea of how much I bought during my time in Delhi. And it didn’t cost me a fortune.

In next part blog post in the series titled My India Adventure (Part 4) – Delicious Food, I will be talking food. It will be coming soon, so don’t forget to check back for updates.

Write soon,

Antony

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